A couple old crows

Who could refuse an invitation to let loose with some creativity and dress up as something fantastical? I found a homemade scarecrow costume in Miles' size at a consignment sale, and I couldn't resist buying it.

But thinking of complementary costumes for Alvin and me was tricky. Luckily, my friend had this great idea - we could be crows. She even pointed me to directions for making an elegant crow costume. I read them, and I started getting this tingly, excited, crafty feeling. It reminded me of when I was younger (like middle-school age) and went to the library to find origami or knitting books.

So I headed to the craft store, strapped Miles to my back, and resurrected the pacifer. (I had a feeling Miles might not appreciate being tied out of reach from all the interesting things he might have touched.) A bag full of black feathers, felt, and fabric later, I left the store. I followed Martha Stewart's directions for my costume, then, since my right brain was all warmed up, I winged it (hee, hee) for Alvin's costume. Although I have to give credit to Martha for the crow/raven eyes on his hat, which are hard to see in the picture.

We won the "Most likely to fly away to Neverland" award at Alvin's family Halloween party.

Happy Birthday!

October 18th. Alvin is a wonderful guy. He keeps me from being too serious and anti-social. He keeps Miles from being deprived of sugar. We love him, especially his red hair! Feliz cumpleanos!
Miles was tickled that I wanted him to push the candles in the cake.
Alvin fell in love with this picture, "Venice Stackables," when he saw it for sale at a farmer's market. He kept talking about buying it, so I finally got it for his birthday. I love it, too. See more by the same artist here.

Toddler dictionary

Miles isn't quite as advanced as Ella (also 20 months old), who can sing the ABCs and give an intelligible rendition of nearly every object in her sight, but he is finally emerging from his non-verbal toddlerhood. That is exciting for us.

Miles says the following words:

I-paw (This is his greeting to Alvin when he gets home from work: "Hi fun parent who lets me use the I-pod!")

wawa (water)

gah-gah (tiger)

ball

boppydah (we don't know what it means, but love how it rolls off our tongues when we repeat it)

nana (banana)

g'bah (granola bar)

Elllla

Maaaamaaa!

mon! (C'mon)

Dada (Miles lays in bed repeating this, and Alvin has a hard time resisting

Ammer (Aunt Amber)

Aanh (depending on the context and the direction his finger is pointing, this could mean "I want to watch Thomas the Tank Engine," "I want some Halloween candy," or "I want to nurse.")

Miles is the most compliant when we say the following words:

Do you want to cook?

Do you want to take a bath?

Do you want to go for a bike ride?

Miles is the least compliant when we say the following words:

Let's go brush your teeth.

You can't play with the camera right now.

10 Years Later . . .

Friday night was my ten-year high school reunion. In the days leading up to it, I thought, “What will I tell people about myself? What are some of the most noteworthy things I have done or that have happened since we attended Bingham High together?” I started making a list in my mind, and I realized that some of the most important things in my life happened during those ten years following high school graduation:

I went to college at BYU and majored in mathematics.
I lived in France and Alaska.
I went on a mission to New Jersey and learned Spanish.
My dad died from cancer.
My mother remarried, and I became part of a step-family.
I married Alvin.
I became an actuary.
I gave birth to a baby boy.

Alvin says this is evidence that I graduated from being a nerd. (By the way, I was never a nerd.) Alvin also says that 10 years have been good to me, particularly in my hairstyle. (He never liked the pictures from my senior year at BHS featuring my super-short pixie cut.)

Anderson Cabin Swing

They really should make people sign a waiver before they ride this thing.

Reasons why September is my favorite time of year to go to Alvin's family cabin in Fairview Canyon:

1. It's not too hot.

2. There are no other people there, so you can have your own room and not worry if your baby cries in the middle of the night.

3. The water hasn't been turned off yet for the season, so you don't have to use the outhouse.

4. It's still too early for snow, so you can still drive right up to the front door. In the winter, you park on the road, snowshoe 1/2 mile while dragging your sleeping bags and gear on a sled, then dig out the front door.

5. Look at those autumn leaves!

Oh, the cleverness of me

Pirate Party

Don't you love the skulls? We kept the box of decorations in our living room before the party, and Miles would gingerly pull open the flap, take a gander at the pirate skull, and say in a low voice, "Ohhh!"

The party even featured some palm reading from an experienced gypsy. Thanks, Julie.

The beauties . . .

And the wastrels.