Scared Stiff!

You would think I was wearing a scary mask by the look on Charlotte's face, in reality I just hadn't put my make up on yet! Just kidding. She made this face while I was snapping some shots of her. I accidentally caught this facial expression and laughed so hard. I love that her arms are sticking out...she looks scared STIFF!

Jack O'Lantern-ing

For Family Home Evening we carved pumpkins. Here are some pictures of the evening:

Papito Meets Charlie

My dad was finally able to make it up to Cleveland to meet Charlotte, or as he calls her, "Charlie." He had a business trip in Cincinatti and came up to spend the weekend with us. It was great to visit and play games. We're sad to see him go, but luckily we'll go down for a visit at Thanksgiving!

Papito bought Charlotte her first baby doll, and she just loves it. It's been funny because she hasn't really been interested in any toys, but when we pull the doll out it grabs her attention. Thanks Papito!

Devil for a Night

This Friday our ward had a Halloween party. I tried to make Charlotte a cute spider costume, but then realized my costume making talent is ZIP! In last minute desperation, Adam and I put this "Daddy's Little Devil" onsie on Charlotte. Adam thought it'd be funny to give her little devil horns. So, I got to use my hair styling talent (okay, so it doesn't require as much skill as costume making) to make her hair look like a little devil.
Who knew a devil could be so cute...

My Favorite Day of the Week

I have always really enjoyed Sundays. I love the time I get to spend with my family on this day of the week. It's always so nice to go to church and be spiritually fed. Sundays are the day of the week that give me the boost I need to make it through the rest of my week with a positive and refreshed perspective. I love the peace and quiet that this day brings.

My friend Ashley's family had a tradition of making cookies every Sunday. They would eat most of the cookie dough and then bake up the rest of it. I always thought this sounded so fun. Adam doesn't really enjoy baking cookies, and Charlotte is too young to help so I am trying to come up with my own Sunday tradition. Does your family have any Sunday traditions?

There is a recent addition to my life that adds joy to Sundays: Charlotte. I LOVE getting her ready for church on Sundays. I just think she looks like such a little lady in her dresses.

This is one of my favorite dresses. I bought it for Christmas, but it's too darling for me to wait until December for her to wear it. This picture brings me so much joy...her happiness, innocence, and beauty all remind me of Sunday. These are the attributes of the day that I love.

My Little Burrito Baby

Charlotte decided this week that she now wants to sleep like this:
She hated to be swaddled when she was first born, so it took me quite a few rounds of trial and error before I figured out what she wanted. For being so small and young, she sure knows what she wants and will do whatever she can to get it!

Yearbook Pictures

So we were looking through our old yearbooks today and decided we needed to show off our awesome pictures from when we were younger to everyone. We even got pictures of Charlotte when she was.........younger? Anyway, you can definitely tell that they are completely real and authentic, and I must say, I can totally see why so many girls were chasing after me back in the day. Also Laura wasn't too shabby herself!!! And as for Charlotte, you single guys need to stay away! I know she looks mighty fine in her senior pictures, but she's not quite of dating age yet.

One Year Older and Wiser Too!

Yesterday was Adam's 28th Birthday. We celebrated by going to a driving range with the Pattys. Adam and Dan showed off their amazing skills......while Amber and I showed off our un-amazing skills (you could also call it unskills)!Afterwards we came back to our place for cake and presents. The previous week Adam and I went out and got him some new clothes (I told him the holey clothing just had to go) so that was his main birthday present this year. I also got him some tennis rackets and balls. I just realized that last year I got him a Wii on which he can play tennis. I guess my gift this year just goes to show my lack of originality with gift buying. Regardless, we went and played tennis this morning, and it was more fun than when we play it on the Wii. He also received some great gifts from family and friends.
Please do not look at the cake too closely...the frosting has crumbs in it. Sigh...this is something I need to work on when making a cake...my ability to frost is next to none. I found the recipe for this cake back in March and had been secretly saving it for Adam's Birthday. It had Adam's favorite type of cake, with his favorite type of frosting and his favorite fruit as a filling layer. The math was simple: spice cake+cream cheese frosting+raspberries=Happy Adam.

My equation was correct! Adam loved the cake and now expects me to make it every year for his birthday. All in all, I hope he had a good birthday (he seemed to enjoy himself)! Only two more years, and I'll have to plan a big bash for birthday number 30!