A Lady Bug & a Three-Eyed Monster

My friend Emily brought her little baby boy over to do a little Halloween photo shoot. I think Maylen's costume accentuates the roundness of her face.

Hope everyone's enjoying their Halloween festivities!

HaPpY HaLlOwEeN!!!!

A Very Spooky, Scary Halloween at the Thompson's

Last Saturday we went to the Halloween shindig over at the clubhouse to pick out a pumpkin, but all that was left were stems. We still enjoyed the great weather (I know, I'm sorry...I hear it's snowing in Utah...but maybe if I tell you my reality you'll come and visit!).

Cutest pumpkin in the patch.

There May goes again with her belly hanging out!

And tonight we carved our pumpkin and got a little creative while we were at it:

Shane doing the dirty work.
The final product.
And then we got a little carried away...

"Me So Happy"

"Jolly Old Saint Jack-o-lantern" or "Zippy Magoo"

"Hi-a-Ya!"

"So what"

I love Halloween time. Aren't pumpkins so charming?

Maylen is 3 Months Old...

It's seems like little May knew that she turned 3 months, because she's been pulling quite a few new tricks out of her hat:

• She rolled over (front-to-back) on her very own today during THIS photo shoot
• She laughed for the first time this weekend--it is so, so cute
• She loves to buzz her lips together and make bubbles (making for pretty wet clothes with all of that slobber)
  
• She loves to fly like a super-baby with her Daddy
• She uses her feet to scoot her bum when she's laying on her back.
  
• She kicks and kicks...no wonder she likes to eat, she has to replenish all of those calories she's burning!
• She smiles and flirts with everyone who stops to give her any attention.
• She loves to put her face right against yours
• She loves to look in the mirror

Who knew this could be so much fun!?

Catch-up Time!! (This is going to be a BIG one!)

I really should do this more often so I don't have these gigantic posts...maybe next time! ;)

We better start off with some of the latest pictures of Maylen...Maylen loves Halloween already (and no, we aren't feeding her candy just yet!)!

In her Sunday best (dress provided by my Grandma W.).

Love those Junior Mint eyes. (Headband provided by her Aunt Meg)

She's a very healthy little bub as you can tell!

I love this picture.

This picture just makes me laugh. She is so funny.

My ward threw me such a nice shower. I'm thinking this won't show up big enough, so it can be clicked to see the details. Thanks for all the girls in the ward who came and brought us such cute things. I'm so grateful to be a part of this ward.

Here's Maylen in her Puma track suit given to her by one of my Prince students. She wore it on her first flight to Utah.

...Great Trip to Utah...

Visiting with Friends...

I got to spend a great late night with some very sweet and hilarious girls, but forgot to whip the camera out. It's always so fun to get together and laugh like that.

First things first, I got my hair done by my darling and very talented friend, Candace Thomas. It was definitely a must after 6 long months of nothing. She did an amazing job and I am loving not having such a Pocahontas/Pioneer look to my hair. Thanks so much Candace...I love it and I love YOU!
Me, Rach, Camille, and Amy. Some great friends from my Utah State days.

I can't believe we're all moms now!
Visiting the Watson fam...pretty much family.

Maylen and Teev

Kinley and Maylen

Maylen and Skye (who guessed Maylen's exact birthday and was awarded 100 "Doll Hairs" by Shane....that Shane, he's sure a trickster!).

Drey and May

Drey Boy sporting May's headband...isn't he adorable!

Maylen cooing to her adopted Aunt/Grandma Nadine.

Just hanging...

Looking pretty cute and spooky in her Halloween outfit.

Hanging with her cousin Soph in her darling outfit provided by the Angers--so, so cute!

Heading to the Hogle Zoo...

Soph watching the monkeys with her darling pigtails.

Merry-go-Round October 2009...look how much she's grown to love it since October 2008

Loved the beautiful fall weather in Utah.

Seeing Shane's Extended Family...
We were able to go to the Fall Market and see a few of Shane's very talented/crafty cousins. We especially loved eating Kalani and Jenn's cupcakes. Check them out! Forgot my camera again!

Fortunately, Shane's cousin, Dalton, had his missionary farewell the Sunday we were in town. So I got to see a lot of the Ellis family.

This is Malan and Maylen. The man holding the baby is Shane's cousin (he's great and is totally fine with us naming our baby girl after him.)

Shanny, Dalton (headed to Paraguay in November), and me. Who knew that Shane was related to most of Weber county!?

Beautiful Makell holding sweet Maylen.

Shane's Grandpa Ellis

Maylen with some of her Ellis cousins...darling babies.

Visiting My Extended Family...
I'm sad that I didn't get more pictures of everyone with Maylen, but here's a few.

Maylen with her Great Grandma Winzeler.

Meeting my Aunt Lanell and Cousin Jen

Maylen cuddling with Aunt Shel.

Maylen with her second cousin, Megan. They were blessed on the same day.

Coming Home to Hang w/Daddy...

Shane wasn't the only happy one to have us back home.

Love these leg warmers made by her Grammy (of course!).

Thanks to everyone for making it such a great trip! Maylen misses her Grammy and Papa so much!

Phew...we're finally done! A lot happens in a month! Until next time!

Little Miss Maylen is 2 Months Old!!

A little about our Maylen who is 2 months old...

• She eats like a champ and sleeps really well
  
• She loves the sound of our voices
  
• She smiles all of the time and when she does, she smiles with all of her insides
• She loves to take bathes and "get the dirt washed right out of her hair"
• She loves to lay on her back and kick her feet
• She tries to roll over if she has something to push her feet against
• She is starting to coo with all of her "ohhhh"s, "ewwww"s, and "ahhh"s
• She sucks on her thumb and fingers
• She loves to be sung to (our favorite lately is "Good Morning" from Singing in the Rain)
• She loves to be Miss Independent and holds her head up when we hold her (Shane misses the days when she'd curl up on his chest)

What a sweet little bundle she is. We are so blessed to have her in our lives.

Shane Turns 29!!

Shane turned 29 this past Saturday and we were able to party all weekend! His birthday consisted of some college football, a little swim with Maylen (her first time), watching his favorite movie, Field of Dreams, and celebrating with great friends.

Maylen's First Swim:

Maylen looked so cute and funny in her swimming robe, she was all geared up for her first swim!

She was asleep when we first got there, but was ready for the Arizona sun when she decided to wake up to go for a swim.
She wasn't a big fan of the water at first...

...but we eventually eased her into it!

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Shane's brother and his wife, Val and Meg, give each other 4 gifts from 4 different categories for Christmas (and maybe birthdays)---1) Something they WANT; 2) Something they NEED; 3) Something to WEAR; and 4) Something to READ. We decided that it was a great idea to adopt. It helps us give meaningful gifts and not go crazy spending too much. We also decided to add another gift: Something to EAT.

So here's what Shane got for his big day this year:

1) WANT: Frisbee. Shane and I love to play frisbee and we've been looking for a good (soft) frisbee since we've moved here.

Here's Shane making a pretty wild-n-crazy catch on our honeymoon in Lake Tahoe:


2) NEED: Dish Scrubber. I know this seems like a lame gift, but it's kind of a joke. Shane is a very deliberate dishwasher and he's always saying that we need a nice big scrubber, so here ya go!

3) WEAR: A nice golf shirt for school.

4) READ: All the Places You'll Go by Dr. Seuss - Shane's favorite thing to read to little Miss May.


5) EAT: Steak & Potatoes and Cherry Pie Al a Mode

Here's Maylen and one of her first little friends, Becky, who's only a couple weeks old.

(Oh we also took little Miss Maylen to her two-month appointment. She's now 12 lbs and 24 in. She's a growin'!

Happy 29th Birthday Shane/Daddy!

We love you!

Maylen Ellis (7 Weeks Old)....

Our little Maylen was blessed this past Sunday and it was quite a heavenly experience. She was so sweet and I was told she looked right up at her daddy (I won't name names of whose eyes were open) the whole time she was being blessed. She truly is a gift from heaven. We got some beautiful pictures of her in her blessing dress and one of my favorite little outfits. There were so many cute pictures to choose from, so there are quite a few below. The dress and afghan are made by her Grammy Winzeler. I'll have to post more pictures of the actual event soon. We were so grateful for our family members who made the trek down--both of our parents; Zack, Taylor, and Sophie (my brother, sister-in-law, & niece); my Aunt Lulu; Andy, Judd, & Liz (Shane's two brothers & our future sister-in-law); and Rian, John, Chloe, & Jake (my sister, brother-in-law, niece, & nephew). It was so fun and special to have them come for Maylen's special day.