Holiday Check In

We put up our Christmas tree today. Usually I'm more of a wait till after Thanksgiving sort of lady, but, ever since it snowed a little last week, I've really been in the mood! 

I even bought a Karen Carpenter holiday music CD at Target on a whim- and I LOVE EVERY SECOND OF IT. My favorite is Merry Christmas, Darling with a close second, Christ is Born. 

We do a fake tree. Naturally, I would prefer a real one, but its so much work. Remembering to water it, going and getting it, you know. But I like our fake one with it's crazy yet fabulous colored pre strung lights- in orange, blue, green, red, and pink. I'll just have to get a candle or something for that holiday smell.

Vacation!

In April/May, Brent and I are going on a vacation! We are going to Amsterdam, Germany, and Austria. My parents are kind enough to watch Ella- which I feel guilty about - but I won't after spending hours on an airplane and realizing if I had Eleanor with me how I'd want jump in an Amsterdam canal to escape the madness.

Airplane tickets were an amazing price, so we bit the bullet. We are planning on taking a Sound of Music bike tour of Austria- Brent recently watched the movie and has told me more than once how much he likes it- I'm a little giddy about it. Also- Amsterdam. It seems so laid back and cool. 

And, for your viewing pleasure... here are some photos of baby girl. She'll be 18 months in November. She loves:
-playing in the sink- filling and dumping out cups of water.
-drinking her bath water, and if that wasn't enough, sucks the water out of the bath mat when her bath water has drained out. I have no explanation.
-the adorable Japanese movie, My Neighbor Totoro, which pleases me because I love it too
-still takes a bottle to go to bed
-riding in her bike seat to the park
-brushing her teeth herself
-Veggie straws and fruit snacks
-waving and saying bye-bye. she'll give you a kiss if you're lucky.
-she even stomps when she throws a tantrum- makes me laugh every time

Family Photos

We took Mouritsen family photos a bit ago- here is Brent trying to get Ella to smile for the big family photo. Ha! I'll share a few if you'd like to see.

Above are all the grand kids..

Working. Family. Photos.

As you may know, I started working part time at SimTek Fence- where I worked as a receptionist before I had Eleanor- a couple weeks ago. I'm a shipping coordinator- scheduling and doing shipping paperwork for all the fence that goes in and out.

There are many things I really love about it, and a few things I don't like.
Loving:
1. Being able to see immediate fulfillment after I've worked to do something. As opposed to raising a baby- which takes years.

I say this, though now I think about it, Ella and I were watching Bachelor in Paradise the other day (I know, I know.) and Ashley I. was crying about something on the show, and Ella looked at her on the screen... observing... and then looked at me and pretend cried, her hands covering her eyes like on TV. It was both funny, and frightening.

2. Having my mom babysit Ella. Ella just adores Granny D, I never worry a bit about leaving my baby behind when I leave. That is so nice.

3. Working with adults- and feeling like a working professional again. Its empowering and confidence building.

Not liking:
1. Since I'm new at work, there's a learning curve- and I've been staying late to get up to speed. I don't like it. It makes me feel so guilty when I get home and see baby Ella.

In other news, we took Mouritsen family photos today. It was hard getting Ella to sit still and smile- I mean, it is a tough request- so we'll see how they turn out. But I was able to get 1 or 2 of Ella happy with family- though not sitting still.