On the Move!

As you can see Owen is a happy baby. Just yesterday and today he has been rolling from his back to his tummy. He is doing a low crawl pretty good and has all the mechanics to crawl, but he is not gotten all the coordination down. He does real push-ups on his toes - it is pretty amazing to watch him grow and gain strength. The quilt behind him - I just made for him. My first quilt without pink! And due to a simple pattern I was able to complete it in a mere two weeks. Owen will be 6 months old on Friday - I am thankful that the time seems to pass so quickly, as I am beginning to get more sleep!

Owen is looking forward to Christmas - we have caught him under the tree a few times, eating lights and pulling the skirt out from under. The girls are even more ready for Christmas - of course! Ella had a program at school all about Santa and the Elves at the North Pole. She has been working on the songs for over a month and had a blast performing. See our little baker?! She loves singing and dancing and has no problem carrying a tune at all. If anything we have to ask her to stop - she is a bundle of energy! We took over 50 pictures to get this one of the four of them, with the girls in matching dresses - I guess I was trying too hard! It seems easier when I am not trying at all.

Merry Christmas!
Amy

Daddy's Boy

Owen is now 4 months old and still growing like a weed! Everyday seems like a new adventure and he is soaking it all in. As you can see in the pictures he is very happy, and really easy going too. He has been using his tummy muscles to get to a sitting position - trying to let us know he is not a newborn anymore. He has been rolling over lots - and beginning to understand how to scoot on his elbows. That part is a little scary, as I know that I will not be able to keep up with him all to soon. He has a favorite toy - a blue clown face with a big red nose - he gets very excited when he sees it and does his best to get it in his mouth immediately. He loves smiling at Daddy and his sisters and will laugh when tickled or tossed in the air a little bit. He's our sweet boy and we are very thankful to have him in our family.

Ella's Quilt

This quilt has been in process for the last 8 months. A little here and a little there as I can find time to sit down. The idea of this quilt has been formulating since Gabriella was a baby, and to see it come to completion is a proud moment for me. It is a quilt made with lots of love and it is all over the quilt in all the hearts. I love you Ella!

At The Top

This August Jenna (and boyfriend Christ), Zach, Ella, and myself made it to the top of King's Peak (13,528), the highest peak in Utah. Our highest camp (shown) was at 11,800 and beautiful. Unfortunately, dad's knees gave out, so he couldn't make it to the top. We had an awesome time and it was a beautiful week.

Owen is 3 months old already!

Look at our handsome boy! Three months later Owen is sleeping well and growing non-stop. He has been rolling over for a month now, and is full of grins, for just about any friendly face. It is amazing how much he has been changing and growing - we all know that it goes "so fast" but it is still amazing to me!

Ella has lost her first tooth, and been in 2nd grade for one month now - loving every moment. Emmalie and Sophia are getting along well together and loving Owen. There is never a dull moment around here! Joseph and I are enjoying these times, knowing that they will pass all too soon.

Owen at 4 weeks

Well I can hardly believe that it has been 4 weeks since Owen joined our family. The girls are getting along with him great, and keep me in check when he is not in my arms - "Where's Owen?" Sophia is still in love with Owen and is constantly asking to hold him. Ella and Emmalie have been big helpers with all of the little things for Owen. Owen seems to grow with every nap, his 0-3 month clothes are getting tight in the toes already! We have been blessed with a smooth transition here at home and look forward to Owen getting bigger and having fun with each of his stages to come.

Timpanogos

Dad, Stacy, Keith, and myself hiked Mount Timpanogos Last Saturday. It was a twelve hour day hike, but well worth every moment to get to the highest mountain in the immediate area.

Provo Balloon Festival

On July 3, Ella, Emmalie, and Sophia saw the balloons at the annual festival in Provo, Utah. They have been so fascinated with hot air balloons lately, so needless to say they had a lot of fun. The only disappointment came when they realized they would not be able to ride in the balloons.

More Owen and Gang

We visited Amy and Owen at the hospital today and then brought them both home. Here are a few pictures from this afternoon. As you can see, he has three very nurturing sisters. Sophia in particular surprised us. We thought she would have a very difficult time and be distant from Amy and the new baby. Instead she wouldn't let him out of her sight, very curious, shadowing him everywhere he went.

Owen Benjamin Ellis

Owen was born yesterday, June 21, at 7:47pm. He was 7 lbs 14 oz and 20 inches long. Here are a few pictures right after he was born.

Dad's Current Activity Level . . . not bad

dad 50 skiing
Originally uploaded by josephellisparkcity.

I owe my brother Chad much credit in taking the actual photo (which was dad posing on this walker-ski contraption) and putting him on the ski hill. Well done.

7 Years

We celebrated Gabriella's seventh birthday May 13, Mother's Day. Her big birthday present was a big girl bicycle. She didn't want to learn how to ride a two wheeler last year, so it was a big step for her to learn on this much bigger bike. Nevertheless, in Ella fashion, she was up and going pretty good the first day with it. Now she's all over the place and we can't keep up.