Happy Halloween!

Or, as Miss Elsa says... "Roar!"

Cutest lion on the block

Trick or treat!

Checking out her loot

Pumpkin Mania - part 2

Yesterday we finally got around to carving the pumpkin that we got two weeks ago. I figured that we really needed to get it done before Halloween!

We started the process while Elsa was napping but she woke up in time to see Daddy in the middle of the action. I think she was pretty impressed with Daddy's skillz!

Hard at work

Mmmmmm.... pumpkin!

I should have recorded a video... Carl was trying to scare her with the ghost.

Look what Daddy did!!

The end result... Ooooooooh!

Pumpkin Mania... and 21 months

This is a double post... showing off some fabulous October pictures and celebrating Elsa's 21 month mark.

As Elsa gets closer to her second birthday, I simply can't get over the fact that my Baby really is no longer a baby..... WAAAHHHH! (Yes, I'm reserving the right to be a big baby about this baby-no-more moment). I was super excited as her first birthday approached but I would be perfectly happy if this second one could be delayed a bit longer. That is really all that I want for Christmas!

Sadly, that just isn't going to happen. Each day, she's learning something new and showing us that she is growing up into a little lady. This past month, she learned at least 10 new words, which really blows my mind.

She's also proven that she has a bit of my clumsiness in her, which we unfortunately learned through her first (hopefully last??) bone fracture. Thankfully, it did not require a cast. And, just under two weeks later, she is back running around like the crazy toddler she is.

Of course, with all this growing up that she's been doing, she's also been getting cuter by the day!

Pumpkin patch! Elsa had a blast picking out a pumpkin and checking out the farm.

Posing pretty for her "official" 21 month picture.

Modeling the super cute Halloween outfit from Grandma Olga. New favorite picture!

As you can see, we also took a trip to the pumpkin farm this month. Elsa had a blast exploring the farm and picking out a pumpkin. Our pumpkin is sitting by our front door and Elsa has to proudly point it out each time we pass by. Perhaps she has a future in pumpkin farming?!

20 Months!

A little late posting this... again!

Several weeks ago, Miss Elsa hit the 20 month mark - just 4 months to go and she'll be 2 years old. I seriously cannot believe how fast time flies when you have a little toddler afoot.

This past month we've been doing some reading on toddler discipline. Miss Elsa is doing her job of testing boundaries and we want to make sure that we guide her correctly. I've found that LOTS of outdoor playtime and intentional one-on-one attention goes a long way in reducing naughty behavior. She is also grasping the concept of "counting to three", so we've been doing that as well. Of course, there have been plenty of time outs, and I'm not entirely convinced that she views those as punishment.

Despite her naughty moments, Elsa continues to be a pretty easy going kid. She's full of fun and giggles and moments that make Carl and I chuckle. Especially as she continues to get a firm grasp on her communication skills! She's been accruing some new words and phrases; the most recent ones being "all done", "Elmo" and "tooty". I'll let you guess what "tooty" means...let's just say that I pity the person who accidentally passes gas in public when Elsa is around - she is totally going to tattle on you and make sure everyone knows what you just did!

Here's the Little Miss on her 20 month birthday, smiling pretty for the camera and then hamming it up!

This is one of my favorite pictures of Miss Elsa to date!

She kept insisting on closing her eyes...

Elsa's favorite pose! She kept scrunching her eyes close and opening her mouth. After each picture was taken, she'd run over to look at it on the camera and was super pleased with the outcome, lol!

Cooling Off in Monterey

We've been having a bit of a late summer heat wave in Sacramento, so Carl, Elsa and I took a quick trip to the central coast this week. We had planned the trip over a month ago in conjunction with our wedding anniversary (6 years last Sunday!), so the timing of the heat wave was a nice coincidence.

Carl and I love the Monterey Bay Aquarium. We try visiting it at least once every couple of years and had been excited to share the experience with our Little Miss. She loves animals of all shapes and sizes, so I was fairly confident that it would become a favorite place for Miss Elsa as well.

I think it's safe to say that I was right.

The aquarium has several play areas for the little ones, providing the right mix of education and opportunity to blow off some steam. Elsa was in love with this seal tunnel!

Both of my children having fun with crayons.

Look! Fishies!!

 This was also Miss Elsa's first trip to the ocean. We made sure to set aside a bit of time to play in the water and sand. Next time, we'll try to devote a little more time by the shore, as she had a blast!

Hello from the beach!

But I wanted to SWIM in the ocean, Daddy!

Cool! Green and slimy!

Deeper - let's go deeper!!