lucky

So I'm super lucky because my very favorite photographer in all the world

is my brother in law,

Ashton Rodgers

Normally he's busy taking pictures for famous athletes and fancy companies

but 

on Thanksgiving he took a little break to take some pictures

 of me and my cute little family.

 taken at my parent's home on a quilt my mom made

Aren't the pictures of Avery amazeballs?

They melt my heart.

(Mom-amazeballs isn't a dirty word. Its just a word people are using these days to say

that something is extra extra amazing.) 

Dear Ashton,

Thank you for taking pictures of non NBA players, we really appreciate it. Also, thank you for letting me pay you in haircuts. I asked Nordstrom and they said they wont accept my haircuts as currency, which is a little disappointing.  Please remember me when you're rich and famous.

Love,

Sarah

ps) We're headed off to Utah and Colorado tomorrow and I'm so excited. 

Hope everyone has a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

dry shampoo

Ok so a few people texted me about the dry shampoo I mentioned in my last post, 

so I thought i'd give everyone the run down on my new favorite product.

I should start out by saying that I don't normally encourage people to buy Suave.

Since going to beauty school I have definitely seen that in general

 the nicer the product, the better your hair looks and feels.

However, after working in a few beauty supplies, and literally trying every dry shampoo,

 I found myself less than impressed with most of the upscale brands. 

So one day my sister told me that she loved the Suave dry shampoo.

At first I thought she was a little crazy,

(sorry Becca)

but after one use my life changed forever.

I was finally able to wash my hair as infrequently as i'd always dreamt.

(who says dreams don't come true?)

Since then i've been religiously dry shampooing my hair and loving every minute of it.

So,

This is what it looks like....

Its seriously under $3.00 at most grocery stores.

It smells amazing, which is awesome because sometimes hair can smell dirty.

(don't pretend like you don't know what I'm talking about)

Its also super volumizing, so if you have fine hair this will give it a little extra umph. 

(umph= something awesome that will make your hair look bigger and fuller)

Do's and Don'ts

Do feel free to use it as many days in a row as you can possibly before your husband asks, 

when was the last time you washed your hair?

Don't hold it too close or your hair will look white.

Do use this after you've had a good work out and you're a little sweaty, 

(or if you are like me and you get sweaty lifting your child's carseat in and out of the car)

Don't feel ashamed if after a while you can't remember the last time you washed your hair.

Do rub it in after your spray, especially if you have dark hair.

Don't freak out if you feel it in your hair after a couple uses. 

Its not hurting it, it will just wash out.

and

Do enjoy this new amazing dry shampooing phase in your life. 

Happy Spraying

ps) last week I went 5 days (yes I said 5) in a row without washing my hair, 

and on the 5th day Brandon told me how cute my hair looked and took me on a date. 

Just sayin. 

Facts

I can't sleep. 

I'm tired...but I can't sleep. 

So I've decided to blog some random facts about myself....

(this post will most likely be boring to everyone but my dad who pretty much enjoys all things and never complains)

1) I almost never watch tv. I only watch 3 shows and I watch them on Hulu. I mostly use the tv to rewatch episodes of Gilmore Girls, and when B's home we watch The Office and Parks and Rec.

 Oh and we rent movies on Netflix

2) We eat steel cut oats almost every morning for breakfast. They are delicious and good for you.

3) I am pretty much always drinking water. But it absolutely has to be cold. 

I can't drink luke warm water, it grosses me out.

4) Brandon wakes me up approximately 4 nights a week because he's a sleep talker/walker/laugher/singer/runner. It makes for good stories.

5) My hands and feet are always cold. I hear that means I could have bad circulation. It usually makes Avery giggle when my cold hands touch her cute little belly...its adorable.

6) Avery is now 6 months old...soon she'll walking, talking, driving, and my heart is breaking.

7) I've already forgotten most of the bad/annoying parts about being pregnant.

 I never believed I'd forget the 24/7 heartburn. But I have.

8) I make Brandon do lots of things with me that I know he doesn't want to do just so we can have a good laugh! like yoga, or play leap frog, or read books in accents. 

9) I am a super thrifty person. I love finding good deals and I hate spending lots of money on unimportant things. 

10) I met Wayne Gretzky at the Olympics and I got his autograph.

11) When I was little I either wanted to do hair or deliver babies. Those are two very different jobs.

 I think I chose wisely.

12) There's a good chance Avery knows all the words to "All I want for Christmas is You" 

by Mariah Carey, since we dance and sing along to it at least 2 times a day.

13) At least once a week Brandon and I reminisce about our honeymoon in Maui and how we wish we were back there, but this time with Avery Mae. 

14) I only wash my hair 3 times a week. Hopefully you think this is awesome and not gross. 

I use Sauve's dry shampoo (yes, I said Sauve, best $2.50 I ever spent)

and

15) I love eating chocolate covered raisins and diet coke....together....or separate. Both delicious

Ok now that i've shared a few facts about me,

 I'll leave you with some cute pics of my Aves trying homemade baby food. 

She did not love it. 

Which is weird because it looks delicious and who wouldn't want blended watered down peas?

Enjoy

NOTE- yes her cheeks are just as fun to kiss as you are imagining...probably even more!

gifts

Well Thanksgiving came and went

and my pants are definitely tighter.

"A good time was had by all in attendance"

( Deniseism #538)

(this picture is priceless)

I was sad to leave my family

but now I'm ready to begin my countdown to Christmas!

(18 days I believe)

Christmas is very different when you have a child.

Its so much more magical.

Even though Avery doesn't have a clue whats going on

we sing Christmas songs to her,

we show her Thomas, The Elf on the Shelf 

and she wears her Christmas jammies!

(compliments of GeGe and Papa)

Because we'll be out of town for Christmas day

we decided to give Avery a few of her gifts early.

Brandon and I assembled them while she was taking a nap,

and after all her toys were complete I found myself wanting to wake her up

so that I could see her excitement as she played with them!

(She did not disappoint. Lots of drool and squeaks!)

I now understand why my parent's Christmas wish each year was for their children to be happy!

My cousin shared this video and I thought was just so adorable!
plus the little boy in it reminds me of a young Brandon.

Now if that doesn't melt your heart, I just don't know what will!

Happy Giving! 

grateful

I'm grateful that next week is Thanksgiving

I'm grateful that we get to go home to Spokane

I'm grateful that my entire family will be together

I'm grateful that Avery will get to meet her cousins

I'm grateful for turkey, potatoes and pie

I'm grateful for elastic pants

 I'm grateful for my wonderful blessed life

I read a quote the other day that says..

It's not the happy people who are grateful,

It's the grateful people who are happy!

Here's a little video on having an attitude of gratitude.

I hope everyone has a 

Happy Thanksgiving!

PS) The pictures below are of the greatest blessings in my life.

I'm so grateful for them.

my real life

This is what a normal night is like at the Moore residence...

Brandon is home after a long day at work

dinner is finished

dishes are in the sink

the living room looks like we have 8 kids

Avery's in her jammies

I am in my jammies 

(my jammies were my outfit today)

my makeup is from yesterday

I haven't washed my hair in 3 days 

(thanks dry shampoo)

Brandon is tired

I am tired

and

Avery is tired.

This is my life

my real life.

no cute outfit.

no fun outing in the city.

no fancy meal.

Just me and my family.

and I love it!

Halloween

 We're a family that loves Halloween.

Well actually Halloween and I have a love/hate relationship.

It was fun when I was younger because I could dress up and eat lots of candy,

but as I got older the candy went straight to my thighs 

and the options for modest costumes diminished greatly.
(its like the bigger you get, the smaller the costumes get.)

Then I met Brandon and he helped me see the light.

 Now I love it all

 the decorations, the movies,

  I don't even mind the weight gain from the candy.

Plus I want holidays to be fun and special for Avery.

We started off our Halloween celebrations with a little nod to our boy Mitt Romney. 

Brandon's highest form of flattery is carving a pumpkin in your likeness.

So, Congrats Mitt!

 Halloween morning Brandon and I had spooky pancakes,

while Avery had spooky milk.

(It was actually just regular milk, but I kept calling it spooky milk so she wouldn't feel left out)

While Brandon was at work Avery and I prepared a fun Halloween dinner for us.

 This was our first attempt at homemade pizza!

Its not as easy as it looks on tv, 

(I now have more respect for Pizza Hut workers)

but it was very delicious!!!

Then while the pizza was baking we made funny teeth cookies.

I saw this idea online and I thought it would be fun and delicious!

(Brandon was strangely good at it?)

Then we passed out candy to the 3 trick or treaters that came by 

and watched my favorite Halloween movie Hocus Pocus.

Not a bad way to spend our first Halloween with our cute little girl in our new home.

 Avery's favorite part of the night was when I let her play with some candy.

A KitKat has never looked cuter!

Hope everyone had a Happy Halloween!

(Let the countdown to Thanksgiving begin!)

photo contest

Dear people who read my blog, 

(aka my parents and in-laws)

We (ok mostly me) entered this cute picture of Avery into a Halloween photo contest.

The grand prize is an awesome stroller that I really really really need (ok want).

They have daily winners that then go on to compete for the grand prize, the awesome stroller.

So if you have a minute today, we (ok me) would love it if you voted for our Little Red Riding Hood!

If she wins I promise to give you a really fast ride in her new stroller 

followed by the best high five of your life!

(go here to vote)

http://www.whattoexpect.com/photo-contest/photo_details.aspx?contestId=54&contestantId=28348

Thanks so much, 

Love Avery's Momager

ps: mom+manager=momager. 

Bed

Right now I should be....

unloading the dishwasher, or vacuuming, or finishing Avery's Halloween costume.

But instead I'm...

sitting at my computer

drinking a diet coke, eating chocolate chips and melting over some pictures I took of my little love. 

When I get ready in the morning I let Avery play in our bed.

I do this because when I was little my sibs and I would spend most mornings in my parents bed 

before we got ready for school.

We would just talk and play,

and for some reason we thought it was so fun!

Its one of my favorite memories.

Anyway, this morning Avery was being extra cute so I had a take a few snapshots.

Enjoy!

This picture is for her Aunt London. Avery does not like blankets on her. She always kicks them off. 

Just like you.

Alright I guess I'll get back to work now.

Pose

I'm not saying she poses for pictures because of me

but.......

Ok, maybe I am.

(sorry Avery. Its a gift and a curse)

Like mother, like daughter.

Pumpkin Patch

Last weekend we went to a Pumpkin Patch outside San Jose.

 We laughed as we drove there knowing full well 

that Avery has no idea what a pumpkin is

let alone a pumpkin patch, petting zoo, or even Halloween.

So basically we went for ourselves and 

we'll just show her the pictures and tell her how much she loved it

 when she's older.  

(I am obsessed with the picture of her. Her eyes. Her lips. Her little peach fuzz hair)

 (my two loves)

(Brandon was as excited as the kids to watch goats and chickens run around!)

 (she constantly looked perplexed. I thought it was adorable)

 (This was her favorite part. If the sun wasn't in her eyes she would have stayed there all day. 

She loved just chillin with the pumpkins.)

Test

1 year ago today I was at our apartment in Provo

watching Ellen and doing some crafts,

when I realized that I had been feeling a little nauseous

the last couple of days.

So randomly during a commercial I took a pregnancy test....

and my life changed forever!

I'm so grateful for that little test.

If all tests were that easy and exciting I wouldn't have gone to beauty school!

(just kidding)

I've learned a lot this year,

and although I may not have enjoyed every minute of it,

(heartburn, back pains, sleepless nights)

I can honestly say that it was worth it.

(she's cute even when she's tired and cranky)