Eliana loves yogurt almost as much as she loves to take off her bib!

I'm still officially a baby, but not for much longer! Yesterday I stood up and took a step to Mommy - by choice - which was a first! Mommy was shocked! She knew I could do it, but I never had. I figured what better way to get her to pick me up than to walk to her. I'm so smart! Tonight I stood up and walked almost halfway across the living room to Daddy. Just to show what a Daddy's girl I am.

I know now where Daddy is when he's home. He's downstairs at his computer. So now when we're in the entry way I always look downstairs and say "Dada." But some days he's not home and I miss him.

I've also figured out where the candy is in my trick-or-treat bag and how to beg for it. I just whine and point to it. Lots of times it works and I get a treat like fruit snacks or a sucker. Pretty soon I'll have that bag empty.

These are the words I say now: besides Dada I say done, Belle, Mama, bottle, ball, and digo. No one is quite sure what "digo" means, but it's one of my favorite words. It might mean "thank you" or "there we go" or even "tickle." I like words that can mean many things. Just like "ba" used to mean ball AND Belle. Now I can pronounce Belle much better. But I also call the kitty "Belle." I hope she's not offended. I like to babble a lot, too. It sounds like I'm really talking and I have so much I want to say.

If I could talk I would probably tell you all about McDonald's today. We went to the playland with our friends this morning and it was really fun! I liked the bouncy balls and the bumpy little slide. And right toward the end I discovered the big play set and took off climbing. Mom couldn't keep her eyes off me for a second or I was crawling off to discover some other new adventure... or french fry. I still don't understand why you can't eat things that are on the floor. They seem perfectly good to me!

I'm sure there are a lot more fun little stories in the photo album. Mom's been snapping away with the camera lately. So enjoy!

Daddy filmed me eating my birthday cake.

And here are a couple new pictures from today when I was wearing my new outfit from Auntie Leah. In one you can see all my big girl teeth! And in the other one I'm obliging my mom by standing still for a minute for a picture.

Showing off my big teeth by making a funny face.

She's a mess!

I had a really fun time at my birthday party on Saturday. Thank you to everyone who came to celebrate with me. I found a new favorite food - lasagna! I ate a ton of it for dinner. And then it was time for cake! I was so excited when I saw my little cake that I clapped my hands. Then they lit the candle! And THEN they sang happy birthday! It was the greatest! But it only got better because they gave me the whole cake to eat all by myself. I got really messy and really full. After mangling the cake, I threw it right on the floor. Grandma Lanz picked it up and gave it back to me, which she thought was being pretty nice. But I wasn't interested in anything except throwing it again. Washing me up took a little while and then I got to open my presents. I got some cute clothes. Some money that I just chucked to the side. And a noisy little push mower that plays music.

Today was my one-year visit to the doctor. I like my doctor. She says I'm growing nicely and am well proportioned despite the fact that I slipped a few more percentile points. I weighted 17 lbs 13 oz (6%) and measured 27 inches (3%). Considering my percentiles, it's amazing that I'm wearing 12 month clothes. The nurses aren't so very nice. While Mommy says I'm brave and friendly and handled everything much better than William did when he was my age, I was pretty mad about those shots! But the rest of the time I was happy and smiling and noticing all the fish tanks around the doctor's office.

I've been walking a lot better lately. I have taken as many as 7 or 8 steps at a time. But I still much prefer crawling. It's a pretty special event to see me walk because I have to be in just the right mood. But before you know it I'll be walking all the time.

Happy Birthday to me! I turned one today! The day passed with little excitement. I got a few phonecalls with happy birthday wishes that my parents fielded for me. Thank you to those who called. And then we had a pancake dinner. I loved every bite! After dinner we took a family trip to the library. I know that isn't too exciting, but we hadn't been there in a while and it was Daddy's first time in the new building!

I had my Maple Grove party this past weekend, which was very fun! I enjoyed exploring everything, especially my yummy cake that Dani made! Everyone was present who was in the delivery room the morning I was born exactly one year ago (minus one great-uncle, plus one brother).

I will have more birthday excitement on Saturday from what I hear. Then next week I'll have a doctor visit. Thankfully I'm feeling much better from my cold. I am sleeping better every night and my nose is mostly clear now. By Monday I should be plenty healthy for all those shots!

We celebrated the New Year at home this year. Mom said it was because I didn't take a nap. I think it might have had something to do with Eliana having a cold, too. Either way, I didn't mind. We ate pizza, played Uno and set some goals for the new year. Mom says goals are things you want to accomplish. I asked if accomplish was like that fire hose that Wall-E sprayed in the movie. But I guess that's not quite right. But when I heard what it did mean, I decided that one of my goals was to invent a "fire accomplisher." One that kids could use that had a button to make the fire smaller but not one to make it bigger, so it would be more safe. My other goal is to show people how I can hop on one foot and balance on one foot. I think you could probably help me out with that one!

Got it! Lesson One, passed!

For New Year's Day we slept in nice and late. Mom and Dad seemed pretty tired. I found out that they took turns staying up all night with Eliana. I slept just fine! After hanging around at home most of the day, Mom decided that we should get outside in the nice weather and try out the ice skates I got from Grandma and Grandpa Lanz for Christmas - my first real ice skates! I jumped at the idea! We went to the little rink over by Auntie Lynn's house because the one closest to our house was way too busy for my liking. I mastered the first lesson - standing on my own! The next lesson was to actually move. I made it a few inches. We decided that we really should find a chair for me to hold onto to save Mom's back. But it was fun and we stayed out even after some other kids came to the rink. We only went home when our toes got cold. I can't wait to try skating again!

And Mom thought I should tell you, book club cancelled because of the weather and my friend's family isn't coming to stay after all. So this week has been very calm, which is a big change! We've just been hanging out and playing with all our new toys.

The traditional "box" pictures

What a whirlwind! As the holidays continue to be celebrated, I thought I'd come on here and give a recap of the festivities thus far beginning with Christmas Eve. (The December photo album has also been updated.)

24th - What a fun evening we had! Grandpa Ron and Grandma Barb came and met us at our house and we drove out to "Church in the Barn" to celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior. What an awesome experience! Dawn, Nathan, Tiernan, Caedmon and Brayan all joined us as we piled out of our van. We were welcomed to the service by a camel dressed in traditional camel garb. He talked to us with his guttural groans and allowed the children to pet him, much to Eliana's delight! As we entered the barn, we passed horses, cows, llamas, sheep, donkeys and goats. Many of them entertained us with brays and moos throughout the service. Babies cries didn't seem a bit out of place. There were many carols sung, mittened hands shaken, and muffled claps. By the end of the 45 minute service, our feet were all a bit chilly (except for the babies, who made great lap warmers!) but our hearts were warmed by the Christmas spirit. We drove home in the zero degree temps to enjoy hot chocolate (with Baileys for the grown-ups) and sloppy joes with Grandma and Grandpa. I sense a new tradition...???

25th - We woke up at 10:00 to a four-year-old who needed reminding that it was Christmas Day. His first thought was to tear off the last of his links on his countdown chain and put baby Jesus in the manger. We all got dressed and came downstairs to see the loot. At the sight of it, baby Jesus and the chain were promptly forgotten, stockings were dumped on the floor and William began chaining candy canes together. Belle was the first one to have her gift opened, since she can smell the bone inside it and it drives her crazy!!! William needed more prompting than Eliana to open presents because he was happy just playing with every new item. I'm beginning to wonder if this is going to be his personality; by age four I expected a little more enthusiasm to tear into the presents. Eliana enjoyed ripping the paper and trying to take bites of it. She got to try her first chocolate, which was a huge hit!

After naps we headed over to Great-grandma Weber's for appetizers, socializing, and the gift exchange game. The game always gets very heated and this year it was no less so. We ended up with a cordless drill (we were playing for the Baileys and family heirloom glasses, which was the hot gift this year) but thankfully were traded for some mini loaf pans from Pampered Chef which I wanted! Darren made a beautiful handcrafted box out of maple and mahogany that was often stolen during the game and was won by a happy Laura. Ivy was in the den playing with kids and was happy to see that she also got the game Bananagrams, which I'd gotten to put inside the box.

When the game was over, we moved the Lanz family over to my parents' house for dinner, more presents, and hours of Guitar Hero World Tour. A fun time was had by all! We had intended to spend the night, but that didn't work out so well. Eliana went to bed just fine, but woke up at 11:15 and didn't want to go back to sleep. William needed to go to bed (our family was all in one room) and Jennie was tired as well (she and Adam were planning to sleep on the couches which were currently filled with musicians), so we decided to forfeit our bedroom and head home to sleep. It was a good decision since Ellie was up until 1:30!

26th - We set our alarms to get up at 9:00 so we could drag the kids out of bed and head to Bounce Depot to meet Grandma Barb, Dawn and her boys. My kids' gift to her boys was an hour to bounce on the inflatables. All the kids had a blast and were plenty hot and worn out at the end of our time there. We had some lunch and naps when we got home, then it was back to the Lanz house for Christmas with the extended family. We had our traditional hoers doeuvre dinner. Then it was time to sing the required Christmas carols before opening presents. Eliana loved the singing and all eyes were on her as she bopped to the beat, clapped and cheered for the singers! We played another gift exchange game where Joe and Kathy brought home Darren's box and we went home with a beautiful framed photo of Clemens Garden that we are excited to hang in our living room.

27th - Now on to the McKeever family Christmas for our traditional fondue. Steak and fish go into the fondue pots. The grown-ups were cooking for five little ones this year. This will be the last Christmas that we will outnumber the children with this group (if the Sobiechs were present it would be 1:1), as baby number four is expected to the Legatts in March. After cleanup is done, gifts are opened one at a time going from youngest to oldest, so this year Eliana got to open first. We brought along the Wii and picked up a second controller on the way over so the adults could try it out against each other playing bowling, tennis, baseball and golf.

28th - The plan was to attend the annual Christmas Poker Party put on by Tommy and Michelle in Minneapolis, but we decided to stay closer to home for the day. We used some soon-to-expire movie passes to bring William to see Bolt (very fun!) and let Eliana play with Grandpa and Grandma Lanz. She learned how to go backward down the stairs, although she's still not too good at turning around at the top. Darren and I got much-needed haircuts from Grandma Lanz after the movie. It was a very productive evening!

29th - That brings us to today. A nice, lazy day of playing with new toys, updating the website, and practicing new skills. Eliana was standing on her own all morning while she watched William race his remote control car around the living room. She even took a step toward me before chickening out. Today is a nice break before the festivities start up again with book club, a New Years' Eve party, house guests, and the RESOLVE holiday party yet to come this week. Next week will be a shock to our systems when school starts up again and we have to get back to reality! But Eliana's birthday will help break up the week. If you made it this far, thanks for sticking with me! We hope your Christmas was filled with as much merriment as ours!

I want to wish everyone a Merry Christmas from my whole family! If you are on our Christmas card list, Mommy and Daddy have been working hard to get out some last minute cards. Hang tight. One batch went out on Saturday and more should be in the mail tomorrow. I haven't been making it easy on them. I usually play really nicely, but have decided that this is a good time to be clingy, since everyone is so busy. I need to make sure to get my fair share of attention.

Another thing that's been taking up my family's attention is Mommy's birthday. Mom and Dad have been going out and leaving me and William with grandparents, which is fun, but I miss my Mommy time. And then when they are around, it seems like someone is always playing the Wii since Mommy opened her present on Friday morning. She was really surprised because she thought all she got was an electric tea kettle, which she needed. But then in the bottom of the box, surprise! There was Wii Sport! And you can't play that without a Wii! I'm glad she got it because now I won't have to listen to her try to convince Daddy that we should get one anymore. And I like to pretend that I'm doing it, too.

If you're wondering about me walking, don't bother. I'm not at all interested in walking on my own. Those few steps I told you about a few weeks ago was the last time I tried taking steps without holding on. I have no patience for practicing and I just get down and crawl away. But I am happy to walk around all day if I'm holding on with at least one hand. That way I can go FAST! Can you imagine me when I get my drivers' license?

William's Christmas "list" for Santa

There have been so many fun things going on lately, I don't know where to begin. How about counting down to Christmas? We've been doing fun things, like watching Rudolf the Red-nosed Reindeer on tv and doing lots of shopping. Mom and I made a paper chain to keep track of how many days until Christmas. It's still a pretty long chain. I also made a Christmas list for Santa. Mom said that since I only asked for one thing, there's a pretty good chance that I'll get it. I want a new hotwheels motorcycle like the one that I lost. I wrote the letter to Santa all by myself. I sounded out all the words. I ran out of room and had to fit letters in where ever they would go. But I know Santa will know what I meant, just like he'll know who it's from. I didn't think I needed to sign my name.

Then St. Nick came to my house. I put my boot outside and while I was getting my pajamas on after my bath, I heard a loud knock on the door and the doorbell rang. When I came downstairs, there was an apple, some M&Ms, orange tic tacs, and a sucker in my boot! St. Nick is a pretty nice guy, but he likes to be secret and doesn't let us see him.

On Sunday I got to go to a birthday party for my friend from preschool. He's turning five and had an Incredible Hulk party at his house. My favorite parts were the cake and icecream, swinging at the pinata, and the beanbag toss. It was pretty fun! And I got a big goody bag of treats to bring home. Right now I have SIX Hulk tatoos on my arms! We should've taken a picture.

This week will be even more fun! Mom's coming to school with me tomorrow to volunteer. We're making gingerbread houses in ECFE on Wednesday. Thursday is our last day of preschool before vacation and we're making gingerbread men. And hopefully it's not too cold on Friday night for the first ever parade of lights in my town! Let's not forget Cookie Day on Saturday! What a lot of fun!

I'm so proud of myself! I am learning so much. I took a couple very wobbly steps on my own today before someone had to catch me. It was so exciting! I'd probably be walking by now if I wasn't so excited. My diving attempts have me bouncing and giggling more often than stepping. But watch out, when my feet catch up with my enthusiasm, I can guarantee I'll be running!

I've also started blowing kisses. At bedtime my parents always help me blow kisses to the rest of my family and I love it. But I would never, ever do it on my own. I think it was because I knew they would eventually do it for me. If they give me the idea when it's not really bedtime, then I'll blow kisses all on my own.

A new fun game that I learned is to use the hammer and pound to make the balls roll down in the Hammer Away boat. My hand eye coordination is really great! Plus I'm fast and I can reach farther than you would think, which can sometimes make for trouble. But I have learned quickly to keep my hands to myself when my parents are holding me and trying to do something like eat or drink or cook. I know that if I want to be held, I have to look and not touch.

I just wanted to let you know real quick that those top two teeth finally poked through on Saturday! They must have taken a break for a while because they didn't bother me at all for a couple weeks and then this last week I was working really hard on them again! Now they're finally through so hopefully I'll be more comfortable for a while. After I get rid of this nasty cold, of course. I can thank William for this one. Well, it's between him coughing and the fact that my fingers are always in my mouth with all this teething. But aside from keeping Mommy in the steamy bathroom a couple nights nursing my croup, I've been my usual happy self. And my breathing has improved, so it looks like my first croup is conquered. Well, back to my usual busy-ness. I've got to go work on my next milestone. I've been having lots of fun walking holding on one-handed lately, so stay tuned!