More with the Christmas Recap: Texas

On Christmas day we flew to Texas to spend some time with Elizabeth's family. We kicked off the 26th with gift opening and dinner at Robert's house, then went on a Christmas Train ride through the bayou in Jefferson. It was sort of crazy riding a train through the dark so near all the water. In some places the water was right up against the tracks. But it was pretty to see the lights reflected among the trees in the water, even if it was hard to get pictures of them.

From Christmas in Texas with Bitikofers

From Christmas in Texas with Bitikofers

From Christmas in Texas with Bitikofers

This is Eliana's new kitty. Her name is Black and White Kitty, and she replaces Little Kitty. She was unable to go anywhere without Little Kitty for several months, even after the stuffing was all out of her middle and her tail had been pulled off! I wasn't sure how she'd react to a new kitty, but as you can see, she loves it! In fact, the next day she threw Little Kitty on the floor and said, "I don't like THAT kitty any more!" and proceeded to snuggle with Black and White Kitty. We have a new favorite!

From Christmas in Texas with Bitikofers

This is Eliana's reaction to anything sparkly. She LOVES shiny things! In this case it is a set of shirts with sparkly designs on them. =D

Eliana's first real experience with Santa Claus happened on our trip to Texas, as we were loading into the train. We have taught her that Santa is not real, so her reaction was priceless...

From Christmas in Texas with Bitikofers

"Mommy? Who IS this crazy man dressed up like Santa Claus??"

From Christmas in Texas with Bitikofers

"Okay, I'll try to look natural for the picture.... I won't relax my fist, though!"

From Christmas in Texas with Bitikofers

"Alright... I'll give you as much of a smile as I can muster, but I still don't trust this guy!"

The train ride itself was much better!

From Christmas in Texas with Bitikofers

From Christmas in Texas with Bitikofers

From Christmas in Texas with Bitikofers

From Christmas in Texas with Bitikofers

We managed to sneak in a few family pictures before the week was over, too!

From Christmas in Texas with Bitikofers

From Christmas in Texas with Bitikofers

And with that I say, "Merry Christmas" and call our updates done! =D

Longview Recap in Pictures

Here's a little glimpse of our trip to Longview:

(This plane is in the entryway of the new LeTourneau Aviation Center. Ellie thought it was so cool and kept trying to jump up and reach it.)

(These are Ellie in her box house.)

3 Years Old

See this girl?

She's 3. She turned 3 while we were in Texas, so we had a little birthday party for her down there. (She had one here before we left, but I suppose I'll have to post those pictures separately.) She had some friends over, namely Josh and James, Alyse, Alexa, and Allie. My friends Charlotte (the girls' mom), Michelle (the boys' mom), and Angie came over, too. The kids had a great time, and even tried to see just how many 3 year olds could fit into a teeny baby pool! They also ran through the sprinkler...

Uncle Robert made very yummy casein-free (milk free) chocolate cupcakes for everyone and Eliana was very excited to get to blow out her candles (since she didn't have any candles at her first party). The downside to having an outdoor party in Texas in July in the middle of the afternoon, though, is that after the candles were blown out and set aside, THEY MELTED! Right there on the table! It was hot...

The kids didn't seem to mind the heat too much, though, and Eliana had fun opening her presents. She got a Memory Game, some 3D sidewalk chalk, fuzzy pictures to color, a doll baby with accessories, some cookie cutters, and an apron and baking set, and several dresses. And she got a musical card from Mommom and Poppy that we are STILL listening to. ;) (Good thing it's cute...)

So HAPPY BIRTHDAY Eliana! We wish you a wonderful year!

A Picnic with the Allen Girls

While we were in Texas we had the priveledge of spending a day with my best friend, Charlotte, and her daughters. She has 3 little girls, Alyse (3), Alexa (almost 2), and Allie (almost 1) (and a 4th on the way, but we're rooting for a boy for them. =D) and Ellie just loves playing with them! We had a picnic outside and then the girls played in the yard. It was so much fun!

Texas in April

Wow! There's a lot of Texas in April that never made it onto the blog, either. I've been a bad blogger! And since we'll be going back to Texas in a month, I guess I should take a few moments now to share our last trip there. =D More ketchup, I suppose!

While we were in Texas, my mother demonstrated that her excellent mom skills are still as sharp as ever when she kept Ellie out of our way in the kitchen (while making Ellie thinking that the activity was all about her. =D). Here's what she did to keep Ellie busy:

My dad demonstrated his Ellie-occupying skills with a little help from the RC plane and an extra controller. Ellie thought she was flying the plane and LOVED it!

Ellie got her first moments in a real pool (I think) while we were in Texas, too. The water was chilly, so she just wanted to sit on my lap, but this is where Mommom and Ellie are going to spend 4 days straight while I am at a convention in Dallas next month! And by then it will feel like bath water...

The other place my parents are going to spend time with Eliana while I'm in Dallas is Kidsview, the community playground there in Longview. We went a couple times in April and Ellie loved it. I think it's even better than ours in Livingston... I tried to get a picture of Ellie and Mommom on the play equipment, but Ellie thought it was more fun to try to squish Mommom, and this is what I got:

Outside the park, though, there are beautiful azalea bushes, so these pictures were a little better:

Ellie also decided to be Poppy's little helper while we were there, watering the lawn and helping with the garden. I thought her choice of attire was particularly funny... no pants (where did they go, anyway?), Mommom's high heeled shoes, and Mommom's hat. Funny little helper!

There is more to the trip, but I think this is a picture-heavy enough post already. Still to come... a trip to Caldwell Zoo and our day with the Allen girls. =D