Happy Hallowiener

That's what we do at our house now. Don't think we weren't in the running for coolest house on the block, because we just may have been. Brian has been serving hot dogs at work on Halloween for the past few years. This year, we parked the grill on our driveway and offered candy OR a hot dog. And if you were really cute, you could have both. We passed out 60 hot dogs and I'm already worried to see how many I'll end up buying next year.

Brian said next year the sign needs to be MUCH bigger. Here's the farmer family in all our glory.



Gavin was the cutest duck on the planet. He got sick of his costume after about eight minutes, so we had to put it on three different times during the day. I took him to see dad at work and he was a hit at my work lunch party. It's hard not to be when you're that cute...


My bosom buddy Karen and her teddy bear, Elsa


This double chin falling out of the hat kills me.


And this is pretty much what he thought about the day - but we had a great time. I've never been a Halloween person, but dressing up a baby made it much more enjoyable for me. It turns out it's a lot less chaotic than the 5th grade kind.

Bottle Baby

I started nursing Gavin this summer not knowing how that would all pan out when I went back to work. My realistic goal for myself was to get to six months. I'm about six weeks short, but this week I finally had to give up entirely. It's been a month coming, but with work, a boy who eats a lot and wants it FASTER than I can get it to him, I just couldn't keep up. He has realized that bottles are much simpler - so I was easy to replace. I was sad at first - it was quite a pleasant experience for me and I'll miss that close time with him. However, this week I had a great time putting away all of my nursing stuff. I just feel like a regular girl now.



In other news, Gavin finally went to his four month appointment (just 20 days late...) He weighed in at 18 lbs. 5 ozs. and was 26 inches long. There are few people that walk by us without making a "big baby" comment. No offense taken here - we LOVE the chub! That puts him in the 90% for weight and 75% for height.

That's my boy...grow, baby, grow!

Haircut

I don't know when most kids get their first haircuts, but this kid needed one. It was getting so long the front piece would flop in his face. My friend Michelle cut it for him when she was doing my hair. He did pretty well - just wondering who in the heck was grabbing his head. No, I didn't save any of the precious locks. Mine are in an envelope that I recently found and I'm not sure what to do with it. I guess just...have it.

Before



After (Seen here with his girlfriend/future wife, Elsa)

Four Months

A Brand Name

I am not usually a brand name kindof person. Western Family is my middle name! However, there are a few grocery items that you just DON'T go cheap on: KRAFT macaroni, CHARMIN tp and there is one more that Brian and I don't skimp on that I can't think of. Anyway, I have jumped on the Baby Einstein train. Not that Fisher Price or whatever else aren't great, but there's just something about Einstein that makes you feel smart. Who knows, it may or may not be true, but I'm going with it. And if it's not the smartest toy, at least this kid is having fun. I'm thinking the makers of Baby Einstein are billionaires.


Have you seen a face this happy lately?

Sad Day

Our favorite neighbors moved away this weekend. Most of you don't know them, but i need to express my sadness for myself. The Nelson's have been great friends with us since we moved in. We really bonded last summer when we ended up running into each other and hanging out all day at Disneyland. They have four darling children and they are one of those couples where the husbands and wives really get along with each other. I don't have a picture of them all - this is sweet Kate on her baptism day last week. We felt special to be invited. I miss walking and chatting with Karen and being able to walk down and chat or vent whenever needed. Surely they will be our family friends forever, but it's just not the same when you move. The ending of those kinds of eras are hard for me...

Buttermilk

Yep, that's what I make. I knew I had a big baby, but JUST YESTERDAY I looked at Gavin's legs and thought "Oh. My. Gosh!!" Don't get me wrong people, I absolutely adore these chubby legs. Big is beautiful, baby! But man, are they rolly! Good thing we love baths around our house! Gotta get in those creases!