Halloween in the 20's!

For Halloween this year I had a number of ideas for costumes for the 3 of us.....buuuut, none of them really worked out. The Wednesday before Halloween was our ward Halloween party so, I had to have something! Here's what I came up with for that night.

I grabbed one of my many costumes, a fringe flapper dress that I got years ago at Savers for $7. Woohoo! And I thought of a way to get us all to tie in together. For Rowan I needed some supplies. Laura and I ran to the fabric store. I got some stretchy black velvet (on sale), and

fringe and some sequence (sp? I don't think I've never written that word before). Also, some stretchy sequence trimming to make a headband.

Sorry the image isn't very clear. The dress was a REALLY quick throw together. I didn't even do a very secure stitch. Just wanted her to have something to wear...but I think it turned out fairly well for being completely spur of the moment. It was a lot of fun to go to the Ward party with Laura (Ben was studying). They took almost a whole street in a neighborhood. And there were different booths at different houses...cake walk, bean toss, haunted house (in a garage), fishing game, etc... And the Hot Dogs were great!

On Halloween night we went to Carrabba's for dinner with some friends and of course we dressed up!

And here's some glam shots, for fun!

Can't waste all the effort I put into that makeup right? ;D

Crying Babies

Does anyone else go into a panic when their child starts to scream in the middle of a public place? Or a party? Or any group of people? It's funny 'cause when we're at home I can pick her up and she'll generally stop crying, but when we're out and about...nothing will stop her. Of course I try to act calm, but inside I'm thinking "PLEASE, PLEASE STOP CRYING!" or "What's the fastest way out of this place?"

Of course if she cries at home, well no big deal, but when I have to subject others to it I feel aweful! I know, I know...it's a phase, it's a part of motherhood, and I have to just deal with it. But that doesn't mean that I'm gonna like it. It really puts me out of sorts to have her loose it like that in front of others, then I feel like I don't wanna go grocery shopping, or to the craft store, walmart, etc.

What's funny is that there really isn't anything in life that causes me to panic or freak out 'cause it's all within my control. At least my reaction and presence are in my control, so whatever happens to me doesn't matter because I can react cooly everytime since it's MY decision. Here's the problem: Her crying and actions are not my decision, they're hers. And since she is my responsibility it's like others look at me like it is my decision. Oops, sorry, have you ever had children? ... No? Well, it's like this. No control.

Don't get me wrong... please don't think I'm complaining! I sincerely and dearly love this little girl and would do everything and anything for her wellbeing. She is one of the two best blessings of my life, and she is just perfect! Except for screaming in public places.

So, I guess this is a confession. Yes, I do get flustered sometimes, and yes I do go into a panic mode sometimes...and those sometimes are when my little girl looses her cool in front of others. So if I ever act strange or flustered when the little cutie decideds it's time to let it all out...well, that's why. Oh, and I also feel terrible when she freaks out and someone else is holding her. Not because I'm possesive at all, I really want her to be used to having lots of friends and family hold her, but because I feel like they've been burdened with listening to her scream or maybe they're holding her out of kindness, but really they want to put her down...something like that. So, all in all...just ignore me if I start to act weird because the little darling has just had it for the day. Thanks!

My Family and celebrities

Recently Ben and I rented "The Proposal", and it reminded me of the fact that Sandra Bullock always reminds me of Michelle, my sister. It's not just looks, of course they're both gorgeous, but the way she talks and certain movements, etc. Come to think of it almost all my family have a celebrity that reminds me of them. Will Smith reminds me of my brother Robert. They're both cool and funny, but serious too...and dashing dressers. Scott Baio (aka: Charles in Charge) reminded me of my brother Mike, but only as Charles in Charge. Maybe it's because they both always had nice dark, thick hair, and great surprising smiles. What's funny is that Robert's name is Roberto Carlos and we used to call him Charlie...well, many still do, but anyway, we'd always say that he was 'Charles in Charge', so it's a bit ironic. Then there's Bill Cosby who has always made me think of my Dad. They're both really funny and they do have some features that make them look similar...to me anyway. And I always remember watching the Cosby Show when I was younger with my Dad, then that makes me think of all the shows we used to watch when I was a child: Cheers, The Cosby Show, eventually Home Improvement and others. Then there's my Mama. Mom actually doesn't have a celebrity that reminds me of her. I guess she's just so wonderfully unique that there's no one like her. Well, judge the pictures yourself and tell me if you can see any resemblance. ;)

Baby Einstein

Hooray for Baby Einstein! It actually keeps Rowan entertained for at least 20 minutes, and I love it! Since we got back from California last Sunday she's been acting rather off. She cries all the time and sleeps much shorter periods. It's hard to get anything done at all! And I'm in the middle of trying to get jewelry made to sell on Etsy.com. I thought she was too young for the DVDs, but while she was crying and nothing was working I figured "why not try it?" Well, I did and she actually likes it. Especially when they show the shiney objects...I guess she's like a racoon in that way ;) Anyway, I'm so glad that at least for a little while I can get some jewelry made or some laundry done. :D

Video of Rowan

Here's little Rowan in the morning. Such a doll! Look out for those dimples :)

Happy One Month, baby girl!

Okay, I lied...a little. In my last post I said that Rowan was one month, well...that wasn't completely true. She was 4 weeks old that day, and she actually turned one month on the 5th, so Monday. But I wanted to share a few things that I love about this precious girl all the same.

First, I know everyone thinks that their own baby is adorable, so of course I do too! She is truly precious! Rowan has the most perfect little features, cute lips, nose, eyes, and eyelashes (which just stared to get a little darker and more visible). She has adorable strawberry blond hair, and of course I just love her tiny little body altogether. :)

Ben and I are just so in love with her little sounds. Every time she coos, coughs, sneezes, even when she's upset and makes mad little sounds, they're just great!

I love tiny feet.

Tiny hands, fingers, and toes.

Soft skin.

I especially love to see the way that she loves us. It's a strange and beautiful thing to watch a newborn express love. It's impossible to describe. I can sense it and feel it from her, especially in her recognition of my voice. I love that. I especially LOVE to see her love Ben. You might not notice at first, but she does act different with him. Not a whole lot, but I can see a different pattern in her behaviors when he holds her, and I can tell that she loves him so much.

I love the way she acts when she's in the water. It's almost like she's mesmerized. She becomes very calm and almost curious. She'll just stare wide-eyed, but with a content look on her face, and she seems very happy. :)

I love that she looks cute in everything I put on her.

I love how much she looks like a little doll when she's got a little bow on her head.

She's also a somewhat hearty baby, not that she's fat at all, but she just seems very well put together and like she would be able to withstand a lot. I don't know if that makes sense.

I love watching her grow, but I really hate it too. Every time I notice growth I'm ecstatic, but then I get so sad because I know that she won't stay my small baby forever. And even though I'm enjoying every moment of it, I know that there still won't be enough moments for me. I'll want more and more and she'll just never stop growing. But I'm still excited to see her progress...to sit up, to talk, to crawl, to show excitement for the new things that she'll discover every new day. Also, I can't wait to have a girl in the home that I can ask fashionable questions to (like about jewelry), 'cause Ben's not a whole lot of help in that department, though he's a huge help in others! I can't wait, and yet I want to hold time back all the same. Bittersweet I guess, it's life.

I just love this little girl.

Where's my background?

What happened? Why the white wash?