Thanksgiving

 

We had a great/relaxing Thanksgiving this year.  It’s tradition to go to Branson with all the Baileys every Thanksgiving, but we weren’t able to go this year because of my job.  Then Grandma and Grandpa Bailey offered to take Maddy and Olivia with them.  We were hesitant at first because we didn’t want them gone for the holiday but changed our mind knowing we were going to have a pretty low-key weekend and they would miss out on a lot of fun.  So it was just Micha, Ellie, me and the Andersons at my parents. 

I was a little bummed about not going to Branson(it’s my biggest shopping day of the year), but I was excited to get to spend Thanksgiving with some of my family.  As always, the food did not disappoint.  Micha and I made Bang Bang shrimp(they serve this at a restraunt in LR, Bonefish) and it was so GOOD.  My dad talked about it all day and if you know my dad, he isn’t the easiest person to impress when it comes to food.  Mom made crab stuffed mushrooms and smoked salmon and Marji made Jalepeno Popper dip(a favorite of ours).  These were just the appetizers…….

Mom set the table with her wedding china.  I love eating on this china, it reminds of the holidays growing up because that was the only time we used it. (I think it’s beautiful and have requested to receive it several times:)  The glasses were some that my mom inherited recently that belonged to her grandma(I am loving them too) 

 

Thanksgiving lunch was all the usuals: ham, turkey, cornbread stuffing, nutmeg potatoes, green bean casserole,  and rolls.  Everything was perfect!  The best part about having a small crowd at thanksgiving is getting to take home lots of leftovers!

Micha and Ellie enjoyed a 2 hour nap after lunch.

I love this time of year and I am thankful I was able to spend it with family.  I am thankful that my inlaws were so sweet to take our girls with them and give them lasting memories that they will always cherish. 

Halloween 2012

 

My little Razorback Cheerleader(we are still fans even if the Hogs stink this year)

My little posing angel.  She won a best costume award at the church Halloween party.

My sleepy little Kitty.  She passed out right when it was time to leave, which was perfect timing for drawing her nose and whiskers, but not  good timing for taking pictures. 

We didn’t do our annual Halloween party because the Church was doing their party on Halloween night and we didn’t want to conflict with it.  We missed having a party but we had a GREAT time at the Church party. 

The girls loved trying to eat the donut off the string. 

  

It was pretty entertaining to watch

 

Micha had to be part of the action too.

 

Hope everyone had a Happy Halloween!

Ellie- 9 months

 

16 lbs 14oz(13%)

28 1/4 inches(73%)

She is crawling everywhere and pulling up on everything!  She has also started cruising along furniture and thinks she is pretty big stuff!

She loves the song “if you’re happy and you know it”.

She gives the best kisses, which involve lots of slobber!

Ellie is still a very easy going baby!  Her sleeping is hit and miss at night.  If she has teeth coming in, we can both forget about sleeping!  Right now she has 4 top teeth and 2 bottom teeth.  She is very busy exploring everything around the house.  She loves being in the kitchen and opening all the drawers and cabinets(I’ve had to do a little rearranging).  As you can see in the above pictures, she isn’t impressed with the tutu and headband(I am a little worried about her Halloween costume).  She is beginning to get a voice and will let you know when she doesn’t want to do something or if you take away something she wants.  Ellie also loves to harass Winston.  She follows him around and enjoys pulling at his fur. She is still loving her baby food and sometimes prefers it over real food.  I can’t believe her one year is just around the corner………time to start planning!

Ellie- 8 months old

 

How is this little sweetie 8 months old?! 

Ellie has started doing so many new things just in the past few weeks.  I forget about all these little milestones and how I need to cherish them because it goes by so fast.

She is now able to go from laying to sitting up on her own.  This is one of those bitter/sweet  milestones.  When she is playing its great for her to be able to do this.  It’s during bedtime that I don’t like it.  Now when she wakes up at night she sits up and just cries instead of soothing herself back to sleep.

She isn’t officially crawling yet, but man can she get around.  She scoots all over the place on her little booty.  Just yesterday she started getting on all fours in the crawling position and looks like she might figure it out sooner than later!

She is trying to pull up on everything!!  She can’t quite pull up all the way yet but she is getting close. 

She learned how to clap.  I have tried to get a picture of her clapping but she doesn’t want to cooperate.  Her top teeth are about to come in, I can see them and I am just waiting for them to cut through. 

 

 She loves taking baths.  She loves playing with her sisters.  She loves to eat what we are eating, but still really likes her baby food too.

 

 Ellie is enjoying her exersaucer more and more these days.  We have had beautiful weather the past week and loves being outside!

I finally moved Ellie’s bed out of our room last week.  Olivia was very excited to have a new roommate!  Ellie is still a great baby during the day but we have taken a turn for the worst at night!  It all started when we got back from our trip and I am hoping/waiting for this “phase” to be over. She still goes to bed great, no crying, but then she is waking up every couple of hours and it’s about to kill me!  I am just hoping it has to do with these top teeth coming in and we can get back to normal soon(but I doubt it).

Maddy's a 3rd Grader!

 

It's hard to believe that this little girl is in 3rd grade!  Maddy was so excited to start school this year(I guess we were beginning to bore her).  She is at Collegeville Elementary and has Mrs. Harris.   Her class is full of her friends, which worries me because she can be quite the chatter box, but I think she is keeping it under control so far! 

Ellie’s 6/7 Month Pictures

 

I did Ellie’s pictures while we were in Utah.  My sister, Marji, thought it would be better to do them there because of the weather and we didn’t have all our other crazy kids to worry about.  Marji did such a GREAT job and is making my decisions very difficult!  She was able to capture her fun personality in a lot of the pictures.  Thanks for the pictures Marji!