One Groggy Lunch

Evie's Birth Mom is going to college!  Hooooooray!  We are seriously so proud of her and can't wait for her to start her new adventure.  Beau and I both LOVED our college years and we hope that Savannah finds plenty of enjoyment during hers.

Savannah took a day to meet with some advisors, take a campus tour, and find housing.  We were lucky enough to have the time to meet up with her while she was there.  We were also delighted to see her mom, brother, and sister too!  

We went to lunch together at a place called Grogg's.  We all loved the food, but I think we loved spending time with each other even more!

We love this young lady SO MUCH and we are so glad she is part of our plan.  She's one of the angels in our life . . . that's for darn sure!

Time For The Big Baby Bed

Why do our little ones grow so fast!?  Our little Evie Doll has officially grown out of her bassinet.  She's graduated to the bigger baby bed, most commonly known as a crib.  We finally found this to be a necessary step when Evie woke herself up three times one night because she had scooted to the end of the bassinet and started kicking it.  She had completely run out of room.  I mean, she only had about 1 inch to spare.  When I heard her wake up and could tell she was kicking the bassinet, I immediately got up and scooted her back up, but it didn't last.  I felt horrible the next morning that she couldn't get a good night's rest because her bed was too small.

I know that some people think that it's plain old ridiculous to keep your baby in her bassinet AND in your bedroom for 3 months, but we couldn't help it!  We absolutely LOVED having her near to us.  You should have seen our sad faces in our room when Evie slept in her crib for the first night.  It has taken some getting used to . . . that is for darn sure!

I thought it would be fun, or rather interesting, to pull a similar picture from when Evie was only 3 weeks old and compare it to now . . . 3 months old.

Little Evie - 3 Weeks Old In Her Bassinet

Little (but slightly bigger) Evie - 3 Months Old
Her Last Night In Her Bassinet

Is that kind of crazy, or what!?  Her 3-Week picture isn't the greatest because I didn't capture the whole bassinet, but it's definitely clear to see there is quite a growth difference.

Then, I thought you might want to see her morning progression once we wake her up.  We un-swaddle her and she always takes a GIANT stretch (or five).

Stretch, Evie Girl!

Here's a good shot showing how she fills up this little baby bed.  She's got her arms that easily stretch from side-to-side and her foot pressing up against the bottom edge.  How did she grow this fast????

Time for the crib! I'm too tall for this thing!

 And, all throughout her stretching, we get beautiful smiles like this one!  What an angel!

Somebody Found Her Thumb

Evie will often suck on her hands as she tries to self-soothe herself.  We always know she is tired when she starts rubbing her eyes and then sucking on her hands.  She sometimes sucks on just one or two fingers, sometimes the top of the hand, and in this case . . . she found her thumb.  We thought it was so cute that we couldn't resist taking a picture of her.

And, then she woke up and continued to make us smile.  She loves to just lay down and kick her legs (she's bound to be a swimmer or a soccer player by the way she moves . . . it's amazing).

Here she is playing, blowing bubbles, showing off her cute belly, wondering what in the world I'm doing with this camera contraption, and pushing off on her feet.  She's figured out how to put her feet down and push off.  

And, here she is showing off her beautiful eyes.
What a beautiful baby girl!

Packing with Scouts in the Uintas

Beau had the exciting opportunity to take the Varsity Scouts on a backpacking trip in the Unitas (August 2 - 4).  This trip took A LOT of planning and preparation to make it happen.  Next to work and family, preparing for this trip consumed most of Beau's extra time.  The good news is that the planning and preparation paid off because the trip was a huge success.

This is the "starting line" for all of the backpackers.
From Left to Right:  Kaden Miller, Jordan Hicken, Nathan Gray, Joe Osmond,
Zack Leloux, Nick Edlefson, Tristan Maupin, and Cam Roberts

Beau and Bret Pierce were able pack horses/mules into camp.  Here's Bret and his load.  This helped
to lighten the load of each backpacker, plus take in MUCH better food.  I think everyone was
SUPER happy that they didn't have to eat dehydrated food for every meal.

Here's my handsome Beau with his load.  Beau loves to pack and he's gotten to be mighty good at it.  He ties his loads securely on and hits the trail.  Don't forget to notice that our Codee girl got to go on the campout too.  

This picture is a little blurry, but it captures the fun that Beau had with his good friend (and fellow scouts leader) , Cam.  Beau and Cam woke up early one morning and these two had the lake to themselves.  Being naturally competitive, Cam and Beau continued to work hard to pass the other one up with the number of fish they caught.  I've spoken to both and I don't know that I really ever found out who the clear winner was, but they both said that it was neck-and-neck the whole time.  They had a ball!

Here's Cam with one of his catches.

Here's Nathan (one of the scouts) who caught the biggest fish.

Here's a look at some of the scenery, as well as the horses as they were let out to pasture for a little dinner.

I had to show this picture because it shows off my gentle giant, Tiny.  Doesn't she look good out there?
I also love how Beau's shadow made it in the bottom-right corner.  

Here's Swasey Lake - The lake they hiked to and then spent 2 nights and 3 days.

Here's the group as they make their way out of camp.  

The trip was a lot of fun.  Beau said that he's had some of the scouts asking if they can go again . . . which I think is a GREAT sign that the trip was a smashing success.

They only thing Beau says he would do differently next time is . . . stay an extra day! 

Check Out Those Toes!

Evie loves watching her toes and feet.  We're not so sure that she's figured out that those moving toes/feet are actually attached to her and she's the one making them move.  Regardless, she loves to watch them wiggle and can be entertained by their movement for quite some time.  I gotta say . . . I'm pretty impressed with her form.

Evie Loves Sophie the Giraffe

Evie has a new friend.  It's Sophie the Giraffe (we did not name the giraffe; it came with the name).  Sophie has a little bell in her belly and when we give her a shake, Evie can't help but be mesmerized.  She will sit and follow Sophie for quite a while.  Evie will even just sit and stare at Sophie . . . right in the eyes.  It's been the cutest thing to watch.  Evie recently started reaching out for this cute giraffe and will sometimes grab and/or hug it (as you can see).  So cute!

By the way . . . perhaps you will be interested to know that Evie giggled today.  She's kind of giggled before, but today there was no "kind of" about it.  She full-on giggled.  It was the most infectious giggle ever!  She brings SO much joy into our lives.

Look At That Lip

Evie fell asleep in her bouncer (which she loves to hang out in) and one of the times that Beau peaked at her, he saw this cute face.  The picture doesn't REALLY do it justice, but she had sucked her upper lip right underneath her lower lip . . . making that lower lip just stick out.  It was too cute.  We also LOVE her chubby cheeks.  Just in case you were wondering . . . they get kissed ALL day long.