Snazzy new specs

Hello all. I just thought I'd show you all my new glasses. It's been 7 or 8 years since I got a new set of frames, so I'm pretty excited about these. I think I'll wear my glasses more since I have some cute ones now. I know everyone's had this style frame for about 4 years now, but I feel quite cutting-edge and trendy in them. I'm pretty conservative, so this is a little bit of a "fashion risk" for me. Sorry for the picture...the Bean can't take my pic and neither can Baby G, and RR was at work. So it's one of those do-it-yourself jobs. Also, I probably should have fixed my hair for this pic, but hey, it's more realistic this way, don't you think? I DID put on lipstick for y'all, so I put forth a little effort. :)

The Bean's first haircut

I know she's over 2, but the Bean had her first haircut this week! We went to a special kid's place for the first cut, and she had a blast and felt like a princess. We had a whole little "girl's morning out" since Baby G was in the nursery. We had blueberry muffins at Starbucks to start the morning...the Bean with juice, and Mommy with a Gingersnap Latte. (Yum.) And then we went for the main event...she sat in the princess chair, with the princess cape, and did a pretty good job doing what the stylist told her to do, especially once the stylist told her that she would get a sucker if she did what she was told. The Bean loves her some suckers. And then she got some sparkle spray in her hair, and some cotton candy scented "hair spray", and a purple glitter star on her cheek. And of course the much anticipated sucker as well. Then to finish off our girls morning out, we went to the grocery store where she got some Bob and Larry (Veggietales) fruit snacks, and then to eat pizza for lunch. Quite the morning for a 2-year-old. Here are some pics from our little adventure.

Half a year - 6 months old!

He is grasping toys pretty well now and will even cry if you take one away that he likes!

Ahh, the joys of dirty carrot bibs! FYI, yes, he has frog feet. Those adorable jammies are hand-me-downs courtesy of my sister-in-law Marianna.

Lovin' the jump-a-roo...

I CANNOT believe that Baby G is 6 months old. Where did the time go? It seems like it passed by a lot quicker this time around. He is doing great. We've started solid foods...a little rice cereal, squash, carrots and sweet potatoes. He wasn't too keen on the rice cereal, but he liked it once I started mixing it w/ the veggies. He's doing pretty good learning to open his mouth and eat. We're only doing solids once a day...and I'll keep it that way as long as I can!! I had forgotten what a messy experience it is. :) He's rolling over both ways really good, and lifting himself up w/ his arms. He can sit up by himself for a few seconds b/f he falls over. He LOVES his jump-a-roo. It's his favorite. And he likes Baby Einstein and his playmat still too. He's still going back and forth b/tw 2 and 3 naps a day, but most days if we're home he takes 2 long ones. He laughs all the time and is a happy baby (the B'wood nursery might not agree, but that's b/c he doesn't nap there!) most of the time. Still no teeth. Here are some recent pics of the little cutie! We love him so much!

We won!!

Did I mention that the Bean and I won the Smockingbird contest? I know, there were only two entries total...but still, I get a $10 gift certificate for my hard work! Woo-hoo! How shall I spend my winnings, you ask? Well, I'll probably put it toward some outfits for Spring. Right now I'm working on the Bean and Baby G's Christmas outfits, and I'll be lucky if I get them done in time. Click on the link above to see the Bean prominently featured on the HOME PAGE of the Smockingbird's site. She's famous!! :)

Trip to Seattle

Riding w/ cousin Ella

Note the borrowed pink John Deere cowgirl boots - how cute!

Not too sure about the horse at first!

Loving on cousin Ella

Our family at Grandpa Jim's house

As promised, here are some pics from our Seattle trip. For those of you who don't know, RR's family lives up there, and we get to visit them about every other year or so. This is the first time the kids have been up there, or even on a plane for that matter! They both did pretty well, all things considered, on the plane. (Not that I would recommend travelling on an airplane w/ two kids 2 and under for the faint of heart.) We were up there for 2 weeks, and 5 days of that was just RR and I in Vancouver, BC on a "business trip" (RR had business...I slept in and had free meals) while RR's sister and mom kept the kids. This was our first time to leave Baby G, and he did great. The Bean did great too...RR's sister has 3 kids, two boys 11 & 7, and a little girl who is almost 3. Ella and the Bean became fast friends, and the Bean even bunked in her room! The highlight of the Bean's trip was getting to "ride da pony" at Uncle Kevin's house. Uncle Kevin has a bunch of horses and a few other animals, and the Bean loved it! She was a little scared of the horses at first, but then warmed up and wanted to ride one. We had a great time visiting RR's family, and I know the Bean will remember this trip for a while!

Happy Halloween!

The Bean was a little "punkin" for Halloween! We went trick-or-treating to a few houses around our neighborhood, and she loved it! She was so excited she even ran into a couple of people's houses...oops! Our neighborhood doesn't have that many trick-or-treaters, so most houses told the Bean to get as much candy as she wanted, and she obliged. So she got quite a bit of loot for just a few houses. Earlier in the day we also went over for a photo shoot to our neighbor Ian's across the street. Baby G was unavailable for the photo shoot, as he was napping. :) Baby G was cleverly disguised as a baby in Halloween PJ's. I know, I got creative on that one, right? :) Enjoy the pics!