Christmas Tree Chopping

Here's Ally having a grand ole time at my parents' house before going out to the Christmas tree farm. It was cold outside, but she didn't care. She love to run and explore outside.

There was no way she was running free at the tree farm! So in the stroller she went. Ally was very patient as we chose and sawed down a tree.

Here's David measuring the tree we ended up getting (I think; they began to look very similar after a while...) The one we picked had wide foilage at the base, so David dubbed it the one with the J-Lo butt, lol.

One of Ally's funny expressions.

Daddy doing the hard work.

My Uncle Dave came along with my dad's truck to help and to haul it for us. Here he is making sure the tree doesn't fall Ally's way. :)

Hopefully we will keep up the tradition of cutting down our own tree every year. It was pretty fun, and easier than I had imagined (we had an artificial tree growing up). I even helped with a little of the sawing! And the best part was the location--right here in Manteca. Well, I lied--I'd say the best part is the smell of fresh pine in our living room!

Allergic Reaction to Syrup and Sauce :(

Ally had some kind of reaction to Mrs. Butterworth's sugar-free syrup last week. Wherever the sticky mess had touched, her skin turned pink and then a little red. The spot on her face even raised up. We cleaned her gently and it went away about an hour later.

Has anyone seen this before? Could she be allergic to an ingredient or something?

Here's Ally in the bath, oblivious to her mother's worries!

This was taken today, when she was eating a chicken nugget with sweet and sour sauce from McDonald's, and the reaction happened once again. This time it was a bit worse, and one spot got so raised it looked blistered! I quickly snapped a few photos and then wiped her down carefully with a wet cloth.

BTW, the black eye is from Saturday night when she tripped and fell onto a plastic block face-first! Poor little thing--she's really gone through a lot this week.



You can see how raised it is in this one.

She doesn't seem too uncomfortable.

So, I'd appreciate any feedback about this. For now, we'll avoid syrup and sweet and sour sauce. And I'll be sure to ask the doctor about it at her next appointment. Thanks!

Ward Halloween Party

Ally loved the pumpkins at the Halloween party! She went right over and started climbing all over them, even though no one else was playing with them. This was before dinner, so she didn't have her costume on yet.

She even rode one like a horse, bouncing up and down! It was hilarious.

Ally as Tinkerbell or a fairy with Daddy. So sweet!

Ally visiting with Grandma and Grandpa Cook.

Here's the back of her costume--yes, it's the one she wore for her first birthday, but it still fits so we used it again. :)

Ally and Mommy. Notice the death grip on my necklace, lol.

So, this past week I walked out of the bathroom only to find my basket of laundry had been relocated to the fireplace by way of Ally Baby. She was so serious about moving the whole pile from place to place--it was way too funny! She didn't laugh or smile while she was hard at work.

Park Pics and Concrete Day

Ally loves to go to the park right by our house. She likes to swing and play with the bark bits. :) And she always catches the attention of other kids who want to play with her.

A cute hair day.


I caught a picture mid-run.

She's looking up the hill at some teenagers.

Only in California would I find myself rummaging for a bathing suit in October!!! It was so warm the day we poured concrete in our side yard, that when Ally would not stop going after the hose while my dad was squirting out a wheelbarrow, I just gave in since she was determined to get wet! So we filled the clean wheelbarrow with water and let her play (my mom and I were always an armslength away so she wouldn't try to jump out.)

We would let her play for a minute, then I'd bundle her in a warm towel because the water was cold. But everytime I set her down, she wanted right back in!

Playing with Grandma Joanie, with Great-Papa Larry in the background.

David and his dad posing in the middle of the project. We had lots of help that day--thank you so much to our dads, Papa Larry, Uncle Dave, Sam, Trevor, Joe, Uncle Jim, and Mom for all the work you put in for us. :) We love you guys!

I absolutely love this snap of Ally. It reminds me of pictures of Justine when she was a tiny tot!

My sweet baby, in a Little Einsteins trance (lol) after doing her hair.

Cabin at Inverness and Drake's Bay

Here's a few cute pics from Saturday. We drove up to Inverness (near Point Reyes) to spend the day with the Ridgwell side of the fam. There's a cabin there that a distant relative owns, and I remember going there as a child quite a few times. Sadly, it will likely be sold soon.

Ally hard at work, carrying around two very important water bottles (!)

Jus the two of us!
Ally with Uncle Trevor
Though you can't see it here, there were some really huge waves at this beach.
Uncle Trevor is tons of fun!!!


Our little family near the cabin

Right outside the tiny town of Inverness

Not too happy with all this driving, but I'll manage!


Hanging out with Papa Tim under the stairs in Cap'n Dory's haunted cabin

Walking to town with Dad and Great-Grandma Codie
Uncle Joe--and that's a Coke bottle.


I realized after we left I failed to take a picture of the outside of the cabin. Oh well!

It was great weather--it had rained a lot the night before (family stayed a couple of nights; we only came up for the day) but it was breezy and sunny when we arrived. The beach was a bit windy, which wouldn't have been too bad except that my Uncle Dave got soaked saving Nick from a wave that sneaked up on the both! Hmmm, sounds like a while back at our last beach trip.... Anyway, hope you all enjoy the update; we had a fantastic time.