Enjoying the heat...

So I have found the secret to getting an infant to sleep more and longer stretches........ move to the desert!!!! Yes, August in Arizona is a hot one so we have all been drinking and sleeping lots, especially Tula. She seems to be really content now that we are more settled here, she loves her bedroom and crib. I can actually put her down in it without having to rock her to sleep, which is a huge accomplishment for all of us. She seems so happy here, loves the water and all the pool time. I can't wait till it's a little cooler here and we can go swimming at the pool. Can you imagine? It's too hot to go swimming....lol.

Tula is 2 months old tomorrow and John and I can hardly believe it. Last night we were grocery shopping and I started chatting with another Mom pushing a cart with a carseat in it. She had a one month old and it looked so tiny, I couldn't believe that was Tula a few weeks ago. She is getting so strong now, she loves to stand and push up on her legs. She holds her head up so well. But my favorite thing is she is starting to coo and almost laugh, I really cannot wait! She loves music and seems to smile everytime she is sung to. Oh yeah, and after a day in the AZ heat she LOVES to get naked and lay under a fan. My mom had a great idea to pick up some puppy pee pads and we take her diaper off and just let her lay on them and she has a ball! She likes to look at light fixtures and the ceiling fan spinning is a double bonus!

I posted a few more pictures on her babysite but wanted to share this one we took today while in the car. I am pretty sure it was only about 115, but after leaving the car parked for a few minutes this is what it was reading. Surprisingly....it's not as bad as it looks. We are actually really liking it and John picked today of all days to go outside and do a little yardwork!

P.S. We got a landline today. Email me if you want our new number.

Fun in the Sun!

I put a few new pics on the babysite and wanted to post a video of Tula swimming with her Grandpa. She LOVES being in the water. She seems to be doing really well even with the heat, she doesn't mind it as much as we thought she might! Thank goodness cause it's been really hot here! I have been so busy this week packing and moving into the house that I haven't been taking many pics, Tula hasn't had any of her daily modeling shoots....lol. Well we are almost settled, my mom and dad leave today, and then hopefully I will have more time to write. Here's Tula Belle havin a swim....

Finally arrived in AZ!!!!

We flew in to Phoenix on Tues, Aug 21st. Our plane left Calgary at 3 pm and the flight was about 2.5 hours. Once again, Tula was really good on the flight and I am starting to think she may like this whole travelling business. Lucky me! We got into AZ at almost 6 pm here and it was 107 degrees! Tula had no idea what hit her when we got off the airplane! She actually doesn't seem to mind the weather much now, but initially she was pretty confused and not overly thrilled about it. Wed morning bright and early we all got up and made our way down to our house (we are staying with my Mom and Dad in Scottsdale until our place is ready). There was actually a lot to do at the house. With all the construction in the area it is pretty dusty so there was alot of vacuuming and dusting. Someone came to install a water softener while the guys cleaned out the garage and Mom and I and Tula all did a little shopping. Costco, groceries, Target for cleaning supplies. That kind of stuff. We got to the house and got to work about noon, only to be informed by the guys that the upstairs air conditioning wasn't working. GRRRRRR! It was about 82 degrees downstairs and actually felt cool when we walked in, upstairs it was about 95 degrees. It was bearable downstairs but upstairs wasn't. We got lots done in the kitchen but the bedrooms stayed untouched.

We got to unpack some of Tula's toys that we could get to and opened and set up her swing she got at the shower. She LOVED it! I think she had her first afternoon nap longer than 2 hours. It was great for her and for me, I got lots accomplished. We put a long day in and came back up to my Mom and Dads around 7ish. showered up and got dressed and figured we would go for a nice dinner after such a long day. dad wanted steak so we went to his favorite place, Fleming's. I bathed Tula before hoping she would sleep through the meal. I was so nervous to take her into a place like that, pretty fancy and not exactly kid friendly. Well once again she amazed me. She slept a little then woke up and checked everything out but didn't make a peep. She was excellent and let her Mommy have a wonderful dinner with no crying. I felt so lucky.

Today was another early morning, the guys painted the garage floor and unpacked all of my kitchen boxes so Mom and I could wash them and put them away. It was so fun opening all the boxes, we have never used any of our wedding gifts and they were all still packed so over a year later it was like opening them for the first time all over again. It was fun to wash them all up and put them in their place in our kitchen, I feel like I have been waiting for this day for so long! Mom loved organizing everything and making it all look good, I was just spinning in circles sometimes, so excited to finally be moving in and seeing all my "things" being opened for the first time. I can't wait to use it all!

The air conditioner guy came and fixed the unit today but not till the end of the day so we suffered through another hot one. Needless to say, the upstairs bedrooms did not get touched at all, but the AC is pumping over there tonight and I can't wait to set up her nursery tomorrow. John and my Dad went and got the mattress for our Master bedroom today so we may even be able to sleep there Friday or Saturday night if we get things set up there. It is so fun to see the progress and everything coming together. I am still in disbelief that it is ours. It's hard to believe that when my Mom and Dad leave next week it will be just John, Tula and I for the VERY FIRST time. As sad as it is to say goodbye, I really am looking forward to this new chapter for the three of us and this journey as a new little family.

Tonight after another long hot day of working we took Tula to the swimming pool at my parent's place for a bedtime dip. It was her first time in a pool and she LOVED it. I was the photographer while Daddy swam with her. Here a few pics of them in the pool together and Tula's first swim.









Sorry it has taken me so long to post this!!!! I know many of you check back regularly for updates and things have been so busy with travelling in Canada and visiting everyone and then being busy in AZ with the move. Hopefully things will settle down a little next week for us but we are lovin' every minute of the busy-ness right now!!! Enjoy the pics!

Tula and Auntie Tiff

Tula's Big Adventure

Our plane left at 7:20 am last Monday morning for Canada. We had a 6 hour flight to Vancouver and then caught a connection to Kamloops. Our flight was delayed an hour on the runway at JFK, which caused us to miss our Kamloops connection and have a 2 hour layover in Vancouver. Not ideal when travelling with a newborn, but can I just say that I could not have asked for a better baby to travel with? She was excellent! Literally slept the WHOLE flight to Vancouver, 6 hours, just woke up and squawked a couple times to eat. I think she liked all the noise and motion on the airplane, because she was an absolute angel the whole time. She didn't fuss going up or coming down either, it didn't seem to bother her ears at all. That was one of my biggest worries, but a reminder to me once again to not be fearful and trust in God. I had prayed for her to much before this trip and they were all answered. She landed and took off in perfect health and comfort.

It is so stressful getting on an airplane with a newborn. Especially her first time and having NO IDEA how she is going to be. Walking down the center of the airplane boarding the plane, you can see everyone shooting the nasty glares at us. They are about as annoyed as I used to be when I saw a baby get on the plane, and doubly annoyed when you sit down in the row beside them or seat behind them. I know I used to be dreading listening to someones baby cry, so I can't even blame them from not wanting to hear mine, but I was one proud Mama when 5 hours into the flight one lady actually turned around and said ,"My, that is SUCH a good baby you have." As thankful as I was to hear the kind words I was wondering where one earth this child learned to sleep this long (it has never happened at bedtime). Nevertheless, she was an excellent traveller, which is a good thing because with grandparents scattered all across the continent this kids will have more frequent flier miles than most adults I know.

Our trip to the lake house was quick, but we were able to get out the second day we were there on the lake and enjoy the boat a little. John and I were shocked to see my Dad's beautiful new boat with the name Tula Belle written across the back. So cute! She has a boat named after her! She loved the boat as much as the airplane, the motion put her right to sleep! John got in the water a bit and tried surfing behind the boat. I guess this is the new thing, I had never heard of it. But he did really well and probably would have been a pro after a few more tries. My dad laughed when I told him I was married to an unemployed surfer. It's true!

Our second day at the lake my mom got a call that her sister Lori was ill and she needed to go be with her. We stayed at the cabin with Jen and Tiff for 2 more days and when it was sure that Mom and Dad wouldn't be back we all left for Calgary. It was almost a 6 hour drive and once again Tula did surprisingly well, she seems to be okay with travelling. We made it home in good time and have been in Calgary ever since. Got to see all my grandparents and Tula's Great-Grandparents on both sides and looking forward to visiting friends this week. Unfortunately my Mom's sister Lori passed away so we will be here for a funeral, but Thank God I am able to be here with my family during this difficult time.

I have been having some trouble getting my laptop hooked up to my parents wireless network so I don't have access to any of my pictures to post on my sites. I will try and get that figured out ASAP. In the meantime, I am using my Mom's computer to write a quick post about our week so far.

Tula seems like she is growing like a weed. She was 6 weeks on Friday and is adjusting really well to all the changes and travels of the last week, I can't believe how good she has been. She loves her Aunties so much and it has been so amazing so watch my sisters with her, they are so great. They are both going to be amazing mothers someday, but Tula is LOVING having all of their attention right now. She is smiling lots and actually starting to do little coos and giggles. These are music to a mothers ear, and they light up my life. It has been so fun having John around 24/7 and Tula absolutely adores her Daddy. He seems to get some of the biggest smiles in the morning (besides me, of course!) She is starting to find our voices and then our faces in a room of people, and will follow us with her eyes. I am trying to figure out a way to get her weighed without taking her to a doctor...any suggestions? So far, the post office is looking to be the way to go. I am thinking she has got to be close to 10 pounds now. She seems to change everyday.

Well I will post pics when I have the computer ting figured out. Hope you all are having a great summer, where did it go though? I cannot believe it's the middle of August and summer is almost finished. Crazy.....

Surfing Daddy

No time to post but here's a quick video of John surfing behind the boat this morning...he's really good!

"The Lip" In Action

Please don't think I am torturing my child to get these clips. This is simply a whine. If she is slightly unimpressed with what is going on you are bound to get what can only be referred to as "The Lip." She cracks us up.