What a difference one year makes!

I can't believe we're about to celebrate Elise's first birthday!!!

Elise 11 month pics- the Rejects

I'm sure you noticed I had to edit an 11 month sign into Elise's picture. That is because her obsession with the blasted monthly sign continues. I even opened and gave her an early birthday present hoping it would elicit the perfect smile and distract her from the paper sign. No such luck.

"Sweeet! The sign is back!"

After 32 failed attempts at getting a picture, I decided to get crafty and tack the sign to the wall. Surely she won't notice it...

"Got it!"

"Mmm... snack!"

Yes, friends, my dear daughter ate her 11 month sign. I gave up.

Snuggles!!!!

"See Mom, I'm sweet! I don't eat paper!"

Then it dawned on dear Elise that this would be her last monthly picture. She's growing up and not going to be a baby for much longer!

"Do I have a saggy neck? Crows feet??? Where did these extra 5 pounds come from??"

And yes, I did get a smile. No, she did not look at the camera. I have decided for child #2 that I will take monthly pictures of them sleeping. Won't that be cute? And much easier!!

Elise- 11 months!!

Dear Elise,

Today you are 11 months old. I cannot believe how fast your first year is going by. You are an absolute delight!! You are chatty, busy, inquisitive, happy... everything that an 11 month old should be!

Some tidbits about you this month:

• You are outgrowing your 9 months clothes and are slowing fitting into some of your 12 month outfits.
• You have become a little bit clingier. You aren't as happy playing by yourself and you follow me room to room.
• You are into everything!!! Opening drawers and cabinets and pulling everything out is a fun way to spend your time!
• You are still an excellent sleeper and take 2 nice naps each day.
• You love Mother's Day Out. You hardly notice when I leave and every day you get a great report. You are learning how to play with others and have made some wonderful friends.
• You are not walking yet, but you have taken a few steps here and there. You stand independently and I don't think it will be long before you are walking. (I said that last month, so we shall see :)
• You like to have noise contests with us in the car. For example, you and I will see who can squeal to the highest pitch. You always win. And I bet the world is thankful they can't hear us.
• You are a decent eater. Sometimes you eat everything in sight, other times you toss it all on the floor. You like to feed yourself and will really only let me feed you your favorites (yogurt, cottage cheese, applesauce.) Otherwise, you are on all "finger foods." Meal times are still super messy and STILL the only one who is happy about that is Jaws. Dairy products and carbs are your favorites, followed by fruits, veggies, and meat.
• You are babbling up a storm... Da-Da is still your word of choice. You can also say Mama and Uh-oh- especially when you throw food on the floor. When you see Jaws first thing in the morning, you have a nice little conversation with him. I'm sure you're just telling him about your dream from last night.
• You still have 7 teeth, but I think that 8th (on the bottom) is going to pop through any day.
• You blow raspberries all.day.long.
• You still LOVE to be outside, whether you're crawling in the grass or watching Daddy mow, or anything in between.
• You are finally interested in books!!!! I've been reading to you regularly but you haven't paid much attention. It has finally clicked and you get a big smile on your face when I pull one out to read.
• You love to pull your socks off, put them in your mouth, and crawl around. You do this at MDO too. I've seen puppies do this as well.

Daddy and I love and adore you to bits. We can't believe our baby will be turning 1 next month!!!

Happy Halloween!!

Big thanks to our friends Alecia and Robert for hosting a wonderful Halloween and Trick-or-Treat Party. We had such a good time!!

The babes playing before T-or-T time.

Audrey and Elise- ready to roll!!

And we're off!!

My lil' pumpkin!! I have to say, I am quite proud of myself for making her little costume. I didn't know I was so crafty! :)

Scariest part of the evening?? When I ran out of wine!!!

Weekend in Cowtown!

Earlier this month, Matt and I made our first trip together back to Ft. Worth. It was wonderful! Elise stayed behind with GiGi and Tompa and Matt and I attempted to act like 23 year olds again. We stayed with our good friends and newlyweds Lori and Adam. It was awesome to see them. We were able to meet up with Brian and Mary Helen for a boat ride, hit up Joe T's, and I helped host a couples shower for Marisa and Rafa who are getting married this November. It was a fabulous and fun weekend!!! My only complaint is that it went by way too quickly!

The girls at Marisa's couples shower. (Moi, Bride-to-be Marisa, Jamie, and Lori)

23 year olds!!!!!!

Adam, Lori, and Matt

Good ol' Lake Weatherford!!

Yes.. yes I did.

First Fire!

It took a while, but it finally got cool enough (below 70*) for us to have our first fire in the outdoor fireplace. I'm not going to lie or be humble (and if you know me well, you know I'm not very good at being humble, haha!) The fireplace is awesome! We love it! It emits the perfect amount of heat (sans smoke) and makes our entire patio nice and cozy. I foresee us spending basically every evening this fall/winter/spring outside. So, whatcha waiting for??? Come on over and enjoy it with us!

Matt getting ready to light the first flame.

Man make fire!

Elise enjoying dinner, fireside of course :)

We have turned into *those* parents.

Gone are the days of staying up late drinking a few... sleeping in... and watching Lifetime movies all Saturday long. Our mornings now consist of (me) trying to beat Elise up and enjoy the first half of my coffee before the little darling wakes. And instead of lounging on the couch or spending my Saturday shopping and/or running pointless errands, we go on bike rides. Yes friends, you read that correctly. Matt has a bike and we're shopping for one for me. In the meantime, we're borrowing our neighbor's bike and trailer (Thanks Hugo and Cheryl!!!) and we go on family bike rides. Elise loves it! And you want to know a little secret? So do I :) I wouldn't trade our new routines for anything!

And for the safety nuts, you can sleep easy. We even own and wear helmets!