Celebrating Independence Day

To celebrate the Fourth of July this year in complete style, Josh, Audrey and I headed out to Salt Lake City to party it up with my family! We spent a wonderful day with my Dad's side of the family. It all began with a BBQ where we had a yummy Cajun shrimp boil (compliments of Josh & my Dad) and it concluded in fabulous fashion by watching Independence Day (gotta love Will Smith!) outside under the stars, via a projector, white sheet & a rockin' sound system. We all had so much fun - It reminded me of the many summers watching movies at the Redwood Drive-In.... ah! If you ever have the chance to do it, I highly recommend it!

Here's Morgan hamming it up for the camera...

...Audrey blowing bubbles...

...and Isiah giving his famous smile!

Family Bike Ride

Tonight, Josh & I took Audrey out for her very first bike ride! In order to get ready for the outing, we got her an itty-bitty pink bike helmet (complete with bunnies painted on the front) and Josh installed a baby-bike seat on the back of his blue cruiser bike. The weather was so perfect, we could not resist taking a ride around the neighborhood!! Audrey did so well, she just sat there patiently holding onto bar in front of her, and looking at houses and cars as we passed them by. She didn't even try to take off her helmet - what an angel!!

Here we were trying to get Audrey used to her helmet... As you can see, it took some getting used to...

Here is Audrey, just chillin' as she rides along with Dad...

Pool Time!

Yesterday, Audrey and I did our very first Mommy & Me swimming class! It was her first time in the pool, and it was very clear from her expression that she was not quite sure what was going on. If I had to guess, this is what I could imagine her thinking....

"What is going on here! Where's Mom?! Okay, there she is... where am I? Um, water... this I know... but wait, what am I wearing? We normally do this whole water thing with no clothes... and definitely no diaper.... It is bright out here... Splash, Splash, Splash... okay, not bad - I think I can do this... what is that song Mom is singing? "ring around the roses, pocket full of poses, ashes, ashes we all fall down" Whoosh! GASP! (cough, cough, cough!) What happened? where did all that water come from?! I DON'T LIKE THIS!!!"

Audrey did pretty well, but one thing is for sure, she did not like the whole going under water thing! I think that she did well than most babies though - we didn't have a total melt down, and she did get used to kicking and splashing. And she was definitely intrigued by the whole blowing bubbles thing. It was a good first experience, something that we will be doing again soon. Plus, she looked extra cute in her swimming suit!

Chop! Chop!

It's official: AUDREY GOT HER FIRST HAIR CUT!

For the past few weeks it has become quite apparent to me that Audrey needed a little snippy-snip in the hair department. I finally was getting tired of seeing all of her hair in her face, (because she keeps ripping her bows out!) I knew that it was time to take some action.... so, I made an appointment, brought my camera - and PRESTO! A blog was born! Scroll down to see the play-by-play in pictures...

The Before Shot

The Place...

Audrey Getting Her Hair Cut

The Big Reveal...

Memorable May

What fun we have had this past month!! On more than one occasion, Josh and I have clapped our hands in excitement has we have watched Audrey grow up before our very eyes (I know, I know, can you picture Josh clapping his hands in excitement? I didn't think so… he does however give a good thumbs up!) During the past couple of weeks, we have had many things to celebrate. Here is a look at what made this past month so very memorable for us.

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY

On May 1st, my parents celebrated their 32nd wedding anniversary. Congratulations Mom & Dad!

LOOK WHOSE EATING SOLID FOODS!
With five teeth already here, and two on their way, I got really curious to see what Audrey would do with Cheerios. It was pretty funny to watch the confusion in her face when she placed the first piece in her mouth... Can I eat this? Isn't it a toy? Her confusion quickly turned into delight when she discovered that she could toss them all around her!

A TRIP TO TUCSON
At the beginning of May, Audrey and I went to Tucson to see my best friend Alyssa. Alyssa and her husband just recently bought a new house - AND she had a baby boy in January that I was dying to see. I loved spending time with Alyssa and her family. We stayed up chatting all night, exchanged recipes, played cards, made a Dairy Queen run (butterscotch dipped cones are my favorite!) and we spent many hours ogling over our precious children. It was exactly what I needed!!

Alyssa and Cash

Edison being silly...

Cash and Audrey...

MEETING AUNT LEE

While Audrey and I were in Tucson, we went to visit Josh's Great Aunt Lee. She is the sister of Josh's Grandma Ardith, whom Audrey is named after. It was so nice to see her, but I will have to admit that my darling Audrey was a little snot nose! The week that we arrived in Tucson, Audrey started to get "stranger anxiety" - and I have to tell you that the timing could not have been more horrible! Here I am visiting Aunt Lee and she is meeting for the first time her great-great grand niece and Audrey would not let her hold her! Each time that I tried, Audrey would let out a huge wale as giant baby tears flowed down her face. I have never been more embarrassed in my life! Aunt Lee was quite understanding, and thought that Audrey's fit was cute - thank goodness! As we left and said our good-byes, Aunt Lee handed me an envelope with Audrey's name on it. I didn't have a chance to open it in front of her, but when I did open the envelope I was speechless when I saw what was inside. Aunt Lee had given Audrey a ring that was her sister's along with a story to go with it. I was so unbelievably touched by her generosity… I will always be thankful for her kindness!!

IT'S BABY PROOFING TIME!

Audrey is now crawling!! Josh and I knew that it was coming - all of the signs were there: she was getting up on all fours, rocking back-and-fourth, trying to see if she could lift up an arm… and then boom! It happened! It was so darling to see the amazement in her eyes when she realized that she could actually move, it took her a couple of days to find out that she could get from point A to point B - but now there is no stopping her! I remember looking down at her and thinking "My life is about to drastically change…" One thing is for sure: it's time to break out the playpen!

HAS IT REALLY BEEN SIX YEARS?

On May 18th, Josh and I celebrated our sixth year wedding anniversary. I am in constant amazement that it has been that long! I often think that time has flown by so quickly - and yet when I think about all of the things that have occurred since we have been married (Lived in an apartment for 3 years, purchased our own home in 2005, started a family…) I realize that it wasn't just yesterday that I said "I Do"… As I sat watching my wedding video (hello! we ALL do it!) It was wonderful to know that I have so many great memories of my wedding day - it truly was one of the happiest days of my life.

So there you go - that was May for us!! Thanks for reading, and enjoy the month of June!

Mother's Day Dinner

I am a little bit late in posting these pictures, but I really wanted to share them with everyone, so I figure better late than never, right?!

The night before Mother's Day, Josh's family came over for dinner. I was so touched by the cards, flowers & gifts that I received for my very first mother's day... It was the best!!!

Here is Audrey with her Uncle Zack & Aunt Vanessa

Audrey is Uncle Jeff's cuddle-bug!

Uncle Zack loves to dance with Audrey!

Here is Audrey in her favorite position... the Yoga Downward Dog!!

Green Goddess

Okay, okay, I know that it doesn't look that appetizing - but I am addicted!!! I got this green drink recipe off of a recent Oprah show that Dr. Oz was on. It is surprisingly decent tasting - better than that, it is good! Almost every morning, once I put Audrey down for her nap, I make my green drink - and I can't tell you the satisfaction I get knowing that I am eating ALL of my vegetables for the entire day in one drink. Oh, and it gets better: I feel amazing! I have more energy AND I don't find myself "needing" to snack on everything in sight. Here's the recipe:

1 Lemon
1 Lime
1 Cucumber
1 Apple (I like Macintosh)
4 Stalks of Celery
1 Cup of Spinach
1 Piece of Ginger



I use a juicer to make my drink (remove the lemon & lime peels to avoid a bitter taste), and presto! One bonified healthy drink that you don't have to feel guilty about.



Please let me know if you try it & what you think about it!