Merry Christmas

We hope that you all had a Merry Christmas. We had a great Christmas. We went to the Children's Mass at church on Christmas Eve. This was a little frustrating because even though we got there 25 minutes early we had to stand in the back of the school cafeteria. It was a little dissapointing because there were no pretty Christmas decorations to look at. But that really isn't the point of going to church so I guess it was okay. The message was wonderful and it was fun to see all the little kids in their Christmas outfits. Except for the little boy whose parents had dressed him in some horrible contraption that looked like Christmas leiderhosen (not sure about how to spell that). Poor thing, some day he will see pictures and be mortified.

We spent the evening with Adam and Laura. We had a wonderful dinner and then hung out while all the presents were opened. Isha loved stealing the bows off of all the presents.

On Christmas morning we got up and opened all of our presents. We took a video, but Jai has to edit it because there is an hour of tape, so stay posted for that. Isha tore some paper, but Jai and I did most of the work. Isha really enjoyed playing with all of her new toys. Santa spoiled Isha this year. She got an activity table, a dancing tower, a playland that even has it's own ball pit, a little walker that Isha can push around and practice her walking, bathtub toys and a few more things. I felt guilty that we got her so much stuff, but honestly when I go to my friends houses they already have all this stuff, so I guess we are doing okay. Isha also got lots of gifts from family and friends, so she made out like a bandit!

It was a wonderful day. Today we went out with all the crazy after Christmas shoppers and did a little bargain shopping. That is one good thing about her birthday being so close to Christmas. We can get some really good deals on stuff.

Christmas Pictures

Yesterday we went and had Isha's First Christmas pictures taken. Considering that she hadn't taken a nap that morning things went pretty well.

Of course when I went in there I had only planned on getting one Christmas picture and one baptism picture. Well 118 shots later we came home with way more pictures than we need. I should have told here that we didn't need 20 different poses, but Isha looked so cute that I just went along with everything. We picked this one for our $9.95 special. We liked the sneaky little grin she had on her face! One of these days these will turn up in your mailbox, but probably after the Christmas rush at the post office. If anyone is looking for a career change you should check into buying a Portrait Innovations franchise. That place was packed yesterday and with their sales tactics it is a gold mine. How can you say no to cute kid pictures? Isha was the cutest kid in the place. I know that all the other parents were thinking the same thing, by they were wrong! We had a great time yesterday and now we have some beautiful and fun pictures to remember Isha's first Christmas. We also did a few pictures of Isha in her baptism gown. Jai thought she looked Amish in her little bonnet. I have to admit that she does look weird because I am used to seeing her with all of her hair.

Hanging With Dad

Here is Isha just chillin' with Dad. Actually they were sitting on the couch watching Wheel of Fortune. Isha is definitely taking after her dad, feet up with remote control in hand. This is another Jai thing. He always sits with his feet crossed like this and Isha does the same thing. Although I'll have to say that Isha's feet are much cuter! They are two peas in a pod. Yikes! Today we had some friends over for sugar cookie decorating. We had a great time starting a new Christmas tradition. I think I am going to be vacuuming up sprinkles for the next few weeks, but it was worth it! And one last bit of new! Isha took two steps all by herself last night. Jai and I were so excited. We had to bite our tongues because we didn't want to get too excited and scare her and make her lose her balance. It is so exciting to see her becoming so independent!

11 Months Old

Isha is now 11 months old. I can't believe that it is less than a month until her 1st birthday. Sometimes it makes me sad that she is growing up so fast, but I enjoy watching her learn new things. We put the Christmas tree up this weekend. We put the tree behind the stairs in the entry way. I miss having the tree in the family room, because there is nothing better than sitting by the fire and looking at the sparkling Christmas tree lights, but I didn't know how to keep Isha out of the tree. I am hoping that since it is out of sight we will be okay. I did let her check out some of the ornaments. She giggles every time we look at the tree. I am sure she loves all the pretty lights and colors. We went to church on Sunday and it was very stressful. Our parish is huge and parking is a big problem, especially during the advent season, when all the Christmas/Easter Catholics decide to go to church. By time you park and make it into church (and hopefully find a seat that hasn't been "saved") you need to be in church because you are definitely having some unchristian thoughts. Luckily we made it in and had a good time. Isha is pretty good in church. A little bit of wiggling, but no crying or screaming! I love this little outfit. I makes her look like such a big girl. It is hard to take pictures anymore because Isha knows what is happening and she wants to crawl over and steal the camera.

Isha Crawls and Stands

Check this out. Isha crawls and stands. She is growing up so fast. Where does the time go.

Mommy's Helper

One of the girls I work with gave Isha a big box of clothes that her little girl, Tatum, has outgrown. It has been fun dressing Isha up in all these new clothes. I can't thank Holli enough for giving us all of these cute clothes. While I was getting dinner ready, Isha figured out how to open up the cupboard doors. She was excited not only that they opened, but that there were treasures hidden inside. She has also discovered the dishwasher. If I could just get her to empty it when the dishes are clean! Actually I am sure that she would empty if it for me, but I don't think that the dishes would end up where they belong. The Millers came over for dinner last night. We haven't seen them in quite awhile. Hartley is now a year old. We put the girls in the pack n play while we ate dinner. They had a good time putting on a show for us while we ate. After a few minutes I had to bribe them to stay in there just a few more minutes with graham crackers. Hartley was so cute, she shared her graham cracker with Isha and then Isha tried to steel the toy that Hartley had. I guess Isha figured that if she was willing to give up food she would be willing to give up the toy. Today we got our first snow of the year. I tried to take a picture of it because it was so pretty, but it didn't really show up. But trust me there was snow and it actually helped put me in the holiday spirit. While Isha was taking her afternoon nap, I got all the Christmas decorations out of the attic. Yesterday Jai was in a car accident. Luckily he wasn't hurt and the other person was okay also, but the truck doesn't look so good. The whole passenger side will have to be fixed. I am just glad that Jai is okay! Scary stuff. Last night was also a little tough. Isha decided to get up at 12:30 in the morning and wouldn't go back to sleep. It took two hours to get her back to sleep. She has been sleeping through the night for so long that I was worried that something was wrong. Today she has been fine so hopefully tonight will be better. We are wondering if she is teething, but there has been no drooling or fevers, so who knows what is going on!

A Little Holiday Cheer

We learned how to do this from the Millers! Check it out. http://www.elfyourself.com/?id=1139167546 Enjoy!

Hokie Football

The last two Saturdays have been spent watching Hokie football with Adam and Laura and Louis and Linda. Isha wore her VT cheerleading outfit to cheer on the team. Isha watching the game and snuggling up with her dad. Adam gave Isha a ride on his knee. She had a great time bouncing up and down. We also took a walk around the pond last weekend. Isha loves to ride in her stroller and be outside. The last week has been busy. We have been busy going to play groups and planning Isha's first birthday party. It will be here before I know it so I better get moving. Isha has been busy growing and learning new things. She has started to stand up without holding onto the table. Her balance is getting much better and now she can stand all by herself for about 30 seconds before she is down again. She has also started baby talking. It is so cute! She has little conversations with herself.