Halloween. Be prepared, this may be the cutest thing you've ever seen.

I hate Halloween.  I hate being scared, really hate it.  Along those lines, I don't like masks, they scare me, and so I hate them.  I don't like all of the scary decor and the massive amounts of candy.  I like sugary, delicious treats, don't get me wrong, but I don't like them in high doses and I prefer a really great cupcake or blue bell ice cream.  So there you have it, the reasons I don't like Halloween, and then we put Genni's costume on and everything changed.  And to make it even better, she was completely and totally uninterested in the candy.

There has never been a cuter Ewok.  Ever.

 

October

For most of our friends and family, October is all about changing leaves and apples and crisp, perfect weather.  October for us was an extension of summer and we had to focus really hard on our cute baby and how great she makes our life to avoid packing up and heading north!  So I took A LOT of pictures that month.

Genevieve really likes to "help" Mom put things "away"...I find things in weird places, but I love that she tries.

She loves getting into small spaces and she gets very upset when I try to coax her out, but I don't love the idea of her hanging out with all of those cords, and look at her 2nd option!  Anyone who knows me knows that having my baby getting up close and personal with the TOILET is not something I handle well.

This was when I tried getting her out.

Also in October...we got a seat for the bike!  I can never get a picture of her smiling on the bike, because she's always so anxious to get going and irritated with the pause for pictures.  But she LOVES it.  We've started riding along side Brandon when he goes for his morning runs.  It's a great way for all of us to spend our mornings together and for me to get in a little extra exercise (side note: I finally fit into my pre-pregnancy jeans a couple of weeks ago...very exciting moment for this mom).

At the park that is right by our house.

If we ever leave New Orleans, I will miss these trees.  Not much survived Katrina in our neighborhood, but somehow, these Oak Trees pulled through, and I'm so glad.

Brandon and I went on a date!  We went to a BBQ and Blues festival...I gained at least 10 lbs, but I don't regret it at all, it was awesome!

Another small space that Genni discovered (at least it's not the toilet anymore, right?).

She gets into my clothes a lot, she'll either put them on herself or try to dress me.

We decided to see if she was ready to feed herself yogurt...she wasn't.

Genevieve got sick for about a week and half which meant spending a lot of time at home and not being able to go to the gym, so we had to get creative.

 We're hoping this will serve as early dish washing practice.

Not punishment for failure at the earlier dish washing practice.

Genevieve loves purses, just like her mom.

Pretty good balance!

Tomato bisque turns out to be one of Genni's favorites.

Genevieve's First Birthday!

I cannot believe our baby is ONE!  It has been the fastest year of my life (which is so strange considering the weeks worth of sleep I've lost during the past year).  My mom surprised us with a visit, well, surprised ME.  Brandon knew all along and helped her plan it.  I think she was hoping for a lot of screaming and jumping up and down, but I was too emotional to do any of that so I just hugged her repeatedly and cried (it had been a very challenging couple of weeks recovering from the hurricane).  I love my mom.  It was amazing to spend time with her.

She was very skeptical of the beignet at first...

but it only took one taste to decide she loved it!

Yum...powdered sugar (we actually shook most of it off before giving it to her).

That's my girl!

We kept her birthday low-key.  We invited a few friends for cake and ice cream and had a great time. 

We practiced with a candle and she did eventually figure out how to blow it out, but maybe with the crowd of people watching, she couldn't remember and decided it would be more fun to play with.  So I had to blow it out for her.

She wasn't thrilled about the cupcake at first (she's a very picky eater), but once she tasted that frosting, she got a little more excited about it.

Her friends helped her open her presents, because she wasn't all that interested in them.  Really, she would have been just as happy to have her $2 balloon and a bag of tissue paper...now I know for next year.

She loves baby Sofia!  Her mom, Natalia, and I work out together, so she gets to play with Isabelle and Sofia in the childcare. 

And now for a little comparison:

Anyone else get a little teary eyed?  No, just me?

 Like I said, I can't believe our little girl is growing so fast.  I miss that little baby, but love the amazing person she is becoming.  Towards the end of her little party, she was way overdue for a nap and I was ready for some alone time with my baby.  As I was nursing her in her room, I realized that it was exactly a year before (3:20 in the afternoon) that I had given birth.  I thought back on that amazing moment when we saw each other for the first time and the happiness she has brought into our home since her arrival.  We are so lucky.