Baby's First Halloween and more October fun

The beginning of October was beautiful here in Utah - so many different colors on all the trees, and sunny weather that didn't get to cold.


left: Here we are by Utah lake - Sunday stroll.             right: Elsie and I went to BYU to help with a

          homecoming service project done by the College of Nursing Alumni and students. She is the best little side kick - always easy to take with me, and just interested in whatever I'm doing.

We love having Aunty Stephy around to play with Elsie and
make bath time so much more fun! Baby foot massage.

Korbin (neighbor boy) and Elsie squeezed 

into one stroller for a walk outside.

When the Slichtas watch Elsie while I work, little Addy like to experiment with Elsie's hair. She's so creative....I can't wait to see what she can do with more hair once it grows long!

Cousins Ivy and Abby probably get the most excited about spending a day with Elsie every once in a while when I work in Provo. Elsie loves being around their infectiously happy and bubbly personalities. They always want to help put her in the car before we drive away.

Playing school in their room with Elsie - she's the student

Silly Selfies!

I take so many pictures of her in the little outfits I find and put together - she can pull anything off....cutest baby girl ever!

Elsie loves daddy daughter time. When Mike comes home she 

watches him like a hawk and won't let him out of her sight till he

gives her some attention.

There's nothing cuter than my sleeping baby

Almost 6 months old and getting so big!

Elsie loves story time. She loves books!

Cutest little bug - she looks so small on that luv sack!

For Halloween weekend, we went to Redding to visit the family. Steph and Teague joined us there a few days later. Aunty Julia was so excited to see little Elsie and Elsie could also hardly contain her excitement!

 

Halloween Day consisted of dressing up Elsie in her Itsy-Bitsy-Spider outfit, taking her out and showing her off at the mall, making and eating Dinner in a Pumpkin (a Parker tradition I'm definitely carrying on- delicious!), and had mint ice-cream graves for dessert.

We were able
to visit Elsie's birth
mom and siblings while in CA too. They hadn't seen her since her birth and were really happy to see how big she's gotten and how happy she is in our family. I'm grateful for Jenna and her choice!

There are few places in the world that I consider more beautiful than the land around where my parents live. Especially when the rain gets started and everything is so green and lush. Elsie and I had to get out for a few walks just to see the view and smell the so so so fresh and clean air.

Elsie likes to help grandma study for seminary when we're in CA.

Sisters + long hair = braids every day!

This is Elsie's happy face when Baby Einstein is on and those silly puppets come on. She can't get enough!

We had a peacock come into my parents' garage and then fly up onto the roof to hang out for a while- it was beautiful and not afraid of us at all!

One of my favorite things about being home - hot tub party every night. The water didn't get super hot on this night, but we got in anyway and Elsie was able to dip her legs in too...she loved it!

We had so much fun with family in CA and even got a few things done regarding the adoption finalization legal process. Though we weren't able to finalize on her 6 month birthday like we'd hoped, we're so happy to be her parents and we're willing to overcome whatever obstacles come up in order to make it all official and be sealed together forever in the temple some day soon.