Happy Halloween

So I wanted to wait until it was actually Halloween to reveal Miss Olivia's costume. Although like I have said before many of you aready knew what she was going to be and some of you have even seen her in her costume...but let's pretend this is a big reveal...

Ta-Da

Have you even seen a baby squid in a pumpkin patch? Have you ever seen a baby squid? I know, I know she is "technically" an Octopus but she has had the nickname "Squids" since she was born so for our sake she is a Squidly Didlely






So Happy Squidley Halloween!

More pics to come of the pumpkin patch and tonight! Too tired and way too many pics to sift through right now!

Oh it's just a little frosting

Do you remember this quote from "How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days"? Matthew McConaughy comments on Kate Hudson's outrageously huge diamond necklace and she replies


"Oh it's just a little frosting"....


Somebody else got a little frosting today. Don't get too excited, no Mitch and I are not engaged lol! That should not make me laugh...but it does. Anyways somebody else...somebody little and sweet and cute!

Miss Olivia got her ears pierced! Can you believe I actually went through with it? I can't believe it! When she was born I didn't want to do it, then after some time I thought it was cute but my mother expressed a huge disapproval...not that that has ever stopped me from doing something before...obedient daughter that I am. But for some reason I just never got too serious about doing it. Mitch's mom and sisters have been hounding me about since she was still a fetus...but I figured Mother might never speak to me again. Now that I am living with her that would be terribly inconvenient. Then a few days ago I mention that people seem to always think Olivia is a boy and apparently that's all it took.

"Maybe you should pierce her ears...but I want to come and I want it to be a surprise, so don't tell anyone...and I AM NOT PAYING FOR IT"

"Wa Wa Wh-at"


Didn't see that coming...AT ALL! So then she says let's do it tomorrow. O-K. Well I chickened out. We got there and I was just too nervous about it. That and we were at Wal-Mart because I am cheap and it only costs like $10 instead of like $40 at the mall. But I didn't know the woman there (I worked at Wal-Mart for years and know most of the people there) and so I didn't trust that she wouldn't end up putting a hole on my baby's eyelid or something. But then today we go again and I see someone I know and while I am still not sure about it Mom mentions it and before I know it the ball is rolling and I am signing paperwork and picking out studs.


Poor thing didn't see it coming at all! The lady was marking her ears and she's just curiously staring at the woman. And of course they do it one at a time. After that first one she turned all red and had that delayed cry. Fellow moms you know what I mean by "delayed cry". She breathes in and looks like she is crying but nothing comes out for a good 45 seconds...then the cry...poor lady! But she recovered quickly but then when the lady came at her to do the second she knew what was coming and that was the heartbreaking part. She looked up at me like "Mama why...why". But it was over quickly and as soon as I picked her up she was fine. Afterwards we went to In-n-Out and she had her very first french fry. She pretty much just sucked on it, sucked the salt off no doubt. But she dug it.


Hopefully no one else mistakes her for a boy. And of course Mom had to take pictures so without further adieu...Baby Sparkle!

Here she is completely unsuspecting of anything being afoot...

getting ready to mark the ears with the pen

checking to see if they are marked evenly...

has no idea what's about to happen...look at her cute hand

completely aware of what is about to happen with the 2nd ear

Totally fine for the rest of the shopping trip


pretty baby at In-n-Out

Now looking very girly!

So nobody better think she's a boy!

The Sounds of Silence

Good song and also an oxymoron. Silence has no sound right? Maybe it does? I mean according to Simon and Garfunkle it does. Anyways Olivia is asleep for her first morning nap and I don't know what exactly I did right but it's been almost 3 hours and she is still silent. She usually sleeps for about an hour and a half, at the most 2 hours. If I had known she would sleep so long I would have taken a nap as well! You see an hour and a half nap for me is a tease...I'd rather just stay awake even when I am exhaustedly tired. Anyways I find myself tipoeing around the house, doing everything I can to ensure she doesn't wake up...which is really stupid. Because now that I have moved home there is no way unless I was standing out her bedroom door that she can hear me in the family room...but I tiptoe all the same, open cabinets with slow silent movements..."can't wake the baby, gotta be quiet".

This is clearly a carryover effect of living at Mitchell's house. That house is pretty small and our bedroom was right off of the family/TV room and also right on the backyard where the dogs like to just park and bark incessently and idiotically at the dog in the next yard over. Then also they are as a whole pretty loud people....some more than others (Megan! Ashley! Mitchell!). Anyways I tried, believe me I tried, to do as much as I could to make it quiet...but for the most part it was usually pretty loud and for the most part she could deal with the noise about 50% of the time. 100% of the time until she got to be about 4/5 months. So the silence has been good for her to be able to actually nap...but at the same time now she's so used to the quiet that the smallest noise can wake her...double edged sword. A blessing and a curse! So as you can imagine when I visit Mitch's family...she has trouble napping or going to bed if we stay the night. Not to mention she is not used to sleeping in the same room as her Daddy anymore and so his snoring wakes her up!

Wait....wait....I hear scribble talk.

Isn't that cute? Scribble talk? That is what the Benvenistes call the baby babble and chatter. I guess it's a Grandma Diana word...not sure if it originated with someone before her.

Okay so she is awake. Slept for exatly 2 hours and 55 minutes! Hooray! I hear her scribble and open the door and she has figured out how to turn on her rainforrest soother thing. She is just sitting in her crib watching and smiling away at her little monkey and frog friends.

That isn't her in that pic obviously but that is the little musical thing. I didn't know how to describe it without a picture...so there you go! I had my eye on this thing before she was even born but it was like $45! So imagine my joy to find it a couple of weeks ago at Once Upon a Child for $10....SOLD! She really likes it and it's like a musical light show!

Anyways still trying to do the crying it out thing. But it's so hard to be consistant. And it will usually work for naptime...10-20 minutes and she'll fall asleep. But bedtime is another story...she will literally scream for hours! That girl! She really is gonna give me a run for my money! And as my mother constantly reminds me when she acts up...

"Oh Emily, you got a daughter just like yourself".

Which is all well and fine..ha ha the whole "mother's wish" thing. Anyways she's a cutie and worth the sporatic aggrevation.

I think I'll keep her!

Be still my heart, be still

Oh.... oh...... ohhhhh! My baby is growing up to fast. Crawling like a crazy woman all over the place for the past month or more. Cruising all over furniture. Being all big and stuff...I stumbled over some oldies but goodies that make me feel like I need to get knocked up quick...baby hunger for sure. Don't worry I'm not gonna! But oh I hope someday in the forseeable future to be able to have another little baby! I kinda all of a sudden want all baby girls! Never ever thought I'd want a girl...but they are so sweet and precious. I was telling my dad the other day that I think baby girls just seem more sweet and delicate than boys and he summed it up pretty well he said "Well God made man first and only improved upon his creations with each new one...woman came second so they naturally are gonna be more perfect"

Here she's real young...about 6 month fetus-ish

Oh I miss those tiny boobs!

Here she is about 2 weeks old comparing feet with cousin Abe (7 months)

Here I am being brave and breastfeeding at the Zoo. For only being

a mom for 2 weeks...this was brave

Olivia's 4 day old hands with my Grandma's 89 year old hands

Pouty sad face about 2 months

This Easter bunny is Bore---ing

Oh, oh baby feeties!

Who's that pretty baby in the mirror? not sure how old?

Trying out the beach towels

Getting ready to ride the carousal in Idaho 6 months

Cousin Kamren wanted to take her


Hooray for the Rexburg carousal

she enjoyed this!

At Aunt Katie's baby shower...meeting 2nd cousin Amelia

Olivia 6 months and Amelia 8 month-ish?

She loved this sparkley purse


Hanging with more 2nd cousins Lauren and Eden

With Cousins Abe and Dave

Olivia 6 months, Abe 13 months, Dave 3

Hopefully Olivia and Abe will forgive us for this one! You can probably notice that one bum is equipped with some dangly thing between the legs...unfortunately also the much smaller bum! Olivia is much more volumptious! Abe makes her look like a full figured woman alright!

With Grandpa Larsen at the Tahoe craft fair

Lake Tahoe staying out of the sun

She was so enamored with the kitty feet

Gotcha kitties!

So sweet

Illegally out of her carseat and asleep with mom on the way to Idaho

Just call me Britney Spears...but I wasn't driving!

Not usually a fan of huge baby bows....but look at that face!

Mr. Baby

Mom just got back from her 3 week stay in Utah and in true mom fashion came back with an arsenal of pictures of Mr. baby. Ha ha that was Olivia's nickname in utereo...well kinda miss baby! So I just decided here and now that that is what I am gonna call Liam...seeing how "Liam" doesn't really lend itself to some kind of clever nickname...maybe "Li" (pronounced lee) but I don't think Katie likes that...not that I care I did call my 1st nephew baby bob must to my sister in law's distress. Which I now "get". One of Mitch's sisters calls Olivia "monkey" and for some reason I really hate it. But what can you do? She is her niece and therefore I guess as long as she isn't calling her ugly...I guess I can stand it...So without further A-DO here is....

MR BABY!!!!!!!!!

Mama Katie and Mr. Baby

Nana and Mr. with Halloween hat

Trick or Treat...he's the treat!

Hard day...heel stick and some "manly" stuff

Baby Lamby chair on loan from Cousin Olivia



Mr. falling asleep on the job

Blessing day...looking dapper

Uncle Eric's 34 year old shoes

Mr. Baby looking very pensive

Big yawns and stretch...even the toes are stretching

Mr. Baby looking like Mr. Old Man

Nana with her baby Katie and Katie with her baby Mr.

I think I called it on the Mr. Baby nickname...he looks like a Mister!