Holiday time (part 1)

there is a tree, in the house!

Happy Holidays all!

There has been a lot going on this month, and we haven't been able to take as many photographs and videos as usual, but below is a sampling of what its been like with the baby.

Brandon was ordained (finally!) this month, and we were lucky to have Tina and (surprise!) Keith visit on that occasion. While they were here, we were trying to get into the holiday spirit.

trying on hats with grandma

The big news of the season was that our little family was selected to portray the holy family in the Christmas pageant at the church this year, with Brandon being Joseph, Jes as Mary, and Aurora taking the star role as Jesus. No pressure. Well, it went pretty well, other than the fact that our bouncing baby broke the manger and slowly started slipping out of the sides with the loose hay. So, mid-way through the pageant she moved to a sitting position on Mary's lap. Everyone thought she was great, and all in all, it was a good time.

Joseph, Mary and the baby Jesus

The holidays is also a good excuse to dress up the baby in ridiculously cute outfits. The one she is sporting below was a gift from our sitter. Jes tried to play photographer, putting colored cloth as a background and trying to get her to stay still. Below is the best she could do with our little wiggle-worm. We have a new-found respect for infant/child photographers.

sitting up, but holding my arm out to balance

 As you can see, Aurora is really starting to be a mover and shaker. She holds herself up pretty well, and is a master roller. Gone are the days when she will play in one place... unless she is contained of course. We were eager to give her our Christmas gift this year to give her something to play in that also contains her a little.

playing in my new rocker/walker from mom and dad

Christmas Eve and Day were also a lot of fun. We will have more on that in another post, as for us it will continue a couple days as we meet with all parts of our families. For now, we leave you with this wish, from all of us to you:

s

Sporting my Xmas bib made by aunt Brittany!

discovering her tongue!

We took a video the other week when Grandma H. was visiting of Aurora being silly. I was originally going to cut it to the part we thought was most funny - namely her sticking out her tongue - but we decided not to and that it might be nice to see the whole progression.

So what you see is our attempt to get her to stick out her tongue, trying our best to be quiet. Aurora reacts to our actions, playing peek-a-boo with Grandma who is hiding around the corner trying not to laugh, and getting excited (silently) about the dog jumping into my lap before you get to see what we're talking about.

This is sure to bring a smile to your face, and we could all use a smile right about now.

6 Months

So our daughter is officially halfway through her first year. We are amazed, as all parents are I suppose, at how much she has grown already. According to the latest doctors visit, she is in the 99% for height (nearly 28 inches!), 90% for head circumference, and 60% for weight (not quite 17 lbs). She is really getting in to solid foods, but no teeth have started to show yet. She is also starting to push up more when she's on her belly, so she is working those crawling muscles. She hasn't yet been able to sit up on her own yet, but she is much more stable and can hold herself up relatively well once she is in a sitting position. And she is getting cuter by the day. What else can two happy parents ask for?

6 month mugshot - say cheese!

 Now that it is December, we are getting prepped for Christmas. We are especially looking forward to her reaction to having a tree in the house with lots of lights and other shiny things. I'm sure we will have many photos of that to come :)