Halloween

(Tyler is making that face on purpose)

This year for Halloween, we did a family theme again. Lizette was Snow White, Tyler was Prince Charming, and I was the wicked step mother. I threw Tyler and my costume together 1 hour before we went trick-or-treating. We only went down one street. Lizette did really well, she didn't get scared at all. One house Lizette, Luke, and Penny went up to go trick-or-treating, and the guy came out with a mask and screamed. Luke and Penny started to cry and Lizette just stared at the guy. Tyler tries to scare her all the time and it hardly ever works. After trick-or-treating, we went to Aunt Holly's house for some more candy and to see her dogs, then it was off to see my grandparents, then we ended the night at Tyler's parents house. Lizette ate her first Halloween candy with Grandma Diane, and she LOVED it. She kept saying more, please. This Halloween is so much different then last year.

Family Pics

My talented sister-in-law, Ashley, took family pictures a couple of weeks ago. We did our first session, but it was so cold and windy. Lizette wasn't very happy, and was turning blue after half an hour. So we rescheduled to take a couple more. We decided to take them at the CSUCI. Both sets turned out amazing. You can click here and here to see both sessions. Now I am trying to figure out which ones to get prints of. My sister-in-law has a website and blog. If you want amazing pictures you should really check her website out.

Sunday Forts

Last Sunday, Tyler and Lizette made a fort. She LOVED it. Aren't they so CUTE.

Tehachapi

On Friday night, October 17th, We drove to go to Tehachapi (Ta Crachapi) to see Cristin and Erik. Tyler had to work really late so we got a late start out the door. By the time we got to the big T it was a little after 11:00. After talking for awhile, I tried to get Lizette to go back asleep, and I ended up going to sleep before she did.

The next morning, IT WAS SO COLD. It reminded me of when we lived in Utah. (Every time I visit Cristin and Erik it is really cold, even in July.) We went to the German bakery and got some goodies and then went to the local Commy Coffee Shack for hot chocolate and to let the kids run around. After our late breakfast we went to pick apples and feed the horses. Lizette is really into animals. She loved to see the horses. She kept pointing and saying "Neigh". Lizette also LOVES apples. She could eat a couple a day. She loved picking apples, but she was sad when she had to put them in the bag. So she had to have one in her hand at all times, to make sure she would be able to keep it. We picked so many apples, and they are really, really good. We were all so cold we decided to head back to Cristin and Erik's house, Lizette and Luke played outside. Lizette borrowed Luke's coat, it was so thick she couldn't put her hands at her side, and when she fell over she could barley get back up. It reminded me of The Christmas Story. It was so funny to watch her.

When lunch was over. Tyler and Erik went to Mojave, to shoot some guns and to fulfill Tyler's dream of riding a bike through a flaming Christmas wreath that he made (which was HUGE). Did I mention the wreath was on FIRE? I am really happy that I wasn't there. I would probably be freaking out the entire time. I told him to at least wear a helmet, to protect his gorgeous hair, if anything. Cristin and I were so happy that they came home safe and didn't get arrested. After dinner and watching the video of Erik and Tyler shooting guns and Tyler riding a bike through a burning ring of fire. We had to head back home. We are definitely going to go back, especially when it snows. Thanks to Cristin and Erik to let us stay with them. Check back for a complete version of the Ring of Fire music video. Thanks for editing it for us Cristin.

Pumpkin Patch

Thursday, October 9th, Lizette and I went to the pumpkin patch with Grandma Barton and cousins. We went to the Underwood Pumpkin Patch. They had animals, and Lizette LOVED it. She loved the bunnies, horses, and ducks. Lizette also loved pulling the cart. We went to pick out our pumpkins. We tried to get a picture of all the kids with on pumpkins, but it was a lot harder than it looks. I love that Lizette is able to hang out with her cousins.

18 Months

Saturday, September 28, Lizette turned 18 months. I can't believe how fast time has flown by. She is changing everyday. I LOVE it. It is so much fun to see her little personality shine through more and more. She is definitely more opinionated now that she is 18 months. She knows how to throw a fit when she doesn't get what she wants. But she is starting to learn that Mommy and Daddy almost always wins (yeah, right)

Lizette's vocabulary is growing everyday. Just today, I brought her out of her bedroom and right outside her door is a box of diapers, which has been there for a couple of days. She points down and says, "Elmo." I was in shock, because we haven't seen Sesame Street in the past month, and we don't have Elmo related toys. I put her down and I asked her to point to Elmo and low and behold she did. The only way that I think she could have learned it was from her cousin, Chloe, with whom we played with yesterday. Some of her favorite new words are:

I'm sorry
More Please
Thank you
Mine - she learned that one when we babysat her cousins for a couple of days.
Outside
Fishes
Elmo

Lizette also loves to sing. She sings all the time, and she loves the songs with the actions. It is so cute to see her do the actions to the songs. She also loves to dance, especially to the ABC song. Her favorite songs to sing are:

The Wheels on the Bus
Popcorn Popping
How Much is that Doggy in the Window
Ring around the Roses
ABC

Lizette also loves to read. I catch in her room sitting in the glider, reading book after book. She loves to read to her baby. I love that she loves books.

As for food, Lizette is just like her Mommy and Daddy, and she will eat almost anything. She is really a good eater. She LOVES her fruits and vegetables. But her two most favorite things to eat are Goldfish and salty black licorice. She asks for them everyday. She knows where we keep both, and she will point and say, "more, peez". As for some of her favorite fruit, I would have to say, apples, pears, bananas, and oranges. As for some of her favorite vegetables they would be tomatoes, broccoli, and carrots. She also loves her rice.

Lizette has 12 teeth now. She has 8 front teeth and 4 premolar teeth. At her doctor check up, the doctor said that it look like her eye teeth are going to be coming in soon. Everyone says that they are the most painful teeth to come in, but I don't know why, it is just a pointed tooth. Unlike a molar that is a huge tooth compared to the eye tooth. But, what do I know?

Lizette went to her 18 month check up, her height is 33 1/2 inches (90th percentile) and weight is almost 24 pounds (35th percentile). The doctor lectured me again, that she needs to eat more. BUT she is ALWAYS eating. For goodness sakes she still has cute baby rolls on her legs. I am not too concerned that she is going to waste away to nothing.

GG

Tyler's Grandma past away on October 1. I have only known her for a little over 7 years. She was a wonderful lady. She was always so sweet, nice, and thoughtful of others. . Tyler and I were able to visit with her the night before she past, along with Drew and Ashley. I feel very happy that we were able to go and visit with her one last time. She wasn't very responsive, but I was able to tell her how special she was too me.

One thing that I have taken away from GG, was the way that she loved people, especially her family. She always made you feel special. Even me, she would always told me how pretty I was, even though I never really felt it, and she seemed sincere in her comment. Before she had to stop working, she was working at Costco as a food demonstrator. She would always talk to everyone who worked there. During the holidays, she would invite some of her co-workers who had no where to go to join our family parties. She was very thoughtful of others. Something that I need to be better at.

One of my favorite stories that she would tell me is during the Northridge earthquake, she woke up scared all alone in her house. She turned on her flashlight and it shone on a picture that she had on the wall of Ashley and Tyler when they were younger. She looked at their faces and knew everything would be alright. She would tell that story to me all the time when Tyler and I were dating.

(The picture above looked exactly like it but without Diane)

Tyler was given the task at the last minute of giving the Plan of Salvation talk at her funeral. Tyler did a really good job. It was nice to see him show some emotion during the talk (the Barton's are known for their black soul and lack of emotions). He was able to convey the message that we can all return to live with our Heavenly Father one day, and that GG is with her husband and daughter, Judy, who died at the age of 2 1/2. I am grateful that I had the chance to get to know GG, and the impact that she has had on Tyler and my life.

High Heels

Lizette loves to wear my high heels around the house. When she finds my shoes she will say “shoe” over and over and puts them on her feet and tries to walk. It makes me laugh every time. She does pretty well for being 17 months. I think she does just as well as I do in heels. She is so funny.