Oh the Places We've Been!

It has been an exciting month! On September 1st, we moved out our tiny little apartment.  And while I really will  not miss the tiny bedrooms, no AC, and no cable (I know we were crazy!), I will miss the apartment that we brought our baby girl home too.  So many wonderful memories of Oaklyn's first few months happened there.  Colin's parents came to help us pack up and move (for the fourth time in 2 1/2 years).  They are absolutely wonderful to us.  Colin and his dad packed up the trailer as compactly as possible.  After all, our crap stuff wasn't just going down the road or across town, but across the country! All the way to Georgia. 

First of all, look at the gorgeous Idaho sky! I am really going to miss it. I think the boys did a pretty good job making it all fit. 

Miss Oaklyn was such a good girl, she sat and watched momma and grandma run around crazy trying pack up last minute things and clean.  I was relieved she chose to be good that day and take good naps.  We had been struggling with that all week.  She wouldn't sleep so she was cranky ALL.DAY.LONG.
We got everything loaded in the trailer and the apartment cleaned by 6 p.m. then it was off to Twin Falls for the weekend.  Colin stayed there until Monday morning when he set off for the long 347 hour trip to Atlanta (okay, it was more like 30 hours). 

Oaklyn sure missed her daddy... And I'm pretty sure he missed her too. 

 Baby girl and I stayed at Grandma and Grandpa's until the 13th, when we all flew out to Atlanta together.  While we were in Twin, we went to the Twin Falls County Fair. 

Oaklyn had a pretty fun day, full of smiles, kettle corn, and deep fried snickers.  But, was pretty cranky and tired by the end.

 Oaklyn had her first experience in a big girl swing where. We call it the "big girl" swing because she has to sit upright like a "big girl".  We also went to Cooper's first football game of the season.  Oaklyn had lots of fun watching people. 

When Oaklyn and I FINALLY made it to Georgia, her new big girl bed was already waiting for her.  She took her first nap in her bed as a true southern belle, with her fanny in the air!

Colin's cousin Chase got home from his mission in South Africa the day after Oakers and I arrived.  The whole family was there to greet him. The girls worked hard on the signs that were waving in the air as he walked through customs.

 Chase even had 3 gorgeous single girls waiting for him! What a ladies man!

We are so excited that we are finally starting our new lives in Georgia! And that we get to live with Chase and his parents as he gets home from his mission.  Colin is especially excited to be living here with Chase and helping him transition back from mission life. 

So far, Colin is still searching for a job. He's had a phone interview for a bag handler with Delta and has a face to face interview this Wednesday with Express Jet for a Flight Crew Schedule Supervisor.  We have our sights on Express Jet (better pay and hours), but anything that will allow him to get his foot in the door would be perfect! I get to stay home with Oaklyn and am so grateful I can.  This week I would have had to go back to work at the Plasma Center had we stayed in Rexburg.  We keep praying that everything will work out, so far it has.  But, no matter what, we are sure happy and grateful to be where we are and that we have each other!

What... 25?

That's right.  This momma is now 25 years old! That's how old Colin was when we first started dating... and to me then, it seemed sooooo old.  It's crazy where the time went.  I started the day with a good snuggle with my girl.  I usually don't sleep with Oaks in bed, but I was just craving me some momma time, so we took a nap together that morning. Plus, it was her 8 week birthday too and I knooooow that's what she wanted to do for her birthday too :) Then, I slowly got ready throughout the afternoon.  Colin looked so surprised that I actually had both my make up on and my hair done (I usually only get half way through the make up and give up for the day).  We went to Applebee's for dinner to use the gift card my mom had sent me.  Oaklyn charmed all the waitresses and other patrons as she usually does.  Then, we stopped by Walmart to get my present... a new camera! I wanted one of those expensive, professional cameras but at $600, it seemed a little ridiculous for our budget at the time, so we settled for a Nikon digital camera.  Much more affordable, still takes quality pictures, and compact to fit in my already shoulder breaking heavy diaper bag.  When we got home, Colin rocked Oaklyn to sleep while I enjoyed a nice, long, relaxing bubble bath! It was an absolutely great birthday! Here's hoping for another great 25 years!

Rigby Rodeo

Our family went to the Jefferson County Amateur Rodeo held in Rigby, Idaho this August.  Our friends, Dan and Kristi, invited us because Kristi organizes the rodeo every year.  It was so much fun.  I just love those Idaho summers.  There's nothing like sitting in the stands with a slight cool breeze as the sun goes down , while watching a good rodeo! The muttin bustin' is always my favorite;  I just love watching those little guys hang on for dear life (I know, it's a bit mean).  Even Oaklyn had a good time.  She slept most of the time, but woke up just as they turned on the arena lights.  She sat for about 15 minutes and stared out at the lights and the cowboys and horses riding around in the arena. We watched Kristi in barrel racing and our other friends, Cortney and Holly, in Ribbon Roping. Cortney roped the calf and Holly had to run on foot out to where he roped the calf, pull the ribbon off its tail, and run back.  It was very funny to watch!  Cortney didn't the calf roped until the clear other side of the arena, then Holly had a hard time getting around the calf to get a hand on the tail.  When she finally did, she had to run all the way back! I swear we saw her cussing out Cortney as she ran.  It's a pretty fun event; lots of husbands and wives working together (or husbands who talk their wives into it and wives who really didn't know what they got themselves into).  I found some cute cowgirl boots for Oaklyn and some jean overalls that were supposed to be for 3-6 months, so they didn't quite fit her but they will someday.  And it sure made for a cute picture.  We put her in something else for the actual rodeo because she looked a bit uncomfortable in that over-sized cowgirl get up.