The Parrillo Family

Birthday's - for both Nat and I - are waaaay better now that Eloise is here to share them with us.  Back in April (I know...that's almost 2 months ago...) I turned 33 and Nat really went out of her way to make me feel special.  From my hand-colored Birthday Banner courtesy of Eloise to my very favorite combination dessert (Carrot Cake Cheesecake), I had such a great day!  Eloise even invited her cousins over to help me blow out the candles. (If you are reading this in your email and can't see the slideshow below, you need to click on the headline link in this email and you'll be able to see the photos.)

I had to spend some time doing work in Michigan, so all four of us (including Maisy!) snuck up to Coloma for a few days last week.  Because it is before Memorial Day, it was still quiet up there and we were able to enjoy a quiet morning on the lake.  Just Daddy and Daughter.  In our pajamas. It was one of the best mornings.  Ever.

Eloise and I woke up Momma with a hot cup of Starbuck's coffee, and a scrambled eggs and toast breakfast in bed.  It is tough to really pamper Nat in any way on Mother's Day because there is such a scramble throughout the day.  We went to Nat's folks house in the afternoon to celebrate with her Mom (as well as with Aunt Elise - Eloise's Godmother), and in the morning, Nat worked her magic to pull together an amazing brunch at our house with my entire family.  Natalie is an amazing mother - and wife - and does so much for so many people that I am always taken aback by the way she handles situations and the grace she possesses.  Both Eloise and I are VERY lucky to have her in our lives! As for the day, we got lucky as the weather cooperated and we were able to spend much of the day outside in the backyard.  All the cousins got together and - while it appears that Eloise *really* loves her cousin J, the bearhug was the sweetest thing in person!  Such a cu...

While you guys have seen a bunch of the swimsuit photos in a different post, the sprinkler isn't the only way we're getting wet in our backyard.  Eloise Granddad and Grammy bought her a water and sand table earlier this spring and we've been having a lot of fun with it.  Momma made the strategic decision to isolate the water and sand and just use the "water" part of the table to avoid an inevitable mess when the two would combine. (If you are reading this via email and can't see the slide show embedded below, you'll have to click through the headline link to see the photos!)

This video is from back a few weeks ago (Easter Egg Hunt @ Wilder Park), but it shows what a big girl Eloise is becoming.  Last year, we would strap her into the infant swings at various parks and she would just kind of lean one way or the other.  Now, she's strong enough - and aware enough - to be grabbing the chains and (the best part!) even lays a HUGE smile on us. (For those of you reading this in email, you have to click through the headline link to see the video that is embedded below.)

It was only 10 days ago that we shared with you a photo of Eloise with her first ever lollipop - which (a little embarrassingly) was given to her in Church.  As you'd imagine, she loved it and we were only too happy to try to give her another one.  On one of our trips to Menards for landscaping supplies, Nat noticed a package of Saf-t-Pops .  You know the kind: they have the loop of rope instead of a stick.  We all likely got them after getting shots at the doctor's office when we were young. Although Daddy couldn't be happier in Menards, Eloise on the other hand wasn't thrilled with our shopping trip.  So, the lollipop purchase was both strategic (making her happy on the drive home) and long-term (a whole bag means that there are plenty of opportunities to make Eloise happy over the coming months.) But...did she like them?  Well, I think the photos tell the story here:  she LOVED them.  The only downside?  They create A LOT of stickyness....

Eloise hung with her crew yes,terday over at our friends Gina and Sean's house.  It also was great to see both Melissa and Dan (for the second time in 2 days!) and their VERY handsome boy - who is growing up so fast!   While the adults ate some delicious pizza, the kids had a blast on their pretty rad swing set.   After seeing Eloise run around with the swings and attempt to climb the ladder, I know I'm under the gun to get our playset construction underway.  They even stopped for a half a second and posed for a photo! So much fun to be had this summer.  Can't wait for even more playtime on our own playset in the backyard.  Hopefully it'll be done by Labor Day!  Ha!

The smile tells the story in this photo. We took Eloise (and her cousin Grant) to the Home Run Inn in Addison this past week and Eloise came face-to-face with her first ever Cookie Monster - which is a warm chocolate chip cookie topped with ice cream, whipped cream, chocolate sauce, chocolate chips and a cherry.  Sure, Grant liked it, but Eloise LOVED having her own spoon and digging in and getting messy.

Eloise and Nat took swim lessons together last summer.  It wasn't so much of a swim lesson as it was an exercise in getting her comfortable in the water.  This year, I think it'll be a different story.  I think she'll start to learn about staying afloat, how to get into the pool and how to stay safe. The pool was a fun place for us to go as a family last year, but this year will be even more fun for all of us.  And, pool fashion is certainly NOT lost on my daughter it seems.  As you saw in the video we posted of her in the sprinkler , Eloise has a new swimsuit.  And...as you can tell from all the smiles in these photos, she couldn't be happier to be wearing it in the warm summer air.    "Let's Go!   It's time to hit the pool, Daddy!"

With the balmy temps in Elmhurst this week, Eloise broke out her new swimsuit and we turned on the sprinkler for the first time.  While she was a bit timid at first, as you can see she warmed right up and loved the experience.  Check out her in the video below. If you are reading this in your email, make sure you click the link in the headline to go back to the site to watch the video. 

(This must be the week of "firsts", eh?  Sunday was her Mother's Day Card .  Yesterday was the ice cream cone , today lollipops!) Our little Eloise is certainly an active girl.  She isn't that interested in sitting still and not exploring or learning about her environment wherever she is.  Even when we go to church.  We usually sit in pretty much the same spot everytime we go - on the end of a pew on the very side of the church near the back.  Eloise loves nothing more than to sneak out in to aisle and try to trounce up and down the aisle laughing all the way.  Unfortunately, that's not the best thing for most of our fellow parishioners.  Some of the time, I take her out into the hallway or even downstairs to run around the hallways by the bathrooms.  But, on a recent Sunday, we found ourselves with a very restless 16 month old and we turned to a DumDum lollipop that one of us had in our pocket from a restaurant the night before.  Guess...

There are few "firsts" or benchmarks in a child's life that can compare to something like this.  Last week, we spent up in Michigan doing a little work (Jake) and some R&R (all of us).  One evening, we wandered down to St. Joe's for dinner and some beach-walking time.  After a little walk around town to work off our food, we found ourselves in the South Bend Chocolate Company store in Downtown St. Joe's Michigan.  While Eloise has indeed had ice cream before, it was ALWAYS from a spoon or from Nat or my serving.  Not anymore!  Eloise had her first BIG GIRL ice cream cone all by herself.  We selected Superman Ice Cream - which is a distinctly Michigan thing - and a sprinkle cone.  I'm partial to ice cream cones over bowls/dishes (sugar cone, please), so I'm happy to report that I believe she's NOW a convert to the cone.  How grown up!

When Nat came downstairs this morning, Eloise had a surprise waiting for her.  Thanks to the magic of these new-fangled crayons that a toddler can handle, Eloise hand-colored Nat's Mother's Day card. All that practice on the kid's menus at Egg Harbor on Sundays is CLEARLY paying of for Eloise's artistic skills!