A Cow!

As we are getting ready to celebrate the first night of Chanukah tonight, and to travel south to Dallas to visit Katie's family tomorrow, we thought we would leave our faithful blog readers with an anecdote from this week:

So starting last weekend, Eliza has been saying "A Cow" often. As in, way more often than she sees any bovines, and way more often than we would expect her to think of cows. So it was a little mystery: what, oh what, does "A Cow" actually mean?

For a while, Dan thought that maybe she'd picked up the word "Echo" and had a good time with that -- he'd say "Ah," she'd say "Ah"; he'd say "Eeee," she'd say "Eeee." And so on. And on.

But, she was still saying "A Cow" after Daddy had returned to work on Monday, and since Mommy is not really a fan of playing the echo game, it seemed we had not solved the mystery. For a while, Katie thought that maybe "A Cow" meant "Okay" -- except that Eliza has been correctly saying "Okay" for over a month. Hmm.

Finally, on Wednesday morning the mystery was solved. Trying to get out the door to head to playgroup, Mommy urgently said "Let's Go!" to which Eliza grabbed her shoes, smiled, and proclaimed "A Cow!" So, another mystery in Toddler-speak solved...

Eliza and Daddy Try to Make a Movie

Eliza and Daddy Try to Make a Movie

Click on the picture above, then click through the movies from left to right (or do a slideshow).

Happy Halloween!

Yeah, yeah, so Halloween was actually a few weeks ago. But better late than never! In addition to attending several Halloween parties, Eliza went trick-or-treating with her friend Mathias. And unlike last year, she actually walked from house to house and collected (and ate!) some candy this year.

As you will see from the pictures, they went as Flamenco dancers. Eliza's dress was brought back from Seville by her Grandma Irene. Here are some pictures and a video of the big night. (Please excuse the purplish hue that some of the pictures have--it was our old camera's last stand.)

Halloween

Another album of recent pictures

Eliza November 2008

New Pictures

So sorry it's been so long since we last posted!

Here are two big photo albums. The first includes photos from the last month or so:

Eliza Sept-Oct 2008

The second is an album of pictures from our summer vacation (in September). We drove up to the Upper Penninsula in Michigan and had a blast. Here are some pics:

Michigan Vacation - Sept 2008

Summer slideshow

Click below to view a slideshow of pictures and movies from the last month or so:

(I'd recommend watching the movies in "original size," as they are pretty grainy when viewed large.)

Eliza Summer '08 album 1

On the go!

The end of May and beginning of June took us on several adventures. First, Eliza and Mom tagged along with Dad on a work-related trip to St. Louis, MO.

While there, we got to check out the amazing Forrest Park, including the zoo!



Puffins!

After that, we drove out to Paw Paw Lake, MI to see our friends Chris and Lindsey, and their new baby Clara. We took a boat trip and let the girls "wade."









Then, Eliza and Mommy headed off to Texas. Memsa has recently adopted two new little kittens, one of whom really loves to play with Eliza. And there was lots of fun to be had in a kiddie pool. Other adventures that weren't captured on film include a visit to the wonderful botanical garden, and meeting Nicole and Craig's new baby, Claire.


Bitsy goes in the cabinet...


and comes back out!


A funny face!






Who knew that rolling on the kitchen floor was so much fun? Eliza!


Poppin'






Adventures in the kiddie pool, with Mommy



Scoping out KITTENS!!






This duck needs a ride!






Eliza's new skill: HUGS!!


And last but not least, we bring you the world's cutest toddler and kitten video:

Great Pic

Toddlin' Around

It's been too long! Here are some pics and a short video from the last few weeks.

Eliza already loves playing piano:


Dancing in her favorite sweater coat from Great-Grandma Libby!


In her warm Seattle Mariners sweatshirt from her west-coast best friend Jeff:


Reading w/ Aunt Rachel:


Just looking cute:


Playing with friend Eva:


Doing some homework:


Eliza's been getting better and better at walking, and almost never crawls anymore! Here's a very short clip:

Another walking video

Eliza walks -- another video!



And a couple of photos just for fun:

Eliza walks!

The title pretty much says it all. Out of the blue, Eliza started walking yesterday afternoon. Here are two videos.

Be warned: the ending is a little rough. But not to worry, she was just fine!


A day of walking under her belt, and she's already a little steadier on her feet!

Happy Birthday, Eliza!

So um...it's actually been almost four weeks since the big day. But better late than never! Here are some pictures of Eliza's big day, which she spent with Mommy, Daddy, and her Grandma Memsa:


All ready for a birthday!!


Needed: one birthday cake with one candle.


Question: how will Eliza like her first taste of cake?


Answer: pretty darn well.


Wrapping paper is such a great present.



And so is Horton.



Checking out new toys!


Singing with Daddy!


Three generations of ladies!


All in all, a wonderful first birthday and a wonderful first year.

p.s. Here's a little video from April 10: