she eats!

age: 6 months (- a few days)

first food: sweet potatoes

now eaten: green beans, pear, avocado

we couldn't hold off feeding her a day longer. she had started grabbing for our food and making munching noises when she'd see us eating. she was so excited that first night she practically attacked the spoon...

and on video...

I'm determined to make a mini food-lover out of her!

our bunny

We took our baby bunny* to the ward party (we're lame and didn't bother to dress up) and out trick-or-treating for her first Halloween. The neighborhood behind us was decked out and crazy crowded- I've never seen anything like it- you could barely get down the sidewalk between all the superheroes, vampires, and strollers. Clara was on the verge of falling asleep (hence the lack of smiles), but Dustin was determined to collect himself some candy. There are a few perks to this parenting thing...

*Ever since she was born I've called Clara my little bunny (not sure what inspired the nickname), so it was the obvious costume choice.

(Church gyms provide such beautiful backdrops for picture-taking.)

Notre Dame

byu v. notre dame 10/20

Dustin had been looking forward to this day for months. He met Rich and Devin (who made the drive all the way from Richmond!) in South Bend for the game. Since I wasn't there and didn't even watch the game (see excuse below*), I swiped the captions from the photos Dustin posted on Facebook.

*Clara and I stayed in Chicago and spent the day shopping with my girlfriends... pretty fair trade I'd say.

Obligatory stop at the Hall of Fame.

"Touchdown Jesus"

The Boys. Next year hopefully we'll have some more additions from our Richmond Crew.

The Admissions Building where we squished like sardines to listen to the trumpeters blast the iconic ND fight song and lead the march over to the stadium. This was College Football at it's most pure form, unforgettable experience!

The grotto-where ND students go to pray/light a candle before games and exams and stuff.

Throngs of fans (probably 20k-30k) following the marching band to the stadium. First time I ever thought a marching band was kind of cool.

View from our seats. Incredible atmosphere, very nice fans, classic fall football weather, great game even though we lost. Nearly perfect bro trip.

in the Fall

Autumn has arrived and Chicago looks more beautiful than ever. I snapped some shots around our neighborhood when we went on a walk the other day. There are some huge gorgeous homes on the streets around us (our awkward old place doesn't quite fit in).

And now some random pictures from my phone (which explains why I'm not in any of them)...

I finally convinced dustin to wear Clara in the carrier... (He complained that it makes him feel pregnant but I think he secretly loved it!)

Urban pumpkin picking...

And these are of Graceland Cemetery across the street... (We've taken several strolls among the gravestones. It's massive (you can drive through it) and serene and supposedly contains a few famous dead people. I just haven't figured out who.)

over the weekend

Since my dad takes frequent trips for work 

+

my mom doesn't want to be left alone (no more children at home since my youngest sister started at BYU-I this fall)

=

frequent visits to Chicago!!

They dropped in this weekend to spend some time with us. (Let's be honest, they really came to see Clara, but we'll take it.)

We checked out the Museum of Science and Industry (which is a must-see, it's full of all sorts of fascinating things)...

(I don't know why we posed in front of a tractor. But we have so few pictures of the three of us I can't be picky.)

And walked to dinner at this delicious place just down the street.

Clearly this girl is going to love eating...

(She's yet to try any real food since we're waiting until 6 months. But she sits at the table like a little lady, loves taking sips of water out of our glasses, and spent an unusual amount of time perusing that menu.)

And then my mom spent a few extra days with us while my dad was in San Diego, which we filled with shopping, and eating, and movie-watching. And lots and lots of smiles. We miss you already.