The Cotswolds

It's been one of those places - so close to London, but we've never actually been there. We had great weather, did a ton of hiking and relaxing...we were fortunate to stay at a beautiful hotel. Ella enjoyed running around, as usual, and logging in more backpack hours. But she did get to play with some animals at a farm which seemed like too much fun!

the British coast

It's way too cold even in the middle of the summer - so unless you're crazy, swimming is out of the question. But hiking is beautiful and the views stunning...and it's not too far from London to see the blue water...

Ella's Learning to Read Program - Get Your Copy Today!

I've convinced my dad that I really should be earning my keep around the house and so I've developed my first instructional video. Dad wasn't sure that we could really make much money off of this, but with such a low cost base (I work for free), any sales is straight profit. So, give us a call if you want your copy. I think it's a real winner!

Norway Video

Adding to my portfolio, I've convinced daddy to make another video of me from the clips from Norway. I really think this shows my range and my skills as an actress. Notice the different emotions I display and how I play the role. The background of the country is really nice, but we know who the star of the show is....Remember to turn up your volume!

Ella's Croatia video

Ok, so my dad is really lazy and just got around to putting this on the web. It's my second music video (although I don't remember the first but I guess I was pretty young then). I'm trying to build my portfolio so I can make the big time so hopefully dad will keep on it!

Summer in London

So we're halfway through - but it definitely seems like fall. We did have summer for about 3 weeks...it was marvelous - we even used the 'water feature' during one of the bbqs! It ended with a rain that really has not stopped sinnce. But we've enjoyed it anyway - it's been great having so many visitors this summer (and still more to come!) - enjoying playing with Ella and spending time with family and friends.

The Fjords - spectacular Norway

So Ella got a little taste of the mountains before our big trip later this summer...we hiked and hiked and hiked, but to be honest, it was Rob doing most of the work. At the end of the day after comfortably sitting and enjoying the views Ella would come out energized as we sat there watching her exhausted. Ella loved it!



The views were some of the most amazing we've seen - it was unfortunate that we had to leave after 4 days - although our bodies were definitely thankful!

The Warsaw backyard experience...

Yes, it is something we can only dream of, stuck here in the grind of the urban jungle - the yard. So elusive to us, yet such an afterthought for most. The green trees, the space, the sheer presence of fresh air, all tying together to form a perfect place for an afternoon bbq with friends and family. It was wonderful to spend some time visiting my brother and his family in Warsaw - what a retreat! Ella did not know what to do with all the space and the trampoline quickly turned into her favorite toy EVER (caused many tears when play time had to end). She had so much fun with her cousins, while the parents enjoyed a bottle of wine. The simple pleasures of life....

Croatia and Montenegro...

Long weekend gave us another excuse to go somewhere, and since we've never been to Croatia and a drive through Montenegro sounded like a fun adventure, we decided to pack our bags and get some sun. I can't say that it was amazing - although the views were certainly breathtaking - rather, it was new, but not so different. The language was similar to Polish (in Croatia, particularly) and every so often it would be easy to spot the remnants of Communist tendencies. Dubrovnik was as touristy as it gets, although we were not there during the high season, so I can't imagine the throngs of cruise-ship tourists that must step through the walls of the old town during the summer months. We also visited an island off the coast where it felt like an escape from the chaos of Dubrovnik with no cars, and a beautiful little beach where Ella decided that she hates sand, although we enjoyed the swim. The history of the whole place, coupled with the water and the sun surrounded our every move, and made us want to learn more.

Montenegro was magical, as everyone told us it would be, with mostly undisturbed villages surrounding Boka Katorska - often compared to the fjords in Norway. It was great hiking and walking through the cobblestone streets of Kotor for Ella who could run freely through the century-old squares and make friends with the locals. A quick trip, filled with seafood, sun, history, and adventures...we hope to come back to the region sometime soon...




Ella was a trooper though! We put her through a lot from planes, trains and automobiles along with a speedboat here and there, hot and sweaty days... But she seems to love new places and her independence gets stronger each day (which is not always a good thing!); she takes it all in and goes along for the ride. Otherwise we would all be miserable!

Pietruszkiewicz time!

My grandma and grandpa came for a few days to enjoy London...and then my uncle, aunt and two cool cousins came to play with me too! It was a full house, but lots of fun spending time in the park and playing games.

Enjoying Easter

We thought this year we would join an English tradition of sitting in traffic on Good Friday to head down to the seaside for the Easter weekend. With a few other brave couples, we enjoyed beautiful weather in Cornwall and Ella got to see another part of the Island.

Ella turns 1!!!!

And we've survived! We have to admit - it was a celebration for us as well as Ella. We're still married and happy... Ella is becoming more and more like her mom with temper tantrums and lots of tears when things don't go her way, constantly keeping us on our toes. There are plenty of laughs too and she never ceases to amaze us (but isn't that what every parent believes?? :) We had a little birthday bash so that Ella could try her first sweets and someday look back and laugh at herself!

Dubai...

short trip...tall buildings, but lots of sun and water - fun for everyone after spending a winter in London. We swam and played and I got to spend lots of time in the pool!

backpacking

They are getting me started early with this stuff...and I'm still trying to get used to it, but I think there will be lots of hiking around this spring. I'm so tall in it!

Party time

I'm getting big now - at least my parents tell me this all the time! My mom even makes me pretend that I have friends - we have to go visit them, but even though I barely notice them, it's still fun because I always fight to take their toys (WHY??? why is our child turning out this way???) and see new things. I can stand now and I even know how to pretend to dance which is a constant source of amusement for everyone! My favorite toys are those that play music, because then I can really show off my moves!

My First Christmas!

So, I finally figured out what the tree was all about and why mom and dad made me go on a plane for 9 hours.....Presents!!

Christmas was a great time. I got to hang out with both my grandparents in the mountains and on the coast - Snow in Colorado and sun in California. It was a little tough with the altitude in Colorado, but I really enjoyed playing with my cousins. Overall it was a great trip.

Christmas in the new place

Just when I thought I had everything figured out, mom and dad moved me from our home, moved all the furniture, and put a tree in the living room.

I haven't figured all this out yet, but I have to admit, I love having more room to roam and while the walks are colder, it's fun to get all bundled up and hey, the tree is pretty cool all lit up with things for me to play with. I hope it doesn't get any colder though...

Fall Colors & Halloween

Ella's first Halloween! I was a big, fluffy, pink bunny with my own carrot :) Now that I'm crawling, it was fun to clean the floors with my pink fur at the halloween party.

Family visits and historic 'ol England

Granny Smith came out to visit and that gave me another excuse to convince mom and dad that I should get out to the countryside for the day. I had been reading about England's involvement in WWII and the historic leadership of both FDR and Churchill. So, we took a hike to his estate. But, wouldn't you know it, I was so cute that they forgot to take any pictures of the estate, just me. Well, what did you expect?

Playdates and gettin' bigger

So, now that I've grown to almost 20 pounds, I've made clear to mom and dad that I'm beyond all of the plastic play toys and sitting around the living room. I've got friends that I want to see, travel I want to do, books to read, etc. They are just going to have to recognize, I'm a big girl now.