Ellie in Action

Ellie LOVES looking at herself in the mirror lately. My video quality isn't that great, but you can still see her big smiles.



And, she's a giggling queen lately. Daddy really gets her going...

Fall Morning

I think Fall is here. I really like Fall though, so I don't mind one bit. I love the crispness in the air and the smell outside. I just hope it doesn't get too cold too soon!! I was saying the other day how it's weird that it's football season now. We brought Ellie home from the hospital the day before Super Bowl Sunday - on one hand it doesn't seem that long ago, but on the other it seems like SO long ago! It's just crazy how fast things have come around again.

Yesterday morning was one of those mornings where it was just so nice out. The sun was shining and it was about 55 degrees. Our church is really close to our house, so we decided to walk the mile instead of drive. Ellie loves her stroller rides, so at 8:00 am, off we went! To kick off the new season, our church had an outdoor 'Pet Blessing' service. You could literally bring your pet to church and bring him/her/it up to the front of the tent for a blessing. There was seriously every kind of dog possible, plus a few cats, and even a couple goats! Ellie had a blast watching all the animals. It was really fun! After the service, we had a nice walk home and Ellie got a little nap in. What a nice morning!

Ellie & Maxwell

Ellie saw her cousin Max again this past weekend, and of course we took pictures! =) They are just 3 1/2 months apart, so it's really fun to see how they interact with each other each time they get together.

Little Max with his big smile



Ellie's looking...



I thought the looks on both of their faces in this one were hilarious!



Neither one looking, but sitting so nicely. You can really see what a difference 3 1/2 months makes in size!



And finally smiles...

7 Months

Ellie is 7 months old and into something new every day! This last month really seemed to be a month of milestones - new foods, teeth, the big bathtub, becoming much more mobile, giggling, sitting, expressing herself vocally, and just showing more of her wonderful little personality every day. We don't have official stats this month, but she's definately growing too - recently moving up to Size 4 diapers. I just went through all of her clothes the other day, and we now have 2 full Rubbermaid tubs of clothes she's outgrown! Her favorite things right now are jumping (on your lap, on the floor, anywhere she can), playing on the floor with all her toys (recently has started pulling EVERYTHING out of her basket), eating (not a thing she doesn't like so far), going for stroller rides, sticking her tongue out, and just playing with Mom and Dad. She really likes to feel Dad's hair and Mom's face - frequently putting her hands/fingers in my nose and mouth! She's SO close to crawling. She gets up on hands and knees, but hasn't quite figured how to sync it up. She can push with her feet though and get just about anywhere she wants with a little effort. She is working really hard at moving and definately lets us know when she's frustrated. She can also easily get from laying to sitting and back to laying again (except in the bathtub, but she does try!). She's doing something new every day it seems!

Loving the big bathtub, though I'm having a hard time keeping her sitting these last few days! She always wants to pull herself up on the side. I think we need some more entertaining toys than the brush and comb!





A little bit of hair now!



The little tongue we see ALL the time.



She really likes to roll around with us - on the floor or on the bed. She's in your lap, off, on, she's just all over the place these days. Tipping upside-down is a lot of fun.



And a good one of the teeth (and doing one of her favorite things - eating!)