Friday Favorites


Hey everyone and happy Friday! I am thrilled to be off today and have some girl time planned for today... My friend Samantha and I are both annual passholders to Disneyland, but mostly for our kids... But there are so many rides I have wanted to try that I can't take Ella on. We decided for our next girl's day we were going to go, just us. Well today is that day you guys and I am pumped!!! Shout out to our husbands for agreeing to watch the kiddos so we could make this happen.

On the opposite end of that excitement, we also have some hard things our family is going through. Michael's grandmother in China is not doing well, and his Mom is going there this week as a last minute trip to see her. I am so sad because I never got the chance to go over and meet her, so I am really hoping she gets better. Because his Mom is our only childcare provider and I don't trust Ella with 'strangers' I am taking some unexpected time off from work until his Mom gets back. Prayers for Michael's grandmother please.

Now to share our favorite moments from the week!
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ONE-


Ella had some ground turkey meatballs and linguine for dinner and was loving it! She kept asking for more when she was done... A new food favorite My favorite was that bib from Ikea that made clean up easy-peasy.



TWO-

On our day off together Tuesday, Ella and I went to the aquarium and had a blast!








 


 

And we didn't finish our fun day without a total mental breakdown from the drama queen herself... 


But other than THAT, it was an amazing day and a favorite moment of my week.



THREE-

We went to the mall as a family, and I saw that in celebration of National Hug Day, Build-A-Bear was offering 5$ bears. Normally they go for around 25-30$, and I have always wanted to take Ella, but NOT for that price. We took advantage of the deal and went inside.

I handed Ella her unstuffed bear and she hugged it SO tight. It was so sweet.

  

Ella got to help the woman working stuff the bear. She did not like the noise the stuffer made, but did kiss the heart that was stitched inside his back forever! 


The rest of the night, Ella held on tight to her bear like this... So cute. My absolute favorite moment this week was seeing her light up, smile and squeeze this bear. If only I could capture a happy moment on camera. 





Ella 'driving' her and Bear in the mall was another FAVORITE moment. So darn cute!!! 



FOUR-


My friend Samantha recently gave us a massive bag of clothes for Ella, as her daughter had outgrown them. Her closet is FULL for next summer and some clothes that will fit her into next Fall. We are so lucky to be given such nice clothes. I won't need to buy Ella much of anything for the Summer season! Our favorite felt hangers are available here.



FIVE-


We got Ella 2 of these Takeya insulated water bottles. We got her the smaller sized bottles and we love them. They keep her water or milk nice and cold and don't leak at all when the spout is closed! Great water bottles for the summer time.



SIX-

The other day, Michael and I threw together this quick meal using only what we had in our cupboards or fridge and it was so yummy!

I sauteed 1 shallot, 1 tbsp minced garlic in 1 pan with butter, and added package of gnocchi. I sauteed until the gnocchi was browning and the shallot was translucent. Next, I added 1 package of italian sausage (w/ s&p) to the pan and 1 zucchini sliced in half moons. We sauteed everything together until the italian sausage was browning. I was afraid of over cooking the gnocchi by just adding everything to one pan but it actually worked out fine and made for less dishes that way.

Once the sausage was fully cooked, I added premade pasta sauce to the pan (we like Ragu) and added some salt, pepper, and italian seasoning. I let everything cook together for about 5 minutes before serving with shredded parmesan cheese. Even Ella was a big fan and it was super easy. Would have included a pic but #bloggerfail



That's it for favorites this week. We will be back Monday with a recap of our weekend!


--Ashley & Ella xoxo





4 comments

  1. Your pictures and stories remind me so much of when my oldest was little and I had so much fun taking her places like aquariums just me and her. So sweet. The Build a Bear deal is great, so cute! I hope you have a great day at Disney and I hope Michael's grandma pulls through.

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  2. Big prayers for Michael's grandmother, hugs to your family!

    We are hoping to make it to build a bear next month for our son's birthday as they have a special bear you can make and pay the age of your child, $1 for a bear yes please!?!

    Enjoy your Disney day!!! :)

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  3. Love those aquarium photos; I used to take my boys to our local aquarium all the time when they were little. That and the zoo were always guaranteed to give us a full "day" of fun (mostly just mornings so they could nap in the afternoon). Have fun with your girl's day!! That sounds amazing. My husband and I went to WDW by ourselves one time when our boys were little and rode all the rides we have been looking at on previous trips and it was so much fun. I hope Michael's grandmother shows signs of improvement for you. My husband and I lost all three of our remaining grandparents a few years ago within just a few shorts months of each other and even knowing they were in their 90's and had lived a good life it was such a tough time.

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  4. Hi Ashley, I haven’t had much time to view your page on a regular basis, but today I enjoyed it so much! This is beautiful ... such a wonderful memory of all the things that you’ve enjoyed with Ella. All the special moments, the special things about life in general and even the most common things which is what I love the most! Thank you for sharing your thoughts and your special moments and the photos of Ella are so beautiful ... you are a special woman! We love and miss you here in Maine! Prayers for Michael’s grandmother and safe travels for his Mom!

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I appreciate and love all questions and comments!