Our Little Chatterbox

So we always knew that Mary Ellen would be verbal, but this kid continues to surprise and delight us with her blooming vocabulary.

You name it, she'll try to say it. She names her colors. She names the animals in her puzzles. She gives me plenty of ideas about what she'd like to have for lunch, snack, etc. She loves to "play," "walk," "cook," and "read." She loves to ask for basketball, either to play on the porch or to watch on TV. So her pronunciation isn't perfect, but she's getting the hang of this talking thing and fast.

This week she started putting a few words together. Here are a few of my favorites:

Upsie Daisy

I don't know.

Open it. Shut.

I did it.

The quiet days in our house are gone. Long gone. And I love it.

2011 in Review (Part 2)

 It's time to ring in 2012, but since I promised a few more pics, here goes. Just a few more highlights from 2011:

Mary Ellen discovered Sesame Street.

Ok, so she was asleep, but the Cardinals Won the World Series!

Our little lion on Halloween.

Outside Grandpa's office in December.

Nana came to visit often this year, and this visit brought us to the beach. Best. Day. Ever (according to Mary Ellen).

Mary Ellen was the model for many of Mama's projects. She makes a good model, no?

It's okay to share a lap from time to time, right guys?

This could be me circa 1978.

2011 in Review (Part 1)

Can it really be time to celebrate the close of 2011? Though it seems impossible, I suppose the calendar doesn't lie.

What a year it has been for our family. Since I have been more than lax in keeping the blog up in the second half of the year, I thought I'd remark on some of the events that didn't get shared with the world. Enjoy!

 Happy, happy girl.

One of Grandma's (now Nana's) very frequent visit.

 Sweet girl.

Mary Ellen's first dip in her little pool.

 One of the many visits to Nana's house.

First trip to Busch Stadium with cousin Brooke.

 Nature Day at Wakiva River.

 Love Nana's house!

Mary Ellen loves her tree swing!

 

 

 Beach Day!

 

Happy Birthday at the Willow Tree.

Bathtime with Jenson

Year 1 in Mama's Cardinal jersey.

Trip to see the cows on Barb and Dick's farm

Love the music at Willow Tree Cafe

Another trip to Nana's house. Love her flowers!

A visit with Great-Grandma Knepper

It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year!

The Christmas season is upon us, and I have been waiting for the whole year! Don't get me wrong, last year was an amazing time to share with our then 5-month old daughter, but this year is something else. Mary Ellen is taking it all in, and I had no idea how fun it was going to be to watch her get so excited about the lights and the songs and, of course, Ho Ho.

First stop of the season: The Winter Park Christmas Parade.

Waiting for the parade to start. Such cuties!

She really enjoyed catching the candy when we finally scored a seat near the road. Like mother, like daughter.

 Mary Ellen's glimpse of the Big Man.

 After the parade, it was time to pick out the Christmas tree. We got a great one, and it's been up for a whole week now. Too early? I think not!

 Such a big helper:  hanging up our new advent calendar. This one came courtesy of my friend Alie, who started a crafting blog to raise money for American Cancer Society. Check her out - she's a really creative chica! 

Giving Thanks

I'm blessed. There's no other way to say it. I have a loving husband, a beautiful daughter, a wonderful and supportive family, and countless wonderful friends. We're healthy. We're happy.  Life is good. Sometimes, those blessings just need to be counted, right?

Pumpkin Time!

Mary Ellen's got a few words. Okay, she has more than a few words. While "mama" is still slow-going, words like Elmo, balloon, and up (up, up) are frequently heard in our house. One other very popular one right now is "Pa-Goo" or pumpkin. Pumpkin! Pumpkin!

So we took little Mary Ellen to a pumpkin patch a few weekends ago. She was a pro and picked out a great one. See for yourself:

 I love that the pumpkin patch has so many Mary Ellen-sized pumpkins.

 

Seriously, she was a bit overwhelmed.

 She continues to carry this one around the house.

 Gotta find a good one for Daddy to carve.

 This one? Wait, this one?

I guess a big part of the pumpkin patch is the Photo Area. This pumpkin patch was complete with a giant well-used Snoopy. Mary Ellen was not impressed.

Like Mother, Like Daughter

Mary Ellen had her first go at competitive yard games this past weekend. Here's her first attempt at a yard game: