Christmas Time

We had a wonderful Christmas season. We spent Christmas Eve in Vail and went to Florida on Christmas day. Our travel to Florida was hellish but the fact we and our bags got there was our Christmas miracle. We all had a fantastic time with the Large side of the family. Eloise loved the dogs and all the attention she got from her Nana, Pops, aunts, and uncles. We loved the warm weather, the karoke game, the food, and relaxation. I also saw the movie Juno and loved it--I think it's a must see. We are back to cold weather but looking forward to our visitors this winter!

Too Cute to Ignore

I never thought I'd see the day Eloise fell asleep without putting up a fight. I was wrong! She fell asleep eating lunch today--so cute! We had friends over this morning so she missed her morning nap. Playing with her friends really tuckered her out!

Snow Snow Snow

We've gotten a lot of snow the past few days. It's been a blast! Alex and I went skiing yesterday--he went in the morning and I took a lesson in the afternoon. It was so fun to get out! The lesson also gave me more confidence to ski on my own this winter. Eloise also loves the snow. :-)

So big!

Eloise had her 9 month well visit this morning. The doctor says she's doing so well. She's in the 80% for weight and 75% for head growth and 55% for height (21 pounds and 28 1/3 inches long). We're so proud of our little healthy girl. Now we've just got to keep her that way all winter--that'll be the trick.

Dallas for Thanksgiving

Eloise and I went to Dallas for Thanksgiving. We had a fabulous time! The whole family was there. We ate lots of yummy food, watched lots of football, went to a Mavericks game, walked the Turkey Trot, and caught up with some old friends. Eloise loved climbing the stairs and impressed everyone with her high pitched squeals. She also liked playing with her cousin Cecilia although they did fight over one toy. (There were lots of toys, but they both wanted the same book--human depravity clear as day.) Graham and Alyson are eagerly awaiting the arrival of Charlie. We ate Thanksgiving dinner with Granny who's doing well. It was a wonderful week, and Alex is glad to have us back home.

New Dining Room

In effort to feel more at home in Avon, I have finally decided to do something about the horrible white drapes we have. You can see what a difference some color makes. These curtains are "honey." My next project will be a new coffee table and drapes for the living room. Heck, we might even get rid of the IKEA chair. Our condo is getting a make over!

crawling...standing...cruising

That's right...all Eloise wants to do is stand! She is learning to "cruise" as she reaches for things she wants. It's fun to see her learn but I also wish she'd slow down just a little.

Big Night!

Tonight was a big night for Eloise. She successfully went to a babysitter for over 2.5 hours without freaking out. We are so proud and hope this is a trend to continue!

Maui!

We had a fantastic time in Maui! Joan's place is beautiful and looks right on to the ocean. We loved opening our the doors and just listening to the waves. We also loved snorkeling, hiking in the lava fields, exploring the different towns (especially Hana--the town with the cross on the hill--we hiked up there and decided Alex needed to marry some people up there), and swimming. We went to the Old La Haina luau through which Eloise slept (amazingly). Eloise was a flexible traveler. We are refreshed and relaxed and thankful for our time in Maui.

Growing!

In the past couple of days, Eloise has grown a ton! She is now crawling, pulling up, and intentionally clapping her hands. She seems to be mimicking our voices and actions more than ever. It's a lot of fun! She is sooo big! We're off to Maui tomorrow morning. We are very excited!

First Halloween

We are recovering from our first Halloweeen party. Eloise had a ball! She invited her best friends over for lots of toys and desserts. All (the monkey, the lady bug, the bee, the poodle, the penguin, the pea, the lion, the grass hopper, and the purple people eater) had a great time! Eloise is such a good host!!! (By the way, Eloise is now crawling!)

Our Virginia Trip

Eloise and I traveled to Charlottesville, Virginia this past weekend for a reunion of friends. Jen, Kathryn, Millie, Eloise, and I descended upon Maury's home to hang out and visit our old stomping grounds. We fit a lot in a little amount of time: we went to Lexington, visited the Lipseys, and celebrated Jen's birthday. It was a whirlwind of a trip but well worth it. Alex stayed home and wrote a sermon during our first real snow storm of the season. Joan's house got about 12 inches of snow; we got 6 inches. It's beautiful today with the warm sun, and I'm gearing up for a killer costume party on Wednesday. All of Eloise's friends are coming over in their costumes. Stay tuned for more!

The end of the leaves

We awoke to snow this morning! Unfortunately fall is coming to an end, so I'm thankful we got out a lot this weekend. Our trees in our back yard are still looking great, but most leaves have about fallen. Eloise is working on crawling still. She's very good at backing herself into some precarious places. Hopefully I'll be posting some pictures of snow soon. We hear that the mountains got about 6 inches last night. Everyone is getting ready for ski season! (By the way, if you click on the photos, they get bigger!)

Fall Fun

We've been having a lot of fun with Matt McCloota. Eloise and Matt are starting to socialize more which is lots of fun to watch. Today Eloise wanted Matt's apple and Matt wanted Eloise's pacifier. It was a funny battle. We also went to the park. Matt was walking up a storm; Eloise watched. She laughs when Matt walks--very cute. The fall colors are starting to fade and leaves starting to fall. As you can see Eloise is ready for Halloween. Alex is very excited for Eloise's costume--a pumpkin! She is definately daddy's little girl. He loves seeing her all dressed up!

New York Reunion

Here are the photos I promised! We had a fantastic time in Long Island. It was so refreshing to be with old friends, and we wined and dined like kings and queens. Enjoy!

New York

For the past few days, we have been in Long Island hanging out with some seminary friends. It has been fantastic! Sean and Kate are the hostests of the mostests! I wish we took a group photo of everyone who came, but we didn't. Aaron and Jamie took lots of photos, so hopefully we can get some copies of those and I'll pass those on. I know Alex has had a great time talking about the Gospel with the guys, and we the girls, have been catching up on all aspects of life. Eloise has been a great traveler. All enjoyed seeing her as we anticipate Jacob and Melina's new baby. Sophia should be arriving very very soon! We get back to Colorado tomorrow. Look out for new photos coming soon!

Brent and Forest get married!

We went to Sonoma this past August for Brent and Forest's wedding. It was absolutely gorgeous! It was at Jack London State Park. The vineyards were lush with fat grapes ready for harvest. Lots of family came in from all over the country, and we enjoyed visiting with them very much. Eloise, well, she cried a lot at first. She wasn't so sure about those Larges...but by the time of the important events, she pulled it together. My parents were there too (these photos are courtesy of Gwen). All in all, it as a fantastic weekend, as the photos show!

Potty Humor

Eloise will hardly stay in our arms these days (making the post office a nearly impossible task). I took her in to the bathroom so she could see her reflection, and she lunged from my arms. She ended up in the sink as happy as can be.

First post

It's a rainy cold day in Vail. We're house bound until it clears up outside. What better thing to do than create a blog of our growing family? We are loving September in Vail. The colors are amazing and the weather crisp. We hope you enjoy following our stories for months and years to come. Welcome to the Large Story, or should it be the Big Picture?