Our Little Ham

Ellie has always been a social butterfly but lately she has taken it to a whole new level! When we took her to the pediatrician Tuesday for her 12 month check up she kept on flashing the cheesiest smiles to some of the nurses as well as Dr. Rutledge when he walked into the room.

Then today I took her to the doctor with me and she started flashing that same smile again and again. We were in the waiting room for quite a while and with every new person that came in she smiled and smiled at them until they paid attention to her. It was like she made it her goal to get everyone to tell her how cute she was by smiling at them! Boy are we in trouble...it looks like we have quite the charmer on our hands.

1 Year Old Photo Shoot

Happy Birthday Sweet Girl!

Ellie,
It's so hard to believe that this time last year I was holding you in my arms for the first time filled with excitement and love. I will always treasure our time together this past year just you and me while your daddy was working so hard to provide for us. It is an honor and a privilege to be your "ma ma" and I hope you know how much you are loved and treasured! You have filled our lives with so much joy this year and we look forward to seeing what the Lord has in store for your life!
With all my love,
Mommy

The Many Adventures of Ellie

Ellie aka "rag head" loves playing with her washcloths. Every time I fold laundry she finds them in the basket and insists on carrying them around the house with her.
Exploring her cabinet in the kitchen
Caught red handed...lucky for me the top was on!

Static head

Waiting patiently and excitedly for her bath

I know I probably shouldn't post this one but that is one cute rear end!

A few of Ellie's favorite things

• Looking out our storm door at all the doggies walking by our house
• Dancing...every time she hears music now she starts swaying and waving her arms all crazy in the air!
• Playing with a golf ball...to her it's quite entertaining. It is so cute to see her crouching down low to the ground when it rolls under a piece of furniture.
• Paper. As in coupons, napkins, tissue, etc. She likes to rip it and carry small pieces around the house in her hand.
• School Buses. When Ellie hears them drive by our house each morning and afternoon she makes a beeline for the window to catch a glimpse.
• Balloons. Every time she sees one anywhere it makes her so happy and she wants it! Lucky for her we typically visit Harris Teeter once a week so she can get her fix.
• Riding her horsey. For a while she could only go backwards on it, but now she has mastered going forwards too.
• Food. Our girl loves to eat! It's hard to believe one day she won't be so interested in eating. Some new favorites are blueberries and strawberries.
• "Wresting" with daddy on the bed. He throws her around and she loves every second of it!

Ellie's First Snow

Ellie after putting on mittens for the first time

First sled ride with daddy

This is more like it!

We took Ellie out for the first time on Saturday afternoon while it was still sleeting. She never cracked a smile once and just had a look on her face that said "Why are we out here in the freezing cold?" After about 15 minutes we came in. I had unrealistic visions of her loving the snow and us taking turns sledding with her...maybe next year!

On Sunday we tried again...this time we just put Ellie in the wagon and walked around the neighborhood for a while. She was much happier this time around and enjoyed watching the other kids playing and sledding in the snow.

All in all we had a nice weekend together as a family! The question is how old will Ellie be before we get another good snow? I guess we'll just have to wait and see.