Preparing for Christmas

We had so many ideas to capture the perfect holiday photo...a drive up to Mt. Hood to frolic in the snow, maybe a snapshot in front of the perfect tree, or big smiles while sitting on Santa's lap (no smiles, more to come later on that subject!)  However we ended up at the park on a sunny afternoon playing in the leaves for a fun little photo session with Grandma.

 "Oh mom, you're embarrassing me!"

 Aaaah break time!

 Much happier..."let's do this!"

Deep thoughts, by Ellie Miller

Walking, Turkey Day, and Ellie's 1st Wedding!

November and December have been very busy for Little Ms. Ellie.  After taking a step or two on Halloween, she quickly became our Little Ms. Walker  AKA Walker Texas Ranger Jr.  It has been amazing watching her go from a few cautious steps, to the more confident toddle, to the run and tackle. And we have certainly seen our fair share of the bumps and bruises to go with all of these phases...needless to say we ought to buy stock in Tylenol and there is always a freezer pack ready to go (which she generally refuses, but we figure we'll keep offering it)

Ellie had a great time playing with her cousins and dancing to karaoke on Thanksgiving.  We enjoyed a great evening with family...Ellie was so excited she ditched her dress and hit the tail end of the party dancing in her diaper.  She certainly knows how to shake it!

And speaking of shakin' it...Ellie had a great time at her cousin's wedding!  She got to watch her daddy officiate Adam and Jessica's wedding at the Davis Street Tavern.  She then proceeded to dance on a table and then fall asleep while dancing on the dance floor with Grandma Cassandra.  She's been quite the busy girl!

 Just taking a break from all of that walking.

 Showing off those skills!

Who doesn't love to put on a polar bear outfit, stand in front of the mirror and just giggle!!

 Someone recovers well!  A few minutes of crying, followed by a quick smile.

 More walking!

She even got her first pair of shoes!  Ellie was not a big fan at first, but has certainly gotten used to wearing them...and being able to get them off in the first 2 minutes of the drive to baby school in the morning!!

 TURKEY DAY!  Ellie was certainly more excited about mashed potatoes than she was about taking this picture.

 Big smiles at the dinner table!

 PARTY TIME!  

Enjoying herself while hanging with Auntie Emily & Uncle Tyson at the rehearsal dinner.  This is also the night Ellie got to watch her first belly dancer!!  It was a pretty big night for her.

Wedding Time!  Who says you can't party at a wedding when you're a minor?!?

Zoo Day

What to do when the rain has set in for the fall?  Head to the zoo!  We put on our layers, got Ellie all snug in her pack, and enjoyed a nice stroll through the very quiet zoo.  Highlights included hitting feeding time at every exhibit (so we have seen the back of most animals as they head in for their afternoon snack) and   Ellie seeing her first polar bear...she was pretty excited.  Also a huge fan of the sea lions!  We did decide that once the actual down pour started that it was time to go.  And it wasn't because Ellie was crying...she actually was quite entertained with the rain and smiled the whole way, our little trooper!!

 Getting ready to head to the zoo....the really empty zoo.

 Looking a little skeptical with the idea of hanging in the rain?

 She got over that pretty quickly.  She was pretty impressed with the sea lions.  I'm sure her dad will be sure and tell her how cute they are not when diving next to them in Alaska!

 "Hey guys, I'm over here...

 "...alright well I'll just lean in the picture too I guess"

Finally, a fence post to the rescue for family picture time.  So nice and toasty (well and stinky) in the atrium! 

 Just hanging with dad and the zebras...at least the zebras have sense to head for cover!

The zoo was very thoughtful to make a sign for Ellie...but they got the birthdate wrong...and that weight is off, by about 292lbs.

Fun with the VanDerBears!

Ellie has been enjoying time spent with her cousins Jane and Lukie.  They moved up from California a few months ago and now Ellie gets all kinds of cousin play time!

 Just hanging in jammies after dinner.

 Mommy and Cousin Laura taking a mom break :)

 A gorgeous sunny fall day at the zoo...these are rare, but we are making the most of them!  

What does Ellie like to do when it rains?  She grabs a flotation device, swimsuit, and a Nemo swim diaper and heads to Grandma Cassandra's for some laps in the pool!

Halloween 2012

With the pumpkins carved and the Elephant costume ready to go, Ellie enjoyed her first Halloween!  Although we didn't join in on the trick or treating festivities, Ellie was quite patient with her parents and the hood of her elephant costume and posed for the camera.

Umm, I think she might actually be posing for this one... 

"Ellie, come on smile for the camera." 

 "Lucas, help me get this hood off of my head!!"

The Halloween Crew of 2012 

 Still pulling on those ears...

...now time to try pulling on Bedtime Bear's ears.

Pumpkin Patch!

Wearing costumes and hanging at the farm...being a baby is pretty awesome!  We took Ellie to hunt for her Halloween pumpkins with two of her best friends (besides mommy and daddy of course!)  

Pumpkin crew!

Can't go to the farm without the gourd mustache!

Or petting the calves!

 Ready to play!

Ready to play in the pumpkins...

 ...still having a good time...

 ...and we're done.

 What a great day!

 "Hmmm, I think I can lure him in just close enough to pull that hair!"  

She's pretty smart.