Chris & Ann

Avah's 1st Camping Trip!

2011-09-09T09:52:00.005-06:00

Ok so it's my fault we haven't gone camping sooner, if it had been up to Chris we would have gone the same week Avah was born. :-)

The first weekend in August we joined my Mom, Kate, and the girls (Leah and Jaydin) for a weekend of fun at Boyd Lake up north, just outside of Loveland. My Mom brought her camper so Kate and the girls slept in the camper with her but Chris, Avah, and I pitched a tent. The camper was great though for nap time since it has a TV and DVD player in it. It kept the girls calm and Avah even took a small nap. It was nice to have running water and a stove top if needed (it made breakfast easier). The fire Chris provided each night did however make dinner and dessert (smores one night and banana boats the next). Avah did really well sleeping in the tent, better than I thought she would. The first night she wouldn't go to sleep without one of us in there with her (understandable), but the second night it only took her a few minutes and she let us both leave her in the tent by herself and she was asleep pretty quickly (we had a long day at the lake though so I think that helped). She did take up the whole bed of course, Chris made a joke that we needed three twin air mattresses to make an 'H' since she slept side ways in between us most of the night. ;-)

It was a great weekend, we went fishing, swimming, trail walking and exploring. Avah was sad to leave so that was our indicator that camping is in our future, yea!! Here are some pictures from our weekend. :-)

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Maddison's 1st Birthday Cake/Cupcakes

2011-08-18T14:21:00.004-06:00

On July 16th, Anne and Ryan's little girl Maddison turned One! They had two different birthday parties for her, one with the family the day of her birthday and another for friends that was a joint party with Alexis (Sara Greg's little girl) who was also turning One. I was 'hired' to make both the cake for Maddison's family party and the cupcakes for the joint (friend) birthday party. Here are some pictures of the finished products.

What??

2011-08-04T13:39:00.011-06:00

Ok, it has been a seriously long time since I've posted anything or written anything on the blog. Are you suprised? I'm not since I've never been really good at journaling. I can't even keep up with Facebook most of the time. ;-)

Well anyway, Avah is 2 now! (Where did the time go?)

We're 13 weeks pregnant (Due early February).

And I have finally made the decision to create cakes and cupcakes as a side 'business'. I don't have my 'name' out there yet, just mainly offering business to friends and family, but you have to start somewhere right. So the blog will also become home to share pictures of cakes, cupcakes, or whatever else I get to create. :-)

Here are two cakes I did one weekend in May and I have more pictures to share that I will post later.

She has Hair

2010-03-23T12:12:00.002-06:00

When Avah was born she had a full head of dark hair, until it decided to fall out in patches. It was pretty funny; her poor head looked like a fuzzy patchwork quilt. It also went from dark brown to the sandy blonde it is today. But within the last month or so it has been growing in pretty good and we can finally put little barrettes and bows in her hair and they actually stay (for the most part). She has a few really long strands of hair from the patches that hadn't fallen out that we were going to trim but decided to wait and have her first hair cut done at Walt Disney World in a few weeks (and those strands will actually give them something to trim). I'm pretty excited for her to get her first hair cut at Disney since they go all out of course. She will get her first pair of Mickey or Minnie ears along with a certificate showing her first hair cut was at Disney so I'm sure it will be fun. I'll make sure I get lots of pictures to share and maybe even bust out the video camera. :-)

BIG smile for Daddy! :-)

8 Months Old!

2010-03-03T12:02:00.007-07:00

Chris and I are convinced that Avah is going to skip crawling, but what do we know really? She just loves to pull herself up to stand and walk around while holding our hands. When we try to get her to crawl to us she just tries to go straight to a standing position. This is Avah standing up and we were trying to get her to pick up her legs and take a step on her own. She kind of scooted a little, it was very cool! :-)

Than we had some play time on the floor to let her little legs relax from the work out. :-)

Where Does the Time Go?

2010-02-02T15:33:00.004-07:00

It is hard to believe that Avah is already 7 months old, before I know it she'll be a year old. She amazes Chris and I everyday with everything she is learning. She loves to play on the floor with us and her hand/eye coordination is great. She loves a good conversation and likes to be a part of the group, very social little girl. Here are a few pics we had taken in the month of January.

"I think I've had enough cereal Mom"

This is one of my favorites, so cute!

Passed out - too much formula

Playing with Mommy and Daddy

Mmmm, yummy fabric...

SANTA!! (In January??)

2010-01-21T13:48:00.005-07:00

Ok so I now I am SUPER late on getting these posted, but I had to post them no matter what because they are just too cute not to share. Kate, Chris, the girls, and myself went to go see Santa Claus at Bass Pro Shop in late November and here are the pictures from that day. :-)

*BTW - I took video of the whole thing too - yep that's right - I was one of "those parents". ;-P

Avah with Mrs. Claus and Santa

Avah with Santa

Leah with Santa.

Jaydin with Mrs. Claus and Santa (she was too scared to sit on Santa's lap).

Jaydin, Leah, and Avah on the ATV they picked out to take home with us.

SNOW!

2009-11-16T09:54:00.004-07:00

A couple weeks ago we got our first snow storm and Avah was very interested in all the white fluffy falling stuff. So Chris and I opened our back patio door and let her watch and feel the snow for a few minutes. It was really cute watching her examine it and her reaction to the feel of it. :-)

She Did It!!!

2009-10-08T10:04:00.002-06:00

Last night was the first night our little munchkin slept in her own room ALL night! :-)

She has slept throught the night in the past but it was in her swing. We have also gone several hours before bringing her into our room and finishing up the night in her swing, so this is huge for her and for us. I'm not expecting it to happen tonight or on a regular basis yet but just knowing that she will do it is a sigh of relief. Now Chris and I didn't sleep very well last night since we were only half asleep waiting for her to start crying, but that is ok because half asleep is better than no sleep. ;-P

Baby and Mommy Playdates!

2009-10-07T15:55:00.005-06:00

Here are some photos of Avah with a few of her friends. :-)

This playdate took place at Jamie's house when Avah was 6 weeks old.

Vincent and Avah - Vincent is 3 weeks older than Avah.

Vincent (9 weeks), Avah (6 weeks), Finley (6 months), and Graysen (7 months)

Finley and Graysen

This playdate was at Nikki's house just a week before I headed back to work.

Finley (7 months)

Vincent (12 weeks) and Avah (9 weeks) - Look at her legs go! ;-)

Vincent and Avah - Don't worry Amery, Avah only has eyes for you. ;-)

Avah (9 weeks)

This playdate was at our neighbors house. They had a little girl on July 25th.

Addison (2 weeks) and Avah (5 weeks)

Avah!

2009-10-01T13:16:00.007-06:00

I'm so lame, I try and try but always forget to update our blog. I think Shannon was the only one who checked it anyway. ;-) Not much happening except that we are trying to get Avah to sleep in her own room. It's not going as well as Mom and Dad would like but we will get there. ;-P

Here are some cute pics of Avah (who actually turned 3 months yesterday!). :-)

Put that skirt down and act like a lady. ;-)

Baby Bump Billboard Photos

2009-03-12T16:04:00.006-06:00

Some of you may remember that I entered a belly contest for a radio station a couple weeks ago named Alice 105.9 out here in Denver. Well unfortunately I didn't win the contest but I thought I would post the pictures on our blog just because I think Allison did such an awesome job! :-)

Allison used non-toxic/washable Crayola paints and markers and the fumes of the paints actually made me sick! For the first time during my pregnancy I actually threw-up, I should have won the contest for that reason alone but oh well it was fun and now I have pictures for my pregnancy journal. :-)

23 Weeks and Counting

2009-03-05T10:31:00.006-07:00

I've been slacking and haven't posted my 20 week photo that I had Chris take three weeks ago, but here it is now.

Everything is going well for us, we are working on the never ending master bathroom project right now. Chris started painting and put up part of our new closet organizer. Hopefully we will get that done this weekend so we can move clothes out of the spare bedroom closet and get a little more organized. Plus that will start to free up the spare bedroom to start turning it into the nursery. :-) We have already discussed paint and different ideas, but bedding is hard to decide on. There are so many wonderful options and I just can't make up my mind, but I better do it quickly b/c time is ticking.

It's a GIRL!!

2009-02-10T12:27:00.003-07:00

Yesterday was our 20 week check up and ultra-sound. Everything looks good, the heart, brain, and all other organs are growing nicely. We had to schedule another ultra-sound at 28 weeks because the placenta is right above my cervix, which is not were it should be for delivery. They want to check it out in 8 weeks to see if it has moved out of the way for delivery later in June. The tech said not to worry about this since it's normal and 90% of the time the placenta moves out of the way before delivery. We also found out that we are having a little girl. :-) Chris has already informed me that I am going to have to be the disciplinary since he won't be able to yell at his little girl. She already has him wrapped around her little finger and she's not even out of the womb! ;-)

We have new pictures from the ultra-sound and video too, I will post them all as soon as I can.

16w3d - Is that the beginning of a second chin???

2009-01-14T16:46:00.005-07:00

I had Chris take a few pictures of me so I can post a belly shot and it looks like a second chin is taking up residency on my face! Anyway, here are a couple pictures of me at 16w3d (dating done according to first U/S in November). So far I've gained between 6-8 pounds (it fluctuates) and according to our appointment yesterday everything is going along well and the baby's heartbeat is at 161. :-)

Christmas Pictures

2009-01-13T18:49:00.004-07:00

Ok, so I know it's January 13th but here are some pictures of three of our nieces on Christmas morning at Nana's house along with some pictures of Win's ice masterpiece and our house with Christmas lights.

Leah with her new pony toy box.

Keilea showing off a new shirt.

Jaydin caught wide eyed and on Leah's pony toy box.

Win's ice masterpiece.

Our house all lite up this year for Christmas.

Just To Type Something...

2009-01-07T14:58:00.003-07:00

Nothing new really to report except that I am developing a small baby bump. My jeans and some work pants are now a little too tight to button so I have started to use a hair tie along with a belly band to hide the fact that my pants are not buttoned. It works out really well, you can't tell at all and the band makes it look like I am wearing two tops instead of one. :-) Our big ultra sound is still a month away and we are trying very hard to be patient. We hope we to find out if it is a boy or a girl and will keep you all posted of course. I think I feel the baby a little now too, I feel flutters when I am either laying down or sitting very still. I think I have been able to tell which ones are gas and which ones are actually the baby. ;-)

Chris and I have started a new home improvement project on top of the Master Bathroom project (which by the way only needs electrical plates, paint, and accessories). He tore out the hall bathroom downstairs so it is completely bare right now (except the vanity) and we are getting plenty of exercise walking up and down the stairs to go to the bathroom (which I do a lot of these days). I will post pictures when we have completed them both, which should be by the end of this month (Finally!).

Well that's all for now, hope you are all well and enjoy the new ticker that shows the growth progress of our little one. :-)

12 Week Check Up

2008-12-23T09:54:00.006-07:00

On December 15th Chris and I went and saw Cindi our Midwife for our 12 week check up. We thought it would be pretty uneventful but than we found out we were going to hear the heartbeat. So Cindi searched my belly for a heartbeat and had it for a second but couldn't stay on it so she told us not to worry that our baby just wanted to be seen again, she wheeled in the ultra-sound machine so we can take a look at the baby. It was awesome of course, the little one is looking more like a baby instead of a peanut. S/he was moving around like crazy again, you could see fingers and toes as it moved it arms and legs. At one point one little hand went in between it's legs so both Chris and Cindi said that it's got to be a boy! I hope s/he calms down a little as it gets bigger because I think I am going to be beat up pretty bad if s/he doesn't. ;-) Cindi took pictures and sent them home with us and here they are for you to view. The first one is a great shot of it's little face. Amazing!!! :-)

Our little ones first profile picture.
Full body shot with hand in the background.

Good shot of legs, feet and it's hand going in between it's legs. ;-)

My 30th Birthday!

2008-12-22T12:32:00.011-07:00

As you all know I turned 30 yesterday (12/21) and I had a wonderful birthday weekend! :-) On Saturday night a group of us meet over at Leah, Lopey, and Thad's house for a pot-luck dinner but before dinner we headed out to see the "Trail of Lights" at the Denver Botanical Gardens at Chatfield. I added some pictures below to share, most of them turned out really good including the ones taken threw the snowflake 3-D glasses. After we returned to the house and thawed out we had a yummy lasagna dinner followed by cake (they all sang to me-guitars and all, it was awesome). :-) The evening was very relaxed, we chatted, watched movies, and of course we listened to the boys jam out in the basement. Always a good time with a great group of friends!! :-)
Sunday (the big day) was also very relaxing, Chris and I watched some football (stupid Broncos) and did a little grocery shopping. Chris suprised me with a Marilyn Monroe hand bag to add to my collection of Marilyn items. :-) That evening we went over to Bob's house (my FIL) and had dinner with the family, tacos! We had some cake - yummy chocolate with whip cream icing which also came with another birthday song. It was a GREAT weekend to be 30!! :-)

PICTURES!! :-)

Owen rocking out on the drum set with Thad.

Here is a photo of the lights taken threw the snowflake 3-D glasses - pretty cool!

Gigi, Nate, Byron, and Ally

Drew and Thad being goofy.

Chris being cute :-)

Lopey and Leah

Chris and myself

Me with Gigi, Thad, and Chris

Ultra-Sound Pictures

2008-12-08T13:21:00.011-07:00

Here are the ultra-sound pictures from our first doctor's visit on November 25th. The little peanut is upside down in these pictures and the first one the Mid-wife zoomed in for a better look.

Our First Visit with the Mid-Wife

2008-12-03T14:21:00.006-07:00

OK so it's official, according to the ultra-sound we are 10w4d (today) but my calendar is set at 10w2d. I have ultra-sound pictures but I have no way to scan them in to add them so Leah is going to be kind enough to scan them for me. So for the time being I will just fill you in on how our first appointment went with the Mid-wife at Rose Medical Center.

I was having a hard time deciding on who I wanted to deliver the baby (a mid-wife or a doctor) and if it was more important to deliver at a hospital that was closer to home. So I finally just scheduled an appointment with a doctor at the Parker Adventist hospital and one with a Mid-wife at Rose Medical Center. The appointment with the Mid-wife was this last Tuesday November 25th. We loved her and decided that is where we are staying, so I cancelled my appointment at Parker Adventist and we are delivering at Rose Medical Center. It may be a little further away than Parker Adventist but I think we are making the right choice.

The appointment was great, I will admit that Chris and I were actually really nervous. This was the first time we were going to see our little peanut. There were a lot of questions of course from us and the doctor so it made things make more since to us on what to expect these next 6 1/2 months. The ultra-sound was amazing! I guess I really didn't know what to expect, I knew we would see the heart beat but as soon as the little one started waiving and kicking it made it all that more real to us and it actually brought a tear to my eye. Chris says that s/he is practicing guitar in there. :-)

Chris and I we are really excited, now that it has all sunk in completely that we are going to be parents. It was a little shocking at first, but what new parent-to-be hasn't been shocked at first (planed or not)? I think we will do just fine (at least I hope so). As for me in the morning sickness area, it has been pretty good. I do feel a little nausea here and there but nothing to bad, I actually haven't even thrown up yet. ;-)

So that's it for now, I will post ultra-sound pictures later this month. I can't wait to share them! :-)

No Pictures?

2008-09-09T09:09:00.002-06:00

I know I promised updated pictures of the house but things have just been so crazy lately. I honestly can not find the charger for the camera to take pictures of the painted walls so I can than upload the pictures to my computer. I know it is in the house somewhere, it is just buried in a box waiting to be found.

The move into the house was long and tiring but we did have a few helpers that made things go much easier. Joey (Chris' Mom), Jane (Ann's Mom), and Kate (Ann's sister) came over and helped us out so much. Joey not only helped with moving but she also helped paint, clean, unpack, and decorate. We are getting there slowly but surely and I promise to post new pictures as soon as I find the battery charger for the camera.

It has been a very productive few weeks for Chris and I. We of course still have a very long "to do" list with a shopping list for Lowe's or HD but it is slowely getting smaller. We were able to find a refurbished stove and dishwasher from the "mom and pop" shop named J&J Appliances off of Mississippi (where we bought our recent dryer) for only $245 for both. They were also able to fix the refridgerator that was left inside of the home for only $150. It feels good to purchase appliances and know that they are yours. Kind of scary too b/c if they go out we get to replace them ourselves. ;-) The kitchen feels better though and livable now that it has appliances.

Last night we met up with Mary (our landlord for the townhouse) and turned in our keys. We than towed the Honda (which was still in the garage) to the auto body shop from the townhouse so it can finally be fixed. Chris' accident was in mid August so it feels good to finally have that situation moving along. We than (of course) watched the first Bronco game of the (real) season last night, it was good to end the evening with the Broncos kicking some Raider butt! ;-)

Hope all is well for everyone and we will chat soon!

It is Finally Time for COLOR!!

2008-08-28T10:56:00.005-06:00

I feel like this week is just flying by and I really hope we are ready to move into the new house this weekend. Not everything will be finished of course in the house but having the downstairs painted and the carpets clean is enough to get us moved in, the rest will be finished over time. Everything is just so exciting that we are not worried about it at all. Chris went to Lowe's last night and picked up a new toilet seat for the downstairs bathroom (it was absolutely necessary because the existing one was an old wooden one that was yucky and gross) and when he came home with it and put it on I was just so excited, I couldn't stop smiling over our new toilet seat! :-)

I want to mention too how much Anne and Ryan have helped out tremendously this week. They came over and helped us pull down wall paper on Sunday and last night they came over and helped us primer the walls to be ready to paint tonight. They ROCK!!! :-) Chris did an awesome job on the wall texture by the way, this was the first time he used this technique and of course it looks like he has been doing it for years. Chris is in his element right now with all this though so I am not surprised at all that it looks great. :-)

That is all for now and we will post pictures soon, I wanted to wait until the color is on the walls so I could share the whole process with you, so until than have an awesome weekend!

We're on the move...

2008-08-25T10:40:00.008-06:00

Chris and I FINALLY did it, we bought a house!! After three years of searching off and on we have finally found a house we can call a home. :-) It is located in Centennial, close to Buckley and Smoky Hill Rd. We closed this last Friday August 22nd and despite not having water yet (but we had electricity) we decided to take a bottle of champagne and an air mattress over to the house and sleep in it for the first night it was ours. We were so exhausted yet we couldn't sleep, we had so many ideas and thoughts on what we needed to do before completely moving in at the end of the month that it took us a while to fall asleep. This weekend was busy but since we didn't have water we couldn't really clean the carpets or anything but we did tear down some tacky wall paper that was in the dining room and the front sitting room. We will now apply new texture to the walls (since the wall paper pulled most of it off) and than paint. I will post pictures as we go of our progress so you can see the transformation. Hopefully it will turn out nice and we won't have to start all over. ;-)

We are so excited and can't wait to have everyone over for a BBQ. Here are some pictures of the house in case you haven't seen them yet.

Front view of our house

Back yard view of our house

View into Family room while standing in the front/sitting room

Family Room

Main Level 1/2 Bathroom
Kitchen

Another view of the kitchen

Upstairs hall bathroom

Our biggest project right now besides ripping down wall paper and cleaning carpets is be the master bathroom. It is completely unfinished but the only part left is the fun stuff like picking out tile for the floor, cabinets with sinks, toilet, and fixtures. :-) Here are some pictures of what the master bathroom looks like now and I will post updates as we complete it.

Check out this Blog

2008-08-21T10:42:00.002-06:00

I just thought I would share this link with you to a Blog on 'cakes gone wrong', most of the posts are hilarious. Being a cake decorator I got a kick out of it. :-)

http://cakewrecks.blogspot.com

Have a great day!
~Ann

Seriously??

2008-02-12T17:10:00.000-07:00

Has it honestly been since September that I posted something on our blog? I guess it wouldn't lie to me would it? ;-) A lot is going on for Chris and I right now so I blame it on not having enough time in the day to get everything done. There are only 4 more months and we will be married and just in case you didn't know we are approved for a home and in the house hunting process, so keep those fingers crossed for us. :-)

Here are a few pictures that Leah took a while ago for our engagement that I have been meaning to add, she does a wonderful job.

I love this last picture! :-)

Newest Member of the Newton Family

2007-09-17T16:18:00.000-06:00

Carter Jay Newton is finally here! Tina and Terrance (Chris' sister and brother-in-law) our proud parents of a new buddle of joy, a baby boy! He entered the world on Friday September 14th at 11:15am, weighing 8 lbs, 13 ounces, and was 21 inches long. Congratulations to the new parents and Chris and I can't wait to meet him in person! :-)

Aspen/Snowmass Jazz Festival

2007-09-05T11:35:00.001-06:00

Wow! So this last weekend rocked! Chris, Leah, Lopey and I had ourselves a weekend full of live music up in the mountains and it was awesome! We rented a condo in Snowmass for the weekend and bought two day passes to the Jazz Festival that included The Allman Brothers and Gov't Mule. The weather and scenery was absolutely beautiful, we couldn't have asked for anything better. The condo was right on the edge of a run so we were able to watch hikers and bikers on their way down the mountain. The view has got to be incredible during the ski season as well. When we weren't at the show we made our own music in the condo since the boys brought their guitars. On our way home we stopped at Maroon Bells to stretch our legs and to take some pictures. The Maroon Lake was so clear that you could see everything laying under the surface, it made me thirsty actually. We took lots of pictures and I will post them soon.

Go Broncos!!

2007-08-13T15:22:00.000-06:00

Ok, so I understand that it is only pre-season but it's on like donkey kong! Bring us some football!! I am officially ready for this year's Bronco football season, Chris and I went shopping this weekend and we purchased a "Bailey" jersey to match Chris' (but in my size) so we can be twinzies! ;-) Ha ha!! Anyway, not much more to say except to watch the Bronco game tonight. Click on the link provided for your very own Bronco game schedule and all other Bronco needs, http://www.denverbroncos.com/.

Go Broncos!!

Everyone else is doing it...

2007-08-07T16:37:00.000-06:00

So I've been reading a few of these blogs for friends and family over the past couple of years and I thought to myself "hmm, what a good idea, but the question is will I keep up with it on a regular basis?" Well, we will just have to see and I promise to try my best.

Chris and I really don't have much to fill everyone in on at this point. As you all already know Chris and I recently got engaged to be married so we have been busy starting the plans for our wedding on June 6th 2008. There are so many things you have to do to plan a wedding, but so far it has been fun and I can't wait for the big day when Chris and I start a new chapter in our lives and I become Ann Bailey. :-)

Chris and I went to MO a couple weeks ago and stayed with his sister Tina, his brother-in-law Terrance and their little cutie, Crysta (Chris' niece). We were in MO for both Tina's birthday and for her baby shower (they have a little boy on the way - he will be here to meet everyone in about four weeks). It was such a fun and relaxing week out there and boy was it humid (makes you miss Colorado's dry weather after one day). We are hoping to make a second trip out there after the little one is born to see the family again with their newest little addition.

On the way to MO we stopped by the "OZ" Museum in Kansas to see Dorothy and Toto