Believer

The first time E saw Santa was in our neighborhood park. She loved him. I just took her up to meet him, sat her on his lap and got a smile for the camera!

The next time, at the mall, wasn't so great. We got one photo taken before the tears came. Not sure if it was the lack of sleep that day, the chaos of 4 moms and 6 kids trekking through the mall together or all the big lights and cameras. At least I got one photo for the small fortune I paid.

Do you think that one day (when she is a little older) she'll notice how different these Santa's look? Not sure how I'll explain that one...

Christmas Came Early!

Christmas came about 2 weeks early for me with this nice, new present! (I wanted it to be like the car commercials when I wake up on Christmas morning completely surprised to see a new car with a big red bow on it parked in my driveway, but that just isn't realistic.)

A 2008 Mazda CX-9...with most of the bells and whistles. I love it. I'm a real mom now that I can fit up to 7 people and all the toddler gear! Thank you Santa!

Thanksgiving Week

We spent Thanksgiving in the frigid state of Idaho. Seriously...coldest weather I have ever been in. We're talking -14 F at night and like 3 F during the day. We always bring the coldest weather! It was great to be with B's family for a few days. I only took a few pics...

Family Photo Shoot

E's Thanksgiving Bow (I know...Cute!)

E with her Grandparents and Great-Grandparents

Quick Trip to Temple Square (The light were beautiful but we only stayed a few minutes because it was FREEZING!)

B went home a day before E and I so we got to spend some with with my family in UT.

Finally, my old college roomie and I met up for lunch and some catch up time. (Unfortunately her cutie son was sleeping when we took the pic.)

HP and the Sleepless Nights

First, the happy note...this week the girls went to the midnight showing of Harry Potter. I know, we're crazy. There were a group of 8 girls (most of us moms) staying up until 3 am to watch this movie then getting up at 6 or 7 with our kids. Ouch. It was super fun though! We got there about 9 pm to save our seats which was perfect. Lots of good chatting time before the movie. I put E to bed at grandma's house (because B was out of town) so I could escape. When I got home at 3 am grandma was up with this crazy girl who hasn't been sleeping. So this sleepless night continued until about 4 when E feel asleep for another 2 or 3 hours. I'm not made for these sleepless nights anymore!

This week has been crazy. B was out of town on business (again) and I had several things going on. It didn't help that it was a teething week for E! She has been a nightmare. I know what they mean when they say it feels like you have a newborn again. She normally is a rock when she sleeps but has been up every 2 hours all through the night. She won't eat and is super cranky....just not my normal happy E. Grandma gave her a fudgesicle (she prefaced it with informing me of the sugar-free nature of the treat) to help with the teeth pain. This was a mess for grandma to clean up! Of course the night B got home E is sleeping through the night again so he doesn't have to experience the misery. Somehow that is how it goes every time.

Pull Up A Seat

Nothing like finding a good place to sit and pulling out a good book.

Deck the Halls

I know we haven't even had Thanksgiving yet but there are only 40 days until Christmas! I'm not sure what it is about this year but I know I am getting super excited about the 25th of December. Maybe it is the fact that we're going to be home this year and we have a little one who we get to spoil. Because we'll be in Idaho for Thanksgiving and the hubs is out of town this week I made him start the decorations early.

The light setup...with E who was such a big help. Don't worry, I haven't turned on the lights yet...I just wanted them up so I could enjoy them the minute we're home from Thanksgiving.

Last week my mom and I had a girls day out at the Nutcracker Market. Here are just a few of my purchases. (Thanks to my mom I decided on a lime green and brown theme for my decorations).

Wreath I made and the beginning of several pillow I'm trying to get finished.

Now, to top off the holiday feeling this is a must! (A shout-out to my college roomie A for introducing me to it several years ago! Great treat with a warm brownie just out of the oven.)

Let the countdown begin!

15 Months

Well, almost. We went to the doctor yesterday for E's routine checkup. This little girl is still little! I think we only gained onces in the last 3 months. I guess that is what walking does for you. And maybe because every waking moment of this girl's life she is on the move!

Weight: 19 lbs 12 oz (4th %)

Height: 2' 4.75" (9th %)

Head: 18" (55th %)

E is totally becoming a big girl. She is losing that baby look and showing her toddler personality in full force. She is into climbing into and onto things like the bathtub, bins and buckets, on top of shelves and windowsills and into cabinets. She loves to be outside. She loves to place chase and hide and seek. She screams when she's excited and runs and falls into my arms when she's playing. She give great open mouth kisses and is such a joy! We love watching this little girl grow.

Captivating: Part II

On Saturday E and I took a quick trip to Costco to pick up a few things. As we were cruising down one of the freezer sections a cute old man in a motorized cart stopped to admire little E. This isn't unusual for us so we stopped to say hi. He went on for a while telling me how I should have submitted her to be the next Gerber baby and how I could make millions off of her. After a while of chit chat he asked me if E likes ice cream. I said yes, not thinking of what would happen next. He then reached into his pocket and pulled out $6 and asked, "How much is ice cream these days? Like $5 or $6?" I tried to refuse the money saying we had a couple birthday parties we were going to and we didn't need anything. He insisted saying, "I just HAVE to buy her one. I retired 4 years ago as a millionaire and I still am...I don't need the money." We chatted a little more about his life until his wife (also in a motorized cart) yelled from across the room for him to leave us alone because he can't take E home.

What an adorable man! I feel bad because I didn't buy her an ice cream but we'll put that $6 in her piggy bank so when she's 3 and wants ice cream we can relive that moment. Just another captivated member of E's society.

Family Photos

Yes, we got new family photos. E was pretty busy but we managed to get several good ones. For those in the Houston area check out Susan...she's great! I can't show all the pics because they might be coming to your mailbox soon but here are a few (aside for the ones up top).

Halloween #2, #3 and #4

#2...Zoo Boo. One crazy day at the zoo with friends! They had a pumpkin patch, trick-or-treating and fun decorations. It was worth the trip!

The gang...

#3...Carnival at the old workplace. In an effort to keep my mom out of the house for her surprise birthday party we took E to the carnival at my old job. Despite the exhaustion from the zoo earlier that day our little cupcake had a blast playing games and chasing balloons. She also got 2nd place in the costume contest!

#4...Trunk or Treat. Tonight we had the ward trunk or treat. We had to pull out the classic car decoration (classic because it is a hand-me-down from my mom who made it about 20 years ago) and put on our costume one last time.

Ahhh...now I think we're done!

Pumpkin Messes

E surprisingly liked digging into the pumpkin! Good thing dad was able to make something of our mess!

Pumpkin Patch

We searched and searched....

Then found the one...