Hiawatha Trail ***4th of July***

So everyone knows we LOVE going to the lake!! The only time we don't love it is on holiday weekends...because it is too dang crowded and too many idiots out there!!! So we decided we would ride the Hiawatha trail in Montana instead. We left early on the morning of Sat. the 4th of July and drove out there. We had heard a lot of good things about it from friends and they were right....IT WAS AWESOME!!! It starts with a 2 mile trail tunnel that you go through that is PITCH BLACK. You have to use a headlamp, flashlight, etc to see your way through it. The temperature drops dramatically in the tunnel also (in the 50's). You ride through beautiful scenery , about 10 tunnels and over seven old railroad trestles. It is about a 16 mile adventure and we had so much fun.



Me and Brynn outside the 2 mile pitch black tunnel.

Adam on the bike and Brynn in the trailer.....taking a break to enjoy the scenery!!

More scenery....you can see one of the railroad trestles in the center of the picture (in the valley)
Brynn and I ready to start the adventure!
Adam ready to go...its getting hot already.
Brynn being entertained with a cup while Adam and I get the bikes ready to go. Yes she is chewing on the styrofoam...but we got it out before she actually ate any!!!

She's walking, we're in trouble...

Brynnley took her 1st real steps right around her 1 yr old birthday. In the last month she's pretty much mastered standing up on her own, walking and getting into trouble. Her favorite thing to do is open cabinets and throw the contents onto the floor. Needless to say our house is NOT kid proof, we're working on it. It sure is a lot of fun though. Her little personality comes out more and more every day. We've been pestered to provide some video so here it is. The quality is kinda crummy but it sure is easy with these web cams. Enjoy!!

Our Sweet Brynnley Turns One!!!!

I don't know how this happened....but Brynnley turned one this week!!! Time has passed so quickly. Adam's mom and his grandparents, Dodo and Gary, were able to make for the big celebrations. My parents were planning on coming down, but due to an unfortunate skiing accident a few days before the scheduled departure, my mom has broken her clavicle and her tibia......needless to say they weren't able to make it. We missed you guys and look forward to seeing you after you are healed up!!!

On Brynn's birthday, we went to the mall play area....which she loves!!! She loves spaghetti, so we had a spaghetti dinner for her. We kept the party pretty small, with family member (and some extended family)!!!! After dinner she opened her presents, followed by cake and ice cream. After her sugar rush wore off, she went down for bed and was happy to see her crib.

BRYNN, ADAM, AND I WANT TO THANK EVERYBODY FOR THE WONDERFUL GIFTS AND BIRTHDAY WISHES!!! We missed those who couldn't be there, but we felt your love long distance anyway. Thanks for such a fun and special day.

Here are some pictures of the day....I will post the cake pictures later! Let's face it, I am doing good just to be posting something. I know a few family members and co-workers who will check my blog expecting to see the previous post that has been on my blog for nearly 3 months.....with the slight glimmer of hope that MAYBE I updated. Well guess what.....I DID!!!




Grandma Allen, Brynn, and Noelle playing in a hot dog truck!!! Brynn wasn't sure if she liked all the motion, but she loved pressing all the buttons.



Our sweet little girl LOVES animals....at least fake ones. She was crawling around the play area and came upon this lion. She immediately put her head on the lion's arm. It was so cute....she just laid there for a minute or so.





At the top of the slide....thinking about which way she will go down.




We are gonna have to keep our eye on her!!! She loves to go down slides head first. No matter how many times we teach her to sit on her bottom, she tries to go down with her head leading.





Brynnley playing with her new lawn mower that Great Grandma Dodo and Grandpa Gary gave her. She LOVES IT!!!!

Brynn testing out the new couch that Grandma and Grandpa Allen gave her...it is so cute!!

This neat little couch is also a fold out bed with a sleeping bag attached. It is AWESOME!!!

Aunt Camie, Uncle Matt, and cousin Ryan gave Brynnley some adorable clothes!!! Thank you so much guys....they are so cute and will definately get plenty of use this winter!!! You guys are great.



Brynn sitting with Uncle Brand and Aunt Sharee!! She is set for the summer with these FREAKING CUTE clothes!! She got a swim suit cover up with matching hat, shirts, shorts, and a cute little jacket. Thank you guys so much, you are amazing!!!

Growing like a weed!!!

For some reason, I feel like I have to have pictures to go along with my posts!!! That I why it has taken me so long to update. I still need to upload the photos, but I decided that it was more important to update without pictures that to not update our blog at all. So it has been a little over a month since we have updated it, and already so much has changed!!! Brynnley in now crawling like crazy. She usually stays in our family room and doesnt like to wander too far, which has been a huge blessing. She now has her two first teeth and luckily hasn't taken to biting people....yet! She loves bath time and actually LOVES to have her teeth brushed. She must be a daughter of a dental hygienist :) She is now 9 months old and is finally fitting well into her 6-9 month clothing. She just had her 9 month check up and she is finally putting on some weight. At her 6 month visit she was in the 4% for weight and now she is in the 18%!!! We are so exciting that she is growing and she has a pretty cute belly I might add. The girl will eat pretty much anything, so far she hasn't been the biggest fan of edamamae or green beens. She eats tons, but she is so busy...I think that is why she is a little light weight for her age. Her FAVORITE thing is her piglet stuffed animal. She has to have it to take a nap (it's a good and bad thing I think) and when she is getting crancky Piglet makes everything better. Anyway, besides Adam and I, Piglet is her best friend! She gets so excited and starts kicking and flailing around as soon as she sees Piglet. It is so funny to watch. She loves to babble and talk....we might have a problem getting her to stop talking once she is actually forming real words and sentences! She is still sleeping 12-13 hours and night and takes two good naps during the day. She is such a sweet girl and a blessing in our lives.
Adam has decided to start a winter project. He is ready to go outside and hit the lake, but the weather isn't very cooperative. So, he decided he would start to frame out the basement and start finishing it. This will hopefully keep him busy until summer is here!! He has his work cut out for him, but he is enjoying it so far.
As for me, I am enjoying being a mom and working a few hours a week. I recently finished re-staining some cabinets in our upstairs guest bathroom...and am pleased with how they turned out. It would be nice to re-stain the kitchen cabinets,but that might be a little ambitious for now. We will see!!! I too, am ready for summer...heck, spring would be nice!!! We are ready for the snow to melt and to see some green grass. I would kill to be able to take a nice walk outside and enjoy some fresh air. Anyway, I will try to post some pictures soon....TRY to!!

Growing fast!

In the last few days Brynnley has shown a new interest. She always gets really excited and happy when she goes walking. Obviously she has a ways to go before she's running the house, but she's learning too fast for mommy and daddy!! It's pretty amazing how quickly she is picking things up these days. We still can hardly believe we have an 8 months old little girl. Too much fun!

First snow of the year!!

In mid-December, we had the mother of all snow storms!!! We actually set an all time record for the amount of snow fall in a 24 hour period. The official number was 17 inches, but some areas got up to 25 inches!!! Anway, we decided we should take Brynnley out to "play" in the snow. We made snow angels, ate snow, basically just surrounded ourselves in snow. Brynnley was such a good sport...she might have even liked it. Her favorite part was definalty eating the snow. For some reason she loves cold stuff in her mouth. We stayed out there long enough to get some fun pictures and then headed back inside. Here are some fun pictures of us playing as a family in the snow for the first time....a family of 3!!

Catch up time, busy summer...

We've been so bad in updating our blog so this entry will catch everyone up to speed on what has been going on in the last few months. 1st off here is a quick clip of Brynnley at 5 1/2 months and her new favorite thing to do... talking to herself while playing in her exer-saucer thingy....

We had Brynnley's blessing and the Allen Family reunion in early August. It was the 1st time we've been able to attend the reunion since we were married so it was great to be able to see all the family. We then spent the rest of August and September squeezing in as much lake time and wakeboarding that we possibly could. We had Noelle's cousin Erin come spend a few days with us. Thankfully we've completely brainwashed our good friends Brad and Sharee into thinking that wakeboarding is life so they were there to share in most of our fun time at the lake. Here's a few pictures.

Brynnley, 3 months old, getting used to the water... Erin and Noelle at Lake Roosevelt Brad and Sharee double wakeboarding Adam and Noelle double wakeboarding Brad wake-to-wake jump Brynnley, 4 months, learning how to drive the boat Just out of reach

In the midst of all that fun we did some work on the house. The deck in the back yard was very old and needed quite a few boards replaced and the whole thing sanded down and repainted. Instead of saving some money and just sanding and painting we decided to upgrade. Adam got it in his head to redo the existing deck and build a pergola over the top. After almost a month of working on and off, and a ton of help from Mr. Bradley Moss, we were able to finish it in time for the last few weeks of fall. We still need to do one or two small things but overall we love it. Adam had a lot of fun and it kept him busy, which is always a good thing, he needs that. In between the posts holding up the pergola is a bench in the middle and two planter boxes. Adam came up with those ideas all by himself and they turned out very good, he's very proud of himself :-D

The back of the house before... What a mess... Final product

AND THE WINNER IS.....

Our friends, Brad and Sharee Moss, hold an annual Halloween Party at their house. It consists of a haunted house, lots of decorations, yummy food, lots of adults in costumes, overall a good time! So Adam and I decided that we would be Popeye and Olive Oil and Brynn would be Swee' Pea. I had everything figured out that we needed in order to make our costumes a success...then Adam came up with the best idea ever....I would be Popeye and Adam would be Olive Oil. I informed him that he would have to wear a skirt and when he said okay, I went running with it. I found a skirt that was WAY way way too big for him at the thrift store along with a men's red dress shirt. I cut them both apart and turned it into a killer Olive Oil costume. Once his costume was done, I made the Popeye muscles, sailor collar, buttons, etc. We found a cute pea costume for Brynnley and she did look sweet!

Part of the party includes awards given out to the best costumes. The categories are: best overall, funniest, sexiest, most original, and scariest. AND THE WINNER FOR FUNNIEST IS.....OLIVE OIL!!!! Adam even got some votes for sexiest...that is scary :)


Olive Oil, Popeye, and Swee' Pea


Olive and Swee' Pea. (Such a frightening picture!!)

Popeye and Swee' Pea

Brad and Sharee..... A pirate and his Booty (treasure)!!!


Adam took a picuture of the awesome food. We had eyeballs in the punch and salsa, flies on the bloody hand jello, and a green brain with blood all over it!!! There were also some really yummy food that wasn't so gross looking. We've got to say a big thanks to Brad and Sharee for putting everything together. It was a fun night :)

Blessing Day!!!!!

I know, I know, Denice....I'm finally posting pictures!!! Please dont fall out of your chair :)



It has been over two months since we blessed our beautiful little girl. We were up in Utah for Adam's family reunion and decided that we would bless her at my parent's house. It was so neat to bless her in a more private environment with so many people that we love. Both of Adam's sets of grandparents who live in Idaho were able to make it. It was such a special day and Adam gave her the sweetest blessing. There were so weepy eyes in the house :) So here are some pictures from that special day.








Brynnley





Brynnley's Blessing Dress and Accessories




Adam's side of the family




Noelle's side of the family



Pround Parents!!!

Brillante Weblog- Premo 2008 Award!!!

Here are the rules: I have to answer the following questions with one word answers and one word only! Then I must pass it on to seven others.Here are the questions:

1. Where is your cell phone? Desk
2. Where is your significant other? Work
3. Your hair color? brown
4. Your mother? gayle
5. Your father? david
6. Your favorite thing? cuddling
7. Your dream last night? Unsure
8. Your dream/goal? retirement
9. The room you're in? Office
10. Your hobby? Scrapbooking
11. Your fear? injury
12. Where do you want to be in 6 years? Spokane
13. Where were you last night? home
14. What you're not? rested
15. One of your wish-list items?
16. Where you grew up? Oklahoma
17. The last thing you did? Painted
18. What are you wearing? clothes
19. Your TV? plasma
20. Your pet? cats
21. Your computer? Lifesaver
22. Your mood? Overwhelmed
23. Missing someone? Adam,
24. Your car? altima
25. Something you're not wearing? shoes
26. Favorite store? Aeropostale
27. Your summer? Short
28. Love someone? Family
29. Your favorite color? Red
30. When is the last time you laughed? Today
31. Last time you cried? 3oth

I am passing the award on to:

My mom
Jin Hee
Brad & Sharee
Denice
Melissa
Jan
Tara Sinclair

I have rotten luck!!

Being a mother is wonderful....but sometimes frusterating. According to babywise Brynnley should be sleeping through the night, but she isn't. We have tried letting her cry it out for a few nights, but it hasnt worked. Adam and I decided that she must be hungry, so we are feeding her when she wakes up at 3 am. I just assumed she is not capable of sleeping through the night yet and that she really does need to eat. Just when you think you have it figured out.......

Well I caught Brynn's cold and started feeling really crappy on Saturday night and all Sunday. Sunday night/early Monday morning I woke up at 230 am with a painful ear infection. I dont think I slept for more than an hour between 230 and 730 am. I just laid in bed hoping the pain would go away, but it didnt. Adam told me to get him up when Brynnley would wake up and he would feed her a bottle so that I could try to rest/sleep. Well guess what....Brynnley didn't wake up until 730 am!!!! Of course it had to happen the night I couldnt get any sleep. Well I got up first thing on Monday and went to the Dr. to get diagnosed with an inner ear infection and then the the pharmacy for some lovely antibiotics. Monday night (last night) comes around and I my ear pain is starting to go away so I am hopeful for some sleep and that Brynnley might be on a new schedule of sleeping until 730 am. Well so much for wishing because the little girl woke up at 3 am and then 630 am. No sleeping in for me!!! So the quest for sleeping throught the night continues :) I am just happy the Brynn isn't sick anymore and that her cold was a minor one. She is a wonderful baby and we are so blest that she is as happy as she is!!!

Weekend at the River

Adam and I have been wanting to get back out to the river all summer. We went once last year and had a blast. With a long winter, having a baby, too much snow run off, and a list of other things, we haven't made it out...till now!!! The three of us headed out Friday evening after work. About an hour and a half later, we made it to the camp ground. Adam set up the tent while I got the little girl ready for bed and the next thing you know, we were ready for bed. We got up the next morning, made some breakfast, walked down to the water front and took some pictures, packed up some lunch and put the boat in the water. The whole campsite set up is awesome!! There is a boat launch within the campground, so access to the river is super easy. Once on the boat we relaxed a bit, wakeboarded, ate lunch, and enjoyed the sunshine...FINALLY!!! Brynnley did great, as usual:) We then went back to our site, took a little snooze, ate dinner, and headed back out on the boat to cruise around and watch the sun set. On Sunday, we woke up, ate breakfast, spent some more relaxing time together, took a nap, packed up and headed back home. It was such a fun weekend and we feel so blessed that we live in such a beautiful area. It was great spending some quality family time together, doing things we love!!

The waterfront....beautiful!


Our first family camping picture!!


That's right...even better than milk!! Don't worry, its a completely empty can, but we had to represent :)

Our little princess snoozing in the shade on the boat.

Father and daughter...might be the cutest picture ever!!

Sunset..... sweet.....

Growing little girl

In the last few weeks Brynnley has become much more alert and much more "talkative." She loves the ladybugs in her mobile above her crib and responds really well to our voices. It's a lot of fun. She still has her fussy times during the day but her favorite times are 1st thing in the morning and after she takes a bath at night. She was especially talky last night so we broke out the video camera. She is learning so fast, it's amazing!!!

New cars, yeah!!!!

We have been wanting to replace my 1999 Toyota corolla for a car that is newer, has less miles, and is bigger. With Adam being as tall as he is and having to drive it for work and a new baby in the family, the Corolla just wasnt suiting us so well. We went to a nearby car dealership and test drove a couple cars. Adam stopped by after work to test drive a Nissan Altima and the Infiniti caught his eye. The sales guy mentioned that if we bought both they would give us a good deal because both cars were going to auction at the end of the week. So, the next day we walked in, test drove both cars and walked out with a KILLER deal on two new cars. So we ended up with a 2006 Nissan Altima and a 2004 Infiniti QX56. The Infiniti is basically Adam's dream car so he is a happy little boy at the moment. The xterra was a great car, but we didnt realize how small the interior was until we had to put a car seat in the back seat!!! It will be great for Adam's work since he has to carry so much product in his car. He is loving the extra space.

Brynnley is getting bigger and is a great baby! She has her fussy times but she is a trooper and has already seen multiple wakeboarding trips, her 1st Hoopfest, her 1st Camping trip and her 1st road trip (to Montana). All that and she will be 8 weeks old tomorrow. Time flies and she is growing too fast. But here is a picture of a happy daddy holding his little cutie.

Oh...Helena!!!

In mid-July Adam had to go to Helena, Montana for work. It turned out that he was going to be out of town for 3 nights!!! Brynnley wasnt even a month old, so we decided that we would all go on a little road trip. We left in the late afternoon on the first day and stopped in Missoula. The drive was absolutely beautiful..I had no idea there could be so many pine trees for such a long stretch. We had to wake up early the next morning so that Adam could make it into Helena by about 8 or 9, it was only a 2 hour drive thank goodness. We were lucky that the hotel let us check in that early in the morning since you usually cant check in until 3 pm. I took a nap while Adam had to run a couple of errands. Oh yeah....Adam had to go to Montana "in case something came up." In other words, there was nothing on his schedule to do and we were hoping it stayed that way so we could hang out together. Nothing came up the whole time we were there. So here's what we did to pass the time: We went to a local park and Adam shot some hoops to get ready for the biggest 3-on-3 basketball tournament in the nation, did a little shopping, enjoyed the beautiful weather, and ate some AWESOME FOOD!!! It was kinda like an all expense paid mini vacation. Obviously Montana really isnt very exciting, but it turned out pretty decent. Oh yeah...Brynnley did great. She slept for nearly the whole drive; just woke up to eat!!!

The view from the side of the road...green pine trees everywhere!!

This picture pretty much sums up Brynnley the whole trip. What an awesome baby!!

Hayden Lake

Our good friends have a cabin on Hayden Lake in Idaho and they invited us to spend Father's day weekend with them. Adam's parents were in town and they came, too. The drive was great. It only took a little over an hour to get to the cabin and Brynnley slept the whole time. We spend the rest of the night visiting and playing some "blong ball" (the best game ever!!!) Adam also took a wakeboard ride in the evening. The water was about 56 degrees. It was wetsuit temperature, but a lot warmer than the 45 degree water we got in last year...BBRRRR. Saturday Adam, Sharee (one of our good friends), and I all took a turn on the wakeboard. I decided not to do anything too gutsy since I technically shouldn't have been wakeboardning because it hasnt been 6 weeks since my c-section. It was still nice to be outside and on the water. Adam landed his first tantrum (backflip) of the year. Oh yeah, this is the first time we have been on the lake this year (pretty depressing that it took till mid June.) Brad (our good friend, and Sharee's husband) and Adam's parents had a great time watching and enjoyed the wonderful weather. Brynnley did AMAZING!! She spend most of the time sleeping inside, but we got her in the boat a few times and she loved it. She pretty much slept the whole time on the boat...must like the sound and vibration from the engine! Hopefully she will love the lake as much as we do. We left the cabin Sunday morning and made it back in time for church. It was such a fun weekend and we can't wait to do it again!!!


View from the back of the cabin


Adam braving the cold water with just a wetsuit top

Noelle getting back in the boat after her first ride

Brad lending a helping hand and feeding Brynnley