Evie in her "church clothes"

Happy Halloween!

I know I've said this before, but...

I really can't stand these dogs. They seem to have started a new tradition of standing under Evie's bedroom window and howling while she sleeps.
Is it wrong that when this happens, I begin to formulate the plan for their demise?

Bad mommy

I put Evie down for her afternoon nap today at 2:45. She commenced her usual cooing and babbling, what she does every time we put her down. At 3:00, the cooing moved to whimpering, but I left her alone, hoping she'd soon drift to sleep, as she usually does.
At 3:10, the whimpering changed to screaming. I went up to find her rotated 180 degrees, and face down. The poor little thing had flipped herself to her stomach (a new trick) and somehow wedged herself against the side of the crib, making it impossible for her to re-flip to her back.
I scooped her up and held her, nursed her and laid her back down, once she fell to sleep (something I usually resist doing.) All the while, feeling awful for not responding sooner. Oh well, live and learn.

Would you like a dog?

Evie is teething, and having a hard time in general. I have an upper-respiratory infection, and am enjoying chills and night sweats, achy muscles and the annoying sensation of pain when fabric rubs against my skin.
After nursing for quite a while to no avail, I decided that Evie just needed to take a little nap.
I layed her in her room, and she happily went to sleep. For about 5 minutes, that is. Then Puck and Portia started wrestling outside and making a general ruckuss. She is now crying. I'm trying to leave her alone, in hopes that she'll go back to sleep. But, every time she shows signs of doing so, the damn dogs start howling again. They have now been exiled to the garage, but they continue to howl.
One of these days, Bryan is going to come home and I will have auctioned them off the the lowest bidder.
Perhaps today I'm just a bit cranky, though.

The insanity continues...

It seems the Bumbo seat has been officially recalled, so that they can put a new warning label on the back. ("http://www.bumbosafety.com/">).
The seat already has a warning in big, red letters. It reads: "warning, never use on a raised surface, never use as a car seat or bath seat. Designed for floor level use only. Never leave your baby unattended, as the seat is not designed to be totally restrictive and may not prevent release of your baby in the event of vigorous movement."
Apparently, this was not sufficient enough for the American public, and as we seem to lack any and all common sense, a new, bigger, badder warning is now necessary.
It seems people keep putting their kids in the Bumbo up on the counter, and the kids keep falling out and cracking their heads. This is apparently the Bumbo's fault, and thus it has been deemed far to dangerous.
Is there ever going to be a point at which we stop blaming the products, and start demanding a little common sense from the American public? I mean, honestly, we have crossed the line from concerned to just plain insane.
I, for one, will continue to allow Evie to sit in her Bumbo, (under my strict supervision, and not on the counter) and will encourage my friends to do the same. And after that, I will drink coffee while it's hot, drink water from a plastic water bottle, and even eat cookie dough ice cream, if the occasion calls for it. 'Cause, you know, I'm a rebel like that.

You know you're in Southern California when...

-You can't pull into a gas station in Malibu because the paparazzi have it surrounded while Britney pumps gas.

-You are passed by a vehicle owned by a plumbing company. The phone number and services are plastered on the door, and it's a Mercedes.

-A local church is holding a raffle/fund raiser, and the raffle prize is a BMW.

-Although you know that you are overweight since you just had a baby, you now feel morbidly obese everywhere you go.

-You feel out of place if you're not talking on your cell phone.

-Although you are in a fancy baby boutique, where hand-made burp rags are selling for $39.95, you cannot find a place to nurse your child, and the employee has no suggestions, because you're the first mommy to come in with actual, working breasts.

-Although you're wearing makeup, your hair is done, and you are dressed in nice jeans, and a dress shirt, you feel like you just left the farm.

-You can't breathe very well and your hair is covered in ash because of all the smoke.

We're home!

After seven days in southern California, we are finally home, safe and sound. During our trip, Bryan attended a conference, while Evie and Steph shopped. We met with Steph's family in Orange county, we shared meals with Pepperdine friends, Steph's former boss, and our friends and family from the Conejo church, where we met and were married. We enjoyed In & Out, Coffee Bean, Islands and BJs. Evie got a tour of Pepperdine and the new Joni and Friends facility.
We spent quality time with the Randolphs, the Longs, the Hunnicutts and Bryan's best friend, Brian Thomason.
Finally, we experienced the Santa Ana winds and the wildfires that came along with them.
Sadly, Malibu Presbyterian church, where Steph attended during college, as well as the home of a former professor, burned to the ground.
Getting back to Orange County was a little trecherous, what with the 80mph winds trying to blow us off the road. And upon our arrival at the John Wayne airport, we were met with no power and a long wait.
But, we made it home safe and sound.
Today we are all enjoying the after-effects of smoke inhalation, including some minor gagging, choking, and perpetually runny noses. Hopefully it will pass soon.
Enjoy the following pictures documenting our trip, there are so many pictures, click on the right where is says October, and you'll get all the posts from this month at once...otherwise, you'll miss the fire pictures.

We took Evie to Pepperdine (before the fire, luckily)

By the time we took a picture, Evie was so overwhelmed by all the excitement, she conked out.

Bryan and Loyd enjoyed root beer fest at church