Ella turns 2!!!!

We can't believe that it's been two years since she's joined our family, but little Ella is now...well, not so little anymore! We had a tiny birthday party to help her celebrate amongst all the chaos going on with little Maya around and she loved the presents and of course, the cake!

Maya - almost 4 weeks old!

She's growing fast! Still having fun keeping her parents up at night, but everyone seems to be thrilled anyway...

And then there were four

Maya Agnieszka Smith was born on Monday, March 1, 2010, weighing just under 7.5 lbs. After two days in the hospital we came home to enjoy two weeks of family time getting to know each other and settling into our new life. Ella has been a great big sister and Dad has learned all about children's songs by taking Ella to her classes each week. So far Maya has been blissfully sleeping - we know that things will get more challenging once she wakes up, but for now, it's great being home and relaxing with all of us. Ella has learned how to help with diaper changes and rock the baby. Sometimes, she wishes that she was a baby too, but she reminds us every day that she's a big girl!

Dancin' Machine

Now that I'm almost two years old, just like J-Lo, I've decided to move from my movie career to a dancing and music career. I've heard there is a show called American Idol, and I'm going to submit my latest work. I hope you enjoy it! As always, turn your volume up!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wgEVP7zfq8I

Christmas 2010

Warm and sunny California...and cold and snowy South Dakota! I got to touch snow for the first time...and Santa came three times!!! Once in London, once in California and finally in SD! And I loved the plane, I did not even fall asleep once during the 11-hour flight to California..mom and dad especially loved that.

Here are some pics - I got to visit a farm and a zoo...and play lots and lots with grandmas and grandpa!

Fall in London

Before we left for the States - we took some more pictures around the house :)

Fall pics

Hey everyone,

I know it's been a little late. We're already to Christmas and I'm going on holiday in a few days, but I wanted to share some of my experiences from the fall. Also, I had mom take a few glamour shots of me in the bath and through those in.

I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday season!

Chubster

As many of you know, I'm a bit of a chubster. What can I say, I love food! I've also figured out how to use a spoon so I don't have to wait for daddy to get his act together and feed me. I can stuff my face as fast as anybody, so I asked dad to get it on tape. Someone call Guinness! Oh, and don't forget to turn your volume up!

Ella

Croatia and Slovenia

We had so much fun the first time around, that we decided back, this time for two weeks!

Mom and dad got to spend some time relaxing...

And we also had some fun at the beach, hiking, and sightseeing. We ran into a bit of trouble and all fell really ill during our second week, but recovered after a few days of intensive care (for Ella). In any case, always bound to happen when traveling, but regardless, we had a great time, particularly in Slovenia where the hiking in the Alps was spectacular.

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.