Super baby!

I was cleaning my newly redesigned guest room and found this picture. I thought I'd better scan it for future posterity. Maybe I can find Gabriella a pair of "Super" pjs.

I also found these other pictures of me with my parents and thought I'd better copy them too, since I am pretty sure these are the only ones.
Enjoy.

It Begins...

After church last Sunday Gabriella found my shoes...
I guess Steve needs to build another shoe rack.

What a Zoo

Last week Shelly invited us to go to the Zoo with her and her cute kids.
Ella Bella was pretty excited to see the monkeys and animals.

Gabriella playing footsie with Emerson and being fed by Sam.



This one actually posed for me, how cool!

More B-day Fun

Steve was able to come home a bit earlier than he thought so we went out to Red Robin.

I really didn't want them to sing to me, so instead they sang to Gabriella. I wasn't sure if she'd freak out or really like it. You be the judge:


My Silly Family!

Birthday Wish: No pooping in the tub

Well, that wish WASN'T granted!

Today of all days "IT" finally happened. After my morning walk I gave Ella Bella a bath and when it was time to drain the water something happened. At first it was funny, "Oh, Ella Bella you tooted in the tub," and she just smiled. I turned to get a towel and there it was, for the first time ever: poop in the tub.

Poor Steve, I tried my best to clean it out but I already had the water draining, which made the poop get stuck and ah, it's just too gross to think about but apparently not too gross to write about. Sorry for that guys! So now when Steve gets home I have high hopes that he can help me get the tub poop-free.

In other news...I don't really know what the whole "Mid-Life Crisis," entails but I wonder if I've gotten a bite? All I know it that the reality of the BIG 30 is closer than ever. In an effort to better myself my friend Daryl and I take our kids with us walking a few times a week. Today my legs were so sore, that must be good right? Feel the burn. I didn't realize just how out of shape I was. I get to hang out with 12-18 yr olds at church and at our "Young Women's" activities, I know they are partly why I feel so young at heart.

Another friend of mine, Cindy, took me out for my birthday to her favorite French restaurant.
Cutest gal I know! and she was even well behaved...thank you Gabriella

Thank you mom and dad for the birthday call, I really appreciated it.

I love you and thanks for making me feel special.

I sure hope the Drano works...Anybody have any advice on getting poop out of the drain?

Here is my birthday slice of cake from the restaurant. I just finished eating it, so amazing!!! (more walking tomorrow)




And finally...sleeping off the calories, sounds good to me!

Our First Family Trip

This year we went on our first family vacation to Breckenridge, CO.
2 nights, 3 days for $40.00, it would be hard to beat that deal!
We really enjoyed our trip, especially listening to a music mixture of Hannah Montana, Barbie Island Princess and songs from the Enchanted soundtrack over and over. As soon as we thought it was safe to change songs, we were quickly reminded otherwise.


Is that snow? Yep it was. Good thing we pack for cold weather but I kept having this feeling that something was missing. The missing piece would have been my coat, still hanging in the closet at home. Luckily I had brought Steve's pull-over, so that ended up being the thing that kept me warm.

There were a lot of places to eat but in the end we picked a little Italian place called "Giampietro" . The dining area was very small and we were unsure about our choice until we saw all the yummy food. The tables were pretty close to each other and while we were waiting on our order an older couple came in and sat next to us. We couldn't help over hearing them talk about the new Indiana Jones movie.
They couldn't figure out where they had seen the actress before and it was quickly apparent they didn't watch as many movies as we did, as their conversation went on we couldn't help but offer to give the correct answer to their movie trivia dilemma. They were really nice and we enjoyed our short visit with them. Afterward we found out they were locals who lived in Breckenridge during the summer.
That made me feel a lot better about our restaurant choice.
If the locals like it, it must be good, right?
And good it was!


This was the best pizza ever!

We didn't have high expectations for our hotel room, just
because the deal was so cheap...but we were pleasantly surprised. The place had just been redone with new everything, except the bathroom. New flat screen, bed, carpet, leather couch, mini-fridge (that came in very handy with all the left-over pizza we had).
What a silly girl!




It was a great little town, and a great place to get away. This could easily be the start of a new family tradition.

Happy Father's Day!

Steve, Happy Father's Day!

I don't think Steve knows just how great a person he really is. He works so hard at all he does and I just wanted to let him know how much he inspires me to be a better person.
Thank you for being a wonderful, caring husband. Thank you for being the best father to our little girl. Thank you for being my rock and a great example.
We love you so much!
Love,
Meredith and Gabriella

Our Savior's Love

Gabriella was asleep, Steve was in bed and it was finally my quiet time.
Only problem with that..it's too late to do much. I was just playing around on the computer and saw a posting about a little girl exactly one month older than Gabriella.

She had a tragic accident and passed away. I found my way to the parents blog and and cried. I felt this deep sadness for someone I never met.
What a horrible thing to happen, how helpless they must feel.
I tried not to think about it, going about my week keeping busy in the everyday details: laundry, cleaning, going to the mall, watching TV, taking care of my own sweet angel, but I still couldn't escape this painful feeling.
I couldn't help looking at my own blond, blue eyed princess and this other sweet princess of Heavenly Father's.
Steve knew how much this was bothering me and reminded me that we needed to LIVE every moment. I found some peace in that and in reading the testimony of this little girl's mother.
Because of that and my experience in Kentucky, I couldn't help but bear testimony Sunday of a loving Father in Heaven.
I've gained more peace and find joy in the gifts I have in my own life...my family. Gabriella has brought me the most joy, lots of sleepless nights(but that's okay), and more happiness than I've ever known.

I am in awe of this little girl's parents and the faith they have knowing they will see their daughter again someday. They have strengthened my testimony. Now I hug my daughter a little tighter, play with her and her toys a little longer, and love her more, if that's even possible.



Here is the family's blog and information about a fund they started.
http://jacksonparkcity.blogspot.com