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!

June 11 – June 17 ~ Feet are toys too?!?

I know it is hard to believe, but I think you are getting cuter and cuter each week. This week you discovered your feet. You were on your blanket, playing on the ground when it happened. You lifted your little feet into the air and reached up towards them. When you finally grabbed them you seemed very pleased with yourself. You held them and looked at them for a few moments and then you rolled over and smiled.

On Thursday, we went to another play date. It was with the same group of women and babies that we met up with last month. There were some new faces too. We had such a good time, eating, comparing stories, and laughing. It wasn’t until we met with everyone that I realized what a little girl you were. When we went out, I always got comments on how you looked like a little porcelain doll, but I never paid too much attention... No matter, I still had the sweetest, most beautiful baby there. (Left to right: Stella 1/17/07, Autumn 2/10/07, Elizabeth 1/31/07, Logan 1/4/07, Mikayla 1/23/07, Ethan 1/2/07)

Sunday was Father’s Day. We had a fun, relaxing day. We went to church, then came home and relaxed for a little while. Grampa Bob and Gramma Kathy came into town and we visited with them for a little while. Then, we went to Grandpa Chris and Grandma Ramona’s house for dinner. We had a lot of fun.

June 4 – June 10 ~ Four Months Already?

This was an eventful week. On Monday you went to your four month well baby check up. I can’t believe how quickly time has gone by. It seems only yesterday your dad and I were anxiously awaiting your arrival. Dr. Gentile looked you over and said you looked like happy and healthy. You weighed 12 pounds, 9 ounces. You were in the 25 percentile for weight and the 75 percentile for height…long, lean, and perfect. You also had your four month shots. It was a little traumatic…more so for me than you. It was hard for me to see you upset. You did feel better the moment I picked you up.

The pediatrician said that you could start solids now that you were four months old. This was very exciting! We started with 2 teaspoons of rice cereal. Your dad and I sat you in your bouncy chair and started feeding you. At first you weren’t too sure about letting me put the spoon in your mouth, but you quickly got the hang of it. You even smiled a few times. I thought it was going to be harder, but you seemed to love it.

On Friday, we picked your dad up from work and went to your Uncle Greg and Aunt Kelsey’s house. We were carpooling to Page. We had a fun weekend. On Saturday, you met your Great Uncle Jim. Great Aunt Sandy was there too. Uncle Jim had wanted to meet you since the day you were born. He even joked that he didn’t think he was going to meet you until you were graduated from college. Needless to say he thought you were just the sweetest little girl. You weren’t too sure about him at first, but after a few minutes you relaxed and let him hold you. We visited him at the family store a little later and you tried on a pink cowgirl hat. You were such a cutie!

Later that day we went to your dad’s home church for the open house. You see, his church finally had a b uilding to meet in and this was its dedication weekend. Sunday morning we went to church and then went back to Grampa Bob and Gramma Kathy’s home. We took a few pictures and then we were on our way home. We stopped in Flagstaff for dinner.

May 29 – June 3 ~ One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Hawaiian Fish…?

Monday, May 29, was Memorial Day. Our friends, Brian and Cyndi, invited us to their house for swimming and a barbeque. It was such a good day for swimming and eating with friends. Your Grandpa Williams bought you a little swimsuit while he was on vacation in Hawaii. It was blue and had a grass skirt and lei sewn onto it. You were quite the sight. When we first got into the pool, you didn’t seem to be so sure about it. However, you didn’t cry or fuss. I am sure it felt good to cool off…I know it felt good to me. You even went underwater! You really didn’t like it the first time, but after you had done it a few times you were fine. You never even coughed! That means you were holding your breath…what a natural!



The weather had been getting very hot and so on Sunday, your dad and I made a spontaneous decision to go to the mountains. We just wanted to get out of the heat. We decided to go to Mount Lemmon just outside Tucson. It was perfect…it wasn’t too far to drive to and we could have lunch with our friend Kira. We had so much fun! The scenery was beautiful and the temperature was just perfect…a cool 68 degrees. We walked around for a little bit. Later that evening, we met our friends, Jim and Sarah, for dinner and games. It was a perfect day.

May 21 – May 28 ~ From Back to Belly

There was a lot of coming and going this week. Your dad went out of town on Wednesday evening to go fishing with his grandparents, Nana and Popie. You were still too little to take on a boat, so we stayed behind. I never liked being home alone, so while your dad was away, we stayed at Grandma Ramona’s house. Late Thursday night, your Rivas relatives came into town. It was a lot fun with all of us there. We saw Great Grandma Mary on Friday. It was her 85th birthday. She was happy to see all of us.



On Saturday we visited our friend Rachel from our church group. She just had her baby girl, Josie. She was so cute! Josie was just four days old. I couldn’t believe how small she was...and I couldn’t believe you were ever that small. At birth, Josie weighed 1 ounce more than you and was 1 inch shorter. It was so sweet seeing you both next to each other. The age difference between the two of you is about the same as that between you and Ramona.

Later on Saturday, we picked Great Grandma and Grandpa Williams up from the airport. They were so excited to see you…and me too. We went back to our home and rested for a little bit. Then Juan, Linda, and Ramona came over. It was fun to watch how you and Ramona interacted. Now that you were rolling over you wanted to see what was going on, to be part of the action. Wait a minute, did I say rolling over? Of course! I have to mention that you seemed quite determined to roll from your back to your belly. You had been very close, but hadn’t done it just yet. Then, on the floor in front of everyone you finally did it! We were so excited! You seemed so proud.



After we visited for awhile, everyone went to dinner at Joe’s Farm Grill. It was so good. We ate outside on the picnic tables under the citrus trees. It was such a nice evening…one of the last of the season.