Don't mind the poor quality video...

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Ladybugs and Dinosaurs

Sundays are rough!

When Malia first tried on her costume she danced and giggled in front of the mirror in excitement! She loved it (except that the tights were "too tight!"...the largest size available at the store was only 24m but I couldn't resist)

Here she is dancing to some music in the parking lot at our ward's trunk or treat.

We only went trick-or-treating to about five houses. Malia was afraid of all the scary Halloween decor. When approaching a door, she would say "Mama- hold you!" and cling to my legs. Then, when someone would open the door, she would keep her head down until the candy was visible. The highlight of the night for her was going to Aunt LL's house for the first time. She didn't know that's where we were going, and was quite surprised when "Worr-Wee" answered the door.
Malia was very territorial with her bucket. I hid it the day after Halloween. Should I feel guilty for eating her candy? I do. But has that stopped me? No.

Introducing: Damon the Dinosaur

Guess what happens when you leave a toddler with her younger brother for even a minute: TROUBLE!!!

Loving the park on a beautiful sunny day!

This little sweet boy (who we've lately been referring to as the "ringwraith" for his amazing vocal talent) now has four pearly whites!

I finally got the courage to cut Damon's hair. The back of his head was practically begging for some clippers! In case you're curious, yes, I did save his hair. It seemed odd to me to save a boy's first haircut hair, but I did anyway. He looks so different to me now!

The poor guy didn't know what was coming...
Here is the before shot:

And after:

I've even cut more off since this was taken a couple of weeks ago.

Here is our little mama. She is so lovey to her dolls/animals. One of my favorite things is to hear her talk baby-talk to her dolls while she wraps them in burp cloths or hot-pads. This afternoon I put Damon down to sleep and he was fussing a bit. I left the room and had a sneaking suspicion she had gone in the room after I left, which she knows she shouldn't do while he is trying to sleep. I went upstairs to ask her to leave him so he could sleep, and when I went in, she was looking over his pack & play singing "Twinkle Twinkle". So cute! She then handed me a "blanket" (actually a crocheted pot-holder) to put on him.

Here she is loving the baby chicks at the farm.

Damon is such a chill baby!

I love the looks on each of their faces!

Malia's first pony ride. She did better than I expected!

Can you say: rat's nest??

Malia could entertain herself forever at the sink!

We love carrot juice in our house. It's one of the only ways Malia will happily consume a vegetable. In fact, she often cries for it first thing in the morning when she wakes up. "Carrot juice, Mama!!"....No problem!

Here is the finished quilt! I bought the fabric over a year ago...but I'm glad it's done! We've been talking about switching Malia over to a big girl bed.

And, for a couple of random tid-bits...

-While in the tub this morning, Malia exclaims: "Bubbles everywhere! That's pretty crazy!"

-Yesterday it was Nya's birthday. Very genuinely, Malia tells her: "Happy birthday, Nya creature!" (She also suggested we make her a cake!)

-Today I told Malia she has beautiful nails (they are long and feminine, unlike mine). She then said: "Gramma painted toenails. That's awesome!" (She was remembering Charlene painting her nails last month).

Hodge Podge & Halloween Preview

Here are some random shots from the last month or so. There will be more to follow (with more photos of Damon).

Malia's speed-walking form can't be beat!

Here we are in Neskowin, Oregon. It was a beautiful day at Proposal Rock!

It's obvious Malia is headed someplace very important! What girl wouldn't want to wear her ladybug backpack, Mini Mouse underwear, and heels on a special outing?

While trying to get Malia excited about brushing her teeth, I pulled out this trick from my childhood- doing it upside down is much more fun!

Sweet boy!

Now it's time to guess what Malia will be for Halloween...

Don't worry...she'll be dressed a little warmer than this!

Giggle therapy, anyone?

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Very healthy

We've been harvesting some delicious heirloom tomatoes from our garden lately. While eating one at dinner the other day we had this conversation:

Me: So...(asking seriously) are tomatoes your favorite veggie?
Kurt: They're probably in the top five. I'd say my favorites are: pickles, kraut, and fries.

I have an uphill battle trying to make some healthy changes!


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Funky tomatoes and Fallen apples

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August

We had a busy but very fun-filled August!

Damon loves the swing!

This picture needs no explanation!

Here is a dress that I bought for Megan while in Thailand over seven years ago. Liz gave it back to me a while ago and we've enjoyed seeing Malia's round little body in it! Everyone at church comments on how cute she is in this dress :) I know the lighting is horrible in this picture, but I just love how she's all head and belly!

Here she is with LL and her new favorite animal at the zoo.

Enjoying the fountains.

Damon wasn't so sure about that apple...

I love how if he's tired, he'll just fall asleep in the middle of such chaos! What a dream baby!

Here's Malia at the "park" in Chicago. She loved just stepping out the back door at the Bryans' house to their wonderful playset.

Hanging out with Makena.

And Jonah and Ethan.

I love all the pictures I got of Malia and Violet together. While very sweet, the pictures do not represent their interactions very well! Let's just say Malia is a pretty sensitive kid, and was intimidated by her younger (and oh-so-scary) cousin. Anytime Violet came near Malia, she'd shout "scared! Scaaarrryyy!" and run toward me. It wasn't until our last day in Chicago that they really played together.

Here's for all those Rick fans out there. Yeah, that's right. You should be jealous!

Violet knows how to work it for the camera! Malia could use some pointers!

More acting for the camera :-)

Here we are at the Dahlia festival. It has become an annual tradition. I just love all the different varieties!

Happy September!