The Filipino-Italian-American Heidi :P

A couple weeks ago, Lainey and P'd went to Austria! They weren't able to bring back much because it was a short work-related trip, pretty much everything was made in China and Lainey thought Ryan might not enjoy seeing Tyler dressed like Hansel so Miss Autumn was the lucky recipient of one Austrian-made outfit! She loved it. I could barely get a good shot of her in it because she spent the whole time twirling!
 

I braided her hair and put on her little brown boots and oh, man, she was a little Heidi. I told Lainey I could send Autumn to church in that dress every week until she outgrows it! I do think I might add some buttons to the shirt because it only had the one button at the top and no others. If the dress's corset part was a little higher, it would have been fine but the shirt kept ballooning out. Does anyone know if there's any reason I shouldn't add at least one more button?


I just liked this picture.
 

This one, too. I don't know if it was the day or the dress or what, but Autumn was a dancing and twirling machine. At one point she absolutely hurled herself into a hug at Mike after a series of pirouettes and leaps.


Autumn was supremely happy to get Lainey and P'd back from Europe. She doesn't necessarily see them during the week but apparently just the idea that she couldn't, and that she couldn't just call, caused some consternation in Autumn-world.


:) That's a happy little Heidi.


Before I sign off for the night, I thought I'd share a couple of photos from late last month that didn't make it on the blog. Have I mentioned that Autumn's big thing lately is "bein' a mama?" I feel like I have but I don't see anything about it on the front page so I'll tell you again. :D She'll get her purse or her messenger bag and fill it with stuff like a play phone, a camera, a list, and a pen and do the shopping with me (oh, I think this was on the mobile moments post a month or so ago! I remember now.). She also carries one or more of her "babies" with her to take care of them. Autumn puts the baby in the play carseat next to her carseat and then she'll buckle the baby into the cart while she pushes (I steer). Or they travel like this!


That bag is pretty flat looking in this one but it's kind of amazing the things she can fit into that little bag. At Lainey and P'd's for dinner last night, she pulled out, like, a phone, a package of paper, markers, pens, assorted tissues, a camera, two magnifying glasses, a SWEATER, and SO MUCH MORE. Seriously, it's like a magician's hat. The child is such a hoarder!


That's it for this week! Next week we'll have THE BIG GIRL ROOM OF HAPPINESS AND PINK. And don't forget to visit Passing Pinwheels! I've written a few posts since the last time I linked plus next week I'll be writing about more adoption news as well as putting up some fun stuff as we get ready for Autumn's birthday party. Can you believe she's about to be five??

Sun, sand, and faces of silliness

I was kind of thinking I had posted all the best pictures from the beach but as I went through them, I ran across this picture.


Let's enhance this a bit, shall we?


LOOK AT THAT FACE. I laughed so. hard. I have no idea what she was striding purposefully toward but I really wish I could remember what was happening for her to have that face on. :) Happily, she perked up for the photos with Mike and Me. And for this one with Nanny and Boppa.


And, look at this! With the magic of a ladder and the autoshoot on my camera, we got a great family photo! Mike is hiding a bit but we have a spot to photoshop Lauren in, haha. This reminds me I need to upload the other pictures I took and email them to the family.


Autumn was pretty done with the whole posing thing...


but I convinced her to try to take a good picture with Lula. You saw the good one in the last post but here's one of the outtakes:


Here's another fun one! Lainey got Tyler and Autumn an Easter pinata and it was hilarious. We didn't have anything to hang it on. Or anything to hit it with. So, we improvised. They used a vacuum extension as a bat and Mike held the pinata at the end of a broom handle. I like his self-protection pose. Note Lindsay guarding the TV. Miss Autumn has a great swing although it is, oddly, left-handed. She eats and writes with her right hand but bats and kicks with her left side.


Since we're on quirkiness, I found out that Autumn thinks seaweed is beautiful. Her words, not mine! She gathered a bunch on one beach walk so she could "decorate and make the condo beautiful."


I've never been a beach person but I have to say that watching Autumn have such a blast in the sun and sand is turning me into one. I mean, how can I resist these kinds of smiles:
\

And this sad face when it was time to leave?


On the way home, Autumn told us she wants "to stay at the beach for one zero zero weeks." Awwwwww. We'll be back soon, I hope!

Memory Lane, New and Old

Remember this?

July 2009

Those days are OVER. Without any prompting, Autumn started swimming (with her floatie jacket) from the shore to Mike and back. I mean, I was pretty shocked.


I'm doing a short post a couple of days early because I have a big aikido thing happening this weekend and I'm almost certain I won't have time to do a decent post. I am hoping I won't be tooooooo tired/broken by the end of this so everyone say a prayer, haha. I'm not anticipating getting hurt so much as just, well, doing aikido for like 10 hours.


Anyway, I  have a few really good pictures from the beach and I'll definitely get to them. It was a great weekend. My mom got to come! Autumn was sooo happy about it!


And although Ryan and Leah initially didn't think they would make it, they joined us, too. Autumn was ridiculously happy. We were going to surprise her but as soon as she woke up she goes, "MAMA. I HEAR TYLER'S DAD."


Autumn had nearly all her favorite people in one place so I had a happy little camper. I think I am going to frame this photo.


 I regret that I don't have any of Autumn in the hot tub because although she did enjoy herself in the sand and the water, the hot tub was her location of choice for the entire weekend. Smart kid!

I guess that's all from me for now! I'm sorry for the briefness and lack of creativity but it's time to rest up before the big weekend! :D

happy Easter, friends, click here to read more.

In Which Autumn is a Muppet, a Porcelancer, and a Chef.

Ok, remember this picture of Autumn? It's from April 2008 so she was about 11 months old. So, yes, she's always been...unique.

You know how my friend Matt has done a few drawings of Autumn? Well, check this out:

I laughed so hard when I saw this. Autumn did, too. She giggled and told Mike he had to see the silly picture of her when she was a baby. Matt did some other pictures but I want to save those for their own post. The Porcelancer rides again! Oh, man. I can't wait. I have to at least post this one.

I love it!

Ahem. /stops squeeing at the cute.

So, to continue my post from last week, Mike and Autumn have a new papa/monkey pastime.


They have been making protein bars together! They actually taste pretty good for something that looks like, well, you saw the picture. It's a fun opportunity for them to do something messy yet healthy together. Autumn is bad about getting everything she touches in her hair so when I realized how messy it was going to be, I halted preparations and tied back her hair. I also put her apron on her.


Sigh. I think it's time to make her a new apron because she's about to outgrow this one. I already have to make her some new headbands because they don't tie around her head easily anymore. Back to the cooking:


They have made the bars two or three times, I think, and Autumn gets excited every time. It's a huge pain to clean off her hands, though. I suggested that Mike use some gloves. He got me some boxes of gloves from Costco to use for certain cooking jobs. I have raging eczema so it's been a huge help (especially when juicing lemons, oh, boy, does that hurt) plus it makes cleanup from messy, messy jobs so much easier (we won't talk about how I've only used 1/4 of a box!).


This is the finished product, by the way. When it's rolled in flax seed and then flattened, it's not quite so horrifying looking!


So cute.

I hope everyone has a blessed Easter! Travel safely, for those who are traveling.

(Visit passing pinwheels! Click here to see the new stuff in the Etsy shop plus some other projects!)

So many tutus...

Today we've got a grab bag of pictures! Oh, by the way, be sure to stop by the other blog! I've got photos of my new hair cut and some other fun things I've been up to--including power tools! For now...first up: Autumn and her "spyglass," as she is calling it. It's actually a kaleidoscope but I'm concerned the neighbors might think she's really spying! She did tell me the other day she could see the "ay-bors" kitchen light on but no one was at the table...


Late last month, Laura Breeden took some photos of Autumn. She's getting her photography business off the ground and Tamara thought Autumn might make a good subject. I'm not so sure that ended up being the case but we did get some pretty pictures!


We really missed the beautiful blooming by about a week or two. Unfortunately, that was a soggy, brown weekend. Poor Autumn's blanket hasn't quite recovered, haha.


Such a sweet giggle.


But this is really how she was most of the time...not into it at all.


Funny enough, my favorite pictures are the ones of Autumn pouring out her "tea" and not actually posing or anything.


Laura asked me to let Autumn dress herself and, oh, boy, did she. That's three tutus and some boots. At one point there were wings.


I actually have some fun photos of Mike "cooking" with Autumn but I think I'm going to save those for their own post because they are pretty funny. Oh, man, I also just realized I've got some hilarious mobile photos. I might have to do a mid-week post. We'll see...either way, look forward to it! :D But just to pique your interest:


Bahahahaha.

trying something new

Old dogs can learn new tricks! This is my first attempt at blogging on my tablet. Mike has voted that I'll hate it but it's worth a try...my computer doesn't like that summer came early and sounds like a jet engine every time I turn it on, haha.

This was a crazy week! Autumn had spring break and Tyler was in town so we had lots of events planned. The week went great but ended with a bang. Poor Miss Autumn spent Friday night throwing up all night. Until 3am. We joked with Mike's parents that they kept her healthy until she was home with us. :) Poor thing is feeling much better. Enough better that she's chafing against her tummy protecting diet.

Aaaanyway. Our first big trip was the zoo! We got to see these guys:


This is what Tyler thought...


And this is what Autumn thought. She said that she didn't mind the dinosaurs but thought the roaring was too loud.


It was pretty warm out so most of the animals were just chilling out. I love the lens Mike got me for Christmas because it makes it so easy to get shots like this. I mean,this is totally a Molly expression.


And how adorable is this guy? He sat way up in his tree staring right down at us.


I always enjoy the meerkats and take too many pictures of them :)


This is for Mike. He loves goats.


Autumn wasn't overly impressed with the cow smell.


These two...they crack me up. Autumn played princess most of this trip and rode in her royal carriage aka the wagon. So this is a rare photo of her actually standing.


The china exhibit is so fun. I like the otters almost as much as the meerkats. They weren't very active but for real they are just as cute sleeping.


If you read the latest post on my other blog (passingpinwhels.com!), this is the kind of monkey Autumn looked like when she was a baby.


Mike's parents got a nice picture with Autumn and Tyler...


My mom and I? We got this...Autumn trying to choke hold us and devour our brains.


We also went to the children's museum. There was much fishing...


And Cathy and Samuel got to come! The kids scattered after this,haha, so I have almost no photos of them all together.


Autumn spent some time "bein' a mama" in a her-sized grocery store.


And then she climbed the giant cat tree thingie. A lot. And when she got out 2-ish hours later, she said, "I don't think I can go that high." And didn't believe me when I told her she did, in fact go that high.


Right before heading out, Autumn wanted to try out the fire truck and police vehicles. First up, the motorcycle!


And then it was Tyler's turn.


I giggled at this photo but it was really terrible quality so I fiddled with it a bit.


I giggled at this one, too...isn't Tyler wearing such a Boppa expression? When Autumn saw this she said, "we're police and Tyler is my partner!"


This is what Hudson thought about all of it. :)


Me, too! I think it's bedtime...

(Incidentally, Mike was right, blogging on the tablet...I might be too wordy for it!)