Fall, Fifteen months and First Fest...

Okay, I am going to start giving a re-cap of the past month with the rocking chair picture at the end. Also, I am a little behind in blogging so this may get a little long. I will do my best to keep it short and sweet. :)

For those of you that have not heard... our sweet girl fell out of her swing in the backyard a couple of weeks ago.  She was a little too eager to get out, and I was not quick enough to catch her.  Long story short... she has a "buckle fracture" in her left wrist and will be in a cast through Thanksgiving.  She is getting around just fine with it and is using almost as much as she ever did.  The one thing that bugs her is eating... since her arm is bent, she can't reach her mouth. It slows her down a little having to eat with just one hand.

~Evening of the accident with her splint on~

~We got her cast on her 15 month b-day~

~ She chose blue, but I steered her toward green or purple instead :) ~

Her fifteenth  month has been full of fun! She celebrated two great-grandparents' birthdays... Papaw McDaniel and Grandmother Jackson.  The CD Jackson's came down for Gmom's birthday and we had a fun time with them at a pumpkin patch in Arlington.  Honey (Ethan's mom) treated her to her very first visit to the Dallas Arboretum, which was decorated to the nines with pumpkins, gourds, hay bales,etc.  She had a great time wandering around and especially sitting at a little iron table that was just her size.  We enjoyed some cooler weather and being able to play in the backyard. Ethan and I took her to the State Fair and we got to see all kinds of animals. (note: NEVER go on the last Saturday it is open... the crowd was ridiculous!) There was a lot more that I can't remember right now.  I will have to start taking notes!

~ Getting in the spirit of Halloween ~

~ This candy bucket is from McDonald's when Ethan was little! ~

~ Getting more in the spirit with a cute Halloween shirt from Nanny McDaniel and a fun headband! ~

~ Checking out the steer at the State Fair with Daddy. (I don't think Mommie would have gotten that close!) ~

~ State Fair... Petting Zoo ~

~ Cousins Jude and Penny at the pumpkin patch  ~

~ Penny says," Look at this pumpkin!" ~

She dressed as a black and white kitty cat for our church's First Fest.  She was the cutest kitty cat EVER! Of course I am a little biased...  First Fest is a huge community festival that our church hosts.  There is lots of yummy food vendors, a ton of games, bounce houses and activities for kids of all ages, performers and trunk or treat. (rows of cars/vans/SUV/trucks with their trunks open and decorated. The kids go through the line and get candy.)  It took Ellasyn a little bit to get the hang of it, she wanted to take out the candy that was in her bucket and give it back.  She caught on and had a great time.  We went down our street when we got home and saw a couple of neighbors.  I guess in the age of  fall fests, and trunk or treating people don't stay home anymore.  Three kids came by our house.... three.  I was a little sad about that.

~Getting dressed up!~

~Sitting with our faux Jack-o-lantern before we head to First Fest~

~The McDaniel cousins at First Fest... 3 ballerinas, an Aggie cheerleader and a Lil' Aggie~

~ Going through the Trunk Or Treat line with Mommie and inspecting her candy before she puts it in the bucket. ~

~ Daddy (Indiana Jones) and Ellasyn after her first night of trick or treating ~

~ Her first candy... a Kit Kat.  She dove right in! ~

We visited Dr. Geppert this week for her 15 month check up and she is growing right along.  I am pleased to say that her head is no longer in the 95th percentile. Her body caught up to it!  She is 31 inches tall ( near 75th percentile) and weighs 23 pounds 6 ounces (near the 25th percentile).  Tall and skinny, but healthy all around.  I could not be happier, more proud or more blessed!

Attempt #1

~ A little blurry ~

~ A little cheezy! ~

Attempt #2

 

~ A little silly ~

~ A little grumpy ~

~ We got one!! (Thanks to Daddy's quick camera skills!) ~

Alright, so it is a little long... sorry.  :)
Lots of love ~ The McDaniel Family

A trip to the Fort Worth Museum of Science!

We were invited by our friends, Krista and Noah, to take our first trip to the Fort Worth Museum of Science.  There was an amazing area for little ones with so many things to do!  We had a great little group of mommies and babies from our play group. They all had a great time, as shown in these pictures.  The blurry/poorly lit ones were made by my inexperienced photography skills. The awesome ones are from Krista's sweet, high tech camera. :)

~Peek A Boo, Friend!~

~grocery shopping was her favorite part~

~Selecting her produce~

~driving a train~

~The bunny face~

~hula hooping~

~the giant lite bright was a hit!~

~Austin~ 

~Baby Jonathan~

~Kason~

~Lexi~

~Noah~

~All the kiddos in the ambulance~

~taking care of babies~

Ellasyn is 14 months...

And there is no stopping her! She is starting to get the hang of running, she loves to be chased, and she loves to dance. Her moves can include bouncing up and down, swaying her head from side to side (think Stevie Wonder), stomping her right foot and, added just today, a little ballerina-esque twirl that she does until she is too dizzy to stand.  A clip of some of her bouncing moves...there is no music so please ignore my goofy voice in the background. Better yet, mute would be a good idea. :)



Her rocking chair pictures were a chore this month. She is so active and easily distracted by anything that she would rather be doing.  Ethan stepped in and helped with this session.  He is great at grabbing her attention and then snapping a quick picture.  I guess I am not as entertaining as he is. :)

~this is my favorite~

~I would much rather read this book~

~So we stuck her back in the chair, and I read while Ethan took pictures~

~making a "bunny face"~

She has started to become more aware of the fact that she does not know everyone that speaks to her.  She has a new face that she gives to people when she is shy, and sometimes to us when she is trying to figure something out, or just being silly.  Ethan was finally able to catch her on camera...

Ellasyn brought me Ethan's shorts and begged for me to put them on.  She walked around the house for a while just as proud as can be.  She loves her Daddy!  When she walked out of them, she brought them back to me to put on again.   I love that you can see her little belly sticking out!

What beautiful weather we have been having lately.  Highs in the 75s - 80s... a dream come true! Ellasyn has enjoyed being able to play outside without Mommie begging to go back into the a/c.

Papa was near Arlington for work and he stopped by for lunch.  He took us to Chuy's (Mommie's favorite TexMex!)  Ellasyn hadn't been there since she was in utero... she enjoyed the experience much more this time. I am sorry that the pictures are all mixed up...

~enjoying her play set in the back yard~

~she learned that it is way more fun to go down the slide on her tummy~

~swinging on the big kid swing~

(contrary to the scowl on her face, she was having a great time)

~washing the table after she finished her lunch~

~her favorite thing is to pick up leaves, bark, rocks, etc. one by one and hand them to you~

~"Here's another one Mommie!"~

(and again with the scowl... she really is a sweet girl!)

~intrigued by the "bird" that has landed on our table~

(I have never been so entertained to have a fly on our table at a restaurant)

~posing for a quick picture before we leave~

She is such a joy! We are so blessed and continue to be blessed by her and by supportive family and sweet friends.  We love you guys and we are so glad that we are able to share our stories with you!

Love, The McDaniel Family