Adelyn's Blessing

Adelyn was blessed on January 8th by her daddy. It really made me realize that I am a mother. I have a baby. Every single day goes by so fast--Adelyn changes every time I look at her! I love being there when she discovers something new. The other day she started giggling when I tickle her and it was the cutest thing ever! Grandma Lamoreaux made her blessing dress and Aunt Bryttan made her headband. It's amazing how much love all these people have for one special little girl.

Top 10 (or so) of 2011

February 14

Found out we were pregnant! Made the theme for the year "A Bun in the Oven for Twenty-Eleven!"  We had been having some fertility issues, and after over a year of negatives, we got a positive! I told Brett via text message (not original, but I was too excited so I just text him a picture of the pregnancy test). We told my mom in her birthday present by giving her a "Grandma Guide Book". We told the rest of my family by making Melanie a T-shirt that said "Auntie M" and letting her wear it until people noticed. And we told Brett's family by pretending to take a picture but really recording their reactions. Blogger won't let me upload the video for whatever reason, but trust me when I say the reaction was priceless.

February 27

Brett and I celebrated our golden birthday! (27 on the 27th). We went up to Bear River Lodge and stayed in a cabin and rented snowmobiles. It was really fun and romantic, but it was also on this trip that I started to get morning all day sickness.

 March

This month cemented us as grown-ups when we bought our first house! We decided to start looking, thinking we would buy sometime in the fall, but fell in love with our little home. We liked the location being next to a lot of hiking and biking trails, loved the neighborhood/ward, and there is plenty of room to grow!

March-April

We went on a cruise with the Kramers to Belize, Costa Maya and Cozumel. It was a lot of fun! We went ziplining in the Belize jungle, rented dune buggies and rode to a private beach in Costa Maya, and rented Jeeps and explored the ruins in Cozumel. There was a lot of sunshine, a lot of beach time, and a lot of family time. It was an amazing adventure! My pregnancy only really bothered me once in some public restrooms in Belize...but I'd like to see you handle it even without the added nausea!

We also made hamburgers out of cupcakes and Brett learned to surf. Where else but on a cruise ship?

April 1st

The shock of the year was when Opa died. The day we got into port from our cruise (which ironically also happened to be April Fool's Day) we found out that he had gone to the hospital unexpectedly and passed away suddenly. As terrible as the news was, I feel extremely blessed that we happened to be in Florida already so we could make the funeral. Otherwise I don't think I could have afforded the plane ticket. I was really close to Opa. We shared a love of piano, German food, and pastries with chocolate milk. He would tease us grandkids relentlessly, but we always teased him back. I miss him and think of him every time I play piano, but being the kind of man he was I know he is in a good place. 

The summer was pretty uneventful, being ginormously pregnant and all, but we did some hiking, Brett did some biking, and we celebrated a bunch of birthdays.

Yes, it is July and that is snow. Seems ironic now that it is January and we don't have any.

September

Brett shot his first big game (an elk) with an arrow this year. Nice to know my man can provide.

I also quit my job in preparation of being a stay at home mom. Bye-bye Fastsigns.

October

We enjoyed the great weather in preparation for our baby to come on the 20th. Except she didn't come. So we tried to startle her out.

Didn't work. Ended up getting induced on the 25th because I had low amniotic fluid. After 6 hours of labor, Adelyn Marie was born!

6 lbs 11 oz, 19" long!

The rest of the year is kind of a blur, learning how to take care of an infant, breastfeeding, diapering, bathing (they are slippery little suckers!), not to mention taking care of a household. Thanksgiving and Christmas went by so fast! And our little girl is growing so much! At her 2 month appointment she weighed 10 lbs 15 oz and is 23 1/4" long, which puts her in 50th percentile for weight and 75th for height! But with Brett & I, we would have to question the parentage if she were any shorter :)

Halloween

Go Utes!

Thanksgiving

Merry Christmas!

And lastly, but not leastly, we took Adelyn on her very first trip to San Diego since we gained a new sister in law! Congratulations Eric & Sarah!

 Now maybe I should post more often so you don't get a super long boring post, but that is our year in a nutshell! I'll update again come 2013...

Who's That?

It is I, back from a blog sabbatical. There has been so much going on and frankly, haven't felt much like blogging. Here is a little teaser of things to come:

Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf? Not us, because we are now homeowners, and no, it is not made out of straw.

A snowstorm in March can't even get me down because I am getting the H out of dodge and going to a warmer climate.

Big birthday, big news?

I don't know....

And because I don't like to blog without a picture, here is a gem from a mid-season PCMR ski day:

Circus Circus!

Brett & I love to go to the circus every year. It's so entertaining! Where else can you see death defying stunts performed simultaneously?

And the elephants are so darn cute.

My favorite are the acrobats and the bendy people.

Brett likes the death cage of motorcycles. There were 7 in there, riding around the walls, the ceiling, everywhere.

And little hint for a cheap date night? The first night the circus is in town, all tickets are half price. We go every year.

And here is a little shot from the hike I went on today.

It was gorgeous. I love fall hikes!

Want to play "Where's Waldo?"

Love seeing that sea of Red & White.
The game was awesome.
'Nuf said.

Lamoreauxs vs. Wild

Brett & his family had a little tradition of backpacking in the High Uintas every year. Brett has been trying to get me to go for awhile, and I finally consented. And really, I was excited. Really.

Brett's pack weighed about 75 lbs, no exaggeration.

Mine--25 lbs. But it makes me look really tough, no?

So apparently, "living off the land" means catching fish and eating them.

I'm not too excited about fish. Luckily for me I brought some nasty processed Cup O Noodles.

I made this fire. Not to brag or anything, but I didn't have lighter fluid OR paper, and I still started it. By myself. I could totally survive in the wild. For 2 days anyway.

It was beautiful. Cold, unsanitary, but beautiful.

We fished, slept, fished, slept....if you like that sort of thing, you should go.

At least we know we won't starve.

Also, Brett does all the cooking Mountain Man Style, and I don't have to do anything. Maybe we should go rogue and live in the mountains?

Saying goodbye...alas, I did not want to stick out another night. So Brett & Todd stayed, and I left with Scott & Elyse. Notice Brett's groovy beard. My legs were just as hairy.

Did I love it? Will I do it again? Give me a year to think about it and I'll get back to you.