Happy Birthday to the Hubby!

Today is my hubby's birthday.......he's joining me at the big 28.
Happy Birthday, Mr. Fisherman! Since there will be no snowboarding this year, I have a feeling there will be many more fishing trips to make up for lost time in the mountains.

Chubby Hands Are The Best

I took this picture of Carter the other night when he was super hyper and being a complete goofball. I LOVE his chubby little hands!!

***Yet Another Update***

Many people have been asking for updates on Eric. He is doing well in his recovery. He is still on a 5 pound lifting restriction....which he follows. Sometimes. Stubborn patient, what can I say. His lung capacity (on the lung that was collapsed during surgery) is back to 100%. He has been doing exercises to get back his range of motion (he couldn't even lift his arms to a 90 degree angle to his body) and can now lift his arms over his head. He is still basically confined to one sleeping position (on his back.....which makes him snore. loud.), which is extremely frustrating for him. But it's better than the alternative.....our motto these days. He has a follow up apppointment with his surgeon in a couple of weeks (not soon enough) and we will find out (via another echo) if the third hole in his heart managed to heal on its own. If it hasn't, they will basically do an angioplasty to make the hole heal. We're obviously hoping that doesn't have to happen. Other than all the medical crap, he's doing great. He hasn't taken a pain pill in a couple days now - which totally blows my mind. His sternum and ribs are basically wired shut until they fuse back together. It's painful just to type! I don't know how he's managing without pain pills. One tough man!! And one lucky man.....he knows it.

Here are some new pictures. The scab on the incision is totally gone now. I'm thinking the scar will heal quite nicely. My scar from my c-section shrank down from about the same length (obviously horizontally) to about 3 inches. I don't know if his scar will do the same. Only time will tell.

How long is that scar, you ask? Mr. Framer just happened to have a tape measure handy and I had him provide us with a visual.

Thank you again for all of the well wishes and help we have received.

Go Broncos!!!

Tonight is the night!!! My alma mater will be playing (once again) in the Fiesta Bowl. Tune in at 6:08 p.m. on FOX to see them kick ass!!

Blast From the Past

When we were at my dad's side of the family's Christmas celebration, one of my uncles had a huge tin of pictures. They were mostly of my grandfather, but there were quite a few of us kids when we were little. I stumbled upon some that I had never even seen before!

This first one was obviously at Christmas. I think I am 2 in this picture - I'm on the left, my cousin, Monica, is on the right. I swear, it's like looking at Carter in a dress!

This picture was taken in my parents' backyard before they added on to their house. The picture says I'm almost 3. Again, I'm with my cousin, Monica. I'm on the right. And dang I miss that wagon!!

I'm not sure if this is for a birthday celebration or Christmas, but I would say I'm probably 4.

And back to the glory days. I can't believe someone was able to time a picture with an old camera (ahem, NOT a digital camera) and actually get the ball I was picthing in the picture. And I was clearly messing around because my form is just awful!

I would love to be in that kind of shape again!! It's one of my goals this year, though, so watch out!

A Year in Review: 2009

Well here we are once again....the end of another fantastic year. And I'm back to do another recap of the year, picture style of course. How else would we do it?!

January started pretty much the same as it did last year, up playing in the snow at the cabin! It's a trip we hope to take every year for years to come. This year's trip is sort of on hold until Eric is released from his doctor. But we will get there sooner or later.

We inaugurated the nation's first black president.

And the picture that prompted my desire to dive into photography was taken and edited. And it's been nothing but successful since.

February brought a concert event I was extremely excited for: Jessica Simpson. I know a lot of people aren't big fans, but she's one of my favorites and I was very impressed by the show.

March brought one particular adventure I never thought I would do....wine tasting. And that was also a success because I actually found wine I like! March also brought a big event....we moved to our new house. And we'll be here for a long time (here's hoping).

We spent lots of time at the pool again this year....both the indoor and outdoor pools. I'm so glad Carter is such a little fish! He's fearless and so fun to watch. Our outdoor adventures this year were so much fun. I'm so glad we get to do so many fun and inexpensive things. The world is at our fingertips and I choose to take advantage of the beautiful weather Idaho has to offer.

I also successfully attempted the first annual girls-only weekend at the cabin. This is something I hope to continue for many years to come and the 2010 trip is already in the works!

We also made several other trips to the cabin, which are always peaceful and filled with side-splitting laughter (is that the right phrase?!). I enjoy each and every trip, and they always leave me dreading the drive back to the city.

We spent many nights at the ball field, watching the boys play.

And the serious photo-editing began.

Carter got to attend his first carnival, and later, the fair.

I got another tattoo.

We got to see Kenny Chesney in concert this year and let me tell you, what a show! We all had such a great time, and even though the tickets were pricey, I think it was worth it to see three great country acts perform.

And another big first was our first camping trip WITH Carter. This was definitely a test because any parent will tell you, camping with a 2 year old is NOT an easy thing to do. Hopefully we can cram in more camping trips this year!

Later in the summer, my photography business really took off. I have been slammed since September and I'm loving it!

Speaking of September, we took a wonderful vacation to the Oregon Coast to celebrate our one year wedding anniversary. We decided to road-trip it and we had such a good time together. The weather was gorgeous, the company was fantastic.....it was a trip I will never forget.

Halloween came and went and Carter was really into it this year - he's so fun to watch!!

In November, my friend, Wendie, came to visit and we went on our outdoor photography adventure. It took an entire day, but we had a great time. (I still need to edit those damn pictures too!)

I took a solo trip in late November to see my best friend, Meag, who now lives in Washington. It was such a relaxing trip!

And then December rolled around and we all know what happened this month!

This year, despite a few events, has been one hell of a year. I'm so grateful to have such wonderful people around me and to have the adventures that we get to have. We are so lucky and I hope 2010 is just a fun as this year has been!!