Halloween, Thanksgiving, Bismarck's Birthday

It has been forever since I posted. Better late than never though.

Happy Halloween

Our ward had a fun party and Trunk or Treat! I have never gone to a Trunk or Treat before. Some people went all out decorating their trunks. Next year we will have to participate!

I just loved watching Brooklyn walk around in her costume. She looked so funny with the padding.

One thing Brooklyn does all the time is make brush her fingers over her lips and say babababa. Bismarck's mom said he did that all the time as well when he was a baby.

For dinner on Halloween I found some random recipe online. You end up cooking the meat and rice mixture in the pumpkin and eat it all. The pumpkin was soft but pretty bitter. Biz liked it though!

In anticipation for her 1st birthday invitation I took pictures of Brooklyn at a park. I ended up not using them for the invitation but they turned out pretty cute.

 Brooklyn does this face a lot. It is like a closed mouth laugh. She squints her eyes and breathes heavily out of her nose. It is hilarious! 

This apple kept her occupied and made her so happy while we sat and talked at the park!

Thanksgiving in Utah

We spent most of the time at my sister Heather's new home in Saratoga Springs. It is just darling! I didn't realize how much I missed my family until we went back.

One of the things Brooklyn always does is blow kisses! Anytime I say bye, bye or nigh night or kisses her hand usually goes right up into position. I never tire of it though!

Brooklyn just loved playing with her big cousins! I saw her do things she has never done before like play tag. It is amazing how big kids can help the younger ones develop so fast. I need more play dates with 2 and 3 year old kids. 

 Heather decorated the table so beautifully! The candles are my favorite!

I have never made a cheesecake before but I found a recipe online for a pumpkin cheesecake. It is always fun to try new things. This was the only thing I contributed! The rest was all done by my parents and lovely sister! Below are my mom's famous potato rolls. I always stuff my face with these! Thanksgiving would not be the same without them!

Zach's face is so funny in this pic I just had to include it. I wonder what he is thinking.

Bismarck's 28th Birthday

While in Utah we also celebrated Bismarck's birthday! He doesn't like sweets a lot but his favorite is pumpkin chocolate chip bread so that's what I make instead of cake. 

29 and almost 10 months

My darling is almost 10 months old! I am constantly amazed at how fast she is changing and all that she is learning! Here are some of the latest developments.

 

Since we moved to L.A. I have not had a washer/dryer in my apartment because they don't have hookups here. I have to do it on the on site facilities. This has been really difficult because it is almost impossible for me to carry Brooklyn and...

the laundry and do all the bending required to load, unload etc... I've tried the baby Bjorn but it doesn't make it any easier. As a consequence I have just done laundry on Saturday when Biz is home. However, yesterday I ran into a woman from Nigeria who had her baby strapped to her back and asked her how she does it. I was supposed to learn this from my mother in law when I was visiting her in Ghana but we forgot about it. She did give me a wrap so I have it but have never used it because I didn't know how. Today after learning, I finally tried it out and I tell you I am a different woman. I feel liberated...haha! Brooklyn loves it and my hands are free to do anything! I wish I would've learned this sooner! Yay for Africa!!

 

On my birthday I got two balloons! Brooklyn was in heaven! She would carry it around everywhere she went.

 

I got my favorite show, The Mentalist, seasons 1,2, and 3 from Bismarck for my birthday! I was so excited! I can't wait for the new season to begin. I was also surprised with a delivery of flowers, chocolates, a balloon, and a cute white bear in the afternoon from Bismarck's family. It totally made my day!

 

I can't believe I only have 1 more year in my 20's. Life flies by so fast! My birthday was absolutely wonderful! Bismarck took me to breakfast in the morning and gave me a note that listed 29 things he loves about me. In the afternoon he got my favorite meal and we watched a chick flick together and then after the movie was over he told me to go to the mall to pick out a dress for the evening. I had an hour and a half which, as most girls know, is never enough time to find something that is the right look and price. After spending half an hour walking around the mall, realizing that dresses in L.A. are a lot more expensive and immodest than what I am used to, I began to get discouraged. So I said a prayer and then right after that I looked up and saw an adorable dress in the store window. They just happened to have the right size for me. I just love it!

In the evening Bismarck took me to an incredibly romantic restaurant tucked away in a beautiful part of the city!

 

The best thing about the dress is that I can cross my legs and not worry about anything showing!

Our  13 year old babysitter lives in the same apartment complex and is in our ward. We put Brooklyn down and paid her to just sit on our couch and watch T.V. She must love us! After dinner we came back and ate my favorite pie: Oreo and cream cheese crust with mint chocolate chip ice cream filling! Yum!

Brooklyn is absolutely obsessed with fruit! Anytime she even sees it she starts to shake with excitement. I have learned not to eat anything around her or she will crawl towards me and start smacking her lips just fixated on what I am eating.

 



She is pretty good now at her pincher grasp, however banana is pretty slippery!

 

 

Whenever she is done eating fruit she starts to cry because it is over! If she had her way she would eat it all day long. Poor girl!

 

I just love Brooklyn's eyelashes and chubby cheeks! She is such a doll! I honestly maul her with kisses all day long.

 

 

Brooklyn has started standing on her own. She also walks around with the help of her walker-toy. This is one of her favorite things to do.



Bath time and L.A.

Before we left for L.A. Brooklyn had her first bath in the tub instead of the baby bath. She absolutely loved the rubber ducky. What a darling!!! She is such a happy girl and just brightens my day!

A few days after arriving in L.A. Bismarck's friend Ryan and his family invited us to go kayaking at Balboa Beach. It is such a quaint, adorable place. I kept thinking it would be such a fun place to go for a honeymoon or anniversary! Perhaps one day we will do that.

After a fiasco with the kayak last year during our cruise, Bismarck decided he was more than happy to stay back with Brooklyn and let me go with Ryan's family. It was hard to keep up with them. They are all pretty athletic.

Ryan's family is so amazing. They are all so sweet and fun to be with! I wish we could have spent more time together.

I took some pictures of Brooklyn in the new apartment. She is such a beautiful baby!

Almost crawling

Our little gymnast

Last Saturday we decided to try out the beach and we are hooked! It is the best part about moving to California! It is the perfect place for families to just hang out, play in the sand, relax, play volleyball, eat picnic foods, play games, etc... I imagine we will be there a lot! Brooklyn looks so cute in the little swimsuit I got from my cousin Sarah. The little ears are my favorite!

During our move Brooklyn got her first tooth! I have to say that we definitely knew it was coming. Her whole personality changed for a week! You got to love the timing too...right when we were packing and unpacking.  She is changing so much every day. At 5 months she couldn't even roll over and now at 8 months she is rolling and crawling. 

This last Monday, Bismarck started medical school! I am so proud of him. All of the work he has done to make it to this day is incredible! I admire and look up to him for his diligence, determination, and courage. I just know he will do amazing things in his career and that the Lord will use him to do a mighty work!