Goofing Around

 My favorite- above! I think she contrived this face just for the photo.

 We went on a little discovery drive and hike by the shooting range on Barranca Mesa. "King of the Rock"

Can't be 30 minutes without her blanket. Here she is babysitting it in the dryer.

Tristan 7 months

Tristan is sweet and happy. He sleeps through the night since 5 or 6 months, though doesn't go down for the night til' 10 or so. He does take a nap just prior to that, so it's nice. He's had a mild cold for a couple weeks now and we have the humidifier going all the time. He eats a good serving of baby food 2-3 times a day and of course milk in-between each. He rolls his way around the floor and has desire to learn to crawl. He's not quite sitting up on his own, but close. He hasn't attempted any words yet. He loves his jumpy toy.

Just recently Tristan got his first haircut!! Below is the pre-haircut...

Below: Tristan with wet hair in preparation

Latest Home Improvements!!!

Tristan's Room

Closet re-construction BEFORE & AFTER (above)

This wall BEFORE & AFTER (new carpet, too!)

The old closet (pre-construction)

 The new closet (post-construction)

The Main Bathroom

 

BEFORE & AFTER (above)

(paint went from cream to a gray-beige, new laminate flooring, new tub, vent work, new rugs, etc)

 BEFORE & AFTER (above)

(new fixtures & cabinet-mirror)

 BEFORE & AFTER (above)

(weird wall inset mirror thing to flat wall with new towel rack! Also notice new shower fixtures)

The Girls' Room

BEFORE

 AFTER

New closet work (sorry no "before" pic)

 So Beautiful!!

(complete with new paint, carpet, mattresses, bed frames, bed spreads & pillows, dresser)

 Backyard

 Lot's of tree cutting (scraggly old things) when Brian's parents came to visit at Tristan's birth.

 Thanks for the help!!

 Brian getting higher...

 and higher...

 and higher!!

 My mom and dad and Ben came to visit and helped with the clean up. (Notice the orientation of the shed... it will be turned 90 degrees to face the road... see below)

 Brian working on the playground- Yahoo!!

WEee!!

Much later we finally got the brick wall finished and the flagstone repositioned. (Sand for the playground and grass for the yard to come next year!)

New Piano

 Here is the old piano. Pretty thing we received from a friend. It was an upright grand. Only thing is that it was huge, bulky, twangy, and would need regular tunings.

My business paid for a new, much smaller, but full-sized electronic piano (weighted keys and all that). 

Life :)

 Friends over :)

 Silly girls! They like to jump onto the couch from the table. They also like to sing and tell stories atop the table.

 We spend lots of time just hanging out at home. They get very creative with their playing and building. They like to pretend cook, play house, barbies, have pretend birthday parties and go to school, play puppy or kitty, dress up, etc.

 At the groundbreaking of our Smith's Marketplace! 

A nice summer day. The garden. Mom's shoes.

 beautiful girl.

 Riding horses at a friend's house in the Jemez!

A week later, we also went back to the Jemez with Orlando to take an evening hike near Los Conchos Peak. BEAUTIFUL! (Sorry no pics of that.)

 Aspen always asks to help cook or feed Tristan! Sweet girl.

 Halloween! Snow White & Little Red Riding Hood (they fit their personalities quite well, don't you think?). At our ward Trunk-or-Treat, Dad and Tristan were Huntsmen (very fitting for both stories). We also attended the Trick-or-Treat on main street at the hospital. This picture was actual halloween night after conquering the neighborhood with the Millers.

Just got my hair trimmed and some BANGS! Very different! Look at sweet Tristan. :)

On Brian: In mid-October Brian was being threatened with Government Furlow, but we barely made it by without being put on furlow just as the government got things pulled together. We are thankful. Brian is doing well at work and being recognized by superiors.

On Bonnie: Staying busy with preparing for Let's Play Music classes week by week and Primary music time. Also, feeling good about gradually getting on top of house-keeping and so forth, while balancing time with the kids and family.

On Avery: She is loving pre-school twice a week at a friend's house. Teacher Keri does an excellent job teaching the kids and giving them plenty of hands-on experiences. Avery is also doing well in music class. She can't wait 'til she gets to have homework, lose teeth, ride the bus, and attend high school. :) Avery got a nice layered hair cut by dad over the summer.

On Aspen: Aspen was quickly potty trained in late August when I decided I was done buying pull ups. Our incentive: a piece of gum at the end of a dry-underwear day. Worked like a charm! (We knew she was ready to pull the plug). She also got her first (I think) hair cut by Brian over the summer- no more long wispy hair! It is still thin though. Aspen is a crack-up! Her smiles, giggles, mannerisms, phrases, toddler voice, shake-her-booty dance, excited spread-and-bent-legged excited crouch with her hands up.... and much more.... keep us smiling and laughing!

On Tristan: You can see all about Tristan in his post below a few.