11 months?? It can't be!!

I look at my little girl and I can't believe I can love something so much. I look at the calendar and I can't believe that she'll be one in just one short month. Although she's slowing down, she's growing like a weed and is getting so big!

She is walking all over the furniture, but still prefers to crawl wherever she goes. Just tonight, she stood on her own - walking isn't far off! She is a pro at feeding herself and would much rather do it herself these days. Her favorite toys are the things she can't have - daddy's remote, toilet paper... you get the point.

My sweet baby girl.

Happy Anniversary!!

40 years ago Thanksgiving weekend, Janis Anderson & Larry Owens tied the knot, and this is all they have to show for it. :) Congratulations!

Happy Halloween!!

Here in Iowa, all of the action happens on Beggars' Night, the night before Halloween. I don't get it. And, instead of saying "Trick or treat?" when they come to the door, the kids tell a joke. Again, I don't get it. But, it is what it is and we had a great time on Evelyn's first "Halloween."

Earlier in the day, Evelyn was decked out in all of her Halloween duds!

Our little bunny, before we headed out to see Sara and her boys.

You can't see it, but Evelyn's holding her first treat, a Rice Krispie Treat (don't worry - Ethan gave her a taste before he ate the whole thing!)

When we got home, Evelyn was content to sit at the front door looking out for all the kiddos. She may have liked all the costumes more than we did!

Checking out the stash at the end of the night.

Here's wishing you and your little ghosts and goblins a happy and safe Halloween!

10 months old!!

It is hard to believe that our little girl is 10 months old already!

Some of her current favorite things include eating (still), however she'd much rather feed herself these days; putting her arms up for a touchdown; climbing on any and everything; bath time; and dancing. She continues to be such a happy girl and she LOVES to play with her cousins and her buddies at daycare.

Save Second Base!!

October 23, 2002, our family got an angel - Peggy "Piglet" Cockrell.

October 23, 2010, our family walked for Piglet at the Des Moines Race for the Cure.

Not only do we walk for our Piglet, we walk for all the other women (and men) who have fought and continue to fight this horrible disease.

In memory of Peggy Cockrell & Nancy Curran.

In celebration of Betty Roberts, Rita Schroeder, JoAn Miller.

Let us know who you celebrate and remember.

Steady As She Goes

Miss Evelyn is nothing if not consistent. She had her 9 month check-up today (I can hardly believe it!) and, as is her style, hit the 99th percentile across the board.

Weight: 22 lbs.

Height: 29 3/4 in.

Looks like she'll be living up to her Great-Grampa Elmer's nickname: Big E. He would be so proud.

At 9 months, Evelyn is crawling all over the place, pulling herself up on and cruising around the furniture and climbing stairs (with supervision!!) She will even walk a few steps while holding on to your hands, but is more interested in crawling after that - it's faster. This morning she signed "more" while we shared a banana, she inconsistently waves bye-bye and, just in time for football season, is learning "Touchdown!"

A Day At The Beach

This summer's vacation to the Northwest included a trip to my favorite city on the Oregon Coast - Seaside. I have so many fun memories of trips to Seaside when I was younger - I hope that we get to create some fun memories for Evelyn too! This was her first official visit to the Oregon Coast (technically, she was along for the ride last year.) This was also Ethan's first trip to Seaside. I'm pretty sure they both had a great time. We lucked out with the weather - we arrived early Tuesday afternoon to blue skies and no rain! We couldn't have asked for better weather on the coast, in September. :)

Here, we pose for a family photo at the end of the promenade.

After we checked in to our hotel (with an ocean view!), we headed to the market and picked up some delicious Oregon beer. Evelyn had her eyes on it too - girl's got good taste already!


After taking in the sights and sounds from our balcony, we decided to let Evelyn get up close and personal with the beach.

She loved it!

Daddy & Evelyn.

Evelyn got her feet wet and didn't even bat an eye! She danced and splashed all over the place! She is still, most definitely, her daddy's girl.