A Visit to the Fire Station

Today, we toured Keller Fire Station #4 to celebrate the birthday of one of Isaac's friends!

I didn't tell Isaac ahead of time that we were going to the fire station.  This morning, I went into Isaac's room and started to wake him up.  His eyes were still closed as I said, "Today we're going to the fire station..." and, before I could say anything else, Isaac sat straight up in bed and said shouted "to ride the firetruck with Uncle Miiiiiiiiiiiiiiiike!" 

(I have no idea how he makes Mike's name last soooo long!)  :)

I explained to Isaac that Uncle Mike is in Colorado, but that we still would get to see firemen who do the same kind of work that Uncle Mike does.  Isaac was excited, to say the least!

Watching Fireman Trevor put on all his gear while the Fire Captain gave a quick talk on fire safety

Up into the firetruck!

We had a great morning at the fire station...but I'm pretty sure that Isaac thinks nothing would top riding in a firetruck with his Uncle Mike! 

(Let's put that on the bucket list, Mike!)  ;)

Emma Victoria: 6 Months

Six months old!  How can it be?

As bittersweet as it is for me that Emma's first 6 months have already passed, I am also excited that the 6 month mark means that Emma's adoption can be finalized.  We are so grateful that this baby girl will soon be forever ours.  Her court date has been set, and next month we will be celebrating her Gotcha Day!

Emma's highlights from the past month are...

--Starting to play in the Exersaucer! 

--Babbling, babbling, babbling! 

In the past week, Emma has started babbling with "b" and "d" sounds, and just yesterday I heard "ma ma ma ma!"  To me, this is very exciting, since Isaac exclusively said "Dada" for 6 months before beginning to say "Mama!"   ;)

--Riding in the jogging stroller

--Eating food!  So far, Emma has tried rice, applesauce, bananas, squash, and carrots.  She seems to prefer the orange vegetables the best!

First bites from Daddy!

--Learning to hold her own bottle

Right after I snapped this picture of Emma holding her bottle, Isaac started to make Emma laugh.  I love how she's laughing at her brother in the next picture (even though you can only see Isaac's legs).  :)

--A visit to Minnesota for Auntie EmEm's wedding shower!

We squeezed a lot of fun into our quick weekend in Minnesota!  Besides having a wonderful time at Emily's shower, we did lots of wedding shopping and visited my Grandma Dolores.

Four Generations at Emily's shower

Just like last time, Emma was a great airplane traveler.  As we were boarding our flight to Minneapolis, a flight to London was boarding at the gate next to ours.  An older man, who was waiting to board for London, asked if he could "borrow" Emma so that he could board his flight faster.  I think I'll wait a "little longer" before she travels internationally.  :)

All snuggled up in the Moby wrap and ready for the flight!  I love her sweet smile.

Happy Six Months, Emma Victoria!

Wordless Wednesday: Staying Cool!

Happy 60th!

Life hasn't slowed down for a second since we got home from Colorado. The evening we arrived home from our trip, my dad let us in on his plans for a surprise birthday for my mom the following Friday night.

My mom's actual birthday was last Wednesday, and to make it appear that I was "trying" to plan something special for my her birthday, I invited her to have lunch at Central Market.  I also invited her friend Kath to meet us there as a surprise to my mom.  (Unfortunately, I don't have any pictures from our lunch together!)

Keeping my mom in the dark about her party was not easy!  Emily & Caleb had already made plans to visit Texas last weekend for one last trip before their wedding.  My mom knew they were coming, so we told her that we were planning a small family dinner & swimming at her house on Friday night. 

My mom's party wasn't a surprise in the sense of everyone jumping out and yelling "surprise"--but friends and family just kept coming into her house. :)

My parents and many of their friends at the start of the party...I think my mom still looks surprised!

Dave & my cousin, Nate, grilled for everyone, and my sister made chocolate & strawberry cakes!



It took a few people working together to light all the candles, even though there weren't quite 60! :)



Happy Birthday! 

Her friend gave her this necklace that said "clearly a classic!"



How could I resist adding this picture of Emma at her Mom-o's birthday party?  ;) 

It was a great night!  Happy 60th Birthday, Mom!  We love you!

 We had a lot of fun swimming and spending time together the rest of the weekend, since Emily & Caleb didn't fly back to Minnesota until Monday.



Our Vacation to Colorado

I am finally getting a chance to post about our family's trip to Colorado!  We had a fantastic week! 

Part of the reason that it has taken me so long to share our pictures is that I made a Shutterfly book with all of them.  Instead of blogging all the details of our trip, I am sharing our Shutterfly book in this post.  If you'd like a shortened version, here are a few of my favorite pictures from our trip! 

Visiting Great-Grandpa Rinn in Loveland

Trail Ridge Road in Rocky Mountain National Park



beautiful rainbow when we arrived at Snow Mountain Ranch

two serious bug hunters!

Visiting Papa & Nana in Steamboat Springs!

one very muddy cowboy after the "Ram Scramble" at the rodeo!

Click here to view this photo book larger

Photo Book Tip: Create an adventurous travel photo album at Shutterfly.com.