Today we experienced of what I hope to be a first of many climbing experiences with Annabelle! Despite the fact that Mike has once again been left asleep on the couch, I cannot take him to bed without first posting how proud and excited I am. We went up Rock Canyon to climb with our friends the Connews and after all the adults that wanted to had climbed we decided to let the 2 little girls see if they like it, and the adventurous pair did! I was so proud of Annabelle, she was so quick I could hardly keep up behind her (I wanted to be close in case she got nervous or hurt herself) - she never got nervous, she was so confident and didn't seem to care if there was too much slack in the line or whatever. She problem solved and used a bunch of different techniques AND she did it all in her Crocs! After she got pretty close to the bolt Mike was worried that if she slipped she would swing so we had to stop her from climbing. We didn't feel ready to try belaying so I simply grabbed the carabiner that was attached to her harness and I carried her down like a duffel bag.
You may be wondering why I am so excited about climbing today (since I'm not a HUGE climber myself) and to tell you the truth I'm a little surprised at my excitement over the whole thing. I guess I didn't realize how much I missed being able to go and do adventurous things with Mike since Annabelle was born, but now she is really starting to get old enough to hike (if I can just be patient enough with her pace) and now climbing! Who knows, maybe next Christmas we'll be strapping her in for her first snowboarding lesson!
It's funny how quickly a pair of sunglasses gave Annabelle this little attitude. I think our little 'celebrity' is ready for some sunshine! Note:Ever since we bought her these on Tuesday she has worn them: to a dim restruant, every single car ride, to the MOVIES, (even while watching the movie in a dark theater) AND walking home at night.
IF you don't really want to read what we have been up to, I made and abreviated version in a slide show. You can simply skip down and watch that - it won't hurt my feelings.
Starbucks: An older event, Matt is a good friend and he and Annabelle really do get along. He'll be a great dad (THIS FALL) Congrats again Matt and Jordyn. We took a little day trip with them and I never got around to posting these pictures but don't worry - Annabelle was really having hot chocolate. Best Hair Day: I have no idea what happened, I just washed her hair and brushed it out and look it turned out in gorgeous little golden ringlets! So for any of you who know Annabelle only as 'that Sherwood kid with bed head' . . . hair miracles do happen :) Rex Lee Run: Well for our walking group it was the Rex Lee WALK, but a brisk pace at that. We aimed at finishing the 5 k in under an hour and ended up just over 54 mins. Woo HOo!(And yes it was freezing cold). Thanks for pushing me to try something new Keri-Anne! Happy Birthday Mike: Mike turned 25 last month. To celebrate we went up in the mountains and he made some delicious dutch oven goodness. We set up his new tent, ate cheesecake and even longboarded around a bit. A fun night for sure! Easter: We dyed eggs, ate deviled eggs, tried to get Annabelle to pose in her new Easter dress. Girls Week in Colorado: The Sherwood girls (My mother-in-law, Jessi, Kristin and I) and all the grandkids spent a week together in Colorado. We had a blast with the kids and enjoyed scrapbooking when they were all asleep. Annica, Annabelle and Isaac are all within 5 months of each other in age and they seemed to get along really well. Thanks to Shauna for flying us out and spending the whole week playing with us! Tantrums: Between the week long trip away from Daddy followed 4 days later by a house hunting trip to Arizona, Annabelle's 'Italian' temper seemed make it's presence known on a regular basis. I thought we were hitting a new phase and had a few breakdowns myself. Luckily it has dissipated and we are back to 'normal'. House Hunting: We traveled to Arizona for a few days to find an apartment. After 2 days of looking we were really excited about several places but we narrowed it down, signed a lease and feel good about our decision. We'll be in Phoenix, the neighborhood seems really safe, we are excited about the ward (A family ward, that'll be a new experience for us) swimming pools, playgrounds, shopping within walking distance, IKEA not to far away . . . newly remodled, TWICE the space we are living in now - Come visit! Mike says he'd love to have all our friends and family down for a big 4th of July celebration! Hiking the Y: Couldn't leave Provo without doing this! We enjoyed hiking with a few families from our ward. We made it up, caught our breath and headed down so that the husbands could return to finals! Another great idea of Keri-Anne's. THANKS! END OF SEMESTER: Mike will be done here in just 2 more days! We've been looking forward to this for a while now. He has done an exceptional job balancing school, work, callings, crazy daughter, demanding wife and has done it all LOVING LIFE. He's done great and to me seems confident and ready to start working. Congrats to graduate Mike (who is now asleep on the couch since this post is taking so long). Our friend's the Lee's threw a suprise "Going Away/Graduation" Party for Mike and another friend of ours this last weekend. I wish I had taken some better pictures to post. It was a fun suprise and great to catch up. THANKS SARA!
Looking Forward: We have several weeks to play before we move. We have decided there is a lot here in Utah we haven't seen/done yet. We want to go to Zion's and Arches and maybe Dinosaur Land. We'll visit Mike's Grandparents in Arkansas and our families in Colorado. Any suggestions?
Sorry again for the long update, but as you can see . . . I have been running around a bit more than usual.
