Eloise has something exciting to share...

Now I know my ABCs...

Punkins (and other fall happenings)

There are several words that Eloise says in the cutest way, we almost don't want her to figure out the correct way. Pumpkin is one of those. "Punkin." She hunts them down when we are on our walks. About every other porch in our neighborhood has at least one for her to point out. She loved to see the patch full of them this afternoon.

Scouting out which punkin is hers!

Bundle up!

And she's off!

Eeny, meeny, miny, moe!

Daddy helped me find the perfect one! It even still had its green stem!

Here are some other other adventures we've been up to this fall...

Taking advantage of another beautiful fall day at the park!

Wasn't too impressed with being up close to the fire truck.

The Throne.

Justin and I only allow ourselves to keep Oreos in the house when the Halloween ones are available. I hope Eloise let's us stick to that.

That's all for now!

Zoo Day!

It was a bit on the chilly side, but totally worth it to spend the day at the Henry Doorly Zoo in Omaha. This was Eloise's first visit to the huge zoo and her parents and great-grandparents were so excited to share the adventure with her!

The aquarium was probably her favorite part.

Looking up at all the fishies.

J is for Jellyfish!

Seeing what it looks like from the inside.

She was fascinated by this interactive projection. She could make the fish swim away by stepping on them.

Just driving a jeep on a safari.

Thanks for the cuddly otter, Papa.

A butterfly was attracted to Gran's sweetness.

Playing in the waterfall.

My favorite animal to see at the zoo.

Loving the sound of the leaves under her feet.

Got milk?

Eloise loves her goat friends. They are just her size!

And a train ride to close our first Omaha Zoo adventure! All aboard!

Gosh, I love the fun we have with this girl!

Eloise...18-months

I wanted to give you a real horsey ride at the zoo today to celebrate your 18-months of life, but you did not want to get on Ranchero this morning. Maybe for your 2nd birthday you'll be ready. I'm glad you enjoyed feeding your goat and lama friends though. You also got the whole choo-choo to yourself! I can't believe I am the mother of an 18-month old. You are the sunshine of my life and I cherish dearly all the wonderful time you and I get to spend together. You are my best buddy, Miss Eloise and I love you, oh so much.

Some new things you are doing these days include starting to recognize letters and numbers. You know around 5 letters so far and when you see one you know, you make sure to shout it out! You are starting to form sentences; lately when ask a question such as, "Eloise, would you like to read a book?" you respond with, "Yeah! I do!" Today you also started repeating to me, "No, Ma'am!" while shaking your finger. Wonder where you picked that up from? You have very good manners most of the time, saying please and thank you. You love Elmo to death. And choo-choos. You love your choo-choos. You like to dance with the Yo Gabba Yabba friends, getting better at beat-boxing every day. An absolute joy to be around. You are so loved by all of us around you.

Here are some moments of our day to celebrate your 18-months...

Started your day playing with blocks at the table.

Cheeeeeese!

Going on a train ride!

You're becoming a big girl way too fast. You didn't even want to sit with Mama on the train ride today.

It was a cold train ride this morning.

All aboard!

Favorite thing to do at the zoo...feed the goats.

Can't forget the lamas.

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Ok, who's next?

Leo the Lion was hungry, too.

Your second favorite thing to do at the zoo...play with sand?