Christmas Day

Christmas morning at our house was so much fun with our toddler!  Ella must have been a good girl this year as Santa brought her her very own doggie chair!

 She spent the morning opening her stocking and gifts in her little chair :).

 Our "traditional" (as in the last two years) Christmas morning breakfast

Santa also brought Ella a stuffed, singing Santa that she is somewhat obsessed with!  We caught a few of her dance moves on video...

We went to my parent's house for the afternoon where we enjoyed round 4 of Christmas with them, my grandparents, and aunt.  I don't know how my parents do it, but they managed to host four separate family get-togethers/parties at their house within four days - all with delicious food spreads at each, including an amazing steak dinner on Christmas day.  They are wonderful hosts!

Ella also got a present she didn't ask for on Christmas day - her two front teeth (on top)!  They are just starting to cut through and have led to some extra tough nights and runny noses.  Considering her teething, all the festivities, and staying up way past bedtime for multiple nights in a row, she was a trooper and loved spending so much time with family.  

As Cody and I spent the day after Christmas organizing our house (good-bye guest room, hello office/craft room -- for my new sewing machine!), Ella spent the day playing with her new toys, and mostly ordering us to bring her toys while sitting in her chair.  I have a feeling this little princess already thinks she has a throne ;).

Christmas Eve

We celebrated Christmas round 2 with my mom's side of the family on Christmas Eve.  Cody, Ella and I went to an early Christmas Eve service at church and then headed to my parents for some more holiday festivities with extended family. 

All ready for church

 Looking out the window for "Nanta" (Santa)

 Underneath the mistletoe!

 By this point, Ella was really getting the hang of and enjoying opening her presents ;)

 Modeling her new clothes - she insisted on wearing her cute new shirt the rest of the night!

 Notice her little tongue out again ;)

Engaged!

Congratulations to the happy couple!  My brother David proposed to Emily a few days before Christmas and she said yes!  We are so excited for them!  They drove up from Eugene before flying to Colorado to be with her family, so we had a little engagement party for them while they were in town for one night.

 

 Ella giving Uncle David "cheers" (with her milk) on his engagement

 We also had our first Christmas celebration of the year with the Howell side of the family at my parents house that night. Ella got in some snuggles with her "Bopa".

 

 Grandpa muli-tasking and Ella checking out the desserts!

 Ella was content sitting in her little rocking chair while we did our white elephant gift exchange.

 Cody and Ella serenading us on the piano.  I had to include this picture because you can see Ella sticking her tongue out while she's concentrating - a new habit she's inherited from her dad ;).

 Even though she stayed up way past her bedtime, she loved helping everyone open presents!

The Holidays

I love this time of year! Our calendar has been full with all sorts of fun holiday activities recently.  Although it has been busy, we have loved the time we've spent with friends and family, and special outings with our little family of three.  We are cherishing this season as we are seeing everything through the eyes of our one-year-old for the first time.  The lights, the music, and the decorations are all so captivating and exciting to Ella and we have enjoyed watching her experience it all.

We did the Jingle Bell Dash - a 5K run/walk through the streets of downtown Seattle with a group from the Active office

 Active kiddos bundled and ready - Jackson, Sophie, Ella, and Nathan

 A little window shopping after the race

 Our family went to the Bellevue Botanical Gardens - a beautiful display of lights that are set up during the holidays.  Ella was mesmerized by all the lights and loved it. 

Cody and I went to our friend's Jenn and Stephen's cocktail party

 Christmas pajama party with Sophie and Nathan

We went to the Cougar Mountain Zoo during their reindeer festival.  We saw a number of animals as well as all of Santa's reindeer, including 5 month old Blitzen.  Santa was there too, but we just waved at him from a safe distance :).

The Ehrlichmans (Matt's parents) hosted their annual Christmas Caroling Party.  This is the first year we've gone and Ella enjoyed listening to the songs played on the piano (and trying to play it), and playing with her buddies.  The train around the Christmas tree was a hit with all three of them.

Ready for our family outing downtown!

We spent an afternoon in Seattle where we rode the carousel, saw the amazing gingerbread houses at the Sheraton, and had dinner at the Old Spaghetti Factory

 That's one of the immaculate gingerbread houses behind Cody and Ella

 Is it just me or is Ella all of a sudden a little girl?  Where did my baby go!?

Phew...it's been a busy month!  But with all the busyness, we are thankful for the true meaning of the season as we remember our Savior's birth.  Or as Ella puts it, "Bebe t-sss's" (baby Jesus') birth ;).