When Dad's in Charge...

This is what happens when dad is in charge of breakfast....

I think he just signed himself up for bath-time too (and probably a little mopping).

6 Months

Olivia is now 6 months. Time is flying! Here are her stats:

Weight: 14.8 lbs (21%)
Height: 26.75 in (79%)
Head: 16.5 in (32%)

She has her two bottom teeth and is loving food. The allergist has recommended Olivia stay away from milk, eggs, nuts, fish, cereal (basically everything except fruits, veggies, and organic rice and oatmeal) until she is one year old. Other than the possible allergies and rashy face, she is healthy baby.

Moss Family Reunion

Over Labor Day weekend the Moss group got together for a reunion at the cabin. It was full of games, food, relaxing and fun. It was fun to catch up with everyone.

There was plenty of time for card games and football. Notice Addie's sweater... go Utes! {we temporarily bleed red -while Scott's in school- but deep down there is always a place for blue}In the evening we played a couple of "minute to win-it" games. It started out with shaving cream and cheese puffs. Hilarious fun! I think the winning number of cheese puffs caught in the shaving cream was around 40. I was partnered up with Addie. We only got 13. Since she is allergic to cheese puffs we had to use craft puff balls. Everyone loved this game.

The next competition was getting the balloon to the finish line while keeping it between your heads only. There were some very clever strategies.Then sadly, my camera died (and it got dark). The next competition was to put an Oreo on the top of your forehead and get it into your mouth using only your face muscles. It may be hard to believe, but I won! Scott came in second. Being very expressive comes in handy sometimes. The next game was to try flicking three spoons into a paper cup... if you watch the actual game on TV, you may know what I am talking about. The final game (between finalists) was to get golf balls out of a tissue box tied around your lower back. The contestants had to shake their hips to get the balls out. It was so funny. I wish I had more pictures. We all had a great time and hope to get back together soon!

Just For Fun

Just for fun Kayla and I made a cake out of fondant. We made our own fondant (which was easier than I thought it would be) and had a few minutes, without screaming kids, to decorate it. It requires more patience than I thought, but it was fun. I thought I would post a picture.

My first cake!

Just ignore the big finger hole in the front. Addie got a hold of the cake while we were not looking. I could have turned the cake, but to be honest, this was the best angle. Our bow needs a lot of work. I am thinking about trying it again (as soon as my kids start going to bed at a reasonable hour!)

Allergies?

My poor baby has eczema. Her face has frequent flare-ups of red, itchy, puffy skin. Given a large family history of allergies we decided to take her tested. We were lucky to get her in just a few days after I had called (usually it takes months). She was tested for milk, eggs, wheat and soy. The results came out negative, although the skin test can produce a false negative. They don't want to check her for nuts yet and suggested I continue a strict nut-free diet. We were told that over 60% of kids with eczema will have allergies or asthma. Given her family history (dad, sister, aunts, etc) with allergies, I don't think she stands a chance. Poor girl. Now we are just trying to combat the eczema so it doesn't get worse. Lots of creams and baths. Good thing she likes the water. We will do some more blood testing when she turns a year old. Even with her itchy irritated skin, she generally is a happy baby. She definitely makes me smile.

Adelyn's B-day

After Olivia's baby blessing we celebrated Adelyn's 3rd birthday. She was spoiled by her grandparents and all her aunts and uncles. She loves opening presents and getting new things. We had an ice cream party after lunch to celebrate. She loved it!

Adelyn went to her annual check up and I thought I would share her stats:

-27.5 pounds (17%)

-36.25 in (30%)

Overall she is pretty healthy. It looks as though she may be starting to grow out of her milk allergy, but not the egg allergy. We will take her to the allergist in a few months to check on her progress. She will start joy-school this week and she is really excited. We love this little girl.

Olivia's Blessing Day

We blessed Olivia on August 8th while my parents were in town. We decided to just invite immediate family members and bless her in sacrament meeting. It was a beautiful blessing. Here are some of the things Olivia was blessed with: (thanks to those who were frantically scribbling)

-compassion and understanding towards others

-ability to look into others hearts to understand, help, and serve them

-wisdom, courage, understanding and faith

-ability to see past the cunning ways of the adversary, to see what is important, the big picture, using faith like the North star for guidance home to Heavenly Father

-blessed with many talents and ability to use those talents to serve others

-blessed to be a great support to her family

After sacrament meeting we had a luncheon at our house and then celebrated Addie's b-day. Sadly I didn't take very many pictures. Thanks to everyone who came. It was a special day for our family.