29 March 2010

Arizona... Fun in the Sun

Part I: Kennedy
Sean's grandma has a beautiful, open, airy house near Phoenix. We spent the week there relaxing and enjoying the sun. The house has amazing light ... I took advantage of this and the great window shutters. I also took advantage of the constant sunshine and took many (too many!) photos of our girl outside. As I type this post, it is literally dumping buckets of rain oustide. So glad I have these pictures to remind me of warmth and sun!

Part II: Family
We spent the week with Amy, Harv and Roderick. Sean's cousin, Blake, was also there. And of course, Sean's grandma. The boys went golfing, the girls went shopping, we went to an art show, enjoyed the sun, went to the zoo, did a little hiking, ate lots of great food but mostly... we just enjoyed each other!


Part III: Phoenix Zoo
Anyone who really knows me, knows that I don't really like the zoo. I didn't enjoy going as a kid (weird, I know) so I definitley haven't enjoyed going as an adult. Needless to say, I was not overjoyed at the thought of going to the Phoenix zoo but I did not want to miss out on seeing Kennedy's reaction to the zoo. I am glad I decided to go because it was SO MUCH FUN!!! I really had a great time. It is true that having kids changes everything and this is just one simple example of that truth. The Phoenix zoo is rated 4th in the country and it really is cool. The best part was the awesome petting zoo- Kennedy was absolutely thrilled to see the goats and sheep and of course, pet them. She had a huge smile on her face the entire time! I think my negative feelings towards the zoo are gone and I am excited to hit up the local zoos this summer! The only downside to this great day was little Roderick's allergies. Something in the air triggered them and the poor little guy had red, itchy eyes and a runny nose. Looks like he will get out of yard work when he is older. :)
Part IV: Horseback Riding
Amy and Harv offered to babysit one evening so Sean and I could go on a guided horseback ride in Cave Creek. I LOVE horseback riding... it is, hands down, one of my favorite things to do. The ride itself was pretty low-key (in Sean's words.. "lame") but the scenery was beautiful! We were hoping to go on some cool trails but we pretty much stayed on the same road (we even passed a few moms with their baby joggers which tells you how basic the ride was!) It was a peaceful ride though and a fun "date night" for the two of us!

19 March 2010

Tubby Time and the Stowaway

A cute shot of Kennedy in the tub (and of her one and only tooth!)
And another of our cat, Max, trying to stowaway in Sean's luggage... given the never-ending expense of Max's chronic eye condition, Sean probably wishes we could ship him away!

14 March 2010

Videos Working!

The videos posted below weren't working but I think I have fixed the problem.
 Hope you can view them now- please let me know if you can't. Thanks!

Belly Laughs

There is nothing better than a baby belly laugh!
Rachael is the master at getting Kennedy to crack up.
Unfortunately, when I uploaded this video from youtube, it cut off some of the right hand portion of the video so you can't see Kennedy in all of it. But she is very audible!

13 Months!

Tinkers is 13 months! This video is a good representation of what she is up to these days. She is a walker and a "talker!" Kennedy is constantly jabbering away although the only words we hear clearly are "ma-ma" and "da-da."
She loves to point, wave, dance, eat, laugh, explore and "read."
She is a blast.

07 March 2010

Hiking at Tiger Mountain

We finally got out and went hiking this morning. We always say we are going to do it and then we never make time for it. It was so much fun, we are vowing to do it more! Kennedy had fun in the backpack. She babbled and jabbered away for most of the two hours. Unfortunately, the camera died about 10 minutes in so I only got a couple of photos (this is a major problem of mine, I never charge the camera).
One of many HUGE tree stumps on Tiger Mountain.

06 March 2010

Grandpa John

Grandpa John with the two cutest girls. And how adorable are those matching dresses?

Besties

Mom and Becky have been best friends for over 35 years! These are two great ladies. When my mom was in college... raising me... all by herself... guess who lived with her and took opposite classes so I didn't have to go to daycare? Becky. They have been friends since the fourth grade. It is so rare to find a friendship that lasts that long. Aunt Becky has always been a constant in my life as well. Last month, the two of them met in Santa Barbara for a girls weekend. If I were to make a list of the most influential women in my life, these two would be at the very top.

Goofball

My mom borrowed my camera for a few days. When she gave it back, I turned it on and  found about ... oh... 30 or so pictures (a.k.a self-portraits) like the ones below. I couldn't stop laughing; my sister is hilarious. Totally original and I love her.