We Went to Disneyland!

We went to Disneyland last week. Guess what. Sophie loved it. Weird, right?

Recap:

The boys all ready to go.


The Family.


Sophie's first ride of the day.
That's sheer excitement on her face.

Sophie's favorite ride was the Teacups. This is my favorite shot. All 3 additional riders are doing some sort of hand motion toward the camera, and Sophie's not sure what exactly they're talking about.

Sophie wearing her Minnie Ears.

(They're individual hair clips, not a headband or a hat like you normally see. And they were adorable.)

Mickey's house
You may recall the last time we visited Mickey's house:

It went a lot better this time.

And finally, here is a glimpse of what each character meeting went like:


She was totally excited to meet everyone until, you know, she actually approached them.

Yard Sale Day

It hasn't rained here for about 3 months. What are the odds that it'll rain on our garage sale?


Hmmm. Apparently, there was one rain cloud over our city on Saturday, singling out my house. Everyone that came to our driveway full of wet merchandise drove up in dry vehicles and commented on our soggy situation.


This is what we felt like:


But we had fun. And we all decluttered a bunch.

Blessing Sam

Our Families (sorry Cathy)

Last Sunday, Jake blessed our Samuel at church. Our bishopric encouraged us to make it an intimate affair, so we chose to only invite our immediate families. Jake did an awesome job, and Sam looked especially handsome. He wore the same outfit that Jake wore as a baby when he was blessed. Awesome, right?

This is my favorite picture from the day. It wasn't planned to look this way (we were trying to convince Sophie to stand up), but I think it turned out so perfect.

Then, about an hour later, we headed out to Danny & Lindsi's church to see Danny bless Baby Chase.


Here are the two baby cousins hanging out together (Sam on the left, Chase on the right). Or, as Ellie described it, "Two Chases!"

Halloween

Sophie went Trick or Treating for the first time this year. She was looking forward to it for a week, and practiced all the time to yell "trick or treat!" ("Fwi oh fweeee!"). We only went to a few houses around our neighborhood, but it was enough for her. As she was leaving one particularly good house, she exclaimed to me "This makes me SO HAPPY!" It totally made my day.














Note about the costume: We had a size 12 month duck costume from a previous event two years ago. I added yellow foam letters spelling "DUCK" down both sides, bought a pair of orange tights, and turned her into the Word World duck. Anyone with a 2-year-old got it, everyone else just thought she was a cute duck.

My Black Tie Optional Attire

Jake and I were invited to a Black Tie Optional wedding. As you can imagine, I had nothing to wear. And on top of that, it was nearly impossible for me to shop for it because I was growing increasingly big with child during the months leading up to it. And on top of that, have you ever tried to search for a cocktail dress with sleeves? Ridiculous.

Enter Stephanie.

She offered to make me a dress if I found a pattern. So I did (this one).

And this is what she turned it in to:


And here I am with my two handsome dates.


It was tons of fun to dress up for a night, eat good food, and see our good friends get married.

Wanted: Ducky

Sophie, age 4 months

This was Sophie's favorite first toy. It's a rubber ducky with a bunch of rubber tubes sticking out of it. We don't have it anymore and the exclusive store I bought it from three years ago no longer carries it. Has anyone seen anything similar? Or do you have one I could buy from you?

I think he might like it too.

The Sams

On Wednesday, Jake's brother Sam returned home from his mission in Argentina. Our Sam (who shares the same first & last name) prepared to meet him for the first time by dressing for the occasion.

Welcome Home Sam.

Apple Pie Birthday

A couple of months ago, Sophie proclaimed to me that she wanted apple pie for her birthday. Having never tasted or even seen a real apple pie before, I can only assume she got the idea from an episode of Word World.
Anyway, the idea stuck. Every time she talked about her birthday, she mentioned that she was going to have apple pie.

Who am I to disagree with that?

So, last Friday, we had all her local grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins over for her Apple Pie Birthday Party! I even made the pies from scratch.

Sophie had a great time (I think she ended up taking one bite of pie), and everyone there seemed to appreciate celebrating with pie instead of cake for a change.

She's Three Now

"Today's my birthday?
Today?
I'm not two anymore?
I'm three now?
I'm three now!
I'm not two anymore!"


She's excited.

Accessorize Yourself This Fall

I asked Sophie to go get dressed the other day, and this is what she came back to me wearing.

Scarves are so in this season.

Doesn't it just put a smile on your face? Most anything puts a smile on this guy's face.

He Looks Good in Red

Sam turned 6 weeks old yesterday and decided to celebrate by learning how to smile. I'll try to capture it on camera soon. It's adorable. You'll just have to trust me on this one.

Living in a House is Expensive

Turns out, Sam's birth cost us about $1500 less than we budgeted. Awesome. We thought we could pay off some loans or put it toward a bigger car.

However, like the second we realized this extra money was available, our house came a callin'. And we've spent the money the following ways:


1. A new lawnmower

2. Dryer Repair

3. Electrician (who we really liked, if you're looking)

4. Giant dead tree removal
5. Pool Repair (a never-ending bill)

Next time we run into money, we won't be discussing it within earshot of our humble abode. He sucked the money right out of us.

Newborn Photo Session

Sam and Sophie got their pictures taken by a real live photographer! (i.e.: not just me and my point-n-shoot camera). Ashley, of Sunshine and Shade Photography, came to my house for the photo shoot, and took all of the pictures right in my living room.


I've only seen a couple of the shots so far, but I totally love everything I've seen.

Aren't my kids the cutest?

See the full sneak peak HERE

Birth Announcement

(by the way, etsy is awesome. I sent an artist a picture of Sam's room, and she designed this card specifically for me. And now it's for sale in her shop too!)

He's a Snuggler

Just putting Sam down for a nap never seems like a good idea to him. He would prefer you to cuddle him up close to you and bounce him until he is all the way into dreamland. And then if he wakes, could you please start the whole process over?

Here we are mid-morning yesterday. He's wrapped snug in my sling, and I've replaced my computer chair with an exercise ball - which, by the way, is the greatest baby tool in the whole world. Near-effortless highly-effective bouncing.

It's Autumn Time, It's Autumn Time!

Look what came in my mailbox today! THREE October magazines. I was giddy looking at their bright fall colors as I pulled them all out of the mailbox.


Side note: Holiday decor that fills up a 2-bedroom apartment does NOTHING to fill up a house. Looks like I need to earn me some money and go shopping.

Fight the Faux?

I'm personally not a fan of the faux hawk. (pictured above for the old people who read this blog) I don't care for them on grown men, and I knew that I wasn't going to style my child's hair that way.

However.

This kid was born with a faux hawk. Not kidding. The bulk of his hair is on the very top of his head. The hair on the right side grows left, and the hair on the left side grows right. When it meets in the middle, it explodes upwards.

We've tried combing it in all sorts of directions - forward, back, parted right, parted left, and even tried just a random messy look, but to no avail. He has a faux hawk.

Do I embrace it? Cause he sure is cute. Or does anyone have any other styling suggestions.

Sophie & Sam

Sophie meeting her baby brother a couple hours after he was born

Sophie loves her "Baby Am". She was so proud to hold him the first time she saw him in the hospital last Tuesday. Every time she sees him, she gets excited, runs over, pats his head, and exclaims "CUUUUTE BAAAY-Beeeeeeee!"

This picture (above) was taken the first time Sophie saw Sam after we got released from the hospital. She asked to hold him, and just kept him on her lap for several minutes. She was really proud at that moment to be a big sister.











She likes that he's around all the time now, and is still figuring out how to touch him softly. Frequently used phrases at our house this past week include "Don't push on his face" "No twisting his arm" and "Use your quiet voice, please."