Elves!

There has been a lot of talk about elves in the Benscoter household this holiday season ... First, our Elf on the Shelf (whom we named Rupert) came to live with us. Ellen had a great time hunting for Rupert every morning to see where he decided to hang out after returning from the North Pole where he went to give Santa a report each night. The Elf on the Shelf soon became our favorite bedtime story and the movie by the same name was watched over and over again thanks to our DVR.

Ellen was exposed to more elves when we went to visit Macy's 8th floor display. She loved all of the scenes, but her favorites were definitely the polar bear and dancing pig, the elf whose face was covered in chocolate, the elf with a present stuck on his head, and the elf walking on stilts.

We can't wait until next year when Rupert returns to our house for the holidays and we can revisit A Day in the Life of an Elf at Macy's!

Rupert the elf.

One of EVB's favorite scenes from the Macy's 8th floor display.

Tree Decorating by Ellen

This year, for the first time, Ellen partook in the decorating of our Christmas tree. She observed us carefully hanging individual ornaments on the different branches, but she apparently decided she had a better method ... stacking multiple ornaments in a pile in one special spot. :)

2nd Encounter with the Big Guy in Red

Ellen survived her second trip to visit Santa at the mall ... Like last year, she was all about it as we waited in line. Ellen pointed out all of the toys in Santa's tree and even noticed Rudolph standing next to Santa's chair. When it came time for Ellen's turn, however, she clammed up a bit (just like last year). EVB held it together and managed to sit on Santa's lap without crying (unlike last year), but she was too petrified to say much to Santa other than "thank you" when he gave her a festive coloring book and candy cane. :)

Checking things out from the safety of Mom's arms.

There, that wasn't so bad!

More Milestones for Ellen!

Recently, Ellen has celebrated a number of "firsts" ...

Her first trip out of state: We went to Iowa for my cousin Cori's wedding. Ellen did a great job during the 5-hour car ride and had a blast when we finally got there. EVB loved the hotel (especially the elelvator!) and had the time of her life dancing at the reception.

Ellen's only nap of the weekend: a 20-minute snooze as we traveled through southern Minnesota.

Enjoying a little Subway for lunch in the hotel.

Ellen & cousin Sophia (aka the flower girl).

EVB with Sophia and Gavin.

Her first movie in a movie theater: Ellen and Mommy went to see "Winnie the Pooh" at the Riverview Theater. Ellen was too tiny to sit in her own chair, so she snuggled with mommy. She paid attention the entire time and liked it so much that she cried when it was over!

The photo is a bit dark, but this is the back of Ellen's little head as she anxiously waits for the movie to start.

After the movie, Ellen and Mommy enjoyed some mac & cheese at Noodles & Company.

Her first night in a big girl bed: That's right, Ellen has moved out of her crib and her old room and into a new big-girl room! Ellen has done a great job settling into her new digs while we get her old room ready for the baby.

Ellen's new room!

Ellen all tucked in for her first night in her big-girl bed. :)

Thanksgiving & 25 Months Old

Ellen had a great Turkey Day! We celebrated at Grammy & Grandpa's house earlier in the day and then headed to Omma & Boppa's later in the afternoon for more food and good company. Ellen tried everything on her plate, but she definitely liked pumpkin pie the best!

In lieu of her regularly scheduled nap on Thanksgiving, Ellen took a brief snooze on the car ride from Grammy & Grandpa's to Omma & Boppa's.

Following meal No. 2, Ellen (and her baby) devoured some pumpkin pie. :)

A few days after Thanksgiving, Ellen turned 25 months old. I had originally planned to stop taking the monthly photos once Ellen hit the 2-year mark, but now I think I'll try to keep it going until she turns 3. She's still changing so much that I feel compelled to continue documenting each monthly milestone!

Looking more and more like a big kid!

25 months old and still as goofy as ever!

Halloween 2011

I think Ellen enjoyed her third Halloween! Leading up to the big day, we spent a lot of time talking about pumpkins (she loved spotting pumpkins on doorsteps throughout the neighborhood), ghosts and witches, and making our house look festive with a few decorations. Ellen also practiced saying "trick-or-treat" followed by "thank you" and "Happy Halloween!" to ensure she was ready for the main event.

This year Ellen helped us carve pumpkins and then dressed up as a duck on the big night. We went trick-or-treating at Omma and Boppa's house and then tried to go to a few neighbors' houses once we got back home. Despite all of the trick-or-treating practice, Ellen got a bit of stage fright and wasn't up to actually walking up to people's doorsteps. (She preferred the safety of the sidewalk.) So, she came back home and hand a grand ole time trick-or-treating on her own by moving pieces of candy one at a time from our big bowl to her pumpkin treat bag (or as she called it, her "pumpkin purse").

Pumpkin guts sure feel funny!

A squatting duck with the Daddy, Mommy & Ellen pumpkins.

Happy little duck!

Birthday Party #2

Ellen was lucky enough to have most of her grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins help her celebrate turning 2 at a Sesame Street-themed birthday bash. Ellen loved the attention, her Elmo balloon and yummy cake ... And, she received SO many lovely gifts! What a special day for such a special little lady!

Sesame Street cake: courtesy of SuperTarget ...

Cookie Monster cupcakes: courtesy of mom's questionable baking/decorating skills.

EVB got a super-cool Fisher-Price Laugh & Learn Piggy Bank from Grammy & Papa. (They also gave her a grab bag filled with all sorts of goodies!)

The Laughlins gave Ellen an adorable baker's set, complete with a hat, apron and oven mitt!

Ellen got a Mickey Mouse Look & Find book (and a fun Fisher-Price Laugh & Learn Sing-with-Me CD Player) from the Luke clan.

Great Uncle Jim gave Ellen an awesome cleaning set, so now Ellen has her very own broom! (She LOVES to "help" mom & dad sweep.)

And Omma & Boppa gave Ellen a Fisher-Price My First Dollhouse. (Ellen has been envying the one at their house for ages!)

EVB was a little unsure about everyone staring at her and singing "Happy Birthday" ...

But she soon got over it ...

and enjoyed a piece of cake, which she said was "so nummy-licious."

2 Years Old!

Ellen is 2! Yippee! Although it's sad for mommy and daddy to see our "baby" growing up so fast, we are extremely excited for her and all of the milestones she's reaching.

A few highlights:

• Ellen has been paci-free for more than two weeks! Wow - I never thought we'd see the day when Ellen went to sleep without her cute little paci in her mouth, but the transition was actually much easier than I imagined it would be. Aside from a whimper or two the first nap/night's sleep, Ellen hasn't looked back. And now when you ask her if she's a big girl, she proudly responds, "I don't need a paci now!"
• Ellen has been spending a lot of time practicing her bathroom skills and has had several successful visits to the loo. The pride on her face whenever she poops or potties in the toilet is priceless and within the past few days she's even requested to sit on the potty seat without us asking. EVB is still a ways from being trained, but we're making progress. :)

To mark the occasion of Ellen's 2nd birthday, we began the day with coffee and donuts at the SuperTarget Starbucks and then headed to the Children's Museum with Omma. We had a great time! In the evening, our family of 3.5 celebrated with a piece of cake and a few presents from mom and dad ... more fun will be had at Ellen's party on Saturday.

So happy to be 2!

Presents from Mom & Dad ...

Hmm ... what's this?

It's a Mexican Fiesta for my kitchen!

And, a potty chair for Baby Stella - just like Ellen's!

Weekend in Duluth

We recently took a mini vacation to Duluth and, while Adam and I definitely had a great time, no one had more fun than Ellen! For EVB, the highlights included:

• Greeting the mounted fish, stuffed geese and bearskin in the hotel lobby
• Riding the hotel elevator (or as Ellen calls it, "elligator")
• Checking out the pop machine down the hall from our hotel room (she didn't drink any, but was intrigued by the big buttons!)
• Sleeping in a big girl bed for the first time
• Watching "Fraggle Rock" ("Frito Rocket" in Ellen lingo) on loan from the hotel front desk
• Visiting the aquarium where she saw fish, ducks and snakes, played with little boats and went down a big slide in the play area
• Eating at multiple restaurants

It was a super fun getaway and the weather couldn't have been better. Can't wait for our next trip as a family!

EVB slept almost the entire way to Duluth!

Enjoying an evening stroll on the boardwalk.

Slide at the aquarium.

Checking out the ducks at the aquarium.

Having a snack in the big girl bed.

Riding in the "elligator!"

Collecting rocks from the "sandbox" (beach).

Watching boats.

Getting a better view thanks to a lift from Daddy.

23 Months Old!

Ellen is 23 months old and doing great! Here's what's new:

• Ellen's vocabulary continues to grow and she's speaking in more complex sentences. For example, on a cloudy morning she asked, "Daddy, where'd you put the sunshine?" And when we drove past a school bus last week she said, "Mommy, you like school buses, don't you?"
• Ellen knows all of her letters (and is getting better and better at the "ABC Song" and can count to 15.
• When asked, "What's your name?" Ellen responds, "Ellen Benscoter!"
• EVB started a new ECFE class earlier this month. She's having lots of fun so far and, like last class, she enjoys playing with the kitchen area and baby dolls best. And, she loves her teachers, Michelle, Carol and Karen (or as Ellen calls her, "Carrot").
• Ellen had another new first last weekend ... she rode on a merry-go-round. She was a little scared at first, but I think she ended up liking it.
• And, the biggest news is that Ellen is going to be a big sister in March!

Life is good and I can't believe my little baby is so close to turning 2!

One more month to go until the big 2!

Not so sure ...

I know Ellen will be a great big sister!

Goodbye Summer, Hello Fall!

Fall is officially here, but thankfully we were able to sneak in some final summer fun before the change of seasons:

Ellen made her first visit to the Minnesota State Fair. She loved looking at the animals ...

Sitting on the John Deere tractors ...

and she even braved the Giant Slide with Daddy!

Ellen also took one last dip in her pool and donned her swimsuit for some backyard fun ...

and enjoyed a sunny day at Lake Calhoun.

Now that fall is here, Ellen is excited about the leaves on the ground and PUMPKINS! (And, of course, her birthday, which is right around the corner.)