This is what she looks like 12 months later

Anna had her first birthday and personally I thought it was a blast. Here are pictures from the day

The day started out with milk and cuddles with Dad.


Then it was off to the pool with Grams


Anna is so lucky to have Grams and Poppy here for her 1st birthday


The zebra cupcakes were devoured by the birthday girl


I had a crown almost identical to this when I was a baby. Crazy huh?


Anna and all the goods



She totally figured out unwrapping gifts.


Anna insisted on putting on her new dress from Grams so she could properly read her new books from Gma Weed


Lemme splain. I wanted to give Anna things that I knew she wanted. So I was inspired to give her things that I never let her play with. Thus I gave her a roll of toilet paper that I promised not to take away and her very own pair of sunglasses which she miraculously has not broken yet.


Hey Hollywood!

Howdy cowboy

The last time I went to a rodeo I think I was like four. And I think it was a stock show which I now realize is definitely not the same. Two days ago we went to the Rodeo with Gma Weed, Leah, Landon, and Logan. I had a blast. If you have never been to the rodeo, its kind of a shock to watch someone ride a buckin' bronco, but entertaining nonetheless. I would go back anytime (if it only costs us five bucks of course)

I think buckin' bronco is the understatement of the century. Or maybe this city girl needs to spend more time in the country.

A few weeks ago we were at the party store and discovered Anna loves trying on hats. So we couldn't resist the cowboy hats.

"Okay got the hat, now where is my horse?" -Logan

My favorite cowboy

The Putnams

Great friends

I have been blessed with many wonderful friends in my life. A few Sundays ago we were able to have a picnic with my favorites Chelsie and Ashley and their male counterparts too.

The gang

Daddy and the hair-twirler

Man, it's hot!

About mid afternoon our apartment can get pretty hot so Anna has a few tips on how to keep cool this summer.

Tip #1 Lose the pants

Tip #2 Lose the shirt

An incredibly rare moment

Anna is a very independent busy girl. No time for cuddling or rocking, especially with Mom. Dad gets to have those special moments. So here are a few pics only accomplished very close to bedtime and while drinking a bottle, because it doesn't happen under normal circumstances. (Notice the hair twirling)




To prove how rare this is I went into Anna's room about midnight to take a peek at my sweet baby. I had the urge to cradle her and figured I could since she was dead asleep. I picked her up walked her to the rocking chair and attempted to cuddle her. Although she never opened her eyes she never stopped wiggling and arching her back. My futile attempt lasted about five minutes when I had to give up and put her back in her crib. Most of the time I love her independence because it makes it way easier for me to take care of her.

Random pics

I love daddy-daughter time. Melts my heart.





I often attempt to cut Chase's hair. Whether or not it is aesthetically pleasing is debatable, but it is economical nonetheless. Maybe the picture doesn't do it justice, but I was shocked at how much hair ended up on the floor. Here we have a pile that is also about 1 to 2 inches tall next to a size 13 foot.

Pool Party

For Chase's 26th birthday we headed up to SLC to be with his favorite people... his family! We are so glad to have them living in SLC so they could join us for a pool party and BBQ.

Anna's first swim!

"Too sunny to look at the camera Mom, seriously." -Anna

We didn't know how she would like it since tub time is pretty iffy. But despite the freezing water and chilly wind, she loved it, (unlike her wimpy Mom- I hate cold water)

Hey party animals!