A Month of Pictures

Obviously I have been meaning to post pictures for quite awhile. So, here they are. These include pictures of our cutting down our Christmas tree, decorating it, Ellis opening her first Christmas present, and our first real snow in Boston for the winter. Enjoy!

The place where we went to cut down our tree had this train and Ellis loved it. She kept saying "Puff, puff, puff" because of the book "The Little Engine that Could."

Train ride + Apple Cider Donut = The Good Life

Daddy kisses

We found our tree

Before...

After

Trimming the bottom up. Ellis is helping, can't you tell!

Ellis woke up from her nap and it was completely decorated.

Not sure what was so funny to her but I love this face.

This is what a "child-friendly" tree looks like.

Our Christmas card photo. If you didn't get one, I apologize. I only bought 50 and we ran WAY short. Next year I definitely have to buy more!

Checking out herself in her hat.

Go Boston!

Matching hats

Hats make kissing quite difficult

Opening her first Christmas gift. She's very dainty so it took a while.

But soon enough she got into ripping the paper and starting enjoying it.

Still working

Yay, it's a shopping cart!

Playing with her new shopping cart, the next morning

One guess who picked out these new car slippers--if you said Vimal, good job!

About 8 inches of snow on the ground--a mere dusting by Boston standards.

Ellis loved staring at it and yelling "Sooooooo."

As you can see, she did this for quite a while.

Mornings with daddy = cashmere sweater + car slippers + learning to put her hands in her pockets.

This is a video of Ellis and daddy eating an apple cider donut on the "Puff, puff, puff."

Ellis trying to figure out what daddy is doing under that tree.

Thanksgiving Week with Uncle Bro

Almost two weeks late, I'm finally getting around to posting photos from Thanksgiving. As you can see, Uncle Bro came to visit from California. He and Ellis had a great time playing together. It's sad that she is growing up so much, but it's also wonderful that she is interacting and actually playing with people now. Anyways, my school schedule has gotten really hectic these last few weeks so I'm a little behind on posting but I'll try to make it up soon. Hope everyone is enjoying this holiday season. We all definitely are.

Trying not to wake up Uncle Bro, who obviously thought he was still on Pacific Standard Time.

Uncle Bro woke up enough to watch "Curious George" with her.

Uncle Bro kisses

Uncle Bro tickles

Skateboarding with Uncle Bro

Neither of them wanted to take this photo but I like it anyways.

Playing with her Uncle Bro on Thanksgiving day.

Chocolate ice cream ALWAYS hits the spot.

Tryptophan coma...okay, not really, more like a toy coma.

Plus, she loves "PILLOWS!!!"

Bro and Sis

This little girl, Rajina, kept picking Ellis up and carrying her around the house.

For the most part Ellis liked it--until she decided that she didn't.

At the indoor playground--laughing at her Uncle Bro!

This is a video of Ellis chasing mommy at the indoor playground. She's getting so fast!

This video needs a little explanation. For the longest time, Ellis has pointed to the mole on my cheek and said "boo-boo". I have recently started correcting her by telling her that it isn't a boo-boo but that it's a mole. When Erick came to visit, she noticed that he has a few moles on his face too and she got a little focused on them. At the beginning of this video, she is holding the right side of her face and saying "moles" because that is where Erick has his. My favorite part, however, is when she notices that the camera is on her. She sighs heavily and looks away from it. So funny.

(P.S. Vimal was obviously having a phone conversation in the front seat so try to ignore that while listening to this video.) Enjoy.

It's beginning to look a lot like "Sim-Sim"

This morning I decided to put up the ceramic Christmas tree that my grandmother made back in the 1960's. I remember, as a kid, staring at this tree for hours on end and being completely mesmerized by the lights at her house. A few months ago my mom brought it up to Boston when she came to visit and I was really looking forward to putting it out. Now that it's Thanksgiving week, it finally felt like a good time.

As you might imagine, Ellis was really excited to help put the lights on it. While we were decorating it, I told her that Mamaw (my grandmother) made it and that it was a Christmas tree. Let me just say that it's amazing to me the things she is remembering and repeating right now. This video shows how well she knows her colors now and that, after only telling her one time, she knew who had made it. Guess it really is time to start watching what I say around her...uh oh!

A Trip to the Zoo

Looking like a big girl playing at the zoo.
This is the "big cat" that stared Ellis down in the video below.
Bear!
Ellis staring at the bears. I LOVE this picture. It might make it onto our Christmas cards so don't look at it too long if you usually get a card from us.

While daddy went to NYC this past week, Ellis and I went to the zoo. Not exactly a great consolation prize for not being able to go to New York with daddy, but we had fun nevertheless. Ellis was especially fond of the bears and monkeys, though I think she got a little creeped out by the "big cat". I can't say I blame her though. That cougar was staring her down something fierce. I'll post a video of her reaction to it. It's kind of funny. Anyways, Uncle Bro arrives next week for Thanksgiving and then Christmas will be upon us. I keep asking myself where 2009 went. Good thing I have this blog to look back on or else I'd have no earthly idea.

Ellis and the "big cat"

Video Proof that She's Growing Up

Here are a few videos of Ellis's latest accomplishments and developments.

About a week ago, she started going down the big slide all by herself. I was terrified at first but, as you can see, she is very cautious and does a good job on her own. And, c'mon, how cute is that hat!

This is a video of Ellis counting and naming her colors. She's really close to knowing all her colors but there are still moments when everything is 'blue' or 'purple'. And I just love the way she says 'three'.

I recently started letting Ellis drink chocolate milk in the mornings after she has her yogurt. She keeps drinking it until the cup is bone dry and she's slurping the bottom. I know that chocolate milk may not be a big deal to most of you, but I've been a bit of a stickler with Ellis where 'junk' foods are concerned. So, this is definitely a BIG treat for her. And, as you can tell, she LOVES it.

Paging Dr. Ellis

Did anyone call for a Doctor here?
Her scrubs said "Dr. Ellis"
She started to get the hang of it but at first she tried to give candy out of her bag to everyone instead of taking it.
Letting Mommy hold her. Being a doctor is exhausting.

Well, in case it isn't obvious, Ellis was a doctor for Halloween this year. Vimal jokingly said that since she was half-Indian she had to dress up as either a doctor or an engineer and since the costume is better for a doctor that's what we went with. I thought she looked too cute in her scrubs. Actually, Halloween is quite huge on our street and every year there are over 300 kids that come. This year was even more. I bought so much candy and still ran out well before everyone had come through! And Ellis was by far the best doctor on the street, if I must say so myself.

Anyways, we decided to let Ellis stay up a little later since the time was changing tonight anyways. We thought she would be so distracted by all the kids that she wouldn't get as tired, but when she laid her head on my shoulder at 7:30 and didn't want to pick it back up, we gave in and let her go to bed. Hope everyone had a great Halloween.

Music Class

Here is a video of Ellis with her friend Claire at music class. She loves class so much and especially loves dancing and playing the drums. Enjoy.

Dancing

Drumming

New Toys

Okay, so I'll admit it--I hate wintertime in Boston. I love the change of seasons, don't mind being cold, even enjoy a snow fall or two and all the hot chocolate that goes with it, but here in Boston it all just lasts way too long. And since having Ellis, my dislike for this season of cold has exponentially grown each year. I don't think I'm being unreasonable. Look at the date of this post and then think about the fact that it SNOWED yesterday. Our steps were slippery, our cars were covered, and it's October. Need I say more?!?

Anyways, in order to somewhat combat the impending doom (I'm being a little melodramatic here but did I say that it SNOWED in OCTOBER?), we have invested in some new toys for Ellis. I sold some of her old toys (sad) and we bought her a basketball goal, a table and chairs for tea parties, and Nonna got her a new kitchen. I am hoping that with the addition of these things, distractions for both of us, the fact that we can't go out to the park every day will not quite register for either of us.

So, I'm posting some videos and pictures of Ellis playing with her new toys. She loves the basketball goal and kitchen so much and I do too. Playing with her toys is kind of like being a kid again. And who knows, maybe seeing snow and playing in it with her will feel like being a kid again too. I doubt it, but what can I do but give it a try.

Old Kitchen
View of how small the old kitchen was
"What is happening here?"
Helping daddy put together the new kitchen
More help for daddy

Video of Ellis playing with the new kitchen


Here is Ellis playing basketball. "I did it!"