he said! and he also said- can we do this once a month? 🙂 cutie.
so here’s the winners!

Posted by: Beverly | December 11, 2006 at 11:06 AM

Posted by: Sara | December 11, 2006 at 06:34 PM

Posted by: Sam | December 11, 2006 at 01:08 PM

🙂
can you guys email me your addresses and miracle of all miracles— i will put it in the mail TOMORROW! 🙂 otherwise, sometime this week.

thanks for all the fun comments guys. 🙂

so today i start off by looking at my to do list– which i am pleasantly proud (?– can i say that??!!!) of myself for knocking so much out over the weekend, that this week looks manageable! 🙂 lol!
then i go grocery shopping without any kids… knock out a week’s worth of groceries… all right on budget. this makes me so happy- i can’t even explain it. the grocery store is my money trap! eeeeek! 🙂
an hour after i come home, someone knocks on my door- the man who works the Sushi Bar at Pavillions (my grocery store)… hand delivered my wallet that i left in my shopping cart! i am embarrassed but very thankful. everything was there. identity theft scares the heck out of me.. and this is the second time someone returned my wallet to me. i am so thankful. i am in lala land too much. need to wake up.
so i want to do something nice for sushi man. but i don’t know what… so instead…
i will give out 3 look books. look who reads THE LOOK BOOK! 🙂
you didn’t think i would post without elsie didja?! 😉
i will have cameron pick 3 names out after school. and then i will contact you. can i be the total mean USPS shipping person and say USA only? sorry.

although these pics are from our australia trip last year– this is how he looks on his birthday. sorta bashful about it. not really liking the attention. we are the same there. 🙂

happy birthday to you! i love that i can laugh my head off with you and that there is so much history between us. i love that you are such a book worm.. that you would rather hang at home with a movie than go to a nightclub.. that you and i could look at each other in a room full of people and give each other "the look that only us introverts know means".. that you are a father that plays catch with his sons, but still takes his daughter shopping… (and enjoys it!!!)… that i feel safe with you..that you are a total romantic… that you clean the bathroom…that you have goals and that you are doing everything you can to acheive them.. that you work hard 24/7..that you still hang out with the same group of guys from 4th grade and you are an AMAZING friend to them…that you coach our kid’s teams… and that YOU are OUR #1 fan. 🙂  we love you!!!!

and thank you to the policeman who just let my husband off from getting a ticket! 🙂 🙂 🙂 that and his korean bbq from bu– those have to be the best presents! thank YOU!!!!!

i forgot some stuff for the 9 month post and i really don’t want to forget. when she hits 12 months- i plan on printing out my entries from each month and doing something scrapbook-y with it. so please, bare with me.. yes, yet another elsie post. (i know my other 3 kids are not shared as much on this blog- sorry!)

-knows how to open and close her hands when you sing twinkle twinkle little star.
-knows the book brown bear brown bear..loves it. will sit and flip through it over and over.
-plays "where’s elsie????" and hides her eyes with her hands… thinks she’s rather clever when she reappears! 🙂
-shakes her head no when she doesn’t want something
-will blow raspberries back to you if you do it first (cam’s favorite thing to do with her!)
-gives us "looooooove" by resting her head on our chest, arm, leg… anything. 🙂 sooo sweet.. but only lasts for like 7 seconds.
will ‘talk’ loudly when she is in places that echo…the garage.. the hallway.. church 😉
vocabulary: dada, mama, baba– baba means lots of things– bottle, brown bear, brother, byebye….it’s the allpurpose word 🙂

i know i am forgetting things.. chris- we talked about it the other night. add to comments if you remember. 🙂

OK, daddy chiming in…Elsie loves mommy, and even though she’s more independant now, she never wants to be too far away.  She’s a fast crawler, gives me a huge smile when I get home, is always ready for a laugh, is entertained by her siblings constantly, is fascinated with water bottles, still very mouthy, is not a snuggler, but when she relents your heart melts (so, I guess she’s already good at playing hard to get- she gets that from her mother:), reaches out for me whenver she sees me, causing me to run to her, only to have her turn away from me at the last second…oooh, I love her!

this was elsie at her uncle’s play… which was rather loud and dark.. but she just sat and stared and sucked those 2 fingers the whole time. 🙂

she’s quite the little lovebug in this house! we have been so amazed with how she’s found her little spot in the family.. how she just meshes with us/our routines so well…we love her!!! 🙂 here’s what she’s like:

crawls around almost all day, investigating things around the house.. not toys, but papers/books/cords (unplugged of course!) tupperware/boxes of food/etc. she’s not a bit interested in the christmas tree, fireplace or stairs.. so we’ve lucked out there.

she’s into dropping things when she’s up high (in her high chair or if you’re holding her) to see it fall and to see if you will fetch it for her.

she is totally in love with bananas. could eat them up whole if i would let her.

will make a mad dash for anyone who has food or drinks.. particularly a diet coke can or silver starbucks thermos or starbucks cup in general! haha- crazy that she knows what starbucks is already! 🙂

will grab anyone’s jewelry/watches or eyeglasses if nearby.

loooves her bath.

has been liking falling asleep in our bed. doesn’t want us to snuggle her, just likes to fall asleep there and then is transported to her bed.

been doing the EARLY morning wake up again.. eeek.. it’s still dark out and she is all smiles and ready to go!

has to have her little robeez on because she will pull her socks off immediately– as well as hats/hoods/beanies. 😦 — my photo ops of her in beanies are over!

if you get a phone call and hear a baby babbling, it’s very likely it’s her- she calls people on my cell phone all the time. 🙂

really is low maintenance. 🙂 🙂 🙂 really doesn’t need much. no expensive toys. some crackers, her sippy cup, maybe a book… and a laundry basket. 🙂

not kidding. she loves them and will stay in them for quite awhile. will even cry when you take her out.

that’s our girl. 🙂

-last weekend when the kids and i were out of town chris surprised us by getting a tree! so that’s up and pretty! 🙂 i think that’s a record for us waters– we usually wait till the last minute then keep it up till like february! lol!
-it’s getting CHILLY here!!!! and since we don’t use our heater (allergies) we have the fireplace on lots. LOVE that! so away the tank tops went. 🙂
-yesterday i got a letter from the grocery store, Ralphs, saying i was a grand prize winner of FOUR disneyland tickets!!! i was freaking out because.. I NEVER WIN ANYTHING!!!! lol! i didn’t even know i entered. apparently from just swiping my clubcard, i was entered automatically. and being that chris and i are NOT theme park people, it’s a shame that we live so close to disney and HARDLY ever go- okay hardly isn’t even right.. cam has been twice and caleb once! eeek! so this is a treat for the kids. they are happy!
-AND! 🙂 yesterday, the look book  came in the mail! it’s my first Autumn Leaves book and i am really excited. there are so many cool layouts/projects in there!!
-last night i finished my christmas card. another record for the waters! it wasn’t even december 1st,and it’s off to the printer already! now, getting it in the mail.. that’s another story 😉
-the new garden is up at 2peas and there is a whole section on holiday projects that make me want to lock myself in my room and make them all. (the snowflakes on the pic above are from rhonna’s new snowflake kit! cuuuuuute!)
-last but not least.. my baby girl is 9 months old today. sigh. this has been the quickest year of my life!!!!! i want this month to …..go….s l o w.

awesome, amazing, wonderful suprises:

that meant, elsie. 🙂 and another suprise found when going thru pics: a cool pic taken by my BIL, tudor:

also thankful for daddy who loves his kiddos:

and boys who are the bestest friends ever… playmates 24 hours a day…something i always wished i had.. so glad they get to have it…

so- that was thanksgiving. we were a little early to our get together so we took the kids to the stables. totally LOL’d when i saw elsie’s face in these pics…

and holy cow! I AM IN PICTURES! hahahahah! poor elsie is totally cautious because she was nervous around the horses! 

far away family: i am sorry i didn’t get more pics of the day itself.. i haven’t been in the mood lately. sorrrrry. will try to make it up at xmas.

we hope it’s wonderful!
xo

i love weekends.
especially when they include perfect weather, soccer goals, a birthday and lots of getting along between the siblings! 🙂

this was my little idea very late at night before the birthday.. i ran around the house and grabbed frames of cam and put them all together on the table. love how he is there on the first day of life till present. i think i am going to start doing that for everyone’s birthday. 🙂 the big glass sliding door is behind the table and i always cut out the kid’s name and caleb always cuts out little paper piecings of some characters.. then the scrapbook paper chain goes above- but it wasn’t in this pic.

early soccer game- my only shot before i got the ‘shoo!’ from her 🙂

new faves of these guys:

it seems that elsie is feeling comfortable enough to be out of my arms for awhile. she doesn’t do the immediate stage dive like she was doing the minute i would hand her off. very nice. i especially like seeing her hang out with dad and give him some love. he’s been waiting. 🙂

so excited for thanksgiving this week.. (how are we even here already?! this year has officially gone by the fastest— ever!), so happy to have a 3 day school week, so nice to have a four day weekend with everyone and SO VERY MUCH TO BE THANKFUL FOR.

xo

i really do mean to update this thing more often. it used to be that i would update every other day and then i wanted to start doing it everyday. now i don’t really feel like doing it at all. but chris told me this morning that he likes reading it at work so i will do my best to fill it up for him. even if it is a bunch of fluff. it’s not like i’m trying to save the world or anything. 🙂 so last night’s picture above after she was fighting that last nap of the day.. the one i her need her to take so i can get dinner made… being a total rascal but then smiling her sweet smile that made me want to chuck dinner out the window. 🙂

he turns eight tomorrow. holy cow. can’t believe that. he’s been counting down the days, and now it’s to hours. tonight chris and i have quite the to-do list: chris will hide all of his presents and write up clues for him to find them and i will cut up lots of scrapbook paper to paper chain this place. 🙂