Halloween

We had a great Halloween! Gavin had been anticipating it for over a month and was so excited when it finally arrived. For the past 2 years he has known exactly what he wanted to dress up as... Last year it was Buzz Lightyear and this year it was Lightning McQueen, the race car from the Disney movie Cars. Arabella was a white kitty and I was a bumblebee. First, Gavin celebrated Halloween with his preschool class on Thursday, complete with a parade and trick or treating around the school. Then, on Saturday, we went to Tony's parents house and celebrated with the Allred cousins (Hayden, Corbin & Libby). They had a treasure hunt for the kids around the yard and house. Then we trick or treated around our neighborhood and there were a ton of kids/families trick or treating which made it really fun. In the last picture Gavin is counting his candy. He counted 47 candies (yes, he can count to 47).

Halloween Meal

I found these cute recipes on http://thefoodnetwork.com/. I made them for dinner a couple nights before Halloween. Gavin did a great job helping me make the chocolate spider bites and they were yummers (chocolate, peanut butter and pretzels)! The Snake shaped baked sandwich was so good. I made it with ham, turkey, provolone & cheddar cheese, Spanish olives, roasted red peppers and Dijon mustard. You just roll them up in crescent roll dough and bake it. I served the sandwich with tomato bisque soup (A.K.A Dragon's Blood) and chips. We had the spider bites for dessert. Get the snake bite sandwich recipe here and the chocolate spider bite recipe here. Give it a try next Halloween.

Arabella at 6 Months

Arabella is 6 months old this week! Here are some of my favorite recent photos. She has started eating some solid foods (rice cereal & squash). She can roll over both ways. She can put her feet in her mouth. She's close to sitting up on her own, but not quite there yet. She smiles and laughs a lot, especially whenever big bro Gavin is around. And she still loves to stick her tongue out.

Jana's Wedding

Tony's sister, Jana, got married in St. George last weekend (at Entrada no less). So we drove down there, stayed at my parent's place and played around for about 6 days. We went to the pool several times, Tony and I mountain biked, and we did lots of family stuff with the Allreds. Jana's wedding was beautiful. She looked gorgeous. The ceremony and reception were outside with the breathtaking red rock background. We watched the sun set while we ate dinner. And there was even some dancing. Gavin was right in the middle of it shakin' his little bum bum. The last photo of Arabella was taken at about 10 pm when she very sleepy. It was a great wedding and a great weekend.

Our Garden

This is the 2nd year we've planted a vegetable garden and it has really been producing. Like last summer we've had more tomatoes than we know what to do with. However, this year we have lots of perfect butternut squash (just in time for pureeing baby food) and 3 beautiful pumpkins. This photo was taken a few weeks ago and since then our pumpkins have gotten bigger and oranger (I know that's not actually a word). Gavin is especially excited to harvest our pumpkins for Halloween.

Arabella's Blessing

Last weekend we had Arabella blessed. My parents were in town and we had a wonderful weekend. Here are a few pictures from her blessing day. The 1st 2 pics are of our family, of course. And might I point out pic #2 where Gavin is insisting on a silly pose (that's Tony's favorite). Pic #3 is of Arabella asleep in the arms of her Aunt Donelle and cousins Kathryn & Christina (very sweet).

Summer Swim Lessons

This was the 2nd summer that we had Gavin in private swim lessons. He had a great time and learned a lot. Perhaps, next year we can just do some group lessons now that he has the basics down.

Tutu Precious

For those of you who attended my baby shower I'm sure that you remember this cute little tutu that my sister gave me (it got a lot of oohs & aahs). It's the epitome of baby girl femininity, which I thought I wouldn't be that into, but that was before I saw my little angel in it. I'm really beginning to embrace the joys of everything girl.

Solana Beach

We had the greatest time in Solana Beach (northern San Diego) for our Pyne family reunion. The weather was fabulous. The beach was gorgeous. Gavin and I didn't want to leave. Gavin even tried boogie boarding. This was our 2nd family reunion in Solana Beach. We vacationed there 3 years ago and loved it. It was great to return to Solana (sunshine) Beach and that beautiful little community. However, this time Tiffany owns a beach condo that we were able to use in addition to renting another one. Tiff's condo was fabulous. She's renovated and decorated it in a cool, contemporary beach style. It was very fun staying there. It was also nice to be able to see Cyndi (my best friend from Ventura), who came down from Huntington Beach with her family. During our week long stay we went to the San Diego Zoo, Knott's Berry Farm (pics below), and tried to fit in as much beach time as possible. I'm still daydreaming about it...

Camping & River Rafting

We had a wonderful time camping on the Grey's River near Jackson Hole Wyoming and rafting on the Snake River. This was the second year that we did this rafting trip with families of the men who work at Tony's station (#6). There were 6 plus families this year so we had a nice big group. Gavin loved rafting the rapids and did not want to get off the raft. He had no problem with the cold water drenching us (wish I could say the same). Tony and I had to switch off watching Arabella who slept a lot and hardly fussed at all. She loved the fresh air and being outside a lot. She slept better in the trailer than she has ever slept at home (8-9 hrs. straight every night). The Baby Bjorn came in very handy. I walked around camp with Bella in it a lot (picture above). We decided to bring Rowdy because he's been camping with Tony many times on hunting trips and we knew he wouldn't be a bother. Rocco had to stay with grandma and grandpa Allred because we knew he WOULD be a bother. The scenery was breathtaking. It will be fun to go back next summer.

4th of July in St. George

Here are some pics from our trip to St. George for the 4th of July. We met up with my parents and my brother, David, and his family and we had a great time as always. The 1st two pictures are of my parents house and the 3rd picture is of a pretty little pond across the street. I loved all the lily pads and flowers floating around in it. Gavin and his 4 cute girl cousins had a great time finding frogs and tadpoles all over the yard and in that pond. The last two photos are of the Entrada pool. Grandpa Don has pretty much all the grandkids hanging on him while baby Arabella sleeps peacefully in the shade.

Birth Announcement Photo

I ordered Arabella's birth announcements from tinyprints.com and I am thrilled with the finished product. I chose a beautiful and colorful birth announcement that cooridinated with the colors in this photo. The particular announcement that I chose was designed by Tea exclusively for Tiny Prints, ( Tea is a baby & childrens clothing line whose designs I love). Yours should be arriving in them mail any day now...

Favorite Baby Gear

A must have is a baby swing or a chair that bounces or vibrates. In fact, we discovered we needed one for upstairs and one for downstairs. It really doesn't matter what kind you get as long as you have a place to set the baby that moves in some way to calm them.

I love my BOB jogging stroller. I've wanted one every since Gavin was a baby. We finally broke down and bought one (at REI). It's not only a great jogging/power walking stroller, but it's all terrain so your little baby isn't bouncing around when you are walking on something other than a smooth sidewalk. It used to be that you couldn't use it until your baby was about 6 months old and had good neck control, but now they sell an infant car seat converter so that you can use it with your newborn (which is when you really want to lose that baby weight).

I love this infant car seat cover. We are using Gavin's old car seat, which is black and gray (not very feminine). This adorable cover can be removed easily for washing and it provides a little cozy comfort for my LTB as Tony calls her (Little Tiny Baby). For an added bonus... it is reversible. One side has this cool black and white pattern and the other has a super soft lavender chenille. This particular cover is by Itzy Ritzy.

How did I ever survive without a nursing cover when I first had Gavin? This is my #1 pick for baby gear that I can't live without. When you have a new baby and she wants to eat every 2 hours you must be ready to stop and nurse her no matter where you are (unless you just want to stay home all the time for fear of nursing in public). I use this fashionable nursing cover everywhere... restaurants, the park, the pool, the mall, etc. It's totally discreet, nice and big so it covers everything, light weight, and won't slide off like a blanket. This nursing cover is also by Itzy Ritzy. The one I have matches my car seat cover (above).

This is my favorite diaper bag (and I've tried several). It's the Skip Hop Studio Diaper Tote. It's the perfect size and I like how it resembles a large purse. It has the perfect amount of pockets. I also like how it can stand on it's own and it's comfortable to carry. To me it's fashionable and functional. You can purchase it here.

When you have a baby who screams every time you wipe her bum with a cold wipe, a wipes warmer is a necessity. I had one with Gavin, but Tony threw it away in frustration after owning it for only a week or so because it made the wipes stiff and brown. Well, this Prince Lionheart Ultimate Wipes Warmer does not do that. It's awesome! No more crying baby during diaper change.

I'd love to hear what your favorite baby gear is? Tell us which items you can't live without.

Summertime

Today is the 1st day of summer! I look forward to summer all year (well, all winter & spring anyway). It's always been my favorite season. Growing up it was my favorite season because school was out and now it is my favorite for the same reason (no work). Here are a few photos from last summer... socal vacay, Vegas, St. George and here. We also took our pop up trailer on several super fun camping trips... Bryce Canyon & Snake River. I wonder what this summer has in store for us? We already have a Newport Beach vacation planned, as well as the annual Snake River camping trip. We're headed to St. George for the 4th of July (please don't be 104 degrees again). And we hope to add in a few more camping excursions. Can't wait!

Happy Father's Day!

Here are a few pictures from the vault that I have compiled to illustrate what a great dad Tony is. I couldn't have asked for a better father for my children. He loves to teach Gavin fun new things (and I know he'll enjoy teaching Bella all these things too). In case you didn't know Tony and I share the joy of caring for our kids. When I'm working and Tony is off he stays home with Gavin (& soon little Miss A too). He's a very involved, hands-on dad. Happy father's day Tony!

I also must wish my wonderful dad a happy father's day as well. I've always thought he was the best, coolest, strongest, most handsome dad around. Growing up my dad was an accountant by day and superhero by night. He drove a Corvette. He surfed. He was a triathlete for years (winning several of the triathlons he was in). I often had friends who commented on how handsome my dad was. And now he is a wonderful grandpa and Gavin adores him. Happy father's day, Dad.

Big Brother

So Sweet