fashion show, fashion show, fashion show at lunch!

Reese and I had another photo shoot with the very talented Andrea a couple weeks ago and the pictures turned out fabulously! Reese is turning into quite the ham whenever the cameras come out. And now that Reese is crawling, she usually does not like to sit still, so Andrea had to be quick! Toward the end of the shoot, when Reese was long overdue for a nap, I had to get creative in getting smiles out of Reese--I won't tell you exactly what I did to try to amuse the little princess, but the only facial expression I could get out of her is the blank stare that you see in her beanie, as if to say, "uh, nice try, mom. you are a weirdo. you're going to have to do better than that."

Trunk or Treat

I feel a little bit guilty that I have let you think this entire last week that Reese is finally a dream sleeper. Not so. That 12-hour best night ever was a one-time thing...for now anyway. The four or five nights that followed were pretty miserable, I hate to say. Every time I had to go in her room to calm her down, I prayed that a tooth was the reason for our sleeplessness...but still no sign of one. It wasn't until Friday night that she had a better night...and I'm convinced it is because Reese heard me say to her dad that morning, "Reese is crying it out tonight." She's no dummy.

Saturday night was our ward's annual Trunk or Treat. I had SO much fun dressing Reese up in her two costumes...and she LOVED seeing herself in the mirror fully decked out. Michael thought it would be clever to have Reese hand out Reese's peanut butter cups at the party, but she was too busy eating them herself--or at least the outside of the wrappers.



Which costume do you like better?

no doubt about it

7:30pm to 7:30 am...that's what I call sleeping through the night! No binkie malfunctions, no eating, no "I'm standing up in my crib and I can't remember how to get down and please come help me" whining. I didn't have to go in her room at all...even though I did just before 6am when she hadn't made a peep and I felt the need to make sure she was still breathing. Hopefully it wasn't a fluke and she will do it again tonight...and the next night, and the night after that. How cute is she in those little pajammies?

Eight Months

This little munchkin is eight months old. I honestly cannot believe where the time has gone! She continues to be the sweetest little girl...and she gets cuter and more fun every day. Here are a few things she has been up to lately...

Reese has been crawling for about six weeks now and she likes to pull herself up on anything that she can get her hands on...including unassuming toddlers. (They usually don't like it too much.) Sometimes she gets a little cocky and lets go of whatever she is holding onto, thinking she can stand all by herself. It usually lasts for just a second or two before she tips over.

Reese loves electronics! When she sees her mom or dad on their laptops, she hustles over to get in on the action. She loves pounding on the keys and even managed to pull a few keys off her mom's computer. (thanks, sweetie)

Reese lives for peek-a-boo. It has been her favorite game for months and months--it never gets old! 25 times in a row and she still laughs every time! Her other favorite pastimes are jumping and dancing...she's got great footwork already!

For being such a little peanut, this girl is a big eater! She loves eating...and loves all the fruits and veggies that she's tried so far. She doesn't have any teeth yet, but she is very anxious to eat big girl food. She wants to eat whatever her mom and dad are eating, and we sometimes cave and give her a taste. It is a crack-up to watch her eat because she opens up super-wide to let us know she is ready for another bite. And, if she really likes something, she makes a yummy sound.

Reese has quite a vocabulary for such a little tyke...she can say 'mum' and 'dada' and has even said 'hi'. I don't think she know that she is actually calling us by name, but we still feel very special when she says our names. She is a little chatter box...she just gabs and gabs all day long!

We love our Reeses to pieces! She is a happy girl and she loves to make new friends. But, my favorite thing about Reese is the way she lights up when her mom or dad walk into the room...(sigh)...it melts me.

Home Again...to Visitors!

When you're sad about the end of an amazing week-long vacation, what could be better than coming home to visitors?! Well, I guess they are not technically my visitors, since they didn't stay with us, but I got lucky that Lacey and Ashton were in DC for a few days visiting Lacey's grandparents and Reese and I got to play with them! We met Lacey and Ashton downtown and went to the newly re-opened National Museum of Natural History. It was my first time to go to this museum too, since it has been closed for renovations practically since we moved here, and it was really cool. Reese loved it too, and LOVED her new best friends!
Reese's favorite part was this little gem. Her eyes got as big as saucers when she saw it...she tried to get her hands on it, but the glass was in the way...and then we got yelled at by the security guard for touching the glass. Oopsies.
After the museum, we went to Georgetown for some shopping and dinner. We went to Johnny Rockets for burgers and fries and Reese got her very own balloon! Talk about hours of fun!
It was such a fun afternoon and so good to see Lacey and Ashton again. Come again soon!

Wedding Week 2008

It was quite a busy and exciting week as we prepared for Lindsey and Mike's big day. Reese and I got to San Diego a week early to spend as much time as possible with the family, as well as to give Reese a head start getting on west coast time. A couple days later, the rest of the family started trickling in and the fun could begin!

First things first. Of course we had to spend some time getting pampered with the bride. Here is Lindsey simultaneously getting a mani and pedi...
...talk about Heaven! Reese even loved spending time at Nail Time and Spa in La Jolla and made quite a few friends with the nail techs. When I went to pick her up after my manicure, one of the girls ran over to me and insisted that I hand Reese over, saying that I shouldn't risk ruining my nails until we were absolutely POSITIVE they were dry. It had been at least fifteen minutes of dry time, so I'm pretty sure she just wanted a turn holding Reese. After nails, we went straight to a bridal shower for Lindsey thrown by all of our old friends in the seventh ward, which was a blast! Then we had an after-shower bachelorette party with sisters ONLY. We didn't have a chance to do that at the last two sisters' weddings, since Lindsey was on her mission, and it was so much fun!!

For the weekend, we stayed at La Costa Resort and Spa, where the reception was also to be held, and we spent some time enjoying the pool, or shall I say pools--fully equipped with a sprayground and waterslides...
...this little princess was LOVING the pool and playing with all of her Aunts and the MommaCat!
Meanwhile, the boys hit the course for a nice golf outing. Poor Mike has been away from the course for too long and came back with a few blisties. (I had to laugh imagining the scene from The Office with Andy playing golf...hilarious!)
The morning of the wedding, Lindsey was the coolest bride I have ever seen. And why not? By then, Lindsey had taken care of every last thing (with some help from Lauren and my mom). And, c'mon...when you look like this on your wedding day, what is there to worry about?
I think it is safe to say everything about Lindsey and Mike's wedding day went perfectly. Perfect weather, friends and family flown in from all over the country, perfect dress, beautiful flowers, delicious food, perfect day.

After the Temple, there was time for a quick bite at In 'N' Out before heading back to the hotel to get ready for the reception.

The night was beautiful, and it was so fun to see everyone who came to the party...especially Abby, who flew into town to be an honorary sister for the weekend! I couldn't have asked for anything more...except maybe for time to have slowed down. The week, and especially the weekend, went by WAY too fast.