Finishing 2010 & Beginning 2011

Merry Christmas to us!! We got a brand new beautiful camera for Christmas. This was the first picture taken...



And this was the second. Hopefully this isn't a sign that all our pictures will turn out like this. :)



This is T's Christmas dress that Grandma H bought her. It was so darling that she wore it almost every Sunday to church. I just couldn't get enough of it!


Just hanging out with big brother in jammies on a cold snowy morning. Is there anything better than a jammie day in the winter?? I think not!!


Sometimes around here we get a lot of snow, and sometimes we don't. This day we got a lot of snow. And unlike our neighbors we believe in good ole hard labor. Okay you got me, we are cheap. We haven't bought a snow blower because every year we say we will buy one on sale and wait too long to buy one and they are replaced by riding lawn mowers. One of these days we will get one. And as I am writing this I am thinking we aren't cheap but maybe a little silly. Wondering if this hard labor we so believe in is maybe what helped with all of Logan's back problems... not so cheap after all. :( But with all of this child labor we get, maybe it will all even out...

(That's right T, someday you will be out there!:))

Anyone who knows me, knows that I am a big fan of birthdays!! Little did I know that by having a summer birthday it is twice the fun! Not only does R get to celebrate his actual birthday but he also gets to celebrate his 1/2 birthday as well. I mean it really doesn't get much better than that. Birthday parties are full of water and sunshine and then comes January with a half birthday celebration with more cake and singing! Just great I tell ya! So here he is at preschool getting sung to by his class and teachers.

Ready, set... stand there?!?!? Well that is what we got to see during basketball season for R. He said he loved it but I am wondering why. Not a lot of action came from him on the court. Logan was nice enough to be an assistant coach and said it was like herding cats out there. You didn't have to be a coach to notice that. :) Oh well. It was so fun for R and got him some physical activity in these cold winter months. We will just have to wait and see what next year brings for him out there!
This is the first year we have made it over to the National Western Stock Show. Boy is there a lot to see and do. I love going to something I don't get to see everyday. Like a sheep getting sheared (is that how you say that??), cowboys/cowgirls everywhere you turn, owls, dogs doing tricks, REALLY fast dogs (and we thought Chop was fast, we were corrected after this evening), so much to buy... (sigh) if only I could be a real cowgirl I would have bought up so much of the stuff there. Seriously this place went on and on with so much to see. Our favorite part was the dog course. You should have seen these dogs move. Little ones and big ones going through obstacle courses and racing to a treat at the end of the arena. It was completely amazing! I loved that we saw a sheep getting his winter coat trimmed off. Poor guy it gets pretty cold around here, brrrr! (Ignore me in these photos, I am suffering from infant-not-sleeping-yet syndrome!)

We again made it over to the Colorado Farm Show. With a boy who loves tractors and dirt you kinda have to go. It was fun to see all the shiny new tractors... although after spending the kind of money one would have to spend for one of those shiny new tractors, I would have a very hard time getting it dirty in the field. After all the dirt is part cow poop, just saying! We had a great time walking around feeling like we are country folk. I always think I am, it doesn't take me a farm show to make me feel like a country bumkin!




R got to go on a field trip to our local King Soopers and learn all about how a store operates. We got to see the bakery and watch a cake get decorated. He of course loved the doughnuts... just like his Dad!! We got to go to the meat department and see them package some beef. (Kinda gross. Not a huge fan of raw meat!) We walked through the produce department and the dairy department. All along the way learning about good food for our bodies. He loved it.

Here is T in a couple of my favorite outfits. She is so chubby... I love it. And I love smooching those cheeks. Can't get enough of having a little girl and dressing her up. Daddy and R really know how to get her to smile. She loves them both so much.

Tatum's Blessing Day

We decided to bless Tatum the weekend of Thanksgiving since we had most of our family in town. It worked out perfect and we are so glad that we were able to share this special day with so many family and friends. Her dress turned out beautiful although I was a bit worried when my told me over the phone what it would look like. But thankfully I was pleasantly surprised. Tatum did awesome during her blessing. Logan did tell me when he came back to sit down that her headband had come down over her eyes at the beginning of the blessing and the he ever so gently moved it back up on her head before she let her scream of fury when her headband covers her eyes. Logan gave her an amazing blessing. It all around was just a fabulous day!!

Logan's Birthday and Thanksgiving

This year Logan turned the big 3-0!! He is an old man now... not just because of back now! hahaha Enough making fun of my sixty year old husband. This year I decided to throw him a surprise party at the bowling alley. He had no idea until Reid said something and I got mad at him for spoiling the surprise. (Note to self never tell your five year old that his dad is having a surprise party later that day.) So he knew there was a party but nothing else. So at least the whole thing wasn't blown. We dropped Reid off with his cousin Quinn, mom watched Tatum and we were off. I drove around a bit to try to throw Logan off the scent of where we were headed but the guy knew every turn I made and every ones house I passed. ANNOYING! I am starting to think that he never works and just drives around all the time. So we got the bowling alley and all of our friends were there to wish him a happy birthday. I think it still turned out pretty fun!
We all participated in the annual Turkey Trot this year. I debated it seeing as how I just had a c-section three weeks prior but decided that that wasn't going to keep me from this fun tradition. It was freezing! The announcer said it was just 10 degrees when we started the race. YIKES! Tatum was plenty warm with a ton of blankets on, wish I could have traded spots with her. Erica, Spencer, Amanda, and Jane ran it too. They were nice enough to let Reid run with them and I am sad to say that I don't think he is a runner. They had great stories to tell of him as he had his hand on his chest so dramatic saying he couldn't run anymore. Well maybe this tradition won't last. Bummer too because that is how I justify my food intake on Thanksgiving.

We were so lucky to have my brother Brett's family here this year. I sure miss them so much! Their kids just keep growing... really they need to stop! Jane and Aly just couldn't get enough of our Tatum. They helped me hold her, put her socks back on and put her pacifier back in her mouth. Such great little mothers. Tatum loved all the attention and I was happy to have my hand free for a couple of days! :)

It Was A Family Affair

Tatum's first bath was a chance for us to all help out. It took her about a month to start to really enjoy bath time and now she loves them! Thank goodness too because listening to her cry bloody murder all through her bath was not super fun!

First Couple of Days Home

Our first day home looked like this most of the day. We all hung out in our room and watched TV. I had an excuse, I don't know what the others were doing! :) Reid liked to push the swing for Tatum instead of using the batteries because he said it wasted them... technically he is right but that is what they are for. It lasted for only a minute or two before he understood the reason for the batteries.

A lot of days are still spent in jammies playing in the play room or the Wii. And yes his playroom is much more messy these days than it was before little Tatum joined us. I can't do everything these days! I just love this outfit of Tatums. I think she is two weeks old here. It is the first day I dressed her up in an outfit. She looked so cute in her tutu that was far too big!

Hospital Stay

We had a lot of visitors come to see us. Reid, Grandma Hatch. Grandpa and Grandma Richardson, Uncle Collin and Aunt Sarah, and Aunt Erica were of the first ones to meet Tatum. Some of our good friends came by too, Mirissa, Olivia, Ryan and Nicole, and Bryce. We loved having people come see us!

The day we left the hospital Tatum had a super cute outfit that Aunt Erica gave her to wear home. She looked darling. Our friends had their baby the day we left so we went over and said a quick hello before taking off to home.

This picture is the night we had her... I was so tired and sick that day. Not the best day I have had. So here is the story... I couldn't eat solid foods yet but the Dr. had me on some pretty heavy meds so my stomach was getting queasy. I asked her if I could please have something to eat and she said no but that I could have jello. So I did because she wouldn't give me crackers or anything and about 20 minutes after eating it I puked it all up along with the apple juice and water she was shoving down my throat. Thank goodness we had Logan's parents there along with my mom and Reid. It was awful. So I looked about as good as I felt. :)

This picture is just plain surreal to me still. First of all it shows that we had a baby and second that it was a girl! I never thought I would have another baby and that it would be a girl. There is a short story behind this one too. We gathered all of our things at the hospital and headed out. When we got home and we were unloading everything I noticed that we forgot to grab this card. I asked Logan if he thinks they kept it and it I could call and go by and get it. He said no that they probably just threw it out. A few days later we got an envelope in the mail with this card. They mailed it to me... yes I cried.

She is here!!

I know this is super late, but with a newborn I am lucky I get a shower in and any sleep!
Tatum arrived November 1, 2010 at 7:47am. She weighed 7lbs. 6 oz. and was 20 1/2 inches. Everything went great. It was a lot of emotions leading up to having her. I was so excied yet nervous, then anxious, then nervous... that night before and morning of was a crazy experience. Needless to say I didn't get much sleep and before bed Logan and I were filling out our ballots because we forgot to do it before then. I was so tired that I was falling asleep while filling in the bubbles... but of course woke up super early because I couldn't get back to sleep once I woke up to go to the bathroom. So I got up showered and dinked around until it was time to be at the hospital. We got there shortly after 6:00am. They took us back to a room and started getting me ready. Logan got to sport some scrubs, hat and mask which made him feel like a doctor and we were off. It was different this time because I walked to the OR... kinda felt like I was walking to my doom. I don't know why it just did. So up I go on the table and the prep work continues. In goes the spinal, which was amazing, then the blue tarp, then they scrub my belly, test my belly to make sure I am numb, and then the surgery began. A short time later I heard her cry for the first time and I was over joyed! It was such a sureal pregnancy and morning, but then to hear her cry was even more surreal. We had finally had another baby. What a miracle!

I am so grateful for this little bundle of joy. She really is such a sweet baby. She is starting to smile at us and it just makes my day. Reid can't keep his hands off her. He has to be touching, kissing or hugging her whenever she is awake... or alseep. He loves her so much. I know I am not a fan of the newborn/baby stage, mainly because I get little sleep, but I

have come to enjoy the sweet moments with her because before I know it they will be gone.