Christmas

The siblings and Sophie in her tight Christmas t-shirt


Lots of presents to open


Leah testing out her new toy

Waiting patiently for breakfast

Visited Family and Friends

Christmas Sing-Along

Free Christmas concert at the Energy Solutions Center.


The Utah Symphony Orchestra played and the crowd sang.


John Schmidt and his daughter performed.

There was tons of free stuff -- hot dogs, drinks, Jazz tickets.

Sledding

We borrowed snow clothes

and a sled

and had a blast

sledding down the hill at Burton Elementary

Santa Train

Before we left for Utah, we took a ride on the Santa train.

It's been going on for years, and the tickets sell out within an hour.


Lots of people crowded at the station waiting for the train.


Mr. and Mrs. Santa Claus handed out candy canes.






Leah was indifferent to Santa. She preferred watching the kids sitting in the seat behind us. We had very high expectations given how popular it is so in the end we were left a little disappointed.

I'll be posting tons of pictures from Christmas in Utah soon.

Toys

Leah loves the toy her friends gave her for Christmas yesterday.

She can move herself backwards really good, and she is working on going forward. It also converts to a walking toy. Today she took a couple of steps before falling backwards. She is still a little nervous to walk around with it, but with a little more practice I'm sure she'll be a pro.

Aren't they so adorable? She looks like such a big girl in this picture. These two are really good friends. It's so cute to watch them interact with each other.

Babies

I saw this movie on a friend's blog today. I totally want to see it.

Balloon

Leah wanted this balloon by her side all day today.

A new tooth is coming in so the balloon was a nice distraction for her. She also is starting to get up on her knees from her stomach. Maybe she'll be crawling by Christmas or her 1st birthday!

Let it Snow

We had our first snowstorm on Saturday.

We stayed inside for most of it enjoying the view.

It rarely snows in Virginia before January so we were very excited. Most of it has melted now.

Giving Thanks

Thanksgiving was perfect this year with lots of food, lots of rest, and lots of time with family.

Thanks to Grandma Stathis for making a delicious feast.

Thanks to our friends for letting us use their lake house.

We missed all of the family and friends we weren't able to share Thanksgiving with this year.

Here are some of the highlights:

Picking up some snacks on the drive down


Playing with cousins




Reading bedtime stories


Saying goodbye

On the Go

Leah's cousin shared his baby walker with her this weekend.

First, she tried it out in the house numerous times.



Then we let her take it outside.


Now that we are home, she is a little disappointed that she can't get this to move.

Say Cheese

Leah used to scowl at the camera flash. Well, not anymore. Now she gives a huge grin.

When the baby food is left unattended...

She goes for it.





Leah's best friend Annie has been feeding Leah for a couple of weeks now as mentioned here. This week when Annie put the food down for a second, Leah snatched it up and took matters into her own hands. I love how she is licking the container in the last picture. Maybe next time she'll try licking her hands instead. Thank you Penny for capturing all these great moments. They are priceless.

Waiting for Thanksgiving

Next week is going to be a good one. We are heading to a lake house in Charlottesville, VA with David's parents and the Mathis'. Leah is going to love being able to play with her cousin for several days in a row.

We have lots to be thankful for this year.

10 Months Old Today

...and we can hardly believe it.

At 10 months she:

• Says "oh" in various intonations when she sees something interesting, wants Daddy's I-phone, or does something new


• Points at things she wants


• Waves bye-bye both when solicited and unsolicited


• Likes to turn the pages and lift up flaps in her books


• Likes to read "Dog" by Matthew Van Fleet over and over -- She cried when I tried to put it away without finishing it a couple of days ago, and today before her nap she had me read it three times before being satisfied


• Moves from a sitting position to her stomach and scoots -- still no crawling


• Likes to walk around with you holding her hands


• Loves being held upside down, especially over the side of the bed, and being pulled back upright again


• Playing with other kids, even though she can't catch them when they walk away

She is so fun, and we are so glad she is part of our family!

Teeth

A little white started to show through on her bottom front gums. She won't let me in to see the tooth though. As soon as I try to open her mouth or stick my finger in to feel it, she CLENCHES down. It makes it rather difficult to document in a picture. She really is quite determined.

Here she is giving her "don't you dare take my bunny stare."

Best Friend

Annie is Leah's best friend. She is always looking out for Leah, making sure she gets plenty of food.
























I love this video Penny took of the two of them playing in the leaves. It's so adorable.

Beautiful Fall Weather

We've been enjoying 70 degree weather here.

I don't want it to end. I know it's only a matter of time before winter comes. Most of the leaves have fallen off the trees, and Thanksgiving is around the corner.

Day Light Savings

...is no fun with a baby. Leah woke up at 5 am this morning.

I found this article, and I thought it was helpful.

Now, I just have to make it through today.

She's already taken her morning nap, and it's only 9:30!

Halloween

Fall is such a great time of year.

and a tutu makes any costume even more adorable