Santa

We certainly didn't intend on having a family photo with Santa. We were at Sam's Club one day and the girl told us to stop and see Santa. We thought he was just there visiting, but he actually was there for pictures and the whole Santa visit deal. It was very low key and not quite as intimidating as the mall Santa, plus we didn't have to wait in line. Elise was interested in him, but would not sit next to him. We passed on pictures that day because we wanted Mallory to have her picture with him too, but she was sleeping. Elise talked about Santa all week- "He brings candy, chocolate chips, and Christmas". We took her back to see him and thought she would be comfortable sitting with him this time since he gave her candy. No- she wanted to see him, but would only get a picture if mommy and daddy were with her. She kept saying, "Santa not gonna touch me". The picture is much better than last year (where she is screaming and trying to escape).

Animal Shelter

Every year since Elise was a baby we have taken donations to the animal shelter for the holidays. This year Elise was sooooo excited to see all of the animals and give them treats. I saw so many cute dogs that I would have loved to bring home, but Brian insisted that it wasn't a good idea:(

On The Go

Mallory is so active! She crawls all over and is in to everything. She is now sitting up (which is so weird that she could crawl before sitting up), kneeling, and even pulling herself up to stand! We were going through a rough phase because she would wake up and sit/pull up in her crib instead of sleeping. She was up like every two hours. We had to put an end to that so we are on day 4 of Ferberizing her. She is doing pretty well- she only woke up once last night, but we didn't even have to go in her room. It is so much harder this time around. She is so happy all the time, so when she does cry it just breaks my heart. Also, I'm so afraid that her crying will wake Elise up. I just keep reminding myself that we did this once with Elise and she is a great sleeper now, so we will all be just fine.

Making Christmas

I didn't plan on putting the tree up this year (I know, I'm a scrooge). Elise had a fit one night because "We don't have any Christmas", so I put the tree up with just the lights. Brian finally dug out the ornaments and he and Elise "made Christmas".

Baking Cookies

Betah and Papa came up and baked Christmas cookies with Elise. I had to work, so I missed out on the fun. Judging by these pictures she had a blast (and I heard she sampled a lot of her work)!

Mallory Loves Her Food

It is killing Mallory to watch people eat! She gets so upset when she sees food and can't have it. We have been giving her puffs, apple slices, chunks of banana, skinless grapes and blueberries, even tiny pieces of ham. She is in heaven!

Pitiful...Just Pitiful

My little running buddy is out of the game for a while. Wyatt, who is famous for his endless energy, was really starting to hate our late night runs in the cold. I would literally have to drag him out the door because he wanted to sleep instead. I noticed that he limped just a little bit on one of our runs and I thought he was just being dramatic. The next day he licked at his paw constantly. Well, a vet visit, $250, and lots of guilt later- he has an infection in his paw. The poor guy is pitiful.

Turkey Day

Happy Belated Turkey Day to all!!! I started the day off by running the Miamisburg Turkey Trot. It was only 5 miles, but it was rough because I am so out of shape! We then went to my mom's in Cincy for dinner and had Brian's family over for dinner on Saturday. Elise says that she is thankful for her "famiwy". We are so thankful for our happy, healthy, beautiful girls!

Happy Half Birthday Mallory!

It just can't be... Mallory is 6 months old already! At her checkup she was 26.5 (75%) inches and 15lbs, 1oz (25%). Dr Wingate couldn't believe that she is crawling and says that she is definitely advanced in her development. She loves her toes and loves grabbing anything in her reach. Her vocab consists of "La, A da, and Dada". She is so giggly and smiley. She has had some green beans and peas- I think she liked them, but she made some funny faces. She still gets very excited to eat her cereal.

Elise has really taken an interest in Mallory lately. She used to acknowlege her and then just go about her business, but now she is really into her. She always tells people, "This my baby sister Mallory, she so cute". Elise gives her a toy if she is crying and likes to hold her and feed her. Sometimes she will tell me that she "needs her sister"and will lay down with her for tummy time. It just melts my heart. I hope that they are close and continue to like each other as they grow up.

More Baby Dedication Pics

Elisa, Nathan, Elizabeth, and Elise

Daddy and his clone

Meemaw and "Mal Mal"

Elise insisted that we sing Happy Birthday. Notice her finger- she snuck a lick of icing!

Mallory's Baby Dedication

We had Mallory dedicated at church on November 9th. She looked adorable in her little dress (which by the way I got on clearance at JCPenney for $1.97!). She was very good during the service. Elise on the other hand...she kept saying, "He not gonna touch me" when the pastor came by. They did family portraits for everyone and when she saw herself in the slideshow on the big screen she yelled, "Hey that looks like Elise. I need more Elise!". Everyone was laughing, I was so embarrassed!

Chuck E Cheeses

My mom watched Ethan and Aidan one day, so Brian and I took the girls to meet them at Chuck E Cheeses. Elise had a blast playing with her cousins and Meemaw.

First Cereal

I had planned on waiting until 6 months to start Mallory on solids, but she was literally snatching food out of our hands and showing signs that she was ready. She couldn't get it fast enough and grabbed the cup to try drinking it! She LOVES her cereal! Elise likes to help feed her too.

Five Months Old

Mallory is very mobile already! It just doesn't seem possible, but she is crawling already! She is all over the place with her roll/crawl combo. She loves to watch people, especially Elise. She is finally starting to get some hair (Nancy and Andrea- you can cancel the order for the baby weave). She stopped taking a pacifier because she would much rather suck on those two fingers! She is so social- I have to make a point to ignore her for her night feedings. She gets so excited when I go to get her from her crib and then she starts grabbing my face and puffing to get my attention. She is so happy and laid-back. Everywhere we go people say how good natured and content she is.