8 months

Bethanie is 8 months old today! Time FLIES!! She's getting so big and she is so much fun! She loves to move...she can get pretty much anywhere. If you turn your head for even 2 seconds she is already gone.

She can now crawl a real crawl...but she prefers her Army Crawl. She starts out crawling normal but I think she just doesn't feel like it's a fast enough mode of transportation so she plops down onto her belly and goes into the army crawl. She moves FAST!

She can also pull herself up to a stand now and is always climbing. I think Trooper used to use the couch as a getaway from Bethanie because he just wants to sleep all the time but now she can even get him when he's on the couch. She loves to chase Trooper around and she follows us everywhere we go and will climb up to wherever we are sitting.

Bethanie is such a joy to have around and we love her so much!! Enjoy the pictures of her standing in her crib...she's so dang ADORABLE!!!!!!!

Camping...

Well, we decided to go camping for the 4th of July weekend. We have never been camping with a baby before...and probably never will again. ;) We went to Aspen Campground just outside of Alpine, AZ. It was beautiful there and the weather was wonderful. It was rough because Bethanie wanted attention all the time so Bryan had to set up camp pretty much on his own. Bethanie did ok when we were holding her or when she was not tired...but she would NOT nap at all and Thursday night was the worst night I've ever had with her. She would not sleep...and when she would wake up she would scream bloody murder. It was rough...Bryan and I had a really hard night. She ended up sleeping next to me on the air mattress which was rough because Bryan and I barely had enough room as it was.
The pictures below are of our HAPPY camper...but honestly she did not like camping at all.
So, Friday night she was fussy again and would not go down to sleep so Bryan (the amazing man that he is) offered to take us to a motel. It was too late to pack everything up and all go, so Bryan took Bethanie and I to a little lodge in Alpine so that we could have a better night. He stayed at the campground because all of our stuff was there and the Jeep was there so we did not feel comfortable leaving everything there without us. We missed Bryan so much sleeping in a different place than him...but Bethanie was a little happier being inside and had an ok night.
The next morning as I was watching out the window for Bryan I noticed that the street was being blocked off by the police and there was a parade going on...so Bethanie and I got to go to a parade. Bethanie got a 4th of July rubber ducky thrown to her by one of the little old ladies on one of the fire trucks. It was fun but sad not having Bryan there with us.
Once Bryan got to the lodge he showered and we headed for home. The rest of the weekend we were all exhausted but it was nice to just spend time together as a family.
I am so blessed to have Bryan and Bethanie in my life...I LOVE THEM SO VERY MUCH!!!

Enjoy the pictures...the top one is by far my favorite!! :) LOVE THOSE TWO!!!!!

Bryan is my EVERYTHING!

Since Bethanie came along I have noticed that all of my blog posts have been about her...that's typical I am sure...but I just want all of you to know that Bryan is still my EVERYTHING!!!!! Without him there wouldn't be a Bethanie...so this post is dedicated to him and the AMAZING husband and father that he is!

I know this is cheesy but here are a few clips from songs that describe my love for Bryan:

"My Everything"

You are my everything
Nothing your love won't bring
My life is yours alone
The only love I've ever known
Your spirit pulls me through
When nothing else will do
Every night I pray
On bended knee
That you will always be
My everything


"You Raise Me Up"

When I am down and, oh my soul, so weary;
When troubles come and my heart burdened be;
Then, I am still and wait here in the silence,
Until you come and sit awhile with me.

You raise me up, so I can stand on mountains;
You raise me up, to walk on stormy seas;
I am strong, when I am on your shoulders;
You raise me up... To more than I can be.


"When You Say You Love Me"

Like the sound of silence calling,
I hear your voice and suddenly
I'm falling, lost in a dream.
Like the echoes of our souls are meeting,
You say those words and my heart stops beating.
I wonder what it means.
What could it be that comes over me?
At times I can't move.
At times I can hardly breathe.

When you say you love me
The world goes still, so still inside and
When you say you love me
For a moment, there's no one else alive

You're the one I've always thought of.
I don't know how, but I feel sheltered in your love.
You're where I belong.
And when you're with me if I close my eyes,
There are times I swear I feel like I can fly
For a moment in time.
Somewhere between the Heavens and Earth ,
And frozen in time, Oh when you say those words.

When you say you love me
The world goes still, so still inside and
When you say you love me
For a moment, there's no one else alive

And this journey that we're on.
How far we've come and I celebrate every moment.
And when you say you love me,
That's all you have to say.
I'll always feel this way.

When you say you love me
The world goes still, so still inside and
When you say you love me
In that moment,I know why I'm alive

When you say you love me.
When you say you love me.
Do you know how I love you?

I LOVE YOU BRYAN!!!!! You have no idea how much you mean to me! You are my world and my everything! I appreciate everything you do for me everyday and I will ALWAYS love you!

Most Important!

No matter what happens in life, I am reminded once again that family is the most important thing in the world! I have deactivated my Facebook account which is huge for me because I will admit...I was obsessed and it had taken over my life. But no matter who is dating who or what so and so is up to today...none of those things matter to me as much as my amazing little family! I had gotten lost in other peoples' lives and in other peoples' drama and lost myself in the process.

Although marriage can be rough and being a mom can be even harder...my escapes need to be with my family and not with Facebook. Taking a break to find myself again and to focus more on being a wife and mother is the most important thing I could ever do.

I know there are times when I get frustrated or have a rough day...but the thing that gets me through is my love for Bryan and Bethanie! They are my world and my everything. I could not live without them and I would never want to know what it would be like if I had to.

I may not tell Bryan often enough how amazing he is, but he truly is! I have been blessed to have the most amazing husband in the world! He does everything for me...he works so hard and deserves all of the compliments and love in the world. He is my everything and I appreciate everything he does for me and Bethanie. He's so caring and loving and the hardest worker I know. I wish I could show him more often how much I love and appreciate him! He's my world!


Although Facebook can be addicting, I am determined to change my ways...
Bryan, Bethanie and Trooper...YOU COME FIRST!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I LOVE YOU 3 MORE THAN LIFE ITSELF!!!!! Please know that!