July 16 – July 22 ~ Inching Along

You were getting awfully close to crawling this week. For a few weeks you had been getting up on your hands and knees. You didn’t usually go anywhere, but you would get and then plop back down over and over again. Well, this week you figured out how to inch along. You would start by lying on your belly. Then, you would put your head down and get your knees underneath you. After that you would lift your head and lean forward until fell forward. You would only do this once or twice in a row, but you looked like a little inchworm. With your inching and rolling combined, you were moving all around the room and I would find you in the oddest places…like half under your bouncy chair. It seems only yesterday you were a newborn.





This is how you inched along...



You and I drove up to Page on Thursday because your Aunt Sarah’s bridal shower was on Saturday. It was a good drive. You were becoming a good traveler. On the way up we stopped in a park in Flagstaff so you could spend some time out of your car seat. You seemed to like being outside and seeing all the people passing by. You also were very interested with the grass…you pulled at it quite a bit.

The party on Saturday was fun. You got dressed up in a pretty dress with yellow flowers on it. You napped for awhile, but you really wanted to be a part of the party. You sat in your bouncy chair for awhile, and then played on the floor with a toy, but you really liked the ribbon off of Aunt Sarah’s gifts. It was a fun day.

We finally got video of you laughing...

July 9 – July 15 ~ Getting Back on Schedule

For the most part, this week was spent recuperating from our vacation. Your sleeping schedule had been way off, and it took a few days to get back to normal. However, our trip was more than worth it.

On Monday we visited with some friends. The other babies you saw were Dylan, Jackson, and Luke. In the last year, all of our friends had given birth to little boys…so that made you the only girl in the bunch. Even though you were born 6 weeks before Luke, it seemed like it should have been the other way around. You liked visiting them and I could tell that as soon as you were mobile, you were really going to start playing with them.

Then, on Friday we went over to Brian and Cyndi’s home. We had a barbeque dinner and then we went swimming again. It took you a little longer to get acclimated to the water this time, but you still did a very good job. You even went underwater! That part you seemed to enjoy much more…well, at least you tolerated it. I am sure you are going to love the water.

Elizabeth swimming...

July 1 – July 8 ~ Over the Mountains and Through the Woods

On Sunday, we decided to go fishing at Groundhog Lake. Grandma Lindsay packed hamburgers for lunch while your dad, Grandpa Bernard, and Uncle Greg packed the car with chairs, fishing poles, and tackle boxes. Once we arrived at the lake, you were quite content to sit in your bouncy chair and look around at what was going on around you. You even “fished” a little. You tried watermelon for the first time…you really seemed to like it. We had a fun day, even though the fish never went after the bait…not even one bite! At least we saw some wildlife…we saw many deer on the ride home. Later that evening as we got home, we noticed there was someone waiting for us…well, I should say waiting for you. It was your Great Aunt Mary. She was very excited to see you.


Monday was a quiet day. We relaxed around the house with Uncle Greg and Aunt Kelsey and then altogether we drove around town for awhile. That evening, the five of us went out to see family you hadn’t met yet. We went to Great Uncle Bill and Great Aunt Vonda’s home. Your second cousin Kelli was there too! They thought you were just the sweetest little girl…and I must say that I agree. Your Great Popie and Nana were there for dinner as well. At first you didn’t know what do around all the family…I think it was a little intimidating, but you soon relaxed and let everyone cuddle you and pass you around.



The next day was a fairly quiet day. We started by having breakfast with your Grandpa and Grandma Williams. They had been driving across the country and happened to be in Colorado while we were there. We had a great time. After breakfast, Grandpa and Grandma Havran, your Aunt and Uncle, your dad and I (and you as well) went to Mancos. You slept almost the entire afternoon while we were cleaning the house.

Wednesday was the fourth of July! How did you spend your first Independence Day celebration? Well, you went to the Pick n’ Hoe of course! We enjoyed an amazing barbequed lunch followed by walking around in the shade of the trees and then we purchased some water weenies. However, the highlight of the event was the pig chase. You didn’t participate, but your dad and uncle did. It was quite a sight to see. After the last pig had been caught, we left the festivities to visit your Great Uncle Bill on the farm. He was both surprised and glad to see us.



The following day you added to your list of firsts: you went on your very first camping trip. We drove up to Lizardhead and camped overnight. We found a beautiful spot hidden in the trees but with gorgeous views all around. Since we were at 10,000 feet, it actually got cold enough for jackets. Jackets in July? Yup, that’s right. That night we had a large fire and roasted marshmallows. Mmm. The next morning you dad went fishing at the break of dawn. He came back beaming, wet, and fishless…but he had a good time nonetheless. He did sit down and explained to you his love for fishing. I think you may like it as much as he does.



After we broke camp, we went to Trout Lake so the men could fish some more. The views were breathtaking. For awhile we thought that the men would be skunked again as far as fishing went, but just before we left, your dad caught a fish. After the fishing things were put away, your Aunt and Uncle got into our car and we drove up Ophir pass. It was a very bumpy road, and in some places quite narrow. You were not too happy about the road quality, but soon you fell asleep. I must say, the view from the top was amazing and worth the ride up. The rest of the drive home went smoothly and the views were gorgeous.



Saturday came all too quickly. We spent the morning packing our car and getting ready for the ride home. We did get some group pictures before we left. What a wonderful time we had.

June 25 – June 30 ~ You’re Sitting…Well, Kind of

On Monday morning, as I was putting you on your back, you kept straining forward…like you wanted to sit up. You couldn’t quite lift yourself, so I helped you into a sitting position. You couldn’t quite keep your balance so you leaned forward and supported yourself with your hands. You looked so cute! As I looked at you, I realized you were weren’t my little newborn anymore and to top it off, you would be 5 months at the end of the week. Time has gone by so quickly…

I should mention that feeding you solid foods had become quite an experience. You were now eating rice cereal, green beans, and sweet potatoes. You loved eating and sometimes when I didn’t get food onto the spoon fast enough you would start to fuss a little. You would then reach for the spoon and try to pull it into your mouth…most of the time you just got the food all over your hands, face, and bib. It was especially cute when you started chewing on your hand while to spoon full of food was still in your mouth. You were very excited!

Friday evening, we drove to Cortez, Colorado to see your Grandpa Bernard and Grandma Lindsay. Even though you were much happier riding in your car seat, we thought 6 ½ hours was still a long way to drive so we drove overnight so that you could sleep most of the way. On Saturday, we were fairly tired from driving the night before, so we spent the day resting and relaxing.

June 18 – June 24 ~ I think I can, I think I can

This week was relatively quiet. We stayed around the house, relaxed, and didn’t really go anywhere. It wasn’t until the weekend that we were on the go. Saturday, Aunt Sarah came to town to go dress shopping with us for bridesmaid’s dresses. It was a lot of fun. You liked looking at all of the different colored dresses. Aunt Kelsey was there too, as well as one of the other bridesmaids.

Aunt Sarah was very glad to see you.

Sunday is when things really started happening. You were on your tummy, playing on the floor as usual. You were trying to move around, but as you couldn’t crawl yet, your arms and legs were moving a mile a minute to no avail. Well, out of the corner of my eye I saw it. You had pulled yourself onto all fours! It was very exciting. You would get up, wobble a little, and fall back down. You kept trying though. It won’t be too long until you are crawling around!