Just being cute

She gets that cheesy smile from her dad. She smiles like this all the time, you can't help but smile back.
She has started praticing making a lot of different faces.

This is a hat from Monsters Inc. on ice. With all that hair it looks like it almost fits.

Here they are again. I think they are looking at the snow. You can't tell but it was snowing this day.

Chelo's Spot

Daddy took us to a beautiful area in the town we live in. It overlooks the river.

Here is daddy and Elena at one of daddy's favorite spots.

For some reason Elena kept trying to chew on my glasses.
Here is Elena hiking on her first trail. She's a natural, she loves the outdoors.

Halloween '08

Well we had three different costumes to choose from. The first was Pooh. Which of course Elena was adorable in but the head made her a little unbalanced and it was real hard to zip with the zipper being in the back where her hair is.

The next was a skunk although a lot of people thought she was a cow. She wore this one to the church for the Maze Craze which she had a blast at.The last was Piglet. She was adorable in this. She wore this to the parade that the elementary school does every year.
We went to the parade with daddy, mommy and the two interns Nolan and Aaron. Elena came home with two new necklaces and a fat lip. She took a little tumble on the sidewalk. She's tough though.

She's on the Move

Well we have a really mobile baby now. She is walking really well. She is so proud of herself.

Look at her go.

Candid shots

Eating lasagna for the first time. She had food everywhere. Luckily she was just wearing a diaper so her clothes weren't ruined. Daddy had a fun time cleaning her off.
Pushing around her doll and bear.

She is such a happy girl. I love this face.

She figured out how to reach all by herself. She climbed up onto her car so she could reach her kitchen. She is so smart.

Out in the fall colors

Elena and daddy
Elena and mommy

Elena really likes leaves. She loves to crunch them in her hands.

This park is so pretty. We never see anyone back in here. It was gorgeous with all the leaves changing and falling.

Boogie down Elena

This is Elena "dancing" and saying Ty.

Elena loves to dance. She has this little tent and the doorbell to it plays music so she presses it a lot.

Our Pie

While it was still fresh we decided to make our own lemon merengue pie after grandpa left. It was really good and of course didn't last long.

Abuelo visiting

Elena con Abuelo
Abuelo feeding Elena.

And, of cours, reading together. She is definetly a Santana

Salmon Fishing '08

Here are the guys taking a quick break. From catching a lot of fish.
Just maximize this to see it closer. It's Marcelo and Steve just being silly. After a while of fishing the guys just get in and have fun in the river.

Here they all are. It was a beautiful day.

We also got to meet my new niece Sadie Belle. Here is Elena meeting her newest cousin.

Here is Aunt Laura with the two little ones.

Here is Uncle Marcelo with Sadie Belle. Does it look like he's ready for another one?

Here is one of the salmon that was caught.
Marcelo the chef is getting all the salmon ready.

What is on this tree pa pa?

Thanks for the bagel Grandma.

Weekend with Grandpa Bennett

We took a walk down by the river to show Grandpa the sites.
She did just wake up.

While Grandpa was here he thought us how to make a lemon merengue pie and applesauce. Here is Marcelo making the crust for the pie.

Here is the big girl walking with her daddy.

First Steps

That's right Elena has taken her first steps. We are going to be posting video and pictures soon. We are having so much fun with her. This has been a very busy month with a lot of visitors. We had my (Laura) grandpa here along with Chelo's dad plus more of my family came up for the annual salmon fishing trip. Pictures of the visits will be posted within the next couple of days, stay tuned.

Fun at the Park

Going down the slide with mommy. We are trying to get in as much fun outside as we can before the weather gets too cold.

Here we are swinging again. She likes to swing on her own and with us.
Here is daddy with his beautiful little girl.

Hanging out at home

She loves looking out the windows. She just looks so cute standing there.

We emptied out the legos and of course Ty needed to climb in the bag.

Ty is always in the know.
She's excited she learned how to get into the laundry basket all by herself. No she has to always "help" with the laundry.

Labor Day Weekend Fun

Playing in the sand with daddy.
Mommy and daddy buried me.
So clean in the sand.
Hey daddy, what's in there?
I love any and all swings.
Here we are at the Labor Day parade. We got lots of candy.
Here we are on Petit Lake on Bakos' boat.
Marcelo water skiing. He does a great job until he tries to do his tricks.