She can put a hat on!

-H
ps-I will have the cell phone with me while I travel today. :)

Fasten your seat belts...

Here's the update you've been patiently waiting for...
My best friend got married in mid-October. Thanks to my mother-in-law I was able to go to Nashville for 3 nights ALL BY MYSELF. It was my first overnight trip without Ilana since she was born. It was fabulous!
Homecoming weekend was pretty fun. We went to the parade where Ilana enjoyed a great view from Paul's shoulders. Even Baylor's live bear mascots marched in the parade. Ilana really enjoyed that!
Halloween was pretty fun. The plan was for Ilana to go as a superhero (thanks to her amazing superhero cape she got about a year ago from her best friend Ada), but when trick-or-treating time came around she did not want to wear the cape - the wings won out. So, she went as a fairy princess. She was pretty cute all the same. Our good friend Robin walked around with us and in general made the whole thing possible. Thanks, Robin!
This was her in the beginning of the night, She wasn't a huge fan of walking around after a few minutes of this, so I ended up carrying her most of the time...poor thing, she's just so little!
If there weren't a lot of people around she enjoyed walking the halls with Robin.
We're starting to be really silly in the tub.
I could tell it was getting cool when I saw this pile of socks.
On Thanksgiving Day we set up the Christmas tree. She LOVES it!
She also loved the sweet potatoes at dinner that night.
We had a great dinner with friends!
The next day Ilana and I went down to visit the Cogliandro's in Houston for a few days. Besides it being a great time to see great friends, I think something might be starting with Ilana and Makani...


(Sorry this last one is sideways and from a different angle, it was way too cute!)
December has been lots of fun so far. Ilana and I have spent a lot of time in the kitchen (baking with a toddler is...fun!).
Then we bundled Ilana up in her long johns and went to Christmas on 5th Street, Baylor's huge Christmas block party.
She had no fear of the animals in the petting zoo. I actually don't think she knew what the big deal was. They were all smaller than Moses!
Then we saw the pretty lights.
After that Ilana had had just enough partying, so Paul took her home for bed, but I stayed and watched Jon McLaughlin. It was a great concert!
Dad, I think you would have even enjoyed it...

I wish I could have gotten a longer video. I thought it was awesome!
Since then we've been busy in the kitchen. Can you guess what we've been doing?


We've spent the weekend delivering cookie trays. We have some more to deliver to offices tomorrow, then we've got to get packing to head home for Christmas!
Ok, I think you're all caught up. :) Hope you enjoyed our semester. Nothing like drinking from a fire hose, huh? We can't wait to see everyone on the east coast...real soon! Love to you all!!
-H

Another walk around the North Village

This walk actually happened a few weeks ago, before we had days upon days of rain. So, the ground was dry and Ilana was way too cute. We had a good time outside...as always.
She sticks her tongue out all the time now!
One of my recent favorites...
Conquering Moses...
Ilana: 1,864; Moses: 0 (what a good dog!)
And now for your viewing pleasure:

I absolutely LOVE this outfit on her. I've just decided she's going to wear it to church again tomorrow. :)
-H

A Walk Around North Village

I actually did it...I took Ilana outside just to play (without the dog so I could enjoy it too), and it had recently rained, so I figured there would be a little bit of mud involved, so I put her in "play clothes" so I wouldn't freak out if she got a little bit muddy. She had a BLAST!



She was especially enamored by the little girl she saw in the window...

We had such a good time! We've done it a few more times since this...more pictures to come.
The weather has cooled off a bit. Today's high was only in the low 60s. But, we're supposed to get back into the mid-80s by this week...crazy Texas "fall!!"
-H

Baylor Football!!

Well, these pictures are 2 weeks old, but it's still a fun memory. We took Ilana to her second Baylor football game. Last year she went to one, but only made it halfway through the second quarter. This year we made it the whole game. This was Baylor's home season opener. It was hot, but super fun.
We sat at the very top of the visitor's side - it has the best breeze in the whole place. So, this was part of how we kept her cool...
This was the other part of how we kept her cool...
Eventually it was so hot and the game hadn't even started so Paul walked around the concourse with Ilana. Here they are right before the game started, walking back to our seats. We love this view of the field - it's a hike up, but it's worth it!
We had a great time!
It would have been more fun if Baylor had won, but we were still all smiles. SIC 'EM BEARS!!
-H

2 firsts in 1

1. Ilana vomited this afternoon
2. I got thrown up onto today - projectile style

...awesome. :) It'll be awhile before I feed her mandarin oranges again.

This picture was taken a few weeks ago, and has nothing to do with either of these firsts, but isn't it cute?!
Have a great weekend.
-H

A girl and her dog

Ilana LOVES Moses.
I've noticed that she always seems to find him when she's upset or tired...

but lately she finds him when she just wants to hang out...
She's even found it fascinating to watch him eat (which completely grossed me out, so after this one time I've always stopped her - no one likes to be watched while they're eating).
I just turned my head to check on her and she was trying to put her shoes onto Moses' paws. For the most part he takes it just fine. I think he likes the attention. Once he's had enough he'll go to the back room and lay down, but for the most part he's the perfect toddler entertainer. I can't wait for the day that she wants to paint his nails. I'll definitely take pictures of that!
-H

Temper Tantrums

Are we in the terrible 2's already or what?! Here is Ilana in the throws of a typical temper tantrum. Thankfully we haven't had any "public" ones yet, but I'm sure they're coming soon.
I don't even remember what this one was about...I almost never do. I've adopted the "ignore and smile" tactic to deal with these. It works well so far and the tantrums end fairly quickly. Then she gets a hug and kiss from me, as well as a reminder that I love her.
Paul and I are still feeling a bit sick today. I skipped MOPS (DANGIT!!), but we're going to run some errands to get me some Sudafed and get Ilana a potty...I'm starting to think in that direction. She's VERY curious in the bathroom these days. :) :) :) Hopefully the Sudafed will help, and a good nap.
-H

You know you're in Texas when...

1. you wake up and this little guy is hanging out in your bathroom...
He was only about 1 1/2 inches long, but I did see him leave the bathroom and I haven't been able to find him since. :) Maybe he'll show up again one day, big and green...!

2. your marching band goes into a state-shaped formation at the beginning of every football game to play the official state song.
Yes, this shot is upside down, but you can see the shape a lot easier. We were on the wrong side of the stadium apparently.

More pictures to come. It's been crazy here lately. Paul and I are both sick, we're doing our best to keep Ilana healthy. Maybe after I get a nap today I'll blog a bit more. :)
-H

ps-I wish the rain would go away. You also know you're in Texas when it floods every time it rains. It makes taking the dog out a little more...adventurous.

Toddler-hood here we come!

Well, ever since Ilana started walking life around here has drastically changed. It's a good thing Ilana's super cute, because there are some days (i.e. EVERY) that are a real challenge. Apparently, for Ilana, walking has made her a true toddler and with toddler-hood comes OPINIONS. Ilana is making her opinions known...very clearly. However, she still doesn't have words, but they are coming any day now - she babbles all the time. The one word she has completely down is "bye-bye." She says is anytime a door closes (even the oven door), the phone is hung up, we finish reading a book. She even says it in place of "night-night." She has that one down - any time anything ends or we're done using it, it's "bye-bye." She understands a lot, but doesn't say much. So, the challenges of raising a toddler begin.
On this day we were trying out pig-tails. I'd say they work! My word, she's way too cute!
We finally have an excuse to wear a rain jacket - we've hit the rainy season here in TX (which means the temps are also going down!!). I might just have to put it on her for no reason some days - SUPER CUTE!
We give her proper utensils at every meal now. She knows she's supposed to do something with them, but she hasn't quite gotten it all down yet. Still, she's on her way.
On this particular day she picked out her outfit - she pointed to it incessantly one morning with her "ah!" that she uses whenever she wants something. Later that day she proceeded to eat the crayons we were using to color.
Then when we took the dog out, she decided to take her sunglasses.
She's pure trouble, but growing up every day. She's such a sponge, absorbing everything I do, my reactions, my faces. It's kind of scary because I catch her "practicing" my faces - AH!! It's a good thing she's super cute!
-H

The most beautiful thing

Ah, perspective is EVERYTHING! I know that to some people this might seem crazy, but yes, one of the most beautiful things I have seen in almost 13 months is a half-sized portable dishwasher hooked up to our kitchen faucet...
It even works! Well, it disinfects, but it disinfects WELL!
It's on the small side, but so is our space and our plate and bowl selection.
Paul has made me a happy happy wife. :)
-H