Aubrey's First Bike!

For Aubrey's 5th birthday we decided to get her a big girl bike!  She had far outgrown her Radio Flyer tricycle and it was time for an upgrade.

 

We were in Utah for her real birthday, so we gave her a couple of small gifts and then in her card wrote that she would be picking out her very own big girl bike!  She was a little confused at the time, but when we got home from the trip we took an evening and went out to pick out the perfect bike that would suit her perfectly.

 

She just had to have something pink or purple so she went with a very pink Hello Kitty bike.  Perfect :)

 

 

 

Aubrey was pretty timid at first, but she soon found out how she could balance on one training wheel :).

 

 

 

 

 

She and daddy took a ride to the neighborhood school and got a little more comfortable maneuvering turns and pedaling.  Practice makes perfect!

 

 

 

 

With enough practice she'll get the hang of it soon enough.  You're growing up sweet girl and what exciting moments of fun!  We can't wait for family bike rides with you riding along side of us!



First Father's Day

So Sunday June 19 was Brandon's first official father's day!  In the morning we had bran muffins and coffee for breakfast.  Aubrey and I made him a couple of cards.  On Aubrey's card it said that he had to go find his gift outside.  He looked around the backyard for a little bit to find two stepping stones: one with Aubrey's handprint and the other with her footprints and glass we got from Glass Beach one time when Brandon and I were dating :).  He actually knew what he was looking for already because I forgot to erase the history on the computer :(, but he was still surprised as to what they looked like.

After the hunt for the gift and breakfast, we were off to church in the morning.  Brandon was playing bass that Sunday so it was a little rushed, but Aubrey did great that morning.  For lunch we went to Mike and Mary's for ribs and pineapple upside down cake (Strawberry pie for mom :))...yum!  Brandon then had to head off to work by 3:00pm so the rest of the day Aubrey and I spent together and then visited my dad in the evening.

It was a rushed and busy day, but I think Brandon felt special and appreciated.  I couldn't ask for a more wonderful husband and father!!  We are so blessed by him!  Thanks Brandon for ALL that you do for us.  We love you!!

First Mother's Day

On this Mother's Day I woke up to a wonderful husband preparing decaf coffee for me and turnovers for breakfast.  On the counter was a beautiful painted mug with little footprints on it.  Brandon had taken Aubrey for an afternoon a while back and they painted this just for me.  I got to enjoy my coffee in this very special mug :).

I thought it was the cutest thing ever and it means so much to me. 

Every Mother's Day when we were little my sister and I would make a corsage for my mom to wear. My wonderful sister was so thoughtful that she made me my very own corsage to wear on this day. She handmade it and it was absolutely beautiful. I can't believe I was the one wearing one this year!

We got ready and went to church and afterwards went to Cheesecake Factory for lunch.  The afternoon was spent resting and relaxing while getting to visit with my mom and family.  Aubrey, Brandon and I made some cards for the new grandmas and they loved them. The whole day I felt very much appreciated :).

So I thought this day would never arrive at times...being able to celebrate my first Mother's Day. I have looked forward to being a mom for some time and now it's my turn and I can't believe it. Aubrey has brought me so much joy and I love her so much that sometimes it hurts. I think about the moment she was born and it still brings tears to my eyes (as I'm sure it will for a long time :) ). That precious moment when they laid her on me and I got to see her beautiful face for the first time. At that moment, and people told me about it, my whole perspective on life had changed. I was now a mom. I didn't know at that moment how my life would change, but I knew it would. All the days of being sleep deprived, having spit up on me consistently, and endless dirty diapers cannot take away what I feel for this little one every time she smiles, wraps her arms around my neck, and grows and changes. It is the best feeling to be a mom and I am so blessed that God has allowed that in my life.  I know now what our mothers had to go through to raise us and I have a new found respect and awe of them more than ever.  Thank you for doing all that you have done!  Happy Mother's Day!

(Not so) Happy St. Patrick's Day

Allow me to tell you about the roughest day of parenting for us to date.  So the morning of St. Patrick's Day started off with us taking a trip to a gastroenterologist for Aubrey to try and figure out what is going on with her feeding and tummy issues.  We had to wake Aubrey up a little earlier to make it to our appointment on time, but thankfully she slept in the car on the way. 

As the doctor examined our little one and as we told her what we were experiencing with her, she came to a conclusion that she might have a milk allergy or a reflux issue.  During the appointment we also found out Aubrey had a heart murmur of which we are going to see another specialist about in the future.  The fix for a milk allergy; expensive prescription formula and mom going on a milk free diet :(.  Oh the humanity!  This doesn't only mean no milk and no yogurt, it also means no milk derivitives that are in non-dairy creamers, ranch flavored items, and pop-rocks (ya, pop rocks).  We know this won't be easy, but I'm willing to try whatever for this little girl :). 

After the appointment, we decided to go to Buffalo Wild Wings for $.60 boneless wings.  The wings were delicious, but for the second time in a row at that establishment we recieved some of the worst service ever! 

When we got home it was a beautiful day, so Brandon decided to do some yard work while I decided to catch up on some laundry.  Brandon quickly changed in the closet and went on to his work while I picked up all the clothes and started the wash. 

Fast forward 45 minutes later...
I was taking a picture of some truffles I made (of which I could now not eat any) while Brandon was playing with Aubrey.

Suddenly Brandon's car alarm went off.  Confused Brandon went to go investigate.  The instant he opened the car to the garage the alarm stopped.  Being a cunning man, he thought that maybe I was up to some trickery.  When he asked me if I had done it I assured him that it was not I.  He pondered for a moment, possibly with his hand on his chin, as to why the alarm would go off by itself.  He then asked me, "Did you take the keys out of my jean pockets?"  I just stared at him blankly.  He then repeated, "Did you take the keys out?"  We then went to the laundry room where the washer was already on the spin cycle and we found his keys, wallet, and cell phone in the washer.  Brandon immediately took his cell phone apart and took the keys and put them all in a bag on rice.  He also had to take apart his wallet and set everything out to dry :(  I wasn't feeling so good about myself by now.  Sounds like a rough day, but the day continued.

It was then time to feed Aubrey her special formula.  We opened the can and it smelled of dog food.  It was terrible.  Judging by her reaction it tasted the same.

It took Brandon 50 minutes to feed her one ounce of the formula while she screamed, red faced and tears streaming.  She tired herself out so much that she just went to sleep while mom had a few tears of her own.

So today was by far the most difficult day of parenting yet.  We know there will be harder days to come, but I know God will give us the strength for those days as well.

Pretty much summed up our day :(