The Fair and Elmo

We took Elliotte to the Williamson County Fair a couple of weeks ago. We had never been before and didn't really know what to expect out of E. She loved it! Our little daredevil loved the rides and the little farm.

Here we are on a ride that looked innocent, but it spun around really fast! E loved it!

The carousel

Pinkie dog

She rode Nemo all by herself! Four times!

Little farmer

Milking a cow. It's in her blood.

We also went to see Elmo at Learning Express with Austin and Montgomery. E loves Elmo! She was unsure at first, even though she had seen him before, but when she warmed up, she was all over him!

Giving Elmo a kiss!

These three are trouble!

E, "Gummy", and "Aussie"

Elliotte Turns Two!

Elliotte turned two on July 31st! Two years really flew by. She is so much fun, and I always tell people she is a boy in a girl's body. She is crazy, loud, determined, daring, independent, and so sweet. At two years old, Elliotte:

Says "I Lee" for I Love You; Loves all dogs; Reads Goodnight Gorilla before nap and bedtime every day; Likes to use a spoon; Loves her friends Eli, "Baby Sam", Teague, "Aussie", and "Gummy"; Her best friend is cousin Leah; Loves to go to church; Favorite shows are Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, Handy Manny, Agent Oso, and Jake and the Neverland Pirates; Favorite foods are cheese, beans & rice, chicken, mac & cheese, fruits, and veggies (great appetite); Likes to color and trace her hands; Wants to brush her teeth and wash her hands all the time; Knows her colors; Only sits still to read a book before bed; Drinks milk and water; Has to have ice in her water; Takes her Pinkie dog lovie everywhere and hold it to her nose while sucking her three middle fingers; Says "Oh me, Oh my, Aw shoot, Oh dear, Oh no, and Oh gosh"; asks to pray at mealtimes and bedtime; can tell you she is TWO!

Weight: 29 pounds (75%)

Height: 36 5/8 inches (97%)

Birthday morning checking out her balloons

Looking at the quiet book I made her for her big day

A pug page!

Her big present was a play kitchen

And a Cozy Coupe!

Had a wreck on the first day!

B'day cake

Uncle Kyle and Aunt (hopefully really soon!) Erin

Opening gifts with Leah's help

Time to blow out the candle!

She loved her cake!

Nonna and "Ba" with their girls

Christmas Eve

Christmas Eve this year was held at mom and dad's. My mom's side of the family always celebrates Christmas Eve together. We eat a big meal and then play dirty santa with gift cards. Dirty santa was especially dirty this year! I love it! I look forward to this night more than any other because I truly love being with my family and continuing this long tradition! This year was especially fun since the girls had fun opening their presents. They definitely cared more about the wrapping and tissue paper than the gifts!

Nonna and Pops with their girls

Nanny with her great grandgirls

Nonna and Nanny with their girls

E was comparing her Elmo and Big Bird with Leah's. Yep, they are the same!

Opening a present

Still opening...

Modeling her new hat that Aunt Kim made

Mickey Mouse Clubhouse book with figurines. A huge hit!

Abbs and E. The dress E is wearing is one Janene made for Alex and then Abby wore it. So special!

Breakfast with Santa

We went to breakfast with Santa at Hillsboro earlier this month. I was really worried about how E would react to Santa, but she surprised me and did really well. She didn't want to give him a hug and a kiss or anything, but she also didn't scream bloody murder! We had fun watching all the kiddos react to Santa and Mrs. Claus.

The appetizer of Cheerios and raisins

Not too bad!

Am I done yet?

Girls Weekend

Earlier this month, I took a much needed road trip to Clinton, TN (outside Knoxville) for a high school girls weekend at Su's house. Lu and I drove up on Friday morning. Kristen joined us that night. Then Claire made it on Saturday morning. We had a blast eating, shopping, talking and eating some more! I don't think we went to bed before 1am either night. Hotel Su is a five star resort! I highly recommend it! The only downside to our trip was the snow that made us leave early on Sunday morning. Other than that, it was the perfect weekend!

The Girls: Claire, Kristen, Su, Me and Lu

Lu, Su, Me, Kristen and Claire