23 months

I am a week late, but Ellie you are 23 months old!

Are we really about to have a TWO year old?  That can't be.  Party planning is well underway and I am getting pretty excited about it!  The theme this year is...EASY!  (And you might spot a big purple dinosaur or two thrown in for good measure).

Unofficial weight: 31 pounds
Clothing size: 24 month, 2T and some 3T t-shirts
Shoe size: 6!  2T socks
Diaper size: 5
Favorite toy: TEA PARTIES, dishes, play food, animals, puzzles, babies, Barney, books, Elmo, coloring books and crayons
Favorite foods: Chicken nuggets, grapes, blueberries, yogurt, apple sauce, gold fish, mandarin oranges,  mac-n-cheese, cereal, grape tomatoes, SALAD? with ranch dressing and spaghetti.

You are still a great sleeper and have been eating really well the last couple of weeks.  You got TONS of new toys for Christmas and could play from sun up to sun down.  You play so well.  You also got a few of the "Disney Classics" movies and you are really into Alice in Wonderland and Tangled.  You are like a little parrot and repeat everything we say.  You still talk constantly.  You start back to school this week and begin your new class!  I am a little nervous to see how you will do.  I'm sure it will be a great move!

You are SO funny and you crack us up constantly.  You have LOVED having Daddy home over Christmas!  It's going to be tough getting back into our regular routine after having him home.

We love you soooo much, sweet girl!  You are the light of our lives!

Christmas Day...continued

If you are still reading these Christmas posts, bless you!  This is the only way I know how to document everything without it getting too overwhelming and too lengthy.

After Santa came and DeDe, Peeps, BB and Eck left, we loaded up the care one more time and headed to Greenfield!

We ate too much...again.  It was all delicious!!

And Ellie opened MORE gifts!  Craziness!

Sweet cousins

Ellie and her MawMaw

More presents!

The kids drew names and received gifts from MawMaw and PawPaw and the adults played Dirty Santa.  Dirty Santa is always exciting at Blackman family Christmases!

Our last stop was at Maw Maw's house.  I think think this is stop number...7?  Whew!

We had lost our pants by this time...darn antibiotics!

All in all, it was a very busy, very delicious, VERY blessed Christmas for our family.  Our home is full of new "stuff" but I my main goal for next year is for Ellie to understand the real meaning behind why we celebrate.  Hope you all had a great Holiday as well!

Christmas Day!

Don and I have said since last year that from now on we were going to wake up at our house on Christmas morning.  Living an hour away from both sides of family is never easy, but that's the way it is for now and we try to make the best of it.  So after a wild night with the Young side of the family, we loaded up the car and headed back to Jackson.

We thought surely Ellie would pass out in the car on the drive home.  We were WRONG!  She was smiling, laughing, watching movies and talking non-stop.  She just could not wind down from all of the fun she'd had all weekend!

I made reindeer food for us to sprinkle out in the yard and we read The Night Before Christmas.  Santa almost didn't get any cookies and he had to settle for Oreos this year.  Santa told me later on that Oreos were fine by him, he didn't mid a bit.  By this time it was 11:30 and it was off to bed for Ellie so Santa could come!

Here is Ellie's stash from Santa!

Her 3 bigger gifts:  American Girl "Bitty Baby" with potty chair, Cozy Coupe Trailer, and My First Doll House.  She also got a few Melissa and Doug toys, a Fisher Price snap on Shih-Tzu, 4 new Disney Movies, and stocking goodies.

She wasn't sure what to think at first...

 But it didn't take long for her to warm up!

  Yes, this is me in no makeup and my glasses.

Crazy enough, she showed the most excitement out of her stocking stuffers!  Thomas the Train blocks and Thomas toothpaste.  She LOVES Thomas movies.  Who knew...

I hope everyone else's house looked like this on Christmas morning:)

Earlier in the week before we left for Memphis, I made and froze a hashbrown casserole and a pan of sausage squares.  DeDe brought strawberry bread and sausage cheese muffins and we had some yummy scones and muffins courtesy of Aunt Susan for breakfast.

It was so much fun to have DeDe and Peeps come to our house on Christmas morning!  I am hoping this is a new tradition we have started.

Later on, BB, Eck, and Mammie showed up to see Ellie!  They came bearing loads of gifts for all of us.  We all racked up on some great gifts.

Ellie got a tricycle!  She calls it "pedals".  She has been practicing and I don't think it will be long before she gets the hang of it.

It was a great morning spent in our home and it turned out to be a good decision on our part.  We still have 1 more stop...in Greenfield!  That post is next!

Christmas in Memphis...Part 2

Saturday morning, Christmas Eve we all slept in a little bit.  Ellie had gone to bed at 11 the night before so she slept until 9:30!  We all quickly got dressed and ready and headed to Granny's for celebration #2!

 Ellie got this adorable table and chairs set.  I just love it!  It is perfect for meal time, coloring, and feeding her babies.

There was SO much food.  Like 200 Chick-fil-a nuggets, Lennys, and 10 casseroles!  Granny said it just "grew".  It was delicious but way more than 8 people could ever eat!

Ellie also had a few more fun toys to open.  She has loved everything she received this year and I am just so thankful for the many people that love and spoil our girl!

After a fun time at Granny's, we headed home to put Ellie down and get ready for Christmas Eve service and the Young family Christmas.

We were either brave or crazy, but we decided to take Ellie into church with us.  She lasted a good 30 minutes before the talking and squirming began.  Don took her out twice and joined the rest of the Dad's roaming the halls.  She will definitely be in the nursery next year!

We took lots of family pictures this year and I am so glad we did.  We got some with all of my siblings and my dad, which I love!  I cannot remember the last time we all 4 were in a picture with him.  Poor Peeps, he looks squished!

Dad with his boys...

My sis Kelly, niece Reagan, Ellie and me.

 ALL of the girls

 

Dad with all 4 of us!

Ellie had a BLAST with her cousins.  She still can't stop talking about them.  It was a "monkey see monkey do" with everything Maddie did.

Matching PJ's...so fun, and not even planned.  Great minds:)  Maybe we could do this every year.  What do you think Missy?!?!

  Opening MORE gifts!

Loud and crazy, but lots of fun!

After a fun filled day, we headed home to get ready for Santa!  It was our first year to be at home on Christmas morning, and it was a great decision.  More to come soon...