First Gum

So I handed off what I thought was an empty gum pack to Ellie for in-transit entertainment today. Turns out it wasn't totally empty. Leave it to your 18-month-old to find the lone piece of gum in a seemingly empty pack. I smelled something fruity and knew she had something yummy. When I reached a stoplight I turned around and saw her chomping down on a teeny tiny piece of gum. She was thrilled with herself. Thrilled. I, however, did not share her same enthusiasm. But I watched her for a few minutes (took pics and video...) and she never swallowed it. She even kept it in her mouth in the store and graciously handed it to me when she tired of it. I was pretty impressed... How did she know not to swallow? Who knows. But regular gum-chewing is probably another few years in her future.

Chew on and Happy Thanksgiving!

The Raz's

Tiny Chef

Each year I make hot chocolate mix during the holidays to give out to family and friends. Last night Ellie was wandering around the kitchen and living room bored out of her mind, so I made an impromptu decision to throw together the mix. I think my mind is confused because there's already Christmas music on the radio and all my neighbors have their tree up, so I felt festive enough to declare it "hot chocolate making time!" Ellie is a pretty good little stirrer so I sat her on the counter and put her to work. Yes, I know what you are thinking and I'm one step ahead of you. In America, child labor is bad... unless you are making food in which the children can partake, right? In this case, Ellie stuck her (very clean and previously washed) hands into the mix and had a ball. Levi the dog also enjoyed cleaning the floor, so fun was had all around! Anyway. If you are in Kentucky during the holidays, you just might be fortunate enough to enjoy some hand-tossed hot chocolate mix. Feel free to stop by!

Merry Christmas... er, I mean Thanksgiving.

The Raz's

Snow!

Yep, it's been snowy here! I took this last week after the first snow. I couldn't believe it was snowing in November. I let Levi out in the morning and he turned around and wanted right back in. Turns out he's not a Husky after all, hah. Poor dog. Ellie didn't seem to be too impressed that it snowed. There wasn't enough to go out and enjoy it, so we stayed inside.

Little Paris Shirt

Ellie's grandma Oma gave her this cute little red striped shirt that came from Paris. Ellie was rummaging through her clothes and had to wear it... now! So I put her in it (and she looked quite Parisian) only to find out that Ellie's been eating too much cheese. Her little belly hung out of it! So, she donned a sweater that Aunt Katy sent her and it masked her mid drift perfectly.

Take note Aunt Joan... these are the only skinny pants in our house. And I bought them on accident at an Old Navy clearance last year. Must have been something in the air in that store that made me crazy.

Hope you are having a great day!
Love,
The Raz's

The "Look"

I think it's written in the rights of parenthood that you get to teach your kids to do silly stuff. At least that's what I was told. Dan has taught Ellie to lower her chin and give him a sassy look. It's really funny and she looks waaaaay too young to be giving out this look. It's been insanely difficult to catch on camera (she's sassy... and I have NO idea how she got this way), but Dan finally snapped a few pictures of it last week. Can't wait to see how much more fun this whole parenthood thing gets.

Tuck your chin, squint your eyes and grin!
The Raz's

Down Home

We went back to Louisiana (about a month ago) and I've been avoiding posting about it because I have 529 pictures from the trip. Only 529, you say? Yeaaaaah, I know. It should be a cinch to narrow them down for a posting, right? Well I just can't do it! I'm still trying to work something out, so eventually there will be a post with evidence that we were indeed back in Louisiana for a week. Until then, Laissez les bon ton roulet folks.

Love,
The Raz's

Cupcake!

Even though we rarely eat them, Ellie has cupcakes on her stocking cap! Mom bought it for her sometime last year and I'm so excited she can wear it. I just love kid clothes! Oh man, I just realized you can't see the cupcakes from the picture. Oh well, you just have to trust me. Hope you guys are having a swell day!

Love,
The Raz's

Weee it's the Wii

I walked into the living room Saturday morning to see Ellie and Dan playing the Wii together. They were boxing. Boxing! It was strange to see Dan pelt her in the face... Ellie's Wii character is so cute and looks just like her. I think Ellie might have knocked Dan down a few times, but overall she was not the winner. That's okay Ellie... you're still a winner in our book! It won't be long until you can beat your dad at boxing any day.

Last Beautiful Fall Day

Fall in Kentucky has been everything I thought Fall was supposed to be. A nice gradual change from Summer to Fall, accompanied by rains and beautifully colored trees. Crisp mornings turn into enjoyable afternoons that turn into chilly evenings. It's been lovely. Well, we got wind that Fall is about to turn into Winter and bringing with it a bunch of rain. So, Dan was post-call on Thursday and we took advantage of the last mildly-warm Fall day by going for a Burley ride. Dan actually had to get Burley down from garage storage, because we had already put it up for the winter. Ellie anxiously waited while Dan put the thing back together... she was ready to go! We took her over to the park attached to our neighborhood and let her swing and play on the slide. Then we rode the bikes out into this massive field and plopped down. Ellie was a bit tired and fairly distracted by airplanes up in the sky (a new discovery as of late... every time one flys overhead she stops, points towards the sky, and says "aahh." This is baby for "airplane" right?). While in the field enjoying our piece of Kentucky Bluegrass, I layed down and took pictures of Ellie and Dan played around throwing his frisbee golf discs. Ellie just ran all around the hills, experiementing with distance and her comfort. Today (Sunday) it is overcast and quite cold. It's going to get down below freezing tonight!

Bundle up!
The Raz's

Tutu!

Auntie Maryann is one of my good old "broken-in" friends that lives here in Lexington. She's been keeping Ellie on Tuesdays so Dan and I can go to small group. Ellie absolutely loves Auntie Maryann. She just lights up when Maryann comes over. However, she just got a job back in Louisiana and will be leaving on Sunday. We are all very sad. BUT, she got a great job and will be rocking with her youth group in a matter of weeks.

Now on to the Ellie stuff... the tutu! Maryann gave Ellie her very first tutu a few days ago. Oh my goodness was it love at first sight! Ellie danced and clapped before Dan put the thing on, and then once it was on... she was running around sooo excited. Maryann really hit the nail on the head with this one! Thanks Maryann, we're so sad to see you go, but are excited for you and your new job!

Love,
The Raz's

Orange Cauliflower

There has been some skepticism when I tell my friends/family that Ellie eats cauliflower. There was even more skepticism when I told people that in Lexington, we have white, orange, and green cauliflower. So I thought I would document the two. As you can see, I'm not making this up. Today, after her nap, she went with me when I opened the fridge (to get out her milk) and she picked the cauliflower container off the shelf. We took it to the table and she ate about half of the container full. Then she ate more than half an orange. Whew!

Jealous? Your child can eat like this too! I'll tell you how for three monthly installments of just $39.99! Just mail me all three checks and I'll tell you in precise steps exactly what to do. Or I'll just tell you right now. I read "Super Baby Food" waaaaay back when Ellie first started solids and it practically started me on my own life changing transformation. Then I read "Eat to Live" and it truly changed my life. I'm not exaggerating here people!

Eating like monkeys,
The Raz's

Halloween

Ellie and I went to a small Halloween party (on Halloween) that was weird. We "trick or treated" to a few of the hostesses neighbors, played a few games in the back yard, and ate some snacks. Ellie's favorite part was eating her bag full of gummy bears. This chick gave out all organic candy! I think that was all Ellie cared about was the gummies. She just stared at all the other kids and clung to me like crazy. But she was the cutest one there! Our little flower!

Happy Late Halloween,
The Raz's