Ashworth Alcove

I struggled for a few weeks on what Violet would be for Halloween. I finally decided on a witch. It's a classic and one of my favorite costumes. Her costume was simple and was made up of several items we already had. She wore a black onesie, black tights, and black shoes. Items that are winter staples and that we already had. I made her hat out of felt and some trinkets. My mom made her a beautiful skirt, which I think made the whole costume. And lastly, I thought she needed some kind of prop, so I crafted her a felt broom. The weather was terrible on Halloween night, so the community observed the trick-or-treating festivities the following night. I actually dressed Violet up for some photos the day before Halloween so I wouldn't have to worry about that part when it was time to trick-or-treat. I suspect she's teething again, so she wasn't very cooperative for the photos. Smiles were scarce, but I suppose th...

  The above photograph was taken on my fourth birthday. I had the chicken pox, so the only people who could attend my party were people who had already had them. Obviously, Barney had the chicken pox before me. My twenty-fourth birthday didn't have Barney balloons (but there was ice cream cake!), but it was equally as enjoyable. I spent the day lounging with my family before making a trip to David Crockett State Park. Highlights of the day: - Violet sleeping 20 minutes later than usual (me sleeping 20 minutes later than usual) - Waking up to a birthday serenade voicemail - Pulling the birthday card to eat an extra biscuit at breakfast - My nephew coming to visit in a dragon costume - Violet's shoe falling off (being kicked off) into the waterfall at the park - Seeing a lobster in the creek - no, it was not a crawdad, it was huge and it was a lobster - A gift certificate for a one hour massage (see next paragraph regarding mom knees) - A surprise birthday cake, co...

My dear friend Baylee came for a visit last week. We've been friends since childhood, so it's special that we both have babies now. Oliver was born in July, making him 2 months younger than Violet. Unfortunately, they won't grow up together the way Baylee and I did, seeing as we will be living in various places throughout Violet's childhood. However, I imagine they'll always have some kind of relationship.

Violet has an amazing ability to make demands and her mood can shift vastly from one situation to the next. One moment she's smiling with a twinkle in her eye. The next moment the atmosphere shifts, storm clouds roll in and we find ourselves in full on meltdown mode. At least I finally got a shot of those teeth.