Holiday House Decorations

Underneath our tree looks like it could be an ad for Amazon.com gift wrapping. :-)

The most wonderful time of the year...

We went to visit Santa at his *house* at the West End Nursery two Saturdays ago and then had dinner at the Seafood Peddler to watch the San Rafael boat parade down the canal. We decided that we are going to make the boat parade a yearly tradition. This year I didn't make the reservation in time to get a table by the window, so that's going to be our goal for next year. Someday, wouldn't it be great if we were actually on our own boat in the parade?

Eating in style

I finally got Ellie a high chair. It took me forever to decide on one. I've bought a lot of smart baby gear and some not so smart baby gear, so I took my time, asked around, read a ton of reviews and weighed my options before I sprung for the Chicco Polly. It's height adjustable, folds up well, has wheels and doesn't look too shabby, I have to say. Also, it has a vinyl seat cover which is good for rinsing off, as we all know our little Miss Ellie is quite the spitter, so a cloth seat wasn't going to work for us.

It was super easy to install. I'm quite proud to say that I did it myself.

And, so far, Ellie is as happy as a clam hanging out in it.

Ellie's First Christmas Tree

We got a HUGE one. A "special" one. And we got another one for outside. It's taking us two days and counting to decorate it. Here's us at the tree lot.

Santa with the Cousins

We tried!

Swinging

This was a first for Ellie and she loved it! We don't have a park within walking distance of our house, so it was nice when we were out in San Diego to be able to pop her in the swing at the many parks in Christy's neighborhood and the swing set in her backyard.

Little Pumpkin

Thanks Grandma Arleen for the costume.

We decorated our garage and sat in folding chairs while passing out candy. Ellie's outfit must have been really warm and cozy as she fell asleep in my arms around 6!

Celebrating 14,600 Days of David Estoye

David and Jeanette came all the way from New Jersey to celebrate David's 40th birthday. Our friends the Solivens drove in from LA and the Galls from Seattle came to. We had a blast. Alcatraz on Saturday, dinner at Beretta Saturday night and football and Scrabble at Castle Reidskull on Sunday.

Why I am grateful for my dad

1. His curiosity gets me out sight-seeing (note: see us on the top of Mount Tam overlooking the bay)
2. He came to my rescue this week, so I could finally get a much needed root canal.
3. He keeps our house supplied with flashlights.
4. He always makes sure the doors are locked and that we have plenty of extra keys.
5. His patience and kindness to others is admirable.
6. And he makes Ellie laugh from way down in her belly.

Love you, Dad. Thanks for a great visit. We miss you.

San Diego Visit Part 2

Saturday was Morgan's 1st birthday party. Christy had a few friends over and we had lunch, cupcakes and a pinata. Christy and I were up a lot with the kids Thursday night, and we still managed to stay up and decorate the night before while Dad and Gavin slept! No fair! I'll never forget Dad's famous last words that night, "I'm exhausted. I'm going to bed" while Christy and I hung lanterns and streamers.

Speaking of sleeping...I think Ellie barely slept the entire trip since she was having so much fun. Here is possibly the ONE time she actually took a nap while we were there.

San Diego Visit Part 1

We had a warm welcome from Christy, Luke, Caroline and Morgan on Thursday night. The Millays just love Baby Ellie, and Ellie had a ball just soaking it all in. She and Morgan played with the exersaucer together, Luke loved her up, and she really gets the giggles with Caroline.

On Friday we went to Christy and Gavin's favorite pumpkin patch, Bates Farm. We rode the ponies, fed the farm animals, picked out pumpkins and road on the tractor. Christy and Gavin have gone there ever since they got married, so it was nice to join them in one of their traditions.

Pumpkin Patch

Gramma Arleen was here visiting this past weekend all the way from CT. We went to the pumpkin patch, got Ellie's Halloween costume, went on walks, ate dinner at home and went to church. We had such a GREAT time and I loved having the company. Gramma got in A LOT of cuddle time with Ellie. And Ellie started squealing in delight. So cute!

Daddy's Girl

The view from here isn't so bad after all!

Just within the last week, Ellie has FINALLY come around to tummy time. I thought I'd never see the day.

Missouri Visit Part 2

Man, did we take Missouri by storm! We hit Grant's Farm, Grandma's and Columbia. I have to say, though, the highlight of our trip for me was just being able to do everyday stuff with mom and dad...doing bathtime, eating dinner together, meeting dad for lunch and taking walks in the neighborhood. And of course, Ellie getting to meet Grandma Bertha.

Missouri Visit - Part 1

We spent last week back in Missouri visiting Mom and Dad. I was really nervous about flying with Ellie, but she did great. She slept the entire time both ways. I ended up getting her a seat and while she didn't exactly use it, it was nice to have the extra room. It was great to be back and to get to spend so much time with Mom and Dad. John's work travel plans changed, so we actually stayed an extra day. On our last day, Dad, Ellie and I hung out and drove to St. Charles. Here is a picture of Ellie sightseeing in front of the Missouri River.

My camera battery was fried, so once I get all of dad's photos, I'll make another post.

Me and My Girl

I don't do it purposefully, but often times i find that I put me and Ellie in matching outfits. Kind of funny.

Sonoma Saturday

Sarah was in town this weekend and she and I and Aimee and Tom went to Sonoma for the day. It was great to have all of us from Chicago together again. It was a big day for all of us - Aimee and Tom's first trip as CA residents (Yay!), me pumping and dumping for the first time, and John watching Ellie for the morning. And Sarah is a total rockstar - she took the red eye home Saturday night to make it the Bengals game this morning!

We loved having Sarah here with us. We went out to eat, went to the mall, took walks, and she got to spend a lot of time with Ellie. I called her my little Baby Whisperer this weekend - she rocked Ellie, changed her diaper, played with her, got her back to sleep so I could get some sleep Friday night and so much more. It was awesome. I don't think I carried the carseat the entire time. Thanks Sarah. We love you!