Playing with Mommy

Ellie Meets Evie

Elliana's cousin Evie came up from Louisville for the day. They had so much fun playing. Evie was even helping Ellie with walking. The girls had a such a nice time together!

Mommy's Little Helper

Ellie likes to help mommy in the kitchen. She is always pulling out pots, pans, and baking sheets for me to use. Now I just can't wait until she can actually help in the kitchen and learn to cook with mommy!

First Hair Cut

On August 15th we took Elliana for her first hair cut. Let's face it, she needed it! The mullet was getting out of control (though she did make the mullet look good and I am sure all the other babies wanted one too!).
Here is the before...
During...
And after...
She did surprisingly well. She never even cried! She just sat in the chair and looked around. She wasn't quite sure of what was going on. I was pleasantly surprised by how calm she was!

Happy 1st Birthday Elliana!

Yesterday we celebrated Elliana's 1st birthday! We had quite the crowd over to our house to help us celebrate. Ellie had a great time and loved all of the attention. She didn't quite know what to make of the gifts. She wasn't very interested. She did love smashing her cupcake! At first she was hesitant, but then she got into it and ate over half of the cupcake. Sugar rush! Overall it was a great day. It is still hard to believe that our baby isn't a baby anymore. I guess she is officially a toddler now! She will always be our baby though.
Thank you to all of our friends and family that came over to help us celebrate our amazing little girl. We thank you so much for your kindness and generosity, especially the gift of your time. Elliana is such a lucky little girl to have so many people that care about her and love her!
Here are a few snapshots from the day. We will post more pictures as we get them.

The ladybug dessert table...yum!
She loved the balloons - first time she has ever played with one!
Wearing her little ladybug party hat.
Being sung to and mommy blowing out the candle. I think she was a bit overwhelmed.
Let the sugar rush begin!
Time for presents. She seemed more interested in walking around the coffee table, playing with a plate, or playing with a bottle of water.

Mommy's Birthday!

Wednesday we celebrated my birthday. Last year I didn't get to "unwrap" the present I really wanted, but this year I had the best present ever: my beautiful baby girl. We had a nice low-key day at home - exactly what I wanted!

Finally an update!

So it's been over a month since I have done an update. Things have been crazy here! Elliana sure has been keeping us busy and on our toes.
It's hard to believe, but Ellie will be a year old in just 4 days. This year has flown by. It is so amazing to watch our little girl grow from a tiny baby into the wonderful, playful little girl she is now.
Ellie has been walking with help for a little while now. She has also been cruising around all of the furniture. Today she took her first step! She was at the Little Gym for her class, and she took a step toward her instructor (she is a teacher's pet and adores Miss Cassie). She did it again during class then again at home later. She is going to be running around before we know it!
Elliana is also talking like crazy. She always has something to say. If only we understood a fraction of it! She is starting to repeat things (today she said "help" when I asked her to help put away her highchair after lunch). I have a feeling soon we won't be able to shut her up! We all love hearing her talk.
Today we did Ellie's 1 year pictures. They turned out so amazing as usual. She had a small cake to smash and she loved it! She was hesitant at first, but once she got into it she realized how much fun it is.
Saturday is her birthday and of course the big lady bug party! Can't wait to share pictures from that great event!
I will leave you all with some pictures to catch everyone up from the last month or so!

Ellie's first parade - 4th of July. Despite the face, she actually loved it!
Grandpa Frank loves to push Ellie in her stroller.
Last bath in her baby tub.
First bath in the big girl tub! She loves having more room to splash and play!
New Family Pictures
Just a few of Ellie's 1 year pictures!
A few of her favorites - baby, Daisy, and Julius!
A few cake smashing shots!
We hope you have enjoyed our new pictures. Promise I will keep things more up to date!