Halloween Through the Years

I made Grace's costume this year!  But before you see it, I thought I might show you some costumes that my Mom made for us.  

Rebecca, 1984

Wow, this one was scary!  I think it is that crazy make up and the excited look on my face!

Samantha and Rebecca, 1986

Sorry to drag you into this, Samantha, but we are too cute!

Rebecca, 1987

The famous crayon costume!

Rebecca, 1988

My messed up teeth make this one truly frightening.  Little ghosty, many years of braces are in your future.

Samantha and Rebecca, 1989

Samantha is an adorable Indian (Native American, please)!!

Samantha and Rebecca, 1990

Recycled costumes are the best!  I don't even know what I am though.  Maybe a gypsy?

Samantha and Rebecca, 1991

Every costume looks better with glittery ric rac trim!  

This year sticks out in my mind because of a disastrous event.  My mom's poodle skirt is pretty great, wouldn't you agree?  Well the day before Halloween, we went to a Halloween party at our church.  We felt peeled grapes in the dark and were told they were eyeballs, ate candy and even bobbed for apples.  It was a pretty fun party.  Someone also came up with the genius idea that we should paint (not carve) pumpkins.  In our costumes.  Now before we go further, I have to say that it is obvious that my mom put a lot of effort into Halloween each year.  We decided what we wanted to be, and she made it happen with a trip to the fabric store and her sewing machine.  After making only one costume so far, I now realize this is a lot of work!  So you can imagine how my mom must have felt when I came home from the church party with paint ALL over my poodle skirt.  She stayed up a long time picking the paint off of the skirt so I could wear it on Halloween.  And this is why Grace is not wearing her costume until Halloween, and why you will not see it before hand. 

So stay tuned for the costume reveal! 

A Whole Lot of Wiggling Going On

A recent video of Clara:

And a video of Grace about a month older:



What do you think, do they wiggle like sisters?

Last bit of Sunshine

Enjoying the sunshine with bestie Avery!

We are so lucky and thankful to have amazing friends like Jason and Erica.  They babysat our girls yesterday so that Jason and I could go out to lunch and enjoy The Book of Mormon!  It was our first time leaving Clara with anyone besides my parents, so I was a bit nervous.  But Clara looked as happy as a clam in Erica's arms when we returned, and Grace was begging "Again!  Again!" as Jason put on her shoes to go.  Aren't they adorable in their matching stripes?  Not only do I know that they will be in good hands, it is so wonderful to know that they also have a blast over there!

4 Months Old!

Clara is four months old!

She is doing really well.  She can roll over from back to front now, and she is babbling up a storm.  Sometimes she says things that sound like words to me!  I could have sworn she said her own name earlier today.  I know I'm just being a silly mom, and I know we are a ways out from that milestone, but I can't wait until she can tell us things.

I mentioned earlier that we started sleep training.  I think it has been going well in that she goes to sleep quickly and on her own with very little protest.  We've completely gotten rid of swaddling, the swing and the pacifier.  We have a little routine with books and songs that seems calming and comforting.  The only thing is that she doesn't stay asleep for as long as I'd like.

This week she has been going to bed around 6 pm and getting up at 10, 2 and 6 to eat.  She goes right back to sleep, which is nice, but the constant sleep interruptions are wearing on me.  Our favorite baby book advises that she should be able to make it for 6 hours without eating during the night by her age and weight.  I'm not really sure how to make that happen, and I don't even know if there is anything I can do except wait.  She should be able to make it 9 hours by 5 months and then 12 hours by 6 months, so perhaps I just need to be patient until then.  I'll be sure to discuss this with the pediatrician next week at her check up.

However, there is an element to this we were not expecting:  Clara has a tooth and a second is fast behind it!  She seems to be a bit crabby about it, so I can imagine her sleep may also be affected.  She finds her toes and socks to be the most desirable chew toys, probably because of their availability.  Another piece of good news is that she is drinking from the bottle much better now.  She used to scream and cry when Jason tried to feed her, but she is used to it now.  It is a huge relief!

Big sister and little sister still get along very well outside of the occasional wack on the head.  Grace is very busy but also sweet and fun.  We're soaking up the last of the season and dreading the winter months of cabin fever!