Christmas in MinneSOta!

CHRISTMAS! Mom, Dad & I celebrated my 1st Christmas Eve in New York - my first run at opening gifts! I really was enthralled with tearing the paper and peeking at what was hiding underneath. Kind of like my favorite game - peekaboo!





Then it was on to Minnesota for a whole week of Christmas fun with Nana, Papa, Uncle Ben, Aunt Megan & Cousin Lauren. I got to socialize with SO many other people too - lots of family to play with! Loved seeing my great-grandparents!

One of the traditions of mommy's family is opening gifts up in the morning in our pajamas...what fun we had. See how big I am?


Daddy dressed me up in Santa Bear's Christmas garb...

There was music being played almost everyday, we did a lot of singing and I tried out my piano skills - can't wait until you can teach me more Grandma!


I LOVED having a constant playmate in Lauren! I would just squeal with delight and chase after her at my fastest crawls. I liked to take off and then peak back to see if she was following me sometimes too :)




Grandpa & Grandma were great to read Lauren & I stories at all hours of the day. I really like being able to open up things on books and turn the pages.


Let's play, play play! Can we get one of these at home Mom & Dad?


When we weren't having parties, we had a lot of outdoor fun in the Minnesota wild with all the SNOW! Grandma & Grandpa have a huge playground in their backyard with the snow covered golf course. What fun sledding Lauren & I had while everyone else snowshoed & skiied. Someday we'll maybe get to try those things on our feet too...but I guess first I need to figure out how to walk. Oops...mom can't find these pics of me in the snow but here's one of uncle Ben & Daddy.



Lauren showed me how to do a butterfly kiss when we had to say goodbye. See you at our birthday celebration!

Advent Anticipation!

You may not know this about me but I'm really quite observant. I love it when I come into a room and there's something new and different in it! This happened soon after we got home from Nebraska and I found a little tree right in our living room. I wish it was closer to the ground so I could touch it all the time but mom and dad keep it up high so I just get to look at it and point a lot. I especially like to touch the star at the top and seeing all the lights on the tree I practice my sign for "light" many times during the day!





The other great thing about this month is that Grandma Marlene gave me a wall hanging with pockets and a different surprise inside that I get to pull out for each day - it's called an advent calendar. Sometimes I like to pull out more than one at a time. I get so excited to play and move the pieces around - especially since I can put the pieces on, pull them off and place them all over AND I'm getting to try out my standing a lot too. Thanks Grandma!


One other exciting thing that has happened during advent...is I turned 300 days old on December 7th. My daddy is so great about figuring these things out so we have more reasons to celebrate life!

Thanksgiving In Nebraska!

My first trip to my Grandma & Grandpa's house in Nebraska! We had such fun - here we are at the park - nothing is better than being outside surrounded by swings & slides...and of course my Grandpa & Grandma!

The whole clan!

Thank God for cousins! What fun we had playing, playing, playing! I loved all the attention too!

Go Big Red! It was a successful Thanksgiving win for the Huskers and Grandpa & Grandma made sure I was dressed in style for the big day!

My 1st Halloween!

October 31st in Nyack was a beautiful day and Grandma & Grandpa were still visiting so we all went out to explore! I really wasn't sure what all the fuss was about putting on these extra clothes so late in the day...

Well, I'm Winnie the Pooh Bear dressed as a honeybee of course!

A stop off by the Hudson River to enjoy the sunset...

I spent most of the time in my stroller but toward then end found it much more enjoyable to be carried by Grandpa - thanks Grandpa!

Grandma & Grandpa Visit

And, we had SO much fun! I gave them a little taste of my life in Nyack, NY which is awfully good but it is that much better having them around to play with me!
I got to introduce my Grandma & Grandpa to all my friends at the library during our song & story time.

Playing in the park!

Come back again really soon!

Fall Fun!

I love autumn! I've found I really like pumpkins. They're great for standing up on and just one more new thing for me to examine and study!

All the leaves blowing everywhere are probably my favorite thing about fall! I let out a little "heh" everytime I see them blow in the wind. I can sit forever by the window just watching them but I especially like to be outside to play in them and taste them. Yum! Yum!!

My First Teeth!

So these hard white things came popping through into my mouth! Aren't they dazzling? They came in September while we were in Colorado but I wanted to wait to show you until they had popped up a bit!