Eye Doctor

Cole and I had eye doctor appointments this week. Our eye doctor told us about the free infant exams that they do, so we brought Elle in for her first appointment.

When we went to Elle's appointment I told our doctor that Elle didn't know her letters yet. Not a problem...

All Elle had to do was follow a light with her eyes and get a light shined in her eyes, and get her eyes dilated.

Elle's eyes are in perfect shape. She followed the light and behaved herself. I was actually surprised that she opened her eyes to have the light shined in there at all, as she usually closes her eyes when we are outside in the sun.

They dilated Elle's eyes, so of course, when we left, Elle had to wear the sunglasses for the walk home...WAY TOO CUTE!! I was so surprised that she left them on even when we got in the house since she usually takes off her regular sunglasses. Not these ones! She loved them!

I can't see a thing...but this toy is tasty!

Where are my toys??

This is how we walked home...Elle is too cool for school!

Christmas Picture??

We're trying to come up with a good Christmas picture for our Christmas card this year....

Okay...we'll keep working on it...

Now We're Talking...

The other day we were having some lunch and Elle kept making the funniest faces. Here's what I think she was thinking...

Yo Dad! What do you want from me?...cuz you're not gettin' a smile...

What? You're telling me I have to smile all the time...not gonna do it Pops!

Oh..boo hoo...now you're crying huh??

Well, you are going to have to get over it...and make it snappy!

Too bad! I'm not playing your little game today!

Sorry, maybe next time...

yeah, keep talking in that high-pitched voice and see where it gets you!

I'm out!

Cole's Man-card

My back started to hurt from carrying Elle in the swing and Cole so nicely volunteered his services. He even wore the sling!! Yep he lost his man card for that one! But it was really cute! Here are the pictures to prove it!

Look wife! I can clean, cook and bedazzle my jeans

with the baby on my hip!

Elle, these are what we call fish...

So sweet!!

Family picture!

One Sleepy Girl

We went to a wedding last weekend. Our friends Daniel and Kate got married. It was a lovely ceremony and such a fun reception. We brought Elle with us to both the ceremony and the reception. She had a great time. She enjoyed the decor, the dresses, the dancing and the food. Althugh she did not get to taste the italian feast that we enjoyed, she did have her lentils, carrots and peas.

Elle was up WAY past her bedtime but she was a sweet girl through the whole thing. We weren't a block away from the reception when she fell asleep in the car. When we got home she did the funniest thing that she has done yet..

Cole was holding Elle. She would open her eyes for a minute and then fall forward as she shut her eyes. She was absolutely pooped. We laughed so hard I thought we would fully wake her up...not so!~

When we got in the elevator another family with a 2 year old was in the elevator and the mom said, "Sweetie, look at the little baby" just as Elle shut her eyes and began to fall forward. We all started laughing so hard. Poor girl!

That's what happens when you party like a rock star!

Elle and her daddy in the elevator

Yum!

Elle is to the stage now that EVERYTHING goes in her mouth...

hands

feet

spoons

toys

Mom's hands

diapers

washcloths

wipes

Pretty much, if it touches Elle's hand it finds it's way to her mouth. I'm thinking that teeth might be in our very near future. We shall see...

Mom, I'm telling you, you really should taste this...

Blocks are good Mom...think of it as another form of protein!

Okay...that one didn't taste so good!

We Love the Zoo!

We went to the zoo last week and we had a blast! Elle was awake the whole time and she enjoyed herself! We saw the elephants, the birds in the aviary, the gorillas and the hippos! Here are a few pictures of our time at the zoo:

Mom! This elephant is about to step on me!

I'm not so sure about this hippo Mom!

I'm on a hippo!

Come on birds...let me see you! (we are in the aviary)

I love the zoo!

Help! My Bumper has Attacked Me!

The other morning Cole and I walked in Elle's room to get her out of her crib. If we are both home we like to go in together just to see her sweet smile. We have seen many things in the past 7 months...

A girl on her tummy (she was on her back the night before)

Wet sheets (diaper leak)

An arm or leg through the crib slats (surprising since they are so chunky)

Little eyes looking through the slats (way too cute!)

Never before have we seen this:

Ahhh the light shining through the blinds...

and this bumper/blanket is keeping me toasty warm!

Good morning parents!

I think that something is not quite right here...

I guess I'm going to need to find a way to tie down the bumper a little bit better!!

Daddy Fun Time!

Cole and Elle had a bit of fun at the park...

Cole: Elle, this is the way a big girls jump

Elle: Yeah, well, I'm only 7 months Dad. I don't know if that makes me a big girl, but I'm doubting it!

Cole: ...and this is the way we do a karate kick!

Elle: I've got this one down Dad! Bring it Mom, I'll show you what Dad taught me!

Cole: This is the way we walk Elle!

Elle: Okay...this sounds fun

Me: Alright...take it down a notch...we don't have the baby gates up yet!

Bathtime!

I can't resist a picture of a cute booty....

Here's Elle getting ready for her bath the other night...

Well Mom, from here it looks pretty good...I like the variety of toys, the water seems warm enough and the bubbles, well, they looks like little clouds of comfort!

I can't wait to get in there...let me at it!

Just a pair of eyes!! Pure bath enjoyment!

Slide!

We headed over to the park to swing on the swings which Elle loves to do, and when we got there Elle told me that she really wanted to be a big girl and ride down the slide.

Of course I told Elle that I would have to ride with her just because she had never done it before. So we ventured over to the slides. Here's a look at our newest adventure:

Okay Elle, this big yellow thing is what we call a slide.

Hold on to this bar. We will use this to propel ourselves forward...

One...two...ready...go!

Weeeeeeee

What do you think??

"Well Mom, it was OK, but really I'm kinda tired, can we go home now?"

7 Months...My How Time Flies!

Elle is 7 months old now! I can't believe it!

She turned 7 months on the 3rd. Of course I think she is absolutely the best thing that has happened to Cole and me! She is full of happiness and her new expressions are a true joy that can take you from the worst mood to the best in a matter of seconds!

Each month I think Elle gets a little bit more fun. Here's what she's accomplished since her 6 month birthday:

• She eats solid food now and therefore produces solid poo
• Drinks from a sippy cup (although much of the water goes all over her)
• She sits up by herself and rarely falls which is a nice change (I was getting tired of putting pillows behind and around her in case of a fall)
• Everything goes in her mouth
• She says "Bababababa" (of course she hit this milestone while we were at my parents..for some reason she likes to perform at their house, rolling over and giggling both happened for the first time with Gma)
• She reaches out and grabs for EVERYTHING (rice and bean on the lap...not so fun)
• She LOVES to swing at the park
• The big bathtub is a whole new world and Elle enjoys to play with the toys in the bath...when she can reach them.

I love her to pieces and am so glad that I get to spend so much time with her!

Chunker...

We all know that Elle is a chunker. Even though she is only in the 35th percentile for her weight. In fact on Sunday a friend asked when we were going to take the rubber bands off her wrists and ankles! It really does look like we've put rubber bands all over her.

In getting her ready for her bath the other night Cole decided to try and take her shirt off over her head. Here's what happened...

Matchy Matchy

Growing up my mom would dress my brother and me alike. For example, we had matching sailor outfits. Taylor's outfit had shorts and my outfit was a dress. We were darling of course.

Sometimes when my parents would sing somewhere, my mom would try and get my dad to match her outfit. Obviously not sailor outfits, but Dad never went for it. Matching was NOT an option.

Well....check this out...

G and grand-baby...matchy, matchy!!

It was a pink and brown Sunday!! Too sweet!

Disneyland

Last Friday Elle went to Disneyland for the second time! She loved it! We got there around 11am and we left at 10:30pm after watching the fireworks. (Which totally woke Elle up from her slumber...she wasn't as thrilled with the fireworks as we were).

Elle was the best! She napped in her stroller, played with her toys, made a bunch of Korean women giggle on the Mark Twain river boat, enjoyed her first ride (Toy Story at CA Adventure), enjoyed watching Aladdin, and slept all the way home. What a trooper!

Here are some pictures from Disneyland...

Gettin' rested up on the way to Disneyland...

Disneyland gets a "thumbs up"

In line for Toy Story...it was Elle's feeding time...

we tag teamed her!

Who's Minnie Mouse??

I love Disneyland!

Wait...what's that?? Could it be Snow White??

Fall back

I used to love the time of year when we "fall back". Turning the clocks back on a Saturday night in November giving us what feels like an extra hour of sleep.

We wake up rested, get to church on time, and enjoy the sunshine earlier in the mornings.

Like I said...I used to enjoy this.

No one told me that when you have a child you no longer get to enjoy the "extra hour of sleep".

We turned the clocks back last Saturday night, I got cozy in the bed at my parents house ready for the extra hour of sleep.

But oh no, it was not to be. Elle didn't really understand the idea of getting an extra hour of sleep, nor did she seem to care. At 6:30am on Sunday morning Elle decided that since it felt like 7:30am, it was time to wake up for the day.

I on the other hand, would have liked my extra hour. The picture above was taken at about 6:45 am on Sunday morning. She's lucky she's so cute!

Our Fun Weekend in Pasadena

Elle and I traveled up to Pasadena this past Thursday-Sunday. We had such a great time with my parents. Elle always loves to see her G and Gma. We did so many fun things...

Here's our trip in pictures:

Yep, I'm the new Executive Pastor at PazNaz...move over "G" I'm movin' in!

I'm also the newest employee of IAEE...

as soon as my fine motor skills kick in, I'll be of much more use!

Where's Mickey? Minnie? Goofy? Come on...let me at 'em!

Who's the sweetest punkin??

Oh "G" watch out...I could hurl...