First Snow!!

Snow dance!

We're outside, now what?

This stuff is great!

Mae tries to catch a few flakes

Yay snow :)

Want some?

Building a snowman

Our snowman "Mr. Mashed Potato Head"

Mae calls Santa to let him know there's snow for his sleigh.

Izzy's Birthday Plans

Tonight while going potty, Izzy started laying out her plans for her birthday party to Daddy. It's going to be a dinosaur party with a dinosaur cake. What kind of dinosaur? A triceratops! Why that and not a spinosaurus? Because that the kind she has! It's going to be yellow and blue...and red....and pink! She's going to have a dinosaur parade and wear a chef's hat. She even choreographed her dinosaur dance, "No, like this! Stomp, stamp, stomp, stamp!" It sounded very loud down in the basement where I was. But we need to get on it because according to Izzy, "My birthday was 20 minutes ago!"

Mae is 6 Months Old!

Yup, a whole half year! Man does time fly! Only one more month before I have to go back to work. Mae now weighs 13.5 lbs and is 24.25 inches long. So she is officially a peanut at 6th percentile. And she had such promise at two months. Eh, just means she gets to wear clothes a bit longer :) All of the 0-3 months stuff has been retired and she's in 3-6 or 6 mos depending on the brand. And even some 9 month clothing that must run small. It's not for a lack of eating though. The girl eats 3 full meals a day with 3-4 bottles of formula. Yup, she's been weaned from nursing. She didn't like the lack of freedom to watch things happening behind her. I would've needed to hook up a mini dvd player to my shoulder or something. Mae can hold the bottle herself so that makes it easier for all involved. I just wish formula didn't smell so yucky!

If it weren't for the hindrances of winter clothing and carpeted floors, I think she'd be creeping by now. She does get around using rolling and scootching backwards. One can't just leave her in the living room anymore. She finds any electrical cord pretty darn quick. The girl likes to gnaw on everything. Good thing she doesn't have teeth yet. Not even a swelling of the gums. So I think teeth are going to be late coming. Along with her hair. She has a few long hairs on top but for the most part she has a lovely blond fuzz. Daddy often refers to her as tennis-ball-head. Pretty descriptive :)

Mae is not very talkative but is quick to smile when someone else talks to her. Especially her sister Izzy. Often, we can hear her talking up a storm when alone in her crib. She has started to make some consanant sounds but she still mostly speaks in coo's and ahh's. Mae is very ticklish and has even become remotely ticklish if you make tickle motions with your hand towards her. Too cute :) I think she'll be a dancer like her sister. She can dance when up on her arms while on her tummy and likes to swing her whole body back and forth when lying down.

The biggest thing this month is that Mae can now sit without needing support. She's also learning the important skill of controlled falling after bumping her head a bit hard a few times. She kinda skipped sitting tripod style and went straight to having her hands free to play with toys and of course eat them. She can stay up for at least 5 minutes. Long enough for me to go get the camera and take a few shots :)

OSV Breakfast with Santa

And with Grandma and Ben and Gigi and Sarah and the Cassellius family :)

Fortunately, they must have read the request for two high chairs and two boosters and stuck us in a corner which was great for some extra running room for Griffin and Izzy. Usually we get put in the back room but that was taken over by a meeting of the Red Hat Society. About halfway through her bacon, Izzy decided that she wanted to see Santa and set off to do just that. By the time I got Mae unhooked from her chair, I looked up to see a stream of adults rushing towards Santa with Izzy leading the way. According to Kris, she pushed her way through the Red Hats and yelled at Santa that she wanted a Red Teddy Bear! When it really was her turn to see Santa, she turned shy so I hope he heard her. I think Griffin told Santa for her. And she got to hand in a letter. So he better get that Teddy Bear!

Mae chills with aunt Gigi and Cousin Sarah

Thanks for the spoon but really I can smell that bacon

Griffin wants TWO Spinosauruses for Christmas

Bacon dipped in whipped cream is Delish!

Izzy wants a RED teddy bear

Aunt Laura's lap is more comfy

Mae would like some food for Christmas

Handing in their letters to Santa
Izzy said she'd leave him "medicine and a present for the reindeer."

Serious cookie appreciation

>Insert comment here<

Izzy being Izzy

Izzy sneaks up on Felix at the table

Mmmmm chocolate

Eating marshmallows by candlelight

Showing AuntGigi her Yoga

the boots make the outfit :)

Pell Christmas Tree Farm

Sleighbell Farm was sold out so we headed over to the Pell Farm courtesy of internet suggestion. They had picture-perfect trees galore! Fortunately we had Izzy who had no problem picking out her perfect Christmas Tree right away. We'll definitely go there again next year.

Heading out to get our Christmas Tree

Izzy has found her tree!

Izzy supervises Daddy cutting down her tree

Cut it down Daddy!

Izzy gives the tree a push to help get it down

Taking the tree back to the car

No one is going to steal your tree, Izzy

Ben has Grandma's tree

Oops!

Ben strains against the weight

So he tries to get Izzy to pull the tree for him

Timber!

Last night in Jack's Reef

After visiting Evie we headed back to Great Grandpa's for meat loaf and Thanksgiving leftovers. Aunt Jeanne got to have some cuddle time with Mae and some well-deserved dessert after a rough weekend.

The Peep-hotel

The girls loved staying at the hotel while out in CNY. The whole way home, Izzy kept saying she wanted to go on a trip so she could sleep in her princess bed at the "Peep-hotel."

A good morning kiss

Playing on the bed Thanksgiving morning

Izzy making Mae tickle her feet (weirdo!)

I guess that bassinet is mighty comfy

Izzy sleeping in her "Princess bed" between our beds

Izzy's a Reindeer!

Now Mae's a reindeer!

Izzy doesn't want to go home!