Snow! ... and a little dirt

Liv wasn't old enough last year to really play in the snow so the falling white stuff is new to her. She is a tough little kid and loves to play outside in the freezing cold. This video was shot at 7 am on a Sunday morning... 'cause we had nothing better to do. Liv talks more towards the end of the video.

Halloween 2011

Halloween was a lot of fun this year. The weather was beautiful and Mallory and Grandma TT were able to join us for trick-or-treating. Liv had a great time figuring out the whole idea of going house to house and collecting candy. She is a big fan of suckers and would dig through the candy bowls to get the suckers. She is learning her colors and numbers and speaking in sentences. While trick-or-treating, she would get really excited, unwrap her suckers and run down the sidewalk saying, "two suckers!!" She also prefers blue suckers and will get upset when you give her another color, she will get upset and yell "blue sucker!!" Oh no!

We can't seem to catch a picture of this girl where she is not moving.

Mouth full of something sweet...

Ever since her birthday, Liv is obsessed with lit candles. Nearly every day we have to light the candles in the house so she can try and blow them out. Needless to say, she loved all of the pumpkins and lanterns.

Our little ladybug!!

Moab, Arches and Canyonlands - October 2011

We took a quick trip to Moab last weekend to get away and do some hiking. It was beautiful eighty-degree weather and really busy. We enjoyed every second... it was like an extension of Summer. Liv loves to be in the backpack and to say "HI!" to every person we pass on the trails. She takes most people by suprise when she peeks around and says "HI!" as loud as she can, and it's a kick to see people's reaction...it's almost like she is saying "BOO". Most people say hello back and get a good laugh. She is a riot!

This is Brett and Liv at Delicate Arch... one of the most beautiful sites on earth. We have hiked to Delicate Arch a bunch of times and it is amazing every time.

Landscape Arch

Liv must have spent 8 or more hours in the backpack during our trip and she loved every minute... not one tear the entire time. She snuck in quite a few naps...

Sand Dune Arch, or as Brett and I refer to it... Darva Conger Arch :)

This is a side shot of Delicate Arch and that is Liv and me at the base of the arch.

Canyonlands

This picture reminds us of Aunt Lori... they look so much alike!

Liv is a rock hound like her Dad... collecting rocks wherever she goes.

Below is us attempting a self-timer shot...after 3 attempts, we gave up. Liv wanted to run around and collect rocks!

Mesa Arch in Canyonlands... what you can't see is the 300 foot cliff a few feet from where Brett was standing. Incredible!

This was a trail marker until Liv got her hands on it...

Mom helped her build it back up...

I had to force the backpack away from Brett.

I just noticed Liv is about half my height in this picture.... She is growing up fast!

Vacation and More!

We have had a fantastic Summer and I am dreading that it will ever come to an end. If this picture is not proof enough, let me just tell you... this kid is an angel! We have been hanging out a lot, just Liv and me, while dad is away.

Showing off Liv's first coat of nail polish and our twinner pedicures.

Here are some pics of our family vacation to Brian Head. We had a great time hanging out with lots of family. My pics are out of order but most of these were taken at Panguitch Lake. I didn't expect for Liv to want to swim so I didn't bring her suit but she ran in the lake (completely clothed) with no fear. This is her in mom's jacket since her clothes were all wet.

We rode the lift up at the ski resort and hiked down. Liv LOVES hiking in the backpack. She even took little naps on the lift and in the pack.

Cousins at the cabin: Hazel, Charlotte, Gwen, Carson, and Luke

Thanks to Mallory for all the great pics... we didn't even pull out the camera the whole vacation (terrible, I know!) I am so excited about Liv's little personality... she is such a sweetheart with a touch of feisty!

Liv's bestie/cousin... Baby Grace

 

Our Summer So Far....

Being a first-time parent has a learning curve.... Buy popsicles not otter pops! Liv was a little frustrated trying to figure out how to get the sweet stuff out of the plastic.

We have been having so much fun just hanging out, going on walks, playing at the park, going to the rec center and farmer's market, parades, new cousins... Whew! It's been busy! We have really been missing our Dad, though. Brett was offered a job as a Wildland Firefighter back in April and in the past 4 weeks he has been home about 4 days. We have been really missing him so Liv and I just try to stay busy... Turns out that being a single parent is really hard work! Activities like blogging and yardwork take a backseat. But it's wonderful to spend so much time with this cute little kid. She's amazing!  

Liv really enjoyed all of the 4th of July festivities this year. She is still a little young to stay up for the fireworks but she LOVES hanging out with all of her cousins. Here she is enjoying the parade. Her favorite part was, of course, the taffy. Her least favorite part was the fire truck siren. Needless to say, "candy" is now a regular word in her vocabulary. Taffy makes long car rides so much easier.

And her blonde curly locks...

Lindsay and me...Women in Black.

Two of Liv's cute cousins, Charlotte and Hazel.

Liv has two new cousins, CJ and GJ (Christian and Grace). This is my sister, Melinda, with her new baby, Grace.

Park time!

Catching a break from the sun at the Schoppe's.

 

Kids, dogs and farm animals... Liv was in heaven!

We also visited Grandma's house over the holiday weekend. Checking out the cows!

Grandma Teri took some photos of Liv and me for Brett... It's nearly impossible to get one where one of us doesn't look silly.

And my favorite part of Summer... all things blooming.

This is orange and yellow Thunbergia.



Bring on Summer!!

Yesterday was the first nice, summer-like day of the year so we celebrated by hanging out outside for the majority of the day...we enjoyed the cool morning air on the patio, watered the plants, went for a long jog, picked up a sandbox... can't wait for more days like this one.

I am sure we will be complaining about the heat in no time.

In this pic, Liv is watching a circling flock of seagulls with a mouthful of banana. It seems like she just can't get enough of the world around her.

Liv also likes to consume dirt and rocks when mom isn't paying close attention.

You can kind of make out Liv's first ponytail in the picture below... I only had to re-do it four times. Cute little clips and bands don't stand a chance with this kid.

Grandpa Joel made this adorable duck step stool for Liv. She loves to look out her window and tell us all about what's going on outside. Grandpa Joel and Grandma Judie spent last week watching Liv so she has been talking a lot about Grandma and Grandpa. I forgot to get a picture of their "condo on wheels" in our driveway... it was a sight! Thanks Judie and Joel!