Merry Christmas to All!

We had a WONDERFUL Christmas this year. It was so nice to be back home with my family, and to get to share Miley's first Christmas, and her cousin Bode's first Christmas with everyone (besides you, Lindsey...we missed you!). Miley was actually pretty into the present opening, starting with a new pair of Christmas pajamas from her Grammy and Poppa that she opened on Christmas Eve. She would grab a present and put it into her mouth (that's gotta be a sign of approval, right??) and then grab a little bit of paper and wither Cameron or I would help her out by turning the box so the paper she was holding onto would rip off. Unforunately, after opening the stocking, both our camera battery and our video camera battery died. Yup....we really dropped the ball on that one. So we only have a couple pictures, but hopefully, I can steal some off of my sister's blog soon....hint hint Gelsey! :) We already really miss everyone, and we are sad that our fun vacation is over!

Miley and Bode under the tree on Christmas morning.

After everything had been opened....Miley sitting in front of our stash. Too bad we missed the in-between part! The quilt you see behind Miley is a t-shirt quilt my mom made of a bunch of my old t-shirts from elementary school thru college....SOOO cool!

Mmmm....Food!

Miley turned 6 months old today, and her big celebration consisted of her getting to try rice cereal for the first time....how exciting (not so much for her!!). I know I say this every time I post about Miley, but I really cannot believe how fast the time is going and how big she is getting-or not big, whatever. Maybe "grown up" is the more appropriate term. Anyway, here are just a couple of pictures of Cameron giving her some rice cereal. She actually kind of liked it, but you can't tell in the pictures. Their faces are classic.

Santa Claus is Coming to Town...

...or at least to your local shopping mall!  I have been a serious slacker in blogging about my trip so far, so I thought I would post some pictures of Miley and her cousin Bode that we got today.  My sister, Gelsey, and I went to the mall in Fort Collins, CO and thought it would be fun to get the kiddos first pictures taken with Santa Claus.  We weren't sure how this would work out, as you always see the pictures of kids freaking out when they get placed on Santa's lap, but both Miley and Bode did pretty well.  Miley was really into the furry red costume, while Bode was trying to figure out just who's lap he was sitting on!  As you can see, he couldn't take his eyes off of Santa!  We will have to see how next year goes....and whip out these pictures to remember when our kids weren't afriad of jolly ol' Saint Nick.

Waking Up on the Right Side of the Crib!

One of my favorite things these days is going in to get Miley after she wakes up in the morning or from a nap. It is so cute....she just lies in her crib talking to herself, and then lights up when someone comes in to get her. She has even been having fun in unfamiliar surroundings, since we are at my mom and dad's house for Christmas. This video shows it all!  

Whoever Thinks Traveling Is Easy....

....needs to try packing for you, plus a baby, for three weeks, when the airlines charge for every packed bag! UGH! Having never had to worry about how much checked luggage I had, packing last night for my trip to Laramie today was an awful experience. I was stuffing my suitcase TO THE BRIM, trying to fit everything in one bag so that I would only have to pay $15 for one bag instead of $40 for two. When I realized this wasn't going to work out, my friend Erin was a lifesaver and let me use her enormous suitcase. Hey, if you are paying for a bag, you might as well get your moneys worth, right?? Anyway, now my only concern is that my bag is going to be over the 50 pound weight limit and I will have incurred a $75 fee. Then all of my hard packing work would be a waste! It's a good thing Cameron and I have weighed, and re-weighed my suitcase about 20 times hoping to avoid that!

Anyway, I just had to gripe. I used to not mind traveling, besides the fact that flying is not my favorite thing. I just had to get myself through security, get to the gate, and plop down and read a magazine while I waited for my flight. Now it is a totally different story. Now my worries consist of juggling my baby while I get everything on the conveyor belt to go through security. Then keeping her entertained, as I wait for at least an hour for the flight. Then getting settled into one tiny seat for a two hour flight. Trying to feed her so her ears can equalize the pressure, while hoping that I am not offending anyone. Hoping that she doesn't cry, so that I am not that person that people are telling their friends or family about..."oh it was a great flight, but there was this baby crying the whole time...".

I tend to over analyze situations, and expect the worst while hoping for the best. I must say though....I definitely didn't appreciate how easy traveling used to be until now! But I figure, all of this is totally worth it when you get to see your family and friends, and be your favorite place for Christmas...HOME. And I do have to appreciate that traveling is as fast as it is now. I can't imagine having to spend hours or days trying to get somewhere......we really are fortunate that we can be somewhere in a few hours, even if it is a pain getting there. :)

Despite the negative tone of this post, I am THRILLED to be going home! I am typing this post to just try to make the time go faster until I GET to leave for the airport and the experience that comes with that....wish me luck! And for those of you in Wyoming and Colorado....I will be seeing you SOON! Can't wait!

I Can't Resist Just A Couple More...

Just because I wanted to post a few more in another outfit....here are a few more of Miley from the past week.

Photo Shoot

I have to give a little background on this subject. Cameron's family is VERY competitive. Especially the boys. One of the newer things that they have become competitive about is photography....always trying to outdo each other on camera gear, and the best photos. Steve (Cameron's dad) and Don (Cameron's brother) both have really nice cameras, and this last week we definitely benefitted from their competitive edge. Miley had a few photo shoots, and we have hundreds of pictures to choose from between the two of them...they of course had to try to show each other up and try to get the best ones. Miley was a wonderful subject. She was an absolute ham for a good few hours (split up during the week!) and was laughing and flirting with the camera. So here are just a few of our favorites.

Thanks Steve and Don for letting Miley be the subject of your competition...we love the pictures! :)