First Birthday Party!!!

We had a great birthday party today complete with food, cake, ice cream, presents and 24 people! Calla was taking a nap when everyone arrived so we were thinking she might be upset to find so many people in her living room, but she woke up smiling and went to work entertaining everyone. Burlynn was SO excited to see Calla and was ready to play, play, play. At present opening time, Burlynn was more than happy to help Baby Calla get the job done.
When we gave Calla her own cake she was trying to be careful at first and only eat with a few fingers, but then she really got into it! We really had a great party and are so excited that so many family members spent the day with us!

A family picture...with a funny smile from Calla!

Playing with Mommy's headband...she even knows where it goes!

A picture of her decorated high chair.

Eating her breakfast and getting ready for the party!

Checking out the cards with Mommy.

Starting to eat her cake!

Burlynn was telling her how to eat it!!

Calla smiling for the camera.

An after picture of the Birthday Girl!

Happy Valentine's Day!!

Calla is feeling much better and is celebrating her first Valentine's Day at home with her Mommy! We are trying to keep track of the State Wrestling results and watching some quality television (Barney!!) while we are chillin today. We are going to make a special supper and dessert for Daddy tonight and just hang out as a family. Here are a few pics that we have taken today.

She has been rather annoyed with a stuffy nose and has learned how to pick it.

She would smile at her Daddy, but would not look at the camera for me with a big smile.

Are we done yet????

Calla now has Influenza B and is under Dr's orders to stay home the rest of the week. Poor girl has had a pretty high temp the last couple days and has been really restless. We thought that we were finally done being ill, but I guess that this was one of those instances where God laughs at the plans we make! She was pretty clingy today and had a normal temp tonight so hopefully the night goes well. I am including a fun little video of her new tongue tricks she likes to do!

The Dora couch had to be moved because she now likes to do this trick!

Done with the Sickness

We are all well again!! What a LONG week it becomes when 3 different people spend time being ill.

This weekend was a great one for us. We got to go to Lincoln to spend time with Grandma, Grandpa, Uncle Shane and Burlynn. We also got to see Amanda and Gina and of course Mr. Gavin (and Brian and Brittney)!
We spent lots of time just hanging out. The girls loved the pool at the motel! Calla also got her first ride on a Carousel and she LOVED it!! The Lincoln mall has one right in the middle that you can take a ride on and so Grandpa took Burlynn and I rode with Calla.

Tonight we are hanging out at home watching the Super Bowl together! Calla's 6th tooth also poked through last week so that too is pretty exciting!! That 1st Birthday is fast approaching and we are trying to figure out how we are going to celebrate. It really is hard to believe that it has been a year already, but we have loved every minute of parenthood so far and look forward to what else life has in store for us!

On the Carousel...we choose a horse that was stationary!

Loves for Calla!

Crazy girls!

Burlynn with her crazy hair and Calla with her Shrek smile!!

Mom and Calla snuggling!

Yuck :(

On Friday night, Calla got the flu. Today we are still battling it and will be going to the Dr. in a while to see if there is anything else going on or just a combo of the flu and a cold. :( So far Chad and I are in the clear and we hope to stay that way.
She was still a pretty happy baby with just a few uncomfortable moments, so that we are thankful for! Enjoy her new pics!

Getting some fresh air on Saturday afternoon!

Resting on her zebra pillow!

This is what she looks like when ill!

Cheese!! If you click to make this pic larger, you can see her 5th tooth that poked through this weekend!!

11 months old

I just wanted to do a mini update on Calla's 11 month birthday. She is fighting her first cold of her life, so we are considering ourselves VERY fortunate for this! She has still been a very happy, fun baby even though she is not 100%. I will try to post more this weekend with some new pics!

Growing Calla

I have not posted for quite some time! I guess I have been busy playing with Calla and her hundreds of toys that are all over my living room! :)
We had some friends over several weeks ago that have a 3 month old and they walked in the door and looked at all of her toys and said "These are all of Calla's toys?" We nicely told them that she has more her bedroom and also in the basement. The just looked at us like we were crazy, but I think in no time their home will look similar to ours!! She really does play with all of them or else we would put some away!
Calla has been busy learning how to walk even faster around the furniture and other objects in the house. She loves to drink real milk from her sippy cup and even told me "No, no, no, no, no!" one morning when I was putting her gloves on! It is hard to believe that at the end of next week she will be 11 months old! My mom, Shane, and Burlynn came out last Saturday to spend some time and Burlynn loved playing with Calla and all of her toys. Enjoy the new pics!

An updated family picture

This is where Calla LOVES to play!!

She is also an up and coming musician!! Look at her stand on her tippy toes to reach it!

Row, row, row your boat gently down the stream!!

She really likes her zebra after Burlynn showed her how to ride it!

Happy New Year!

So far 2008 has treated us well! Calla spent the night with my parents on New Year's Eve while Chad and I came back to Kearney to hang with a bunch of our friends. Burlynn also stayed with Grandma and Grandpa and they had a good night. We met them and picked her up on Tuesday in Aurora and saw a fabulous Bald Eagle flying over the truck stop...not something you see everyday living in town!
I really have nothing else to report on so I will just post the pictures!

Calla checking out the refrigerator

Here is the freezing fog on our fence the morning of Dec 27th! It was beautiful and Chad (before work) got the camera out and took some pics...I thought this one was the best that you could actually see the detail of the ice crystals.

Calla's First Christmas!

My baby girl is now 10 months old and has celebrated her first Christmas! We have truly been blessed this year and got to spend lots of time with our family and friends during the holidays! Next weekend we still have 2 Christmas parties to celebrate...then we will be finished!
On Christmas Eve we celebrated with just the 3 of us and then went to late church. Then on Christmas Day my parents came out to spend the day and then in the evening we went to Chad's parents house.
Calla was really, really, really spoiled by everyone and we think that we are really blessed to have such a wonderful family and great friends who cherish our Calla as much as we do! We know that each one of you had a very Merry Christmas and remembered the love that He has for us!

Before Church on Sunday

Showing off her snowman hat from Uncle Chris

Reading a book from Mommy and Daddy

Checking out her Ark from Santa

Playing with her Singing Sound Stage from Grandma and Grandpa Ripp

Away in a Manger

We have started our Holiday gatherings! Over the weekend we were with my parents and brothers, and of course Burlynn! Calla had a blast following Little B around and just exploring Grandma and Grandpa's house. Santa was in town on Saturday so we took the girls for a visit. Calla loved him andBurlynn not so much!
Calla got SPOILED by Grandma, Grandpa, Shane and B, and Uncle Jed! Our living room continues to grow smaller due to the large quantity of toys she has! On thing is for sure...she has no excuse to be bored at home!
This weekend we will just be at home and then my parents will be out here on Christmas Day to hang out and then we celebrate with Chad's family that evening!
We will not update again until after Christmas so we want to thank all of you for following our family this year! We wish you all to have a great Christmas and never stop Believing!!

The girls looking out Grandma's window!

The Big, Jolly, SCARY man!!

Little B with her new slippers riding on her new horse!!

Calla on her new Dora couch, checking out Grandma's tree!!

The girl's in their Christmas dresses before church!

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas!!

Calla has had a busy week, learning lots of new things! She can now sit from crawling and pull herself to her feet. I went in yesterday morning while trying to get her down for a nap and she was standing in her crib smiling at me! She now likes eggs and crackers. And...she has slept through the night for 4 nights in a row!!!!!! God does love us and wants us to have more children someday! LOL!!! She loves our Christmas tree so much that we bought her a small one that she can actually play with and she LOVES it!
Chad and I went to GI yesterday for his Company Christmas party and Calla spent the night with Grandma and Grandpa Ripp. We had a great time and Calla did too!

Standing in her crib...yikes!

Another tree picture...this time with her 1st Christmas hat!

She got into the wrapping/tissue paper and had a BLAST!!!

Mommy thought she needed a mohawk!

She pulled herself to her feet and then was waving at me!

Calla with her very own Christmas Tree!

Mommy and Daddy before the party!