The Shafer Family

The Messy Father's Day Gift

2011-06-24T22:26:00.000-07:00

We have tickets to see the Summer Movies all summer long at a local theatre and one of the most recent movies was the Ramona Quimby movie. Loved the books growing up and the movie was just as cute. The dad in the movie always wore this cute sweatshirt with the kids handprints on it so it inspired me to help Bobby and Bentlee make a shirt for dad... things got a little messy!

The kids....

2011-06-24T22:23:00.000-07:00

Wow, that's a weird thing to say. The kids. We went from Bobby, Bobby, Bobby... to the kids. We feel so old! They really do make us laugh though.

This is Bentlee with my sister when we went to SLC. She is starting to smile and coo. Its super cute.

Bobby loves to pretend. I busted him on the back porch the other day standing in his wagon pretending he was a pirate in a pirate ship. Oh, and he also had my belt which was clearly being used to catch fish.

Both the kiddos like to swim too. Bobby learned to swim last year but doesn't seem to have his confidence built up enough yet this year to take off his life jacket. One things for sure, we breed water babies!

Monster Trucks!

2011-06-24T22:01:00.000-07:00

Bobby loves Monster Trucks so when we heard that one of the local car dealerships was giving free monster truck rides over Memorial Day weekend, we had to go check it out. Bobby had a great time riding around in the truck and the driver even let him sit in the cab for a while checkin' out all the gear. Bentlee also got to take a ride in the cab on moms lap!

3 for the price of 1

2011-05-18T20:01:00.000-07:00

We have had a lot going on lately and when I say a lot.... I mean it! We just had a beautiful baby girl who has been such a great blessing in our lives and 2 weeks after that we had some other pretty special events happening. Our little Bobby celebrated his 3rd birthday, Brad had his college graduation and Bentlee was blessed. So when we were going to be having family come out from 4 different states to support us in all these wonderful blessings, we tried to make it easy for everyone. Hence, 3 for the price of 1!

#1 First lets start with Bobby's 3rd birthday. He absolutely loves the color orange. We don't know if this is a phase or if its for real. Its been going on now for well over 6 months and quite frankly, its getting a little ridiculous! Ha, ha! So for his party we decided to indulge him a little. We had pizza, oranges, carrots, orange punch, orange cake with orange frosting and orange sprinkles, and orange ice cream. It was a ton of fun!

Cutting the orange cake and getting ready for presents

Eating orange cake with Papa Trucks

Bobby had a great Birthday and to top it all off he got to swim all day and have a sleep over with his cousins, Kenlee and Mollee.

#2 Next we have Brad's Graduation. What a great day! Brad has been working so hard going to school full time, working full time and through most of it had a very full time demanding church calling. I am so proud of him for sticking it out and acheiving his goals. It wasn't long ago that he was working on getting into nursing or PA school and realized that this was not his passion. He made a difficult decision and switched his degree program to business which is much more up his alley. So although he feels like he's been a student forever, there is finally light at the end of the tunnel.

University of Phoenix has their graduation ceremony at the Cardinals Stadium which was awesome. Brad got a Bachelors degree in Health Care Administration and will soon be starting the Masters program!

Here's Bobby, Kenlee and Mollee climbing all over Papa Racecars waiting for Brad to come out of the tunnel.

There he is! Bobby was so excited to see his Dad walking out.

He watched him walk all the way to his seat and then kept waving.

Here's Brad getting his diploma.

Brad with his dad Kevin and his wife Kathleen. They flew out here from Indiana to be here.

Brad with his mom, Sharon, sister Tiffany, and grandparents Muffy and Pops. They traveled from California and Utah to be here.

Brad, me, Bobby, and Bentlee with my family, Mindy, Kenlee, Mollee, Jake, Josh, and my parents Christy and Bob. They traveled from Utah and Arizona to be here.

#3) Last but not least is Bentlee's baby blessing. It was such a great blessing we are so thankful for all our family and friends who were there to support us. Bentlee was so good during the blessing and didn't cry at all.

What a fun weekend with lots of family time and lots of good food!

Bentlee

2011-05-04T16:24:00.000-07:00

Fashionably Late... Bentlee Ray Shafer is here!

2011-05-04T16:20:00.001-07:00

Our little Bentlee is finally here. She made mom think she was coming to grace us with her presence about the middle of March with contractions every 5 minutes. So... I got everything ready to go, my mom jumped a flight and got into town just as they were releasing me from the hospital! False alarm. Grandma didn't want to leave at that point since it was inevitable that as soon as she did Bentlee would decide to come.

My due date, 4/12/11, came and went so the Dr scheduled me to be induced 4/15/2011. Which as it turns out it was better that way so we could explain to our little Bobby what was going on and why we wouldn't be around when he woke up the next morning.

Bentlee Ray Shafer was born 4/15/2011 @ 11:05am. She weighed 6 lbs, 6 oz and was 20 inches long.

Bentlee and Granny

Bentlee and Grandma

I was missing my little Bobby so much while at the hospital and I was so excited when he came to see me later that day. When Brad walked him in he was immediately fixated on the basinet in the room and kept asking "What's that? What's in there?" over and over. We explained that the Dr took the baby out of mommy's tummy. which according to my little genius was through the belly button! It was so funny, after we explained it was a baby in there, he did the Tiger Woods fist pump and exclaimed, "YES!" And then Bentlee and I gave Bobby peace offerings of tractor toys and a cookie.

Bobby loves his little sister. He loves to point out her eyes, nose, ears, ect. And he loves to hold her. He gets so excited when Bentlee looks at him saying "He look at me" (Yes, we are still working on the "he/she" thing).

Of course Dad thinks that because she came late its inevitable that we will be waiting around for her our whole lives. "Yes, Bentlee your hair is fine, lets go" or "Bentlee, just wear the shoes you have on", ect. Nevertheless, we are so happy to have Bentlee home with us. Its really neat how seamlessly she fits right into our family like she has always belonged there. I love having my little buddy and helper Bobby around to help me with things like throwing away diapers, getting out wipes, picking out clothes, giving baths and best of all giving lots of kisses and hugs.

My Little Bobby

2011-04-27T13:04:00.004-07:00

Bobby is such a riot and has the funniest little personality. He loves to pretend and play cars and trucks and he is such a big helper. He likes to help me cook (especially if its cookies), push the laundry baskets into the laundry room, throw things in the garbage and put his dishes in the sink. We are looking forward to our little Bentlee's arrival but in the meantime here are some of my treasured moments with Bobby...

Bobby and Dad playing with Bobby's car. He somehow determined that if he gave Dad a kiss it counted as gas money.

Bobby in the "box" playing trucks.

Bobby playing his guitar, sorry its sideways! He loves to dance and sing to the drums and guitar.

Bobby pretending to be Handy Manny. He says, "I a Hanny Manny"

We went through this little phase where Bobby had to eat everything out of this little white bucket. Thank goodness it only lasted about a week!

Bobby posing for the camera... "cheeeese!"

Bobby and his "jump-jump", a favorite evening activity. Dad is such a sport to get in there and bounce around with him. I absolutely love that my husband likes to play. Sometimes I wonder who is actually having more fun, Dad or Bobby.

Bobby testing out all the baby toys telling me he's the baby. I keep thinking 'Oh boy, this is going to be an adventure when baby sister gets here!' Look at those long legs curled up at the bottom.

Bobby found this basket with wheels on it and decided to put a few of my other baskets behind it and make a train. His little imagination is so funny. He kept telling me what all the shapes of the cars were, "tangle" (rectangle), "skare" (square), and then he'd choo-choo all over the house.

The white hummer is just like Papa Trucks hummer, he aquired the green one on a recent trip to the Disney store and has somehow made the connection that this is Ka-Ka's truck. He then found the smaller ones and is calling them Baby Papa's Truck and Baby Ka-Ka's truck. Yes, we've been discussing babies on a regular basis around here.

Bobby and his new "cool dudes" (sunglasses). He likes to put them on top of his head "like Mommy" he tells me.

Bobby makes us so happy, its so much fun to play with him and listen to all the funny things he says. I'm so happy I get to stay home with him everyday and play.

Spring Training 2011

2011-04-26T12:25:00.000-07:00

Spring Training is one of my favorite times of the year. Its so much fun to sit outside and enjoy a baseball game together as a family. If you ask Bobby what he likes about the baseball game he'd tell you that he likes to eat hot dogs, get a drink, and pop pop (which is popcorn).

Bobby waiting patiently for his hot dog and drink.

Papa Racecars, Jake, Josh, Dad and Bobby enjoying a night game.

Dad and Bobby watching the game. Bobby likes to watch the pitcher throw the ball "way fast"

Family night this year was a bust. The rain kept most people at home, here's a few of the die hards enjoying the cold! Travis and Melissa, Todd and Molly, Sean, Lynsee and kids, and Jared, Emily and kids. It was a pretty cold night but nothing a few tarps and lots of blankets can't handle.

Dad trying to coax Bobby into taking a nap (PS it didn't work)

Baby Bentlee's Nursery

2011-03-06T18:24:00.001-07:00

We've spent the last few months getting ready for our little baby girl. As you may know by now we mistakenly thought that the new baby was going to be a boy. That's what you get when you buy one of those non-FDA approved gender tests from Walgreens! When we found out it was going to be a girl we were shocked to say the least so we had to switch gears and start tearing down our cute boy nursery and turn it into a cute girl nursery. We always said that it would take hell freezing over to paint our walls pink....well...the day Phoenix hit 32 degrees and snowed (which never happens) guess what we were doing? Yep, painting the nursery pink.

We spent some time taking down the baseball border around the tope of the room, painting and then Brad and my Dad hung white panels all around the bottom of the walls. I wanted something unique for the room so I opted to having bedding made and do all the decorations myself. It turned out so super cute.

I started out like this....

Had to find just the right fabric.

My wonderful friend Tricia has a baby boutique and made the bed skirt, quilt, sheets, and bumper pads. I just love how the blanket turned out with the flowers and the letter "B"

I found some pictures in the Pottery Barn catalog that I absolutely loved but they were way too expensive so I made them myself for about 1/4 the price.

Here's the pottery barn lamp, retail is around $150 for the shade and base.

Here's my version, I made mine for about $40 or so.

Here's the pottery barn jars that I liked, each jar was about $12 and it didn't come with anything inside.

Here's my version...I got the jars at Walmart, bought yarn at a craft store, made the little fabric candies with leftover fabric, and bought the blocks at Walmart then spray painted them the colors of the room.

I spray painted the picture frames and then mod podged the inside. Baby pictures will soon be hung inside!

These were originally black so I spray painted them white, then green, then frosted them with a little pink spray paint.

Put it all together and here's what you get....

We are getting excited to welcome our little baby Bentlee into our home. Bobby has been such a big help and likes to go in the room and play with her toys and read her books. I'm so happy she'll have a big brother who is such a big helper. I know he's going to want to show her how to do everything and how to get into lots of trouble which is fine by me. That's what big brothers are for...

Surprise Baby Shower!

2011-02-23T15:01:00.000-07:00

I have the absolute best friends in the world!! And they are so sneaky! As far as I knew my friends were throwing me a baby shower in March. I was supposed to go to Tricia's house to have lunch with the girls and help plan away. Jessica came to pick me up and when we walked into Tricia's house I was shocked to see all my favorite people standing in there yelling "SURPRISE!" I was in total shock, the first thing I thought was "Oh my gosh, thank goodness I didn't show up in sweats." The biggest surprise was still yet to come... my sister and my neice flew in from SLC and my mother in law drove over from San Diego to be there. It was so great to have them there.

I couldn't believe that my friends had put all of this together without me knowing anything! And even more, I coudn't believe that Brad didn't spill the beans. He loves surprises but he can't keep a secret, he gets too excited.

I got so many cute things for baby Bentlee and am so blessed to have such great people in my life who are great examples to me and offer such great support.

Thank you to my awesome girlies for throwing me a SURPRISE shower!!

California Trip January 2011

2011-02-22T15:45:00.001-07:00

We made it to Cali again in January to see Bobby's grandparents and great grandparents. It was a wonderful trip. One of Bobby's favorite parts was getting to go swimming at Muff and Pops pool.

We even got to go to Disneyland and Lego Land while we were there. It was great because Aunt Tiff and Patrick flew in to join in on the fun.

Bobby of course had so much fun. His favortite rides at Disneyland were probably the Merry Go Round, the Dumbo ride and the Buzz Lightyear ride. Bobby really likes the color orange lately so every ride we went on he would ask to ride the orange one. Sometimes it just wasn't possible and generally we had to convince him that yellow was orange so he would go.

Here's Bobby on the Merry Go Round, he kept petting the horsey saying "nice horsey" and then telling all of us to hold on with two hands.

Here's Bobby and Granny on the space rocket. He loves anything that flys in the air and has buttons to push.

When we went to Lego Land Bobby was able to go on pretty much any ride but what he really wanted to do was ride the cars that weren't on a track and the kids really steer and drive. The only problem is you have to be 3 to do this one. We gave it a shot and when we got to the front of the line the guy asked Bobby how old he was and he held up 3 fingers. Little did he know that Bobby is really 2 and just can't get his thumb to stay down when he holds up 2 fingers. Well, no matter, he got to ride the cars. He did so great and only crashed a few times. You should have seen me and Brad and Granny running around the track cheering him on, filming and taking pictures. It was surely a sight! We were having as much fun as he was.

When he was all done they gave him a little drivers license which was super cute. Bobby thought that was pretty neat.

On Sunday we went to church and then to the beach. Ahhh, it was so perfect. The weather was great and Bobby had so much fun playing in the sand, building sand castles, driving trucks in the dirt and chasing the seagulls.

California has such great weather and we always have a good time. Bobby loved to visit his "Granny and Buddy" and "Muff and Pop". He was such a trooper the whole time staying up late and getting up early and had a ton of fun!

Family Pictures

2011-01-19T21:01:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure how in the world I didn't get these posted... Here are our family pictures from October. Our photographer was very creative in hiding my pregnant belly! Definitely no hiding it now though! Our next family photo shoot will be a family of four. Wow, that seems strange.

Bobby's Big Boy Bed

2011-01-04T20:06:00.000-07:00

We've been getting Bobby's new big boy room ready for a few months now so the nursery can be redecorated. He's not been too sure about going in there to sleep or take naps yet but loves to go in there to play. He's been sleeping in his toddler bed in the nursery for a while now and he got a big boy (twin sized) bed for Christmas from his Grandparents to go in his big boy room. He was still a little unsure so the room just sat for several weeks waiting for him to be ready. And wouldn't you know it, a few days after Christmas when we were on our way up to bed he told us he wanted to sleep in his racecar and truck bed. Unbelievingly we grabbed his blankets and a few necesities and headed in there. We opened his special truck night light which has been saved for such an occasion and he climbed up into bed, we did our little bed routine and he went right to sleep.

All night we were in total shock. Its so 'Bobby' to make up his mind one day and just go for it. He's not easily convinced that he should do something, it needs to be his idea and generally we have no forewarning of what his decision will be. We hope this means that we'll never have to worry about him doing something just because his friends are all doing it.

Here'sa few pictures of his new room....keep in mind its still under contruction so no pictures have been hung yet and the bottom half of the walls will be white paneling.

He's such a big boy and we are so proud of him and his decision to move into a new room and sleep in his big boy bedroom! And even more proud of him for making the decision all on his own.

Next step--Potty Training!

Christmas 2010

2011-01-04T13:25:00.000-07:00

Christmas this year was fabulous! Bobby's favorite parts were all the Christmas lights, the Christmas tree, bunny drink (hot chocolate), and of course...Christmas cookies. He's also become quite handy with the camera and has managed to learn how to take pictures all by himself. His aim is a little off but he'll point the camera and tell the object to say cheese.

Here are a few of Bobby's favorite things:

Cheeeeese car...

Cheeeese Kissmas Twee.....

Cheeeese Baseball.....

Cheeeese Mommy....

Cheeese Daddy....

Cheeeese Noman....

Cheeeese Papa's Truck....

Cheeeese Sanna...

Cheeeese Stars.....

Cheeese Tutar (guitar)...

Its so fun to see the things that he chooses are picture worthy that I just couldn't delete them off the camera.

Christmas Eve we had some friends over for snacks and then later we opened up jammies, ate Christmas goodies, and watched Joy to the World and Polar Express.

Christmas morning Bobby had a blast digging through his stocking to find canny (candy canes), nummies (M&M's), and Eee-Eee's (monkeys) in a barrel. He opened a tool set from Santa first which was then used to open every present after that. Who knew that a hammer, screwdriver, and tape measure were necessary to unwrap presents? Later that day he proceeded to "fit" (fix) everything in my house.

Bobby and his stocking

Bobby opening his tools

Bobby fixing the house

My brothers came over for Christmas breakfast, which was the traditional omelets and mom's homemade omelet salsa. And later we headed to a friends house for Christmas dinner.

We are so thankful for Christmas this year, what a blessing it was to see the joy in Bobby's eyes and to spend the holiday together.

Polar Express

2010-12-22T14:56:00.001-07:00

We decided to take Bobby up to Williams, AZ this year to do the Polar Express. They use a 1930's passenger train to haul all the kids up to the "North Pole" where Santa gets on the train. Its a ton of fun.

All the kiddo's (and some parents too) wear their pajamas for the train ride, its really cute to see everyone in their jammies.

This is me and Bobby about to get on the train. He was so impressed by how big it was and when we asked if he wanted to get on the choo-choo his eyes got really big and all he could whisper was "Yeah, ride choo-choo"

For the most part Bobby, like always, just soaked it all in. Then after the train ride of course he wouldn't stop talking about it.

The train attendants wear the white chef outfits like in the movie and book and pass out cookies (coo-coo's) and hot chocolate (bunny drink) on the way to the "North Pole". They also read the book and play some of the cute songs along with it. Its really fun because they really get into character and make it fun for the kids.

Once we got to the "North Pole" to pick up Santa Bobby started getting really excited. He was being so silly.

When Santa got to our seats to give Bobby a bell from his sleigh Bobby was in total awe. All he could do was just sit and stare and Santa. Once he got his bell and Santa walked away Bobby whispered "Tank-you Santa"

This is Bobby waving good-bye to Santa. No fear and all smiles after Santa leaves of course.

After the train ride we went to go sit on Santa's lap and officially Thank (tank) him for the bell and tell him what Bobby wanted for Christmas. Of course, Bobby was speechless yet again. He wouldn't even look at Santa until he was off his lap and then he was all talk again.

It was such a great experience, one that we will never forget. We had to buy Bobby a little choo-choo engine at the gift shop which so far has not left his hand. It goes to bed every night with him and in the tub and everything. If you happen to stop by our house its almost for certain you'll hear "All aboard!" being shouted by a very happy 2 year old.

Mesa Temple Lights

2010-12-22T14:56:00.000-07:00

The Mesa Temple lights were awesome this year not only because we got to stop and eat at Cafe Rio on the way and it was warm enough to not have to wear a coat. My parents and brothers also came with us so it was fun for them to see temple lights minus the snow.

Bobby really liked the nativity scene and kept showing me where the baby was. He especially liked all the animals. It so fun to see him understanding what Christmas is about. He loves to see the baby Jesus, the sheep, and the star.

Thanksgiving

2010-11-30T12:50:00.000-07:00

Thanksgiving in Southern Utah was great this year...cold, but still great. It was nice for Bobby to see his cousins, he sure loves goofing around with them and they all stick together like glue.

Right after Thanksgiving dinner Bobby had his right of passage into manhood...1st STITCHES! He was outside throwing the ball with his cousins and went up by the side of the house to pick up the ball and stumbled or lost his balance (winter jackets will do that to a Phoenician) and hit his chin right on the side of the house.

For those of you that know me I should have been on the floor out cold but something kicked in and I rushed him into the bathroom to get a rag and then out the door to the car shouting out orders to get my purse and the keys. Brad, my "blood and guts don't scare me, I dealt with this in the ER and military for 8 years" husband, on the other hand was white as a ghost. He could hardly drive to the ER, I thought he was going to either throw up or pass out. Apparently when its someone elses kid it doesn't bother him so bad but he couldn't handle seeing Bobby split open bleeding everywhere.

Thankfully, they got us right in and 4 stitches and about 1 1/2 hours later we were back at the house eating pie.

Here's a picture of Bobby the day after he got his stitches in.

On a positive note Black Friday was awesome. Its tradition to go shopping as early as possible to get all the good deals. Me, my sister Mindy and my mom were out the door by 10:30pm to hit Childrens Place and while my mom stood in line for 3 hours to check out me and my sister hit a few more stores. We went back to pick up my mom and in bed by 3am which is pretty much a record for us. I am proud to say that all my shopping is done minus a few minor odds and ends.

Halloween Night 2010

2010-11-09T22:31:00.000-07:00

Our little cowboy!

Halloween in Arizona is much different than Halloween back home in Utah. For one, you don't have to wear a coat over your costume, you never have to worry about snow, everyone sits outside on their porch to pass out candy in 70 degree weather, and everyone Trick-or-Treats on Sunday!

Bobby helping cut the pumpkin

Trick-or-Treating at Bobby's favorite scary house complete with monsters, witches, kitty-cats, ghosts, and spiders. For a month straight we had to walk to this house every night to see all the scary decorations.

Brad and Bobby

Bobby in the fire truck. Every year the fireman drive up and down our neighborhood passing out candy with their lights on. I swear, its Bobbys favorite part. He didn't want to get out of the truck.

Bobby and Me

Halloween Party - Halloween 2010

2010-11-09T22:16:00.000-07:00

So we had a little Halloween Party the night before Halloween and by little I mean almost 70 people came so it was tons of fun. We had chili, cookie decorating, a bounce house, Hocus Pocus being projected on the house, hay rides, and tons of food. It definitely was a sucess and I was so happy that everyone dressed up. Here are just a few of the fun pictures!

Stephanie, Amanda, Lynsee, Heidi, Tricia, Melissa

Sean and Lynsee

Travis

Travis and Melissa

Ada, Bobby, Hayden and Elle

Todd and Mollee

and Tatum

Heidi and Andy

Brad and Bobby

Jessica, Chris and Brooklyn

Bobby and Me

Trunk R Treat - Halloween 2010

2010-11-03T21:03:00.000-07:00

10/29/2010

Trunk R Treat

We went this year as Cowboys and Indians. Bobby wore the cowboy costume that my little brothers wore when they were about his age which makes this hand-made costume about 23 years old. I had to redo the beads but other than that it still looks great. Sure wish I knew who made this cute costume originally cause it was a hit! My mom was here this year and got to join in all the festivities which made everything that much more perfect.

Bobby loved walking around getting candy but didn't like wearing his costume so much. That's why he looks super happy in every picture. He kept saying "I like this" which in Bobby's language means "I don't like this"

Here's Little Miss Ada waiting in the wings trying to get Bobby's attention. So cute.

Cupcakes are always a hit.

You can kind of see in this picture behind my head the Trick-or-Treating bucket I made for Bobby out of a #10 can, levi's and a bandana. Hey, I'm the canning specialist for our ward, I had to represent! Plus, it was a lot of fun to make. Canning isn't just for food you know.

Pumpkin Patch

2010-11-03T13:58:00.000-07:00

10/18/2010

For Family Home Evening we visited MacDonald's Ranch with some friends. It was such a great time. Bobby's becoming a horseback riding pro. He rides around saying "Wee-Ha" and pats the horse on his neck.

This is Bobby, Tommy, Collin and Little Miss Ada hanging out by the tractor. Look at all that blonde hair!

Goin' on a hay ride to pick some pumpkins.

Bobby can tell you what every animal says. He'll even get right in their face and tell them all about it.

This is Bobby throwing dirt in the air. He's supposed to be digging for gold but its so much funner to just throw the dirt up and yell.

Bobby obviously can't read..... and apparently, neither can his parents!

Visit from cousins

2010-11-03T13:40:00.001-07:00

10/3/2010
Bobby's cousins, Kenlee and Mollee, came to visit last month along with Papa Racecars (my dad).

They spent their days swimming and splashing around in the pool and their nights watching movies and eating root beer floats and popcorn.

Bobby had a great time splashing and screaming in the pool with the girls. I've never heard him be so loud and wild before, I think he must really like his cousins.

One day we took a trip to the Pumpkin Patch where the kids got to ride horses, go on a hay ride, hang out in the petting zoo, and do a hay maze.

Mollee really liked the bunny rabbits and spent the afternoon trying to convince Grandpa to buy one to take home. I think my sister is thankful he declined.

Bobby's favorite part was probably the hay ride or climbing on the chicken coop. Here he's getting a closer look at what's on top of the chicken coop.

Kenlee and Molle both liked the maze, they had Grandpa timing them to see who could get through it the fastest.

It was really fun for Bobby to see his cousins, he wouldn't stop talking about them after they left. We are really looking forward to seeing them again for Thanksgiving.

Disneyland September 2010

2010-10-14T14:52:00.000-07:00

We finally made a trip to Disneyland with Bobby. He had no clue what he was in for....

Day #1 California Adventures:

The family visiting Lightening and Mater. Bobby thought that was pretty cool, he just loves Mater for some reason.

This is Daddy, Bobby and one of the G.I. Joe's from Toy Story. Bobby calls them "guys" and really liked them. We had to go back and see him several times. Bobby was pretty shy for him but as soon as he was at a safe distance he livened right up and told me all about it.

Bobby liked the Merry-Go-Round and since there were no lines at California Adventures or Disneyland we got to go on the Merry-Go-Round over and over and over. It was great.

Handy Manny or just "Manny" as Bobby would say was yet another favorite. He pointed him out from a distance and then as soon as we got up there he was super shy. Again once he was at a safe 'looking only' distance he went on and on about the tools and Manny.

Bobby and Daddy riding the cars.

Day #2 Disneyland:

Bobby in Toon Town. He had to sit in every single car and try to drive it.

Bobby on the slide in Goofy's House

Of course a day at Disneyland would not be complete without a nap. Bobby was so good, we got to the park each day as it opened and left when they closed and my sweet baby boy took a nap every single day!

Bobby could not get enough of the little houses by the Alice in Wonderland rides. He kept knocking on the doors and trying to open them up. He would get a little frustrated and turn to us and ask to "oh-to-be" which clearly means "open".

Day #3 Disneyland again...

Bobby trying to pull the sword from the stone.

Bobby's favorite ride at Disneyland was the Buzz Lightyear ride. There was no line at all so we went on this one over and over. Sometimes he would control the joystick which moved us in cirlces and other times he would shoot Zurg's aliens with the little laser gun. One thing is for sure... He loves Buzz Lightyear!

For as much as our little man loves Buzz he was speechless when he got to meet him up close. It was definitely the hightlight of the day though.

We saw a different parade each night and while waiting for the parade Bobby would break out his toys and get a little truck time. If you know Bobby, he needs a little truck time every day. The blanket and trucks never failed to attract other little guys who needed truck time too. Each time a few friends would find their way over and join in bringing their own assortment of trucks to share.

One time a little boy from Spain starting playing trucks with Bobby and he was speaking to him in Spanish. Bobby would say "yes" in what seemed the appropriate time and nodd his head as if he understood him completely.

Ahh...trucks..the universal language of boys!

Mommy and Bobby getting ready to go on the Jungle Cruise for the 3rd time.

Daddy and Bobby in Tarzans Tree House

Our Disneyland trip turned out to be a success. Bobby had a great time and got to go on all the rides several times. It was a great time to go and we couldn't have asked for a better family vacation.

The end.

Bobbys New Shirt

2010-08-12T13:19:00.000-07:00

Well, after almost a year we are excited to say that we are finally pregnant! As soon as I found out I overnight shipped a t-shirt for Bobby to wear for Dad when he got home from work.

Me and Bobby were outside in the backyard barbecuing and swimming when Brad got home and he was wearing his new shirt. Brad was so surprised that first he asked "Is that a new shirt? Does that mean...?" and then he just kept saying, "This is crazy, this is crazy."

We are very excited but its still a little strange that we will no longer be a little family of 3 but a family of 4 instead!

Vegas Vacation

2010-08-02T11:51:00.000-07:00

Brad's been working out of town the past few weeks and since he had a week off we decided to head to Las Vegas for a few days to unwind.

The first night we got there we went to see the volcano erupt in front of the Mirage and the fountains in front of the Bellagio. Bobby liked the Volcano, he kept telling Brad "Ohhh, hot, fire!" Then about half way through the show he had enough and spent the rest of the time watching the buses go by and pointing them each out. "Bus....bus...bus." It wasn't too long before we realized that although buses are fun and interesting, Las Vegas also has a lot of "naughty" buses.

The next day we went to the M&M factory but the tour was closed for renovations. Bobby seems to think that the little M&M guys are frogs and kept pointing to them saying "Ribbit, ribbit, ribbit".

He got quite a kick out of the M&M Nascar that they had on display and ran right over to it calling it "Papa's car" and then checking out everything from the tires to the steering wheel. He relates any Nascar to Papa Blodgett, even though we are not a Nascar going family. But ever since he got to watch Papa drive a Nascar it was all downhill from there and any Nascar will forever be 'Papa's car'.

We went into the Coke factory where the most interesting thing was the miniature Coke delivery truck display. Each little truck was insanely expensive.. Ohh, don't touch Bobby! We also got our picture taken with the Coke Bear. And just like usual, Bobby was all talk when looking at the bear saying "Rarrr!" but as soon as we got up next to him he got real quite.

One of the best parts of our trip was eating in the Rain Forest Cafe in the MGM. If you've never been there its a really fun place to eat with the kids. All the animals come to life every 10 minutes and make animal noises and then there is a rain storm simulation every 20 minutes.

From the outside of the restaurant our little tough guy was all talk, again, and pointed out all the animals and everything. Then as soon as we got inside and the first animal show and rainstorm hit he was clinging to me and Brad for safety. As soon as it would stop he would peak out and then go sit in his seat. This repeated several times throughout the course of our lunch.

Yes!! Bobby can swim!

2010-07-23T21:39:00.001-07:00

This summer has been filled with a lot of “firsts”. Bobby started swimming on his own without a life jacket. What a huge relief, however, he has no fear which kind of scares us to death! He loves to go under water (with his eyes open) and swim from step to step and is constantly pushing himself to swim further out in the middle of the pool. On one occasion he took off from the deep end of the pool determined to make it to the kiddie step. He kicked his legs and came up for air about 4 times before he finally got tired and Mommy had to grab him, but only after he made it about 15 feet.

Just recently he decided he didn’t want to just swim from step to step, he wanted to get out in the middle of the pool and stay there. So there he was, mind made up, and he ventured out into open water and kicked his little legs to keep his head above water. Hooray! He then decided to work his arms into it and he must have been using one arm harder than the other because he just started spinning around in circles like a top in the water. He, of course, loved it and was so proud of himself!

This is Bobby jumping off the edge and swimming almost the whole length of the pool!

We love you Bobby and are so proud of you for swimming at age 2! Good job buddy!

4th of July Celebration

2010-07-12T14:32:00.000-07:00

This 4th of July was the BEST and since it was on a Sunday we ended up with 3 days of events going on. We went to Anthem for their 4th of July Celebration on Saturday the 3rd. They had pony and train rides, jump-a-roos (jump-jumps) and great fireworks.

This is the video of Bobby riding the pony. While waitin in line he was all about getting on that horse and being a cowboy but as soon as it was time to actually get on the pony he got a little scared. He did pretty good though but needed Daddy to hold his hands the whole time. I don't think Daddy minded a bit, he got a kick out of it too! As soon as the pony ride was over he was our brave little Bobby again showing Mommy which pony he was on and everything.

Watching the fireworks at Anthem is awesome because they have sooo much grass and alot of room for everyone. We found a nice little place to put our blanket down and as it was getting dark Brad and Bobby were able to play and run around for a little while to get all the wiggles out.

As I sat there watching my husband and son running around I was overwhelmed with gratitude for this wonderful country that we live in. It was the perfect ending to a perfect day to hear Bobby's little laugh as he ran around barefoot in the grass and then to watch as he sat in awe of the beautiful fireworks as they paid tribute to our beloved U. S. of A.

On the actual 4th of July we went down to tailgate at a parking lot close to some fireworks along with some awesome friends from our ward. It was fun to watch the kids throw snaps (the only legal firework in Arizona, which by the way you have to show ID for) and run around. Between Shannon's delicious homemade icecream, Darin's watermelon and my cookies, we had plenty of sugar to keep the kiddos up til the fireworks went off. This is a video of Brad and Bobby doing snaps, after Bobby throws one, he can't help himself from saying "Whoo!" Its so cute!

On the 5th of July our ward had a pancake breakfast and the kids got to ride around on the fire truck. It was clear when we arrived that Bobby was only there for the fire truck rides and was not interested in eating AT ALL! Bobby has been able to say "fire" and "truck" for a long time but just recently he has been able to put the two together "fire-truck" and then he says "whoo-whoo-whoo"

Even when they weren't doing rides he would just stand there and look at the truck. Doug is so awesome, he let Bobby get inside the cab and honk the horn. I think it scared Bobby at first at how loud it was but then he got this little mischevious grin on his face and I knew he was enjoying himself.

Fathers Day

2010-07-12T13:45:00.000-07:00

Home Depot does these cute little work shops once a month and for the month of June it was Fathers Day Cards that look like a shirt and tie. We took Bobby over and he broke out the glue and buttons and even picked out his favorite tie. Although I think his favorite part of the whole trip was riding in the Home Depot shopping car!

Fathers Day was great, Brad and Bobby got to practice their swimming moves. Bobby can now swim under water from one step at the end of the pool to the main step (about 3 feet). Bobbys favorite game in the pool is for Dad to sit on the edge of the step and say "Oh.. its so nice to just sit and relax" and then Bobby comes up and pushes him into the pool. He gets such a kick out of Dad spashing around in the water after he gets pushed off the step. Then they do it all over again...and again..again.

Brad's 30th Birthday

2010-06-03T15:24:00.000-07:00

Brad turned 30 a few weeks ago and his perspective on our youth slowing dwindling down is much better than mine was when I turned 30. He says that these next 30 years are going to be the best years of our lives. Bobby is going to be growing up and doing little league and scouts and we'll have other children running around doing fun things. Having little kiddos running wild definitely makes life a lot more enjoyable and it is so rewarding. Brad is so optimistic and always puts things into perspective. I love that guy!

We had some friends come over for a little BBQ and swimming to celebrate, it was a good time. Bobby had gotten a jump-a-roo from Papa and Kaka Shafer so of course we had to break that puppy out for the kiddos. So all Brad had to do was turn 30 to get a jump-a-roo at his birthday party....who knew?

Happy Birthday Brad, the first 30 years were awesome, but the next 30 are going to be even better!
I love you!

Rocky Point, Mexico

2010-05-25T15:40:00.001-07:00

We went to Rocky Point Mexico recently with some awesome friends, the Hales. We had such a blast. Bobby loved swimming and playing in the ocean and couldn't get enough of it. Jordan and Chelsea go to Rocky Point alot so they had the scoop on all the best local resturants. We had some amazing food combined with great conversation and lots of laughs. As usual, Brad got a little sick after a few days of Mexican cuisine so he had to take it easy after a while and start ordering "safe" food, like pancakes. He's so weak!

We went to this little aquariam no bigger than our living room where you could touch the sea turtles and feed a seal. Bobby was pretty interested in the seal and even tried to touch one of the turtles.

Jordan and Chelsea have a 8 month old boy that was watching Bobby's every move and probably getting all kinds of bad ideas. I think Jordan and Chelsea got a little scared as they saw a glimpse of their future with a 2 year old toddler.

Bobby wouln't sleep in his crib so we attempted letting him sleep in a regular bed. To our suprise he did great. Everyime he would come out of the bedroom we would just have to tell him to get back to bed, he would listen (miracuously) and then finally fall asleep. We were so psyched to get home and try the bed again but to our dismay it was not as successful. Thinking maybe it was Mexico Magic??

Mother's Day morning we took a walk down to the beach where someone had written Happy Mother's Day in the sand while the tide was out. It was huge, as big as a house even. We got a few pictures before the tide came in and washed it away. What a great way to start Mothers Day and end a awesome vacation.

Papa's Nascar Driving Experience

2010-05-24T10:22:00.000-07:00

While my parents were in town in April my dad (Papa) did the Nascar Driving Experience down at Phoenix International Raceway. He did the ride along in the Home Depot car and then got to drive the Wells Fargo Car around the track. Needless to say it was everyones first Nascar experience (and last) since none of us have ever seen it on TV or in person but it was really cool to see him cruising the track.

He got his top speed up around 115mph. My little brothers, Jake and Josh, who live here in Phoenix said that he didn't need to pay somone to take him around the PIR at 115 because for free they would take him around the 101 freeway at 115mph and even throw in the extra thrill of some red and blues following close behind. Ha, ha guys.

Bobby of course loved it and almost everyday asks to watch the video of Papa's cars on the computer. Boy, I sure hope I'm not breeding a Nascar fan!

Surf's Up! Bobby's 2nd Birthday

2010-04-26T16:12:00.002-07:00

I can't belive how fast time flies, all of the sudden my little baby is 2! Bobby learned to say "Two" just in time for his party. He still can't hold up 2 fingers though, so when I ask him how old he is he says "two" and holds up 5 fingers. Its too cute!

Bobby had a surfing party for his 2nd Birthday and invited a bunch of friends over to catch some waves at our make shift beach.

Bobby has become quite the little swimmer this summer and spent most of his party in the water except to eat a hot dog and a peice of cake.

Happy Birthday Bobby! You make mommy and daddy so happy!

Spring Training Fun!

2010-03-30T21:37:00.000-07:00

We love Spring Training time, the weather is awesome and its a blast to sit out on the lawn and watch a few baseball games. Bobby loves to walk around the park, eat hot dogs, and watch the pitchers warm up in the bullpen.

This is Bobby and Grandpa Shafer at the Spring Training kick off day.

Grandpa Blodgett, Bobby, Uncle Jake, Mom and Dad at a Saturday game.

Bobby running the bases with Daddy after the game

Mommy and Bobby enjoying the sunshine.

Daddy giving Bobby an outfielding lesson.

And finally, just this past Monday night we did Family Home Evening at the Ballpark with some great friends.....we had a great turn out with about 30 people all together. With all the kids running around, eating hotdogs, and trying to catch fly balls, it was a great way to spend family night!

The whole gang!

Just the fam...

Bobby and one of his little brown eyed girls...Ellie

San Diego Vacation

2010-03-29T14:26:00.002-07:00

We went to San Diego this weekend and had a blast. When we were there in August Bobby wasn't tall enough to go on alot of the rides at Lego Land but since then he's grown over 3 inches and can now go on pretty much any ride.

We decided this year not to go to the San Diego Zoo since it was pretty boring for Bobby last year. He's a "doer" and a "toucher", not a "looker". Even knowing he's not intersted in the zoo very much we somehow found ourselves at the smaller Wildlife Zoo. It was a little better because you are alot closer to the animals but still not enough to "do" or "touch" for Bobby.

He did like the train ride around the African Safari where the only animal he associated with a sound was the lion who says, "raaaarr".

On the way out he fell asleep on Brad's shoulders and it was so stinkin cute.

This is Granny and Bobby at Lego Land.

This link is a video of Bobby at Lego Land shooting a water gun at the allegators. He thought that was pretty cool.

Daddy and Bobby went on a boat ride and Bobby got to drive. Everytime Brad would take the wheel to steer Bobby would push him away because he wanted to do it himself. They were going all kinds of wrong ways. The ride attendant even walked over to them to explain how to use the steering wheel and gas pedal. Bobby is so independent and wants to do everything himself. Check out the video of Bobby driving the boat at Lego Land

Daddy and Bobby driving the boat

Mommy and Bobby driving the jeep

Bobby being a monkey at Del Mar Beach

Boys say and do the cutest things!

2010-03-05T14:28:00.002-07:00

Bobby is growing so fast and is learning new things every day. He likes to do things that mommy and daddy are doing like wear his sunglasses on top of his head, talk on his cell phone and shop and Home Depot.

He's such a riot! The other day after dinner while we were cleaning up we looked over to find Bobby on top of the kitchen table. We usually drink milk at dinner but we were having juice on this particular night instead so Bobby thought it was a real treat and wanted some more. He managed to climb on top of the table to help himself.

Click here to see the video of Bobby and the juice

As you can see he is desperately trying to explain his side of the story but all that comes out is gibberish. He wants so badly to talk, its so cute. Some of the things he can say now are:

Mama
Daddy
Bobby
All done
Scooter (Scoot-Scoot)
Pee-pee
Poo-poo
Ball
Bubble
Car
Bus
Hot
Beep, beep
Honk, honk
Mine
No, No
Yes or yah
Night, night
Hello
Bye-bye
Bye, see you
Ellie (his little friend)
Na-Na (his little bear)
Doggy
Eye
I need...
Wow
Woof, woof
Sponge Bob

We love our little Bobby, he is so much fun and makes me laugh.

Its Raining, Its Pouring...

2010-03-05T14:22:00.000-07:00

So this is supposed to be the desert, right? Well today its a sunny 75 degrees, light breeze, beautiful day but on Sunday we had about 10 minutes of constant rain which was totally incredible. Within just those few minutes of really heavy rain our pool almost flooded, our patio was full of water, and there was a river going down the street, no kidding. Then after all that the hail started crashing down which has only happened a handful of times in our 9 years here in Arizona.

Click on the links below to see our backyard and street get flooded within a matter of minutes.

Rain and Hail 2/28/2010 #1

Rain and Hail 2/28/2010 #2

Well, if this is as bad as it gets I guess we'll take it as it comes and stay a while!

Valentines Day

2010-02-16T14:06:00.001-07:00

We had a great Valentines weekend. Me and Bobby made cupcakes and Valentines for his little friends on Saturday which was alot of fun and then me and Brad went out on an awesome date later that night.

We got all dressed up and a huge white limo picked us up to go to Ruths Chris Steakhouse in Scottsdale. We went with 2 other couples so we were in good company and had a blast! Travis and Melissa are regulars at Ruths Chris so we got the star treatment! We had a great table in the corner and when we walked in there were 3 dozen roses on the table, one for each of us girls. We sat down and you couldn't even see over the table. It was incredibly obscene and I loved every minute of it.

I tried crab and tuna, both things that I have never tried before and to my surprise they were both very good. We had a nice long dinner with lots of good conversation. My honey hit one out of the park this year and reminded me why I married him. Speaking of why I married him..... I had a flashback of when we got engaged .....

In February 2001 Brad was serving in Witchata Falls, Texas in the Air Force and was not allowed to leave base since he was still in training. It had been a month since I last saw him in Texas and 5 months since we had spent more than 48 hours in the same state. I was living with some friends in an apartment and we had plans to go out that night since it was the weekend of Valentines Day. We had a friend who drove a limo so he was going to pick us up to go dancing later than night.

So there I was early Saturday morning just getting off the phone with Brad when there was a knock at the door. My friend was telling me that there was a limo outside for me so naturally I thought it was the guy who was going to be taking me and my friends out that night. I got to the balcony, still in my pajamas mind you, and there was Brad standing out of the sunroof of a black Mercedes limo with 3 dozen roses. I ran out to him and we hugged, kissed and cried. Then it happened.... he got down on one knee and proposed! I said yes and we lived happily ever after!

I found out later that day that he had gone A-wall for the day and had to be back by curfew so he didn't get in trouble. It was the best day ever. We went downtown and had lunch just in time to get him to the airport. That was back in the good old days when I could walk him all the way to the gate, kiss him before he got on the plane and watch him take off. Ok, thats the end of my little flashback.

We had Valentines dinner and Grandma and Grandpa's house along with Bobby's great-grandparents, Laree and Haw. Kathleen made a great meal but Bobby's favorite part was the dessert.

After dinner we were inside watching the Olympics and Bobby went into Aunt Livies room to get her guitar. He loves to sing and jam out but from this video you can see who the real kid is....

The big 3-0!

2010-01-26T14:12:00.002-07:00

So, I'm turning 30 this week and needless to say I was feeling a bit uneasy about it. I was telling Brad about it and he reminded me of all the good we have in our lives. He really helps put things into perspective as we count our many blessings.

I quit my job in the middle of a market that's not entirely promising which was the scariest thing to do. I know I made the right choice to be home with my little angel and don't regret my decision at all. There are so many things in his little world that I get to be a part of that I never realized I was missing before. He is learning and discovering new things every day and we have so much fun together. I have been able to develop friendships that always seemed to be on hold before and I am truly grateful for them. We have a great house in a great neighborhood with awesome neighbors and food on the table. Me and my husband both have an education and my husband loves his job. What more could I possibly need?

I was talking to my friend the other day about Brads military service which brought back some memories. It was my 23rd birthday and we found out that Brad was going to Iraq within 48-72 hours. He ended up not going because Turkey closed their borders to the troops but he was on 24 hour standby for a year. It was a tough year for us but I am so thankful for his military service and all the blessings it has brought into our lives. That was 7 birthdays ago...wow...how time flys!

There are just so many things to be thankful for. So if you ask me again how I feel about turning 30, I would probably have to say its fine by me, I have everything I ever wanted and more.

Happy Birthday to me!

Christmas Activities

2009-12-22T14:22:00.022-07:00

We've had lots of fun this year getting ready for Christmas. Brad transferred from Banner Estrella ER to the Banner Mesa Corporate office which allowed me to quit my job with Banner Health after 8 years to stay home with Bobby. We've had a blast and with Brad's new hours we have been able to spend more time together as a family.

Mesa Temple Lights

The lights were great this year as always. Brad took special pride in one tree in particular since he got to help hang lights this year. He thinks his tree was the best lit tree in the whole place. Who can argue with that?

This Sunday was the ward Christmas program which was wonderful. We also had a family milestone.... Bobby sat through the entire sacrament meeting. This is Bobby in his Christmas sweater in the backyard after church.

The Gift

A friend from work gave me an awesome book since I am now staying home with Bobby. It has all sorts of activities for toddlers so we decided to try a few out. Me and Bobby made a pencil holder for Daddy to take to work. It all started with a can and some masking tape and he was supposed to cover the can in tape and then cover the tape with shoe polish to make it look leathery. I couldn't believe that he was actually doing it so I had to break out the video camera as proof that he did this all by himself......and then it was all over. He was having more fun being on camera than doing his project.. check it out.

All in all, it took us 5 days doing a little at a time but we finished it in time for Christmas. It now sits proudly on Daddy's desk at work.

Christmas Day

Christmas was great this year filled with lots of family traditions. We opened our PJ's on Christmas Eve and went for a drive around the neighborhood to look at lights and we had omelets for breakfast with yummy homemade salsa (thanks to the Finches).

When we went downstairs on Christmas morning Bobby went straight for his cozy coupe car and wouldn't get out of it the rest of the morning. We ended up having to hide it so he would finish opening his presents. He also got a lot of little cars which he carries with him everywhere he goes. After everything was all done we went outside to the garage to make sure Santa didn't leave anything out there and sure enough there was one more present.... a shiny new red sports car!! Not for Brad..for Bobby (or so it would seem)

Salt Lake City
We went to Salt Lake the end of the month to celebrate my dad's 60th birthday. It was neat to have the whole family together for this special occasion.

This was Bobby's first time in the snow so my dad and brother Josh went to the DI to buy him a snowsuit (isn't it snazy?) and little snow boots (girl snow boots). At first he couldn't walk because of all the gear and kept tipping over but after a while he got the hang of it.

Christmas 2009

2009-12-17T20:27:00.003-07:00

Bobby went to see Santa and did great all the way through the line. We talked about what Santa says ("Ho, Ho, Ho") and everything was going great.....until he sat on Santa's lap!

Naughty or Nice??

Naughty....definitely naughty!

Fall Activities October 2009

2009-11-07T22:02:00.039-07:00

Fall is such a fun time of the year. Its just starting to cool down, below 100 degrees that is. Last year for Halloween Bobby was a monkey and he was dying hot in his outfit so this year we tried to be more practical and dressed him up as Bobby Jones the golfer. Brad picked it out of course.

Trunk-R-Treat 10/17/2009

My dad was in town during trunk r treat so he got to see Bobby in his costume got to take him to a few "trunks". Bobby wasn't very interested in collecting candy but he did like running around the church parking lot all night pushing his golf clubs around. He walked around in the costume parade but only by force!

Fall Festival at School 10/23/2009

Bobby has been attending school 3 days a week while me and Brad are at work. They did a nice little Fall Festival with games, cookie and pumkin decorating and of course a jump-a-roo.

Fire and Safety Day 10/24/2009

Fire and Safety day is always a fun event for our family. They let you get inside the fire trucks, see lots of cool desert animals and then watch the helicopters take off. Although we missed the helicopter this year Bobby got to get in the fire truck and see some creepy crawlers.

As it turned out, Daddy managed to be in charge of taking Bobby on the fire truck and left Mommy to be in charge of the creepy crawlers. I was a good sport and did it in the spirit of "safety" day but, for heavens sake Bobby, stop tapping the glass!!!

Pumpkin Patch 10/24/2009

We took Bobby to a pumpkin patch this year to get his pumpkin. He got to go on a pony ride while we were there. He didn't say or do much on the ride but he did not want to get off. He even held onto the saddle like a big boy.

Then Daddy took him on a train made out of old oil barrels that had been painted like a lady bug. Daddy barely fit in the barrel with Bobby but we were scared that Bobby woudn't stay in the ride and might try to jump out!

Halloween 10/31/2009

Carving pumpkins was interestingt his year. Bobby tried to help but mostly just made a mess of seeds all over the entry way. He liked the candle inside and kept telling mommy it was hot. "Hot" was one of his first words, go figure! Its always hot here.

Me and Brad dressed up like Caddy's for our little Bobby Jones. He went to 3 or 4 houses and then just pushed his golf club around the yard the rest of the night. He liked seeing all the other kids in their costumes.

Every year I make chili, which is my mom's tradition, and we set up chairs in the front courtyard with friends and family and pass out candy. This year it was my brother Jake, Granny (Brad's mom), Chris and Jessica.

Kauai, Hawaii September 2009

2009-11-07T22:02:00.013-07:00

We went to Kauai, Hawaii this September. We stayed in our condo so we had a little kitchen, living room, bedroom and a washer and dryer which was very convienent with the little guy. The last time we were here I was about 4 weeks pregnant with Bobby so technically its Bobby's 2nd time here although the activities this trip were totally different from our last trip. Even though we were busy running here and there me and Brad were able to schedule some relaxation time by the pool, we just had to take turns doing it during Bobby's nap times.

We went on a boat ride to the fern grotto and then to a luau. This is a picture of Brad and Bobby at the grotto. It was very humid there. Bobby like the boat ride there though.

We spent a lot of time at the different baby beaches were they have taken lava rock and built a wall around little beach area's to shield them from the waves. It was really nice because the water was only about 18 inches to 3 feet deep and very calm. We went and bought Bobby a little boogie board so he could catch some waves.

We took a drive up the mountain to one of the highest points where they have Hawaii's version of the Grand Canyon. We had to pull over several times cause I kept getting sick on the winding roads. We also saw a ton of different waterfalls around the island.

We went on a train ride and fed the animals on the plantation. Bobby didn't think it was fair to give all the bread to the goat, so he had a little taste. I'm not sure how fresh that bread was but he didn't seem to mind. You can also hear Bobby barking at the goat. ("Hoo, hoo. Hoo, hoo.")

Even though it was a very busy trip for us and a long plane ride with a teething 17 month old the memories will last us a lifetime. We can't wait to go back!

P.S.

Check out this suntan!

Salt Lake City, Utah September 2009

2009-11-07T22:01:00.015-07:00

We took a trip to Salt Lake City this past September to go to Swiss Days. If you aren't familiar with Swiss Days, its held in Midway, Utah and its a huge fair with handmade crafts. Its really neat and some of the money goes towards a missionary fund. It was fun to walk around and see all the different things that people made. While we we up there for Swiss Days we stayed at my family's cabin in Midway. Bobby had a great time running around outside and playing with his cousins Kenlee and Mollee although his favorite part was going on 4-wheeler rides.

Bobby loves playing with his cousins so much that he didn't want to go to sleep. He would have stayed up all night to play with them (and he practically did!)

While visiting in Salt Lake we also got to take a trip up to Brad's grandparents cabin in Parleys Canyon. Bobby loved it there as well. He likes being outside and had blast going across the little bridge over and over again.

It was nice seeing all of our family but the next stop on the vacation train was KAUAI so it wasn't too hard to leave!

San Diego, California August 2009

2009-11-07T22:00:00.015-07:00

This August we went to San Diego California to visit Granny (Brad's mom) and Grandpa. We did lots of fun things while we were there like the beach, Sea World, San Diego Zoo and Lego Land (twice!).

The Beach:

We visited the beach our first day there and played in the sand and on the playground. We found out quickly that Bobby + popsicles + sand = a very big mess.

Bobby was the messiest kid there but no doubt had the most fun.

Sea World:

Bobby had a great time at Sea World. We sat front row at one of the shows right when we first got there and we all got soaked! Bobby didn't like that very much but he was a good sport. We played at the little kid park where they had this giant foam padded play pen. Bobby loved it because he could run and jump and build things with giant foam blocks.

Bobby got to feed the sea lions and when they barked at him, he barked back. He didn't want to leave. When we got him down to walk away he threw a little tizzy fit but it was so darn cute we just laughed.

This is mommy and Bobby walking through a polar bear cave.

Bobby liked Shamu and the show, he actually paid attention to everything that was going on. I think he liked the music more than anything because he was a dancing machine.

When we went to the area where the star fish were at I was pointing out the fish to Bobby when he stuck his finger in the water and then into his mouth for a little taste. He didn't seem to mind the salt water because then we back for another taste...and another.

San Diego Zoo:

Bobby didn't care much for the zoo, he wanted to get out and walk around rather than sit in his stroller. He wasn't too sure about all the animals but he got a churro which made it worth the trip. He did like the sky ride that took you from one end of the zoo to the other. He thought that was pretty neat. He even managed to throw a few things from the ride. No doubt some lucky animal got a taste of a grahm cracker. This is Bobby driving the safari jeep.

Lego Land:

Lego Land was Bobby's faviorite. Me and Brad had never been there and it was a alot of fun for us too. Bobby kept going up to the figures made out of lego's trying to figure out if they were real. Here's Bobby checking out Bob the Builder's tools.......then he decided to tell him "No!"

We went on some of the little boat and jeep safari rides, he really like those because he could drive turn the steering wheel. We talked the lady running the jeep safari ride into letting Bobby go 3 times in a row so he could ride with Mommy, Daddy, and Granny. She went for it so we didn't have to stand in line over and over which was good because as soon as we took Bobby off the ride he threw a fit. That seemed to be the theme of the night. Everytime we took Bobby off of a ride he would start bouncing up and down crying. There were a few rides he didn't make it on because he was 3 inches too short at a whopping 33 inches.

We did one ride where you got on a fire truck and your team had to drive the truck to one side of the track, put out the fire and then drive back. Me and Granny had that truck going so fast Daddy had to shut off the camera just to save Bobby from getting tossed around the place. We were determined to put out the fire and we won 1st place out of 5 different trucks.

Bobby had a really good time at Lego Land, we stayed way past his bedtime since he was having such a great time. He was a little trooper, still running around as the street sweepers were trying to kick us out of the park. We can't wait to go back when Bobby is a little taller and doesn't have to stand on his tippy toes to meet the height requirements to get on the rides.

Bobby 15 Months (8/2009)

2009-11-07T22:00:00.001-07:00

These are some pictures of Bobby from August when he was 15 months old. He had just gotten his first haircut the week before so he was stylin in his new do.

At 15 months Bobby could say:

Hot

Sct, sct, sct ( short for Scooter)

Ma ma

Da da

After he got his pictures taken the manager of the store asked if we would sign a waiver so that they could nominate Bobby's picture for the cutest kid contest. Of course we agreed. This picture below is the one they picked for the contest.

Wiggles Concert

2009-07-27T20:54:00.001-07:00

Sorry this is posting so late, our computer crashed and took all our pictures with it. We are getting bits and pieces of pictures here and there but unfortunately we have not been able to retrieve the pictures from the Wiggles concert yet. Hopefully I will be able to add them later because they are as priceless as the memories they hold!

On 7/27 I took the day off to spend with my little man. We went to lunch, went to the bank to open Bobby a savings account, and then off to the Wiggles Concert.

We had 5th row tickets so we were very close to all the action, dancing and singing! Some of the Wiggles even came off the stage and said hello to Bobby. Some of the other kids there had obviously been to a Wiggles concert before because they brought dog bones for Wags and roses for Dorothy.

Bobby just liked to dance to the music and he bounced along and clapped with all of the songs.

Bobby's favorites are Wags The Dog, and Captain Feather-Sword. He got a T-shirt when we left the concert which ended up being way too big so we will have to hang on to it for about a year or so.

1st Haircut

2009-07-27T20:54:00.000-07:00

Bobby went in for his first haircut on 7/25/2009 when he was 15 months old. He was so brave and didn't even cry. He got to sit in a little yellow car with a steering wheel and watched The Wiggles on his own little TV. We lost most of our pictures and videos when our computer crashed but thank goodness these ones survived.

I know this seems like alot of video but trust me, its not even the half of it. I think we enjoyed this experience more than he did. Our baby Bobby looks like a little boy now..

These video's might not be in the right order but they are darn cute!

Talking on the phone

2009-07-27T20:53:00.000-07:00

Somehow we get the feeling that we talk on the phone too much!!!!!

Bobby see, Bobby do!!

Park with Dad

2009-07-27T20:52:00.002-07:00

Dad and Bobby spent the day playing on the golf course at Granny's house. I think Daddy is gromming Bobby to be a caddy so he has a golf buddy.

Pasta Dinner

2009-07-27T20:52:00.001-07:00

Bobby loves dinner time. He is a really good eater and will usually try just about anything. He doesn't seem to like green beans but other than that, he's game for anything new and interesting.

We made Lasagna one night and Bobby really enjoyed his meal. He had Lasagna in places we didn't even think was possible. He would eat it and then rub his messy hands in his hair where the pasta would dry out and crumble all over the place. It was a mess to clean up, when he was done he went straight for the tub!

4th of July

2009-07-27T20:52:00.000-07:00

We had a great 4th of July weekend. Me and Bobby spent July 3rd in Anthem at the splash park and had a great time. Granny also joined us for some splash time and her and Bobby had fun playing on the playground. Granny brought lots of fun things to do like beach balls and other great toys. Later Granny took us to get a smoothie, one of Bobby's favorite things.

On July 4th we went up to the lake and had fun on Granny's boat. Bobby got to be captain for a day, he liked to climb the stairs in the boat and play with the buttons.

Bobby also got to honk the horn, over and over and over and over... well you get the idea. He had a blast!

Later that day we went to the ballpark to enjoy some water activities because it was very hot. Daddy took Bobby down the slides and through the tunnels where they both got really soaked.

We later let Bobby run around in the warm up area for the pitchers... and no... we are not getting our hopes up, it was just a nice way to release some energy. This boy never stops! We ate some ballpark hotdogs which Bobby loves and then had to leave early because it got a little too toasty.

We had a great weekend and did lots of fun activities. These next pictures are Bobby getting ready for church. We are so thankful for this beautiful country that we live in and all the freedoms that we enjoy. We are grateful for our military men and women who love and believe in freedom for all of God's children. We have many family members who have served this great nation and many who are currently serving. God Bless to each and every one of you, and God bless the USA!

Sharing Cookies

2009-07-27T20:51:00.000-07:00

Bobby has become quite the little snacker. He loves fruit, veggies, and cookies. This is a cute video of Bobby sharing cookies with ....yep.... you guessed it... SCOOTER!

Fathers Day 2009

2009-07-24T21:27:00.000-07:00

Father's Day, June 2009

For Father's Day we spent time outside enjoying some family time. Bobby likes to splash in the waterfalls and has even learned to get out of the pool all by himself! It's once he's out that he really needs supervision. He likes to get into everything from dirt and rocks to bugs.

Bobby walked around all day saying "Da, Da, Da, Da"

Swimming Lessons

2009-07-24T21:12:00.000-07:00

This June Bobby took swimming lessons through the city of Peoria.

He learned to splash with his arms, kick his legs, hold onto the edge of the pool, jump in on the count of "3", and blow bubbles. He was a little grumpy during his lessons because we had an unusually cold June so the water was a little chilly and it was cloudy every night.

My first trip to the zoo!

2009-07-09T20:28:00.000-07:00

June 2009,

We took Bobby to the Phoenix Zoo for the first time. The weather was nice and cloudy so it wasn't too hot. He had a great time. We went to the petting zoo area where he followed around the goats. He found one that he particularly liked, it was hiding behind a little shed and was kind of grumpy. I think he reminded Bobby of our grumpy little dog Scooter. Bobby wanted to touch him and play with him but the goat kept ducking his head trying to shoo Bobby away. If he still had his horns it would have been a pretty defensive move but thank goodness there were no horns! Bobby didn't care, he just wanted to sit and chat for a while.

Bobby liked the monkeys. When we got to their area he just stared and stared at them. He liked to watch them hop around from tree to tree. He especially liked the chimpanzee's, there was a baby one about this size that kept jumping into a burlap sack and rolling around. This is a picture of Bobby watching the animals, and yes folks, he is licking the hand rail. Gross, I know.

When he saw the rhino he got all excited and started kicking his legs. Mommy doesn't know what the rhino says so for the sake of moving things along and keeping things interesting we concluded that the rhino says "rrraaaarrr!"

When it was time to cool off we went to the splash park in the zoo and played in the water. Bobby had a good time but there were a lot of kids bigger than him. He got pushed around a little, shed a few tears but had a good time anyways. They had a little cave where Bobby liked to go in and splash. The problem was so many kids kept running through he was getting tossed around in the all the commotion.

Bobby's first zoo trip was a success. We went to the gift shop and bought a book about all the animals in the zoo that we read every night before bedtime. His favorite page is the one with the monkeys, wolves, lions and rhinos (probably because these are the only animals we know what sound they make). He also picked out a new friend, a little green spider monkey stuffed animal with a purple sweater that says "Phoenix Zoo". Bobby likes to sit in his room at bedtime and talk to it and poke its nose while he falls asleep

Popsicles

2009-07-02T20:11:00.000-07:00

We have learned a few things this summer:

#1 Bobby loves popsicles

#2 Popsicles are very messy and must be eaten outside

#3 Scooter loves popsicles too

#4 Bobby is learning to share

Bobby sure loves the summer time.

Fairmont Princess - Dad's Birthday

2009-07-01T20:55:00.000-07:00

In May for daddy's birthday we had a little weekend getaway at the Fairmont Princess in Scottsdale. We spent most of our time playing in the kids pool and relaxing. Daddy took Bobby down the waterslide at the hotel, I think he liked it more than Bobby did. We tried it once with the life jacket on... because you can't be took careful. The next time we got a little wild and did it with no life jacket. Brad slowed himself down by sticking his feet out against the slide. He suceeded in not only slowing them down but also getting a major "rug" burn on the bottoms of his feet. Check it out....

We took Bobby on a few walks where he could run around on the golf course and chase the ducks. Suprisingly enough we also got a chance to take a nap. The rest was much needed and well deserved for Mommy, Daddy and Bobby. We even got to see Bobby's Aunt Tiff when she stopped by for a little visit. Thanks Aunt Tiff!

When we got home from our little trip Bobby was very giddy. I think he was delirious from all the fun in the sun!

Mothers Day 2009

2009-06-20T15:36:00.000-07:00

Mother's Day 2009

We had a wonderful mothers day. Daddy made a nice breakfast and we went to church. Here's a couple pictures of me and Bobby getting ready to go.

One of my gifts from Bobby was some pictures for my office. I miss him so much while I am at work so him and Daddy decided to suprise me with some pictures. Earlier that week Daddy took Bobby to the mall for pictures and then took Bobby out to lunch. He's such a great dad to do all of that on his own with a wiggly little toddler! Daddy even picked out the outfit all on his own which makes the pictures even more special to me.

Salt Lake City, UT May 2009

2009-06-18T20:59:00.000-07:00

We went to Salt Lake thi May for Kenlee's baptism. Kenlee is Bobby's cousin who just turned 8 years old. Bobby was well behaved during the whole thing and got to watch her get dunked (a few times). It was really neat to be there for his cousins special day. Afterwards we went to Chuckarama for lunch where Bobby went to town on the buffet. He especially loved the scones with honey, rice pudding, and macaroni.

While we were there we spent some time at Grandma and Grandpa Blodgetts house. Grandpa took Bobby out in the backyard where he had fun picking up leaves and sticks, and swinging on the swings.

Bobby starting walking during this trip! (5/3/2009)

We were in Grandma and Grandpa's kitchen and he starting going back and forth between Mommy and Grandpa. Everyone would clap for him when he made it safely to the other person. After a while, he would make it into their arms and then look around for his applause. Its been down hill ever since. We are so happy that he is walking around and exploring everything, its so much fun!

We went to visit Bobby's Great-Grandma, Ree, and Great-Grandpa, Haw. Bobby got to watch Haw's train go around and around the track. He thought that was pretty neat.

Bobby sure loves Ree, she played the guitar and sang, two of Bobby's favorite things to do.

Bobby had a play date with his second cousin Andy. Andy's mom, Amber, is Daddy's (Brad's) cousin. Bobby and Andy are almost the same age, Andy is just 2 months older than Bobby. I am sure they are going to be great friends someday.

They played with some toys out on the lawn but weren't really sure what to think about each other. They both ended up in tears but the pictures don't lie... Bobby definitely started it!

They did have some good moments, I am just not sure we caught any on camera!

This is Bobby and his Great-Uncle AJ (Walkowski). Look at those blue eyes! These baby blues are definitely a family trait!

After such a busy weekend we were sad to leave our families but glad to get back home to sunny Arizona where it was nice and warm. And even though Bobby looks super grumpy, he actually had lots of fun with his cousins and family.

Baby Expo

2009-06-18T20:34:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago we went to a Baby Expo where they had lots of fun displays and things to do for Bobby. They had "the fastest crawler" contest, rocking horse riding, music, fashion shows, and lots of fun toys to play on. Mommy and Bobby got their picture taken for the cover of a magazine too.

Ok...so not really but it was sure fun!

"B" is for Bobby's Beach Bash

2009-05-29T22:23:00.000-07:00

Bobby has his 1st birthday this month on 4/24/2009. He spent the day with Mommy and Daddy, Grandma and Grandpa Blodgett, Uncle Josh, Aunt Mindy and his cousins Kenlee and Mollee. Bobby had his "Fun to be 1" hat on all day long. Kenlee and Mollee were great helpers and fed Bobby his birthday breakfast and then we had lunch at Chili's.

The next day, Saturday, he had a "Beach Bash" pool party with his friends and family. We had lots of things that started with the letter B like Balloons, Bubbles, Ball Park Franks, Burgers, Baked Beans, Berry Punch, Brocolli, Bananas, Berries, Beach Buckets w/ Bubbles, Balls, Beachwear, Big Bird and Barbie stickers, and finally the letter "B" and "b" cakes. The most important thing at the "B"day party of course was our little Bobby.

It was alot of fun the weather was perfect. There was 12 little swimmers in the pool and playing around in the backyard. Everyone had a good time including the birthday boy who was a trooper all day long.

This is a video of Bobby and his maracas. He loves music and anything that makes noise. He received alot of fun big boy toys to play with.

Singing Happy Birthday in English and then in Swedish is a Theobald family tradition (Brad's mom's, mother's side)

Bobby eating his cake. Uncle Josh says that his birthday party was alot like the day he was born. "All these people just standing around looking at me waiting for me to do something cute"

All in all it was a great day and we sure had a fun birthday party with lots of fun presents and toys. Grandpa Blodgett says if we all would have bought stock in Toys R Us we'd be rich.

Easter 2009

2009-05-27T21:53:00.000-07:00

Bobby celebrated his first Easter this year. He wasn't really sure what to do with the eggs but he finally decided that banging them on the table was pretty fun. Its a good thing they were hard boiled.

He also liked to play with the shredded paper grass from his Easter basket. He managed to imbed it in every crevis of our carpet, rug and couch. But, nontheless, it provided hours of fun.

This is Bobby and Mommy getting ready for church on Easter Sunday and then a few other Easter pictures.

Our Little Creepy Crawler

2009-03-10T19:59:00.000-07:00

February -

We have had an eventful month. We took Bobby to the Dr for his 9 month check up and he is in the 97% for height at almost 31 inches and 41% in weight at 20.6 pounds. Bobby started eating solid foods which was kind of an exciting, new venture for us. This video is his first real meal. He wasn't quite sure what to do so he just smacked his lips alot. Scooter (the dog) was sure about one thing...lots of food on the floor for his dining pleasure.

Bobby has also learned a new trick... CRAWLING! He is all over the place and Scooter is not so sure about Bobby's new found freedom. Scooter is very protective of his toys and his food so we have had to move all of that to behind a gate where Bobby cannot get to it. Bobby is doing good at sharing his food and toys with the dog. As for Scooter.... he's trying really hard but still has a long way to go! Bobby also likes to clap for himself when he does a good job and shake his head "no, no, no".

We went to a church activity where they had a petting zoo. Bobby liked the ducks and the donkey. He especially liked to pat the donkey really hard over and over. I'm not so sure the donkey liked it very much but Bobby had fun.

March -

Me, Brad and Bobby all did a 5K Heart Walk this month along with some good friends of ours and some people from work. It was a great way to spend a nice sunny day. Bobby was a trooper and enjoyed getting some fresh air. This picture is Bobby and his friend Tyler getting ready for the trek.

We took Bobby to his first major league spring training baseball game. It was the Sandiego Padres versus the Oakland A's. We did the lawn seats and were able to spread out a little blanket and enjoy the nice warm weather. After the game one of the A's players gave Bobby a baseball from the bullpen which now sits proudly in Bobby's bedroom. Daddy and Bobby got to run the bases after the game with about a thousand other little baserunners. It was alot of fun and Daddy made sure that Bobby touched every base. By the end of the day Bobby had reached his "fun" limit and was ready to call it quits.

Puerto Vallarta January 2009

2009-02-14T19:35:00.000-07:00

January 2009

Bobby took his frist trip outside the US this January. We went to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico for 4 days. We spent alot of time with Muffy and Pops om the beach and at the pool. It was Bobby's first experience with sand, he wasn't quite sure what to do with it. He liked to wiggle his toes around in it and squeeze it in his hands. When we were at the hotel we had a little sun bed out overlooking the beach. It was perfect for Bobby to take naps on...Me and Muffy liked it too! The hotel had a little swimming pool for kids, Bobby loved standing in the pool and splashing with his hands or laying on his back and kicking his legs. He's our little fish!

We had quite the adventure riding the bus through town and trying to walk the cobblestone streets with his stroller. We never realized how dirty everything was until we had Bobby there with us. We kept wiping him down with baby wipes and hand sanitizer, people must have thought we were crazy! The women there all loved Bobby's blue eyes and they kept kissing him.