Cousins!

Lainee has been both spoiled rotten

and lonely like crazy

for the last two years because

Garen and I are both the oldest child

so none of our siblings had kids.

 

BUT now... As you know, she's got

a baby brother on the way in six weeks,

but she also just got her first

(not one but TWO) baby cousins!

 

Baiden was born a few weeks ago,

and Kennadie was born just a couple

of days ago!

(wish I had pictures)

 

 

 

We don't get to meet them until after Christmas,

but we are all soo EXCITED they're here!

 



Pierced Ears

BIG news!

 

Six weeks ago yesterday, Lainee got her ears pierced...

I know I know. She's pretty little and I always swore

my girls wouldn't have their ears pierced until they're

 at least 8 or 10 years old but, this 2-year-old of mine was

always talking about how she wanted

holes in her ears like Mom's.

I kept telling her "when you're bigger" and

 she kept telling me "I am bigger."

 

Needless to say she eventually talked me into it

 (I know that makes me look like a huge push-over)

and really what is our reason for putting an age on it?

Just so she could clean them without help?

I didn't mind helping her clean them after helping her

make sure her teeth were brushed every morning and evening.

 

The day we had it done, she was back and forth

on whether she was really going to do it.

We had a serious discussion about how it would hurt,

and that she would have to let me help her keep them clean, etc.

The discussing and debating resulted in...

a teeny pair of sterling silver, aquamarine studs.

 

After the first one went in, she freaked out a little

and I had to hold her and explain that she would

only have one hole if we couldn't do the other,

so she took a second sucker from the lady

and let her finish piercing the second ear.

By the time her dad got home that evening,

the dramatic part was over and she was in love with them.

 

Anyway our six weeks is up!

So yesterday we got to go to the mall and pick out new earrings!

Her favorites were dragonflies so those were the first ones she had me put in.

 She could not be more excited!

This morning while talking to herself in the bathroom mirror she said

 "mama called the doctor and the monkeys said... MY EARRINGS!!!"

 haha.

We got a taste of fall!

...just not here.

We have been in Washington with my family for the last week or so and, although everyone else was bummed about the rain, I actually kind of enjoyed being cooled off for a few days!
We went to celebrate Jordan and Ariel's wedding (which we missed because it was in North Carolina), so it made for a busy week since the reception party was in my parents' house,
but it was GORGEOUS!

The bride and groom greeting guests.

Opening gifts int the middle of the clean-up mess after the party.

 

My two wonderful grandmothers.

Lainee and her sweet flower in her hair.

Some decorations. (I painted the letters on the door.)

Trying to get some pictures of the downstairs before the party.

beautimus centerpieces arranged by my Grandma Hill.

Soups, rolls, bread, pumpkin cupcakes, crunchy no-bakes, caramel apples,

looking all pretty, and tasting even prettier.

Lovely. My mom did such an awesome job!

But I think she, Jordan and Ariel, and the rest of the family

are happy to have it all over and just settle down for a while.

 

~MORE PICTURES~

of what we did and didn't do

while we were there.

 

Lainee helping Grandma wash the outside of the windows and doors.

This is what she calls "Grandma's little beam for me."

We didn't have much of a costume since we didn't

have alot of room to pack one on the plane,

but I think she's a pretty cute little witch anyway!

Trick-or-Treating with her buddy Kimball the skunk.

We usually get to see Kimball and her mom Chrissy

while we're in Moses Lake and I'm so glad Chrissy is

married to Kent just for that reason!

 

It wasn't the most exciting week other than trick-or-treat

and the reception but it's always the best to spend time with

the family.

 

The day before we left to come back here,

Lainee woke up with a super croupy cough

so we've been dealing with a fever and the Croup

but it's good to be back in our own beds.

 

There's no place like home.

(Home where my mom and dad are,

and home where my hubby and kid are.)

 

festive fall family fun

It has ALMOST felt like fall lately with temperatures 

only in the 70s and low 80s, and with Halloween

aproaching, here's what we've done.

 

For FHE Monday night we made these for dinner.

Hotdog mummies. Lainee absolutely loved them. 

 

 

Then we made these for dessert.

This is without a doubt one of the BEST things about fall.

Our caramel apples were deLISH!

 

Then today, with the weather being so nice (aka not hot),

we went with some friends to the zoo.

It was definitely not a very big one like we all kind of expected,

but these three girlies had a blast.

 

Lainee petting a wallaby.

 

This is a Lynx.

 

Riding a pretend elephant (since this zoo obviously didn't have a real one).

 

It's so much more fun when Dad gets to come with us to do fun stuff!

 

Lainee and her friends Emma and Sophie playing on

a cute little bridge between animals.

 

They let you go inside this cage with some goats,

and Lainee threw caution to the wind to run around with

these dirty guys.

There was a sign on the fence that said

"goats may head butt" (or something)

and I was super nervous about them chewing on her hood

and choking her out or something (I doubt that's very likely)

but she was fine except for some dirty hands and feet.

 

After the zoo, we went to eat at the buffet in the Rio.

I decided that no matter what the buffet is, or how much people

pay to eat at one, buffet food is just not THAT good.

 

 

Tonight we went and got some pumpkins and brought them home to paint.

... Bet you can't guess which one of us painted each of them!

 

Anyway, we're trying to make it seem like it's autumn time

and sometimes I think it might be working!

More Fun Times

Just another picture post to give the gist of what we've been up to.

 

Good news! A month or so ago, Lainee decided she was done

with diapers once and for all, so even though she has been

daytime potty trained for a long while, she's been wearing undies to bed!

Anyway one night I went in and was going to wake her up to go potty,

and had to take a picture first because I loved the position she was sleeping in.

 

Lainee thinks it's cool to sleep in a sleeping bag

so one night we decided to ALL sleep on the air matress

in the living room.

Memories... uncomfortable ones, but memories.

 

We brought these old chairs down with us that my mom

was getting rid of, and have been planning to recover and repaint them,

and finally did!

 

I think our swimming season may be coming to an end.

Even though it's still 85 and 90 degrees, all the public pools

and splash pads close sometime in September. Lame.

Our pool is still open but lately the water in it is FREEZING

for some reason!

 

Lainee and I attended a birthday party for Honor,

the little neighbor girl who lives upstairs.

She turned 3 and had a princess party!

 

with lots of friends from the ward...

 

and a castle pinata!

 

One week for play date, it was at Dayna and Harrison's house

and we frosted and decorated Halloween sugar cookies!

Lainee did a great job of sticking candy bones ALL over

her cookies.

 

Lainee got to go to a Halloween costume party just for kids!

Some of the moms in our ward put it on at one of their houses

and it was super cute and fun!

(This is Lainee with the doughnut that she attempted to eat

while it was hanging from a string).

 

Our friends Scott and Janel put on a totally fun halloween party too.

We were Alice in Wonderland characters.

Garen won the "best adult costume" award!

 

All the ladies.

 

All the guys.

 

Garen is out of school between semesters right now

so he's been able to spend alot of time with us girls!

 

This weekend we did some shopping for fall clothes,

saw the mermaid aquarium at Bass Pro Shop,

and hung out at Ceasar's Palace for a bit to look

at the cool ceilings and eat some delicious gelato.

 

This week, we are going to the pumpkin patch/carnival down the road for FHE,

the zoo tomorrow, maybe a movie,

who knows what other fun things,

 

and then heading to WA again for

my brother Jordan and his wife Ariel's

wedding reception!

 

They got married in Raleigh, NC this weekend

and unfortunately we couldn't get all the way over there

but I heard it was fantastic and I can't wait to see them!