A Little Light Reading

I came downstairs the other afternoon to find Larkin doing a little light reading!


Reading, eating ... it's all learning at this stage of the game!

Swine Flu

Am I a terrible mom? It is a real question I am battling with lately. I have been doing a TON of research on the Swine Flu vaccine for babies, and I can't find any conclusive information on trials that were done prior to rolling out the vaccine. This scares me! It's not like I am anti vaccination. I had Larkin vaccinated with the regular seasonal flu vaccine, so it seems a little ironic that I am freaking out about one more vaccination ... but I am!

The other side of this argument ... I DO NOT want Larkin to get the Swine Flu and be super sick. I want her to avoid any possible hospital trips, medications, and pain this winter. Are scare tactics a good reason to vaccinate? Is the threat as bad as people think? One day I hear that it is an epidemic, the next day I hear that it isn't much worse than a regular seasonal flu, the next day I hear that infants are the highest rate of fatalities ... I am all turned around and tied in knots over this issue.

What are the side effects of the vaccine? How many infant fatalities are we looking at with the vaccine, how about fatalities with the H1N1 strain unvaccinated ... the "crazy mom" has kicked in!

Did you get the vaccination? Did you vaccinate your child? Do you have a source that I can't seem to find that has good information and statistics on the vaccination for children and babies??? I am making myself CRAZY over this issue!

Halloween Hullabaloo!

Gardner Village ... such a fun way to kick off our Halloween! We met Bren, Dave, and Braedyn and spent the morning watching out for witches, ghosts, and the occasional superhero.




Larkin LOVES her buddy Braedyn! She was totally diggin' his fun clown costume! They crack me up how they explore each other when they get together. Braedyn even gave Larkin a few kisses before the day was over ... so cute!


Larkin made a pretty cute witch!

Snow Day!

We woke up this morning to SNOW! I am personally not quite ready for the fluffy white freezing cold of winter ... but I decided to make the day a little more enjoyable by putting on our warmest coats and heading out to play in the first snow of the season!



We gave Larkin a little taste of the snow ... the pictures say it all! It was too cold in her little mouth and her faces were hysterical, but I had to rescue her and pluck it out of her mouth. So funny and yet sad at the same time!

Pumpkin Hunting

We went for an adventure out in the rain and mud today to hunt for pumpkins! It is Larkin's first Halloween, and although Scot and I usually buy our pumpkins at the local grocery store we decided to make it a little more "traditional" this year. We had so much fun slopping and slipping through the pumpkin patch to find our perfect pumpkins!

So This is Love ...

Thank you to my wonderful husband who came to California with me for a wedding, waded through a house knee-deep in kids, baked and decorated a wedding cake, and let me stay behind to spend some much needed time with my family.


Watching two people in love start their life together reminded me of my own adventure that started two and a half years ago with Scot. He is a wonderful man, and does so much to make my life good. He really is a stud of a husband and dad!

The only time you should run ...

Up to this point in my life I have been of the opinion that the only time you should run is when someone is chasing you!

I love/hate jogging with my new "racing" stroller in the mornings. Scot has been coming along for the run too, and it is nice to start my morning with a little sweat, a little family time, and a little fresh air. So what is to hate you may ask ... Have you ever gone running? It's the aching back, knees, quads, shins, and ankles that scream at me for days. Advil cant' touch it. Tylenol can't touch it. Mixing the two can't touch it. My only hope is that it will start to get better as I get in better shape. One can hope right!?!

Thanks babe for the new jogging stroller that is kicking my butt!