Happy Halloween!!!

Here's our little pumpkin! I'll post some pictures later of her in her Halloween costume. But I couldn't resist taking some photos of her inside the pumpkin, since she fit!

Herbie fit inside too, and he actually got less upset about it than Kirsten did. Kirsten only lasted about 30 seconds before she started crying.

We're New Homeowners!

It's official! Last Friday we got our keys and became owners of our new home! It's really exciting, and now this week is moving week and SO busy. Here's me with Kirsten holding my new house key.

We're becoming master painters too! Well, sort of. We're not painting every wall in the house, and some will just stay white. Stephen is hard at work painting our living room walls a light brown color. We also have an accent wall in a darker brown.

Here I am working on our green entryway. I'm getting pretty good at paint touch-up now. Since I'm prone to spilling and dropping things, I have to be constantly thinking about it while I'm painting so I don't drop the brush or spill paint all over everything. I've seen too many movies and TV shows where stuff like that happens!

And Kirsten just sleeps peacefully in her car seat the whole time we're painting. Yeah, right! Thankfully, my mom's in town and can help watch her and play with her, because moments like the one in this picture are few and far between!

Kirsten and Shamu

I just LOVE these pictures!

Stephen won the stuffed animal for her at the arcade at Sea World in August.

Slooooowly Packing and Organizing

So here's a good question... how do you pack and get organized for a move when you have a baby??? At least she's not crawling around and getting into everything yet, but since her ability to play by herself is limited to about 20 minutes at the most, it gives me just enough time to get everything out and ready to organize and then she needs me again. So I end up making an even bigger mess than I started with! Hmm, this is difficult. We're all very excited for Grandma to come visit this weekend, so she can play with Kirsten and I can get stuff done!


Do you think her mouth can open any wider for a smile than that?

Teething Troubles

She doesn't have any teeth yet, but Kirsten has definitely started teething. She's obviously in pain some of the time and cries much more than usual. Even though she's smiling in this picture, Stephen and I can now understand why most parents shudder when they hear the word "teething."

Our Little Pumpkin

Kirsten's ready for Halloween already!

Power Outage!

On Thursday we had a big wind storm in the area, and we lost electricity in our apartment from about 5 pm until 9 pm! I always loved losing power as a kid, but it's a little tough with a baby. I had already packed up all of our candles except for one, so I got Kirsten out of the house and we headed to the store for candles along with a whole bunch of other people. At least it wasn't already dark when the power first went out, so I had some light from the windows to gather up her stuff. So we bought candles, went out to eat, then came home and I lit all of them. It was really pretty fun! Kirsten was fascinated by the firelight and immediately reached out and wanted to touch it. I'm glad the power came back on when it did, but it was a fun little adventure!

Fun Info About Me (Hopefully)

My friend Rachel did this on her blog and "tagged" me, so here goes!

What I Was Doing Ten Years Ago:
Of course I can't remember exactly, but in October 1997 I was 15 and dying to be 16! My greatest joys in life during that year were going to stake dances, youth activities with my ward, young women's, daydreaming about boys, hanging out with friends, and talking on the phone. I also played my harp a lot that year for weddings.

What I Was Doing Five Years Ago:
In October of 2002, I was a BYU student and loving it. Of course I was constantly busy with homework, tests, classes, and working too but I always balanced it out with classes and activities that I loved. I sang with the BYU Women's Chorus, took ballroom dance class, had lots of fun with my roommate Carrie, and dated up a storm.

One Year Ago:
I was moving! (Hmm, sounds a little familiar) I was actually working at a travel agency in Sandy, Utah and starting to pack up for our big move from Salt Lake City to Seattle. I was in the first trimester of pregnancy, so I was pretty sick in the mornings and getting up early for work was pure torture!

Yesterday:
It was a busy day! We did the walk-through of our new townhouse, which took over 3 hours but it was exciting and the place looks so fantastic! We also signed our life away on the mortgage papers, and I ran some much-needed errands.

Five Snacks I enjoy:
Cheese Nips
Halloween Oreos (I don't know why they're better than normal ones, but they are!)
Quaker Granola Bars
Chocolate, in any form
Apple slices

Five Things I Would Do With a Million Dollars:
Travel, travel, and more travel!
Buy some amazing furniture for our new home
Pay off our student loans and put a huge chunk towards our mortgage
Go on a fun shopping spree
Buy a nice piano

Five Places I Would Love to Go:
Spain
China
South America (Brazil, Peru, and Argentina especially)
Ireland and Scotland
India

Five TV Shows I Like:
American Idol
Survivor
The Office
Amazing Race
So You Think You Can Dance

Five Things I Hate Doing:
Getting up early
Taking out the trash
Going to the DMV for anything
Seeing a spider in my house
Moving

Five Biggest Joys of the Moment:
Gorgeous fall weather and leaves
Seeing Kirsten smile and hearing her laugh
Lighting Pumpkin Spice candles every night
The beginning of the holiday season
Becoming a homeowner (no more rent!)

Five People that I Tag:
EVERYONE on my blog list :)

The Second Level

Here are a few more pictures from our new townhouse that's almost finished! We're really excited to get to do our walk-through tomorrow and see it all done!

Here's Stephen and Kirsten in Kirsten' new room.

It was hard to take pictures of the individual bedrooms (there are 3 bedrooms), but here one view of our master bathroom.
Our small "backyard" area.

Almost Completed!

We're so excited that our new townhouse in Lynnwood, WA is almost done being built! We will get to do our walk-through this Friday, and closing is a week after that! These pictures were taken on Saturday, and it's so cool that we'll actually get to live here, and own it instead of renting. These pictures are all from the main level.

The outside! We have number J2.

Stephen holding Kirsten in our front door entryway.

This is our little half bath guest bathroom, located just inside the main entrance. I love the pedestal sink. You can also see a weird image of me in the mirror with my camera flash.

Our fireplace in the front room.

Our kitchen's not completed yet and the appliances aren't in, but you can see the cabinets, sink, hardwood floors, and granite countertops. Aren't the colors pretty?

Sitting In The Big Chair

I put Kirsten in the big rocker/recliner chair that I spend so much time in (holding her, feeding her, rocking her to sleep, etc.) and she could sit up there for a few minutes!
Here's how she sat when I first put her there....

Then she slumped over to the side like this...

And here she is smiling at the TV.
She loves Sesame Street and Elmo makes her laugh!

Dress Up

Most moms with girls will agree that baby girls are the most fun to dress up. I love seeing how cute Kirsten looks in different outfits and accessories! Thanks to my friend Rachel for making this crazy, awesome headband for Kirsten. Doesn't it make her look like a package?

Tears at the Orthodontist

We had a small trauma on Monday. I took Kirsten with me to the orthodontist to be fitted for new retainers (since my teeth moved when I lost my old ones. Darn those teeth!) Kirsten was sitting on my lap and having a great time watching all the curious things in the dentist's office. But when they took the impressions for my top teeth and I had the big metal thing sticking out of my mouth for a few minutes, Kirsten took one look and burst into tears! It was so sad, she just started sobbing. I had to hold her for a few minutes and calm her down after they took it out. I guess it just scared her to see that weird thing sticking out of Mommy's mouth! She's such a sweetheart.

Harp Job in Bellingham

Last Saturday I played the harp for a wedding up in Bellingham, which is about an hour and a half north from us and very close to the Canadian border. It was the furthest north both Stephen and I (and Kirsten!) have ever been so far. I didn't know this before, but Seattle is actually further north than Michigan or even Maine. I always pictured Maine as the furthest north mainland state, but I was wrong!
The wedding went well, but it was very long. I played an hour before the ceremony, all the ceremony music, and then the cocktail hour. Stephen had to try to keep Kirsten fed, changed, and happy for that whole time. Unfortunately, Kirsten had a pretty sad day. She wasn't happy that she had to be away from home for such a long day. She's usually good for short trips now, but long ones like that are hard for her. Stephen did manage to get a few pictures of her when she was happy though. Here she is with her favorite stuffed animal, the giraffe.

My Alter Egos

This was too fun not to participate...

My Alter-Egos

1. YOUR ROCK STAR NAME (first pet & current car):
Tuffy Voyager

2. YOUR GANSTA NAME (favorite ice cream flavor & favorite cookie):
Cookies 'n Cream Chocolate Chip

3. YOUR "FLY GUY/GIRL" NAME (first initial of your first name & first three letters of your last name):
A-VEA

4. YOUR DETECTIVE NAME (favorite color & favorite animal):
Blue Kitty

5. YOUR SOAP OPERA NAME (middle name & hospital where you were born):
Kathleen Kaiser

6. YOUR STAR WARS NAME (first three letters of your last name & first two letters of your first name):
Veaas (This sounds... wrong. Just wrong.)

7. SUPERHERO NAME ("The" & second favorite color & favorite drink):
The Blue Dr. Pepper

8. NASCAR NAME (the first names of your grandfathers):
William Ray

9. WITNESS PROTECTION NAME (mother's and father's middle names):
Nanette Richard

10. TV WEATHER ANCHOR NAME (your 5th grade teacher's last name & a major city beginning with the same letter):
Ballard Boston

11. SPY NAME (your favorite season/holiday & flower):
Autumn Rose

12. CARTOON NAME (favorite fruit & article of clothing you're wearing right now & "ie" or "y"):
Strawberry Slippersy

13. HIPPIE NAME (What you ate for breakfast & your favorite tree):
Granola Bar Magnolia

14. YOUR ROCK STAR TOUR NAME ("The" & your favorite hobby/craft & your favorite weather element & "Tour"):
The Traveling Rain Tour

So there you go. Some information I bet you thought you'd never know about me! If you play along, let me know what your alter egos are!

Ruby's Diner

Last Friday we took Kirsten out to eat at Ruby's Diner, a 50's-themed restaurant at the mall. She mostly had a good time. There were train tracks suspended from the ceiling, and every time the little train went by she liked watching it. She's also fascinated lately by watching us eat. She'll just stare at us so intently, and sometimes she moves her mouth like she's trying to chew too. So it's a little easier to take her out to eat now than it used to be.

Crazy hair sticking straight up in the air!

Warm Baby Legs

I've been wondering lately how I can keep Kirsten's legs and feet warm all fall and winter, since she loves to pull of her socks and always kicks off blankets. I found a solution! These leg warmers by BabyLegs are so cute and fun, and they are impossible for her to pull off! I bought several different patterns and colors, and they are great with onesies, underneath pants to keep her feet covered, and with church dresses. She looks like a little dancer where she wears them!

Happy Birthday to Grandma!

It was actually yesterday, October 6'th, but Happy Birthday to Grandma Hofer from Ashley, Stephen, and her little ladybug! She wishes you could hold her!

I love October!

I'm so thrilled that it's Halloween time again! I love the decorations, the fun food, the crisp weather and fall leaves, and that it's the official beginning of the holiday season. I won't really be able to put my decorations up this year, which is a little sad, since we'll be moving at the end of the month and there's just no point! I only have a couple of things set out. But I'm way excited for my annual Halloween dinner of Witches Brew and cornbread, and to dress Kirsten up in her costume! I found some old, funny Halloween pictures to post on here:

Halloween a very long time ago, with my cousin Jessica. The funny thing is that now I hate clowns! Nothing's scarier than a clown.

Butterfly, spread those wings! My mom made those wings for me out of wire, cotton batting stuff, and spray paint. She really could make anything!

Halloween in college. I'm the one in the middle, and I'm with my friends Carrie and Heather.

Stephen and I dressed up as a cat and mouse in 2004, when we were dating. Aww, weren't we just the cutest?

Daddy's Little Girl

Kirsten and Stephen have fun playing together and snuggling in the chair after he gets home from work every night.

Kirsten In Her Crib

Such a cute little bug! I can't believe her hands actually stopped moving for this picture. Usually her hands are all blurry because they're constantly moving. She loves to hold things, and she grabs onto anything she can get!