Toddling Around

So Ellison's been able to walk for a while now, though she still didn't have much confidence and preferred crawling as her primary mode of transportation. After all, it was much quicker! But a couple of days ago she finally gave in and now walks, albeit cautiously, to where she wants to go. If she falls, she'll often revert back to staying on her knees and crawling the rest of the distance, but for the most part she's experiencing the upright world. She'll scooch along as much as she can by holding on to a piece of furniture or whatever else will provide her with assistance, but then she realizes that she CAN do this and goes it alone. Our little girl is all grown up (sniff)...

Santa Came!

As much as we hate that the true meaning of Christmas is often overrun with the whole Santa/gift thing, how fun it was to experience Christmas morning with a child this year! Even though we had our little bundle of joy last year, she certainly wasn't old enough to have any clue what was going on. This year, as we came down the stairs and she saw the little "kitchen" Santa left for her, she smiled and said, "Wow!". Ellison definitely had lots to be thankful for, because she received many wonderful gifts from family members. Reluctantly, she shared her new kitchen with Marcos. I think she was feeling generous that morning since he and his parents had to leave a few hours later to head back home to Florida.

Christmas Eve

Ellison and Marcos got all festive on us for Christmas Eve (well, Marcos did as the day wore on). Their cute little Christmas outfits were courtesy of Aunt Ana. We went to the family Christmas service at our church, and both kids were great. Ellison was content since she got to snack on Cheerios the whole time, and Marcos was fast asleep in his mama's arms. After church that evening, we all got comfy, and Ellison & Marcos exchanged gifts. Ellison definitely had a little more involvement with the tearing off of the wrapping paper this time compared to her first birthday. On a nostalgic note, one year ago on Christmas Eve, Ellison was baptized at First Presbyterian Church in Boulder, CO. It's crazy for us to think how much she has changed since then!

Ellison's First Cookie

Lydia, Jonathan, & I had too much fun making and decorating Christmas cookies over the weekend. (Poor Angel was stuck upstairs suffering from allergies). Seriously, our guts hurt from laughing so hard as we critiqued each other's decorating skill - or lack thereof, I should say. I pity the friends and neighbors who were on the receiving end. At least they tasted good. But I digress... I couldn't resist letting Ellison try a cookie (sans frosting) since I made one in the shape of a teddy bear. For anyone that doesn't know Ellison, her absolute favorite object - her security object that we are sure to always keep two of - is her teddy bear, aptly named Teddy. She got a huge grin on her face when I showed her the Teddy cookie. She was hesitant at first, but soon Teddy's head was bitten off, and before we knew it, Teddy was missing entirely.

Ellison Meets More Family

Ellison got to meet her cousin, Marcos-Milan, and her Aunt Lydia & Uncle Angel for the very first time over Christmas. We had the fortune of having them visit us from the Miami area for a few days. Marcos is exactly 7 months younger than Ellison. It was fun to see the two of them interact. Ellison stepped right in to be the big girl in the dynamic duo. She even let Marcos crawl all over her as she layed on her tummy on the floor. The two vied for the same toys much of the time, but got along quite well. :) It was great to spend time with family for Christmas, and as usual, it went by much too quickly. Here are some photos of the kiddos.

Tanglewood Outing

We had the pleasure of going to see the Festival of Lights at Tanglewood Golf Course in Clemmons with the our great friends, the Perez family. We had such a fun time! Ellison and her BFF, Caroline, were a riot. Once we were in the golf course and moving at a snail's pace, the 2 girls got to sit up front on Jonathan's lap so they could get a good view. (No need to freak out - it truly was a snail's pace.) It was funny watching their 2 little heads bobble around as they looked about, and even funnier to watch Jonathan try to tame the 2 worms in his lap. Tony drove, and Mollie & I had to try to fit our butts on the car seats while hanging our heads out the backseat windows. During the light festival we made a pit stop at the little craft barn, and then roasted marshmallows over the bonfire while sipping hot chocolate. The ride home was par for the course (no pun intended) with 2 one-year-olds in the vehicle - Ellison & Caroline were coordinating alternating whines. But they did great for the excursion. Such a wonderful holiday evening! Thanks, Mollie & Tony!

Headphones

Ellison was all too willing, apparently, to be Daddy's muse. He put the wireless headphones onto Ellison one morning, and she couldn't stop grinning. Too darn cute!

A Plug for Luvs

Ellison tries to climb on just about everything nowadays. A very popular phrase we hear often out of her mouth is, "Up, up, up". I find her trying to climb on turned over laundry baskets, I've even found her lifting her leg to get up in the sink of her little play kitchen. She especially wants to climb up to sit in "big people" chairs. I was cleaning her room and was just about to unload the new box of diapers when I saw that the box was otherwise occupied.

Something's Wrong With These Photos...

Two things to note about these photos: 1) the date & 2) Ellison's attire. I'm still dumbfounded over the fact that Ellison got to wear sandals, a sun hat, and sunblock this time of year! It was so strange! My pedi was in no condition to be seen in flip-flops! We went on very long walks the last couple days to look at all the Christmas decorations (OK, and Mommy's bod needs some exercise). It just didn't feel right being 80 degrees. But Ellison loves long walks, so it's all good. She was chillin' - she put her bare little feet up on her stroller tray & perused the catalog we got in the mail on our way out.

More Horsin' Around

Ellison let Caroline in on all the fun of playing around on the cushionless sofa. Her other latest thing: going crazy in her crib. This child whines for us to put her in her crib to play around. She crazily rolls all over the place and flops herself all over, squealing with laughter the whole time. If you try to reach for her to pick her up, she gets a huge smile on her face, and at the very last second takes a dive away from you while she bursts into giggles. It's so funny! She also thinks it's loads of fun to jump up and down on her mattress, and play "Toss Teddy". She tosses Teddy out of the crib and we have to toss Teddy back in. This goes on and on. Good times... :)

13 Months Old!

At 13 months, Ellison's just about walking. She started taking steps the day before her first birthday, but then took a long break for a while. Now she's really getting her confidence, and takes steps all the time. Soon she'll be toddling around here like crazy. Ellison is getting quite good at making animal noises upon request, and mocking Santa's "ho, ho, ho". She's increasing her vocabulary and her understanding of many words. She delights in all this holiday stuff - the little Christmas village we have, the tree, the ornaments, the snowmen, the little window snowflakes, etc. Now if only we had some snow for her to play in. :( We certainly won't be holding our breath...

Horsin' Around

I found Ellison trying to put my shoes on. She managed to do so, and thought she was hot stuff.

We decided that Ellison needs to earn her keep around here! Tiny as she may be, that's no excuse - they make vacuums small enough, you know. I better add the disclaimer that I'm only kidding before one of you calls Social Services on us. Ellison actually likes the little hand-held Shark vacuum that I use. If it's sitting there, she'll go up to it and figure out how to turn it on, and then is so startled that she makes a beeline for me. When it's off, she enjoys pretending to help out.

About the only way I can try to cook or do anything in the kitchen without Ellison clawing at my legs is to open the "plastics" cupboard for her. She loves causing disarray with the "Ellison" section of the cupboard, and trying to put lids on the tupperware.

In the Holiday Spirit

Our little Soto threesome was asked to light the first Advent candle at church the other weekend. I hesitated to agree to it, given that our little 1 yr old spends most of the service in the back of church or in the nursery playing with her mom or dad. Luckily, Ellison was on her best behavior. I had horrible visions of her trying to grab the candle, the microphone, trying to squirm out of my arms, etc. She did great, though, and Jonathan & I managed to not jack-up the prayer or the lighting. Ellison looked adorable in her festive little outfit.

Cheap Entertainment

Grammy gave us the great idea of pulling the cushions off the sofa so Ellison could have her very own "jungle gym". Though it's provided endless entertainment for her, our living room permanently looks like a war zone. As soon as I get the brilliant idea to tidy up & return the cushions to their rightful positions on the sofa, Ellison makes it known that we ruined her space. It's quite cute - she climbs all over the area, going back and forth, grinning & giggling with delight. Her moves rival that of a WWE wrestler.

Ellison's First Owie

Though Ellison has had a few tiny "wounds" from slight mishaps before, this was Ellison's first "big" owie that left a nice mark. I was holding her hand while we were standing in the driveway talking to her dad when she lost her balance & swung around, letting go of my hand. Jonathan & I both heard a "smack" on the cement. :( She did a face plant & got a nice goose egg & abrasion on her forehead. It broke our hearts - she had dirt all over her face & even in her little teeth. This photo was taken shortly after the incident, so it ended up looking worse than this as the day wore on. The first of many, I'm sure...