The Big ONE

I am not going to sit here and tell you how much I can't believe Eliza is already 1. Instead I am going to hold back the tears and embrace it. Because we all know that you get better with age, right? Well this little cutie pie does.

Poor thing has been so sick fighting off a cold but she still put on a smile and dealt with my Pinterest attempt photo shoot. 

Eliza is such a joy. That's the only way I can describe her. Yes of course she can be a little firecracker (it's the red hair, is what I tell myself) when she wants something or isn't happy, but most of the time she loves to smile, laugh and mostly be loved. She is getting in her fourth tooth on the bottom. Those top teeth just don't want to come in. She still loves to eat pretty much anything you put in front of her. Her favorite foods are peas, carrots, green beans, chicken and any kind of fruit. But her favorite thing in the whole wide world is her wubanub and pacifiers. The more she has the better. She likes to keep at least two at all times. One in her mouth and one in her hand. I guess, for backup. Smart girl! 

She is pulling up on everything now, even my legs, and starting to walk around furniture. She also crawled up one step yesterday. This I am not looking forward to. She loves to dance to music and clap her hands. She says mama, dada, hi and bye. She also loves to wave hi and bye, mostly to herself. She is starting to pick up the sign language I have been practicing with her. She signs all done and more. She loves to play with her toys. She can sit and play by herself for so long. But mostly she loves to play with what her sister is playing with. And so it begins, the fighting over things and wanting what the other one has. I better get use to sounding like a broken record because that is not going to end any time soon.

I was finally able to get a picture of the twelve month sticker but with a serious face.

I'll take this smile any day. It melts my heart.

I did not take in to account the static electricity of the balloons. Her hair is already crazy enough, it does not need any help.

Pinterest fail!

Yes, most days, at the end of the day, I want a glass of wine because it has been so crazy with my two kiddos. We knew having them so close in age would have it's challenges but I wouldn't change it for anything in the world. Eliza came in to our lives right when she was suppose to and has been making it better since. Happy Birthday my sweet little (firecracker) Eliza! You make Mama more happier and loved than I ever could be. 

Happy New New!

It was such an exciting, fun filled, slam packed, exhausting, hilarious, loving 2015 filled with the birth of our second baby girl, many trips including Hawaii, Chicago, New Orleans, Mississippi, Michigan and all the small stops in between. I am so looking forward to starting 2016 off by celebrating Eliza's first birthday and a trip back to New Orleans/Mississippi. Then we will see what else 2016 has in store for us. I am sure it will be a roller coaster and I am ready for the ride. I hope ; )

Happy New Year from Us or as Z likes to say...

Ho Ho Ho

Merry Christmas!

Santa pics were priceless this year. Not to sound like a horrible mom, but just as I hoped they would be. When the kids are scared of Santa, those are always the best pics. Poor Z was terrified of the jolly ole man and Eliza has just started feeding off of Z.

Christmas Eve

Christmas Eve was spent baking cookies and James making a lot of delicious food of course.

After the girls went to bed I had way too much fun putting together Z's dollhouse while James put together the bike and the table and chairs.

Everything was put together, wrapped and ready for the girls to wake up in the morning.

Christmas Day

Here is a video of the girls first coming downstairs and seeing all their gifts.

This was the first year Z really enjoyed opening presents. Z didn't give anyone time to open their own presents before she was helping them do it. Her daddy taught her some sound effects to go along with her mad unwrapping skills.

Thanks to Z, Eliza didn't get to open any of her gifts or be the first one to play with her toys. But she didn't mind because this is what she enjoyed most about Christmas. Tissue Paper!

Christmas dinner was spent at Brandon and Rita's house opening presents, eating lamb lollipops and consuming alcoholic beverages. Z came home with a fish and a American Girl doll. What a lucky girl. 

This is what happens when I ask the girls if I can get a picture of them.

I would say Eliza's first Christmas was a success. Until next year ... I am sure it will be even crazier.

Almost There

11 months! It is absolutely insane to me that Eliza is almost a year old. I know every mother says it and I said the same thing with Z but the second child has really shown me how fast time can fly. I really have to stop sometimes and tell myself to enjoy the moment because they don't last long.

The moments I do stop and enjoy Eliza is showing me all the new things she is doing every day. She is clapping her hands, dancing to music, and her newest is pulling herself up to standing, which she did for the first time the exact day she turned 11 months.

Can you tell how excited Z is that her sister is standing? : )

Eliza finally got her third tooth right beside the other two on the bottom. With those three teeth, she still loves to eat anything you put in front of her, moaning and enjoying every bite of it. The girl really loves food.

Eliza has so much to say. Wish I knew what she was saying. 

She has also discovered her lungs. Screaming happens mainly when she wants something and when we are in public, of course. Since Eliza is screaming, Z takes it upon herself now to scream as well. Can I say, "I have a CRAZY life and of course I love it (most of the time)."

Here are the many faces of Eliza:

Oh those eyebrows crack me up.

Boo!

I didn't forget about the Halloween pictures, things have just been crazy. Just like Halloween, crazy! I thought I had everything planned out perfectly for Halloween. We were going to be the Shrek family. James was going to be Shrek, I was going to be Fiona, Z was going as donkey because I asked her multiple times and she told me donkey and Eliza was going to be Puss in Boots. I bought the costumes and everything. A couple weeks before Halloween I attempted to put the donkey costume on Z just to make sure it fit and she went bonkers, hysterically crying. I just thought maybe that was her mood at the time, because these days she acts like a moody teenager and you never know what to expect. So I decided to try the costume on her another day. Same reaction, again and again. Halloween was approaching and no luck. We made the decision to send back the costumes and Z would go as one of her dress up costumes and poor Eliza would get the hand-me-down lamb costume from Z. I really miss the days when I could just dress Z up in whatever I wanted her to be. But she could not have been more thrilled to be Elsa. This is what she chose over Chase from Paw Patrol.

Elsa in rain boots. The weather was horrible but we decided to do our annual trick-or-treating at the Ballard businesses with Nana, who was in town visiting.

Z was beyond excited every time she got to put a piece of candy in her pumpkin bag. Eliza just got to sit and watch all the excitement.

Z did such a good job of fighting her temptations to grab a hand full of candy and only grabbed one piece. There are so many kids trick-or-treating, that the businesses are pretty strict about only taking one or two pieces.

Sometimes it took her a minute to decide which piece would be the best to take. Gummies or suckers always trumped the chocolate. Definitely, James's child : )

Then it was time to test out some of the candy. Z has never eaten so much candy in her life. I finally had to hide the candy from her.

Eliza wanted to know where her sucker was.

Once we got back to the house and after the Michigan game ended, of course, James and I took Z trick-or-treating around the neighborhood. We were shocked at how many people in our neighborhood participated in handing out candy and how many people trick-or-treated this year. Hopefully the trend continues. 

There is always next year for Shrek.

She Has Entered The Double Digit Months

10 Months yesterday and I am seriously in shock. I can not believe how fast the time has flown. But I must say I absolutely love this age. Eliza is so much fun and always happy and giggly, as you can tell from this adorable picture.

She has started to take a couple crawls but then soon goes down to her army crawl because she can get to where she is going sooo fast. A couple days ago she started pulling up on things, not standing yet, just to her knees. She is also going from laying down to sitting up. 

She still only has her two bottom teeth but that does not stop her from eating like a machine. I think she would just continue to eat as long as I keep putting food in front of her and she will eat anything and everything. She usually eats all her food then the rest of Z's because these days it is pulling teeth to get Z to eat. 

She still says Mama, (and a whole lot of other sounds) especially when she wants me to pick her up.

She loves to explore, getting into everything she is not suppose to be in, as you will see in the video. Z and her are really starting to interact with each other. It is absolutely adorable to see. Z loves to give her sister hugs and kisses.

Also watch how Eliza will crawl and then turn to her side for a little bit. We like to call that her, "modeling for a picture on the beach pose".

Pumpkin Patch'n

Well, I'm about a month late with this post but I guess it is better late than never. We went to the same pumpkin patch we have been going to for the past two years. This year we went with the Lee family. This was the first year that Z was actually able to enjoy and participate in mostly everything. It was a joy to watch her have such a blast.

First stop was the petting zoo with Danny.

Then she watched some pig races on daddy's shoulders.

Then off to the slides with Danny and Rita, who is such a sweet heart for always taking care of Z because I have Eliza strapped to me.

We took a very bumpy tractor ride to the corn maze.

And off they go through the maze.

Here is Eliza and I just following along.

Of course I had to the opportunity to attempt some photos.

This is the face I get when asking Z to smile.

James and Z did a good job of picking out some great carving and decorative pumpkins.

Eliza's photo shoot.

Before leaving the pumpkin patch we had to get the best family photo would could and I love it. It adds character and great memories.

A couple weeks later, Z and I carved a pumpkin. Well I carved and Z helped clean out the pumpkin.

Here was the end result. Tried to do a more friendly pumpkin because, for some reason, Z was afraid of mostly all Halloween decorations this year.

Halloween pics soon to come.