About Hair

We occasionally have conversations about Addie's hair.

In case you hadn't previously noticed, we haven't done much to it in the past.  Apparently we were both rather bald babies, and Addie has followed suit.  I've been hesitant to cut her hair, because the poor thing doesn't have much of it!

At dinner today Chris somehow managed to bring up the subject of her hair again, and as has often been the case, words like "shaggy," "awful," and "mullet" were in the mix.  (Ok, I can't remember if they were in the mix this conversation, but they have been in the past...)  After dinner, Chris left to his LSAT prep course, and I decided to give Addie a bath and a haircut afterward.

I couldn't find the camera before, so here's the best "back" picture I could find, it's from September sometime.

I'll be honest, I was afraid of cutting her hair short because of a general fear of how it would turn out and a specific fear that it would make her look like a boy.  When you consider that I am only "experienced" in cutting Chris' hair--with a clipper set--you may better understand these fears of mine.

So, I tried to do a little "layering" action in the back that I've observed professionals do (I didn't want her to have a blunt cut after all), and this is how it all turned out:

I would like to thank my sister, Tori, my bff, Kara, and my bud, Bonnie, for all the haircuts and hair discussions I've had with them in the years they've each acted as my stylist and friend.  And I would especially like to thank my mother-in-law, Lisa, for teaching me that when you make a mistake you just hum: "Hmm...hm..hmmm."  It's much less distracting to a "client" than a gasp! =D

Costumes

I keep thinking about costumes for Addie's first real Halloween (I figure our being in Kazakhstan last year with no trick or treating, and Addie only being 4 months old doesn't count...).

I found this giveaway that is practically making me drool.

 http://grosgrainfabulous.blogspot.com/2009/10/queen-of-hearts-and-alice-in-wonderland.html

The costumes are amazing and there would even be an amazing costume for Addie to grow into!!  You are all invited to link back to the original in a post on your blog on behalf of Addie. ;D  No seriously.

A Visit With Friends

A few weeks ago we were able to host the three children of my good friend Gladys while she and her husband went to the Washington DC Temple.  We were so glad they took us seriously when we told them we'd love to babysit their kids so they could go!  Chris and I had a blast and so did Addie!

Isabel, Danten, and Sam were very well behaved, so we had no trouble going from one child to four!

We went to a little walking area and played on some of the playground equipment.

 

Like usual, the kids really enjoyed the slide.

It was a lot of fun watching Addie observing the "big" kids and then trying new things because of it.  For instance, those bars that Danten and Sammy climbed on...

 

One of my favorite things was watching the way Isabel, Danten, and Sammy interacted.  They were usually very sweet to one another.  I didn't get the best pictures, but my favorite example of this was when Sammy got tired on the walk back and Isabel gave him a piggy back ride!  (The best part being that Sammy's not that much smaller than her.)

We were glad to be able to help Gladys and Daniel, and it was a lot of fun visiting with them before they got on the road to Virginia Beach.

If you come to the DC area, let us know...

This is What Peace Looks Like

My younger brother Ben joined the Navy and started boot camp right before we returned to the States.  That, of course, meant that we didn't see him upon our return.  So, when he finished boot camp and returned to Virginia Beach to move his wife and daughter to their new home, Addie and I took a long drive to spend a little bit of time with him.

After Addie spent much of the drive being an unhappy passenger, this little nap was a welcome reprieve for a tired momma!

Duckies

We like to take walks on a special bridge to see ducks, geese, turtles, and fish (I've even seen a water snake!).  Addie gets excited when we start to cross the bridge and often points and says, "Duckies!" (or, for some reason, "doggies," because lately every animal is one).

Of course, we pause and peer over the side of the bridge and see what is around.

When it's time to leave, we pry that little hand off the bar and scoot on out fast! =)

Shadows

I love the shadows of our little family!