Just for fun

I can't believe the summer is almost over.  This summer has been such a blast.  Last year, Ella was still too little to REALLY enjoy the joys summer held, so this year has been thrilling watching her REALLY experience everything for the first time.  This girl would live outside if we let her. One of the fun parts of her week is when her cousins Keslee and Jayden come over every other Wednesday.  Here are just a few pics I took this past week, enjoy :) 

I just thought she looked like a little princess on Sunday.  She melts my heart man!

 Kes and Jay snugglin' up and watching Tangled.  If I squint my eyes, this looks like Ben and me back in the day :)

 We went in the backyard and picked apples.  They all just sat there on the steps and munched, it was THE cutest thing!

  These girls are gonna be best friends, I just know it :)  Kes is such a good helper with Ella!

Those eyes!! 

Parenting....

So I was at dinner with Adam the other night for my birthday (oh yeah, had a birthday, turned 28, whoo hoo).  I was discussing with him how I feel SO MUCH pressure (mainly self-inflicted) to be the perfect parent.  He thinks it's completely normal, but I wonder!  I can honestly fill up hours in the day thinking about how I am raising Ella.  Am I feeding her correctly?  Is what I'm feeding her keeping her healthy, or unknowingly going to cause her cancer 20 years down the road?  Am I reacting properly to her new little mis-behaviors? Am I away from her too much, or is it really good for her to be around other people through-out the week?  Am I spending enough time focusing on teaching her how to grow up to be a nice human being? These are the kinds of thoughts that churn around and around and around in my head on a regular basis.  Am I the only one that obsesses about these sort of things?  I think I read about seven (yes seven) sleep books when Ella was a newborn.  I've read books and blogs on nutrition, and now have started reading "Love and Logic Parenting".  Ironically, one of the chapters begins by telling the parent that raising a child is not rocket science, just keep it simple and fun.  Ha!  Good advise, but I have a hard time following the "keep it simple" part.  The "fun" part comes quite easily to me, considering that Ella is such a happy little girl.  I flip-flop between being totally excited for her to grow up and experience life, and being utterly terrified for her to grow up and experience life.  So, not really looking for advise here, but just wondering if any of you out there feel similarly about raising a child.  Am I the only COMPLETELY OBSESSED parent out there?!