HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!

Ghostbusters!

Best costumes ever, don't you agree?! I had lots of fun making Aaron's and my costume last year, but the day before Halloween I began to have pregnancy complications and was put on bed rest for Halloween day and for the following three weeks. We couldn't have all that creativity go to waste so Aaron and I pulled out the costumes again this year. However, we now have a new member of the family so we had the option of either a ghost or the Stay Puft marshmellow man. Stay Puft clearly won, and for a good reason. Those Dahlin's sure are goofy.
Hope you all have a HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!

Crawling, Standing, What's Next?

Eva is now 5 months old and she continues to amaze us! We sometimes wonder why she can't be content with slobbering and screaming. However, as much as she keeps us on our toes, it is fun to watch this uncontainable spirit learn and grow. She is such a joy in our lives!
At 5 months Eva is:
Eating veggies! She won't eat them by themselves, I have to mix the veggies in with her rice cereal.

Doing the crawl-scoot. It is a mixture of the two. Watch the video, it is pretty wild. She can get around pretty quick.

Pulls herself to a stand! The first time she did this was about a week ago. I laid her down on her back in her pack-in-go playard and when I came back less than a minute later she was standing up! Now that she is more of a pro, she uses the couch and other items of furniture to bring herself to a stand. She doesn't like crawling, usually she will cry until she is standing up.

Splashing in the bathtub. She has been splashing for months with her legs, but recently she started to splash with her hands. She will get really wild and water will be going everywhere, including on her face and in her eyes, but she doesn't mind! She's my girl!

She also can stand for several seconds on her own. She gets into the "Cowgirl" stance, I let go of her hands, and she will balance herself for several seconds. It is pretty cute.

Anyway, that is Eva. Here are a few pictures and videos showing her recent accomplishments.
Here is the first time she pulled herself to a stand in her pack-in-go:


Here is the first time she pulled herself to a stand by using the couch:
(She started off on her belly but i didn't grab the camera in time)


Here is a clip of her newest version of crawling:

CONGRATS "Student Doctor Dahlin"

On October 9th, Midwestern University held a White Coat Ceremony for the first year heath professionals. What is this ceremony you ask? "The White Coat Ceremony is a symbolic rite of passage for students of the healing arts. It signifies the students' initiation into the clinical phase of education and toward a career as a health care professional. This ceremony reaffirms the academic community's support of the educational process that prepares future health providers for practice. On this day, students pledge their commitment to their professions and to the patients they will serve. Contributing to the care and healing of others is a privilege and an awesome responsibility. The White Coat placed on each future health care provider... is more than a familiar lab coat: it is a cloak of caring, compassion, and service."
Congrats Aaron! We love you and wish you luck!
P.S. Sorry the video is so shaky! I was trying to hold Eva and the camera at the same time...not always a good idea!

The Queen of Scoots

Eva started scooting September 17th, at four-and-a-half months old! So far she just scoots herself with the right leg, but it is just enough to get her all over the house. I sat Eva down on her blanket to cook dinner, and the next thing I know she was across the room, chasing down my water bottle! We know that we are in trouble, but we sure are having fun nonetheless. Enjoy!

Instruction Manual Anyone?

Does anyone have an instruction manual for this bouncer? Somehow I just don't think this is right. Anyway, Eva found several NEW uses for her bouncer! Guess we better start buckling her in!

More Giggles

Aaron and I had just finished putting Eva in new pajamas, the kind with built in feet. WHOOOA! Eva and our dog Boa thought those funny looking feet were the greatest thing since rice cereal. Eva started kicking her feet out of excitement, which was purely an invitation for Boa to attack. If you have ever been to the Dahlin house wearing socks, you know what I am talking about because you most likely didn't leave wearing dry, slobber-less socks. Anyway, so Boa started nibbling on Eva's feet, and Eva, to our delight, laughed and laughed and laughed! For your enjoyment, we were able to catch just the last of the excitement on video. You'll thank me later.
What a silly family we have.

Silly Eva

We have been blessed with a very active, jovial, and "full-of-it" child. She is 15 weeks old and has mastered the back-to-belly roll, has a rolling giggle, and hardly stops "talking" and wiggling. She's her daddy's girl! Since a picture just doesn't do the crazy girl justice, here are a few videos we have taken of Eva.

Eva's First Baseball Game!

Take me out the the ball game...
We live just minutes from the Peoria baseball stadium were all the rookie teams practice and play their games. The Mariners played the Angels last night in a free game to the public! Aaron and I are all about free entertainment! Since all these rookie games are free, we thought the stadium would be packed. Nope! And since we had our choice of seating, Aaron picked the front row. Later, when we nearly caught a foul ball, we moved to the second row back behind the catcher and the screen! I was amazed how hard and fast the players could throw those baseballs! It was amazing! Eva was also an instant fan and had a fabulous time watching the game. However, by the end of the third inning, Eva had three strikes and she was OUT! I mean fast asleep! We couldn't wake her so we called it a night and headed home.

Cute Cousin Hannah!

Eva and Hannah met each other for the first time last week in Cedar City. Hannah is just three weeks younger than Eva! We were so excited when we found out that Aaron's older sister, Sara, was expecting a baby girl the same time we were. The two girls will no doubt be buds one day. One picture we took shows the girls arm-in-arm with one another, while the other picture show them fighting! Aw, that's true friendship!