Impromtu Fall Photo Shoot

Well Saturday Virginia and I took the girls out to Hart Park so I could look for a some good locations for upcoming photo shoots. I ended up getting some great pictures of the girls. And they had a lot of fun playing in the leaves and laughing at the geese.

Atley Olson
These two are best buds. It's really cute!

"The Geese"

I have posted the REALLY good photos on my Snaps & Scraps blog and then the rest of the photos on my personal photography blog (links to each are on the side of my blog).

Oh and just to throw a pitch out there for my photography....there are some beautiful colors out at Hart Park right now. So if you need Holiday Family pictures taken and want a "Fall" look, now's the time to do it.

A Little Insight

On my way in to work this morning a song came on my IPOD shuffle. As I'm driving the lyrics just hit me really hard. I've listened to this song several times and have always loved it. But this morning for some reason really summed up where I am right now in my life. So I thought I would share the lyrics with you.

"At this point in my Life" lyrics by Tracy Chapman

"Done so many things wrong I don't know if I can do right,

Oh I, Oh I've

Done so many things wrong I don't know if I can do right

At this point in my life

I've done so many things wrong I don't know if I can do right

If you put your trust in me I hope I won't let you down

If you give me a chance I'll try

You see it's been a hard road the road I'm traveling on

And if I take your hand I might lead you down the path to ruin

I've had a hard life I'm just saying it so you'll understand

That right now, right now, I'm doing the best I can

At this point in my life

At this point in my life

Although I've mostly walked in the shadows

I'm still searching for the light

Won't you put your faith in me

We both know that's what matters

If you give me a chance I'll try

You see I've been climbing stairs but mostly stumbling down

I've been reaching high always losing ground

You see I've conquered hills but I still have mountains to climb

And right now right now I'm doing the best I can

At this point in my life

Before we take a step

Before we walk down that path

Before I make any promises

Before you have regrets

Before we talk commitment

Let me tell you of my past

All I've seen and all I've done

The things I'd like to forget

At this point in my life

At this point in my life

I'd like to live as if only love mattered

As if redemption was in sight

As if the search to live honestly

Is all that anyone needs

No matter if you find it

You see when I've touched the sky

The earth's gravity has pulled me down

But now I've reconciled that in this world

Birds and Angels get the wings to fly

If you can believe in this heart of mine

If you can give it a try

Then I'll reach inside and find and give you

All the sweetness that I have

At this point in my life

At this point in my life"

I was going to explain why this hit me hard, but I just think that it's too personal. I will just them the lyrics with you and hopefully it may have touched you.

Happy Halloween Everyone!!

We started out our evening by stopping by Albertson's for a little trick or treating while shopping.

Then we got home and Mommy had to have her photo op.

Sadie and her upside down baby pumpkin

Then the trick or treating began. Sadie had to practice with Daddy a couple of times before we headed up the street.

We walked up and down our street. She did really good until right at the end. She was getting tired lugging that big ol' butt around.

Then our traditional pictures with Frankie.

For the record Sadie didn't care for him last year either!!

Hope you all had a great Halloween! We sure did!

Pumpkin Carving, Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown & Pizza

Well Friday night was our Family's Date Night. We had pizza delivered, watched "It's the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown" and carved our Pumpkin.

"What Happened to all the guts?"

"You want me to touch what?!"

Playing with the pumpkin seeds

Pumpkin Patch

First let me start off by saying we had a very busy couple of weeks. And sorry for all the pictures. But there were just too many to choose from. Hope you enjoy them.

So we found out that we live literally 5 minutes from this really cute pumpkin patch off of Taft Hwy. So we went down Wednesday night after we got home from work. I'm not going to label all of the pictures. They pretty much tell the story.

I'm just so happy I have a happy daughter and a loving and PATIENT husband.

I do have to tell you I think this is one of the funniest pictures. She was trying REALLY hard to pick up this pumpkin, but the pumpkin won!

Ok another funny story. This gourd Sadie decided she wanted to taste one of the bumps. It was really funny. She didn't mind the taste one bit either.

Steve took the gourd and examined it to make sure there was no real damage.

This is really funny. Sadie and this little boy were "baa"ing at the sheep and the sheep were talking right back to them.

"What the Heck are you doing Dad!"

Trunk or Treating

So we got to attend our first Church activity since we moved to our new house. TRUNK OR TREAT! It's always a favorite of mine. And we got to meet a lot of new people.

Funny though, our little elephant from Fantasia, won the best overall costume of the night!!

YAY! We were so excited and she had absolutely no clue what was going on. All she knew was she got a certificate and got to pick out a special prize.

Mommy as the Mad Hatter and our Ballerina Elephant.

And yes it was a chore to keep her still for ONE picture.

She had a hard time seeing because of the hood, so we ended up just pulling it back and letting her go.

No she hasn't gained that much weight...the bottom and belly were VERY padded.

Decorating for Halloween

We had family night on Sunday this last week and decorated our house for Halloween.

It turned out cute if I do say so myself.

(Frankie did make his appearance but we were using him for the trunk or treat at Church so he is not out yet)

What can you say? She's dang cute!

So I have to put this in. Sadie is very concerned with the tree in our front yard. I don't know why she's so concerned but the only thing I can think of is the tree bark is peeling off.

Daddy got my old wig out of the tubs and tried to scare Sadie. She's not having any of that, even though she was very cautious of him.

Here she is a safe distance away from the strange Daddy.

She was laughing at Steve and the wig here.

Then Steve put the wig on her. She was ok with it, but only for a few seconds.

Here is our attempt to get a posed picture. She has such attitude sometimes. I have no idea where she gets that from...cough Steve cough. haha j/k

Sometimes the unposed are the best.

Night Time view of decorations

Disneyland Fall 2009

Friday I decided to take the day off and hitch a ride with some friends, The Olson's, down to Disneyland. I have never been to Disneyland for the "Halloween Decorations" and since my annual pass we got last December doesn't expire until the 3rd of December I decided to take advantage of the ride and company.

Here is Sadie and I after we just got off the tram from the parking lot. I have to say the ride to Disneyland was a bit of adventure with two toddlers but we all made it. Sadie was ready for a nap when we got there, however there was just too much to see and do.

So here are some of those decorations I mentioned. Isn't it great?

Here we are outside by the Mickey Mouse flowers. They were beautiful with the fall foliage.

This pumpkin is HUGE and in the middle of the square on Main Street.

I thought this was so pretty. They are on every light post.

Here we are on Main Street. I swear Sadie is really happy. She was just ready for nap.

My second adventure of the day was watching both girls while Andy and Gin went on Indiana Jones. They both did really well which to be honest I thought Atley was not going to be very happy, but she did great. Didn't even notice that her parents were gone. haha! sorry Gin.

We had lunch again at the Golden Horseshoe and I was pleased that "Billy Hill and the Hillbillies" were playing when we got there. Andy and Gin hadn't seen them before. And they are always entertaining.

After we ate we hit a few rides for the girls. Here is Sadie in the Dumbo ride. I really don't understand the change in her. She was absolutely terrified. She kept saying "Buckle" and grabbing the seatbelt. (At least she knows what it does right?) As soon as we were moving though she calmed down.

Here is Andy, Gin & Atley. They were in the Dumbo right behind us.

Then it was off to the Carousel Horses. No big deal right? She loves horses and loved it last time. WRONG!!!

Here are the Olson's before we got on the ride.

Here is Sadie and I on the horses. She is not a happy camper. I am hot and sweaty (it was 88 degrees) but I'm crackin' up at my scaried cat daughter who just keeps saying "Buckle, BUCKLE"

See the tears? Someone was definitely ready for a nap.

Her first time on the tea cups. She actually loved it.

Here I am. Yep I'm kickin' it in the shade watching the girls while Andy and Gin went on the Matterhorn. Sadie was OUT! So when Andy and Gin got back they took Atley to the Submarine/Nemo ride after they broke the Matterhorn ride. Come to find out they were a bit of a jinx with the rides that day. Indiana Jones broke after they went on it and they even broke the tram at the end of the day. hahaha

My sleeping beauty

Alright we've made it to the Parade portion of our day. The girls loved it!! And Sadie and I actually danced the conga with the Characters. Sadie was completely beside herself. We danced with Minnie Mouse and Mary Poppins who fell instantly in love with Sadie. (Who wouldn't) I will upload pictures of that later. They are on Gin's camera.

Atley watching the parade.

After the parade we made our way to the Tram. While we were waiting for the "shoppers" Sadie and I rested by the fountain. There was a nice breeze which helped cool us off. Oh and Sadie's eating her popcorn. (She lives off the stuff now)

So on the way home we decided to find a fast food restaurant for dinner. We got off the freeway and were at a light trying to decide which way to go and all of a sudden Sadie shouts "COME ON". It was so funny all three of us couldn't help but bust out laughing. So that's her new thing. Funny thing is she knows when to use it. Who said she wasn't brillant?

Sadie's 1st Hair cut

So I don't know if you noticed in the previous entry but Sadie's hair has gotten a bit out of control. She had a funky mullet thing going on and I seriously needed to address that. It's like the top of her head grew out before the rest of her hair. Very odd and hard to style.

So our good friend Carianne cut her hair for me. Here are some pictures....

1st cut!

The "Bob"

You really can't tell here but it made her hair even more curly. And she looks really cute!

CALM Trip

Wednesday, October 21, 2009 Sadie turned 21 months old. I know it doesn't seem possible.

As a special treat that day, daycare went on an outing to CALM (California Living Museum Zoo) Sadie's daycare are good friends with a local preschool co-op so they got a bunch of parents and kids and all went together to see the animals and to have a picnic. She had a lot of fun exploring and wandering off. (Sorry Amanda)

As you can see Sadie LOVES animals. Especially goats and sheep. She will walk around saying BAAAA it's pretty funny. Here she is with Landon, her little daycare buddy.

"Here sheepy sheepy's. I won't hurt you"

Petting more animals.

All the kids.

(Sadie must have had some issues and this little girl was helping her up)

Fun October Photos

My good friend from work, Velsa, had a baby boy back in April. Well I promised I would make him a Dallas Cowboys blanket for this football season. It took me a while but I finally finished it. I think it was the best one I've done. And he loved it so that's all that matters.

This month has been a month of discoveries, firsts and trials. Mommy has discovered or at least is finally acknowledging that Sadie is not a baby anymore. We have been struggling with listening in our house and I know it will be a continual battle.

But who wouldn't love this little face?!

Ok here's a better shot of that beautiful face. I really am lucky to wake up to this face every morning! Even though we struggle it is so worth it.

On our way to daycare

One of the biggest discoveries this month has been just how much Sadie has grown. She no longer has clothes. Just kidding. We seriously had to go to Wal-mart and clean them out practically. She barely fits in 24 month clothes and even some of the 2T shirts are barely fitting her. She is really growing like a weed. (A Tumble Weed. hahaha) Luckily Cousin Sarah and Allyson got her this really cute outfit for her birthday. And she is just now getting to wear it.

I love this picture. It just cracks me up.

I found this cute outfit at Costco. I need to get a couple more, since the weather is a changin'

More fun October posts to come!

Sadie's 1st Trip to the Dentist

So as you read on my previous post. Sadie chipped her tooth. I had been debating on taking her into the dentist for a while now so I decided I better DEFINITELY take her now.

So from the help of my awesome cousin Heather, we found a great pedatric dentist. As you can see below, they have lots of activities for the kids. (sorry about the clarity of pictures. My camera died so we had to use my phone)

Outside they have a wooden see-saw and a tire climbing gizmo.

Inside they have video games and cartoons on. **Sadie was watching a Dora cartoon but thought she was controlling Dora with the controller from the other game. It was pretty funny.**

Ok so these pictures are of the second time we had to do exrays. Sadie did really good the 1st time but they did the top not the bottom. So we had to do it again. She wasn't as willing to sit still at that point.

I literally had to hold her head back and wrap my other arm around her entire body to keep her still.

The good news is.....NO CAVITIES and the chipped tooth is fine. She's just going to look like snaggle-pus for a while. And we are supposed to go back on the 6th of November to follow up. If the tooth gets rough we just file it down with an emery board. How funny is that?

Sadie tried very hard to bite Dr. Ali's finger off, but I am glad to say no one lost a finger or a tooth.

Recuperating Sunday

While I was busy getting ready for my sale and the wedding, Sadie decided it was her mission in life to climb out of her crib. (Yes this is going to end badly) She got on top of the crib but couldn't figure out how to get down, until she fell and chipped her tooth in the process. She also ended up with a swollen lip. So Sunday was spent recuperating for us all. Me from doing too much and Sadie from her tumble.

Here is a picture of her tooth. She is covering the swollen lip. As you can see it really affected her.

Sadie's favorite candy apparently is milky ways. Here is a picture of Sadie trying to get a treat out of Steve's pocket.

We have been struggling with listening in our house hold. So Sadie has been a frequent visitor to the Time Out Corner. (She looks a little too happy to me)

With the move, we've had a lot of bubble wrap floating around. Well Steve showed Sadie how to pop it. She thought this was the funniest thing ever.