More Zoo Pictures

My sister, Rylie, took some really great pictures at the zoo. Here are some of the great animals.

Giraffes and Tigers and Bears...Oh My!

On September 5th, we celebrated Brynnlee's first birthday. My parents and sister Rylie came to Colorado Springs for the BIG day. We decided to take Brynnlee to the zoo. We went to the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo here in the Springs. What a great place! We started by stopping by the Giraffe's home. At this zoo, visitors are able to feed the giraffes. It was so great. The giraffes have really long tongues they use to grab the crackers. Brynnlee loved the giraffes! We saw a lot of great animals at the zoo. Kevin went crazy taking pictures, but I don't think many of you are interested in seeing ten pictures of meerkats!

We also stopped off to visit the tigers. As we stood by the big tiger window, suddenly one of the tigers came running towards us! My heart skipped a beat. I forgot for a minute that we were separated. We got a great picture of Brynnlee and the tiger! She loved it. The bears were also a fun place to stop. You can get really close to the window where they live. They were busy playing and trying to grab the grapes being thrown at them. While Kevin and Rylie were on the sky ride over the zoo, I took Brynnlee on the carousel. It was her first experience on one. I was so excited because I thought she would love it. The ride started, and it went so fast, she almost fell off the horse. I thought it would never end. But I think maybe she liked it a little bit---well at least sitting on the horse!

What a great day! The Cheyenne Mountain Zoo is fantastic and fun. I still can't believe my baby is ONE!

Brynnlee has Whose Genes?

I always wonder who Brynnlee looks like more....Kevin or me. I always think me, but then I look at her again. I found pictures of Kevin and me at about the same age Brynnlee is now. So, what do you think? Who does she really look like?

The Colorado Springs Sky Sox

Kevin came home today and asked me if I wanted to go to a baseball game. I was a little hesitant at first. It was short notice, we would be out late, and I didn't have dinner ready. But he told me it was Military Appreciation Day and the tickets were free. That motivated me to get going. We needed to get out on the town. And it was Brynnlee's first baseball game.


Brynnlee seemed to love the experience. She was laughing and clapping and watching everyone around us. We were only there for a few innings when it started to rain. That was no big deal, but then the lightening came. The game was delayed, so we decided to take off and get Brynnlee into bed. The short time we were there was fun, and I think we will plan to go to another game. And amazingly enough we even saw some people we KNOW. Our new friends-the Van Wagoners-were there.



Yeah for baseball!

Eleven Months

I know it has been said before, but time flies by so fast. Brynnlee is now 11 months old. I can't believe how quickly the time has gone by. We waited so long for her. The years went by so slowly and now suddenly we have an 11 month old baby. She is growing so fast. Here are some of the things going on with her.
*She has two bottom teeth and three top teeth coming in.
*She loves to clap her hands and say a version of "Yeah."
*She can say hi and bye and momma and daddy. I'm not sure she knows what they mean though.
*She stands next to things like the couch or chair or me and then
lets go and stands on her own.
*She has been waving at everything....her food, her toys, Toby.
Now she waves at people.
*She smiles and giggles all of the time. She will laugh when Kevin
and I are laughing at something. It is cute because she has no
idea what she is laughing about.
*I am trying to teach her what a nose is. I asked her the other day
to find Mom's nose. She grabbed mine. I was so happy, and she
giggled and giggled.
*She actually let people hold her!
*She loves Toby, and he is finally warming up to her. She will follow him all over the room and try to pet him. Sometimes he will even let her do it. She just smiles and giggles at him. When we call Toby, she tries so hard to say his name. She can only say "Boby!"
*Her hair is finally long enough to put into two ponytails on the top of her head. It is so cute, and everyone at the store makes a comment. It is still a little curly too. I love to see the adorable little curls on the side of her head.


I knew I wanted to be a mom. But I didn't know why. I do now! Brynnlee is such a joy.

What's Up....or Down?

As Kevin and I sat at dinner, Brynnlee was playing in the living room. I looked over at her and was surprised to see she was losing her pants. I don't know how it happened, but it was funny to see. The best was that she didn't even seem to mind.

A Weekend of Fun

Have you ever made plans to meet up with friends you haven't seen for awhile? You get a little nervous right before you show up. You wonder to yourself, "Will it be the same?" Well Kevin and I experienced this twice over the 4th of July weekend. Both events turned out to be a lot of fun.

On Friday the 3rd we met up with Tag and Tracy Giles, two friends we haven't seen in years. They live in Denver, which isn't far from Colorado Springs. We-and when I say we I mean Kevin and Tag-decided to meet at the Garden of the Gods, an amazing park here. I was apprehensive about the day. But it turned out I had nothing to be worried about. We had a great time. For the first part of the day, we walked around the Garden of the Gods looking at the beauty and catching up on life. Then we went to a few other places. One was called the Seven Falls. There were of course seven falls there. It was nice to see but not very exciting. We had such a great day. I can't wait to do it again! Next time Denver Tracy?

On the Fourth of July, Kevin, Brynnlee, and I headed up to Aurora to visit another old friend. This time we went for a BBQ at Angie Blanchard's--otherwise known as Angie Myers! I hadn't seen Angie since her oldest child was born. I think he is 11 now. We had a great time catching up and getting to know her husband, adorable kids, and nice friends. Angie made us feel right at home. She made the cutest and yummiest treats also. Thanks Angie and Steve for a great time!

Counting My Many Blessings

I can be a snob. Maybe many of you all ready knew this. Maybe I did too. But as I sat in my apartment crying and as I complained about where I lived, I realized I was being a snob. I was told by a good friend, "At least you have a place to live." Well, Keri Beth was right. There are people all over losing their homes and not having enough money to live. So I have to live in an apartment for a little bit longer. So Kevin and I couldn't go house or apartment shopping. At least he was offered a job! I decided to have a better attitude about where I live. It will make the year go by faster. So here are 10 blessings of living in our apartment.

1. It has a nice view. When I look out the windows, I see trees and grass and sometimes even squirrels. There is not a parking lot to be seen.
2. It is close to the swimming pool. In fact there are two swimming pools here.
3. It has brand new carpet. When I try to find Brynnlee's pacifiers under her crib, I can smell the newness of it.
4. There is a pantry. I can fit all of my food plus pans that I wouldn't ordinarily have a place for.
5. I can vacuum it quickly.
6. Toby can live here with us. Colorado Springs is a very pet friendly place.
7. It is close to everything I need.
8. I can easily afford it.
9. There are two bathrooms.
10. Kevin and Brynnlee are here. What else do I really need?

I know I make it sound like I am living in a dump--I'm not. It is just small. And you know what? It's okay!

Sick Babies

Why do babies have to get sick? It is so unfair because they can't even tell you what is wrong. A baby can't say, "Hey Mom my tummy hurts." or "Daddy my gums are killing me." Yes, a baby can give you a sign with crying. But how many reasons are there for a baby to cry?

Last night Brynnlee woke up a couple of times crying. We thought she just wanted her pacifier and couldn't find it. Kevin went into her room a third time and found a disaster. Brynnlee had thrown up. It was everywhere--in her eyes, up her nose, in her hair. We went into action bathing her, changing her sheets, and giving her some Tylenol because she had a fever. We felt horrible, but we had no idea.

It's hard enough being a parent, but when the baby is sick, it's heartbreaking.

A Day at the Park

Now that I am staying home with Brynnlee, I have discovered the joy of spending time at the park. I can go there in the middle of the day if I want. I love it. Kevin and I took Brynnlee to a park in the evening to put her in a swing for the first time. She loved it so much that I took her the next day. This time I brought the camera. We also spent some time on the grass in the shade. We had a great time together.