Halloween 2010

This year for Halloween I wanted Bristol to dress up in a cute costume, like a bunny, bear, cat, you know those typical costumes you put babies in. So I decided on a black cat outfit, that I put together. Here are some pictures below.


Well, then we found out the VB's were having their annual Halloween Party and we had to come up with a family outfit. Being as creative as we are, yeah right, we decided on a funny costume that I found on the internet. Super cute sushi roll! So fun. We decided on our outfits to match her- a sushi waitress and chef- I ordered a kimono and Sam had a great chef outfit. We had a lot of fun at the party. Good food, great people and fun games. Pictures of that will come soon. Todd VB took pictures at the studio of everyone, I will post those soon. (As well as some of Bris in her sushi outfit!)

Pumpkin Carving 2010

Every year I have "made" Sam carve pumpkins with me. I love this tradition and now that we have a little one, I have more of an excuse. On Friday, I bought 2 pumpkins and we all sat down (on our floor because we don't have table just yet :)), and carved the pumpkins. It was a lot of fun. I wanted Bristol to dive right in a get all messy but she wasn't for it. I guess this might be a predictor of her first birthday bash where she will get to make a mess of her cake and herself. I wonder if she just doesn't like getting dirty? Who knows, but we had fun and by the end Bristol was tired, hungry and ready for a bath. I carved her pumpkin, notice any resemblance?

October is for Pumpkins

I have been trying for a couple of weeks now to get all three of us to a pumpkin patch and corn maze before Halloween. We finally were all together one night and drove to a little nursery in Layton and they were closed. I guess their pumpkin patch didn't produce very much this year so they were only open for one weekend this season. I had to come up with something else just so I could get some pictures of Bristol with some pumpkins, hay and all that. There is this little nursery on 5th South that I have been driving by everyday and notice that they had a ton of pumpkins, hay bails and cornstalks that I knew would be great to take some pictures with. I went by there a couple of days ago and bought a little basil and asked if I could take some pictures. It was great! The lady probably thought I was crazy, but she had so many great props- hundreds of pumpkins, great old chairs, an old truck, benches and much more. Bristol had just woken up from a nap, no smiles here, but they still turned out so cute. And, I'm so happy I got the pictures before the season ends.

Bristol Meets Nash

Our good friends Brody and Cara VB have an adorable little dog-Nash. He is just a tiny 3lb yorkie that is so stinking cute. (I love little dogs, if you can't tell, Sam's just not a fan). Of course, the first thing that Bristol does is grab onto his hair and pulls him towards her mouth. A little gross, but at least she knows what a dog tastes like, I guess. I also took a couple other pics, I loved Cara's red chair. Too bad Bristol didn't have a matching outfit on!

Happy Birthday Michael Swenson

We had a fun Saturday a couple of weeks ago at the Swenson's celebrating Michael's first birthday. It is always a fun time when the Kelly's get together. It was great to see everyone and to play with all the kiddos. Bristol, of course, was passed around from person to person, as she is now accustomed to. Sam and I love it because she is entertained by others. It was great to see everyone, even Don and Kathy from Oregon made the trip out to Utah! We love all of you guys and hope we can all get together soon! See some of you in GJ for Thanksgiving, can't wait!!
P.S. Gracy and Gom- Aunt Kathy was dying for me to take those pics of her for you guys!

Her Very Own Room

I finally finished the crib and got it all set up with her amazing bedding that I just "had to have." No regrets there because it is to die for. I love it! So her last night in her pack in play and her first night in here crib was just a bitter sweet moment for me. She's just growing up too fast! (I'm still working the nursery, more pics to come. Oh and sorry Lisa, the picture of the crib before was on the lovely hard-drive. Maybe in about 5 years I will post it! :))

Family Pictures in October

On Tuesday night, October 12, 2010, we trekked out to the Salt Flats, about 10 minutes from Windover, NV, to snap some awesome family pictures. This has been something I've been dying to do (I wanted our engagements out here, but you all know how Sam is about pictures). We made it out there our 5:45pm and had about an hour and a half to get all the shots we wanted. Our good friends, the VB's, were sweet enough to make the trip with us and get amazing pictures. I am still working on the editing but I will get them up asap. Stay on the edges of your seats because they are well worth the wait, I promise!! P.S. We also took some in the studio the next week, I will post those too, and by then Bristol could sit on her own. Crazy how in one week things change so much with this little girl!

Caught You!

Blackmail for her first boyfriend! Sam text me while I was at work one night and said that Bristol is sucking like crazy on her toes. I told him to hurry and snap a picture so we could keep it for her first boyfriend. :) He will be one lucky guy!

More Pictures of Bristol.. Of Course!

Here a just some pictures I took of Bristol wearing the shoes we bought for her before she was born that I used as a prop in my maternity pictures. The other pictures are of her wearing 2 sweaters that were my mom's when she was a baby and that I wore as well, vintage!

Devastation on the Home Front.. At Least for Me!

I think this happens to a lot of people at least once. I dropped our external hard drive, which was the back up to our crashing computer(we deleted everything from it, of course). It's been a rough couple of weeks. Basically, the result- A physically damaged device that has to be sent out to a company that can take out the drive and look at it in a clean room(a particle free room) which is going to end up costing us around $500-$1000. Worth it, you ask? Heck yes! Can we afford it right now? Heavens no. So, this little device that holds all of our precious memories [engagements, wedding pics (thank goodness for hard copies), all of Bristols pics(this is what tears me up inside), videos of Bristol(another one that rips me apart) and much more] is being stored in my dresser drawer between about 5 shirts of padding. I was/am devastated, called Sam and cried, a lot. But, what can you do? I've been taking pictures and videos of Bristol doing the things she's already done- rolling over, sucking out a straw, laughing, and so on. Typical mother who wants to capture every moment on video. The one thing I keep saying is we still have memories and our little girl.

Bristol is 5 Months!

October 8, 2010
Dear Bristol:
You turned 5 months today. You are almost a ½ year old. I can’t hardly believe it. You are growing and changing so much. This last month you have changed and progressed more than any other month. It’s so crazy to see these milestones happen. I kept hearing about them and wondering when they would actually occur, and now they have. You are so beautiful and so sweet. You are still such a wonderful baby. I feel like this time is going by so fast and I’m just trying to soak it all in. I still love each moment we get together. Your daddy loves his time with you too.
You are a blessing in our lives. You have brought so much joy to us and we cherish each day we get with you. You are going to be such a wonderful person. I love that I can already get a sense of your personality. You are so sweet and tender-hearted.
Here is what you have done this last month:
• You weigh 17.2 lbs and are 26 ¾ inches long. You are getting so BIG.
• You got your first tooth on Wednesday 22, 2010. Grandma Flory was here visiting with Aunt Katie and she noticed something white in your mouth. She put her finger in there and felt your first tooth! You are just so little, only 4.5 months old and you have your first tooth! Your second one came in on Friday September 24, 2010. You never even made a peep. You have been drooling non-stop for the past 2 months, but we just thought you were too young to be getting your first tooth. We were wrong.
• You rolled over, tummy to back, on Wednesday Sept. 25, 2010. I was just so excited to see you do this. Right after you did it you feel asleep on the floor in the hall. It was so cute, I think that wore you out. You have been doing it ever since, but only when you want to. We try to get you to do it more often, but you are having nothing of it.
• You sucked out of a straw on Friday Sept, 27, 2010. You have loved playing with my water bottle and the straw by putting it in your mouth but you have never sucked. That day you did. It was crazy! My friend Kim said that her son, Cooper, said he didn’t do that until he was over 1 year old. Now you have your own cup with a straw and can’t get enough of it!
• You are sleeping in your own room. You did this when we moved into our home. Your first night was Wednesday October 6, 2010. Daddy insisted that we put you in your own room and I complied, but only if he would get up in the middle of the night to get you when you cried and were hungry. Daddy said he would, but he thought you would sleep so much better. Well, daddy was right; you slept till 7 am the first and have been sleeping till 6-7 every morning. I can’t believe it. You are already so independent at this young age.
• You still LOVE your thumb. We always sneak in on you when you are asleep and you have your thumb in your mouth. I think it has 2 purposes- I know it helped you when you were teething because you weren’t sucking on it, you were biting it. You still do this sometimes. This is another reason why you are sleeping through the night. You have something to comfort you and help you fall asleep. At your 4-month check-up, your doctor said that you will get rid of this habit before you are 12 months. I don’t know what plan she has, but it must be good!
• You love to reach up and touch our faces. I think it is so cute. This might be a way you are figuring out the world around you.
• You get a big smile on your face when I sing to you. You have been learning the Old MacDonald song and Itsy Bitsy Spider. It will be fun when you can sing-a-long.
• Your daddy is officially teaching you Spanish, YAY! Mommy is so happy about this. I have been trying to convince him since before you were born and he wasn’t having any of it. Finally, after talking to someone who actually has done it, he was convinced! You are one lucky girl!
• You got sick for the first time this month. It started out as a cough and then progressed to congestion. We felt so bad for you because it was hard for you to breathe. You were a trooper though and still slept so well. Eucalyptus works so well for you at night!
Bristol, you are just growing up too fast. You are so perfect and still such an amazing baby. Everyone comments on how good you are and how they can’t believe that you are just so calm and relaxed. We love spending every second with you and love this time we get with you. This last month you have changed so much. You are progressing so fast, it’s hard to keep up. I still love the moments I get to cuddle with you in my arms, cherishing every second I get. I love that you cuddle with me and let me rock you to sleep at night. This is something I will always hold dear to my heart. You are so much fun and we can’t wait to see what you will do next month.

Love always and forever,
Mommy

Look at this happy, content girl after her vaccinations.

Bristol Rolled Over for the First Time!

On Wednesday, September 29,2010, Bristol rolled over, tummy to back, for the first time. We have been waiting for this day to come and she finally did it. Of course after she did it I grabbed the camera and tried to get her to do it again, but no luck. She just got really fussy and then fell asleep in the hall. It was so stinking cute. I think rolling over was just too much work for her!!

Another Photo Shoot by Me

So I have been obsessed, obviously, with taking pictures of Bristol. I just can't take enough and I feel like if I don't take pictures I will miss out on something. So here is a photo shoot I made Bristol do. I'm sure she is so sick of this, but I just can't get enough of this little girl!

Bristol's First Jeep.. Like Daughter, Like Father

My mother was insisting on buying Bristol a little toy that she would walk around in. Bristol has been spoiled in the clothing department but not so much in the toy department. It's been kind of nice considering it keeps my house looking tidy. But, my mom really wanted to get her a walking toy and so this is the one we came up with. She loves it! She can entertain herself for hours. She loves the noises it makes and just recently she has found out how to get it in her mouth.. It's pretty funny to watch her do this. She keeps sticking her mouth up to the wheel and slobbering all over it.

Bristol's First Tooth!

Bristol got her first tooth on Wednesday, September 22,2010. My mom noticed something white in her mouth but didn't believe it. She stuck her finger in there only to find her first tooth! We were all so excited and shocked! She is just too young. But, come to find out that's what all the drooling has been about for the last month or so. She hadn't been fussy or had a fever/ runny nose at all. We didn't see this coming. Her second one poked through on Friday.

September Visit from My Mom and My Sister

My mom and sister flew in for a couple of days at the end of September. It was so fun to have then around. We had beautiful weather here in Utah, and we were able to lay out by the pool and swim. Bristol loves the water now and she just fell asleep basking in the sun. We also visited Temple Square and took some fun pictures. We had a great time together, and I loved seeing my family. I wish we still lived close so we could get together more often. They both really enjoyed seeing Bristol, especially my sister who hadn't seen her since she was just a few weeks old. It's crazy how much she has changed.

Bristol Asleep in Her Bumbo

I was at work one night and I came home to Sam telling me this funny story about how Bris fell asleep in the bumbo. She has never done this before! It was so cute.