Eliza is 1

Here she is, in all of her bald-headed, big brown-eyed glory! She loves to sit on anything that resembles a chair, even a turned-over stool.

Isaac was a great big brother and helped open her gifts (read: he opened every single one himself).

I think Eliza was just thrilled to have a few toys of her own now:

She seemed the most excited about the cupcakes. She has a sixth sense for sugary treats; she can spot them anywhere and won't rest until she gets some.

But when she finally got her cupcake she didn't eat it by the fistfuls like Isaac some children I know. Instead she ate it slowly and deliberately, as if she were thinking "yes, this is exactly the sort of thing I should always be fed. Good job for finally figuring it out."

We love you, our sweet little Li-Li!

Family Pictures

We've been married for almost 8 years, and have been parents for almost four...but we've never really had "family pictures". For some reason we feel like more of a bona fide family with the addition of Eliza.

However, we found that getting a picture where both children look acceptable is pretty difficult...
I love this one, except Isaac looks like like he's been given too much Benadryl.

This one is great...I'm smiling, Nate is smiling, Eliza is even smiling; but Isaac is demonstrating his classic pouty-lip look.

He smiles when he's posing with his uncle McLean!

And looks like an angel when he poses by himself...

But can't seem to hold still in any group pictures.

Eliza, on the other hand, kept pulling at anything I put on her head (hat or headband) to help her look less like a cue ball.

I do love this picture of me and my girl.

And this one of my sibs and I.

And my cute mom and dad.

In the end, my favorite was this one of my two kiddos. Isaac is smiling...and Eliza left her headband on (for a moment)!

And we did get one of our family where we all look decent.

Thank goodness for our excellent photographer/friend (the incomparable Becky) and her patience!

I turned the big Three Oh!

So the OTHER really cool thing that happened on October 31st was my birthday. Nate outdid himself and gave me a present for the 30 days prior to my birthday ("The 30 days of 30") and then a party with friends the day before my birthday. No pics, but I will always remember the fun of getting a present every day for a month. Love you babe!

Halloween

Christmas is coming, and the New Year will follow shortly...and I WILL be caught up with the blog by then. Hence for this post we will turn our thoughts back to a time in the recent past, a warmer time, a time when children wear costumes and eat lots of candy (as opposed to the Christmas holiday, where children just eat lots of candy).

Isaac and his cute friend Joy at Red Butte Garden's Halloween festivities:

Trick-or-treating with cousins Brock and Logan:

Tough Batman and happy Butterfly:

More Fun in the Bath

Why do I love watching my kids take a bath together?

Because they're clean, contained, and content!

They can stay in the bath until the water is cold, just enjoying hangin' out together.

It's a great time...

... until it's time to get out!

Maybe I should just let them in stay in forever?

Siblings

Although he's a blonde, blue-eyed boy and she's a brunette, brown-eyed girl...

... sometimes they look so much alike it amazes me!

Bear Lake

We spent the last weekend before school started up at Bear Lake (with the rest of northern Utah). We were hoping for a last taste of summer but instead got an early taste of fall.

On a walk near the cabin:

The little ones, not to be deterred by the temperatures, played down at the beach in their sweatshirts:

While the big people played volleyball:

Isn't the beach fun?