Santa!!

The kids both before and after Alayna cried when they had to sit on Santa's lap. I was so proud of our little girl. She remembered what she wanted to ask for and everything.

Waiting to see Santa

We went to see Santa at the fancy Bridgeport Village. So Alayna got to play on the playground while the rest of us stood in the line in the cold.

Tree Hunting

The tree fetch went very well. We found a new farm near our house that has a ton of nice trees. I love being in Oregon, where we can drive 10 minutes from our house, get some fresh air, and only pay $30 for a great big tree. No, Alayna isn't standing in front of our tree. I knew I would forget to take one of her later, and I did.

Halloween Costume

Alayna dressed as one of her favorite characters from TV. Her friend Rachel Ray.

Pumpkin time!

It's Halloween again, and time for the next sitting on pumpkins photo. We actually had to find pumpkins that would hold her weight this year. She had a lot of fun traipsing around in the mud. I think next year we will make her carry her own pumpkin all the way back to the car.

Guitar Heroine

Mike came a-visiting with his PS2 in tow. Alayna loves to play, even though she always loses.

Visiting Friends

We also saw our friends Sharon and Jeff in Worcester, Mass. The timing was a little unfortunate, so we only had an hour too see each other over lunch. But at least we got to catch up a little.

Visiting relatives

We visited Bryan's Grandma Gretchen at her home in Massachusetts on our way back out of town. Alayna played piano with her Great Grandpa and had a great time visiting with Great-Grandma.

Party time

After the tour, we had a party back at the house for Mike and Karen's anniversary. Cousin Sarah's shoes were great for playing in, but not as good as socks for dancing with Grandpa Jim.

Waterfall

The next stop on the tour was a beutiful waterfall. We were supposed to have picnic lunch there, but it was raining too much to want to stay long. Alayna and Ethan had a great time together all weekend.

In wine country

We had a wine tasting at a nearby winery in Ithaca. It was a lovely place, with a great view. Alayna and I had a nice walk around the grounds while everyone else was tasting. We had a snack on the veranda and visited for a little while before continuing the tour of Ithaca. Alayna carried Gene around in Annie's baby carrier for a while.

Family reunion

We went to Bryan's family reunion at the end of September. We all had a great time. We flew into Boston and drove to Ithaca for the weekend. Sorry, I didn't take any photos at the airport. The drive was beautiful with the leaves just starting to turn, no pictures here, either.

More funny sleeping

This little girl likes to take her time going to sleep. Sometimes she gets into some strange outfits in order to relax. I think she was dancing in this one before collapsing in bed. (Yes, I put her blankets over her before turning out the lights.)

Bath time!

Alayna loves her baths. Maggie has taken to sitting on the edge and thinking about jumping in.

Playing with Maggie

Sometimes Maggie actually lets Alayna play with her without teeth being involved.

Goats

I forgot to post this one back when I took it in March (2006). Her hair really did need to be cut back then. The goats belong to a friend of mine from work. They were brand new when we went to visit.

sleeping babies

Her biggest present in the smallest package is Maggie. We got Maggie on Alayna's birthday, Thursday, so she's been in our family for 3 whole days, now. Alayna got to pick her out at the shelter. She's a healthy, happy 9 week old siamese-ish ball of fur. The papers say Birmanx and Birman, neither of which we're convinced actually exist, but she's cute anyway.

This is what happens when you let a 3 year old dress herself. It took her three times going up and down the stairs to remember to get her underwear on, though. What you can't see are the paint spots on the pants. These are the one she paints walls in. She was comfortable, though, and I suppose that's all that matters. At least since we weren't leaving the house. 

Bryan's sister, Annie, had her first baby on the 15th of June, Roman Aaron Easter. They came down for Alayna's birthday party on the 9th of July, so he is almost a month old, here. I like the loving look she gives to all babies. But she thinks that this baby is partly her's so she loves him even more.

Bikini!

Alayna got her bikini for her 3rd birthday. She keeps saying that it's not the big-kid suit. She thinks the one-piece with Cinderella on the front and "Princess" on the back is the big-kid suit. She about to step into her blow-up pool on the deck, so that's why she looks impatient. The look says: "Put down the camera and open the door, Mom."

Ladybug

Here is Alayna in her Ladybug towel. Yes, she is under there. She just got out of the bath, and I took some pictures for my friend that made her the towel. What's funny is that she does this after every bath. She rolls up on the bath mat, and asks me to tickle the ladybug.

Silly kid

Another strange sleeping picture. I do know why she was sleeping here. She was mad at us for leaving her alone to sleep, so she camped out by the fence that keeps her upstairs. Why she's wearing all the clothes from her drawer, I don't really know.

Okay, here's a game of find the baby, it's like where's Waldo, but Alayna put herself in this pile to sleep. She does this sometimes, either to confuse us, or because it is actually more comfortable, we're not sure which.

Little Princess

Here is our sweet Alayna in March, 2006. She was dancing around the living room to the "sweet harmonies" of the news, or some such TV show, and graced me with a portait where she isn't closing her eyes.