The red headband saga

 Quite a long time ago my friend Maren gave Livia a red headband. You may recognize it...

...because she wore it everywhere. It didn't matter if it matched her outfit or not, she loved that headband with all her young girl heart and wore it every. single. day. We got compliments and comments on it all the time, and I think she became recognizable in Safeway as the "girl in the red headband." It actually made it really easy for me to keep track of her in crowded places, too.

But one day, disaster struck. 

In a scuffle with a friend, that red headband was broken beyond repair.

I think you can imagine her reaction (i.e. heart rending sobs for a looong time)

But what came next is what really makes this story special.

Headbands poured into our home! Her friend bought her a new one, her Grandma Baldwin sent her a new purple one, I bought her a pink one (not pictured), and....Maren sent her a new red headband!

She is one happy little girl now, and I'm happy too, because now she rotates headbands and tries to pick matching ones, instead of just wearing the red one with everything. Yay!

But you can bet on seeing her in a headband of some sort, because she puts one on the minute she wakes up, and doesn't take it off til it's time for bed. 

That's dedication. Or obsession. Whatever.

Thanksgiving

Sisters

 

 

 

The above picture has nothing to do with anything. I just like it.

For Thanksgiving this year we drove out to Utah and stayed with my sister.
We stopped and stayed the night in Reno in order to break up the drive a little for the girls. When we walked into the casino at midnight Livia perked right up and said, "Mommy! I want to play some games!"
So I explained that these games were just for grown-ups, but she responded with, "Oh, so you and daddy are going to play them?" And thus ensued the ol' gambling talk. Except she has no concept whatsoever of money, so I think it was a pretty pointless discussion.

Baby's first night in a hotel room!

 While we were in Utah we were able to visit with quite a bit of Chase's side of the family. Unfortunately I took very few pictures, but here's one with Grandma Baldwin!

 Livia was very excited to see her cousins Beckham and Ruby while we were there.

The day before Thanksgiving we met up with our friends, the Mayfields, for lunch at Cafe Rio. No pictures, but it was so good to see them!

We had a blast at Laura and Austin's house, eating good food and enjoying each others company.


Perry is always great at entertaining Liv.

 And she practically worships Emily and David!

 What, isn't this how all three-year-olds relax? Ü

 Checking out her Uncle David

 Livia has been begging us for months for a new BYU shirt, since she stained her other one with pen. So we made a quick stop at BYU and showed her around a bit. She got really excited when she saw this statue and created this shot all on her own.

 Note: The campus is almost eerily deserted the day after Thanksgiving

 Basketball game! Liv had a fabulous time and ate enormous amounts of popcorn.

 Laura arranged a craft to make turkeys out of oreos and candy corn

 Thanksgiving dinner!

 And one of the main reasons we were there...Brooklyn!

 We also visited with Doug and Susan and their family in Orem. It's always so good to see everyone and catch up!

 One of the better shots of our family we got that day, after many attempts. Livia does not know how to smile normally for the camera.

 I love these shots of Perry and Jane:

 Brooklyn's baby blessing! We felt so lucky to be there.

 Laura, Austin, and Brooklyn

 I tried rotating this picture, but it didn't work. In any case, isn't she a cutie? I just love her little dimple!

 Me and Laura with our babies. Jane looks like a giant baby. Probably because she is. Also my right hand looks really creepy in this picture.

All in all, it was a marvelous trip. The girls were really well-behaved on the drive, and we had perfectly clear weather, so I really can't complain about the trek. We loved seeing so many family members and friends, and wish we could have seen more! We had so very much to be thankful for this Thanksgiving.

Tiny dancer

About a month ago I was out shopping and had Jane sitting in the front of the cart. The store was playing music fairly loudly, and suddenly I noticed that Jane was moving her head and arms in a way that suspiciously looked like dancing. I wasn't positive, but later that day I turned on some music and she started doing the same thing!

Ever since then I have struggled to get a good video of her awesome dance moves. You know how it goes...as soon as I pull out the camera she's more interested in the camera than anything else. But I did manage to catch a short clip a couple of weeks ago.

Personally, I love it. Ü