Purplicious Party!

This Memorial day, we threw Bridgette a PURPLE BIRTHDAY SHINDIG!

As Bridgette's birthday approached, and the temperatures started to rise (hottest Arizona May on record), we quickly realized that a party at the park - as I had originally envisioned it - wouldn't work. So, we changed venues to the new Williams Field Pool just a couple miles south of our home.

Like many of the wonderful community pools in Chandler and Gilbert - this one sported a large beach-like pool entry with fun water features. The little kids loved it, and so did the adults. Everyone cavorted and conversed in the shallow waters.

From plates to pop to party favors - we tried to stick with the purple palette that we've promoted since Bridgette's beginnings. Yes, we even bought Grape Crush soda for the ocassion, an action partially spawned by the opportunity to serve it in a location where we couldn't stain the furniture. We also bought Cheetos, inspite of the fact that they are not purple.

We fed our guests giant subs and giant cookies (a departure from the standard cupcakes). The chocolate chip cookies were especially good after getting gooey in the sun. Bridgette didn't seem to mind that we forgot to bring a candle for her to blow out. We still sang, and she dove right in to the frosting, though she found it too sweet.

Happy 1-Year Old Birthday Bridgette. We love you.

My Very First Mother's Day

The day was so special.

Every Mother's Day, since I turned about 18, I've gotten to stand up in church and collect my cookie or flower along with all the real mothers. The gift givers wouldn't want to offend any honorary mothers after all. But this year, it was nice to stand up (and collect my candy bar) as a real mom.

Kevin began the day by giving me books about New Orleans, where he has promised to take me for a little alone time. Then, at church I had the delightful opportunity to lead the senior primary children in singing "I Often Go Walking" and "Mother I Love You." Their sweet voices and even sweeter smiles brightened the chapel and all their mommas' hearts.

Post church - we traveled to my mom's home. Marc and Karen brought steaks. Kevin and I brought cheesecakes. And all the boys grilled and tried to be helpful.

We shared a few picture perfect moments and conversed on the patio as the weekend waned.

Water Nymph

Bridgette has started swimming lessons! We figure that she'd better start sooner than later, what with the pool in the back yard and all. She's always loved the water and, for the most part, has loved swim lessons. The only exception has been floating on her back. She doesn't really like that, but is getting used to it. She's good at getting her "eyes wet," as the instructors say. She gets her face in the water and even goes all the way under without much protest.

Maren and I are having fun too. We get to go in with her and take her through all of the drills. They say the objective is to have the parents help the baby learn basic survival skills and to become comfortable in the water. Then they are ready to move on to more advanced lessons. We don't get to join those classes. We'll have to sit and watch.

Booty Shot

Bridgette totally sticks her butt up in the air when she sleeps! It's the cutest thing ever, so we've started to document it. We see at least 2 benefits here: 1) it allows us to share this crazy-cute activity with others, and 2) we'll be able to embarass her with these pictures when she's older.

However, here's a picture of Bridgette and dad in the morning. You can see that sleeping with your booty to the sky must work, because she's smiling, happy, and adorable. So point them booties skyward my friends!

Girl Power!

I had the best time this morning competing in the Danskin Tempe SheRox Triathlon! This was an all female race - symbolically scheduled on Mother's day weekend. A little swimming, biking, and running - and I had endorphins galore.

The big fun though, was doing this race with so many other people I knew. Linnlee, Brynn, Kristin, Alexis, and Mary all came out to compete from my ward/neighborhood. We got to be each others cheering squad before and during the race. I'm hoping this will inspire us to train together for another future event. It's so much easier to roll out of bed and go exercise when there is some socializing involved.

My sister-in-law Karen also raced today, along with her two sisters, Susan and Megan. So my nieces and nephews were present to heckle me on the bike ride and toss me some water during transition.

Go girls!

A Little Too Curious?

At Bridgette's baby blessing, Kevin specifically blessed her with "a curious mind." Now, Kevin is often heard commenting that he should have left that out.

Utilizing her new walking skills, Bridgette roams from cupboard to cupboard and drawer to drawer. She opens everything up and pulls everything out! We've tried the magnetic baby locks - but either they don't work when Bridgette is trying to get in, or they work way too well when Mom and Dad are trying to get in.