12 month photos- the rejects.

I am sorry to say there are NO good 12 month pictures. They were all rejects! Our little Elise is a busy busy girl and sitting still and smiling just wasn't on her agenda the 3 different times I attempted this photo "session." This first photo is as good as I got. Seriously. :)

"Hey Mom, what's back here??"

"Never mind, I'll find out for myself!"

All of a sudden she got really interested (obsessed) with my camera. Forget the old sign. (You'll notice I didn't even try it with a sign.) The camera was gold!

And did I let her have it? No, I did not. Mean Mommy.

Mission: Make baby cry during photo shoot.

Mission accomplished.

Birthday Celebration Continues.

Mimosas for Elise's birthday Thanksgiving morning. Grandma even made the trip from Ohio all the way to Texas so she could be with Elise on her first birthday!

Chillin' with Tompa. He has become her most favorite person!

With her Uncle B.

And... lucky Elise even had a third birthday get together!! A group of us were supposed to have a playdate at the zoo, however the weather was really nasty so we hit up Chick-fil-a instead. My friend Kate surprised Elise and I with cupcakes and a birthday hat. It was so much fun!! Thanks again for helping make Elise's first birthday so special!!

Elise- 1 Year!!!

Dearest Elise,

Today you are one year old. I know they say times flies when you're having fun and this year has truly flown by. I can honestly say this has been the most wonderful year of my life. Watching you grow from a tiny little infant to a borderline toddler and little girl has been a blast!! You are a FUN baby (eek- can I still call you that?).

Some tidbits about you this month:

• You weigh 18 1/2 pounds and are still wearing most of your 9 month outfits, though you're starting to fit into 12 month clothes too.
• You are still a great sleeper! You sleep 12 hours every night and are still rocking the 2 hour morning naps and 1.5 hr afternoon naps. You go to sleep so easily, I just lay you in your crib and you're good to go. That said, you rarely sleep in your carseat or stroller; your crib is where you catch your ZZZs.
• You are becoming a picky eater. What you might love and devour one day gets tossed on the floor (by you) the next. Right now favorites seem to be blueberries, raspberries, and blackberries. Basically the most expensive fruits. Ha. You don't like bananas (what child doesn't like bananas???) and you're still unsure about meat. You dig your dairy products and your carbs. Grilled cheese and yogurt (and bc I'm sneaky, yogurt with veggies mixed in) are always favorites. You also like egg omelets... you love to try new things but don't always eat them all meal long.
• You have started the transition to whole milk. You're still nursing 2-3 times each day, especially in the morning. You like your milk to be warm and you only will drink it from a bottle. I'm trying hard to get you switched to a cup, but it hasn't happened yet.
• You have no problem standing independently and have taken up to 8 steps. However, you're not showing any interest in walking being your primary mode of transportation. Probably because you are a warp speed crawler and can get anywhere you want to go pretty quickly.
• You love opening cabinets and drawers and pulling everything out. Even though you're little, you're quite destructive!!! Daddy calls you FEMA; wherever you go, disaster follows. :)
• You are very chatty. Words include Dada, Mama, uh-oh, Ja (for Jaws), La (for lights), and Oooo... as in "oo la" which translates into "Oh, lights!" You babble all day long. Anyone you know and love can be called Dada. Sometimes I'm Dada, sometimes Tompa is Dada. :)
• You are very social and fun. We have lots of playdates and you love playing with other babies your age and especially watching older girls play.
• You still love to be outside and when a plane flies over, you point at it and watch it pass.

You are so pleasant and fun to be around. You put a smile on my face all day long. You have had a wonderful first year and I can't wait to see what next year brings!

Happy First Birthday Elise!!!

Elise's first birthday fell on Thanksgiving Day so instead of having a huge blow out that she won't even remember, we just had a small gathering of family and friends to celebrate this milestone. Elise really did have a wonderful time and squealed and laughed all evening long. She really did have a wonderful first birthday. It was perfect.

Let me also add that we're having camera issues... that accounts for the blurriness and bright white spots. When I see bright white spots and everything is blurry, it usually means I've had too much wine. I can assure you I have not been letting my camera drink ;). I'm boycotting buying a new one bc I feel like I buy a new camera every other year.

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!!!

Marisa and Rafa tied the knot!

Our dear dear friends, Marisa and Rafa, were married November 7 in an amazing Ft. Lauderdale wedding. Matt and I left Elise with Gigi and Tompa and had such a wonderful long weekend down there. The weather was pretty but very windy! Rafa is from Venezuela and I would say at least 30% of the guests traveled internationally to be there. Most were from South America, and between them and Rafa's scrumptious tennis buddies (who are also from all over the world) there was eye candy galore!!! It was such a fun weekend!!!

The happy couple!

Bridesmaids with the bride at the bridesmaid luncheon. B..B..B...

Rehearsal dinner.

Jamie, Marisa, and me.

With Marisa as she got ready. She was stunning!

The reception started out nice and normal. And by nice and normal, I mean in a tent next to the ocean :)

In true Marisa and Rafa fashion, (and a South American custom) Crazy Hour started at 10:00!!!

Here I am, being the good bridesmaid, passing out the must needed accessories for this hour o' fun.

The crazies get crazier!!!

And no wedding is complete without dancers encouraging us to get our groove on.

And finally, no Horned Frog wedding is complete without this obligatory photo!

Marisa and Rafa, Matt and I were elated to be a part of your special weekend and we wish you all the happiness in the world. Much love!!

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!!!