The girls - Part two

A quick posting of Elena and Olivia who are already carrying on another generation of friendship. Lala and Livi - The Legacy.

A green thumb

After a lunch of tomato soup and grilled cheese, the weeds were calling our name and Elena was right there in the center of it all, helping Mommy and Daddy pull weeds, carry them in bunches to the designated pile and come back for more. She couldn't decide what was better about weed-pulling - the chill in the air, the dirt she could mush or the PINK GLOVES from Cousin Isabel. Good times for all.

Elena is getting to be such a big girl and it was only more evident this morning when I woke up and Elena asked, "Sleep well, Mama?" Only thing cuter than that was the yell from her crib announcing that she was, "All done sleeping, Mama!!!"

We are certainly getting our share of laughter these days.

These boots were made

Elena LOVES her uncles Corey (Too-ey) and Jeff (Geoff). Here is one excerpt from her greeting to Uncy J (Geoff) with enthusiasm about her new boots. Her boots were made for... I guess the years will tell.

Love you, Lala.

And that's the poop!

Today Elena told us she needed to go poo poo and wanted to go on the potty. And.... She DID! A nice big poop for which she was very proud and happy to receive a jelly belly reward. She has managed a few pee pees before, but never the big one.

I took a picture of, well, everything, but I'll spare the blog the details. We just HAD to capture her pride and the big moment. She wore her big girl underwear for over an hour following her accomplishment, but nap time interrupted it all.

We'll see how it goes, but hey, we're making progress! Go, Lala!!

See ya' next year, Santa!

Elena just LOVED the holidays and believe it or not, stayed HEALTHY throughout. We rotated grandparent houses from Christmas Eve through New Year's Eve with a nice Christmas morning in our own house. We loved it all and are sad to see the time go so quickly. Elena really makes the holidays special and I can't imagine how much fun it will be next year. I think each grandma (Ga-ma) and grandpa (Papa) spoiled Elena as much as any kiddo has ever been spoiled. Our little stinker has the daunting task of deciding which fun thing to do at any given moment. Be it pounding on new drums, riding in a new wagon or coloring on a new art table, she is constantly busy and excited to do something fun.


She continues to love "J Bells" and talk about snowmen and "Atta" (Santa), but we are working to move ahead and try to 're-parent' this child who seems to have forgotten boundaries over the last week and a half (Gee-- I wonder why?). :)

Elena's vocabulary is amazing and she learns words and concepts so quickly that I can't keep up. The latest?

• She told me this morning that her shoes were, "Too big, Mama. OFF, please!"
• She pulls off her own pants and wants to poo-poo in the potty. But she hasn't done it yet. In due time.
• She has gotten her foot stuck in the crib a couple of times lately and when I go in, she says, "Stuck, Mama, stuck." It's so sweet and pitiful, I tear up. My baby.
• Lastly, she is putting herself in time out. It's awful, but admittedly and secretly, rather funny. She'll hit one of us (Very bad and annoying) and then say, "Time out LENA. Two minutes" and go sit in the corner. She does the same with her babies. We're currently seeking advice on how to end the game she's made of time out.

She remains our sweet little stink and as we enter 2008 and get asked DAILY when the next kiddo is comin' (wait and see...), we thank God for our family and these cherished moments.

Back to the grind

Elena is clearly feeling the effects of holiday stress and having to go back to work.

Stay tuned for more on our holiday as soon as the three of us catch our breath! Happy New Year!