5K "Fun" Run!

So a friend of mine from church convinced me to do a 5K with her. Not a big deal, right? Well, I don't mind getting out and going for a jog...about once a quarter! But, I decided to give it a try. When Justin and I pulled up to the parking area I should have told him to drive on. Little did I know that this girls-only race was put on by the Pikes Peak Road Runners club. WHAT?! About 90% of the fun-runners were RUNNERS! They were sprinting to warm up, doing high-knees, jogging on the course, etc. I was so intimidated! But, I lined up on the starting line with all of the others and made my way to the finish line. The first place winner finished in just over 18 minutes. How long did it take me? A whopping 32:51! My only goal was to jog the whole thing, which I did, so I was happy. Here are some pics!

4th of July Update...a Month Late!!

It's been a fun summer so far. Justin and I have tried to get out as much as possible. We took Shelby on a bike ride to downtown a couple of weekends ago. She did so well...riding behind Daddy of course. We borrowed our friends' Chariot, and of course we need one now. It was the 4th of July. We dodged the parade this year, but maybe next year we'll venture out for the candy-throwing, beauty-queen-waving, Harley Davidson-driving event.

Jen, YOU are an IRONMAN!

On June 22, my sister crossed the finish line of what may be her greatest race ever...the 2008 Coeur d'Alene Ironman. For those of you who don't know, the race begins with a 2.4 mile swim, followed by a 112 mile bike ride, and finishing with a marathon, 26.2 miles of running. And she completed all three disciplines in 12 and a half hours! Words can't really express how I felt as I watched her push her body to limits she and I never thought were possible. Suzanne and I were on the verge of tears for the entire race...just knowing what she was overcoming mentally, spiritually, and physically was even humbling for us, and we were just on the sidelines. Way to go Jen, you are an IRONMAN!

Loving the Outdoors

Shelby loves being outside, but she isn't so sure about being in the grass. She doesn't want to sit in it, so she'll stand as long as she can and then she'll squat. Then she'll stand back up, and squat again. If she happens to fall she'll raise her left leg up so it isn't touching the grass. I'm not sure why she's so partial to her left leg. Her poor right leg always gets the short end of the deal!

Mama's Girl

I love these pictures of Shelby. I myself don't look so great, but she looks so sweet!!

We Got a Pool!!

Okay, so it's not the pool that Mommy and Daddy would've picked out, but Shelby loves it! Every year the seniors at Justin's school ransack the teacher's classrooms at the end of the year. Justin's room had things from a huge smoker with a slab of raw meat on it, to a sweet little inflatable pool filled with rubber duckies. Shelby has enjoyed the rubber duckies for a while, and this past weekend was able to have fun in the pool...finally! She loves being outside, and she loves bath time, so this was the closest thing to Heaven for her!!





This is what Shelby does when you ask, "where's Shelby?".

Memorial Day Camping!

A few families from church enjoy going camping every Memorial Day weekend, so we joined them this year. We were a little skeptical. The last time we went camping over Memorial Day was a nightmare, which we now look back on with much love and laughter. We were so excited to go to a beautiful town here in Colorado called Estes Park. Unfortunately, it snowed on us - snowflakes the size of quarters. We sat in our truck at the campsite, debating on whether we should stay or not. We decided to stay, so we set up our two-man tent as quickly as possible and got in, only to realize that once we were both in we couldn't move...two-man tents are tiny! So, we decided to just go to sleep, at seven o'clock in the evening. We unfortunately forgot our pillows, so we rolled up some clothes instead, which turned into bricks in a matter of minutes. We froze all night, and at about five in the morning we called it quits. We packed up (now the snow had turned to rain...still freezing outside though), threw everything in the truck, drove back to Colorado Springs and crawled into our warm bed where we slept, and slept, and slept.

So, that was three years ago and we were still a little nervous - and for good reason. This trip wasn't much better. There was no snow mind you, but there was wind. Colorado can be very windy, and this weekend was no exception. We had planned on staying two nights (while everyone else was staying three), but after Friday night's lack of sleep, a waking and crying baby due to wetting through her diaper and onto her pajamas, a windy afternoon that left Shelby with her nose constantly running, tears running down her face, and a dazed and confused look on her face we decided to head home. Shelby was such a trooper, but we couldn't allow her to endure the camping experience any longer!! There was a swing that I put her in, and she just leaned back, closed her sweet eyes and sung herself into oblivion. She was so out of it, but she held in there! So, when Justin came back from his white water rafting trip with the guys and saw our sweet baby so dumbfounded we both looked at each other and knew we had to go home. We were there about 24 hours and had to call it quits. It was a trip we won't forget!

Here's Shelby's eating set-up.



Still loving the Baby Bjorn, even though she's getting heavy for it.

There was a pool! It was "heated", but still pretty cold. We were so excited to take Shelby swimming and ended up just putting her feet in the water. We were pretty disappointed.





Here's Shelby napping! She napped pretty well, but the day after we got home she was so worn out that she took a four-hour nap.

Sunset over Pikes Peak

This picture was taken last week during sunset while a storm was clearing over Pikes Peak and the Front Range.

Looking Back Over the Year

There's a song by Plumb that I love (I've put it on our playlist, so it should play for you). Every time I hear it I can't help but cry. Here are the lyrics:

Your baby blues so full of wonder; your curley cues, your contagious smile. And as I watch you start to grow up all I can do is hold you tight.

Knowing clouds will rage and storms will race in, but you will be safe in my arms. Rains will pour down, waves will crash around, but you will be safe in my arms.

Story books are full of fairy tales of kings and queens and the bluest skies. My heart is torn just in knowing you'll someday see the truth from lies.

When the clouds will rage and storms will race in, but you will be safe in my arms. Rains will pour down, waves will crash around, but you will be safe in my arms.

Castles, they might crumble; dreams may not come true, but you are never all alone 'cause I will always, always love you.

When the clouds will rage and storms will race in, but you will be safe in my arms. Rains will pour down waves will crash around, but you will be safe in my arms, in my arms.


One Month:


Two Months:


Three Months:


Four Months:


Five Months:


Six Months:


Seven Months:


Eight Months:

Nine Months:


Ten Months:

Eleven Months:

Twelve Months!!!

Yummy Cake!!

Here's Shelby enjoying her birthday cake! She was a little cautious at first, but she loved it!

Happy Birthday!!

To our sweet baby girl: I can't believe you are already one year old!!! It has been such a joy to watch you grow, to see your love of "adventure" and to explore your new world. We love to hear you say "Dada" and "Mama". We love how you tell everyone "Hi!" when you see them, and give them a big ol' wave. We love every second we have with you! You have taught us to enjoy the small things in life, to cherish the opportunity to learn new things, and to never take anything for granted. God has blessed us beyond what we could have ever imagined! I can't wait to see where your world will take you next!!!

To our friends and family: Thank you for your love and support! Thank you for keeping up with us through our blog, phone calls, emails, and visits (the best!). We love you all and miss those of you who are not here in Colorado.

Here are some pics from her party. We had a great time, and a full house! We actually started at the park here in our neighborhood, but ended up moving back to the house. The weather had been so perfect all day, and about 10 minutes after the party started we were hit with terrible winds (and a drop in temperature...which is always fun). So, everyone grabbed something, from chips and salsa to cake and presents and we all headed back to the house. It was a full house, with about 25 people there, but we had a great time!

The first picture is of Shelby at her new desk! Her Oma and Opa got it for her, and she loves it!!! The next two are at the park before we moved the party inside. You can see that Shelby wasn't enjoying it so much!! The rest of the pictures are when the party was at the house. She got that tent from her friend Maddie (and her parents Dave and Jen!). She loves it!!! And I love the picture of her checking out her friend Anna!! Isn't that hilarious!!