Josh, Ashlee and Elsie: Elsie is 22 Months Old!!!

The numbers keep getting bigger. So does Elsie. I can't believe our baby girl is already 22 months old!!!! Where has the time gone??? Elsie is growing into a little girl. She isn't a baby anymore. Elsie is so fun! I love being a mom! She is talking and learning so much every day! There is no way I could list the words she can say. She can say anything we ask her to say, but when she comes to me and says something, I can't always understand her. It takes me a minute. Most days she comes to us, holds out her hand and says, "hewp-u." She wants us to come help her do something (or usually, help her climb up onto something). "Ta-bo" Elsie LOVES to stand on the counter, or book cases - she doesn't care as long as she is "elevated" all day long! Elsie is spoiled rotten. Some days I like that she is spoiled because I know she knows how much she is loved. But "loved" children also need boundaries and rules. Elsie doesn't understand boundaries yet. Rules? Nope. She doesn't get them either. She does understand the word "No." She hates that word! We usually get a really good fit out of her everytime she hears that word. The word "no" is kind of a big deal to Elsie. Elsie is the most fun at home. She isn't very fun to take to places right now. The only place she is really good is the grocery store (or any place that has a shopping cart). Elsie loves to ride in a grocery cart. If I take Elsie to the store before her naptime, she usually falls asleep while in the cart. Going out to dinner or to friends' houses isn't very fun because Elsie is so curious and gets into everything. We still take her places, we just know it is going to wear us out :) I swear the month of December just FLEW by! I feel like the biggest changes in Elsie from November to December are the way she talks, the fits she throws, her lack of fear and her ability to "understand" social situations. Elsie is a little easier to understand. At least I think so, but I spend all day with her. She says more words, more often. She is so funny. I don't know if we think she is funny because she is our daughter, or if she really is funny. I'm her mom, so I think she is super funny! She is our daily entertainment :) Elsie throws way more fits than she used to. I really don't like it. I have noticed that if she is throwing a fit and I ignore her, the fit is a lot shorter. Today, she wanted to put her doll stroller on the tv stand. I told her to put it down and she didn't, so I went over and took it off for her. She didn't like that! She got so mad at me. While she looked at me and screamed, she tried throwing her doll stroller 3 times. The stroller is the same size as her, so she wasn't very successful. I just stood and watched her, expressionless. She was so mad! Then she threw it one last time, then walked around her stroller and held her arms out for me to hold her. Once I picked her up, she was fine, I guess she just needed some mom-love. Sheesh! Elsie has no fear! She runs and jumps off of anything. Swimming? She's crazy! The bookshelves, she's crazy!! She loves to be active! She really is fearless! Elsie is so good at "understanding" social situations. Is that weird? Yes. I know it is. She doesn't necessarily "show-off" she more performs. She will mimick people's faces and expressions, she smiles at people that need smiles. She gives hugs and kisses willingly - to anyone! I don't really know how to explain it, she is just funny. She is a true social butterfly!
She still loves all fruits (most fruits or vegetables she sees, she calls "appo" or "mado" - sometimes I don't correct her because I think it's cute), all pasta, all beans, quesadillas, she has started to like cereal for breakfast, surprisingly enough, she finally likes bananas. I have been giving her bananas since she was little, and she always spits them out. I tried again this month and she loves them! Candy. All candy! "Ch-wokat" she LOVES chocolate!! M&M's are her favorite!
This month every time she sees a Christmas tree, she would say "Treet" I had to make sure she was talking about a tree and she didn't want candy. Every time I told her to say "Merry Christmas" she would say, "Chris-umm!" I LOVE IT! I did get it on video. So cute! I introduced Elsie to the cartoon Christmas classics. She LOVED Frosty and Santa Claus is Coming to Town. She will still try to sing the words to them. It's cute. Elsie is growing into such a sweet little girl! Josh and I are so happy! Amanda's decision has blessed our lives in ways that cannot be put into words. We will be forever grateful to you Amanda! Thank you so much! Elsie is such a joy in our lives!!!

I can't believe she is this old!

I honestly think she's perfect!

This photo shoot was so easy :)

It helps when she has a love for her bear :)

Playing in the freshly-raked leaves

I won't lie that she was pretty apprehensive when I sat her in the leaves :)

I wish the leaf wasn't covering her smiling face :)

This was the most involved she was the entire time.
I happened to get it all on camera :)

Elsie LOVES baby Kennzie!

"Hoed-ju"

I love this picture for so many reasons!

I'll always love her crazy morning-hair!

It's getting so long!!

A perfect princess pose.

Watching cartoons with Daddy and Macy

I'm pretty sure she is singing in this one :)

She couldn't stay awake to finish her cookie...
Definitely exhausted!!

"Ta-bow"
She LOVES to stand here!!!

Kids and their technology!
Notice the iPad playing a movie..

How else do moms keep their kids entertained when they are out to dinner??

I LOVE this!!!
She is SO not wanting to be taking this picture!

....and she's already figured out how to ignore her mother...

I figure I'll be doing this for the rest of my life...

Riding on the stick horse while we walked around the Cowboy Christmas in Vegas.

She loved it!
Pretty much every person that passed her, smiled and made a comment :)

I love how she made the horses face face toward her :)

Another horse "contraption" she tried out at Cowboy Christmas.
It was actually pretty sweet! I wish we could afford one :)

Helping make chocolates :)

She loved feeling like a big girl :)

Elsie loves Kaitlyn!

Kaitlyn, Kandyce, Amber and Elsie

Cute Kandyce

I LOVE her!!!

Elsie loves Kandyce!

Giving her baby a kiss :)

Elsie kisses her babies all day long.
Elsie has been making all her dolls and toys kiss since she was about
18 months old. It makes me laugh, but I try to not make a big deal
about it so she will stop doing it...she still does it!

I love her smile!!
Elsie has started wanting cereal for breakfast :)

Elsie got to come to school with me one day.
The kids were wearing aprons, so Elsie brought me one.
I think she looks pretty cute!

She loved the plethora of cupboards to get into!

She made more messes than I could clean up!
At one point, one of my students said, "Is she supposed
to have that?" I looked up to see Elsie with a can of cooking
spray. She had the can propped up on the floor and she was
pushing the sprayer, spraying cooking spray all over the floor!!!!!