Wanted to tell you about Freddy’s restaurant. It is yummy, and if you have the chance to go – do so!

I had to capture this photo: Arabella fell asleep on me. She looks so tiny on my legs, especially in that diaper (which looks big on her but she is just small). The other photos are of a loveable cat. Jake! John-Jacob-Jingleheimer-Schmidt! He has been especially cuddly lately. Even so far as to snuggle the wife even after she has him wear his tie.

We had a late-season snowstorm hit Flagstaff and the surrounding area. This gave us an opportunity to venture north and let the little girl see some snow for the first time.

On the way around we hit some muddy roads (and thankfully our car handled it like a trooper). She did get a little dirty though. She pretty much matched the Red Rocks of Sedona. We also stopped at the Chapel in Sedona on the way down. It is beautiful how it’s built right into the surroundings.

We eventually got a carwash (see below) and it looked so much better – but that photo with the dirt and the red rock looks pretty cool.

Back at home, Arabella got some shots and was super tired afterward (which is pretty normal, or so they tell us). The wife and I both took turns holding her (Maryia held her while she was awake, then snuck her to me when she was asleep so she wouldn’t notice/start crying).

People at work have been really nice. Merrilee made a blanket and gave it to us. Tyree (also from work) gave us a Jordan outfit. I think she looks amazing and took a photo to share (see above). I have got to show him this photo! I mean – really. She is adorable.

just Pray

note: this post was published on 09/28/22 but moved the publish date back to the end of April 2014 to keep chronological order.

This month had an interesting start to it.

Maryia was in a LOT of pain. We took her to Urgent Care who referred her to the ER. At the ER it was determined that she needed to have gallbladder surgery. Whaaaaaaat?!

Yeah, she would need to stay in the hospital for a while to recover as well. That means that I would need to take some time off of work and stay at home with the baby. I ended up using most of the vacation time that I had saved up so far this year.

I would return to the hospital each day. It was quite an ordeal having a newborn at home. As we did not expect something like this to happen, we also didn’t have a bunch of breast milk saved or anything – so for a little, if Arabella got hungry at home she had formula.

Guess who was worried? Yeah – that one cat we have. Jake would kind of sit there and stare at me – like hey! Where is mom? Ended up marking Maryia as a fall risk after the surgery too. She was not enjoying her time away (which I can’t blame her for).

We were finally given the all clear and mommy was back at home with her baby. She was pretty tired from the whole ordeal so she did a bit of sleeping – Arabella didn’t seem to mind. I even was holding Arabella at the hospital once and she fell asleep in my Blazers jacket. Oh yeah – I’m totally rasing this girl up as a Blazers fan (as if there was EVER any doubt about that)! She looks good in the red and black.

We won a contest from Huggies and ended up getting a YEARS SUPPLY of diapers. Yeah, not kidding. This is a HUGE blessing and something we really needed. See above for the photo of the wall of diapers.

A random photo for you: the 50-year anniversary of the Mustang this year – with that they recreated the event on the Empire state building (which I thought was pretty cool).

And I’ll leave you with a photo of the cat that wanted to cuddle. He came over and cuddled me when Arabella started to cry with me. There are many times when I try to hold her and she just screams and wants her mommy. In this instance, Jake saw and came over to me.

just Pray

note: this post was published on 09/28/22 but moved the publish date back to the middle of April 2014 to keep chronological order.

Baby Fever!

It was pretty cool because the day we brought Arabella home – there was a huge rainbow that spread as far as you could see. Followed by rain showers – rain?! In Arizona?! In March!? I’ll take it.

We brought little baby Arabella Hope and immediately Jake found a new favorite.

A new favorite? Yeah. Look at how he starts off, the normal position laying next to me. Give him a good 10 minutes and the baby makes ANY noise and he leaves me in the dust and sits watching over Arabella. That cat has my heart.

My parents made the trip out (after a few weeks by ourselves to allow for bonding with the girl). They were over the moon.

Speaking of that- we think we are going to keep her. 😉

Again, wanted to show how Jake decided that Arabella is his person. I’ve heard of pets doing this type of thing before – but seeing it in person is a whole other thing. We took her to church for the first time (Yes, to Central) – arrived super early, and took a photo of her first time.

We have been frequenting 5 & Diner – it has pretty much become our place. The people are starting to know us more and more. I like it. In a big city, it feels like something you would see on TV, or Cheers or something. We eat and Arabella sleeps – it works out well.

Arabella definitely does not need to ask for Kisses, but this outfit was too cute to pass up and the wife picked the perfect day for her to wear it.

I wanted to add a quick view of my work desk as well. I’ve mentioned it enough but never posted any photos. This photo was on a day when nobody was around me.

Arizona sunsets can’t be beaten. There is something about the desert that really make it look dramatic. Maybe it is the dust in the air? Maybe it’s the clear line of sight from no trees or big mountains?! I don’t know, but it’s pretty.

I leave you with a photo of Arabella sleeping on me in our living room. Baby fever… it’s a real thing!

just Pray

note: this post was published on 09/28/22 but moved the publish date back to the end of March 2014 to keep chronological order.