Tea Party for Two

Talullah's favorite gift so far.

A very Merry Christmas, indeed.

What a wonderful Christmas. I spent the morning relaxing with my little girl until Nick got home from work at noon. My parents came over and we opened the first pile of presents. Talullah wasn't overly eager about opening gifts, but she sure did enjoy playing with them once we tore open the packages. She carried the book Nana got her, just walking around the living room in circles holding it up in the air. In the afternoon, we drove up to Arcata to meet the Downey's at Rebekah's house. We walked around the redwoods in their backyard and played several rounds of cards. We are blessed to have such a close family. I love it.

Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree

"See Grandma?!?!"

Every time we go to Grandma Downey's, the highlight of Talullah's visit is rummaging through the stuffed animals that decorate around the tree. Of all the toys, her very most favorite seem to be batteries from the singing choir dolls. I'm not quite sure how she finds them, but more than once I've had to remove the batteries from her curious mouth. Last time we got home I even found she's stashed one of them in her car seat!

Christmas #1

Tonight was our Christmas gift exchange with the Downey's, so it was Talullah's first, first Christmas. She was ready and willing to indulge in some holiday treats and tear open presents. When we left at 10pm and her eyes were still open wide I started thinking... maybe pie wasn't such a good snack for Miss. T, after all.

Boys have cooties...

Talullah just doesn't know that yet.

Play dates are always so much fun. Today Gabrielle came over to hang out with Talullah, and what a blast they had together! They gave hugs & kisses, shared some bottle, and went for a ride on the pony. It doesn't get much better than that.

Mommy's Little Helper

My little girl is such a huge help around the house. While I'm rinsing dishes in the sink, she's climbing in the dishwasher to 'help' me unload. While I'm getting dressed, she's crawling in the cabinet to take out my make-up for me. How would I get anything done without her constant help...?

Reminiscing

I found a few pictures of Miss T spending time with the Downey's as a newborn. What a precious little angel. I can't believe how small she was! How blessed this little girl is to have so many love her.

Now I lay me down to sleep

This is a picture from months back, but seeing it again just melts my heart. I can't believe my little baby is turning one in less than a month. Time is such a tricky thing.

Ready to party!

Talullah got her first invite to a birthday party! She put on her party dress and a smile, ready to help those babies open their gifts. She was not shy about it. And the cake?! More, more, more!!! Happy birthday to both Gabe and Bentley this weekend. We love you!!!

It's begining to look a lot like Christmas...

Talullah is extremely excited about the holidays. She is wearing fancy dresses every time we leave the house, and her head perks up every time we enter a store and the Christmas music is playing. She must have inherited my love for the season.

Little Miss T

Words can not describe how cute this little girl is. She loves scrunching up that little nose and smiling at strangers. She loves giving kisses and hugs to her momma. She's the light of my life and every day I thank God for my precious, beautiful baby.

Twenty something

Today is Thanksgiving. Today is also the celebration of the day of my birth 29 years ago. I know! What more reason than to give thanks, right? ;)

This is the first year I've had the turkey dinner at my house so it was a much anticipated event. Sure, there were only 4 1/2 of us, but we cooked for 20. There was the 20 lb turkey overflowing with apple-cranberry stuffing. There was the 5 gallon bucket of mashed potatoes and the delicious gravy to drown it in. We had rolls. We had mini sweet potato pies. I made an apple pie and a pumpkin pie. Mom brought brownies. Really, it was quite the spread. And after 12 hours of cooking the meal was eaten, plates cleaned, and dishes put away within 45 minutes. Amazing.

As for my birthday, it was simply fabulous as was to be expected. Talullah gave me the gift of solitude by sleeping in until nearly 8 and letting me enjoy a bubble bath and book reading before she woke up. Then my dad came over and watched T while I sat at Starbucks enjoying my favorite hot drink... soy chai.... extra hot. I came home and cooked like a maniac until Nick got home at noon and then we sat down with my parents for the delectible meal. My list of thanks runs a mile long. I live a wonderful life and God has blessed me with so much more than I deserve. Every day I wake up anticipating great things ahead... there is so much to look forward to.

Big Trees, Tall Trees, Big, Tall Trees

We had such a blast during our visit with Katy & Dan. We drove through Avenue of the Giants and went hiking in the Rockafeller Forest. We are so blessed to live in such a beautiful area. It was so nice having one of my very best friends stay with us for a few days, and congratulations to her on their recent engagement!!!

Just another day at the office

Ta-Dah!

Look mom! I can feed myself.

And here I thought she didn't like peas... She wouldn't part those stubborn lips when I tried to feed her, but as soon as she got ahold of the food herself, she thought it was a tasty treat.

All Done

Talullah said her first word(s)... 'All done'! It sounded more like 'ah duh', but we knew what she was talking about.

Nana was feeding her some mango's last week, and I guess she forgot how to use her words.

Instead she resorted to flinging the spoon away from her face, splattering poor nana, and bursting into tears. That's her other version of All Done!

Smashed Taters

When we moved into this house, we found that we had invaded an overpopulated potato bug community. They were somehow weasling their way through doorcracks and we would find them roaming our halls or lounging in our bedroom. This summer we learned that spraying each entryway with poison was the best deterrent so far. Once word got around that there was a deadly barrier, we stopped seeing the nasty little creatures inside. I'm not sure what has happened, but suddenly they are back with a vengence. This is the 3rd monster we have nearly stepped on in our house this week. HELP!!!

Double Trouble

The two weeks of babysitting Bentley were so much fun. Not easy, but fun. The babies followed each other everywhere. I stepped out of the room for merely a second, and somehow they managed to open the container of cheerios.

Talullah absolutely loves her signing video that Katy let us borrow. To get a few minutes to sit and catch my breath, I put in the dvd and let the kids bounce, bounce, bounce.

Love Is In The Air

Nick & I had such a great week in Carlsbad, waking up to sunshine, enjoying morning walks to the beach and daily trips to Starbucks... ahhhhh.... vacation. Sarah's wedding was spectacular and Talullah was at her very best. Suddenly a social butterfly, she's letting everyone hold her without the immediate fuss fit. Our little girl is growing up!

A week later was Pam's wedding, another beautiful ceremony. How fantastic to spend quality time with old girlfriends who know much too much about you. By old... I don't mean we're old, of course!

Sugar & Spice

And everything nice. That's what my little girl is made of. Thanks Megan for taking such great shots of Taley. Next time, lets do a double shoot with BOTH girls! ;)

Summer Sun

On yet another unbelievably nice day, Taley & I went to spend some time at nana's house. Talullah loves sitting in the grass, and she's been having a blast with her new Lightening McQueen buggy. Soon she'll have the princess wave down, I'm sure. She also LOVED the mango that I'd brought along for lunch. Yum Yum Yum!!! She usually only eats half a jar at each meal, but she gobbled that entire container in one sitting. Mango is my favorite, too!

Father & Daughter

Just hangin' out with dad.

Two to Tango

Every now and again I get to watch my friend Laura's little boy, Bentley. He is five weeks older than Miss T so it's always a nice preview of things to look forward to in the near future. What fun watching the two little ones interact. Talullah was just dying to play, but Bentley was too busy exploring now that he's crawling all over the place!

She squeels with delight!

Goodbye Michael & Genesis!

Having Mike & Genesis stay for the summer was such a blessing. My heart ached to see them head home and I'm looking forward to our next visit. Talullah was wary at first, but by the time they left she was completely won over. She loves her cousins so much. Thank you M & G for making our summer memorable. We love you!