You can pick your friends.....

....and you can pick your nose, but you can't pick your friend's nose.

No problems here. She's content with her own schnoz......

After snapping this picture I quickly removed her finger from her nose. Hopefully this doesn't become a new habit. But I wouldn't be surprised because she thought it was hilarious! Silly girl!

Momma called the doctor and the doctor said....

No more Hallies jumpin' on the bed. :(

My original blog title was going to be "there will be blood" stolen from the horribly-made 2007 film....but I decided that was way too creepy (even in the spirit of Halloween!)  But that is neither here nor there. What is here is this big ol' fat lip on Hallie's face......

"This is so not cool mom...do you really think the hat draws the attention away from my face?!!"

She was having a grand ol' time romping on the bed when "plop" she went face first on the wood floor. It's pretty important to add that we are currently living ghetto style and sleeping on a matress on the floor since we are furniture-less at the moment. Mind you I would not have been turning my back had she been on a regular height bed. EEEEEK! My first sight of Hallie blood was very scary I must admit. After a good fifteen minute scream fest and lots of rocking and kisses to magically heal her lip she was able to calm down and get back to doing what she does best....being dangerous. Mother of the year has been far out of reach for awhile now but now I've been nominated for most endnagering mother of the year. Lol! Paranoid father of the year was checking for missing teeth and a concussion while I was feeling pretty poopy for turning my back to look in my closet and leaving her to her own devices on the bed. She could be found banging her head on the tile a short hour after her bed accident. This is how Hallie felt about the whole situation.....

"This isn't happening!!! My friends can't see me like this!!"

"Tomorrow is Halloween! This fat lip will ruin my entire costume!"

Needless to say, there will be no more jumping on the bed...and we may need to ramp up our reading of  her "no more momkey's jumpin' on the bed" book!!

When Life Hands You Lemons...

......make lemonade. Well what did you think I was going to say?? ;)

Ok, you know we too well. What I would like to say is something like this:

When life hands you lemons, throw them on the ground and stomp on them until you have a nice big pile of sticky lemon juice. ;)

Last week was another one of those that I'd just rather forget. Is is sad that not having time to blog makes me kind of antsy inside? Yeah, I though so. ;) Monday came and went and was surprisingly less Monday-ish than normal. Tuesday was a day I was looking forward to....it turned out to be one giant headache. After an unexpected visit from the gas company telling me that they had to fix a line and shut my gas off for the day. Bummer considering Tuesday is my baking day. Eh, I could live with cutting out the baking as long as I could blog during Hallie's naptime. Or so I thought. There was a knock at the door just ten minutes later....yep, you guessed it. The gas company telling me that they accidentally cut our phone line. Awesome. No phone line = no internet. They had managed to steal my very essence in ten short minutes. So in the big scheme of things it was no big deal at all.....except for the fact that I would have to make the dreaded AT&T phone call. :/ Hallie and I spent our day playing, sleeping and jogging. We decided to take a jog over to the new house because I wanted to try out our new jogging grounds. It was a nice change of scenery and I was excited to see that the running trail went further than I thought they did.

Tuesday = Laundry day.....

"I hope she sorts first"

We got to make a visit to Gman at work as he drove through town. Although we only had time for a quick trip to Sonic it was well worth it seeing her smile at her Gman.....

"Let's make this a habit!"

We stayed out and about and visited another special guy. DADA! Hallie helped him do some office organization while I used his computer to print some stuff off. Which reminds me of another home malfunction that's driving me crazy...the printer won't work unless the internet is on. But it worked out well because Hallie made sure to Feng Shui her dada's office to make it more zen-like....

She's meditating here

Long story short, I finally had the gas turned back on but still lacked internet. That would have to wait until the next day. Speaking of the next day....it sucked. Like really bad. I woke up with one of those yucky feelings deep in the pit of my stomach like the day was not going to go well. Mid-morning I got a phone call from my Aunt DeeDee saying that my grandma had been taken to the hospital after the home health nurse called to say that she was sounding strange on the phone. Ya see, I was actually supposed to go start physical therapy on her that day. DeeDee went over to check on her and found her looking slumped in her chair and not responding to her. After a few hours spent at the local hospital they determined that she needed to have a tube placed to help her breath. She was then mediflighted from Shattuck to St. Mary's in Enid where family was waiting to see her. Hallie and I would soon be on our way but not before knocking out a few obstacles along our journey to Enid. I was in a tizzy to say the least and really missing my mom at this point....she would've been the one calming me down telling me that everything was going to be okay. Me, my spinning head and my little girl made a stop by the nursing home where I do some work on our way through Mooreland to finish up some paperwork. She was a BIG help. The parallel bars and stairs were like a mini playground for her. But she surprisingly preferred to sit on the desk and eat office items....

Cutest tape dispenser I ever did see

Once we finally arrived at the hospital I left Hal with her many fans waiting in the ICU waiting area. Grandma was not looking good when I went to see her. She was on the ventilator and was only able to blink a couple of times. I felt so sorry for sweet, sweet Meme. I caught the tail end of a conversation between the doctor, Lana and David....his words were "I think everything is going to be okay." Big sigh of relief considering I had been imagining something so much worse all day long. If I'm being honest I think that our family has had to spend more than our fair share of time in ICU waiting areas crying and being scared. Hallie was a little light that shone on the somberness in the waiting room.....

"Don't worry...be happy y'all"

Pauline and Presley popped in and surprised me when they came around the corner. I had no idea they were making the trip down from Missouri. It was a sweet surprise. Hallie of course had hugs and smiles for them....

Lana, David, Lisa, Dara, Gman, Bailey and Spencer rounded out our group.

 Hal gal had a grand ol time learning new words, pushing on the pop machine and playing the drums with Aunt Lisa.....

She sure knows how to liven up a waiting room!

"Let's all just take a deep breath, okay?"

Thursday came and went which meant Friday was upon us. Friday always gives me a little extra power boost knowing that I don't have to deal with the stress of work on top of everything else going on last week. After work Hal and I took another trip to Enid to visit Meme. She was now off the ventilator and able to talk a bit. We stopped by Gman's house to pick him up, as well as some dinner, and finally made our way up to find a waiting room full of family. Of course Hallie wasn't able to go back to the ICU but I took a video of her in the waiting room and showed it to grandma. It was so relieving to see her smile and hear her chuckle....and she even found enough energy to make a few jokes. Lana, DeeDee and I were stifling our laughter after grandma told us it looked like we were playing a game of charades while trying to guess what she was saying...or more like whispering through her bi-pap machine. While I was able to spend some time with her Hallie was being entertained in the waiting room......

I just couldn't handle how cute her owl outifit was so of course I snapped a picture before we left the house earlier that day....

"Whoo whoo!"

I was so surprised to run into my friend, Bev, whom I hadn't seen in way too long. She just so happened to be visiting her grandma in the hospital too. Lots of hugs and chit chat later, she left and I decided it was time to head home. We stayed later than I'd planned and got to bed much later than I'd hoped. I'm sure Hallie enjoyed the car ride back just about as much as I did. This is how she left the hospital.....

"I promise I didn't pee"

I promise too. Only one pair of jammies and her water cup had leaked all over them in her bag. Note to self: bring two of EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE!

I was thankful to end a solumn week on a happier note. Grandma still has a long road of recovery ahead of her. Physically she needs a lot of improvement to be able to get back home and function on her own...and I'll be there with my ankle weights at her doorstep when she gets to go home.....get ready grandma, I'm going to therapize you like crazy! Everyday is precious. Everyday is meaningful. Time is not to be wasted. It's to be spent with the ones that you love doing things that show them just now much you love them.

Fifteen Months Going on Fifty

You my lady are one spectacular mini human being. Just when I get used to just how spectacular you are you go right ahead and blow me away again. Yes, it's that time yet again. Time for me to gush over you and tell you all the ways I love you. My tiny girl, you are fifteen months old today. This can't be real. I guess if we aren't allowed to stop time then I'll at least try to preserve it.....

It wouldn't be a monthly love letter without starting with food. You have begun trying to use your spoon to take bites of food. You have actually been successful a handful of times with scooping a bite into your mouth instead of down your shirt or in your face. The hard part is just steadying it on the spoon when your little hand wants to go every which way. You have been practicing on Thursday and Fridays with Nanny quite a bit. Your need to feed has seen a gradual decline over the past month. Most of this has to do with teething and a lot of pain that kept you from having your normal cravings and speed feedings. Bananas remain your favorite food with any kind of berries running a close second. Messes seem to have shrunk as your accuracy has improved.....meaning that the food hits your mouth a lot more often than it hits your lap or the floor. That is unless you are intentionally feeding the dogs which is a favorite mealtime activity of yours. I can almost gaurantee anytime I hand you a cracker that you will get this sly smile on your face, look down to find the dog and drop it in their mouth. Lucky dogs. Not only can you take better bites but you can also say the word "bite." This came out of nowhere last week when I asked "Hallie, do you want another bite?" and you answered simply with "bie." Bite without the 't' is a lot cuter. ;)

So about those teefers I mentioned above. Yowzers!!!!!!!!!! That was a rough and tough week for you. I can't recall a time I felt so sorry for someone as I did you that week. You battled an almost constant fever, earache, pain and the worst diaper rash you've had so far. Little welts and blisters popped up overnight and you were miserable. Turns out so was your mom. Diaper rash and teething = no sleep for the entire house. Now that you've added two new teeth to your set of chompers, it appears that you have two others ready to join the party. I hope they make a more quiet appearance that their neighbors did. When these two pop through you will have ten teeth!! Count em! TEN! Eight on top, two on bottom. All you'll want for Christmas is "some more bottom teeth" (sang in a sing songy voice of course).....

Count em!

Speaking of Christmas....my darling, we will be settling into a new home by Christmastime this year. It's hard to believe that last Christmas you were still so small and we were preparing to make the big move to Woodward. Here we are one year later getting ready to make another big move....down the street this time. It's a big move in the sense that I hope and intend for this to be the home that you grow up in. I want this to be the place you feel like you belong. I can't wait to make your room into an actual room again....a space that belongs to you and reflects your personality. I have so many plans running through my head. A playground in the backyard for you, a beautiful girly haven for you and a playroom for all of your toys. For once in your little life, you might see what your momma looks like when she's calm and settled. Just maybe...;) We took a jog over to our new house this week and I snapped a pic of your in the driveway. I wonder if they'll leave that horsey in the pic behind your stroller......

"We can only hope"

I have mentioned before some of the new words that you have started saying. Some come in the form of a whisper and others are yelled at the top of your lungs. One of your sweetest things you do is when you whisper "dada"...this is usually when we pull up to the house. You see the house....you say "dada."  You have been jabbering with a lot more passion lately. By this I mean that you actually sound like you are having a conversation sometimes....either with yourself, the dogs or a toy. The inflection you put on each word sounds like you know exactly what you are talking about. Each time I have the pleasure of hearing your babbling I just can't help but be excited about how amazing it will be when I actually recognize the words spewing from your mouth.

Even though you are only fifteen short months old, I can say without a doubt that you are going to be a spunky individual. I envy your zest for life and discovering new things. I realize this comes along with being a baby but you seem to be a little less content sitting back and taking things in. You just have to be in the middle of everything, checking out every noise, every voice, every shadow....everything.

My lil explorer

You are quickly getting the hang of running and have a better gallop when you are wearing your tennis shoes. You have been wearing shoes more often than not lately and you don't mind them at all. The days of screaming and ripping them off to throw are long gone. Now you even try to put them on. Each morning when we put your shoes on I have one shoe and I hand you the other to try to put on. You'll get there soon baby girl. You will always hate getting dressed I'm afraid of. It seems that the cuter the outfit, the more complicated it is to put on which means all the more screaming and fit throwing. Speaking of tantrums, they usually crop up when you have something taken from you. Usually it involved me taking your cup to refill. I'm on your side missy...just hold your horses! You are right on the verge of somersault status….I literally cannot wait until you finally flip all the way over. Oh what a day it will be. I can just imagine your smile right now. And I know for sure you will want to do it over and over again. Which brings me to my next point….you don’t slow down. I’ve got to be honest when I tell you that I’m sometimes afraid of taking you certain places because I can’t always guarantee that you will be content with me holding you. Take carpet shopping the other day for example. :/ You lasted a respectable ten minutes and after that you’d had enough of just looking at the pretty tile on the wall. You just had to get your hands on it. Obstinate would be a good word to describe your ways sometimes. Like when I insisted on picking you up. No matter how exciting I make it seem or how many airplane noises I make, if you didn’t want to be picked up in the first place then you are sure to let me know about it.

You are still having some separation anxiety. But it has now extended to anytime someone leaves our house or says "bye bye." You now know exactly what that means and you DO NOT like it. Along with this trait comes lots of extra hugging and kissing. You now offer up hugs and kisses without being asked. This is the best gift you give. A big ol hug around my legs at the end of the day could solve all the world's problems. You, my angel, have a contagious smile that literally stretches from corner to corner. I love the innocence in you grin and that sly look you have in your eyes. I always know when you are up to something. Recently you have learned how to hide from your dad and I. When I call your name you sometimes take off running and hide in another room waiting around the corner for me to walk in. Peek-a-boo is always a must when taking a bath...the shower curtain serves as the perfect peek-a-boo accessory.

You are still loving your time at Ms Paula's with all of your new friends. And don't get me started on just how much you love Ms. Paula. You jump straight from my arms into her's each morning and have stopped the whole "momma is leaving" crying spells. Sometimes I arrive to find you sitting so patiently and quietly on the floor sharing a snack with Paula. You are so friendly and easy to get along with. It doesn't take you long to warm up to anyone. Shy you are not, my dear. I don't think we will ever have to worry about you being a hermit. You hadn't seen cousin Presley and Aunt Pauline since the beginning of the summer and you had no problem cozying up quickly......

"Hey, I remember you..."

"Missed me, missed me, now ya wanna kiss me."

"Ok, so let's go over your names one more time...you all look alike."

You are the light of Nanny, Papa and Gman's eyes. It's funny to hear all of the nicknames they come up with for you. I'm fairly certain you have at least twenty nicknames right now. You continue to finagle your way deeper into your grandparent's hearts. It may have something to do with your innocent "I didn't do it" look......

"Who, me?"

I'm just gonna go out on a limb and say that you are the silliest person I know. I don't even need pictures to prove it but of course I have evidence......

Helping mama at work

Watching cartoons upside-down is a lot more fun

Helping dada at work

As you can see you are a lot of help. I usually don't leave the office without picking up a few pieces of shredded papers and a paper clip container that's been emptied on the ground. Riley's office got a visit from Hurricane Hallie the other day too. You leave a major path of destruction everywhere you go little lady. Toys, books, clothes, diapers, brushes, cups, binkies and blankets spread throughout the house.....I'm rarely able to easily spot a binky though, I swear you have a hiding place somewhere in this place and maybe we will come upon a goldmine of binkies when we pack up and move. You sneaky binky hider you!!

Your love for reading has fizzled out a bit this past month but it hasn't stopped me from wrangling you up and holding you tight in my lap for a book. The reason I have to hold you so tight it because you are usually trying to escape with all of your might. Fifteen month olds apparently don't have time to read. You have a new vested interest in my phone. You love to grab hold of it and turn the screen around and around in your hand. I haven't figured out the excitement in it but it seems to hold your attention pretty well. I've added some new books and a piano app to my phone and your face lights up everytime I hold the screen up for you. We practice your colors and animals on long car rides these days. Which you are doing quite well with the car lately....but I won't say much else about it because I don't want to jinx it! You are a huge fan of anything outdoors. I have yet to see you throw a fit outside (well that is unless we are jogging in the stroller). You love to do anything and everything mama and dada does. You stand beside and point and talk as if you know exactly what's going on. It looks like we are entering the imitating phase. My favorite thing you've imitated so far was when you spotted your dada give me a smack on the behind....you decided to do the same so you got up on your tippy toes and gave me a smack as well. I couldn't help but laugh at you the other day when you picked up your fake camera and put it up to your eye like you see me do all the time. Turning the camera on me for a change huh? ;)

I never thought I could need somebody as much as I need you. I end each day more exhausted than the day before but somehow can't wait to go pluck you out of your crib each morning to see what kind of greeting you have for me. It's not always a nice greeting to be honest but I know you love me. You have no idea yet just how much you are loved....I do believe that each day is an opportunity to show you just how much.

Finally out of her Funk

Before I even begin telling you the tales of our tot, I might mention that I’m writing this as I watch a disgusting display of football. I hope my poor attitude does not show through in this post….but it might be kind of hard considering that this week has been a challenging one in the parenting department….and the Sooner fan department too it turns out. Although I am quite surprised by my ability to watch without crying or throwing things....progress. I guess motherhood puts your priorities in line. ;)

 I am relieved to share that we are through this tough week of teething and it seems like she’s out of the woods for now. Two monster teeth broke through on Thursday and she has been progressively happier since then. We took a trip back down memory lane this week and had the pleasure of reliving the days of having a newborn. Screaming all through the night, needing diaper changes at midnight, Tylenol in the wee hours of the morning and cranky all day long. My baby was not even impressed with food which told me the enormity of her pain. My chubby munchkin ate like a mouse for four days straight. She was not a fan of the high chair in general and was more content banging her head against the wall or chewing violently on any object she could get her hands on. By Friday morning she was exhausted and it showed as she was not waking up for nothin'. She usually wakes at the drop of a pin but I turned the light on, talked to her and she didn't budge. I ended up doing a little work from home while she caught some extra shut-eye. I couldn't help but be tempted to go back to bed myself. She awoke a happy girl and ready to start a Friday at Nanny's house.

She wasn't budgin'

Nanny had her hands full on Friday....literally. Two babies. Both Hallie and Carmen kept her very busy. Katie and I got plenty of updates via video messages of the cousins coexisting peacefully together. I hear that Hallie tried to feed her two and a half month old friend and gave her friendly pats on the belly. They continued there bonding time by joining Nanny, Katie and I for some shopping at the craft fair after Katie and I got off work. I can just imagine the conversations they were having via baby language as we walked into the fair building.....

"Carmen, can you believe that our mom's make us wear these stupid bows?!"
"Hallie, how do you rip your bow off so easily? Teach me everything you know."

"Here, I'll help you out a little bit"

We had a good time Friday night but I somehow managed to come away with no crafty goodies. It might have something to do with the fact that I've got to start some major saving to furnish our new digs. Katie and Carmen joined Hallie and I for a girls' night and some tacos for dinner. The girls gave us a run for our money and began what would turn into a thirty minute screaming session. It sounded like a choir of sleepy babies. ;) Carmen quietly fell asleep on her belly on my bed while a certain one-year-old continued to wail....and throw her cup across the room. We were finally able to enjoy dinner and some quiet mommy time. Riley joined in on our evening when he returned from hunting. Katie and Carmen headed home with plans to meet us in the morning to come check out the new house. I was hoping and praying for a turnaround to the week's new teething routine. Praise the Lord, she slept all night long and then some. We woke up to a pleasant banging of her cup against the crib at 8:00. Hey, we will take it!! I went and snatched up a giddy girl and brought her to our bed. She was in heaven jumping around and giving the dogs plenty of kisses and hugs. Poor Emmi was not loving this attention in the least. Hallie uses her for a pillow usually. Grumpy Puggle alert! Our usually starving babe was able to forget about her grumbling belly for longer than usual this morning as she hung out in the big people room. I loved every second of it. But alas, it was time for that "nana" and some milk. We ate breakfast, got dressed and hit up the grocery store to get some stuff for dinner and dessert that night. She was plenty of entertainment at the store for me...and for everybody around us. She was extremely friendly and calling out unrecognizable greetings to those passing by. She helped as always while I paid and did her favorite "grab mom's debit card and eat it" trick. That's a favorite for sure. We took a quick little jog after returning home until she squawked enough that I turned the rig around and we parked it in the chair for some cartoons and some milk. The morning flew by, Riley returned home from his regular Saturday morning at work and it was time to get ready to meet the realtor at our house. We met Nanny, Papa and Katie at the house to fall in love all over again. And that's just what we did. I was so excited showing off each room. It is still so hard to believe that it's our house. I told Riley I feel like I'm having one of those dreams where you discover a new room or area in your house and then you wake up thinking "dangit!" Well I was literally living a dream the other day when I stopped by the house and magically discovered a side patio coming off of the kitchen that I must've missed while in my daydream the first time we saw the house. The "extra room" dream continued on Saturday morning when we discovered another half bath in the laundry room. Followed by coming across a fan out on the back patio, a generous sized closet in the hallway, an entire wall of built in storage in the garage and the surprise of all surprises.........DOUBLE OVENS!!! This is sort of a joke with Riley and I that has been ongoing. The story goes like this.....not too long ago we made a wishlist and named things that we wanted in a home. We thought this would help us know what our expectations were. He named a few things (mostly having to do with outdoors or the garage) and then the first thing I named was "double ovens." He must've thought this was funny because he's been making fun of me about it ever since. Anytime house hunting is mentioned he immediately begins his mockery about my "double ovens." Joke no more, my good man! Granted they need to be updated badly and scrubbed for a good day or two or five, but double ovens nonetheless.

After browsing every last inch of the house and planning with the girls a bit we were ready to go....but not before Hal took a stab at jumping on the trampoline with Aunt Katie. You want a good laugh??? Just watch a one-year-old try to walk on a trampoline. After surviving the jumpy device she didn't fare so well when navigating a six inch dropoff from the porch into the yard. I guess we can thank the seller's dogs for that. While we're at it we might as well thank them for all of the other holes and craters in the backyard too. I guess by now you are catching my drift that there is plenty of work to be done at this house. Oh but it will be so worth it. And we love a good project! I told Riley to other day that it must be his ultimate dream....to have endless amounts of man projects lined up for at least a couple years.

We ate lunch with Nanny and Papa at Mazzio's while the boys caught a bit of the OSU/Mizzou game. The boys left lunch with their muscles warmed up for some lifting out at the farm. They joined Uncle Tom to help move Grandma Ida to a new house. Munchkin was having a hard time staying awake at lunch after she stuffed her belly with her favorite buffet food. But that didn't keep her from giving cheery and oh so cute greetings to passersby. She has said the word "hi" a hand full of times but not on a regular basis and it doesn't come out the clearest. A man walked by headed towards his seat and Hallie looked up and gave him the sweetest, most distinct "hi" out of nowhere. I guess we can officially add "hi" to her list of words. ;) Miss chummy was asleep by the time we pulled out of the parking lot. She didn't move a muscle as I picked her up and put her in bed for what would turn out to be a very long nap. We missed cousin Corban’s birthday party that afternoon because unfortunately Hallie’s nap time did not get the memo. She slept for nearly three hours and awoke refreshed and in a chipper mood. I was convinced that she was using all of the smiles she’d been saving up over this past week.

Nanny stopped by to borrow a book for her trip to San Antonio this week....and to say one last goodbye to Hallie. She will be back to town just in time for her Hallie Days at the end of the week. We were expecting Gman to pop in after he left the birthday party that we missed but I knew he was most likely chatting it up like crazy with family. I had been bitten by the furniture shopping bug earlier that day while wandering through the house I now need to fill. Hal and I went over to meet Katie and Carmen and left from their house to do some browsing at the furniture store. It was a success and gave me lots of ideas. Carm was diggin' the shopping thing but Hal was more into being a free spirit which is probably not the best idea in a store full of breakable items. I got a call from Gman about the time she was in meltdown mode so we said "bye" to the girls and met Gman at the house. I told him to wait for us there and Riley ended up finding a lost biker man laying on our porch. ;) He looked pretty cool all dressed up in his leathers and such. That Gman, he's slowly but surely morphing into a bonified biker.

Testing out a couch..."this could work..."

Miss priss was definitely putting on a show for Gman as he kicked back to enjoy the show. The Hallie Show included a few minutes of watching her do a running in place type move. HILARIOUS!! The more we laughed, the more she kept going. She got a kick out of going outside on the porch with Riley and poking her head back in to look at Gman. She then entertained us by rolling herself up like a burrito in a blanket on the ground and standing up and walking with it wrapped around her.

Not lady-like

Probably telling him all about it

As if I hadn't stalked our new house enough for one day, we took Gman for a ride over to check it out. We settled for peeking in the windows and looking through the fence in the backyard. My sooner-ette wandered off when she spotted something much more exciting than straining to see through windows to see the inside of the house. She was discovering some of her own perks.....

"Does this come with the house?"

"Let's make sure we write this in the contract, k?"

She was pretty upset when it was time to go and she hadn't got to try out her other options.....

Gman had to leather up and hit the road soon after to make sure he got home before dark. His favorite girl helped him start up the bike and check his mirrors before leaving....

"Wait, you can see yourself Gman but I can't see myself..."

"That's much better....you're all set Gman"

I didn't know it was possible but the girl went and wrapped Gman around her pinky even tighter. The stinker realized he was leaving and said a sweet "uh ew" while she waved her chubby little hand. If you are wondering, "uh ew" happens to be her version of "love you" and this was the first time she'd shared these words with anyone umprompted. She says it every morning and night to daddy when I say it to her but she must've been feeling extra sentimental yesterday. So sweet!

I took advantage of Riley being home and ran to grab a drink at Sonic. I returned to find this.....

"Like my new look mom?"

They were both offended that I wasn't a huge fan of the outfit

Although it did start to grow on me a bit as the night went on. If tomboys eat lima beans and finish dinner then I'm all for overalls with no shirt and a headband....

Bathtime proved to bring out the silliness in her. Daddy made her a stunning mohawk while she chewed on her toy basket....

" How did I not know about this toy?!"

I feel giddy each time I relay a funny Hallie story to Riley. Her little mind is full of new ideas. I just sit back and wait for the Hallie Show to begin everytime she takes a bath. Tonight she entertained me by spreading out her wash cloth and making a pillow to rest her weary head on......

Looks comfy there darlin'

Once she discovered how funny this was to me, she repeated her sleeping trick over and over and over. My sweet girl was finally back to normal. She went to bed without a peep and all was well. Well, that was until the football game started......:( I watched in disgust and even began to laugh at the end. Riley came in and asked me if I was watching a movie. Yes, I was watching a comedy of interceptions, dropped passes and poor defense. I wasn't able to go to bed until 1:30 which didn't mix well with Sunday morning happenings.....

Sunday morning came a lil too early when Riley headed out the door to kick off black powder season. Hallie woke up around 6:30 and it took every last ounce of energy I could muster up to trudge down the hallway to grab her. After church this morning we played a bit in the backyard and in her room before until lunch time.  

Her imagination ran wild outdoors when she spotted Lucy's brush and put the medicine syringe in her hand to good use. Lucy was administered some shots and Hallie did some grooming while she was at it....

"This won't hurt a bit"

The playing combined with an already sleepy girl = this......

In case you are wondering...yes, that's one lone Teddy Graham up in the corner and a few dead Goldfish amongst her mac and cheese mess.

She fell asleep in her macaroni and cheese so I cleaned her up and put her down for a nap. I love it when she snuggles right up in the corner of her crib on her belly. I love even more to tuck her in with a nice fuzzy blanket and watch her sigh and let her binky fall from her mouth. The smart thing to do would've been for me to lay down at the same time but I'm sitting here blogging. Hallie soon woke up with a huge smile fixed on her face and Riley met us at the school playground down the road for some playtime. The weather was to die for and Hallie was going to take advantage of it if was the last thing she did.....

No teething grumpy bug here!

"Dad, there she is again with that camera....we'd better just look, smile and make her happy."

"See ya later kiddo"

Riley suggested that we head to the "real park" so we loaded up and drove over to the "real park." Hallie and I found out soon why he wanted to go there.....

My other child

Silly daddy, those are for kiddos. But all was well because it turns out that he turns into a big ol kiddo when he steps foot on the playground....

She was a brave little lady and took several solo trips down the longer slide. Hot stuff!! My two park friends had a nice little chat at the picnic table without me....

"Ok, I've got a plan. You tackle her and steal her camera and I'll tickle her to distract her."

I caught wind of their plan and gave up the camera to Riley....

"Ive got a brilliant idea! Let's stop taking pictures!"

Never gonna happen silly girl. Not in a million years will I stop taking pictures of this face....

That tongue looks like it's helping a lot

We took a short little walk down by the golf course (watching for any flying balls all the while).....

Sweet cheeks!

Wouldn't ya know it, we spotted a "dah" while walking past a yard....

"dah"

She really never got over seeing that Husky and continued to holler out to him and point while craning her neck as we kept walking. That was until she got to take a ride on daddy's shoulders......

"Those aren't handles!"

His shaved head was quite the hit.....

"You're missing quite a few hairs daddy"

We made the mistake again of letting Riley steal my camera and he began to take some not so flattering pictures of my backside and zoomed up on our faces....so we surprised it by jumping around as he snapped away. Someone thought this was hilarious. Enough to make her let out one of her big giggles.....

"GOTCHA!"

We headed home much to Hallie's dismay but there was much more fun to be had Sunday afternoon. The hunter headed back out into the woods while Hal and I got to work cleaning out a pumpkin. She left me in the dust and a minute later I turned around to find this......

"You underestimate me mom"

Excuse me?! She had time to climb in there and position herself?! How have we not had any bloodshed yet?!? The daredevil headed inside with me to get dinner in the oven. I forgot to mention that we are parenting two extra dogs this week while Nanny and Papa are out of town. Abby and Tzu joined in to form a parade of dogs in the kitchen. Oh and we can't forget about our fifth doggy that I caught several times on all fours or on her belly looking up at the dogs....

"Ruff, ruff!"

Uncle Luke had joined Riley out at the farm for some hunting so Katie and I decided to make it a girl's night with the babes. Carmen was loving the entertainment Hallie provided during dinner....

"And for my next trick I will perform the disappearing banana"

The sweet cousins somewhat posed for a picture together. Out of all the pictures I take, I had yet to take a picture of them sitting together. It had a lot to do with the fire power in my Hal gal and how squirmy and crazy she gets when I try to get her to sit still. That's just what happened but we somehow got a good one.....

"Hmmmm, she looks like a fun toy to play with"

It's always so nice to have the girls come over. We hung out while I did some treat baking and finished up our dinner in a pumpkin. Carmen kept us smiling with her sweet little giggles and coos....

Just chattin' it up with momma

Hal didn't slow down once the sun went down and her clothes came off for a bath. After a quick dip in the tub she entertained us with some dancing and spinning. So much energy released meant she went down for the night wihtout so much as a peep. Back to normal, out of her funk, HAL IS BACK!!! Riley didn't come home with a deer but he did have a great time with Luke. Now I've just got to come to terms with the fact that it's hunting season and I may not see my husband for awhile. ;)

Hallie never ceases to amaze me with the amount that she learns in the matter of a couple of days. We love watching her practice and perfect her new exciting words....hi, love you and bite. All in all it was a spectacular weekend!!! There is so much excitment swirling around with the anticipation of holidays coming up and the joy that moving into our new house brings! I feel like another piece of the puzzle has been put in place....still have a few more to go but we're almost at the end of this journey!