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Ellie enjoyed her 2nd Christmas, being much more animated this year than last (at 2 1/2 weeks). She attended Christmas Eve service at church, went to the Winkler's (good friends of the McCracken family) party and opened presents on Christmas morning. While she was more interested in boxes and paper than the actual presents, she enjoyed all the fun and attention!
Ellie celebrated her 1st birthday with the McCracken family this weekend. Great Granddad and Great Uncle Tom joined us for her celebration. She even got a call from Great Auntie Anne (GAA) during our dinner. We went to a local pizza place with our party of 9, and Grandma Jo Ann made Ellie a delicious chocolate cake. As usual, Ellie was the life of the party. She loved the cake and got lots of great presents, too. Take a look at all of our party pictures!
Ellie also had a small birthday party at her daycare today. Jim went to the party and got a few pictures.
They asked us to send in a treat to share with the kids & teachers. They also suggested we create a poster with pictures from her first year of life to put up in the classroom. You can see part of the poster in one of the pictures. When we bring it home, we'll get a picture of it & put it in the album so you can see Daddy's artwork!
Today is Ellie's 1st birthday and she had a great day! She appreciated that so many of her family and friends sent cards and emails, and called to wish her well and sing her happy birthday.
Ellie's day began with a visit from Papaw Tom and Linda who arrived last night after she went to bed. They gave her a card that played music when she opened it (from the Wiggles) and she loved it! She walked around opening and closing it all morning.
Then Daddy made her a breakfast of yummy homemade waffles and bacon. We had a lot of snow yesterday and Arlington County schools were delayed 2 hours this morning. That meant that her Parent's Day Out class was delayed until 11:15. Since it ends at 1:15, we decided to keep her home so she got some quality time with Papaw Tom and Linda. We even went out to lunch at the Indian restaurant near our house.
Ellie had one of her favorites for dinner - lasagna. She also had her first cake - we made a pumpkin apple cake that Jim decorated with a football and "Happy First Ellie." She wanted to eat the big #1 candle we put on it, so we had to keep that out of her hands.
As you can see, she gobbled the cake right up and made a good mess on top of the lasagna she already had everywhere. We got her cleaned up and changed just in time to get to swim class where the teacher had everyone sang happy birthday to her.
Finally, Ellie had her 1-year checkup at the doctor's yesterday. The doctor was impressed with her verbal skills, saying that her interactive talking is usually not mastered until 18 months. Ellie says about a dozen different words, football still being her favorite. She also caught on quickly to hold up 1 finger when people ask "how old is Ellie?" She weights 22 lbs, 2 oz and is just about 30 inches tall. She had to get 2 shots in her arm, which got pretty sore by the end of the day, but she's tough and didn't cry too much.
Overall it's been a great first year for Ellie and she looks forward to the next one!
Ellie goes to Westover Baptist Church on Thursday mornings for their "Parent's Day Out" class. It is a wonderful program and they have many additional events for the children in the PDO and preschool classes.
Last Saturday, they had a Breakfast with Santa and Ellie got her first up-close and personal meeting with the jolly fellow. She was a little frightened of him and would not sit on his lap, but was fine staying in Jim's arms long enough for a family picture. She also got a small rubber ducky that has a Santa hat & antlers, so she was thrilled.Thanks, Santa and Merry Christmas to all!
Ellie spent her very first Thanksgiving in Ohio. The three of us took a road trip and spent one night at Sarah and Dave's in Centerville and the next three nights at Luke, Pam, Cole & Zach's in Loveland. Ellie and her cousins had a great time together and her favorite word (and sport) is now FOOTBALL!
Grand Jane, Papaw Tom, Linda, Andrew and Pam's family - Bob, Kay and Greg Alkire - also joined us for the holiday dinner. Ellie liked everything she ate, especially Kay's delicious pumpkin pie. You can view all of our Thanksgiving trip photos.
Jim and Luke earned their turkey by running in at 10k in downtown Cincinnati on Thanksgiving morning. Rachel was supposed to join them, but got a holiday cold that kept her in bed instead.
In another first, Ellie enjoyed her first meal at the local favorite, Skyline Chili. Luke got some good pictures, so check them out here.
On a sunny Sunday afternoon, we took Ellie on her first trip the National Zoo in D.C. Rather than push her in the stroller, Jim opted to strap on the backpack carrier. They both enjoyed the trip and Ellie liked the view from up high! We saw elephants, pandas, many kinds of apes, hippos, zebras, cheetahs and many more animals on our visit. You can see more of our pictures at the National Zoo.
Ellie celebrated her 1st birthday with the McCracken family this weekend. Great Granddad and Great Uncle Tom joined us for her celebration. She even got a call from Great Auntie Anne (GAA) during our dinner. We went to a local pizza place with our party of 9, and Grandma Jo Ann made Ellie a delicious chocolate cake. As usual, Ellie was the life of the party. She loved the cake and got lots of great presents, too. Take a look at all of our party pictures!
Today is Ellie's 1st birthday and she had a great day! She appreciated that so many of her family and friends sent cards and emails, and called to wish her well and sing her happy birthday. 
As you can see, she gobbled the cake right up and made a good mess on top of the lasagna she already had everywhere. We got her cleaned up and changed just in time to get to swim class where the teacher had everyone sang happy birthday to her.
