The Parrillo Family

We think we've found one of Eloise's NEW favorite foods:  BBQ.  Last night, we went to Q BBQ in Downtown LaGrange and we ordered a few different of their fine smoked, cured meats.  Eloise dug in on the chicken, ribs, cornbread and mac and cheese.  She has some Southern-er in her, I guess. In fact, as she was eating she spontaneously broke out into a happy dance.  I captured *some* of the dance here in the video. (NOTE....if you are reading this in your email, you likely have to click here to go back to the website to watch the video.) P.S.  How 'bout them pigtails?!?

As Eloise grows up this summer, she's coming into her own in many ways.  One of the most visible is how confident she's growing during our trips to the Elmhurst Public Library.  Nat takes here at least once a week and Eloise has gone from sitting in a chair just passing time to a real rompin' stompin' KID who marches around pointing at the fish tank, playing with all the various puzzles, injecting herself into other kid's conversations and generally trying to be a "big girl".  She continues to amaze me every day with her courage and confidence.  She's changing everyday and I love watching her experience all the world has to offer.

This past week, we helped Momma (Natalie) celebrate her 30th birthday with a small party in our backyard. July 12th happens to be my mother's birthday (Dorothy) too!  Kind of wild, isn't it?  My mother and wife share the same birthday! We had some Eloise's cousins come over for a little pool party followed by dinner and s'mores for all!  Eloise's Noonie & Papa (Jake's folks) and Auntie Sharon, Auntie Vicky, and Uncle Marc (Eloise's Godfather) were also there to celebrate with Nat and Dorothy. Here's a slide show with photos from the day including this (above) photo of Eloise coloring Momma's birthday banner! (If you are reading this in your email and can NOT see the slideshow below, you should click here to come back to the site and view the photos.)

We were lucky enough to spend the Fourth of July up in Michigan and were joined by both friends AND family.  The Morans came up for a few days and made the trip much more memorable for Nat and myself, but also our little girl.  She loved hanging on the beach with her Grandad, Grammy, Aunt Elise and Uncle Bill.   She also loved eating breakfast out on the deck in her bathing suit! Here are even more photos of Eloise around the pool and lake below. (For those of you reading this in email, the photo slide show may not appear.  You need to click here or on the headline above to go back to the web to view the photos.)

Eloise has a very interesting way that she says the word banana.  The three syllables really throw her for a loop! ( If you're reading this via email, you might need to click the link above to go back to the website to watch the movie below. )