Haircuts

Mason and Dave showing off their new matching haircuts. 

What a couple of handsome boys!

Dressing up

When we were younger, my sister, Brooke, and I would sometimes open up the Halloween box when we needed to entertain ourselves. It was such an adventure as we sorted through old costumes and dressed up in them. Well, the other day Mason, Ellie and I needed something to entertain us, so we opened our Halloween box. We don't have a huge collection of costumes seeing that Mason has only experienced 3 Halloweens and Ellie 1. But there was enough in that box to provide lots of entertainment. We all had a fun time seeing what our lives would be like as blonds.

Mason
Ellie
Mommy

We got Ellie dressed up in Mason's old chicken costume. I took a few pictures to document how much Mason and Ellie look alike. Both Mason and Ellie are just over 1 year old when the pictures were taken. Crazy how similar they look! 

                          

The Things Kids Say

Mason and Ellie continue to amaze me. One of Mason's new interests is rhyming words. Pretty much everyday he will ask me about certain words. "Mommy, do bee/tree rhyme?" or "car/bar" or "four/door." Sometimes he uses words that aren't actually words "snuke/tuke." But he definitely understands the concept of rhyming. I guess I'm amazed because he just figured this out on his own. He is always listening and watching and it's crazy to see his mind absorb so much information everyday. 

Ellie is also talking. Her new words are "hi" and "mine." We were walking around the halls at church yesterday (which is usually where we spend our time during Relief Society), and every time Ellie saw someone walk past us, you heard this little voice say "hi," and her cute little hand would be waving in their direction. Now, I think being Mason's little sister, she has had to pick up on the word "mine" fairly early. It is definitely her way of making it clear to Mason that he cannot take certain things away from her. It's so cute when she says it because she enunciates it so well and stretches the sounds out "mm-ii-nn-e." 

Birthday Video

Ellie loved her cake. She was a little hesitant at first to really get into it. I think she thought it was weird that everyone was watching her. But by the end she ate most of it. It was definitely a different experience than watching Mason "eat" his first cake. Mason had one bite and that was enough for him. 

Birthday Video

This is Ellie opening some gifts (and Mason being a good big brother and helping her). This doll was from Grandma Trish and Grandpa Mike. Ellie immediately hugged it and held it forever.  It was the cutest thing. 

Ellie's 1st Birthday!

Ellie turned one on September 7, 2008. We had a great day celebrating with her. It was fun, because she knew it was her day. I think being able to wear a tiara and carry a wand around all day kinda helped her feel special. We are so happy Ellie is in our family. She is a wonderful little girl and we love her so much! It's amazing how fast this first year has gone. 

Happy Birthday Ellie!

Ellie Accessorizes

 

This morning I decided to put Ellie's hair up in a ponytail. Mason wanted to help too. He added his own unique style by placing a pink headband on her head. I thought it was funny and left it in Ellie's hair for a few minutes. When I went to take the headband off, she got upset and insisted that I put it back on. She already loves accessories! Anytime I put anything in her hair or around her neck, she loves it and knows it makes her pretty. Her new thing is shoes. She loves them and gets so excited when I bring them out. It's so funny to already see how girlie she is!

Ellie's Toothy Grin

I've been trying to get a picture of Ellie's two top teeth. Her smile looks so different now that they are in. These pictures give you an idea of what they look like. She's growing up so fast! I can't believe she'll be 1 in a couple weeks!

Ellie is Walking!

Ellie has been taking some steps on her own the last couple of weeks. She's getting very confident in moving around on two feet. I think one of her main motivations is to keep up with Mason. She adores him and always wants to be right with him. This clip shows one of her better walking sessions. I'm pretty sure the reason she took so many steps was because she was heading towards Mason who was eating a cookie.

 

Geoff and Erin Long

Geoff and Erin were married on August 19, 2008 at the Salt Lake Temple. 

Here are a few pictures from that special day!

Geoff and Erin

Jackson and Mason..looking good!

Mom and pretty Ellie

Claire and Mason saying "Cheeeeeeeeeese"

Ellie trying to climb up the stairs to play with all the big kids.

Actually, she was quite successful at climbing up them. 

Mom, Dad, Ellie and Mason

Mason and Ellie Dance Party

Mason and Ellie love to dance! 

Here's a sample of their talent for your viewing pleasure! 

(sorry about the poor quality of video, the lighting was really bad)

Here are some pictures from our trip to Antelope Island. We were lucky to see hundreds of buffalo the day we went. At one point they were only 10 feet away! Mason wanted to get out of the car, but we waited until they were a little farther away.

Dinosaur Park

We took a trip to Dinosaur Park with our friends Kathryn, Lilly and Sophie. Mason loved seeing the dinosaurs, and he said his favorite part was digging in the sand to find dinosaur bones.

 

Cousins

We had so much fun when our cousins came to visit. Mason and Ellie had a great time playing with Jackson, Chloe, Claire and Lexie. We can't wait to see them again!

Fourth of July

We watched the fireworks at the golf course near Grandma Nancy and Papa Steve's house. Mason had been looking forward to the fireworks all year. He was disappointed when they were over. I think he was expecting them to go on a lot longer. These were Ellie's first fireworks. She loved them! She kept saying "ooooo!" through the whole show.

Half Moon Bay, CA

Dad and Mason building a sand castle

 Feeling the water

Mason and Ellie's first "Buddies" picture

We visited the beach while in California. Mason and Ellie loved it. Ellie was really interested in the birds that were circling us as we ate lunch. When it was time to go home, Mason was sad and said, "We will come back lots of times." We can't wait to go back again.

Our Trip to California

We spent a couple weeks visiting Grandma Trish and Grandpa Mike's house in California. We also got to see Aunt Brooke, Uncle Eric and Aunt Ashley. It was so much fun! Ellie had her first experience in a swimming pool. She really enjoyed herself.