The Pacifier

Jo tried the pacifier one more time in hopes that she would like it more than her thumb. 

Voila! She acts like she has never tasted anything so good!

The Thumb

 

Not ideal. It is hard to get rid of a thumb when a child grows too old to be sucking it. And in our culture, thumb sucking in grade school is just not well accepted... unfortunately she forcefully spits out the pacifier every time.

Happy Birthday to Me Part Three!

This may seem like an excessive amount of celebrating for as insignificant as a 32nd birthday is, but it is my FIRST birthday as a mom...and I love frozen yogurt! So Mom, Jo and Pepper took me out to The Blue Palm and we ate to our hearts content. Thank you everyone for the best birthday yet! 

Happy Birthday to Me Part Two!

Jo used flagging for the bow. How did I snag such a man?

Keeping an eye on the mallard

Canwell 4 generations

Wyman 4 generations

Birthday brunch with the Grandmas, Mom and Dad, Keith and Nancy, Christina and Mike,  and Jo and Pepper was the next part of my fun day. Biscuits and gravy, hashbrowns, muffins...the best food ever! I feel so loved!

Happy Birthday to Me Part One!

My birthday started out bright and early with an amazing run with Jo up the Southfork trail. Oh, and my chapstick bouquet was pretty cool too! Yes, I am addicted and my husband knows me well.

E & P

Sherisa, Broc, and Emmarie came to Walla Walla for a quick visit so we planned a Sabbath afternoon lunch at Bob and Kerri's. It was so fun to see how much little E is growing and wonderful to sit and visit a bit. They even came out for a late evening tour of the house! I am grateful for such wonderful friends.

Blue Eyed Girl

Happy Birthday Grandma D!

Jo and the girls met at Dairy Express for Grandma Dorothy's 89th birthday. Yogis, supers, BLTs and ice cream....yummm!
I sure hope that I age half as well as my Grandmas have!

The Baby Jogger

 

Jo once again proved his amazing deal finding prowess by finding the stroller we needed on Ebay. It is an amazing stroller and tall enough for Jo. Most importantly, though, Princess P loves it!

The Ladybug

A Rare Lazy Summer Day

Due to the hectic nature of our life right now, Jo and I rarely find an opportunity to just chill. One quiet afternoon we decided to take Pepper outside to look at the trees. This is her favorite activity right now and after laying beside her and watching with her, I can understand why. We stayed out there all afternoon enjoying the warm summer day.

Keeping an eye on those crazy dogs.

Basking nudie

"Come on, let's play, let's play, let's play, let's play...."

Harvest

The beautiful sea of wheat surrounding our house has been harvested. It has been neat to watch it go from little shoots to golden stalks. Too bad houses don't mature quite that fast... Jo has been working like crazy to put up the fascia. Not an easy job considering the height of the roof at the back of the house. It looks amazing, of course.

Fackenthall Self Portrait

Good thing Jo is a rock climber.

Start of the fascia.

P is loving the photo shoot.

My Girl

I was telling Jo that I do not have many pictures of Pepper and I. It is my own fault, since I enjoy taking pictures I am always on the other side of the camera. Ever since I filed my complaint, Jo has been awesome at stealing the camera from me and taking lots of pictures. Here are some of me and my beautiful little girl.

Giggles

I have never heard a cooler sound than Pepper laughing. Now we spend all our time trying to get her to do it again!

Concentration

Development of the nervous system is pretty amazing. At three months old, if she concentrates hard enough, she can get one hand to sort of do what she wants it to do. Each day she gets a little more coordinated.

Happy Birthday Great-Gumby!

Pepper had the honor of having her 3 month birthday on Great-Gumby's 85th birthday. Not only that but it was Grandma and Grandpa Canwell's 40th wedding anniversary that day too! We are so thankful for all of these milestones!

Here is a cute video of Gumby singing to Pepper. Sorry for the random conversation in the background. Jo and I don't know how to stop talking.

Back on the Trail Again

We were excited that Grandpa Lee offered to babysit so that we could do a run up Southfork. It felt just like old times...except that 6 miles felt like 15 would have a year ago. Jo and I and the dogs were giddy, taking in the scent of pine and loving the challenge of the trail. The pause was worth it, but so glad to be back out there!

Jubilee

We really enjoy heading up to Jubilee Lake when it gets hot here in the valley. It is a pretty little lake with a nice trail around it and every time we go there I wish that I was camping. We had a great walk and Pepper loved it! We forgot a sunhat so Grandma Pat found a bandana to cover her bald little head. She looked pretty cute, but now she wants a Harley for her birthday.

Safety Belts...and Bucket Seats

Due to an improved ability to wiggle, we finally had to start using the seat belt to keep her safely in the chair.