Bull riding

I joined some cowboys in the infield of the Pendleton, OR Round-up this weekend to watch some bull riding. That fence you see between me and the bulls 50 feet away is only made of PVC pipe! Thanks to Casey for getting us the front row seats!

Some pics from the week

There was a parade of 1000 flags through our town to commemorate 9/11. They walked 100 rows of 10 men to Freedom Park, where they placed all the flags.

We found an amazing little town about an hour of us that reminded us of our beloved Smokies! There were people tubing down the river, fishing, having picnics...it was glorious!

The Many Faces that are Maddie!

Just so you have some perspective, these pics were all taken within 2 minutes, so it's safe to say that we have a moody kid! The full-on frown is the newest in her repertoire and she uses it frequently! Her 1-year checkup is fast approaching, so we'll post the new stats when we find out. Enjoy!

Off-roadin'

Here's what Bill does in his free time. Between supporting SCORE races in Mexico and running his truck offroad from Vegas to Reno earlier this month, there's always time to wrench on the truck and make small improvements. China Lake is surrounded by great offroad areas, and there's actually a 250 mile race here every Spring. Don't look for him to turn pro anytime soon, but if you want a fun ride, come on out! Kudos to Cricket who helped me build this offroad beast and filmed this clip.

Walking!

Okay...I know I already posted today, but I forgot a very important element! Maddie took her first steps out on her own last night! You can just see the pride beaming on her face! I was able to capture a few of them on video this morning....go Maddie!

Whirlwind Month

Wow! What a month we've had! It started when I found out I was pregnant. A week later was our anniversary, and we spent it in Vegas. Bill had a conference there for work, so Maddie & I joined him in his luxury suite (compliments of Uncle Sam)! We got to go swimming, watch a circus act at Circus Circus, visit Siegfried & Roy's Secret Garden (with dolphins, lions, tigers, leopards, & panthers), and plenty of shopping :) A few days after we got back, I wrecked my car. Maddie & I are perfectly fine (if you don't count a bruised ego). I cracked my rear bumper, but unfortunately the air bags did the most damage. We are still waiting on the appraiser to get back to us (extremely frustrating).

Then, a week later, I rented a car & drove to Yuma. Bill flew the jet down earlier in the week, as he had two weeks of work there. So, Maddie & I got to visit daddy & friends for a long weekend. Finally, to cap things off, I took a temporary part-time job at the church we have been attending. After hearing about my background at Stone Ridge, they asked me to fill in while one of their secretaries is on vacation. It's 3x/wk for a month or so. It's been a good opportunity to meet people in the church, and it feels great to be able to help them out. Bill returned home on Sunday, and will be home for a couple of weeks before going on a cross-country. I would say that we are both ready for a bit of downtime!

I would add pics of Maddie, but we are having computer issues & I can't access them right now. I'll try to add them once we get it fixed.

Expecting!

Maddie is going to be a big sister! Shannon had an ultrasound last Monday before our Vegas trip, and found out the baby is healthy and approximately 7 weeks old. That puts the arrival in mid-March, which means a whole new winter maternity wardrobe.....yeah!?! Let me be very clear......."we're not pregnant"...Shannon is. We ARE expecting, but as it's physically impossible for US to be pregnant, I'll leave that task to Shannon. The good news (I think?) is that I'll be around for this pregnancy and delivery to welcome Hadji #2 onto this earth. Stay tuned for more details as the belly grows......