The Smirvins

Spring Ski

2010-03-07T13:44:00.000-08:00

All of December

2009-12-25T19:54:00.000-08:00

In case you missed out on the crazy adventures (3, 200 miles - 4 weeks - lots of insanity) of the Smirvins, Kappels, Papa Jerry and Big Mama for the month of December - go to
papajerrysdream.blogspot.com

Here are a couple of additional photos from our grand adventures.....

The Irvins had a foggy, bubble filled day at the beach in Amelia Island...

Eden is really good at running away from the freezing foam filled water...

Just hamming it up for the camera...
Papa Jerry loves to go cupcake hunting (golf balls) and Leo likes messing with the flags.
And now back to Ohio and the festivities surrounding an Irvin Christmas - and I mean all the Irvins - 11 adults, 6 kids....We went to the kids' service on Christmas eve at the Methodist church down the street from the Irvins...Madeline, William, and Eden enjoyed the kids' sermon.

And then some Christmas Eve snuggling with Grandma...
Including all the girls' wearing their new matching pajamas and robes (thanks Grandma and Grandpa)...
And let's not forget the boys' snazzy outfits (Leo was already asleep)
Then Grandpa read 'The Night Before Christmas' to all the grandkids...
Early the next morning there was the pitter patter of little feet outside all the rooms...everyone cascaded down the stairs to await Grandma's call to the tree...
Off they went...and Eden was ecstatic that Santa remembered her umbrella...the thing she wanted most of all.
Leo wearing his awesome new pajamas surrounded by Santa booty...
Santa brought Eden a new ski outfit - goggles, hat, mittens, and most importantly SKIS!
After a quick breakfast, Great Grandma Irvin arrived and we began opening the wrapped presents...

After all the fun and food the Irvin family plays poker - and no one is too young to gamble...

Eden spent the rest of the trip serenading everyone with her guitar...
Just enjoying a little time together....
Eden's new Angelina Ballerina outfit...
Some people claim Leo looks like me, and in some pictures he looks like Hayes, and other times like Cooper...but really the person he looks the most like...his Grandpa!!

And no trip is complete without some of Grandma Hoobler's chocolate meringue pie - whipped up by Big Mama!
Thanks Big Mama!

Pumpkin Patch

2009-10-20T18:53:00.000-07:00

Leo says, "Hey, let's get this pumpkin show on the road."
A proud little lady carrying her own pumpkin...
Whoa Nelly...those pumpkins can be really heavy...even with Reba helping Eden lift.
Thankfully Mama came to help...
I don't think Eden enjoyed the cutout as much as she thought she would...
Children of the corn....
Another wonderful silly day of pumpkin filled fun...

Dogshmi Puja

2009-10-17T19:19:00.000-07:00

Our Nepalese friends invited us to join their celebration of Tahir - specifically the day of the dog puja. Dogs are honored as guardians of people - they are fed special food and given a blessing. Hazel really enjoyed the food!
Eden and I attended while the boys napped!
Our beautiful Hazel with her tikka...
Here the dogs are receiving the traditional blessing from Amma (Radhika's mom).
Radhika is feeding the dogs their special treat - bananas, apples, and grapes.

Snow Day

2009-10-09T19:50:00.000-07:00

Our first snow day of the year - on October 9th. Eden woke up at 6 am with a request for mittens and snow pants - she was ready to go...
Leo enjoyed the snow - until he touched it - and then he hated it!
Leo couldn't quite walk on our icy sidewalks - but he tried...
Yeah SNOW!!!

Leo's 1st Birthday

2009-10-01T20:11:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday to Leo!!! We celebrated on his birthday with Madeline, Claire (who slept through the festivities) and our family. Mama made Grandma Hoobler's heart shaped fudge cake...ummm delicious.
Eden picked out the candles - and Leo enjoyed the flames...
And was super excited when he realized the cake was coming his way...
Ummmm deliciousio...his first bite of chocolate...
Leo loves chocolate!!!
And Madeline and Eden were pretty excited for their piece...
Then we had a birthday party for Leo the weekend after his big day. It was quite the party - Mama was so excited she invited all their friends. Leo loved celebrating with Aunt Alli and Ms. Gina - although I think he only has eyes for the beer.
Ms. Gina and Eden highjacked the camera at one point!!
Opa was excited for the cake. Mama made Grandma Hoobler's fudge cake for the kids, a pecan pie for Papa, and a Lemon Meringue pie for herself. It was if she was celebrating surviving the first year (again)...
Amma and Leo...
Leo's new best friend Max...
All the mamas hanging out in the play room...
Uncle Jon and Leo - I am not sure who is more excited - Leo or Jon...
Happy First Birthday to Leo...
Thanks for everyone being a part of my first year...I loved it and I am ready for year 2...bring it on.

Bengals Fan

2009-09-27T20:35:00.000-07:00

Hey Mama...I need some space...I am calling Marvin Lewis for a little pre-game chat.
Marvin...Marvin...Marvin...are you there? Marvin?
Alright enough craziness...naptime!

Random Fall Fun...

2009-09-25T19:55:00.000-07:00

Some people thing that a stroller is for strolling and Leo would agree...that is if he can ride in the basket.
Loeo and Kosmo...
Eden, the Octopus...
Eden went through a phase of putting objects into containers...Leo is going through a phase of putting himself into containers!
Leo hamming it up for the camera...
Because no evening is complete without a concert by Eden...She is singing her 'Papa Bear' song with the harmonica accompaniment.
And then a little dance show for everyone...
We wonder if our kids have inherited Papa Jerry's sweet tooth...what do you think?
Leo with Uncle Surendra (Kaka in Nepali)...
Leo with Amma - his favorite person - mostly because she feeds him and feeds him and feeds him.

Leo Walking

2009-08-07T20:38:00.000-07:00

A video compilation of Leo learning to walk. He took his fist steps in August when Cooper was visiting (just over 10 months) and was running by his first birthday...Go Leo!

Eden is 3!!!

2009-06-24T20:16:00.000-07:00

Eden woke up and whispered 'it's my birthday' so the fun began...she came downstairs to presents galore....including the rump rope she so desperately wanted....
And don't worry Leo was present...although he was not the star of the day (much to his chagrin)
A dollhouse...yippeee....and it came with a washing machine and dryer so at least someone will do the laundry....
Aunt Anne gave Eden 3D chalk...so cool
And then the big moment...Eden really wanted a motorcycle and when Mama was wandering through target she found one. It sat in the basement for 2 weeks and then Papa assembled it the night before only to find out that it was missing 2 wheels. Papa went searching for a new motorcycle but could not find one...well not to be detered Papa went out on his lunch break and....
I have a motorcycle...which I guess I have to share...
Eating food, pretending to like it, and staring at the amazing cake made by Aunt Perrin...
She rocks!!! I loved my cake...so delicious and fast....
The Thapas came over for the party...
And of course Opa was there...
And the Chipouras family...
We had a stirring rendition of Happy Birthday...I even had the number 3 on my cake (I tried to get Mama to buy the number 9 but she refused)....
The happy family (where is Leo you might ask...in bed of course)...
And then we ate cake...and of course I refused a fork...hands are good enough for me...

Aunt Erin and Uncle Chris are Engaged....

2009-06-24T19:41:00.001-07:00

Well, Aunt Wee does call him Crazy Hayesy...and now we know why...

Sometimes at adult parties kids have nothing to do, but not at this party....we had a cooler full of beer and ice to play in...Hayes took a header into the cooler but Madison and Leo were smart enough to just eat the ice...
Uncle Bradford loves him some babies...and the babies love him...
Madison and Leo taking a break for the beer cooler and playing with some age appropriate toys...
Aunt Erin and Uncle Chris...engaged!
Just the ladies, celebrating the day...
Leo's first lake swim...thanks Gma Kathy for the life jacket!
Aunt TT and Leo showing off their swimming style...
Madison and Leo had lots of quality time together...
Leo even poked Madison in the face...alot!

Being Silly in June

2009-06-24T19:03:00.001-07:00

Welcome to a reverse order posting!!! Go Mama - who still cannot figure out how to upload to the blog - therefore, I, Eden will be taking over this blog posting... So starting on Monday - Mama and Leo came home from their awesome trip to Cincinnati and I was so excited...and while Mama was gone Papa let me dress myself....
And he let me drive...well not drive really since the car battery was dead...but still I sat in the driver's seat, typed on my computer, and drove like a mad woman...
And Papa helped me learn my numbers...in preparation of my birthday....
I love trampolines...
And having a steamer while reading the Sunday New York Times...
We had dinner with Ama (Shrijen and Shriya's grandma from Nepal - she came to the States on June 8th)...
And then we channeled Olivia Newton John....
Let's get Physical Physical...I wanna get...
PHYSICAL...let me hear your body talk...
The other day I had Reba and Malia over and we hit the dress up bin - thanks Big Mama!
Princess Outfit #1 of #427
Reba's got moves....
Possibly you are noticing all the outfit changes...well we are not done yet...
All around the mulberry bush...the witch chased the weasel....
Best Friends Forever....
and ever....
And what summer update would be complete without the obligatory photos of cute children eating watermelon...so hear you go....

I almost forgot...Leo is really good at helping my Mama with the laundry...if by helping you mean, wearing my underwear on his head....

Our budding artists...

2009-06-02T07:08:00.000-07:00

Leo is Crawling!!!!

2009-05-26T20:40:00.000-07:00

Memorial Day Campout

2009-05-26T20:20:00.000-07:00

Welcome to our first camping adventure with Leo. We loaded up the car (no Eden did not drive the whole way) and headed to the Great Sand Dunes National Park for a couple of days of sand, rain, mud, and rain!
If you are looking for Leo, check under the towel...
Eden loved the Great Sand Dunes - well really the sand
There was a beautiful river perfect for playing since it was only ankle deep...although it was awfully cold.
The view from our campsite with the Great Sand Dunes in the distance...
Papa and Eden enjoyed some bacon and pancake bits (what happens to pancakes when you forget the spatula) for breakfast.
Papa has a hatchet problem but don't worry Eden was there to supervise. She mentioned many times that Papa should be careful or we would have to go to the doctor.
Leo loved camping...he ate a ton of dirt when he wasn't corraled in the tent.
Or hanging from a tree!
I love flashlights....

March Happiness

2009-03-04T19:28:00.001-08:00

Here are some photos from March 1st - our friend Alli got a new camera and she took lots of fun photos of us all. Including Eden doing a great impersonation of the President...

Fantastic February

2009-02-26T18:03:00.000-08:00

You may find my ability to lift my enormous head amazing...but I can also roll over and laugh...unbelievable!!!
Just wrestling with Papa...Eden is the winner!
Oh how much fun a box of packing peanuts can be...
I had to hold on tight so that I didn't sink all the way in...
Yes, I love my brother...and he tolerates it...

January Lounging

2009-01-13T18:49:00.000-08:00

My papa got a longboard for christmas...but I am the one with all the moves
I love my brother...sometimes so much that I want to squish him...unfortunately for me he is learning how to return the favor.
My mom says she will remind me of all this love I feel for him when he starts crawling and stealing my toys...
My papa and me - goofing around.

New Year's Eve

2009-01-01T13:37:00.000-08:00

We spent a rockin' New Years Eve hanging with our friends Amelie and Theo
We did lots of dancing
Some fireside reading
Yummy sushi eating
and all around celebrating. It was a blast!

Chaos in California

2008-12-25T20:54:00.000-08:00

When Uncle Clint and Aunt Marianne left for their little anniversary trip...we grabbed the gingerbread house...and smashed it...
so fun and delicious!!!
Reeder and I were so excited for Christmas...I think our favorite part was our stockings....
I sleep with my water bottle...
And the stockings were hung on the chimney with care...there were a lot of people there!
Papa Jerry looks really hot in his new gigis...but really...
they belong to my Papa....
Leo even got to take a bath...thanks Big Mama....
And so did the rest of us...Hayes loves being with the ladies!
And Papa Jerry gave us our first grammar lesson...the first of many I am sure...
Leo finally found a paci he loves...my mom is sooooooo thankful...
Of course, we cooked with Big Mama...Reeder and I are quite the experts at cracking eggs...
And Papa Jerry is an expert at napping (this is at legoland)...
And now over to Knott's Berry Farm...Reeder and I love adventure....
And Big Mama is a truck driver at heart...
Reeder and Papa Stephen rode the ferris wheel...and Reeder hated it...every moment...
My mom tried to get us all to meet Snoopy but only Cooper was willing to get within forty feet of him...
Now back to Legoland, where Reeder and I drove cars...mind you, you have to be 3 years old to drive the cars and we are not...so we lied and drove anyway. Needless to say we could not actually operate the cars. I ran into the median, the wall, and in a great finale ran through the cones behind us and almost into the garage where the cars are stored. Reeder hated it - she said it was 'too bumpy'.
Leo, the lion, need I say more...
And of course, we drove a train...
And rode some wild horses...quite the knights!
Then Papa Stephen helped us drive a car...
And Big Mama and Papa managed to ride a camel...
We are not tall people...but this guy was ridiculously tall...
Ahh Cooper posing again...with something I refused to get near...
And then Papa Stephen, Uncle Clint, Reeder, and I raced in some pretty fast boats...
We also managed to wave while racing...pretty phenomenal multitasking...

December in Colorado

2008-12-20T20:22:00.000-08:00

Oopsie...I uploaded all these pictures in reverse order, so I hope you are ready for the confusion. We celebrated Christmas in Colorado before heading to California....My papa got a new commuter vehicle...
Santa brought me a kitchen set including an apron, chef hat, and oven mitt...
Leo got a fire truck from Santa...
And I loved it...maybe one day he can drive it...
I fixed a plate of carrots for the reindeer, which I promptly dropped on the floor. I don't think Rudolph will mind...
My friend Madeline had a fun party - we decorated gingerbread houses...and speaking of decorating...
I put lots of ornaments on our tree...thanks Grandma Irvin for all the handmade ornaments...
We even met Santa....
And I picked out our tree...pretty nice one!!!

Here I am taking the carrots (this is after I dropped them on the bathroom floor) to wait for Santa's arrival...

Thanksgiving and Leo's Baptism

2008-11-27T18:58:00.000-08:00

So I may not be in lots of these photos - ohh the burden of having a cute little brother. Nonetheless we had a wild and fun trip to Ohio - lots of time spent hanging out with Cooper, Julia, and Aunt Nik - nik. And let's not forget hanging out with my Uncle Bill...he loves the little man...
And I loved watching videos with Julia...
This is my mommy's high school friend Mr. BJ with his adorable daughter, Madison, there are more pics of her to come...
Big Mama loves to cook and I love to taste...we make one hell of a team...
Here is Mr. BJ's beautiful wife, my Aunt Cindy...she is one happy lady!
Did I mention I like tasting Big Mama's cooking...
We even made the trip to Ryland Lake to visit the Morley's house - not that you can tell I made it there from this picture...I sense a theme...Leo being hugged and snuggled and me...
Watching all the love....
Boy, that little boy is clean....
Great grandma Irvin - she loves Leo..
And Grandpa is a funny man...
Ohhh Aunt Kari, I don't hate you, I just love to cry...
Oh look, a photo with me in it...must be a fluke!!!!

After a really fun turkeyday, we celebrated Leo's baptism. Here is Leo chilling with Madison...

Deacon Conrad, my parents, Leo's godmothers (his grandmas too!), and me!!!
The grandmas - even the great grandma!
Enjoying the beautiful day...by the way, I was baptized with another little boy...named Theo...so fun (he is in the video below).

The blessing from Leo's baptism

Eden...our little dancer

Fall Fun

2008-11-15T19:40:00.001-08:00

We spent our first snowy Friday at Discovery Days at the Longmont Museum. We were supposed to paint flowers or butterflies on our faces...
but I am really into abstract art. Pretty impressive considering I did it all myself.

My friend, Maddie, also appreciates the aesthetics of abstract art. A little Incredible Hulk meets Salvador Dali.
Big Mama sent Leo and I bunny costumes. The idea is that we dress up together - but I am wearing his bunny costume here - so sorry Leo!
Speaking of Leo - he sure does like to sleep.
Frances, our neighbor, and I looking for some late fall bounty in the garden. The cauliflower just bloomed but it is not as good to eat raw as the peas were. The peas never even made it out of the garden.

The whole family went to a fall festival at a local farm. There were animals, corn mazes, pumpkin patches...but the best part was...
The barrels pulled behind a tractor. That's me with Papa in the last car. The tractor driver did donuts and launched us over a hill...it was awesome.
My first pony ride...the pony's name is Cupcake and now every one of my toys is named Cupcake.
This is Malia, she is often misstaked for my twin and here she is trying to steal my brother. Whenever Malia comes over she spends the majority of her time holding Leo or asking to hold Leo or watching Leo. Lucky for Malia, her parents are going to give her a baby brother soon and then she will realize how truly boring they are!
Leo, the fireman - although do fireman sit around with their tongues out...
Sometimes I just break into song...la la la.
Getting artsy with Papa - my first self portrait with the camera.
Another stunning photo taken my yours truly!

Halloween

2008-10-31T19:22:00.000-07:00

The whole gang including Opa went trick or treating on Pearl Street. We managed to bring no candy home from the event. Between Princess Jasmine I and Princess Jasmine II, the candy barely made it into the bag. Hayes went as the genie and Leo was Abu...quite the festive bunch.

In honor of Reeder and Hayes' attendance at Halloween, we threw a pumpkin carving, cupcake decorating, apple bopping, funny clothes wearing party...

Papa was in charge of the giant pumpkin.
Yep, this is the funny clothes part of the party. Reeder insisted that we looked like Princess Jasmine, I had my doubts.
Hayes is very afraid of his likeness, created by his loving mother.
We bobbed for animals. Reeder had practice at a CA party and taught everyone else how it is done.
I learned from Reeder...she is standing behind me coaching my every effort.

Lakshmi Puja

2008-10-29T17:02:00.000-07:00

Every year, Namaste Solar Electric (my papa's company) honors its Nepali roots and celebrates Lakshmi Puja. Lakshmi is the goddess of wealth and the company makes offerings to her in the hopes of another prosperous year. And, of course, they have a huge Nepali feast which is delicious!
Papa gave Reeder and me chalk for...
decorating the mandala. Lakshmi comes down to the mandala and...
follows the red path to the offerings. Reeder and I helped fill in this mandala!!!

Obama Rally

2008-10-26T16:54:00.000-07:00

Whenever Aunt Wee and her kiddos come to town, you know it is going to be a party. And this time the party took us to the Barack Obama rally in downtown Denver. Yep, our posse was 7 of the 100,000 people who attended this historic event. As we were enjoying a calm Sunday morning our neighbors headed to the bus stop talking about the Obama rally - and Aunt Wee rallied all of us out the door in 15 minutes to go. As you can see, we met Barack....or at least I thought it was Barack.
Here we all are enjoying the event. You cannot tell from this picture, but Reeder and I ate our way through the entire rally...
Here I am eating and my Papa is ecstatic to be at the rally...
And, Leo, well he slept through the whole thing...quite the party animal.

Hanging Out with the Kappels

2008-10-25T17:47:00.000-07:00

Reeder says 'So we bathed - big deal - but not often.' and Hayes says 'Whose in charge of these crazy chicas' and Eden says 'What crazy chicas, Hayes?'

Notice the size differential...Leo is diligently working to close the gap.
Sometimes we even took breaks (albeit short ones) from all the chaos.

We also built forts, tunnels, pits - and threw ourselves off the couch, hoping for a soft landing.
We even cooked with Aunt Wee and Mama. Although, the rules about not tasting were not strictly followed - or followed at all for that matter.

2008-10-13T07:16:00.000-07:00

2008-10-13T07:04:00.000-07:00

I had a pretty big weekend. Grandma Irvin arrived on Friday and spent the whole weekend snuggling me, rocking me, changing me, and just giving me lots and lots of love.
I did sleep through some of the festivities but considering the weekend high was 40 degrees, I did not miss much.
I open my eyes now and look around...it is a crazy busy place where I am.
Here is my beautiful sister dressed for the circus...She went with Papa and Opa. Her favorite parts were the elephants and the cheeseburger she ate at intermission. I think I will go take a nap now and dream of cheeseburgers....

Life Plus Leo

2008-10-09T19:54:00.000-07:00

As the youngest member of the Irvin family (this is Leo here), I qualify for certain perks - including being held while I sleep. This is quite the royal treatment and I hope it lasts until I start high school.
Of course my sister gets lots of other perks, like watching videos on "my c'puter". Her current favorite is Finding Nemo - she even has a Nemo bandaid on her arm (which is a real bandaid, not a cheap Target one, so it is stuck on her arm for the forseeable future).
Here is my first bath. I have a bit of a spit up issue - I really like to overeat, spit up, and overeat and spit up - well you get the idea. The point is that my mom thinks that after repeated spit ups I deserved a bath. Thanks mama!
My sister the fashionista...our Aunt Wee is sooooo proud!
And here I am being adorable and ignored. If any of you would like to come visit and save me from sleeping in a boppy or worse, in my own crib, please feel free to do so. Obviously, my parents have grown tired of pampering me and I am only 8 days old. Love you all!

2008-10-09T14:26:00.000-07:00

Leo is Home

2008-10-09T14:00:00.000-07:00

Leo is home!!! This is the amazing sign that Reeder, Hayes, the neighbors Frances and Clara, and I made for Leo's homecoming. I guess Aunt Wee would like some credit...but all the really hard work scribbling and decorating was done by us.

Here we are waiting for Leo to arrive.
And here they are...my favorite parents. With Big Mama's help I got my mama some beautiful red roses.

Leo is hiding in the back of the car. He was not quite ready for the welcome he had waiting for him.

I was the first to poke him in the face but definitely not the last. Our neighbors, Big Mama, and the crazy Kappels all welcomed the little man home.
I really wanted to hold him - of course, since then I have pretty much ignored him - but this was a loving moment.

My story

2008-10-02T19:21:00.001-07:00

Eden just finished explaining to me all about what a blog is, and how we have relatives and friends near and far that need to know what we are doing. So I hope you all enjoy my first entry. But please be kind, for I was just born 24 hours, 45 minutes ago. Thank goodness I have such a great big sister to teach me all sorts of important things like how to type. You will have to read thoroughly to get the details of my birth, like my name, because, you see, I have to tell you this awesome story chronologically.

First off, here's my gorgeous mom. She wanted me out, I wanted in. Looks like I lost that first battle. Here she is last Friday, heading to my dad's party. They rsvp'd no, since I was due on September 21, and surprised all at Namaste.

Here shows my incredible parents. My mom is actually CONTRACTING in this pic. Isn't my Papa just a bit awesome? That's support, folks. I'm told I have an Aunt TT, she has a matching tattoo.
Sorry, I uploaded that last pic out of order. Forgive me, please. So, this is earlier in the day at the hospital. I'm being monitored down there. I wish they could have heard what I was really saying-leave me be! I want to stay in this nice, warm, oceanic space!

This is what would later be my birthroom. You can't see the beautiful mountains out the window, but I thought it was nice. Oh, and I didn't come until after that sun went down, way down.Can you believe what my Papa is reading? Thanks for the focus, Papa.
Some of the support team.
I have arrived! Leo Ald Simmons Irvin. October 1, 2008. 8:05 pm. You don't know my measurements yet because I wanted some key snuggling before anyone started messing with me. Thanks, Mom, for all that hard pushing, and thanks to my Papa and family/friends encouraging my strong, tough, amazing mom. Oh, Ald-like Gerald, Ronald, Donald. Hey Granddads and Great Granddad! I'll meet you all soon!

That's Janel. She's one of my mom's bff's and also our doula. She did a great job. Thanks!

That's Mom on the phone with Papa Jerry.
Isn't my mom absolutely gorgeous? I think so. You can tell by my long head all the work my fantastic mom had to put in just to get me out!
Ahh, hi Papa! Hi Mom! Here I am!

So, now I've been measured. 8 pounds, 8 ounces. 20.5 inches long. Maybe my lucky number is 8? Big Mama was there for the whole thing! I love you, Beam. Great leg support on those final pushes!

Now that's my Aunt Wee. She is pretty great, too. She gave some leg support at the end, too.
Now, this is today and I FINALLY got to meet my incredible sis, Eden. Love you, sis!
The Great Smirvin Family.
Oh, I also got to meet two of my many cousins. There's Reeder sharing that nice big bed and Hayes is somewhere too, probably eating.

I like my mom's chest the best. But don't worry Eden, I'll play with you after I rest for a little...

And here I am, resting up to type my first blog entry.
There's all my info. Too bad no one is holding me.
There's my sis, getting some much needed tv.
This is me thinking about all I still have to do before bedtime... And I haven't even watched the debate yet.

Love to you all-can't wait to meet you!

More fun with Big Mama, Aunt Wee, Reeder, and Hayes

2008-09-28T20:50:00.000-07:00

Sometimes I am the cutest thing ever...especially when I am snuggling with my Mama. The rumor is that I will have to share these snuggles soon but I refuse to acknowlege it.
I went to an awesome farm for Maddie and Ada's birthdays...I got to feed goats and I told Big Mama...'look at those horses, let's go check 'em out!'

My mom and I have cool shades...if only my mom had a cool strawberry hat too!
The really loved riding the pony...I kept saying giddy up!

And then I convinced my very pregnant mom to walk across a rope bridge with me. I really enjoyed the adventure, my mom thought it was a bit much for a woman in her current condition!
And then I convinced Big Mama to take the rope bridge to the tree fort. She even carried me piggyback down the stairs from the fort.
Check out my mommy's belly in the background...
Big Mama makes great cookies and I love to lick the beater...
ummm...delicious-i-ous-oooo

We went hiking on my mommy's due date...an hour away in Rocky Mountain National Park. We figured it was sure to start her labor but no such luck.

Big Mama wanted to see the Stanley Hotel...she says it is often a clue in her crossword puzzles.
On the steps of the Stanley Hotel....spooky!

Hayes jumping in the doorway of 'my house'...I am really into everything being mine...including baby hayes. Reeder and I love to wear helmets...sometimes for bike riding...sometimes when we are standing on the front porch steps...sometimes when we are watching videos...
In the backyard...do you like my boots?
At the park...with the super cute baby Hayes. He makes Reeder and I look positively grumpy all day...he smiles, laughs, coos, and is otherwise ridiculously cute....

I was having one heck of a hair day. In my defense we were just headed to the coffee shop and got waylaided by the beautiful weather and the park.
Oh here that amazingly cute Hayes again...he even has Big Mama head over heels in love...watch out Papa Jerry!
Reeder and I can count to ten...or at least Reeder can...and I like to do whatever she does. I knew my ABCs until the letter D before she arrived but now I can say it all the way to LMNOZ...
I was so excited at the top of the slide that I tried to jump my way down the slide...needless to say I bumped my head and ended up underwater...at least my Papa is smiling.

Waiting for Guffman...I mean Junior

2008-09-28T16:52:00.000-07:00

Well the gang is here, the diapers are purchased, the cosleeper is set up...and Elizabeth is 41 weeks pregnant. Big Mama, Marianne, Reeder, and Hayes all cmae to town hoping to witness the birth of Junior but so far they have just watched a very pregnant Elizabeth try every trick to get this little man to make his appearance.

We have been really busy burning time until his arrival so we thought we would start our blog with the world prior to junior's coming, which is still the world according to Eden...so welcome! I heralded Big Mama's arrival with a trip to our local coffee shop with Opa...

And then a pedicure with Big Mama. Big Mama and I painted our toes a gorgeous red...my mom painted her toes blue for some sentimental thing about blue toes at her engagement, wedding, my birth and supposedly, the birth of my brother...but where is he?