Lights at Temple Square and Fun with Friends

Last night, we got together with some of our friends in Salt Lake and we had a blast! We all met up at our friends Cam & Lindsay's house and had tasty soup & bread bowls for dinner & a GREAT cheesecake dessert. Then we left their house and headed up to Temple Square to see the Christmas lights!

It was pretty cold outside, so we had Ellie bundled up as much as we could.

We stopped at the Visitor's center first to see the Christus Statue, and Ellie loved the mural on the walls and ceiling. She just kept pointing to all the stars, clouds and to the statue of Jesus. It was super cute.

Then we bundled her back up in the stroller and headed outside. She loved looking at all the lights and was pretty well behaved the whole time.

All bundled up with a cold nose!!

Our little family!

This was just 3-4 weeks before Ellie joined our little family! Crazy to see how much has changed in just one year!

Picture of the whole group!

Comparing December 2010's picture to this year's is crazy (though we did have an extra 2 couples which made this year's picture seem even bigger!)

Once we finished looking at all the lights, Ellie started to get a little ornery, and I think it's because she wouldn't keep her hands inside her blanket, so her fingers were FREEZING. So, David quickly went back to the car with her and I walked back with all of our friends. We got to the car and it was super toasty, which was nice. Then we changed Ellie and put her in pj's so if she fell asleep on the way home, we'd just have to put her in bed. I fed her before we left, and she fell asleep about 5 minutes into the trip. When we got home, she woke up but went right back to sleep once we got inside and put her in her bed.

Thanks for a great time, friends! It's always good to hang out and visit! Seeing the lights on Temple Square is one of my favorite Christmas Traditions, and I'm happy that we were able to see them this year and take Ellie with us!

Ellie: Eleven months old!

Has it really been nearly a year that little Ellie has been with us? It doesn't seem like it's been that long, but at the same time it seems like it's been forever!

Ellie's such a fun little girl, and she's exactly that now--a little girl! Not a baby! I can't believe how much she's turning into a toddler lately! From nearly running, to starting to say words, to just her little mannerisms.

Poor Ellie's been hit with the sick bug WAAAY too many times during the past month or so, but that hasn't stopped her from being happy and cute most of the time. Today we went to the doctor again for her ears. She has been struggling to sleep through the night and last night she was up all night screaming which meant just one thing to me--ear infection. I was right. Though this time, it's only a mild ear infection in her left ear. I'm hoping and praying that she gets over it quickly and that this antibiotic does the trick!

I'm nearly done planning every little detail for Ellie's 1st birthday party, and I'm way excited about it. It's going to be a lot of fun! It'll be so cute to watch Ellie open presents, eat cake and ice cream and just have fun. I'm also very excited for Christmas this year and watching Ellie figure things out.

Well, here are some things about our little sweet pea at eleven months old:

• She's wearing almost all 12 month clothes, still some 6-9 month outfits here and there
• She wears size 3 diapers, is just now fitting into size 3 shoes and she's got enough hair for some cute and elaborate hairstyles!
• She weighs 19 lbs 1 oz and is 27 1/2 inches tall!
  
• She's got two teeth on the bottom and her two top teeth are looking like they'll be here within a couple of weeks
• She eats all table food and will only let you spoon feed her applesauce and yogurt, but still has to stick her fingers in her mouth and make a mess with it!
• She loves goldfish crackers, puffs, cheerios, peas, sweet potatoes, strawberries, bananas, blueberries, mangoes, bread, pasta and pretty much anything else you try to feed her.
  
• She's still nursing at least 4 but sometimes 5 times a day (and she doesn't bite! Thank goodness)
• She has a little bit of a temper when things don't go her way, and sometimes she will bit her own hand, your hand, or whatever she's near if she gets upset at you for telling her no, taking something away, or taking her away from something.
• She can say daddy, but doesn't say it very often.
• She loves her little stuffed kitty, but I think she thinks kitties bark like puppies because every time we give her the kitty or ask her where the kitty is, she barks like a dog. (oops!)
• She loves animals, and gets very excited about playing with them, petting them or even seeing them
• Her favorite thing to watch is the Backyardigans, and I only let her watch less than 1 episode a day when I need to get something done, or if she's super ornery
• She is still taking 2 naps a day and goes to bed around 7:30-8
• She loves to listen to us read books
• She loves to turn the pages of any books, and is very gentle with them for the most part

Seeing as how many sicknesses we've dealt with in the last month or so, she's such a happy well-behaved little girl and we are SO thankful for that! She's so curious and loves to figure things out. It's super cute. We're so happy to have you in our family, Ellie!

(sorry no photos at the moment. Maybe soon. Today was NOT the day to take pictures of Ellie...)