Tradition!

Does the title of this post make you want to engage in some choreographed singing?

If it does, you (like my Mommy) have watched too many old musicals!

Please refrain from attempting to fiddle on any rooftops, ok? :)

-

Anyway, tonight we started our Advent Traditions.

And what Christmas tradition isn't made better by cookies?

So, we had some cookies and milk while we lit the first candle of Advent.

Well, to be honest I was only allowed a tiny taste of the cookies -- but they were good!

-

So, here is our home-away-from-home advent wreath

with Russian tea glasses for candle holders.

My parents get bonus points for resourcefulness, don't you think?

-

I, personally, thought the candles were very cool!

I just couldn't get Mommy to let me get any closer!

Also, I was very happy that we sang Christmas carols.

Well, actually my parents sang them and I smiled and clapped.

Maybe next year I'll have the words down!

Update

This morning when I opened my eyes the first thing I did was run out to the living room to make sure the Christmas tree was still there! Mommy followed me laughing at how funny I can be! Then she turned on the Christmas tree lights and I clapped! "Cheers for the Christmas Tree!"

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas

Hey, this is me down in the corner!

Do you know what we did today?

We decorated for Christmas!

Would you like a tour?

-

Here is our Christmas tree with the Kyrgyz nativity scene from Uncle Michael.

-
And, oh, oops! How did those get in there?
Those aren't for Christmas, and I wasn't allowed to see what's in them!
I'll let you know when they let me open them!
-
And, this fun toddler-friendly advent calendar, was a big hit with me.
It's lots of fun -- we move Baby Jesus every day counting down until Christmas!
Thanks Aunt Ginny!
-
And Mommy made her first batch of Christmas cookies...
Chocolate Cringles!
-

And this is the result of Mommy's unsuccessful attempt to get me to pose for a photo.

I'm going through a no-photo phase at the moment!

There is just too much to do in the world and I can't be bothered!

I will try to do better, I promise!

Decorating for Thanksgiving Baby Style

So, I was wondering...

-

Mommy and Daddy have been baking all morning.

Daddy made his world-famous corn casserole.

Mommy made green beans and pumpkin bread.

Even the other kids made decorations for the table.

What I can do to help out?

-

I know! I'll hang up these pumpkin cut-outs to make the place more festive.

-

Well, this won't work, people will step on them!

I need to find a better spot!

-

Yes, that looks nice right there! Although Mommy tried to change my mind,...

I was certain that the pumpkin should go this way!

Trust me, to a baby this just looks better!

Thanksgiving Dinner

Today we celebrated Thanksgiving which was a lot of fun!

I very much enjoyed the food and the fun time I had playing with the kids.

-

Here is the grown-up table with lots of yummy food!
-

And here is the kids table, where all the fun is happening!
I'm sorry I didn't smile for the photo!
I was quite preoccupied at the moment by playing with my ear.
-

Now, normally I think I'm pretty patient with photos,

but this time I wasn't too keen on having my playtime interrupted!

So, as you can see, in the photo I'm still pointing at the toy I was playing with!

It's my subtle reminder to mom and dad that I was doing something very important!

A Year of Bathtime

As you may know, my first birthday is only a week and a half away!
Recently, I posted my first adventure as a big girl in the big tub.
Here is a year in review ... one picture from each of my first ten months!

-

Grammie was very careful with my first bath, but I still didn't care much for it!

-
But, then I got the hang of it.
-
What a little bird I was!
-

This is one of my Mommy's favorite pictures!

-

And here I am trying out the sink when we were traveling!
-

And now I'm really starting to enjoy bath time!
-

What a curious expression on my face!
-

Can't hide my excitement here!

-

And here I am with Grandma at her house - that was fun!

-

And this is me when I still fit in the baby tub, but didn't want to stay there!

Back to the Zoo

So, yesterday was a really beautiful day with wonderful warm sunny weather!

We went back to the zoo for another visit. This time was a little different.

-

This time I was a lot more aware and excited about the animals.

So there are a lot more pictures of the back of my head!

-
And this time I can walk by myself!

-

So there are a lot more pictures of Daddy trying to catch me!
-

I wasn't too excited about posing for photos!

Ther were much more important things to do!

-

And this time we went with friends!
-

That made it a lot of fun!

-

And this time there was a lot of laughing ...

that's why I'm making such a funny face!

New Friends

Mommy has been collecting new toys to wrap for my birthday.

But, when she finally found some cute bath toys,

she couldn't wait to give them to me...

-

This is my rubber ducky.

He's pretty cool because he can float.

-

But this froggy sponge is my favorite!

He is so fun to play with!

Speaking of fun ...

I think we should go have some right now! :)

How to entertain a baby ...

Yesterday afternoon, I had so much energy,
that Mommy did not know what to do with me.
So, she took me on a long walk because the weather was lovely.
I enjoyed chasing the kittens and birds outside.
I also really liked collecting bright yellow fall leaves.

-However, when we returned home, I was still full of energy.
So, Mommy decided to do some "water-play" time.
The idea was that I was going to play with my water toys in a tub.
This apparently works very well with other babies.

-

But, I am not other babies!

And I'm not a sit on the side lines kind of girl!

I'm going to be in the middle of the action ... literally!

Notice that in this picture Mommy has just

taken my diaper off and given up on keeping me out of the tub.

Anyway, I did love it!

Little Girl in a Big Tub

So, I've now moved up in the world.

***

That's right, I'm taking baths with Mommy

in the big tub now which is lots of fun!

---

I'm really fascinated by the water coming out of the faucet.
Mommy had a really hard time containing me!

In fact, I played so much in the bath that I was really tired when we got out.
Good thing Daddy was there to dry me off and give me a shoulder to fall asleep on!

Pumpkin Party

Last weekend we went to a Pumpkin Party!

This included lots of Pumpkiny Treats and games.

In my typical festive manner, I dressed accordingly!
***

Amazing what can happen with two orange dish towels

and some black paper, isn't it?!

Well, I'm done with this photo shoot guys...
Sorry, there are other things to do.

I know you want more pictures, Mommy,
but I am really engrossed in what I'm doing now.
Sorry, that's all your getting today!
Bye!

Comments

I added a new feature to make comments easier for non-bloggers.
Just click where it says "0 comments" on the bottom of a post.
Just type your comment in the box that appears.
Where it says "Comment as" there is a drop-down list. Choose Name/URL.
Then type your name where the box appears. You can leave the URL part blank.
Then click "Post Comment" and you're done!
Mommy did one just now to make sure it works!
Now, I want to see a lot more comments out there ...
no more excuses Gramps and Grammie! :)
Love, Ada Marie

New Look!

Do you like the new Christmas look?

Hurray for Daddy!

So, Daddy is trying to get more involved in graphic design.

This ad is his first graphic design job, and it is running in the

Caspian Business News for the next several weeks up to Christmas!

He is very excited and we are very proud of him!

The store needed a lot of information included in a small space,

so he had to really make it work -- but it looks great!

Shadow Puppets and Big Feet

In the evenings, sometimes Daddy entertains

me by making shadow puppets on the walls!

Shadows are really fascinating right now!

***

Unfortunately, you can't really see the shadows

because of the camera flash.
But, you do get an up-close look at Daddy's feet! :) ha ha ha!