Chubster

Looking back on some old photos of Ila, I can’t help but laugh now at how chubby she was in her earlier months! She was averaging 90th-99th percentile in weight, but now that she is entering into the toddler phase, she has thinned out and is averaging in the 50th percentile for weight. It must be all that running around and tormenting the dog. Check out these funny pics!

The Piglet Goes Punkn’ Pickn’

The other day was absolutely gorgeous outside so we took Ila to Carter Mountain to pick out her very own pumpkin. (We call them punkins in our house because, let’s be honest, it’s just way more fun to say). Ila thought they were really cool for a few minutes, but then remembered there were some crackers in my bag and just kept trying to get out of the pumpkin patch to get to the crackers. She has become quite the piglet! We did manage to get some cute pictures of her though... Carter Mountain is actually really close to our house and has an amazing view of the town.

I Was in There Mommy??

So as most of you reading my blog probably know, I took a picture of Ila sitting in her rocking chair on her monthly birthday each month, so I decided to create a little montage of those as well as other milestones. . .

Paths

Ila has recently been really into path-walking. She loves to walk along paths to see where they take her. And while she’s at it, she will pick up pieces of acorns, leaves, sticks, and other stuff that i quickly confiscate along the way. It is so fun to see our little girl start to wander and explore without mommy being right there with her. (Well, of course I am, but she doesn’t know it). Though she still is very cuddly and can be clingy at times, this one year old is really starting to branch out and check out the world around her a bit more.

Punkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

Perhaps the greatest thing about summer coming to an end and entering into these brisk fall days is the yearly debut of the pumpkin. I love just about everything pumpkin - pumpkin bread, pumpkin muffins, pumpkin ice cream, pumpkin soup, and especially the pumpkin chocolate chip cookies I make multiple times in the fall months. By popular request, I decided to post the recipe so others can share in this bliss.

- 1 cup sugar

1 15 oz. can pumpkin puree

1/2 cup butter (1 stick)

2 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup chocolate chips (preferable semi-sweet)

Heat oven to 350. In a mixer, blend the sugar, pumpkin, and butter. Mix together the rest of the dry ingredients, then blend them in with the wet. Add chocolate chips. Cook for about 10 minutes. Enjoy!

It’s true. Our little girl turned one year old last Thursday, the 24th. It makes me a little sad to think that her infant pudge is melting away before my eyes, but it’s hard to be sad for long when I think about all the amazing new things she is doing. She is growing into such a sweet little girl with a fun, playful personality. On her birthday, Ross and I took her to breakfast on the downtown mall where she got to pick apart and eat her very own blueberry waffle. It was bittersweet for us to think that a year ago she could barely see us, and now she can sit there and eat a blueberry waffle all by herself. (Well ok, i cut it up into manageable bites). Daddy had to work the rest of the day, so I took her to the park across the street where she likes to look at the fountains, swing on the swings, and walk all around the different types of terrain.

Then the next day we had a big birthday bash with around 30 people including family and our friends with babies. The theme was dinosaurs (Ross got to pick) so I managed to “girlify” with plastic dinos with pink ribbons around their necks, pink dinosaur iced cookies, etc. etc. It was so nice to have everyone there to celebrate Ila’s life, and hopefully one day she’ll get to look back on all the pictures and videos and really appreciate it too. From her perspective I think she was a bit curious as to why she was dressed in such a frilly dress, why she had a hat strapped to her head, and why there were so many people surrounding her giving her brightly colored bags with ribbons. She definitely liked the carrot cupcake with icing though, especially the discovery of this thing called high fructose corn syrup. (So at least the cake part was healthy).

We are so thankful for our first year with her. Every moment is truly a blessing and make us better people.

Thanks to everyone who made her birthday special!

"The Face"

One of my favorite new things Ila is doing is making “the face.” Need I explain further?? It will often appear at her high chair when she’s had enough food, but what is awesome about this face is that she does it to make us laugh! She is a true goof ball at heart and is already trying to entertain us. Sometimes I can even say “Ila, make the face” and she will do it. The fact that she is also wearing an over-sized bike helmet that she’s not too happy about makes this picture priceless.