Halloween

I have always been a huge Halloween fan, I was raised that way :-) But I have to say none have been as fun as this one was. We have had our indoor & outdoor decorations up all month and have been talking about it for weeks so by the time the 31st came along Odesa was ready for this Halloween business to begin. She had 2 costumes, a Minnie Mouse one to wear with her buddy Jake who was Mickey and a witch one for the big day. We always do Halloween with Mike's brother & his family and boy did Odesa enjoy herself! There were about 15 kids over there & it was crazy. She tried to keep up with the big kids once the trick or treating began but once she realized what trick or treating was it became a mission of hers and she could not be rushed! Needless to say we all had a ball and Odesa even scored a few full sized treats. While she didn't get to eat any candy this year she did get to eat cake so don't feel too bad for her :-)

And we got to enjoy the night with baby Ryder. Even though he slept most of evening, I think he enjoyed his first Halloween.

Disneyland!

We finally made it to Disneyland on Saturday, October 16th. It was super crowded but Odesastill had an amazing time! Right when we entered the park Mickey came out with all his buddies & a marching band to perform, Odesa looked very serious but asked for more when it ended. She was taking everything so seriously that Mike & I didn't really know if she was enjoying it until she got to meet Minnie Mouse. She ran up and hugged her, gave her a kiss on the nose and then cried her eyes out when we had to leave her! So far we have been twice and are planning on going again this afternoon- obsessed, just a little. Good thing we got annual passes! Her favorite so far has been the Winnie the Pooh ride. She like to scream "TIGGER" at the top of her lungs every time she sees him! She also rode Pirates of the Caribbean, the Haunted Mansion, the Carousel (she had to ride it twice in a row and still left crying!) and It's a Small World. Grannie came with us Tuesday and we all stayed for the parade which was awesome! She still hasn't gone inside California Adventure but we plan on heading there today to see Playhouse Disney Live! This is a live show of 3 of her favorite cartoons, Mickey Mouse, Winnie the Pooh & Little Einsteins so it's sure to be a big hit!

Haunted Mansion with Grannie.

Love!

But churros are her true love!

Fall

The seasons are changing here in Ladera Ranch and fall is in the air. As hard as it will be to say good bye to one of the best summers of our lifes we are excited for this new season and all the fun it will bring. We just finished putting up the Halloween decorations & Odesa loves them. She talks about Halloween all the time. She is going to be a witch though I think if she could pick she would have been a pirate! She is really into pirates & says "arr" all the time.

Some new things:

Jumping- she loves to jump on the couch, bed, floor- anywhere!

Teeth- we are now at 11 with more on their way. She also is much better about letting us brush her teeth, as long as she gets to floss at the end- loves floss!

Sleeping- we are now sleeping through the night at a more regular schedule.

Bed Time- Odesa now not only lets Mike put her to sleep she requests him!

Odesa- she now knows her name. She has been responding to it for over a year now but when you ask her what her name is she has always replied "baby." Now she says Odesa & talks about herself in the third person.

Impersonations- Odesa now can impersonate some of her favorite characters, Goofy is a personal favorite, " oh garsh!"

Jake- The biggest change is she now has a new best buddy who she sees 4 days a week. Jakey. He is the cutest, sweetest little dude and we all have a blast together.

Guitar- Mike finally got his guitar fixed and has been playing for Odesa. She is obsessed & asks for daddy & the guitar all day long. I finally had to hide it because she was getting so worked up over it.

Colors- She is learning her colors, so far we have yellow, orange, green & blue down pat.

Counting- Odesa can now count to 13.

Shapes- We are also working on shapes & know heart, circle, square & star.

Ring around the rosies- Loves it, plays it with everyone even the stuffed animals.

Swimming- by the end of this summer Odesa was holding her breath under water really well. She can now jump in the pool on her own, go under & then we help her back up.

We have still yet to get a night away from her but though I always blame it on the breast feeding neither of us are really ready to spend a night without her.

We went to Oak Glen last weekend to get apples & pumpkins.

But Odesa wanted CORN! Luckily they had some :-)

Picking raspberries. When I say pick I mean we picked them & she ate them!

Jake & Odesa's favorite game. They think this is hilarious!

He endures her!

Relaxing with Sophia. These girls are two peas in a pod!

We took her to a pirate festival in Dana Point- big hit!

Life is good.

Bubbah grew me a pumpkin!

Sippin smoothies at the pool.

Being a tree hugger.

I think she's trying to butter up Grandad!

Playing with Lulu.

Chillin hard!

Cooking with mommy.

Tea Party

Odesa & I have spent the week planning a tea party with her cousins, Sophia & Olivia to celebrate their first week back to school. Well it was a sucsess and everyone had a blast. Grannie & Great Grannie joined us, it was a tea for 4 generations! We are so fortunate to live minutes from 3 amazing older cousins. They are her favorite people! All of them play with her & give her so much love & attention! We love you guys. Here is to the start of a great school year!

Sorry my pictures are always out of order!

Crashed out at the end.

Sophia, 7 Olivia, 5 Great Grannie White, 86

Odesa was too busy for pictures!

Relaxing with a cookie & Great Grannie.

First Haircut

Odesa got her first haircut on September 6th & it went surprisingly smoothly. It helped that they had suckers & sesame street playing! Her hair is so cute now, they didnt really cut off any real hair, just the baby ends. Supposedly it will help it to not break & thus getting longer faster. Regardless it looks adorable like a little pixie!

After picture.

It's all over, yeah!

Mom, get over here & I'll cut your hair too!

Odesa looks pretty awesome in a cape.

Before Picture

Hide & Seek

17 months

Odesa is almost 1 1/2! Time really does fly when you have children. She is so full of energy it is unbelievable! To get her to nap I have to run her ragged all day, then hope she is tired enough to crash around 2. Our days are spent at playdates near & far, the beach, the lake, the pool, the waterpark, the zoo....you get the picture. Most weeks this kids social calendar is jam packed! She is also talking up a storm. She says so much I don't think I could list out everything she can say but here are a few of her favorites: "what's that," still reigns supreme, "where'd daddy go," "awesome," "Ahhhh Man!" thats my personal favorite! She can do every animal noise, knows all the body parts & can count to 10- though her attention span will usually only last until 5. She can sing a ton of songs, itsy bitsy spider, ABC's, and every theme song to every cartoon! Cartoons- Odesa loves them! If we would let her she would sit in front of the TV all day long. Her new favorites are Winnie the Pooh and Finding Nemo. She is obsessed with the moon, constantly asking for it, where did it go, when is it coming back, all day every day. When she isn't asking about the moon she is telling me something is hot. She recently got a tea set and loves to make mommy & daddy tea, and serve us pancakes & ice cream on the little plates. She also loves to play with microphones! Last week she entertained about 50 people at daddy's work by getting on stage & singing & dancing for everyone! The big news is last night I finally got a good look in her mouth & we finally have not 1, not 2 but 4 molars pushing through!! Maybe now we can actually chew up food! For those of you without kids- when your daughter only has 6 teeth & is 17 months old its a HUGE deal to finally get some more, especially molars! Our next adventure is Disneyland. I am so excited to take her it is ridiculous!