Finally Chrsitmas

When I woke up this morning and went to see the Christmas tree, I found presents for me!! Really great presents, for me!!! As soon as I saw the kitchen, I walked right up to it and started opening the cupboards, looking for the pots and pans and the food, so I could cook up some breakfast!

I also took a couple of laps with the shopping cart!

Since I am the youngest, I was supposed to pass out presents. Well, I helped, but I can't read, there were a lot of presents (some even bigger than me) and some of them were pretty heavy.


I took a few breaks to play with Uncle Bryson!

And to play with my kitchen!

I got a lot of really neat gifts from my wonderful family. Thank you all very much!

I had a lot of fun opening presents, and cleaning up all of the wrapping paper. (I have to keep things clean, and I LOVE putting things in the trash!) But all of the activity really wore me out, so I had to go take a nap!

Can you guess what we had for dinner tonight??

Yup, my favorite, Spaghetti! And I proceeded to make as big of a mess as possible.

Look at me!!! I look like an Oompa Loompa!!!

I love spaghetti!

Daddy was trying to clean me up, and he was being silly. He thought he could get me clean with just a washcloth. Mommy said I needed a bath, or two, to get clean. After my bath, it was time for bed. Mommy and Daddy told me that there would be a big surprise for me in the morning. I wonder what that will be??

Aren't I just down right adorable!!!

Cooking with Nana and Papa

So today is Christmas Day, but we aren't celebrating until tomorrow, so that we can all be together. (My aunts and uncles have too much going on today!) So I get to help Nana and Papa make food for tomorrow!! I'm such a good helper!

Here we are, making Pigs-in-a-Blanket! Nana rolled the piggies in their blankets, I put them on the cookie sheet, and Papa makes sure I don't fall off my stool!


We make a great team!

Aren't I placing them so nicely??

Papa was just tickled that I was so interested in helping with the food.

Just after this picture, Papa decided that I had put too many in the one corner of the pan, so he turned the pan around so that I could put the little piggies on the empty part. But I thought I was supposed to put them all in a pile, so I reached across the pan, to keep putting them in my little pile. I showed him!! Then Nana said that we needed to spread them out, so then I helped do that, and filled in the rest of the empty pan.

Silly Papa, you tried to switch things up on me, but I'm too smart for that!!

It's Christmas already?

Since we will be traveling a bunch the next few weeks, and won't be home for Christmas, Mommy and Daddy decided that we could do our Christmas last night!
Mommy wanted to get a picture of me in front of our tree, but I wasn't cooperating very well.

I kept making funny faces, like this!

Mommy and Daddy had me pass out the presents, so that I could practice for when we go to Nana and Papa's. Is this present for me??


Oh, I got a cleaning set!! It has everything I need to help Mommy keep the house clean. Now I can really be a big helper!

I got a whole bunch of play food too!

Now I can make wonderful meals for Mommy and Daddy!

Would you like a fried egg, Daddy?

I even had a present from Grandma and Grandpa Erdmann, so before I opened it, we called them on Skype, so they could watch me open it. Guess what it was...my very own table, and its just my size!

Mommy said that I had one more present to open. It was so big, I had no idea what it was.

I pulled back the paper, and it was a trike!!! My very own trike!

Mommy, Mommy, can I ride it??

Well, it looks like I need to grow a little more before I will be able to ride it, but I sure do like climbing on it!

I sure am looking forward to Christmas at Nana and Papa's, and another Christmas when we go to Iowa!!

Snow...lots and lots of snow!

Apparently, it started snowing after I went to bed last night, and this is what it looked like when I woke up!

That's a lot of snow that fell in less than 12 hours, and Mommy and Daddy said that it is probably going to keep snowing for a while!


Mommy knew that we were supposed to get a lot of snow, so yesterday she bought me a snow suit, boots, and a sled! Here I am, all ready for the snow! (Yes, I just figured out how to make a cheesy face whenever Mommy is trying to take my picture!)

I'm a purple marshmallow! But I sure am cute and warm!!!!

Look, the snow is higher than my waist!

I tried to sit on it, but is was so fluffy that I just sunk right in. I was so surprised by that, then I lost my balance and went in face first. That surprised me too, how cold the snow actually is!

By the time I got in my new sled, the snow was so deep that Daddy could hardly walk in it.

I didn't make it far before I tipped over. I lost my mitten and started crying. Snow isn't as fun as I thought! Mommy and Daddy started looking for my mitten, but were having a hard time finding it. Daddy thought we were just going to have to wait until the snow melted to find it, but Mommy told him it was my only pair...he kept digging, and in just a minute he found it!!!

Daddy tried taking me on another trip down the little hill, but I just cried the whole time. Mommy decided we should go check on the neighbors, so we walked (well, Mommy and Daddy trudged through knee-deep snow, while carrying me) over and said hi. I cried the whole way over, and the whole way back. I'm not a fan of snow!

Making Christmas Cookies

This afternoon the neighbors came over to make Christmas cookies! I have so much fun when they come. We made lots of fun cookies, with sprinkles and frosting and candies on them!

Amelia helped me, so I got to help cut some out!

I also got to help eat a few! They are really good!

Here I am with the Eckardt family!

I got another cookie!!


While Mommy was finishing the cookies, I went and read with Kendall. I really like reading books with her!

Putting up the Chrsitmas Tree

Since it was snowing when we got our tree, we had to let it dry a little, so Mommy spent all of my nap time and then some getting all of the lights on our tree today. She did a really good job!

Daddy had already brought the tub of ornaments upstairs, and I realized that the tub was the perfect size for me to crawl up onto, and sit! I got up and down many times, and had a good time playing up there, before Mommy decided it wasn't a good idea and I had to get down.

I did get to help Daddy put the star on top!


This sure is pretty Daddy!

Once the star was up, I got to help put the ornaments up. Mommy unwrapped them, I carried them to Daddy, and he put them on the tree! I did try to put a few on the tree myself, but they didn't stay when I just laid them on the branches, so Daddy had to help me!

First snow of the winter!

Mommy and Daddy decided to start a new tradition this year...going and cutting our own Christmas tree (there are a couple of farms just a few miles away)! The only problem was, they decided to do it this morning, even though we are getting the first snow of the season! So it was a little wet, a little slippery, and pretty cold, so Mommy wasn't able to take pictures of Daddy cutting down the tree, because she was with me in the warming room, trying to stay warm and dry.


Here is what the snow looked like this afternoon!

It sure is pretty with just a few inches of snow. The neighbor kids tried to go sledding, but there just isn't enough snow for that. Maybe we will get some more soon!

17 months

I'm getting so big! And there is so much that I can do now...I am very active! I really enjoy being outside when it is warm! I like to run and Mommy has been teaching me how to do a somersault! I also like watching pictures of myself flash across the screen saver...Mommy says I'm watching the "Savannah Show"!




See my bottom teeth!


Now you can see all four! I really like having four teeth, because now I can tear my food with them! Maybe for Christmas I will get some more teeth! (I hear it is just around the corner!)

Daddy is a little worried that I don't have a lot to say, but I know a few words, like Mama, Dada, dog, stop, all done, ut oh, ball, Papa, and purple! I can shake my head yes and no, and shake it no a lot! I wave bye-bye, and blow kisses. I'm a really good hugger and when I give kisses, it is almost always two, one on each cheek!

I love dogs and cats and point them out when I see them. I also love to help, any way that I can. I'm really good at helping pick up toys! I love play kitchens, and now I don't mind when Mommy and Daddy leave me in the nursery, as long as there is one for me to play with!

I have become a big fan of french fries and chicken nuggets, but I don't get them very often. I also love pasta, cheese, and most fruits and vegetables. I am a really good eater most of the time, and Mommy constantly wonders if I have hollow legs!