Ellison Reese

Monday, September 3, 2007

Playing in the Grass

Ellison went barefoot in the grass at Grammy & Pappy's, which she was unsure about. She has recently started noticing her tummy more and more, which is too cute, especially when she does it in the bathtub. And our ever-teething girl kept trying to bite the swing rope while swinging. The things this girl puts in her mouth...

Hangin' Out with Family

Here's Ellison playing with her cousins Lucas & Emma. She cracked us up - she dug right into the bucket of toy tractors and played like the big kids. The photo on the left is with her Aunt Andrea (my sister-in-law), the one on the right is with her Aunt Carrie (my sister), and below is with cousin Olivia and her Uncle Josh (my brother)

. Uncle Jeff somehow managed to escape getting his photo taken. We'll have to take extra next time!

First Swing Ride

Believe it or not, this was Ellison's first time on a swing. As you can see, she LOVED it! She enjoyed swing rides many times while we stayed with Grammy & Pappy.

Mommy's Looking Different These Days...

Jonathan swears it isn't his...

This is my cousin Meghan, who gave birth to her second baby girl, Mia, on August 14. This photo is from our family gathering the evening of Carl's funeral. We were all grateful baby Mia held off until then. I hope Ellison isn't getting any ideas here...

My Hero

I think this is one of my most favorite photos of Ellison and her Daddy. It was a beautiful evening after her Papa Carl's funeral, so our 2 families hung out in the 2 yards. The way Ellison is looking at her Daddy is the epitome of their relationship. She adores him and thinks he hung the moon. He would, of course, for her. :)

Our Future Singer

Ellison had been at the funeral home ALL day and was an absolute angel! Jonathan & I ran back to my parents' house quick in the evening, long enough to give her a bath and put her jammies on, then we all headed back up to the funeral home for the memorial service for Carl. Here, Ellison stumbled upon the toy microphone (which happened to be left on) while we were running her bathwater. She quickly realized how cool it made her voice sound, and started 'singing' into it. She thought it was the greatest.

Trip to Michigan

Sadly, Ellison's Papa Carl (my Uncle Carl) passed away the night of August 8. Ellison and I flew to Michigan Aug. 9 and stayed for 8 days. Jonathan was able to fly in for a couple short days too. Here, Ellison's cousins Olivia & Emma are reading to her at Grammy & Pappy's house. She never sits this still for me when I read to her. :)

The New Digs

Here are a few photos of Ellison's new bedroom. It sure is awesome having professional painters for grandparents! Grammy & Pappy worked hard putting the special touch on Mookie's new bedroom when we moved in. We love to spend time in there!

9 Months Old

Time sure is flying. On her 9 month birthday, Ellison's 3rd tooth popped through. There were several photos in this birthday series, here are just a few. We were trying to capture how difficult it is to take these birthday shots as she gets older. We tried putting the sign above her on the chair, but the only photos we got of that were of her twisting her body around trying to get it. Next, we resorted to standing her in front of the chair with the sign on the back of the chair. This only allowed us to get back shot of her, as she turned around still trying to get the bloody sign! Too funny. You gotta give the girl credit - she's got drive!

Showing Some Skin

Ellison's first halter top. Though he said she looked adorable, Daddy furrowed his brow a little. :)

Mealtime

We had to mark this occasion with a photo because Ellison was really getting the hang of feeding herself with a spoon this day. After I figured out that she needed a big-people spoon, she was more than happy to try this task out. Our little girl doesn't want to use a measly baby spoon.

Ellison von Beethoven

Here she is practicing her Concerto in A Minor. Ellison loves playing on the piano everyday. She especially likes doing it when in the (near) nude. As long as she grows out of that phase before she hits school. She plays better than Mommy does. :)

The Little Mother

Well, we're not sure about Ellison's maternal instincts at this time... Here she is poking the eyes of her baby (remember the eyelash thing?). Then she simply couldn't

deal with her crying anymore, so she got rid of her, and seemed quite pleased with herself.

The Farewell

Saying 'goodbye' to Grammy & Pappy in the morning, as they were heading back to Michigan. They needed a rest after all the hardwork they put in with our move!

"I've Got a Headache THIS BIG!!!"

Ellison was trying on Grammy's specs.

The Greatest Book Ever Written

Ellison didn't think life could get any better than this... a Cheerios book! Upon further inspection, she decided it was a cruel joke that you can't actually pick up and eat any of the Cheerios (her absolute favorite snack) off the pages.

Our Moving Help

Feeling a little overwhelmed with the unpacking of boxes in our new house, we thought it would be nice if Ellison helped out. She was a little bit of a slacker though, choosing to entertain us instead.

Pappy & Grammy Visit NC

Grammy & Pappy made it to North Carolina after a long drive, just in time to feed Mookie her bottle before bed. They came to help us move into our new home (thank GOD!!!)

A Few of Her Favorite Things

Ellison still has a little fascination with eyebrows and eyelashes during her evening bottle. She has a little babydoll that has eyelashes - Ellison never tires of poking her eyes out 'cause she loves the feel of the eyelashes. We won't discuss that she enjoys putting her finger inside your nose, too.

And this is one of MANY shots of Ellison playing with her Daddy's necklace. Every single day she searches for it under his shirt. I can't resist many shots of little Mookie's side profile when she's studying things.

The Next Golden Girl

We tease Ellison that this is her "Floozy Elderly Florida Lady" outfit. She thought it was funny. Right after this shot she headed right for the tanning salon.

Ellison's Little Girlfriend

Ellison had a playdate with her little friend, Caroline, who is one month older. A great time was had by all - the girls just kept taking each other's toys.