The Good and the Bad

Good news....we are expecting baby girl #2 at the end of January!!! Brynn will get to have a little sister to play with and we are so excited!

Bad news...Adam has had a recurrence of his cancer. We are still in the middle of trying to figure everything out. He started a blog to journal about his fight through this time and has been very diligent with keeping it up to date. Check it out....

www.myfightadam.blogspot.com

Not much else to say right now...

Any suggestions?!?!

We found out late last week that Adam's cancer has returned. We feel like we are in a whirlwind trying to get through all this. We had some suggestions from family that we should set up a blog to journal Adam's journey through this time. We thought it was a good idea so we will be setting it up shortly. We are having a hard time coming up with a name though. If you have a suggestion or idea of what we could title this blog, leave a comment. Thanks!!

Busy summer, bad blogger

So I realized that my last blog was January. I can't believe I haven't updated our blog in so long, I'm sorry! As you can guess, its summer time and we have been veeeeerrrry busy. There have also been quite a few changes. Adam was faced with some big decisions regarding his career. We were faced with a decision to move to Houston, move to Boise or stay in Spokane with another company. All three were great opportunities so it was a difficult decision. In the end we realized that working for a different company and staying in Spokane was far and away the best thing for us to do. So, Adam now works for Medtronic and is based in Spokane. It's a great opportunity with a great company and he is super excited! Since we were staying in our home, we decided to do a little landscaping. Oh what fun. Adam has been working his butt off and still has a lot to do but we love it so far. Part of the greatness of landscaping is moving some very heavy materials. We had 6-7 large boulders, 10 cubic yards of crushed rock and 10 cubic yards of gravel to move around. So, Adam rented a fun toy for a day. Needless to say it was pretty funny watching a big guy squeeze into such a small machine. LOL! He actually did pretty good until he tried to load the bobcat onto the trailer. Pay close attention to the video below, its pretty fun and a lot scary especially since Brynnley was in his lap!!!



The next video shows the finished (well, mostly finished) product. We did something similar in the backyard. Also a cute video of Brynnley, she loves running through the sprinklers.

Takin care of business!!

For the past couple months Brynn has been notifying us when she has gone "pee pee" or "poo poo" or is about to do either of them! While I was out shopping this week, we picked up a princess toilet seat that Brynnley loves. We decided to try it out yesturday and she loved sitting on it. She sat on it for a little over 5 minutes and actually went #2!! I was totally shocked. I kept asking her if she wanted to get down, she kept insisting that she didn't. I left her alone for a minute and can back to a red faced little girl...she was going to the bathroom! Yea Brynn!! First thing she wanted to go when we got downstairs this morning was sit on her Princess toilet seat. She didn't go potty but ne thing is sure, she loves her princess potty. She is a crack up!!! Please disregard the crazy hair....it was a Saturday at home!!!

Our newest addition!!

This is kinda outdated...but in October 2009 we got a boxer puppy! We named her Roxy and she is so cute! We've been having a lot of fun with her but we have to remind ourselves that she is still a puupy!! She gets in trouble every once in awhile...but she is getting better. Brynnley absolutely LOVES her and asks for her every morning when we wakes up! Lukily Roxy is great with Brynnn. Brynn loves to come hug her, lay on her, kiss her, etc. They are quite the little pair together.

Halloween 2009!!!

Most of you already know this, but for those of you who don't know....Piglet is Brynnley's FAVORITE stuffed animal and friend! She sleeps with him, carries him around everywhere, goes on car rides with him, etc. The only time he leaves her side is when we have to wash him. Anyway, we thought it would be perfect if we dressed her up as her favorite friend this year. I found this super cute Piglet costume and knew it was meant for her!! She actually liked wearing the costume and didn't put up too much of a fight when we put the hoodie with ears on her. She was adorable!! She couldnt quite figure out whe whole basket thing.....she kept putting it on her head and would immediatly dump the candy out as soon as anyone put something it in. Her favorite part was definatly the gummy lifesavers!! We hardly ever give her anything that sweet, so this was a real treat. She kept saying "Mo"... her version of more. AFter about 5 or 6 we decided she had had enough...of course she still wanted more!! This Halloween was so much fun and we are excited for the future ones :)

Here she is as soon as we got her costume on...she's all smiles!!

Knawing on a gummy lifesaver that is in between my fingers. I was scared if I gave her a full one that she would choke on it. She isn't the best at chewing her food, she likes to swallow it whole. Yes, her face is a mess!

Playing with her basket. It was either on top of her head or sitting like this on her face. Oh well, she was entertained by it!

Happy Halloween everyone!!

What's a blog?!?!

I can't believe we haven't updated this since July...this is getting ridiculous!! Let's catch you up!!! Our summer has consisted of wakeboarding, sun, swimming, camping, and just trying to enjoy the outdoors while the weather has been so nice. We wen't camping a few times and Brynn absolutely LOVES it! The second she get out of the car she starts collecting rocks, sticks, pretty much anything. We bring the boat along camping with us so we do some tent camping, eat a meal, and head out on the lake till we get tired, hungry, or the water gets crappy. Our great friends Brad and Sharee come out with us most of the time and we really did have such a fun summer...for the MOST PART!!

A couple weeks ago (I was not there), but Adam got a concussion. WHAT?!?!? Let's start the story.... It was Tuesday and Adam, Brad, and Sharee spent the morning golfing. In the afternoon they headed to the lake and I was off to Young Women's in the evening. I get a text on my phone at church asking me to get some 'icy hot' on the way home. No big deal. Ya have a bad fall and your neck is sore, right? Well I get home and I ask Adam, "Did ya have a bad fall?" He tells me he doesn't remember and to ask Brad and Sharee. I am totally confused as to how a person doesn't remember if they had a bad fall. So Sharee and Brad go onto tell me that Adam decides to try a trick wakeboarding that he has never tried before. He has one of the worst falls they have seen! As they bring the boat around to pick Adam up, Adam tells them he is gonna go again and to just give him a minute. Well Adam quickly changes his mind and decides he is done. Apparently Adam asks them where I am. Doesn't he know that I haven't been on the boat with him all evening? Apparently he doesn't know where I am, what year it is, Brynn's birthday, or how the heck he got to the Lake or even where on the lake he is!!!! Luckily our great friend, Sharee, is a nurse practioner so she is keeping a close eye on Adam and evaluating his condition. The diagnosis; A CONCUSSION!! Thanks Sharee for taking care of Adam!! Well eventually Adam comes around and we didnt' have to take him to the hospital. He was so sore the next day he could hardly even lift Brynn out of her crib. Poor guy!! He is doing much better and has declared that he will NEVER try a blind 360 ever again!!

We are lucky that something like this hasn't already happened for as much time as we spend wakeboarding every year. As fall is approaching, we are now trying to redo some of the landscaping in the yard...wish us luck!

Adam doing a grab

Sharee getting some air

Brad and Brynnley chillin on the boat

Noelle and Brynn getting their feet wet

A view of the river from our campsite

Noelle jumping

Adam giving Brynn a quick lesson on the surf board

Brynn drinking her bottle and loungin' in her Texas A&M Chair!!

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 :)