ANNUAL VK PARTY

OUR VISIT TO THE APPLE ORCHARD

We went to a local apple orchard to get our fall supply of apples, which only lasted a little over a week. It was such a beautiful day to go to this orchard.

This is why you have children, to have them do the work for you, like picking apples. Unfortunately, the only apples Ellie picked were the bruised ones on the ground.

Greg feeding Ellie a small apple piece.

Ellie thinks she can eat a whole apple.

You can see the small bite Ellie managed to take.

Greg took Ellie to see the animals.

This orchard had a nature walking trail that wound through a woods filled with huge oak trees. A few of the trees had ladders next to them, inviting people to climb the trees. Greg can't wait until Ellie is old enough to climb a tree with him.

ELLIE'S FIRST ICE CREAM CONE

Ellie has now reached the age where she wants whatever Greg and I have. That means no more going to Dairy Queen to get a small treat without getting Ellie something. Ellie had her first ice cream cone the other day. Unfortunately, we had to travel a distance from Dairy Queen to our house with Ellie whining for a lick of her ice cream. Poor Ellie, she has such a mean mommy who wouldn't give her the cone until she was strapped into her high chair at home.

So far, not too messy.

Still not too bad.


There's the mess.

Even though Ellie is only 16 months old, she has already found my money and credit cards in my purse. I have a feeling Ellie is going to cost me a lot of money when she becomes a teenager.

ELLIE AND SOPHIE

Connor, Madeline and Gavin (along with Aunt Julie and Uncle Mark) came to visit soon after we brought Sophie home. They brought a delicious dinner with them. Anyone toting food is welcome to my house anytime!

Ellie in her vibrating chair.

What a funny face!

We spent a Sunday at Dave and Reyna's house. Greg helped Dave paint while I hung out with Reyna and Liam. After a day of hard work, we went to the nearby lake to cool off.



Ellie and Liam playing in the sand.

Liam liked the baby and was very good with Sophie. He is going to be a good big brother.

Aunt Reyna getting her baby fix to tie her over until February.

I think Sophie looks a little like Ellie here.

Ellie is soooo good with Sophie. I can't rave enough how good Ellie is as a big sister. She is so loving to Sophie, though we are working on gentle movements. Ellie often will lay her head on Sophie.

Ellie loves to take out the pacifer from Sophie's mouth and try to put it back in. She tends to try to shove it into Ellie's mouth, but we are working on it.

Ellie has taken to the playmat again. I have caught her on a couple of instances laying next to Sophie on the playmat. Unfortunately, she doesn't stay long enough for me to get a photo.

SOPHIE COMES HOME

Sophie is all set to come home. Like her older sister, newborn-sized clothes are a little too big on her.

Ellie's new favorite pasttime is to crawl into an empty box. I close the flaps and pretend that I'm going to ship her to Grandma and Grandpa's house. She has a great time until she discovers that climbing out is not as easy as climbing in.

Aunt Patty, Uncle Lance and cousin Clara came to visit Sophie.

Clara's not sure of Sophie.

Ellie is still Clara's favorite.