baby, it's cold outside

With Thanksgiving over, it seems like Christmas is right around the corner. Chad went up into the attic last night and dug out our Christmas decorations. We still have a lot of decorating to do but we got the tree up and a few decorations around the house last night so I feel like we're off to a good start.

Greta didn't know what to think of everything.

She got excited once she saw the lights on the tree.
Our two favorite girls

Along with getting the house decorated for Christmas, I also love sending and receiving holiday cards. I was excited to hear about the Christmas card promotion from Shutterfly where they are giving 50 free holiday cards if you write a blog post about the promotion. Count me in! I've been trying to decide where to get our holiday cards printed this year and after looking at the Shutterfly website-I'm sold.

Here's a card I designed on the Shutterfly website.

The website is extremely user-friendly and how easy it was to create this card. I love being able to add photos to the card and if I don't like the way the photos are looking in a certain card layout I can easily try them in a different card. With all the photos we've had taken of Greta this year I knew I wanted to have a holiday card with multiple photos so I was happy to see the large selection of collage cards that Shutterfly has on their website.

In addition to Shutterfly's beautiful card selection, I was impressed with Shutterfly's calendars . They are completely customizable that you can personalize with photos and text.

I can't believe in less then 3 months Greta will be celebrating her 1st birthday! I took a peak at Shutterfly's invitations and spotted a few that would be absolutely perfect for this special girl's big day!

Now go check your mailbox for our Christmas card!

Greta's first thanksgiving

Greta celebrated her first Thanksgiving on Thursday and it was a memorable one. She also turned 9 months old on Thanksgiving!
We were invited to spend Thanksgiving with our wonderful friends, Carol and Bill.

Along with their grandkids, Austin, Avery, and Allison and daughter, Corie. (sneaky Corie didn't get her picture taken). We've spent the last few Thanksgivings with them and we always have a great time.

Greta woke up with her first bad cold on Thanksgiving morning so we weren't sure how the day would go. We've been lucky that she hasn't really been sick since she was born. Luckily, she didn't have a fever but she had a runny nose and had a little cough. Her voice was a little harsh and it almost sounded like she had a touch of laryngitis. We were in good hands though as Bill is a respiratory therapist and listened to Greta's lungs. He didn't think it was anything to worry about. Greta was still her happy self throughout the day and slept pretty well at night so the cold must not have affected her too much.
Greta loved playing with Avery and Allison.

The most memorable moment was when Greta said "da-da" for the first time for everyone to hear.

She said "da-da" multiple times and then said "momma" for the first time. It sure caught us by surprise. I've been practicing with her but she never can quite get out the words. It was so cute because you could tell she was proud of herself. She hasn't repeated "momma" much but "da-da" is a favorite word now. She'll just shout out "da-da" and it is so adorable.

After we left Carol and Bill's house and put Greta to bed, I went over to my cousin Derek and Kirsten's house where more family was celebrating. I wish Greta would have been feeling better because it's always fun to get her and her second cousin, Imari, together but I didn't want Greta to get Imari sick.

It was a great day with wonderful friends and family! I can't imagine what next Thanksgiving will bring.

lazy saturday

Hey web friends! What's up? This little sweet girl is obsessed with eyeing the computer screen and grabbing for the cord. Today has been a really relaxed day after a busy week. If you know me, I'm usually on the go and love to fill my weekends with lunch dates, shopping, coffee with friends, but today we didn't really have any plans. It was kind of nice for a change. I had a late night on Thursday and Friday at friends' houses so it was nice to catch up on some sleep this morning. Last night, a mom from my mom's group hosted a "mom's night in" and served us a delicious meal while we talked late into the evening. On Thursday night, Chad and I had a infant CPR and choking class that we attended and then I had a fun evening at a friend's house while we chatted over some delicious Pinot Grigio. It was a nice change to just hang out at friends' houses rather than go to a restaurant, especially with the chilly weather we've been having. Back to Thursday night- Chad and I finally got around to going to this CPR and choking class. We didn't have anyone to watch Greta so I brought her with us and thought one of us would just step out of the room or even leave (we drove separately) if she got too fussy since the class was close to her bedtime. She surprised us again and was so good. She just sat on our lap for 2 hours and was so content. It was amazing. This morning she started making a blowing sound with her mouth and I'm wondering if she is copying us from watching us practice at class.

Sofie always has to be the center of attention

After sleeping in a bit this morning, Chad, Greta, and I went out for an early lunch at Carol's Restaurant. They have the most delicious tuna salad sandwich. It's a twist on your ordinary sandwich and has curry, raisins, and walnuts in it. I wish they would give me the recipe. It is so yummy!

Chad went to the Harry Potter movie in the afternoon with his friend, Barry, and Greta and I took a nice afternoon nap.

My two favorite people

Greta is getting a lot better at putting weight on her legs and standing with a little assistance. For the longest time, she hasn't been good at standing and would just rather sit. We've been working on it with her she seems to be building some strength in her legs. I've been putting Robeez on her more and I think it seems to help her stand.

We went out to Major's for dinner and then it was straight to bed for this sweet baby girl.
Can't wait to see what tomorrow brings.

family time

Here's some pictures from September and October when we went back to ND to visit Chad's family. Greta with grandma and her cousins, Tailey and Tracen.

Greta, Grandma, and Chad

Grandma, Grandpa, Greta, Chad, Karla, Michelle, Randy, Tracen, and Tailey

Greta and Tailey playing with their new toys.

Aleasha and Greta

Kisses from Oreo

Greta wearing her hat from grandma.

Grandma and Grandpa with their granddaughters

The next four pictures are hats Grandma made Greta. She'll need to grow into this one a bit.

She's ready for the Derby!

Greta's first trip to La Campana Paradios- daddy's favorite.

Grandpa's beard feels different.

She likes to lean to the side to examine things.

Greta with her great-aunt Jeannie.

We had a great visit. Hopefully we'll be back soon.