Where should I move?

I'm sitting here pondering...

So apparently as an adult, you are required to move every two years. Maybe it's a government thing. Anyway, I've been told I have four choices.

In Warsaw, everyone sounds like mommy, so that would be cool, and I could see my cousins as well, but it's cold and gray...I'm a big outdoors girl you know.
In Sydney I've been told they have these things called beaches, I imagine sand probably tastes good, but that means long flights.
Maybe if we stay in London I will get to speak in that funny British accent - but then kids will make fun of me when I grow up...
Then there is Seattle...they have houses there! I can have a backyard! But I heard Dad say something about there's only one Johnnie Walker. Not sure what that means.

Mommy told me it would be helpful for me if I build an excel model, but I haven't been able to figure out the vlookup formula so I'm just going to have to ponder on my own. What do you think?

Ella turns six months!

It's unbelievable that last week Ella turned six months...What a crazy ride so far...and we've been so fortunate. Ella has changed so fast - it seems just like yesterday, when she could barely keep her eyes open for longer than a few minutes, and now it's party time every day, all day, if it was up to her. She's amazing, but of course I'm the mom so I would say that.

She can sit up now, smile, and let us know when she's unhappy about things other than food and sleep. She's figured out how to crawl backwards which amazingly is incredibly frustrating for her parents - we constantly have to get stuff for her or move her. She reaches for things, laughs, and cries when things are not going her way. Somehow she's incredibly stubborn :) She's also eating 'real' food now, as we're trying to get her to eat things like basil, mango, and spinach. Broccoli is definitely NOT the favorite.

We're spending a lot to time in Hyde Park, visiting with other moms, having lunches, going to swimming and music classes. Ella plays with other babies in daycare 1 hour a day when mom goes to the gym - the teacher has mentioned that she's 'very attention seeking.' I wonder why? We must work on changing that but of course it's difficult not to spoil her when she smiles so sweetly! In the evening dad takes over and disappears with Ella for her bath and reading time. It's so much easier now that she's a bit older and great fun as she is starting to be responsive. During the next six months she'll have a lot to learn as I go back to work, but in the meantime, it's still playtime with mom and dad!

Provence

So it was time to vacation again - I guess mom and dad really want me to get used to that whole flying thing! We stayed in a big house, went hiking, walking around little villages, and I think that mom and dad ate a lot of food. They dragged me to nice restaurants where I had to behave myself which was really problematic for me, but oh well. Also, I got to visit my first winery (and many after) and go on top of a big mountain from where I could even see the Alps!

Mom and dad did love this holiday. It was amazing to enjoy so much space after living in a small London apartment. We spent our days relaxing, driving around, hiking, walking and playing with Ella. Fall was in the air, although days were warm and Rob even braved the pool! We definitely ate too much, but it was difficult to resist the local cousine. It will be nice to come back someday.

Portugal...

To escape the 'summer' in London, we made our way south to a little town outside of Lisbon where it was actually warm. Although it was too windy for Ella to explore the beach, the warm afternoons and splendid sunsets provided plenty of opportunity for Ella to explore and mom and dad to relax. Some close friends, Elodie and Brian, came with us with their daughter, Izzy - it was entertaining to watch them both play!