Hangin' with Nina

Eowyn stayed with Nina while Mommy & Daddy had fun at my Tia Sylvia's for "Game Night"-- we played Guitar Hero (my first time!) and had a grand ol' time.

She Likes Chuck

While Mommy & Nina watched some 'Chuck', Eowyn looked cute. As usual. :)

About to Take a Nap

So cute! (she had been thwarting us by sucking her thumb, then decided to even thwart our picture-taking by pulling it out as soon as we got the camera! This girl is going to thwart me her whole life, isn't she?)

First Nursery Stay

Asleep during the service (sucking her thumb)

She & Elliot (10 mos. old)

Is it love at first sight?

(photos by Olga Whaley & Karina Thompson)
This Sunday we worshipped at my home church, Grace Baptist in Taylors, SC. Their nursery is far less crowded than Grace's, and my mom & aunt were the workers this Sunday during church (she had other caretakers during Sunday School & evening service). I loved being able to focus wholly on the teachings, and she seemed to enjoy it, too!

Sweater Made by Tia Nicole

cMy sister Nicole made this for Eowyn using some random yarn she had... she's creative like that. Anyway I had leggings & a shirt that matched it perfectly, and Eowyn looked stylin-ly-cute all day!

From Capturing the Essence

Intent on the Doggy

We brought E's bouncy seat, complete with toy arch, with us. It's great for those (very rare) moments when we need to put her down. ;) She delightedly, intently watched & made faces at the main doggy for a solid 1/2 hour before looking away and letting me know she was done playing. :) I got such a kick out of watching her!

First Christmas Crash

Her First Christmas

Forgot to post this earlier... not a very satisfactory set in my mind-- we couldn't get her to really smile, but oh well. She DID have a Christmas, and she WAS cute. :)

A Great Place to Sleep: Great-Grandpa's Shoulder

This is how she took nearly every nap this visit!

Early Gifts

Meeting Papirucho y Mama Lulu

Here Eowyn met her great-grandparents Ruiz for the first time!

Enjoying Nina for Christmas

As you can see, grandma+grandbaby+ Christmas season= happiness! :)

With Ruth H.

White Dog, White Dog, What Do You See?

I was reading to her in bed this morning because she was sooo fussy (I think she's got a little cold) and squirmy. She really likes Brown Bear Brown Bear (I think) because the faces on the animals are so big, and she definitely prefers faces! She was sneezing & acting a little cold so I grabbed the only hat around, which happens to be quite a bit too large for her. Oh well. :)

Diaper Days

This is one we call "Quintessential Eowyn"-- she has this semi-serious expression on her lil face a lot!

And here she's showing her cheerful side. She likes to talk to me while being changed. It's such a pleasant little sound!

See how much more she's filling up the changing table now? I wish I could show you the rolls on her thighs, but they're mostly covered by the diaper for now. They're so cute!

Saying Bye to the Halls

The Halls came down from Manitoba, Canada, for Andrew to go to seminary. Now they are heading back up north, this time to London, Ontario, where Andrew will be the pastor of a local church. Andrew & Melanie taught Children's Sunday School with us this past year, and took over for us this past term so Ryan & I could have our first break since being members at Immanuel. We got to take the parenting class with the Mark & Tania Gordon (before they left to pastor elsewhere, too!). Before we got to know Andrew & Melanie, though, we loved their two girls Noelle (8) & Ava (6) a LOT-- we know everyone's kids better than we know them in our church! :) They also really love Eowyn-- even Calvin (3) is very sweet with her. I went with Eowyn to say goodbye while they were packing up their truck, and everyone held Eowyn one last time. She cooperated very well, although by the time it was Calvin's turn she had lost her hat & her composure. :( He was very concerned!

Her First Ornament

She received this ornament from one of my former students' families. I really like it, especially since I used shoes to decorate her room.

Eowyn had her first day of school today-- I went back to taching pre-k, and she came with me. Predictably, she LOVED watching all the kids, but she did nap a little. We both crashed when we got home!

Family Tree

Mon. night, I finished trimming the tree! I loved looking at all the ornaments & remembering the Christmases they went with. Unfortunately, then I was so tired I went to bed without taking pictures! :( So I snapped some tonight, BEFORE I head to bed... Eowyn's been an eatin' machine both Monday & Tuesday, and it takes up so much of my day, AND it wears me out!

Sunday @ Care Group

Both Caitlyn & Hayley held her, and in return she "decorated" them with spit-up!

Just before we left, she thought of a request to share...

N'Awlins

Jackson Square's benches

Somewhat incongruous.... I smiled at this sight...

My feelings for Santa aside, I just LOVED this papier-mache version of "Papa Noel" in one of the stores near the square (where I bought my praline).

The pelican is the state bird.

The Big Muddy, not so muddy-looking! (from the ferry across to Algiers Point)

There's something beautiful about a boat moving swiftly through the water. Any boat, any water.

Streetcar! I really enjoyed riding them & seeing them around.

Flying Home