Spooky scary

Happy Halloween! Lily is really excellent at two animal noises; one is a kitty and the other is an elephant. I knew I wanted her to dress as one of those for Halloween and it was quite the toss up but we ended up going with the kitty because we could buy the costume in pieces instead of buying those expensive sets at the Halloween stores. We were very happy with the results! 

Here she is at our church group's Halloween party.

First house she trick-or-treated at!

She wasn't incredibly impressed with the whole trick-or-treating
phenomenon as it was incredibly frigid and she had little sleep
that day. Once we got home and she got to go through the
candy, however, it was a whole new story. We didn't let her eat
any because she seemed more interested in playing with it, and
that meant we were able to eat it for her! 

This has to be one of my new favorites.
There aren't very many pictures of Lily and I
both looking at smiling at the camera as I'm
usually the one taking them, so this holds
a special place in my heart. 

Brynt wasn't feeling well here and it was so cute because Lily just wanted to lie next to him while he slept. It so very much warmed my heart.
This is just super cute.

Favorite things Lily does: October Edition. (Please keep in mind I'm writing this in the middle of November so the timing might not be entirely accurate).

She is saying so much more now. I love being able to communicate with her, it's a completely different experience. She can say Pop Pop for Grandpa, cackaaa for cracker (I would say this is her favorite because she absolutely loves club crackers), cheeeee for cheese, appa for apple, kkki for kitty, cra for crayon, and cukkie for cookie (usually as in Cookie Monster but sometimes the food). She can also use sign language for "more" and "all done" during eating times, which has proven to be quite useful, especially because she knows so many food words.

Singing The Itsy Bitsy Spider. For some reason she started absolutely loving this song. She puts the thumb of one hand into the palm of the other for the spider, and she does the rain coming down and then her favorite part is washing it all away. After that she doesn't seem to care since the best part already happened but she still claps at the end every time.

She was really into the show Yo Gabba Gabba, which is so bizzare but it was incredibly adorable when she tried to say it. Then after watching each episode four or five times and having the songs running through my head throughout the day and as I was falling asleep, I decided to switch back to Sesame Street. Probably one of the best decisions I ever made.

She is really into balls right now in any form. She loves throwing them and kicking them, and actually does a really good job. She can kick a ball through our living room, around through the kitchen and back again. I see a soccer star in our future!

I know there are a million more things because everything Lily does is amazing but hopefully we can get to those in another post, I think that's plenty for now! Adios!

Falling leaves and bright orange pumpkins

Keeping up with a blog has proved to be much more difficult than anticipated when I don't have my monthly deadline. I will split this one into two blogs and hopefully be caught up before all of those fun holiday festivities begin!

Fall time continues to be the Ellis' favorite season. There is just something about those bright leaves and crisp, sunny air that makes us feel all warm inside. In between our exchanging of colds and other such sicknesses, we have been able to enjoy many of our favorite autumn festivities.

Fall festivity favorite #1: Playing in the leaves

Not-so-favorite fall activity #2- Carving pumpkins. She wanted
nothing to do with the pumpkin guts...

...but loved the seeds once they were clean.

Playing with a not very impressed Lion.

Latest trick: horsey ride

The Ellis Family: True Story

Warning: I have decided to attempt a new writing format for the Ellis Family Story Blog! Focusing on Lily was such an important thing to do for the first year of her life when things were changing daily, and I truly hope she is able to look back on that with so much joy. I think, however, it might be nice to take a step back and focus on the whole of the Ellis Family in an attempt to preserve all memories. Coincidentally, our life seems to revolve around Lily, so for those who were thinking of giving up on this blog, have no fear; I can assure you will get more than your fair share of Lily news and pictures.

With that said here are some highlights since the last post:

We've been to the Toledo Zoo a few times trying to get our money's worth out of our membership. Plus, who doesn't love a quick trip to the zoo? Lily does, that's for sure. I'm so glad they have the new Elephant exhibit as that seems to be her favorite and we are able to get so close to them now. Her elephant impression is still the cutest thing ever (besides her kitty one).

My sister, Emily's wedding has been front and center in our lives for a little while and I regret to say that the only pictures I have of that event so far are of the Bachelorette party. It also seems we only have this one of her and I, but I can assure you there are many more to come.

We taught Lily how to say "Cheese" for pictures and apparently we close our eyes when we say it because this was her impersonation...

Lily and I had it rough for a few weeks, I think we went through 4 Kleenex boxes and slept more than most people do in their lives. The cuddle time was irreplaceable, however. Here she is with all her comforts: baby, blankie, binki and snacks.

When we named this dear sweet girl, we hoped in our hearts she would be as sweet as her name and that hope seems to become truer each day. She really is such a sweet Lily girl.

We had an impromptu trip to an orchard last weekend. Lily especially enjoyed the animals, namely this goat who she thought was hilarious. She also thought the pumpkins were balls and kept walking around saying, "baa, baa" then trying to pick them up and becoming increasingly frustrated each time she couldn't. It was incredibly adorable.

Survival of the Fittest: One Year Down!

My big baby girl,

This is probably the hardest entry I've had to write. I keep procrastinating and thinking maybe if I don't write about it you won't really be one! But alas, you are whether I write this entry or not, so here it goes...
One year ago, on a perfectly sunny Tuesday morning in August I was on my way to the hospital to deliver the most perfect baby girl that has ever existed. I had no idea then how much my life would change once you came (despite the friendly warnings from basically everyone I talked to). Nothing could have prepared me for how happy, loved, proud and crazy you would make me feel. How can anyone truly describe what happens to a heart when it sees their tiny precious baby, made from their own flesh and blood, smile for the first time? How do you explain the feeling you get when a being so tiny and fragile depends on you for it's entire existence? To know I am in this world to make and mold a child is one of the most fulfilling and terrifying emotions I have ever experienced. You have exceeded my expectations in every way and I only hope that some day I might have some of that same effect on you.

I dedicate my life, love, and this blog entry to my very first baby girl, Lily Ellis.

I love you for many reasons, but one of them is for our
shared love of Sophie. I didn't have to tell you to love her,
I didn't force you to crawl into her, I never asked for you
to plant big sloppy kisses on her equally sloppy nose; you just
do. You understand wholeheartedly, and without question
how special Sophie is to our family.

This picture immediately makes me think, "Iiiin West
Philidelphia born and raised..."

We had a little pre-birthday celebration with your Papa Chad
and Uncle Chiz. This is how we learned your fascination with
money that has Mom and Dad trying to save more and more
every day!

Peek-a-boo with Pop Pop

Camping
You had your first "camping" experience this year. We decided it was best if you didn't stay overnight, which proved to be wise as you barely made it through a nap. Otherwise, however, you enjoyed it very much. You loved sitting around the campfire, taking walks to the dock, and trying out all of your camping gear you got from your Great Grandma Sharon and Papa Fred. I was so thrilled to be able to share the great outdoors with my little girl and I greatly look forward to our future explorations.

smell. 

Happy Birthday to You!

The Party

What a trooper you were on party day! You ate my lasagna and even seemed to enjoy it, you appreciated each and every single present you got, and you even ate my cake that I labored over for many hours! Watching you enjoy this day with our family made this whole first year come together for me. It showed me through all of our doubts and concerns, we may not have done as bad as we thought when raising a child for the first time. The kindness and love you had for everyone there truly touched everyone's heart and I could not have been more proud of my little girl. 

Day of Birth

Sleeping angel.

Your bike from Mom and Dad.

I saw this idea on some parenting blog and had to steal it.
Making pancakes in the shape of their age for breakfast.
You are showing us that you are "sooo big" on your first bday!

We took a trip to the local pool with Grammy. 

I wanted to get a picture of you carrying Grammy's bag, and
when she turned you around to face the camera you had
a little bit of a breakdown and I couldn't resist the
opportunity to capture it on film.

Showing off your knowledge of animal sounds. 

Well, my dear, this is all for now. The final month-by-month blog for your first year. I am so proud already of everything you are and everything to come. I better keep it at that; we don't need any more sappiness in this post. I love you truly and dearly for all the days of my life!

Momma