Memorial Day

Memorial Day was celebrated with a picnic joined by Chris' mom and best friend from childhood, Shane. We had sandwiches and chips. Hallie was delightful to watch as she played on the park equipment. In the evening, Chris' mom watched the baby for us while we went with Shane to see Pirates of the Carribean: At World's End. When I watched the previous installment of Pirates I was pregnant with Hallie and I recall her kicking me throughout the course of the movie. It was fun to reflect on that as I watched the movie tonight. Although I loved going to the theater, I can't believe how much I missed my little baby (she was asleep when we came home). Looking at these pictures makes me wonder how I ever had Memorial Day (or any holiday) without her.

Nightlife baby

My brother, Mark, sent these pictures of Hallie taken last week when he treated us to Chili's. She acted like she was so cool. She even had her own ice water in a "sippy-cup" with straw. Although we brought her toys, her favorite thing to do was annihilate the mini-menu.

Territory Days

One of my favorite aspects about Colorado Springs is the rich history of the Pikes Peak region. Between Old Colorado City and the restored section of Victorian homes downtown, tangible signs of the late 1800s are frequent. Territory Days is an annual celebration that celebrates the history of Colorado Springs. Chris and I took Hallie to the festivities on Friday. Parking was difficult but we enjoyed it nevertheless because it required us to walk past streets filled with houses built at the turn-of-the-century. We decided next time we attend something this crowded we need to use the "baby backpack" instead of the stroller. There was endless amounts of fried foods but we opted to leave and eat the Giuseppe's salad bar instead. Here are pictures of Hallie with each parent as we were leaving the fair. Our timing was perfect-- it started to rain just as we pulled away.

Hallie and Brooklyn

Luke and Ashley came to visit last night. We were so excited to see them and particularly their darling baby Brooklyn Nicole. Ashley and I grew up together. They found out they were expecting their first baby one week after we did. We went through almost our entire pregnancies together until I moved right before having Hallie. Now our two girls are one month and one week apart (Hallie being the oldest). It was delightful to watch the girls interact. They constantly wanted to touch each other's faces and arms. Hallie repeatedly stole Brooklyn's pacifier. Brooklyn was undaunted and happily stole it back.

They are about the same height. Brooklyn has more adorable baby "chub" and Hallie has longer legs. Hallie seems to be more verbal while Brooklyn is bursting with energy and eagerly crawling from place to place. Hallie was more content to hold her feet and repeat "Mo-ma, Ma-mo, Ma-ma."

Tubby time

Here are some cute photos from Hallie's tub time yesterday. She loves taking a bath. In fact, I can't recall a time when she has ever cried while in the tub.

You can't hide cute

Mark came bearing pictures last night. We are always so happy to have pictures of our niece Amanda. She will be two this August. Amanda will always be special to us because she was the first baby of the new generation of the family. Plus, she has a dynamite personality! Here are our favorites of Amanda Leigh with her Daddy, "Gampa," and a duck.

The great toe smash-down

Yesterday, as I was doing laundry, I set our ironing board on its side next to the washing machine. As I wrapped the iron cord I inadvertantly sent the two foot plank of solid wood directly onto my toe. I didn't even know it fell until I felt the immense pain. As the picture shows, the bruising and bleeding compliment my pedicure. Thankfully I can bend it. As of now, it only hurts when touched which is major improvement from the breathtaking ache of yesterday.

Brotherly love

My older brother Mark is in Denver this week for a business trip. Last night, he took our family to dinner at Chili's and then hung out with us until the wee hours of the morning. Although Chris and I love Colorado, we really miss Mark and Karen (as well as other family and friends). It was especially fun when we were at school in Idaho because Mark and Karen were a three hour drive; sometimes we saw them once a month. They are expecting their second baby, Joseph, this October. We are so excited for them.

Temper, temper, temper

Hallie is getting a temper. We went to see Daddy at lunch today. She was sitting on his desk happily playing with his school supplies when she spotted a thick Sharpie pen. She stretched her hand out and when she couldn't reach it she screwed up her little features and released a shrill squeal that made her little body shake. Chris and I can't believe she is there already. She is such a sweet baby and has a happy disposition-- but apparently she knows what she wants!

Alma mater

Chris was just hired to teach Spanish at his high school alma mater! He says it is bittersweet because he thoroughly enjoys the middle school that he is currently at. The students are enthusiatic and the staff is friendly. However, this does seem like a great opportunity to teach at a higher level and gain more experience. In addition, his new principal was honored as the National Educator of the Year for 2007. Needless, to say that is a great honor and says a lot about who he will be working with.

I will take the chance to brag a little. Chris is such a gifted teacher. In his first year teaching he was recognized by the school district and the city newspaper for his exciting, innovative techniques. Teaching isn't a job that is known for high salaries but he willingly invests himself in his teaching plans and genuinely loves his students. We get stopped at the mall and the grocery store by students saying "hi" and zealous parents who rave about how their children love his class. Chris gets slightly embarassed by the attention but I love it; I am extremely proud of him. When you watch Chris teach there is no denying he has a gift for it-- and I think his students receive a great gift by having him for a teacher.



Chris' College Graduation- December 2005

Sunday morning sleep

Sunday mornings are great. Hallie is finally sleeping through the night but her alarm clock goes off as soon as sun reaches her little eyelids. That means at 6am she is ready to eat. I slip into her room, quietly feed her, and place her back in her crib. I stalk back to my room and collapse back into bed. Sometimes Hallie falls asleep again but most times she just pretends. Today was one of the "pretend" days so Daddy got up, closed our bedroom door and went to entertain her while I slept in! It was glorious. Chris says he can always tell that I enjoy sleeping alone because within minutes I have conquered the entire bed so that there is no room for anyone else. When I finally ventured out of our room, Chris heard me open the bedroom door. He called out "Mommy, we are in here," from the baby's bedroom. When I reached it, Hallie was sitting on her couch with Daddy kneeling beside her on the floor. I said "Hi, baby girl!" and her chubby face lit up and her mouth formed a big 0. After I picked her up she looked down at her Dad then did a little giggle/squeal (let's just call it a squiggle) and attempted to hug me (which actually meant she smashed her face into mine and flattened her arms onto my shoulders). Right now she is napping and Chris and I are relishing the fact that church doesn't start until 10:30. Which actually means we need to get ready-- FAST!

Saturdays are Daddy days

Saturdays are great days because Hallie has Daddy to play with. She is always overjoyed when she realizes she has two parents. Since Chris works two jobs he sees a glimpse of Hallie in her crib in the morning and then one half hour of her at night. This morning Hallie could hardly contain her excitement that Daddy was home with us. When she gets that excited she does a sharp inhale and makes a funny noise. Even though we were at the dentist at 7am (Michelle had some tooth pain), Hallie was happy as ever because Dad was holding her.


On another note...
This afternoon (after Chris finishes work) we are going to Canon City to visit with Hallie's Grandma Judy. It is Grandma's birthday on Monday. Then, next week Hallie's Grandpa Skaggs turns the big 5-0!

Remote controls

I had often heard the addage that babies enjoy giftwrap more than the gift. I didn't realize how many other household items would take precedence over Winnie-the-Pooh-- like the remote control for instance. The quickest way into Hallie's heart lately is to hand her a long stick with buttons on it. Her other favorite toys: the cell phone, the regular telephone, paper (particularly receipts), plastic wrappers of all sorts, and sunglasses.

Hallie's photo shoot in the grass

It was beautiful weather outside so I took Hallie out for some pictures. She loved it at first until she heard the scary sounds of a "weed-whacker." Afterward she was much more hesitant.

Welcome!

Welcome to our new family blog. Our purpose for this blog is to keep you informed on the happenings of Chris, Michelle and particularly of our growing baby girl, Hallie.

We are currently living in Colorado but in two weeks we depart for California for the summer. Chris is finishing his last week of his first year of teaching. Michelle is getting the apartment prepared for our trip. Hallie is squealing with delight at her favorite things: toys, being outside, and anything with lights. She is also squacking with dismay at anything she doesn't like: waiting for her baby food container to be opened, waiting between bites of baby food, and not being looked at all the time.