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What a crazy month it has been! In the last four weeks we have celebrated Graham's 4th birthday (we had a big bash... Like 20 kids... At a local "inflatable jump house". It was really fun, I would actually like to have my birthday party there!!). We put our condo up for rent. We rented it VERY quickly and moved out in about a week. At that point we moved in with my parents. And last week we put all our efforts into finding a house.
Crazy, right??!?! My parents have been gracious enough to let us impose on them. We are hoping it will be short term though. It is definitely weird moving back "home", I mean I haven't lived with my folks in more than 8 years! So, wish us luck in the house hunting and that our lives will calm down a little!!
-A

So yesterday was my birthday, and it was such a great day! Tommy and Graham got me an iPod touch... And I am having fun learning everything it does. We then went to The Original Pancake House for breakfast, it was so yummy! I had fresh strawberry crepes, SO good. We spent the rest of the day at my parents and then later that night I went out with my sister in law and other friends. It was a really fun night!
I just have to say that Tommy totally spoils me. I am so blessed to have such a wonderful husband, son, family, and friends. All those important people in my life made it such a special day
-A

The weather has definitely cooled down... which I am excited for! Fall is my favorite season! The down side to the summer leaving is flu season arrives. And lucky me, I am in bed with said Flu. I used to never get the flu as a child or teen, but since I had Graham I get it pretty much every year! I don't get the throw-up flu, just the cold like one but with severe body aches... that is the worst part I think! My entire body hurts no matter what position I am in. Luckily for me, I have an awesome husband that is working from home today to help me and take care of Graham. Man, I love him!!
K, I'm going to go to sleep and hopefully get better sooner than later!
-A

This weekend we drove to Glenwood Springs to participate in a friends wedding. It was the first time I have been a bridesmaid and Graham was a ring bearer. He looked SO handsome in his tux! We had such a great time and met a lot of new people.
The reception was, of coarse, my favorite, as there was lots of music and dancing. I think I shocked a lot of people because I was very prim and proper the entire day... but when the music came on, I let loose! I didn't really know any of the other bridesmaids that well before hand, but by the end we were having so much fun together!
It was a great day and I am so happy for my good friends Scott and Larissa!
-A

About a month ago, I had the opportunity to go to girls camp with a bunch of teenage girls from church. We left on a Tuesday and didn't get back until Friday. Many of the girls were pretty worried about the no shower thing for almost a week, but being that I grew up camping with my fam, it was no big deal. (I definitely wasn't a pretty sight on Friday though!!!)
I got to know some of the girls I didn't know that well, and others I got to know better and have so much fun with them.
I was over about 8 girls that were 13 or 14 and 3 that were 16. I think they thought I was pretty crazy. The entire camp the oldest girls there (the Youth Camp Leaders -YCLs) were mostly in charge. They taught the girls what to do in certain emergencies, if someone was in shock, needed CPR, and also general camping information: poisonous plants vs edible, tying knots etc. The YCLs also made camp fun by always, and I mean ALWAYS singing camp songs... we even had to sing for our food! But it was so fun! I was one of the few camp leaders that would really get into it. I would shout the words and do the motions like I was 13 again. I think that made it fun for our group. We also did skits, and I have to say, I thought ours was the funniest! See the YCLs every night would do a skit they liked to call "the nightly news" and they would talk about funny or silly things that had happened that day. Well, our skit was on the last day and so we did a spoof on "the nightly news" and called ours "the Maui news" (Each group was named after an island, our group was Maui). I can't really explain it but it was FU-NNY!
I am so glad our church has programs like this for the youth. It gives them opportunity to make great friends, have fun, and come closer to God. It was such a great time!
-A

So, this summer has been a blast! It started off with the Family Reunion at Gilbert Ranch. We were in the middle of Nevada, with all Tommy's immediate family, no cell coverage, no Internet, no radio... does that sound like an equation for disaster? It was quite the opposite! I was so sad to leave! There were so many things to do, we didn't need the other (and to be quite frank.... I really enjoyed being unreachable for that weekend. I couldn't do it all the time, but it sure was a nice little break!)
The first day we rode 4 wheelers, ate, rode around the lake/pond in the little fishing boat, ate, did crafts, ate, shot some rounds. Did I mention that we had lots of delicious food?
The next day was actually pretty cold, it really wouldn't have been that bad if we had packed something besides shorts... but we made do. The kids went on a treasure hunt, which they had a blast doing. In the treasure chest there was a goody bag for each of them.
We also celebrated Father's Day there. It was really great because Tommy isn't usually with his dad during Father's day, since we are so far away, so it was nice to see all of them together!
We had such a fun time with family that this week we are going to San Diego to spend more time with them! So stoked for that!
-A

I am so far behind and have so much to write about, but it is a little late (surprise, surprise) and I am not going to give the run down of the last couple weeks just yet (which have been an absolute blast!!!)
But, I just have to record the cutest thing that happened today.
My son, Graham, has a friend - who I would say is his best friend (please keep in mind he is 3.5). They have been seeing a lot of each other lately; which they both have been loving. Today, I babysat; so the boys had a great day together.
This evening we were on our way home from shopping and I got a call from said friends' mom. She said that her son was having a hard time getting ready for bed and requested talking to Graham. So, I gave Graham the phone and he had a short conversation with his buddy.
How cute, right!?! I mean, my son got his first phone call today from a friend. And what is even more cute is that after talking to Graham, this friend was ready to brush his teeth and get ready for bed.
I just thought that was such a sweet and tender moment... and had to write about it before I forgot!
-A

In response to Annie's post from June 15, 2009 about staying up late, I have a theory about this. I don't think Annie (and the rest of her family for that matter) stay up late because they are night owls. I think it's because they are not morning people. They love to sleep in! It's kind of like asking the question "Which came first, the egg or the chicken?". Is Annie a night owl, which causes her to go to bed late and subsequently sleep-in in the morning? Or, does Annie just sleep too much in the morning which causes her to stay up late at night? I think its the second, but no hard evidence to prove it. Maybe I'll start keeping notes.

I wonder if her talking in her sleep has anything to do with this? :)
-T

I am so excited! Tomorrow we are waking up at like 3:30am (I know, crazy, right?!?! And based on what Tommy wrote [he is sooooo funny, isn't he?] we all know I am not a morning person and waking up before 7 is always a difficult task) to start our 'big' family trip this year. We are first driving to Vegas to meet up with half of Tommy's family, and then caravanning to a cabin in central-eastern Nevada. Tommy has 6 siblings and they haven't all been together in 6 years! So some fam from WA and OR are meeting us at the cabin for the reunion.
Let me just say, this cabin is stacked!!! (or at least that is what I hear) It has its' own private lake/pond; where you can fish or rip cord into it. There are four wheelers - even a remote control one for the little guys, clay pigeon shooting, hiking, a fire pit for smores (or just roasted marshmallows for me). The only thing it doesn't have is Internet service or cell coverage. "Can you hear me now?"
It is actually a little weird to not have those things readily accesible, but I also think it will be really nice to just 'escape' for the week.

Ok, really I should be sleeping right now; but if there is one thing that runs in my family (on my dad's side, at least), it is that we are night owls. It is almost midnight and I am still awake - even though I have a church meeting at 8 am.
Tommy is always asking me in the morning "How late did you stay up?" or "What time did you come to bed?" or "What were you doing?" And, yet, as I sit here, I have extremely tired eyes and am yawning... but I still can't quite go to bed. It's not that I can't fall asleep, quite the contrary, I can fall asleep almost anywhere!! (I actually used to fall asleep on the school bus in middle school. My head bobbing all over the place). Do I feel like if I go to sleep I will miss something? No, come on it's midnight for cryin out loud!! What could I be missing besides some awesome infomercial about cooking meat? (which oddly enough, I do actually like infomercials. I totally will flip channels and stop at one and watch like the whole hour.... You name it, I have probably seen it... anyway....).
To give an example: We hang out at my parents house a lot. It is kind of the "gathering place" for us. And we usually stay too late. We will put in a movie and my dad and my sister in law, for sure, will fall asleep during it. Here is the difference. My sister in law has no issue with missing the movie or admitting she fell asleep and missed all but the opening credits. My dad on the other hand will try so hard to stay awake (even if he has seen the movie a million times, ie Hunt for Red October), and when he does fall asleep and we ask him about it, he ALWAYS says "I wasn't asleep" or "I was just resting my eyes". Which ALWAYS make us roll our eyes and chuckle.
For some odd reason, staying up late is in my genes (all my brothers do it too), and for some (even more) odd reason I am journalling ( is that even a word?!?) about it. I guess my mind doesn't function properly at midnight (hence me making up words!) :)
Tonight I was determined to get to bed early... oh, well, maybe tomorrow night...
-A

Let me just say, that kids are so flippin funny! They say the funniest things (which reminds me of that show, "Kids Say the Darnedest Things" with Bill Cosby... that show was HILARIOUS!)
So, Tommy has been watching the NBA Finals; which we usually don't watch because we are not big basketball fans. But this year the Nuggs (the Denver Nuggets) made it all the way to the Final Four. Well, if nothing else, we are passionate and supportive when our teams are doing well. Like two years ago when the Rockies went to the World Series, we hadn't watched a game all season but we were glued to the TV in our Rockies gear those last couple games. So, anyway, even though the Nuggs lost to the Lakers, grrrrrrrrr, we have been watching the finals.
We both, Tommy and I, get into the games and talk to the players like they can hear us (and like they would listen to us if they could hear us). Well, I say 'talk' but Tommy is a bit more.... um... let's say animated when he is watching. OK, he yells at the screen and throws his hands in the air when 'his team' is doing poorly.
Graham, now 3.5 and funny as can be, has learned a few things from his dad while watching sports on television.
While watching game 4 Graham began throwing his hands in the air and saying things like "Come on!" or "Dang it!" and start laughing. Of coarse we were laughing with him because he really had no idea why he was saying those things; but he thought he was pretty funny doing it.
-A

To add to my post from May 12th, Graham (yet again) woke me up in the middle of the night. This one beats them all!

Yesterday I received an award at work and was given some balloons and a cool plaque/trophy. I took the balloons home for Graham to have. Needless to say, Graham came marching into our room last night to show me his cool balloons :) I guess I only have myself to blame for this one!

-T

Lately Graham has been waking up in the middle of the night for no apparent reason. Of course, he marches right up to our room and wakes me up everytime. Sometimes he says he wants to play and sometimes he just wants to sleep with mommy and daddy. However, most recenly he woke me up to tell me he wanted some chocolate milk! Needless to say, I did not give it to him, but rather escorted him back down to his bed like I always do. That kid has some kind of nerve to come and wake me up at 2:00 am to ask for some chocolate milk :). I guess that's why I love him so much....you never know what to expect!

-T

So, I finally took Graham on his first camping trip.... well, his first "real" camping trip. We didn't go far; about a 30 minute drive up into the mountains, but it was fun. It was supposed to be a group camp-out where a whole bunch of fathers and sons would be there. But due to foggy and misty weather conditions, no one else showed up. It ended up being Me, Graham, my brother-in-law and his 3 year old son, and my father-in-law. I think the highlight was either Graham trying to help make the fire, or Graham peeing his pants because he put off going so long because he was having so much fun. Either way, it was a great opportunity to get out of the house. We made a camp fire, made some "Smores" and enjoyed good company. We even saw a big herd of elk walk right through out camp.... crazy!

-T

This morning I woke up to shut our bedroom window... and saw snow! Now, just three days ago it was high 60's or even 70's!!! We all had been wearing shorts last week, so I was really surprised to see a few inches on the roof of our cars! I guess you gotta love Colorado weather.... but if you don't like it, wait five minutes it will change! All the snow is practically melted already and it is only 1pm!
The funny thing is that Saturday I raided our closets and pulled out all our winter clothes... I guess I was tempting fate! :)
This picture is one from a few weeks ago when we had enough snow to build a snowman together. Graham, being a true boy, destroyed the snowman shortly after building it... and then he rolled "the body" down the hill. It was pretty dang funny to watch.
-A

It was 7 years ago (almost to the day) that Tommy and I drove from Las Vegas to Denver to "Meet the Parents".
We were both attending the University of Nevada Las Vegas at the time and decided to make a "quick trip" to Denver. Now when I say quick I don't mean that it didn't take long to get there; it was an 11 hour drive, but we drove on Friday and came home on Sunday... so that is what I mean by quick!
My family was having family pictures taken that Saturday. Tommy wasn't in that picture, but we did get a couples picture taken just the two of us. It is actually the picture shown... wow I was blond!!
It is funny because back at school all of our friends asked us everyday if we were engaged yet, and everyone thought that was what the trip to Denver was for... especially my family. It probably was for that a little bit because I do remember Tommy asking to speak with my dad in private before we left on Sunday afternoon.
I remember my brothers... I laugh to myself thinking about it now... they were prepared to give Tommy the run down and be my "protectors", that is until they saw that Tommy was bigger than them. And then once they got to know him I think they were really excited that we were serious about each other.
I am so very lucky that Tommy is my husband! He is one of the most caring men I know. He is constantly thinking of others and doing things for them... especially Graham and me. Whenever he comes home from work he is always understanding if I am totally pooped or if the laundry isn't folded or dinner isn't made. A lot of times he will do those things. I am really, REALLY lucky. And I have to say that the quick trip to Denver 7 years ago was one of the best of my life!
-A

Babies are here!!! My nephew Porter was born on the 19th, as planned, and my other nephew Dallin was born the 31st - my brother didn't really want a April Fool's Baby!
My mother and I originally planned to go to Utah to help my baby brother (that is what he will always be!!! I can't believe he is a dad!!!) with his new baby; but since the baby decided to "cook" a little longer we have had to postpone due to my mom's work schedule. We are hoping to go out soon.
I have only been able to see Porter a few times because he has been in the NICU since he was born. He has had a hard time eating and breathing on his own and was a little jaundice. However, we got good news tonight that the tubes have all come out and that he is eating on his own! YEAH!! Once he is constantly eating on his own, he gets to come home! I know my brother and sister-in-law - and my nephews for that matter - will be ecstatic when that day comes. Luckily the hospital he is at is very close to their home, because they have been spending a lot of time there. He is such a sweet little guy and I know that the Lord is blessing him to grow and be strong.
-A

I am really excited because today or tomorrow my brother and sister in law will be having their son (number 4)! There have been a few complications with her pregnancy so we are all so relieved that this day has come! I am really lucky we live so close!
In a few weeks my mom, Graham, and I will drive to Utah. My other sister in law is due in 5 days with their first baby (a boy!). So we are going there to help her. I still can't believe my little brother is married, let alone about to be a father! But he is amazing and will be so great!
I am so grateful I have such a wonderful family and that we help each other out when needed! And I am so excited to hold those little babies... they have such sweet and tender spirits!
-A

I thought I'd go ahead and make my first official post and talk about how much I love being a Dad!

Growing up, my parents always used to tell me how much they loved me. I never quite understood how they felt until Annie and I had our first son, Graham. I never thought I could love someone or something so much, but I do! Words can't explain how great it feels when I get home at the end of the day and my son runs up to me and gives me a big hug and a kiss.

I can't wait to have more children and to be able to share with them those same feelings I have for Graham!