101 posts from 2008

Santa couldn't arrive soon enough for Jessie. On Christmas Eve, mom came over and we had some snack foods and let Jessie open a couple of presents. When it was time for her to go to bed, we helped her put out some of the cookies she decorated, along with some of the eggnog I made from scratch (we told her Santa might want something different than milk). As I closed her door after putting her in her crib, I heard a faint 'Santa' then all was quiet. On Christmas morning she was more interested in inspecting the leftover cookie crumbs than seeing her presents at first. She quickly got the hang of opening things though and had a great time playing with all her new stuff. She is just now getting the hang of dressing herself, and you'll see in the pictures that she changed outfits a ton. She is very into the doll and play dough Santa brought. Her doll has her own stroller that she enjoys taking the doll and various other stuffed animals walking in. Later that morning we took her sledding for the first time on a real hill. It was a nice, fun-filled day for all of us. 

Jessie had a fun-filled December spent in anticipation of Santa's arrival. Last week, a group of my friends and their kids came over for our almost weekly 'coffee talk.' I made Christmas sugar cookies the night before and then we let the kids decorate them to their hearts content. We went through a LOT of sprinkles. It was crazy with 6 moms and 9 kids ages 5 to 6 months. Jessie was very into the cookie decorating and we save some back for Santa to eat. 

Elizabeth and I went up Mt. Sentinel last Friday with Astrid and Jessie, sneaking in one last day of sure footing and

All set

Last week Heather and Hanna came down from Big Fork to visit Jessie and me. Greg had to Kalispell to see his one remaining client up there, so it was a great time with just the girls. We hadn't seen them since we left Kalispell Sept. 14 and they are definitely what we miss most about living in the Flathead. Jessie discovered her Santa suit that Nana had given her last Christmas and insisted on wearing it all day. I can't believe it still fits her! She was quite the hit at the grocery store dressed like that. The Mardi Gras beads kept both girls pretty entertained and they were very good about sharing toys. We went to the carousel the second day. Jessie had a blast and burst out crying when the ride stopped and it was time to get off. So I was a sucker and let her go again. Hanna however, burst out crying as soon at the ride started and was not a happy camper during the ride. Supposedly it is one of the fastest carousels in the US and all the horses are carved by hand from woodworkers in Missoula. It is a pretty cool thing to have in a town this size. Jessie is all about the horses and if you mention them she says 'up, down, round, round.' It's pretty cute.

She thought this was about the most fun ever.

I just realized that we have a lot of photos we haven't posted of Jessie up to her usual silliness these past few weeks. She discovered our stash of Mardi Gras beads and that is keeping her entertained for hours on end. She puts them on herself, us, Sammy (Lucy will not cooperate), and various stuffed animals. Stuffed animals are her other favorite items. She is constantly dragging armfuls of them around. Sometimes we'll get a bag so she can lug around more than will fit into her arms. Between beads, animals, and her 'horsie', she is a happy little girl.