Sweet Baby

Our sweet baby arrived on July 12th and everything went great! Big sister loves her and is especially helpful with finding her binki, letting us know EVERYTIME she is crying, sharing her toys and holding them close enough to her face so she has no problem seeing them, cleaning her up with a rag, and making sure she has a nice pillow under her head. Here’s a peek at the birth announcement and a few other pictures.

A lot can happen in 9 months…

Sorry it’s been so long since I’ve last updated. Before I report on what we are doing currently, I thought I would play a little catch up. My camera broke so most of these pictures were generously taken by my sister, Jennie. Not a lot of details but this will summarize some of what has happened, at least what we were able to capture on her camera :)

Almost 8 months ago - Denver returned from serving an honorable two-year mission.
He is awesome. I am so lucky to have him as one of my Brothers! We picked him up from the airport on November 12th. While we were anxiously awaiting his arrival, Shelby coaxed Uncle Steven to take her for numerous rides up and down the escalator... This made the wait go a lot quicker (for Shelby, at least).

Over 6 months ago - Shelby turned 2! We celebrated breakfast with some cousins at an upscale McDonalds playland. It was the day before Christmas and we had the whole McDonalds to ourselves. The food was good, happy meal toys doubled as party favors, and lots of fun things to climb on… the best entertainment a kid could ask for. Shelby was in heaven! It’s tempting to make this her Birthday tradition.

4 months ago - Denver married his Best Friend, Megan Platt. We were so thrilled to welcome Megan into our family. We’ve known her for a long time and couldn’t think of someone better for Denver. Such a special ceremony and the receptions were elegant. I was privileged to help design the announcements. She had a friend take beautiful engagement photos so this made my job easy and fun!

Today - Our family is awaiting a special arrival... hopefully very soon!

Yep, this is my belly about two weeks ago.

I told you a lot could happen in 9 months. My due date is July 18th. We are so excited to add another girl. Shelby will occasionally rub my belly and say "baby" but I'm sure is still confused...not too long before she will understand a little better.

My friend, Erin, is an awesome photographer and took some maternity pictures for me. The silhouette came from her and this is one of my favorites she did with Shelby.

These are definitely just a few of the things that have happened within the last 9 months. I do have a new camera now and will try to be lots better with taking pictures and journaling.

more updates to follow...

Good Trade

We recently traded two of our horses for a new ride. A fast, smooth, broken in, still lot's of miles to go, and more efficient ride.

Here he is...

We are all Happy!

Happy Mr: Good Rope Horse

Happy Mrs: Less Feed

Happy Jr: Kid Friendly

Here’s some pictures of our Little Cowgirl and her first ride on Scar.

Good Trade!

Reid Park Zoo: I SPY

I SPY: A long head, long snout, and long sticky tongue

What is it?

I SPY: A big body, big head, big trunk, big ears, pillarlike legs, short padded feet, and hooflike nails

What is it?

I SPY: Long Legs, Long Neck, short body, angular spots, and short horns covered in skin & hair

What is it?

I SPY: A snout with two horns, small ears, thick skin, and hoofs

What is it?

I SPY: Few rails and Big gaps

What is it?

I SPY: A powerful swimmer, long body, long neck, and lots of white fur

What is it?

I SPY: WATER with the push of a button and LOTS of FUN

What is it?

I SPY: A Large Pink Bird, long neck, webbed feet, and a unique down-bent bill

What is it?

I SPY: Something cracked

What is it?

I SPY: A good place to sit with my buddy

What is it?

I SPY: A place built for me, lots of splashin, and did I mention FUN, TONS OF FUN!

What is it?

I SPY: Something storing food in expansible cheek pouches

What is it?Shelby Loves French Frys and insisted I share my Hot Mustard for dipping. She enjoyed this treat so much that she stored some in her cheeks for later.

I SPY: BIG SMILES

What is it?

FUN DAY!

This Last Friday, My Friend Carolee and I took the Kids to the Reid Park Zoo in Tucson. We had so much fun. The Zoo was great! Lots of shade and water to keep cooler on a warmer day, fun animals, hardly any barricades for better views! Yes, it's probably a good idea to know where your child is at all times when you visit!

Thanks Carolee for inviting us to join you on this excursion and for a SUPER FUN DAY!

A Few Seconds of Quiet means…

Big Messes!

When everything’s quiet, even for a few seconds, it’s probably a good time to check on the child.
This thought entered my mind again when we arrived in Eagar to find lipstick all over Shelby's face. It had been ever so carefully taken from Grandma’s luggage sitting next to the car seat (last time we will make that mistake).

again when Shelby and her skilled teacher, Koley were found emptying everything from Nana’s drawer, down to the Q-tips. :)


and again, after Shelby was found trying out the knobs in the tub and was caught off gaurd by the showering water.
These are just a few of the many incidents, this week. They are sneaky and work fast!

Another Reason Why I Love My HomeTown

This last week, I was fortunate to attend a Benefit Dinner & Auction for my Uncle Steven in my HomeTown (Eagar). The feeling of Love was overwhelming. It was so amazing to see the generosity and service of so many in the community.
My Uncle is someone who always carries a smile, has the gift to uplift, full of Love, someone that I admire greatly & will always look up to. He's a friend to all who know him.
For someone that means so much to me, it is so hard to put into words how I felt, when I entered the room full of wonderful friends sharing their Love. Much Love and Many Wonderful People, this is just another reason why I Love my HomeTown!

WILLCOX

We stayed at Grandpa & Grandma Wilkins' home and they treated us good!

Friday fun...

Went to Apple Annie's with Grandma. This had a big Apple Orchard, lots of pumpkins, corn maze, bakery where we bought the best apple pie and bread (the sample tray was Shelby's favorite spot in the store), sunflowers, and tractor sign where we showed off a bare belly.

Had lunch in Grandpa's Classroom. We had fun spending time with grandpa, eating pizza, and watching him make some kettle corn for the students (we had some too and it was yummmy).

Went to the Homecoming Game. We had to watch the game from the side lines (with a fence between us and the field). Someone would have loved to have front row seats, on the field with the players, but mean mommy had to intervene.

Helped Grandpa make popcorn for Concessions. Anytime Grandpa could, he would take Shelby with him. I think Grandpa got a kick out of her and she had just as much fun with him!

Rode the Homecoming Royalty wagon with Grandpa during Halftime. Shelby rode the wagon for a good 45 minutes and loved every minute. She smiled and waved (elbow-elbow-wrist-wrist) as she rode by the fans.

Horse Riding. We spent a little more time with our horse, Pistol, before the trade. Dallas has had Pistol 6 years. He was a good horse. Just had a trade we couldn't pass up (we'll post more on our good trade).

Saturday fun...

sorry no pics - I forgot my camera

We went to the parade to watch Daddy ride his class float, & Grandpa drove a wagon for the Homecoming Royalty. For most of the parade Shelby was more fascinated with pulling all of soda and water out of the ice chest and eating the ice. That is until the Big Dinosaur Float came along. Someone was operating it from inside and it came close enough for us to touch. That was a big deal and Shelby’s highlight of the parade (forget the candy, the mini Shrine cars, and other 50 floats - literally)

We also went to Dallas’ 10 yr reunion. I just have to say his class was quite entertaining. I almost choked on my pizza when they were reading the surveys because I was laughing so hard.

That was a Good Time!