Welcome Home

We took advantage of the nice weather yesterday and let Ellabeth play outside in her new house.

Oh what a day...

life must be tough when you are 15 months old!

My New Toy

I got a camera for Christmas and spent the day playing with the settings and trying to figure out how to use it.  Fortunately, I have a great subject to work with!

What a Week!

Most kids are fortunate to have one Christmas. Ellabeth got to celebrate Christmas for 5 days straight! On the 20th, Santa brought 1 early gift to help entertain Ellabeth on her trip to IN.

We got off the plane in Indy on the 21st and went straight to family Christmas.

Ellabeth spent the evening enjoying all the attention!

We spent a couple days in Brownstown and had a wonderful Christmas gathering with Ellabeth's great grandparents on the 22nd and family Christmas on the 23rd.

She started to really get into opening gifts and used any means possible to remove paper and ribbons!

After an unexpected day of driving back to OKC on the 24th, Ellabeth and Daddy were so happy to see each other!

Christmas day was a fabulous relaxing family day.

Even though she didn't open any gifts on the 26th, Ellabeth still had a big smile on her face! Thank you to everybody who went out of their way to make Christmas so special for Ellabeth!

Yummy Cookies

After a couple hours of baking and icing, I started to wonder why I decided to make Christmas cookies...

but watching Ellabeth eat a star made all the time and mess well worth it!

Great Temptation

Ellabeth is not supposed to touch the Christmas tree.  It's a pretty that's just for looking and not touching.  She likes to push the issue and get as close as she can.

Occasionally she leaves evidence, like a little sock, that she's been in the tree!

Sleigh Bells Ring

Ellabeth got into the holiday spirit with a sleigh ride around the house.

Halfway There

Yesterday marked 20 weeks, or the halfway point, for this pregnancy. Things are starting to change around the house including my growing belly...

and the introduction of blue into the world of pink.

We even made sure Baby got to be part of this year's Christmas ornament.

Yearly Photo Opportunity

We knew that getting a picture of Ellabeth with Santa would be an interesting task this year. Here she is pre-photo.

You can watch the photo process. Notice how thrilled Santa looks!

We ended up with a family Santa photo to remember Christmas 2008. Maybe Ellabeth just wanted to make sure her little brother was in the picture.

Loyal Little Fan

The Thunder's record doesn't keep Ellabeth from getting excited about going to the games - and yes, this is the face she makes when we ask her to smile!

All in a Day

This is our house at 8am.

During the day, Ellabeth happens.

And this is our house at 8pm.  I'm scared to think of the damage 2 will be able to do!

Travel Weekend

Last year, we went to NYC in mid-December.  This year, we stayed in Dallas.  It's crazy to think about how much has changed in a year - and how much will change over the next year!

Cheap Entertainment

It's amazing how long Ellabeth can have fun playing with a laundry hamper.

Future Giant

Ellabeth had her 15 month dr. appointment this week.  She is 33.25 inches tall (above the 97th percentile) and weighs 22lbs 3oz (just below the 50th percentile).

Was it a Sign?

This morning I dressed Ellabeth in blue,

and this afternoon we found out that Baby is a Boy!

(butt on lower right, two legs on right and left, and little boy marker in the middle)

Ellabeth was very curious about what was going on and made sure that she was part of the action.

Oh...What a Face

Ellabeth is learning to communicate - and get what she wants - using her many facial expressions.