speaking of the professionals...

the nash family was a little bit overdue for an updated family picture. it's been more than ten years since the last one was taken, and we've had a change or two take place since then (i.e. millie and livvy!). it was a beautiful fall day in grand rapids, and for a bunch of people who would much rather be behind the camera than in front of one - i think they turned out pretty great. these are a few of my favorites...

a moving target...

since millie went mobile, it's been pretty difficult to get her to sit still long enough to take her picture. as soon as the camera is out, she's lunging for it. i have LOTS of her mid-crawl with her hand up to the lens. cute the first couple of times, but not exactly what i'm after... 

despite her best efforts to clobber the camera, i've been persistent in my picture taking attempts. i've found that distracting her with toys and stuffed animals works for about twenty seconds... long enough to snap a picture or two. t's evident by the results that i'm an amateur, but at least i've been able to record some of her cute little outfits and a few of those 'oh-so-serious' millie faces. for the time being, poses and smiles will be left to the professionals...

climb every mountain... and household appliance.

it's really been amazing to watch amelia figuring out how to take her first steps. she's not there quite yet, but she is definitely growing more and more confident every day. anything within her reach is fair game to help her stand up...  i now understand why people bolt all of their furniture to the walls!

i think that she likes windows so much because her hands kind of stick to the glass and it's easy to get a good grip...

... or maybe it's because of the entertainment factor.

she likes standing by her highchair almost as much as she likes sitting in it to eat... food is still top on her list!

the fridge is a pretty popular choice because not only are the shelves at just the right height, they're also full of pretty jars and brightly labeled bottles to pick up and drop on the floor!

but the very best thing in the house, BY FAR, to pull up on and climb around is the dishwasher... full of water, dirty dishes and sharp knives!

meanwhile, her box of bright and colorful age-appropriate toys sits in the corner... maybe she'll be interested in them once she can walk over there herself?  fingers crossed

first snow

thanksgiving

amelia is grateful for:

*  puffs

* jake and bako

* avocados

* soothie the seahorse

* stairs to climb

* bananas

* bathtime

* wiggleworms

* cheerios

i'm thankful for so many things this year, but this little peanut definitely tops my list. my cup runneth over.

with a little help from my friends...

it seems like people were asking me about having another baby before millie was even able to sit up on her own. after our first few weeks with her, i told everyone that she was going to be our only child. i was kidding... kind of. (wink, wink)

team caref gets along pretty well... i think we've got a pretty good thing going over here. but i will admit that there are moments when i think that millie could use a sibling or two. 

case in point: 

cinderella played with mice. millie plays with dogs.