This Thanksgiving I am thankful for...

All the new things I can say, like "turkey."
That Mommy can take videos of me that I love to watch.
My baby cousin "Jackie" who I could watch for hours on the computer.
My blankie and nukie.
The nursery at our new church that is a lot of fun.
Mama, Daddy, William and all the extended family who loves me.
My favorite books, like Uncle Michael's Pooh books and Baby Baluga.
Wall-e.

You can see me singing Baby Baluga and saying "Eve-ah" in these short videos:

It's been a fun morning at our house today. I woke up to a little girl in my bed telling me, "Up, you!" How could anyone resist that? I came downstairs to a wonderful surprise. My family had bought me a new laptop while I was out with friends last night! I've had fun playing with it today. I posted a new YouTube video of Ellie eating her lunch if you would like to see it.

We've slapped a new coat of paint on our website. Hopefully you enjoy the new look. Do you remember what it used to look like?

We've added a couple new features. First, you can now see the most recent blog titles on the right-hand side. We've also added themes that allow you to change the look of the site. The buttons below will let you switch to a different theme and are always available in the lower-right. Go ahead, click one :)

Can you hear: uppy, go, hide, and loud?

Apparently "Peek-a-boo" was not the game she was going for. So silly!

Bedtime came too soon tonight. I was having lots of fun jumping and climbing, but Mom finally put a stop to that and said I had to go to bed. So that's when my planning for tomorrow started. I have several items on my to-do list:

1. Watch E-I-O.
2. Jump on the recliner - I can really get some air!
3. Take a bubble bath.

Don't worry, I have a very good memory. Even though I told Mommy, I'm sure she will forget some of these things. And I'll remind her!

Once upon a time, there was a little boy and girl named William and Eliana. And William was five and Eliana was one. And William's mom, named Sara, telled William to go potty and wash his hands because he had to eat lunch. And William goed up and heard Eliana coming and closed the door as quick as he could tight. And then William said, in a low voice like a gorilla, "NOW, NOW, NOW-NOW-NOW, NOW SHE CAN'T GET IN!" And then William hopped to the toilet like a rabbit. The end. That's a true story.

Stopping to find another ladybug

Contents
1. I had fun going to Saint John's
2. Catching the football
3. Going down to the lake and catching the football
4. Going back out from the lake and walking on a little walk and catching the football at the same time
5. Riding the elevator
6. Reading stories
7. Seeing that giant TV on the wall

Chapter 1 - I had fun going to Saint John's
I had fun going to Saint John's. And I even got to catch the football. The end. That's a true story.

Chapter 2 - Catching the football
I caught the football lots of times. But sometimes I missed the football. The end. That's a true story.

Finding lots and lots of ladybugs

Chapter 3 - Going down to the lake and catching the football
I went down to the lake and I got the football and sometimes missed it. And Dad didn't want me to go down to the trail because if he threw the football down there, it will probably go into the water. The end. That's a true story.

Chapter 4 - Going back out from the lake and walking on a little walk and catching the football at the same time
I went back from the lake and took a little walk and caught the football and walked at the same time. And I even walked backwards. The end. That's a true story.

In Sexton Commons

Chapter 5 - Riding the elevator
I rode the elevator up to the second floor with Dad and my Mom and the stroller with Eliana in it. The end. That's a true story.

Chapter 6 - Reading stories
We read stories and I read the same ones as Mom after she was done reading them. One was "One duck was stuck in the muck" and some other ones. Then we rode the elevator back to the first floor again. The end. That's a true story.

Chapter 7 - Seeing that giant TV on the wall
Then we went to a restaurant and we saw a giant TV on the wall. It was cool! The end. All those chapters are true.

I can now reportedly climb into AND OUT OF my crib, according to my brother - my parents have yet to witness this feat, which makes sense. If they were there, I would just have them lift me! They believe I'm capable, with me being a monkey and all.

I can say all my animal sounds on command! Mommy always says I don't do baby tricks, but this week at the library during Toddler Time, I did!

I am also saying "uppy" (up, please) when I want to be carried, or lifted up, or when I'm carrying my step stool around to the various rooms trying to think of what I can reach with it. Mom finally figured out how to end the whining and clinging to her legs. She only had to walk away from me one time [seriously, once!] when I wouldn't say "up" and I've been saying it ever since. I'm a quick learner.

"No!" is my favorite word this week. I love to scream it at my brother when I don't want his hand on the shopping cart handle. When I yell "no" at him, he gets sad and tells Mommy that I never want him to go by me ever again. But Mommy tells him it's just for right now* and that he should listen to me. Thanks, Mom!

I point to my diaper and say "PU" when it's wet or dirty. This is another sign that I'm getting ready to try potty training. Mommy checked the store the other day to see how small they make underpants, but the smallest Target carries is 24 months (they were all out) and I'm still in 18 month pants. Not that Mommy's ready for me to give up diapers yet. I haven't actually used the potty once. But I've got all the rest of the steps down. I can pull my pants down, take my diaper off, throw it away, sit on the potty, wipe, and put my pants back on all by myself! So now all I have to do is figure out how to pee and poop on the potty and I can keep my diapers from being "PU!"

My favorite book this week is "Oops!" (Blue Hat, Green Hat by Sandra Boynton)

I like Wall-e and ask to have William's toy robot turned on several times a day. But then I stay far away! I don't want him rolling over my toes! He's a little scary, but fascinating.

My favorite movie is the Baby Einstein movie "Baby McDonald." Many mornings after breakfast I turn on the TV, climb into the rocking chair, point to the TV, and say "E-I-O!" which means I would like to watch my movie now. Sunday night at bedtime Mommy said I couldn't watch E-I-O (I pulled out all the stops and even signed "please" very nicely), but I could watch the next day. Well, I have a very good memory. The next day, after I had breakfast, went to school, picked up William, and ate lunch, the very next thing I did was ask for E-I-O!

Me and William watching movies

*I am very compassionate towards others. I pat William on the back when he's sad. I also like to sit with my arm around him while we watch movies.

My imagination is growing in leaps and bounds. The other night, I had Mommy crawl under my bed to check for lions. I was afraid and cowering in Mommy's lap while looking toward the bed. She didn't know what was wrong, so I roared like a lion. Mommy asked if there was a lion under my bed and I hugged her more tightly. So she put me behind her, crawled under the bed, and came out with two stuffed animals: a kitty and the Grinch. I laughed at that furry Grinch. Then I peeked under the bed myself just to make sure the coast was clear!

Centipede

Contents
Chapter 1 - Centipede
Chapter 2 - Trick-or-treat
Chapter 3 - Dump out candy
Chapter 4 - Organize
Chapter 5 - Eat candy

Ladybug

Chapter 1 - Centipede
For Halloween, I was a centipede with all 42 legs! Eliana was a ladybug for Halloween. Mom was a witch. Dad was a woodworker.

Chapter 2 - Trick-or-treat
Then we went trick-or-treating. And with my centipede costume on, my shadow looked like I had wild hair sticking out of my head and my whole body and it was black! And I got hundreds of candy! Trick-or-treat!

Sorting his candy.

Chapter 3 - Dump out candy
I knew I got hundreds of candy because I dumped out the candy and then I organized some of the candy.

Chapter 4 - Organize
When I was done organizing it, I said to Mom, "The rest of the candy stays in the middle."

Chapter 5 - Eat candy
I even got fruit snacks, a kind of fruit snacks that we have! And I ate some candy - a little bit of a lot. Eliana ate some candy - a little bit of a lot. I have lots of candy left!

Snuggly siblings

I learned something new yesterday. I found out that I can climb into my crib! Mommy and Daddy usually make me keep my nuk and blankie in my crib, and they help me get into it if I need a little snuggle once in a while. Sometimes William even helps me get into my bed. But now I can climb in all by myself. I just climb up onto the big bed and over the railing into my crib. I think a lot of kids figure out how to climb OUT of their crib. But I'm never in that much of a hurry to get out. I'd rather wait patiently with my blankie and nuk for someone to come snuggle me when I get up.