Thief! Thief!

If I had to describe Ella in just one word (impossible, but if I HAD to), it would be sweet. She loves to give kisses--big, fat, juicy ones right on the lips. She loves to come up behind me and put her arms around my shoulders and just hug. I love that she loves to do both of those things.

Apparently, Ella also loves to shoplift. She has now shoplifted a pack of Extra Tropical gum from HEB and a rubber ducky from Pier One. I let the gum thing go because what actually happened was she dropped it into our cart at the checkout line and I failed to see it until we got to the car. Mind you, I took it home with the intention to return it on our next trip and Hal opened it and took three pieces. Oops.
But then the rubber ducky happened. Neither my mom nor I can figure out how she got the duck out of Pier One since we specifically saw her put it back into the bin. However she did it, she's stealth. I secretly think she recognized the rubber ducky from the Sesame Street Ernie's bathtime videos that we watch, decided then and there that she needed a bathtime friend, and maneuvered the duck into her jacket pocket. She then managed to hide it for four or five days, making it awkward for us to take it back and admit that almost a week ago our 17-month-old beat the system. Whatever the case, I feel it's important to note the appropriateness of the phrase, "Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me." I need to keep a better eye out apparently. Maybe she's not so sweet after all...

Ella the Shoplifter: 1 Pier One: 0

Halloween!