it’s kind of appropriate that it’s snowing on our blog because it’s been snowing in the bay area, too! this hardly ever happens, so of course everyone on every social networking site is abuzz with the news. this isn’t my photo because i haven’t left the house (it’s FREEZING out there, hellooo), but it IS a photo of the hayward hills, which, of course, is where we are.

thanks, kgo-tv!

drive safe and keep warm <3

thanksgiving weekend was very nice, but very busy. come sunday we were all happy to sit on our butts and do nothing. we were also waaaay over leftovers come tuesday, so jon came over and we had burgers from val’s and they were deeeeelicious. i’m looking forward to this weekend because, among other things (including a party i cannot yet speak of), we’re getting our christmas tree! maybe we’ll even get a picture of ellie holding the chain saw.

juuuuust kidding :)

in other news, i mailed our holiday cards today. this year i vowed i wouldn’t send them until we received at least one from someone else (even though ours have been ready since october), and we received one on tuesday, so off they went! i also have ellie’s birthday party invitations all ready to go. we’re keeping it simple, immediate family and a couple of friends only. i’ve been working on a slideshow of photos and video clips from her first year and i want to play it for everyone that day. i cry every time i watch it and it’s not even done yet. i can’t wait for the rest of the family to see it <3

btw, only 22 shopping days until christmas! what are you doing reading this blog?! GET ON IT!

our daughter ellie, our shining light in name and in meaning, who reminds us every day what it means to love and be loved in return.

our parents: bill, leslie, shirley, robert, geoff and rodica : for their endless love and support, and the way they love and care for ellie. for all they have taught us and continue to teach us about life, parenting and ourselves.

our friends, the ones we spend lots of time with and those we only see a few times a year : for their kindness and their honesty, their generosity and their humor. for the long talks, the laughter and the memories we share.

our health and the health of those we love. for the roof over our heads, the food on our plates, the flowers on our table. for ryan’s work and the opportunities it provides us, for our belongings and a comfortable living.

for these things and for each other, we are truly blessed.

happy thanksgiving <3

the lack family had a wonderful weekend <3

…ellie agrees!

we were supposed to hang out with matt and alyssa on friday night, but ryan came down with a nasty cold on thursday that really kicked him in the ass, so we spent the evening at home with music and a bottle of wine instead. eric and alicia called while running errands out our way and they stopped by to say hello. it was nice to see them in the comfy environment of home, especially since the last time they saw ellie she was in the NICU!

last time:

this time!

the weather was gorgeous on saturday and i knew if we didn’t take advantage of it we’d regret it. so, even though ryan was still stuffy, we packed miss elinor in the car and drove all the way down to palo alto where we dropped off my wedding and engagement rings to be re-sized. thank you, pregnancy, my knuckles will never be the same!

then we stopped at a bench in the shade to feed ellie, who was a very good girl by the way, and then we walked down university avenue and got caramel frappucchinos, mmm. it was almost like we had a cherub sunshine baby without colic whom we didn’t have to worry might go off at any given moment!

and, in fact, since we bought the amazing miracle anti-gas remedy known as MYLICON, she has basically been that. she’ll still have her fussy times, generally still in the evenings, but we haven’t had to deal with hour-long bouts of screaming since we bought it. could gas have been the culprit the whole time? terrible, awful, painful gas? we’re only sorry we didn’t buy it sooner.

oh, and after all the outdoor adventure on saturday, ryan became a baker extraordinaire and made both banana bread AND peanut butter cookies from scratch! aren’t i lucky? :)

the super chef spent some quality time with ellie on sunday while i got my nails done and did a little shopping.

then grandma came over to spend time with ellie while we went to dinner with uncle danny!

it was a very calm, yet very eventful weekend, and next weekend is shaping up to be more of the same:  we re-scheduled for friday night with matt and alyssa; we get to dress in our “sunday best” for flo’s garden party on saturday (happy birthday, miss flo!); and we’re having a belated birthday dinner for my dad on sunday.

spring has sprung and we are spent <3

one of the many fabulous gifts given to us at our baby shower was the fisher-price perfectly pink musical fairyland gym (thank you, auntie loretta!)

on the rare occasion that ellie is awake and calm, it’s the perfect activity mat for her to hang out on. the coolest thing about it is that her kicking controls the music! … not that she has any control over her legs yet, but it’s pretty cute to watch. we’re sure she’ll like it more and more as her vision improves and her hand-eye coordination kicks in.

we’re still waiting on that first “social smile,” but we have a feeling it’s coming soon! until then, here’s a little glimpse of ellie looking … the happiest we’ve ever seen her look, really … ;)