Graves-Funke Family

Summer Vacation 2011

2011-11-14T21:26:00.001-08:00

This summer we got to take a long trip to Southern Idaho for my 10 year class reunion. The reunion itself was pretty lame, but we packed a whole lot of fun into our week long trip! Hadrian was about two months old so everybody was really excited to meet him. He got to meet his great grandma and great grandpa Hurley in Idaho Falls.

Alma and her cousin Brynly got to spend lots of quality time together. They played together at the play-place in the Mall and went swimming in the tub!

My entire family was home this week so one morning we loaded up all 8 of my Mom's grandkids and took them to the zoo. Alma had a lot of fun growling at the animals. Alma also got to celebrate her second birthday . . . a third time, with all of her cousins! There was lots of back yard swimming involved. This is how we found out how much Alma loves the water. Every time she thought nobody was looking she was scooting as fast as her little arms could push her toward the pool.

During our trip we took two days and went on a mini-vacation with just our family. We drove to Island Park and spent the night at Brenda and Travis's cabin, which was so lovely. This allowed us to drive into Yellowstone twice. The first night we hung out in West Yellowstone and did some shopping. The next day we went in and visited the wolf and bear reserve. Then we spent a few hours at Old Faithful, which was awesome, because both kids fell asleep while we were there so Dan and I got to walk around all of the trails and really enjoy our day. We also got to visit the paint pots, but then we had a major diaper explosion so we had to cut that short.

When we got back to my parents house we loaded up the entire family for an afternoon at the Pocatello city pool. Once again, Alma had an absolute blast! She and her cousin Bryn had a lot of fun splashing around together.

After the pool we had a small family reunion that consisted of my family and a few of my aunt's and their families. Here is a great photo of my whole entire family!

Alma's Casts

2011-10-17T20:27:00.001-07:00

This summer Alma had her third operation on her feet. This procedure was much more invasive than her previous surgeries and was quite involved. We went to Shriners on Sunday night so we could be there bright and early for surgery on Monday morning. My Mom came up to stay with us so that she could take care of Hadrian while Dan and I stayed with Alma. That was such a blessing! I don't know how we would have done it without my Mom being there. We stayed at the family housing facility at Shriners in Spokane. Talk about amazing. It's just one short walk away from the surgical floor at the hospital. Alma was in the Operating room for about four (very long) hours. She had to have an epidural to control her post-op pain, which was also very stressful. She was in casts for four weeks post op, but was also in casts for about four weeks before she had surgery. Basically, she spent the majority of the summer in casts. She is doing really well now and her feet look better than ever. We hope this will be her last surgery, and even though she can rock a pair of hot pink casts like nobody else, we hope these will be her last casts as well!

Alma Turns Two . . . Take Two

2011-09-24T21:54:00.000-07:00

This year the Shriners Circus happened to be the weekend after Alma's birthday. Since we LOVE the Shriners, we decided to go. We thought it would be a bit of a gamble, taking a two year old to the circus not knowing if she would sit and watch. We anticipated the possibility of leaving halfway through or even earlier. Because it is such a wonderful cause we decided to go anyway. We invited Dan's parents to join us and were so happy to be wrong about Alma! Not only did she watch the entire Circus, I think it was the most exciting thing that has ever happened to her! She loved the acrobats and the lady who had 50+hula hoops going at the same time. The animals made her laugh. And when the motorcycles came out and rode around in a cage, well, she got so excited she had to cover her eyes with Dan's coat.

Dan's parent's came over for dinner before the circus so that Alma could open their gift to her. It was an awesome table and chair set with a singing tea pot. Alma and her Papa Beej had a lovely tea party together!

Alma Turns Two!

2011-09-22T22:29:00.000-07:00

In June Alma celebrated her second birthday! Her actual birthday wasn't the most exciting evening since Dan and I had to work but we did have a very private party for her in the evening. We invited our dear friends, the Jarolimek family, to our house for a pancake dinner. At the time pancakes was one of the only foods that our very picky eater would actually consume. So it was pancakes and eggs all around! At the ripe old age of two Alma is very interested in books. Her favorite activity is story time and she frequently comes scooting our way with a book in her hand. She loves to sit on your lap for a good story. In the spirit of this most of Alma's birthday presents were books. We also bought her her very own couch to sit on while she reads. This wasn't such a huge hit, as it turns out she is afraid of Lightning McQueen. Luckily, with time she has gotten over that!

Here is Alma and her Auntie Gretta enjoying a good book!

Harper thought he would help Alma open up her gifts, which was good, because she kept getting distracted by trying to eat the tissue paper.

Hadrian looks on, longingly, waiting for his first birthday party.

Alma, relaxing after the party with a good book on her new couch.

I baked red velvet cupcakes for Alma instead of a cake. I really do not think this was such a great idea. Turns out, red velvet cake and two years old children is somewhat of a recipe for disaster :) Happy two years to my little cupcake!

Alma and Oliver

2011-09-22T20:25:00.000-07:00

Alma is really into Sesame Street right now. We have acquired several videos and one of her favorites is titled "The Best Pet In the World." Ever since she started watching this video we have been walking around singing the Best Pet song and telling Alma that her kitty, Oliver, is the best. Clearly, kitties don't come any cuter than this! She can bite him, pull his tail, or climb on top of him and all he does is purr.

Hadrian's First Solid Food . . .

2011-09-22T20:17:00.000-07:00

Was a huge success! This was some boring rice cereal, but now he is eating bananas, strawberries, corn, carrots and even oatmeal. We make all of our own baby food with my handy-dandy Magic Bullet which will puree just about anything in seconds!

2011-07-06T21:03:00.000-07:00

On May 6th, 2011, at 4 p.m. I graduated from my Master of Social Work program! It was a very exciting day that I have been working towards for the past three years. My parents came up, and my brother Nate was even able to attend the ceremony. After the formal ceremony, in which I received my hood, we came back to Genesee and our friend's, the Jarolimek's, joined us for dinner at the Brass Lantern. I can not think of any other way I would have spent the night.

Pictures here include: Hooding ceremony, family photos, and a shot of me and my three best friends from grad school, Katherine, Erin, and Rachael.

About two weeks after graduation I took my licensing exam, and I passed! What a feeling of relief. Henceforth, I shall forever be known as Darci M. Graves, LMSW.

Little Elephant Baby!

2011-07-06T20:46:00.000-07:00

Baby in a Box!

2011-07-06T20:41:00.000-07:00

Hadrian's Baby Portraits

2011-07-06T20:13:00.000-07:00

The same friend who wanted to take my maternity photos also wanted to take baby pictures of Hadrian. She took them all at our house and did such a wonderful job. Hadrian was exactly 14 days old, and absolutely beautiful.

Front-pocket shirts

2011-07-04T19:32:00.000-07:00

Two of a kind!

Easter 2011

2011-07-04T17:36:00.000-07:00

This year we had a very low-key Easter, since little baby Hadrian was only about a month old. We spent most of the day napping, and then went out to Grandma and Grandpa Funke's house for dinner. Hadrian got to spend some time with his Godmother, Lacey. Good times were had by all.

Pregnancy Photos

2011-06-02T20:43:00.000-07:00

While I was pregnant with Hadrian a friend of a friend asked if I would be willing to "model" for some photos. She is an aspiring photographer and is trying to build up her portfolio. Of course I said yes! She came to my house and did a photo shoot and got some really great photos. I am so happy to not be pregnant any more, but it is kind of fun to look back at the big belly. I especially loved the photos she took of me and Alma.

Hadrian Patrick Graves-Funke

2011-03-22T19:55:00.001-07:00

Born March 19th at 12:53 PM, weighing in at a whopping 8 pounds 1 ounce, and a lengthy 20 inches. He has a full head of beautiful black hair, giant hands and giant feet. We were excited to welcome him here after a mere 18 hours of labor! We are super excited to have him and couldn't be happier to bring him home healthy and happy.

Who wouldn't want to stare?

2011-03-10T18:29:00.000-08:00

If I were this cute, I would spend time staring at myself too! One of Alma's new games it to make faces at herself in the mirror. She is starting to grow up, she no longer waits for us to bring entertainment to her, she knows where it's at and rolls to it herself! Every morning before we leave the house, she spends at least five minutes in front of this mirror making faces.

Teeth!

2011-03-10T18:24:00.000-08:00

Almost a whole set! According to the dentist, she is only missing her two year old molars.

Alma loves the bump . . .

2011-03-10T18:00:00.000-08:00

She likes to sit on it, rub it, whisper secrets to it, and when it kicks her . . . she smacks it right back.

Snow Days

2011-03-10T17:53:00.000-08:00

Our winter was pretty mild, until the beginning of March! In a matter of three or four days, we had at least three feet of snow. The roads were horrible, all of the schools were closed, and I had to drive through a blizzard unlike anything I have ever experienced. Dan took this opportunity to build Alma her very own Igloo in the back yard. It was a lot smaller than the one we built several years ago, but then again, Dan did have to build this one on his own. It lasted for more than a week before it collapsed on a very sunny Saturday afternoon.

Merry Christmas 2010!

2011-01-08T17:53:00.000-08:00

Christmas day we spent the morning at home discovering all the wonders of wrapping paper with Alma. She really wasn't very interested in the actual gifts - she mostly wanted to eat the paper. Eventually we were able to entice her into playing with her new kitchen and dishes, a ball popper, and various other fun new toys. Uncle Nate came over to open presents with us, and we enjoyed an awesome breakfast of Belgian Waffle's in the new waffle maker that Santa brought.

In the afternoon we joined the Funke family for Christmas at Dan's grandparents house. It was a lot of fun - almost the entire family was there, we were only missing three people! Alma got to play with her cousin Audrey, spent lots of time playing ball with great-grandpa Fred, and snuggling with her godfather, Uncle Matt.

Christmas Eve 2010

2011-01-08T17:23:00.000-08:00

This year was our first Christmas in our Genesee house. We decided to stay home as a family, and had a very lovely day. We spent most of the day cooking yummy Christmas treats, went on a long wintery walk, and bottled our Apple Cider! Our friends, the Jarolimek family, joined us for a very simple steak dinner and chocolate fondue. We let Daddy open his present from Alma early since I knew he would have a lot of fun playing with it, and his new remote control helicopter was a total hit. It entertained the whole family all afternoon. Playing Santa was a lot of fun this year! We even got to fill my brother Nate's stocking because he was planning to spend Christmas morning with us.

My parents sent Alma a very special present - a copy of 'Twas the Night Before Christmas that is read out loud on a recording by my Dad. My Dad reading us this story is a big family tradition, and now one that my kids can enjoy from far away.

Alma watching Daddy fly his helicopter around.

Dan and Alma were equally surprised and excited to open this gift. I think this is one of my favorite pictures - EVER. The look on both their faces is priceless, but that look on Alma's face is hilarious.

Winter Fun

2010-12-10T19:03:00.000-08:00

This winter we have been getting mounds and mounds of snow. This has given us a lot of grief, driving on bad roads. But also a lot of fun spending time with Alma outside. Once we get her completely bundled up, she enjoys going on long walks in the snow. Sometimes in a sled, sometimes she rides with Daddy in the pack. Doesn't matter, she is an adventurous little baby.

She really wants to get as close to Daddy as possible . . .

2010-12-10T18:39:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving 2010

2010-12-10T18:29:00.000-08:00

This year we had a very low key Thanksgiving. We spent the day at Dan's grandparents house with a few relatives. It was a nice, relaxing holiday, and the first year that Alma got to eat Turkey Dinner. She absolutely loved it! She had Turkey, mashed potatos and gravy, green beans, and some of Grandma Pat's homemade flax-seed rolls. Delicious!

Halloween Fun!

2010-10-31T20:03:00.000-07:00

This year we did all kinds of fun things for Halloween. Alma dressed up as Princess Leia, and Neil went as Yoda, which was extremely adorable. We only took her trick-or-treating to a couple of houses before returning home.

We each carved our own pumpkin - well, actually, Dan carved three pumpkins!

We had to buy Alma a Halloween outfit to wear to her day-care party. She also wore this outfit to Shriners one day and got all kinds of compliments. I made this cute bow one afternoon with my little sister.

At Shriners this week Alma got her very first pair of colored casts - bright orange for Halloween.

Alma had a little Halloween party for some of her friends. We frosted Halloween shaped cookies, made spooky masks, and played "Monster" games.

Apple Mash 2010

2010-10-31T19:41:00.000-07:00

After weeks of working on his cider press and picking apples, we were finally ready to press apple cider. We invited all of our friends and spent the afternoon in the yard. Even the rain couldn't keep us away! At the end of the day everybody took home about a gallon of fresh cider, and we ended up with two full carboys of juice that Dan plans to make into hard apple cider.

Applesauce!

2010-10-31T19:34:00.001-07:00

We have apples coming out of our ears! We have baked pies, cakes, tarts, strudels, and made apple butter, apple sauce, and eaten at least ten pounds of just plain apples. Next year, we are going to invite people to come and pick their fill!

Adventures in Food

2010-10-31T19:25:00.000-07:00

Alma is almost completely done with baby food. She is really into eating blueberry bagels, pesto rolls from the co-op, and french toast is her absolute favorite! She is also starting to drink out of mom's cup. It doesn't matter what I am drinking, whatever I have she wants to drink. She is growing up so fast!

Cider Press

2010-10-23T08:40:00.000-07:00

One of the biggest reasons Dan loves our new house is the Orchard. With five fruit bearing Apple tree's it has been apple-mania at our house. We have made applesauce, apple dumplings, apple cakes, apple pies, and now we are going to make Apple Cider. Dan did a lot of research on cider presses - but the ones he wanted were all over a thousand dollars. So, what's an Engineer to do? Build his own, of course! Dan designed and built this bad boy for under $200. That doesn't include his time - which is very valuable, so really I think his cider press is invaluable. He did a really beautiful job, and we can't wait to get it working!

Harvest Time!

2010-10-03T18:15:00.000-07:00

Our new house has an amazing orchard. We have four apple trees, a pear tree, and a plum tree. They are all very developed and mature, but they do need to be cut back and sprayed next year. We have been very much enjoying harvesting our crop and Dan has been working very hard on his cider press. In a few weeks we are planning a big party to make apple cider, but this weekend we did a trial run and made some pear cider. The Jarolimeks and the Terry's joined us, so we had a total of seven kiddos totting/running around! Everybody got a turn so it was lots of fun.

Alma is starting to discover solid foods - and this was her first s'more. It was a very messy endeavor, but she was very happy about it.

My first attempt at Pear Honey. A little thicker than I wanted it, but divine.

Our Plum harvest!

Harvesting apples! Tons, and tons, and tons of apples!

Why yes, it IS a boy!

2010-09-27T18:34:00.001-07:00

Roadside Pit Stop

2010-09-17T20:43:00.000-07:00

Over Labor Day weekend we decided to head down South to visit my family. We stopped at the beach in McCall to stretch our legs and take a break. Dan and Alma ended up going for a brief swim in the Lake. We all had an excellent time!

A Mini Getaway

2010-09-17T20:17:00.000-07:00

These pictures are kind of old, but still very fun. This summer we had a very early morning appointment in Spokane so we went up the night before and got a hotel. We stayed right on the river and were able to walk to River Front Park. We enjoyed walking in the park, eating out, and taking Alma on her first Merry-Go-Round.

VACATION!

2010-08-19T21:03:00.000-07:00

Last weekend we took a few extra days off and went to Mazama, WA with the Jarolimeks. Gretta found us a lovely cabin for rent right out in the woods. The resort had a private lake, a swimming pool, and an awesome hot tub. Mazama is near Winthrop WA which is a western themed town that was lots of fun. We had homemade peach ice cream, lots of fresh fruit (we were in fruit country!) went on hikes, bike rides, and had all kinds of fun. We also got to celebrate Dan's 30th birthday! Here are a few fun photos.

A Bun in the Oven

2010-08-19T20:52:00.000-07:00

Dan and I are very excited to announce that we are expecting a new baby! Starting in March we will have two little bundles of baby to love. This is the photo that I sent my mom to see if she would figure it out. It only took her a second, but my sister on the other hand, she didn't get it :) It's true what they say about baby # 2 - your belly pops out three times as fast! I didn't have a belly like this with Alma until 5 1/2 months along.

Pool Time

2010-08-08T17:35:00.000-07:00

Since our first trip to the pool we have been going on a fairly regular basis - Alma is a natural born water baby!

A Cupcake Party!

2010-07-13T18:45:00.000-07:00

Most of you will remember that I had a VERY stressful pregnancy. When we were dealing with all the difficulties and stresses we always said that when Alma turned one we were going to have a HUGE party. After all, it was taking an insane amount of work and stress to get her here. So, a few weekends ago, we did just that. We threw Alma a rocking party and invited just about everybody we know. The party was cupcake themed, because we always say that Alma is so cute we could eat her just like a little cupcake. I made Alma a cupcake quilt, baked a giant cupcake cake, served regular cupcakes, had a cupcake pinata, and for party favors the kiddos got to paint little cupcake shaped ceramic piggy banks.

Finger food aplenty! We had little sandwiches, fruit, veggies, and chips!

The GIANT cupcake!

Alma is gearing up to mow down on some cake.

Turns out, Alma was afraid of her cake.

Opening presents was loads of fun. All the kiddos gathered around and helped out. She got sooo many cute things, including some cupcake shoes, cupcake building blocks, a cupcake apron, and some hot pink cowgirl boots!

These, of course, were from Uncle Matt.

I think she loved all the wrapping paper as much as she loved the gifts.

All of the kiddos enjoyed painting their little cupcakes to take home.

But I think they loved the pinata even more!

Our back yard is perfect for hosting parties like this. The kids played all afternoon in the sand box and the fort.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ALMA!!!!!

Finally, we have internet again!

2010-07-13T17:05:00.001-07:00

At long last, our internet is connected. We have been in our new house for one month and Dan has been battling with FirstStep Internet since before we moved in. At least we have it all set up now - I was having some serious withdrawls! As promised I am loading pictures as quickly as possible to keep all you Alma junkies happy. Here are some snap shots of the past month.

Alma's first trip to the swimming pool:
Last weekend Dan and our friend Brian went on a backpacking trip in the Enchantments (pics to come) so Alma and I had a girls weekend. We spend one very lovely day with my friends Kat and Rachael and their wee one's Tyler Junior and Kaylee. We met up at the Farmer's Market in Moscow, spent some time at the pool, and then went out for lunch. It was a very lovely day! Alma is a natural in the water and very much wanted to swim away from me! She splashed away until she got hungry and passed out. It was a lovely day.

4th of July:

For Alma's second annual 4th of July celebration we decided to take a trip to Elk River. We attempted to visit the 3000 year old tree, but we got completely lost on the mountain and never found it. So, instead we had a picnic at the lake and took Alma for her first huckleberry ice cream cone. For those of you who don't know, Elk River is famous for their huckleberry items. Dan's very favorite is ice cream in the world comes from Elk River. She only had one lick before she freaked out about how cold it was. When we got home we enjoyed the most AMAZING dinner I have ever had courtesy of Gretta J. It was a fantastic cajun shrimp boil that I am still dreaming about. . .

Fathers Day:
This year we celebrated by having the J-crew over for dinner. I baked a lovely boston cream cake for Dan to enjoy. Of course, he chose to eat it in bed. Alma turns ONE!!!!!

On June 15th - just three days after we moved in to our new home, Alma turned one year old. This is pretty incredible. The last year has flown by and its been a whirlwind of fun and craziness. We wouldn't trade it for anything and are very much looking forward to year number two. Alma's party was planned for two weeks after her actual birthday, but we took some 1 year old photos to commemorate. Happy Birthday Alma-J!

Neil Turns ONE!!!!

Alma's baby friend Neil was born exactly two weeks before she was. They are best buds and go to day care together every day. Neil's birthday party was loads of fun and I have to say, I have never seen a baby demolish a cake quite like that before. Alma after eating some of Neil's frosting.

Neil, after eating an entire cake!

Can't get enough sleeping baby!

2010-06-06T21:19:00.000-07:00

Slinky Time

2010-06-02T20:46:00.000-07:00

I found this slinky while I was packing for the move and handed it to Alma. She has been going nuts over it ever since. It is the perfect baby toy - you can chew on it, and bounce it up and down at the same time. Baby bliss.

Memorial Day Fun

2010-05-31T21:56:00.001-07:00

This year for Memorial Day weekend we decided to take a much needed break from all this house buying/selling/moving stress and go visit our friends on Guemes Island. We left Friday after work (Alma travels well at night) and drove to Seattle. We spent the night at a lovely hotel downtown and since Dan gets a corporate rate they upgraded us to a Jacuzzi room. We thought it would be comical to take pictures of Alma bathing in a giant tub. Saturday morning we had brunch with my friend Melissa, who lives in Seattle, and then went for a walk in Volunteer Park. You can climb to the top of the old water tower and look out at the whole of Seattle. It is higher than the Space Needle.

Guemes Island!

Two of our good friends, Bob and Heidi, recently moved from Crested Butte, CO back to the pacific northwest. They are living on Guemes Island which is one of the many San Juan Islands. It only takes about five minutes by ferry to get there from Anacortes. It's a beautiful little Island, and we were excited to visit because they have been telling us about it for years. It rained most of the time, but that didn't matter we still had fun. It was great to see good friends and visit a new place. The Ferry launch in Anacortes, WA.

Hunting for Agate's on the beach.

Alma has a new habit of pulling her socks off with her teeth and chewing on them.

Happy girl!

Bob and Heidi's beautiful cabin.

A VERY happy girl. Pike Place Market!

On our way home from Guemes Island we stopped back in Seattle to take a break from driving and hang out at Pike Place with my dear friend Melissa. It was a really good time, and we even took a picture of Alma with the pig

Summer Walks

2010-05-21T20:44:00.000-07:00

Every day Dan and I take Alma on a long walk. We find that she sleeps much better when she gets plenty of fresh air. And, we all know that sleep is VERY important! Last Sunday we walked from Dan's parents house to his grandparents house. It's a nice long walk around lots of beautiful fields. The best part was visiting Grandma and Grandpa Funke at the end of the walk.

Snack Time

2010-05-10T20:49:00.000-07:00

Every day on the way home from work Alma eats two rice crackers, one on the way up the grade and then another about the time we hit Genesee. Today, she only made it through half the second cracker before she passed out.

Pancakes

2010-05-10T20:31:00.000-07:00

On Mother's Day Dan got up early and made pancakes and eggs for breakfast. Alma enjoyed munching on the pancakes - even though most of them ended up in her diaper!

Bubble Bath

2010-05-10T20:25:00.000-07:00

Bath time is one of Alma's favorite times of day. No matter how cranky she is a nice warm bubble bath will always make her giggle. Our only problem lately is that she likes to steal the wash rag and eat it.

Cutest Baby Ever!

2010-05-10T20:21:00.000-07:00

Baby Feet!

2010-05-06T20:31:00.000-07:00

It is becoming increasingly difficult to find footless pajamas for Alma and in my frustration I finally broke down and started cutting the feet off of regular pajamas. I swore I would never do it, but there you have it. Alma wears cut-off pajamas. It always makes me sad cutting the footies off because they are always so cute. I had to preserve these ones at least long enough to take a picture! She loves her feet!

Look at That Face!

2010-04-27T21:29:00.000-07:00

Alma Sized

2010-04-25T18:36:00.001-07:00

We have been doing a lot of work on our yard this weekend and on our last trip to Tri State we couldn't resist this adorable Alma sized bench. She feels like such a big girl sitting in it all by herself!

PS Mom - Please don't yell at me when you see that Alma has no socks on! It's impossible to keep anything on her feet unless her shoes are on.

Sleeping Baby

2010-04-25T18:32:00.000-07:00

She loves this toy so much that she can be totally zonked out and still want to play!

Alma and Audrey

2010-04-10T19:24:00.000-07:00

Alma's little cousin Audrey was baptised today at the Catholic church. It was an interesting experience, never having been to a catholic baptism before. It was lots of fun though - Alma got to see all of her great grandparents and wear a very pretty dress. Here are some photos of the day. Alma and Audrey posing at the church. Audrey isn't quite old enough to sit up yet . . . hence the random arm in the background.

A nice family photo.

Moms and babies. This is Audrey's mommy, Aunt Heidi.

A big family photo. This is both of Dan's brothers, his parents, and his grandparents.

Front Row: Heidi Funke, Pat Funke, Audrey Funke, Marge Hurley, Alma Graves-Funke,

Darci Graves

Back Row: Mike Funke, BJ Schenck, Pat Funke, Matt Funke, Garth Hurley, Annette Schenck, Daniel Funke

Alma and Audrey with both sets of great grandparents. What a special picture!

Doom Chops

2010-04-04T21:09:00.000-07:00

What can I really even say about this . . . Did I really marry a guy who can grow doom chops???
BEFORE: AFTER:

Happy Easter!

2010-04-04T20:39:00.000-07:00

For Alma's first Easter we had a big day planned. We have decided that since we are not really a religious family we are going to celebrate Spring. So, we went out and bought all of the seeds we need for our garden and planted them in our starter greenhouse box. They can stay inside with us until it's warm enough to transplant them outside. We are excited for Alma to get bigger and enjoy this tradition with us! Since Alma isn't really big enough to plant seeds just yet we bought her a baby garden, which turned out to be a big hit. After a big breakfast at the Breakfast Club and planting all of our seeds we went to Deary to visit Dan's grandparents. They were fortunate enough to have every single one of their great grandkids present.

Kole, Gracie, Colton, Audrey, Grandma Pat, Carter, Alma, Grandpa Fred, and Cooper.

Train Show

2010-03-31T18:43:00.001-07:00

Last Sunday I had to work so Dan and Brian took Alma and Harper to the train show in Pullman. I hear it was a lot of fun. Turns out there was a whole room with wooden train track for the kiddos. Dan and Brian built an awesome train for Harper to play with and then they were joined by other kids. Afterwards they all went out to lunch at the Ale House. Gretta and I were sad not to make it! (But not really :)

Oh the Mess!

2010-03-27T21:25:00.000-07:00

Alma is really starting to enjoy her solid food - but dinner time is a very messy time. Most of the time we just strip her down to her diaper and stick her in the tub right after dinner. I am not sure why I left this onesie on for dinner, but I am pretty sure it is ruined. I couldn't resist taking some pictures of the cuteness!

A Visit from Aunt Mardyne

2010-03-27T21:21:00.000-07:00

This week we had a very special treat - my Aunt Mardyne came to our house for dinner! This was very exciting because nobody from my extended family has ever been up North to visit me. Well, she was actually in Lewiston for some meetings, but was able to visit us and it was awesome. Alma was very happy to see her, and sat and played with her all evening. Come again soon!

Alma waves hello to everybody out there in cyber space . . .

2010-03-27T21:13:00.000-07:00

Daddy's Beard

2010-03-27T21:02:00.001-07:00

Alma is at that stage where she loves to grab things - currently, she loves to grab Daddy's hair and beard. She is quite pleased with herself when she gets a good hold of it and Dan is pretty good about humoring her. It is very comical!

Alma's First Bike Ride

2010-03-14T21:41:00.000-07:00

When we found out I was pregnant we immediately thought that we had to buy a bike trailer for our baby. Biking is a big part of our lives and we have just been waiting for Alma to get big enough to sit in the trailer. Today we had a bit of spring fever and decided it was time - so we made the big purchase and went for a ride. We didn't go very far, but Alma really seemed to enjoy it. She is going to be adventurous!

2010-03-14T21:33:00.000-07:00

This weekend the Jarolimeks came over to meet us for Breakfast on Saturday. Breakfast turned into lunch and an entire afternoon of games and good times. Dan pulled out all of his trains for Harper - the electric one and the wooden ones, and we watched movies and played wii. Good times were had by all.

Ready to Run

2010-03-14T21:26:00.001-07:00

Alma's doctor has been having us work with her on standing stretches so we have to help her stand up. This helps stretch her heel cords and is really good for her feet. It is very exciting because her feet are almost completely flat meaning she could almost stand on them if she were able to. One step closer to healthy beautiful baby feet!

A Sunday Snuggle

2010-03-14T21:21:00.000-07:00

Crazy Uncle Nate

2010-03-14T21:11:00.000-07:00

For those of you who don't know my brother Nate moved in with us in December. We like to joke that Nate is a big baby hog because he just loves to snuggle Alma. Every night he plays with her and makes her laugh and then they cuddle in the rocking chair. She loves his beard - she grabs it with both hands and then pulls him towards her face and rubs it on her cheeks. We love having Nate here and love that Alma has an extra person around to love her.

2010-03-02T16:15:00.000-08:00

The other day Alma was sitting on my lap when she suddenly decided that she must see what my jeans tasted like. She sat right up and mowed down, leaving a huge wet blob on my knee. I have to say, it has never occured to me that denim would taste good, but she seems to like it. Maybe it's the texture.

Jenny Jump Up

2010-03-02T12:49:00.000-08:00

Alma got a Jenny Jump Up for Christmas from her GG and GPa, and she loves it! She is so skinny that we have to pad her in with blankets so she doesn't bobble around, but once she's in she laughs and plays. This is a great video!

Happy Feet

2010-02-26T14:37:00.000-08:00

This week I took Alma to see her Doctor at Shriners Hospital in Spokane. We were hoping that he would approve her to start wearing her braces only at night and during naps. For those of you who don't know, this was supposed to have happened in December - but she had to go back into casts instead. Well, the good news was he didn't put her back in casts, but the bad news was he said she needs full time braces for another two months. This was very dissapointing, as Alma hasn't learned to sit up yet and we were hoping that more time out of her braces would help her learn. We are also doing therapy again, twice a day. But, the doctor did say she could have a few hours out of her braces each day instead of only one. I have been taking advantage of this time to put Alma in her Jenny Jump Up, do some exercises with her to help stretch her feet, and of course, to let her play! She loves to roll around with no braces on, she flips her little feet all over the place. I have also taken this opportunity to put these adorable slippers on Alma. They were a gift from my friend MaryLou, and since I think they are the cutest baby slippers I have ever seen, Alma has been wearing them constantly during her shoeless moments.

What beautiful little feet!

8 Months Old

2010-02-26T14:08:00.000-08:00

I know that Alma is 8 months old, but I just can't seem to wrap my head around it. 8 months! I was attempting to take a picture of Alma to commemorate the day, but found it was almost impossible to get her to sit still for one. That pretty much sums Alma up right now - she is constantly on the go! Her personality is starting to emerge and she seems to be taking after me in that she loves to talk and always wants to do something. She loves to play and switches between her activities all the time. She is taking after Dan in that she's generally pretty chill. She only cries when she is hungry, and even then she doesn't usually cry much. She doesn't sleep through the night yet, but when she wakes up she just eats and goes back to sleep. Sometimes she doesn't even open her eyes. Alma is in day care part time now and she loves it. Last week they did pudding painting and we have her first "masterpiece" hanging up in the living room. The day care ladies say that sometimes she plays with the other babies, but when she wants to be left alone she either growls at them or throws her toys at them. She might be little, but she sure is fiesty! Alma is starting to love her solid foods! She will plow through an entire jar of applesauce in one sitting.

When she's tired, she is tired, and she conks right out. Too bad she never naps for more than 25 minutes. I have learned to be VERY productive in less than a half an hour.

She loves her new walker she got for Christmas.

Alma's two favorite activities are sitting in her swing, and going on long walks. It's too cold lately for the Moby, so she has to sit in her stroller, but she loves it anyway. She stares at everything around her and never makes a peep.

We are very much looking forward to the next few months to see how she changes!

A Babbling Baby

2010-02-13T21:47:00.000-08:00

Alma not only looks like me, she talks like me too. For the past few weeks she has started talking more and more, sometimes she even babbles for an hour or more at a time. Every day when I pick her up at day care she talks all the way home - which is a half hour drive. It is so cute, I always ask her if she is telling me about her day. I'm pretty sure she is. I can't wait until she has words and can actually tell me stories. But in the meantime this is pretty stinking cute too.

Alma the Events Committee Chairwoman

2010-02-13T21:26:00.000-08:00

For those of you who don't already know, Alma and I are very active members of the Latah County Historical Society. Every month we spend two afternoons at the McConnell Mansion as docents, and we are very active on the Events Committee. In fact, I am fairly certain that if I showed up to a meeting without her I would be run right out the door! All of the other members just adore Alma, and as a token of their love, they had this onesie made especially for her. Alma wore it today for the Valentines open house at the mansion. She was the hit of the party!

Alma was very excited about the party, and even more excited about the mini cupcakes!

Alma is getting some love from Connie - another member of the committee.

Alma got to make valentines for her grannies at the party.

Tax Season

2010-02-13T21:15:00.001-08:00

When Dan sat down to do the taxes Alma really wanted to help him out, so we put her in charge of the calculator. We thought it would be appropriate since Dan has been practicing her times tables with her every night. She's a natural with numbers just like her Daddy!

*On a side note. I started loading Christmas pictures and never finished. Someday I will finish. Just not today.

Christmas!

2010-01-11T22:24:00.000-08:00

Holiday Fun Part Three

2010-01-06T20:12:00.001-08:00

Dan and I decided that it was finally time to tie the knot - so on December 11th we went to the courthouse with Alma and two of our close friends, Brian and Gretta, and did the deed. It was an absolutely perfect wedding, very casual and laid back. We got married by Judge Judge who did a very lovely job. He said a lot of great things and we really enjoyed him. Afterwards we dropped Alma off with a sitter and went to the Old Post Office in Pullman for a long dinner. We enjoyed good food with good friends and even had wedding cake at the end.

Holiday Fun Part Two

2010-01-06T19:34:00.000-08:00

Because we were heading down South for Christmas we celebrated with Dan's family a little early. We went to his parents house for an afternoon and celebrated by eating a lovely pasta dinner and opening gifts from each other. Alma got a snuggly teddy bear from her Godfather Uncle Matt, a giant giraffe from her grandparents, and the promise of a toy box from papa BJ. Alma had the honor of being the only grandchild - except, of course, for Matt's new dog June.

This year when I asked Dan what kind of Christmas goodies he wanted he said Peanut Butter Bon Bons and homemade Chocolate Covered Cherries. I had a lot of fun looking for recipes and even more fun making a big gooey chocolate mess in my kitchen. Dan helped me roll the cherries and dip them in chocolate. The only problem was that the recipe said it made about 50 and we ended up with about 100. Even after giving them out to friends and neighbors we are still trying to eat them all.

Holiday Fun Part One

2010-01-05T14:37:00.000-08:00

This year we had a very interesting holiday season. We were very excited about Alma's first Christmas, so we celebrated every chance we could get. One of the highlights of early December included going to Dan's parents house to cut down a Christmas Tree. We were a little nervous about taking Alma out, but we strapped her into the Moby and she had a really great time. She loves being outdoors, so she just looked around at all the pretty things around her and was completely happy the entire time. We had a lot of fun when we got home decorating the tree, the mantle, and putting lights up in front of the house. Another highlight was attending the Historical Society's Victorian Christmas party at the McConnell mansion. It was a very lovely affair, Alma got all dressed up, and was certainly the belle of the ball. A family christmas photo!

I really wanted to put Alma in a Christmas box. She really didn't like it much - but we got at least one great picture of her with a semi-smile.

I really love this picture. It is by far one of my favorite daddy/daughter pictures. This was taken at the mansion.

The belle of Victorian Christmas.

Our tree before we cut it down!

Daddy helping Alma hang up her Idaho Vandals oranament.

Dan worked really hard on the lights! The two bright spots on the house are candy canes - they didn't photograph that well.

Our stockings! A family tradition - my Aunt Karla, a.k.a. Granny Annie, makes them for everybody in my family. I have had mine since I was a little kid, but the other two are much newer.

Bedtime Stories

2009-12-02T20:14:00.000-08:00

Every night before bed Alma gets to cuddle with us while we read her a bedtime story. She is just starting to get into story time. Sometimes when we read stories during the day she giggles and laughs all the way through. This is also the time she is most likely to lay on her tummy without crying because she is so entertained. And yes, I am reading her a Thomas the Train book. We have more train themed paraphanalia than anybody I know. . . including a hundred pieces of wooden train track that Alma will probably not touch for at least another year. Sometimes I wonder if the toys are really for Alma or if they are for her Daddy.

Thanksgiving Dinner

2009-11-27T23:32:00.000-08:00

This year we spent Thanksgiving dinner with our friends the Jarolimeks. It was an absolutely delicious meal and a whole lot of fun. Alma was happy the entire day, so much so that she never really took a nap. She enjoyed hanging out with her buddy Neil as well, at one point she even did him a favor and chewed on his fist for him. It was a great time! Dan, Brian, and Neil hanging out after a giant meal.

Alma hanging out in her buddy Neil's walker. She LOVED it.

A quick family photo. Notice the giant wet spot on Dan's shoulder - that is the norm around here now that Alma is teething.

Yummy - Brian and his delicious pumpkin pies.

Alma and baby Neil sitting at their first Thanksgiving dinner table. Alma looks awfully happy!

Alma's first solid food

2009-11-27T23:18:00.000-08:00

Today was a big day in the Graves-Funke household - Alma ate her first solid food. It was just a bit of rice cereal but we thought we would give it a go. It didn't go extremely well, but her first solid food experience didn't go terribly poorly either. Alma and Daddy with her first box of cereal.

Mixing the cereal nice and runny so Alma can eat it.

Trying to get her to eat it through a bottle after the spoon didn't work out.

All pooped out after a big meal and a good snuggle.

Another Birthday

2009-11-27T23:01:00.000-08:00

This year to celebrate my birthday Dan bought us tickets to see the Lion King and it was incredible. The costumes were amazing and the music was great. The best part were the young kids who played Nala and Simba, they were only eleven years old and unbelievably talented. After the show Dan had reservations at the Clinkerdagger complete with red roses on the table. Of course, this was on Saturday before my birthday, on my actual birthday Dan made me dinner and Alma gave me a card. Dan even put Alma's handprint on it for me - he was so sneaky about it I never knew. It was a good birthday.

Alma and her Elephant

2009-11-14T17:16:00.000-08:00

Alma's favorite stuffed animal is her elephant - she really likes to chew on the trunk. Too cute!

She's Going Huntin'

2009-11-14T16:58:00.000-08:00

We saw this trapper hat, and we couldn't resist. It should go well with the gun Uncle Matt keeps promising to buy her for her first birthday, and keep her ears warm in the meantime.

Carving Pumpkins

2009-11-12T18:50:00.000-08:00

This year Dan and I made a whole night out of carving pumpkins - we even ordered a "pumpkin pizza" from Papa Murphy's for dinner. Alma got to wear her pumpkin onesie that GG bought for her, and of course, we took lots of pictures. Dan carved his pumpkin to look like a Dementor from Harry Potter. I carved mine to match the pumpkin face on Alma's outfit. Alma is saying "Hey you, Mommy, put the camera away!"

Three adorable pumpkins all in a row!

I really like this picture because Alma has such a sweet smile on her face.

I really wanted to put her IN a pumpkin, but alas I was too cheap to buy one big enough.

I am sure Dan looks forward to the day when he gets to carve a pumpkin for EVERY member of our family. . .

Homecoming Parade

2009-11-12T18:42:00.000-08:00

This year Halloween happened to be on the same day as the U of I Homecoming game. We invited the Jarolimeks to join us for the Firehouse Pancake Feed and the Parade. We had a really great time, and I especially enjoyed baby Neil dressed up like a dinosaur. After the parade Gretta and I enjoyed mimosa's while Dan, Bryan, and Harper set up Dan's electric train set in the kitchen. Good times were had by all!

Alma's Costume

2009-11-12T18:32:00.000-08:00

For Alma's first Halloween we thought and thought of costume ideas, but none of them seemed great. . . but then one day it hit me, we should dress Alma up as a snowboarder. So we did. We put her in some fleece pants with a beanie hat, and Dan made her very first snowboard (out of cardboard of course) and we tied it to her braces. It was awesome. We took her trick-or-treating at a few family members houses and Mom and Dad enjoyed eating the candy. All in all, her first Halloween was a great success.

Thanks Aunt Rissie

2009-11-01T22:02:00.000-08:00

Before Alma was born my sister painted these awesome picture frames to go in Alma's jungle bedroom. Ever since, I have been thinking about what I wanted to put in them and the other day I had a great idea that I should take some pictures of Alma with all her Jungle animals. Dan and I posed her with her animals, and got some really cute shots. It turned out really well - Thanks Aunt Rissie!

A Wonderful Sunday

2009-10-26T16:10:00.000-07:00

This past Sunday Alma gave her mommy and daddy a very special treat - she slept in until almost 9:00. It was amazing, and even more amazing what you can do with your day when you have had a proper night sleep. To celebrate, we stayed in bed until 10:00 snuggling with Alma, since first thing in the morning is when she is the most happy. Then we got up, cooked a big breakfast complete with fresh bacon and eggs. Then we headed out to Deary for a visit with the grandparents and great grandparents and a long walk in the woods. I love Sunday's.

The Moby Wrap

2009-10-20T21:58:00.000-07:00

Before Alma was born my best friend Jenny bought us a Moby wrap. She had been using hers for several months, and they loved it. At first I wasn't so sure about the Moby, for those of you who have seen them they have about 17 yards of fabric that you wrap around your body a certain way to hold your baby. We tried it when Alma was first born but it didn't work out very well because of her casts. A few weeks ago I pulled it out thinking I would give it another try, and now I am in love with my Moby. It is perfect because you can take Alma in and out of it really easily, she is very comfortable, and I feel like it is very secure. It also has several different holds for different moods. Right now Alma loves to be facing out and we go on long walks every day so she can look around and take in the scenery. It's getting a little colder, so we have to bundle her up but she stays pretty cozy so close to your body. We took these pictures specifically for Aunt Jenny - thanks for the Moby! On another note, this hat is the cutest thing I have ever seen. Everywhere we go, people stop and tell us how cute the hat is. I don't just mean some people - it is ALL people.

Walking almost always puts Alma to sleep. After she gets her fill of fresh air she just conks right out and sleeps until we get home. Sometimes walking in the moby is the only way I can get her to take an afternoon nap.

Dinner Party

2009-10-20T21:43:00.000-07:00

This past weekend we had two of our couple friends over for a dinner party. Since there were going to be a lot of people and we have a tiny dining room we decided to serve nothing but appetizers. We made some delicious sausage dip that my mom gave me the recipe for, as well as some yummy cheese and crackers, apple bacon tartlet, avacado dip, and fruit dip. Since there were going to be a lot of kids here (Harper - 3, Orion - 2 1/2, Everly - 8 months, Neil and Alma - 4 months) we thought we should have a fun activity to keep them entertained. Well, mostly just Harper and Orion. Those two are crazy! Since I had just read about my nieces decorating giant pumpkin sugar cookies I thought it sounded like a great idea! I baked pumpkins, ghosts, candy corns, and haunted house cookies. The boys had a great time decorating and each got to take a plate home for their families. Neil was born exactly two weeks before Alma and we have enjoyed watching them grow up together. We like to think they are having play dates, but really they just lay around next to each other. Here they were just hangin out, chewin on some fist.

Dan had a really great time - Alma spent most of the night sitting with us observing the chaos around her. I think she really likes people, because she was so enthralled with them that she didn't eat for almost six hours. This made me think, hmmmm, why can't she go that long at night without eating???

Four Months Old

2009-10-20T21:16:00.000-07:00

On October 15th Alma turned four months old! Four months old is just the right size - when I lay her down on my lap she is as long as my legs are wide. I feel very ambivelant about Alma getting older, on the one hand I am very excited to see her grow and develop but on the other hand I am sad that she won't be a baby forever. We took this picture of her (below) to commemorate the day - Dan thinks she looks grumpy, but I thinks he was just tired. I also wanted to take a minute and write down what Alma is like at the ripe old age of four months. When I asked Dan to describe Alma he responded " the sweetest, most cuddly cutest, intelligent baby ever. In the entire universe." I think he is a tad on the proud side. If I were to choose one word it would be curious. Alma is a very observant baby - when she is interested in something she looks and looks and you can see the wheels turning! One of her favorite things to do is go for long walks. If you put her in a front facing carrier and start walking she won't make a single sound, she will just look around and take it all in. She also really likes to stand in front of the window and look outside. I think she will be a great outdoorsperson when she gets older.

Alma also really enjoys laying on the floor and rolling around. She started rolling over at 6 weeks and she just keeps getting better and better at it.

She is still enjoying her boppy time. In the mornings she sits in her boppy on the couch with me while we watch Jon Stewart.

And, of course Alma still loves to snuggle and sleep. We love it when she is sleepy because she gets really cuddly and just nuzzles right up to you. It is hard to put her down when she is being that sweet!

GG and G Pa

2009-10-20T21:08:00.000-07:00

Two weekends ago my parents came to Moscow for the long weekend. I like to think they came to see me, but I am pretty sure they came to see Alma! We had a really nice time, my mom and I spent a Friday in Uniontown visiting antique shops while my Dad and brother went golfing. On Saturday we went to the Market, did a bit of shopping, and my mom cooked a ton of delicious food. Sunday morning we all went out for breakfast before my parents had to leave. It was a short but nice visit and I can't wait to see them again at Christmas.

Baby Pictures

2009-10-04T15:28:00.000-07:00

Now that Alma has her casts off and her legs are looking good we decided it was time to take her in for the "official" baby pictures. In preparation for this, I spent a lot of time shopping online at www.etsy.com in order to find the perfect hair bow. While doing this, I also came across the perfect tutu. What ensued was an incredible amount of baby cuteness! Anybody who wants copies of the pics just let me know and I can order some for you. Enjoy.

Bath Time!

2009-09-30T12:02:00.000-07:00

Now that I am back in school Alma gets to spend a lot of time with her Daddy. Every night around 9 Dan takes off her shoes, does her physical therapy, gives her a bath, puts on her jammies, reads her a story, and puts her to bed. They both love the bedtime ritual! Now that Alma is getting used to taking real baths she has decided it is the best place to sleep. She loves laying down in the tub, snuggling in, and taking a nap!

In Search of the Perfect Headband

2009-09-22T22:05:00.001-07:00

So I was having a long conversation with my sister the other day about one of our favorite baby gifts - the sock monster. Her sister-in-law was the one who sent it to us. It is this awesome mesh bag that looks like a monster for kids to put their dirty socks in, and then you can just zip it and throw the whole bag in the wash so that you never lose any of your socks. We love it. Especially now that Alma has to have her socks changed four times a day. Anyways, I was asking her where it came from and she told me about this website - www.etsy.com which is like e-bay, but the prices are fixed and everything is homemade. I am now addicted, and spent the better part of three days spending all my free time in search of the perfect giant flower headband for Alma's baby pictures. I ended up buying three different awesome baby picture items - and one of them arrived in the mail yesterday. Since I am an instant gratification kind of girl I had to put it on Alma last night after her bath and take some pictures. Don't worry, we will still use it in her official baby pictures, but here is a sneak preview. And let me just say, you should all be VERY excited about her baby pictures because the other items we ordered are even more adorable!

County Fair

2009-09-20T17:11:00.000-07:00

My sister just blogged about her families trip to the county fair - in Hawaii. She was sad because they didn't get to eat any elephant ears or hand dipped corn dogs. Well score one for living in Idaho cuz we had all of the above at our county fair this weekend! Since it was Alma's first trip to the fair we took along the camera and we all had a really great time. Recently we began volunteering for the Latah County Historical Society. Alma and I spend one afternoon each week as docents at the McConnell Mansion Museum. During the fair we volunteered to sit at the society's booth and answer questions. It was a lot of fun, but Dan was most excited because he got to meet a lady who works on the trian display. She invited him to join the train club after hearing about his passionate love of model trains, but since they meet on Thursdays from 9 - 12 he is probably going to have to wait until retirement. Alma and Mommy waiting in line for fair food.

Alma and Daddy chowing down on a deep fat fried onion ring. Great for babies digestive systems! I am sure she is thinking "if only I had teeth!"

The infamous "train room." I am pretty sure this is the only reason Dan goes to the fair.

Alma all tuckered out from a night of fun.

Visiting Aunt Wendy at her camper. Aunt Wendy tried really hard to steal her for the night, but we had too many things to see.

Dutch Oven Biscuits

2009-09-20T16:57:00.000-07:00

Every year Dan's Aunt Wendy and Uncle Brian host a trap shoot / dutch oven pot luck at their place on Paradise Ridge. We go every year, because Dan has to make his famous sweet potato/carrot dish. This year he decided to make a second dish - sourdough biscuits. Dan is obsessed with sourdough ever since his Grandma gave him a sourdough starter that is extremely old - it's been in the family for generations and is over 100 years old. So every week he refreshes his starter and it takes up a large chunk of refrigerator space. For any of you who have actually seen our fridge you will know that this is a big deal. They turned out really well and were certainly the hit of the party!

Alma Meets the Graves Cousins!

2009-09-20T16:12:00.000-07:00

I promised in an earlier post that I would eventually get around to posting pictures from Alma's first trip to GG and G-Pa's house. Alma and I flew down to Pocatello at the end of August, and since my older sister and her kids were visiting Alma got to meet all of her cousins for the first time. It was a very exciting trip. Since everybody was there, my mom wanted to get some good pictures of all her grandkids together. This is a very challenging task - trying to photograph five kids all smiling at the same time!!! Impossible!!! Our cousin John came over to take pictures, and ended up shooting over 600 pictures in about an hours time. A lot of excellent pictures came out of the session, and I really feel like they captured the kids at their finest. So, without further ado, please meet the Graves cousins! Name: Alma Julius Graves-Funke
Nicknames: Alma J, Cutest Grandbaby Ever, The Favorite :)
Parents: Dan and Darci
Age: 3 months
Name: Kyleigh Dawn Cook
Nicknames: KyKy, Kykadoodledoo
Parents: Mandie and Rusty
Age: 6

Name: Tucker Allen Olsen
Nicknames: Tuck Bo, Hoot
Parents: Rissie and Tyler
Age: 3

Name: Katelyn Dion Cook
Nicknames: KateKate, Katie, Katie Pants
Parents: Mandie and Rusty
Age: 2 1/2

Name: Payton Arron Olsen
Nicknames: P Bo, PaytPayt
Parents: Rissie and Tyler
Age: 1 1/2

Yeah, we know, this family makes the cutest babies you will ever see!

Other highlights of the trip included going to the 24th annual Chuck and DeAnne Memorial Golf Tournament. My brother Nate actually won for the fourth time! Not bad, considering he is only 24 years old. Alma also got to meet her Great Grandma and Grandpa Hurley. They live in Idaho Falls, so they popped over to Pocatello to meet the baby. All in all it was a great trip!

Alma's New Shoes

2009-09-09T20:50:00.001-07:00

As most of you already know, Alma had surgery three weeks ago. The doctors cut her achiles tendon in order to allower her feet to come upwards into the "normal" foot position. The doctors then put her feet in casts to keep them still and allow the incisions to heal. The next phase of the process involves Alma wearing corrective shoes 23 1/2 hours a day for the next three months, and then at night and during naps until she is about 5. Today the doctors removed the casts and unfortunately the surgery was not as successful as we hoped. It is possible that she may have to go back into casts to prevent her feet from moving back to their original position. To try and combat this, I have to go back to Spokane tommorow so that the Physcial Therapist can train me to work with her feet every day. We will see how that goes. In the meantime, we are just excited to see her pretty little legs and feet! Alma already had her first real bath (she hated it) and she is wearing her first pair of pants! Hopefully we will prevent more castings, but right now we are trying to stay focused on the positives! Alma's last night in her casts!

Look at those beautiful feet!

Alma's new shoes!

We think she will grow up to be a spectacular snowboarder - since she will be used to having both feet strapped to a board!

What an adorable outfit! Her first ever pair of pants!

An Alma Fix

2009-09-05T18:10:00.000-07:00

So my Mom has been yelling at me for not updating my blog often enough - it's true, I haven't been very diligent about it lately. That is because I have started school again, and three nights a week I make the trek down to Lewiston for class. I am taking some interesting courses this year, including a very complicated one in which I am learning how to diagnose and treat mental illness. This is a bit daunting, as I am expected to know and understand about a jillion different medications used to treat mental illness. Hence, my blogging time has declined significantly. Luckily for my Mom it's a three day weekend so I have found some time to update my blog. I will try and put up a few posts - but this one is just some random pictures for you Alma junkies out there who need a fix. This picture is a shout out to Granny Annie - Alma say's thanks for the adorable outfit! I like this picture because it looks like she is about to giggle about something. Perhaps she is laughing at her Daddy, who forgot (as usual) to button up the back of her onesie while dressing her.

Last night I went out for the first time in about a year to see a good friend of mine who was in town from Seattle. Whilst I was out, Dan took this adorable picture and texted it to me. If this was his way of trying to get me home, well it was both sneaky and effective. Who can resist this kind of cuteness? We think she is channeling the recently deceased Michael Jackson a la the "thriller" dance. Lately Alma has been really into her boppy pillow, and likes to sit and sleep in it. This picture was taken while Alma was a little bit dressed up. Once again, thanks to Granny Annie for the fun hair ribbon! Alma looks a little miffed about it . . . but oh well.

Cuteness!

Alma rolls over! (for the camera)

2009-09-05T17:46:00.000-07:00

Alma rolled over for the first time when she was about 6 weeks old. I have been trying to get it on video ever since, and at last, here you go! I promise she started all the way on her back, we didn't push her, I just didn't get the camera on fast enough!

Happy Stuff

2009-08-31T14:21:00.000-07:00

So I have been having kind of a crappy day, so I thought I would post some really fun videos on my blog. It's impossible to watch these and not crack a smile! Both of these videos were taken at my parents house. Alma and I went down in August so that Alma could meet all of her cousins. Her boy cousins, Tucker and Payton, live in Pocatello near my parents. Her girl cousins, Kyleigh and Katelyn, live in Hawaii and were in Idaho for a long visit. At some point I will find time to post pictures from the trip - there are so many cute ones to choose from!

The first video is Kyleigh and Katelyn doing a dance. I told them if they did a dance for Alma it would make her happy, so they did. It's really adorable.

The second video is of all the kids playing in the back yard. They all have on matching outfits because GG bought them all new clothes for a group picture. Our cousin John (an aspiring photographer) came over and took over 600 pictures! Some of them are really amazing! This particular video is of the kids pretending to be horses. Somebody said, "Tucker, act like a horse." He immediately got down on all fours and started eating the grass. I love kids!

Finally, Good News!

2009-08-12T20:34:00.001-07:00

Today we had an appointment with Alma's doctor for her eighth set of casts. We were expecting to have about four more sets before her surgery, so we were very excited to find out that her surgery has been moved up to next week. This is fantastic news, and means that Alma will only be in casts for about another month! Yeah for Alma!

Happy Birthday Lane!

2009-08-12T20:23:00.000-07:00

One of the benefits of living so close to Dan's family is that we get to celebrate a lot of birthday's! This year Lane turned nine - which is crazy because when I met him he was still a little tiny guy. Happy Birthday Lane!