Long time, no see..

Greetings!

I haven't posted in a very long time. As many of you know, I have been working full time since December and also taking a full course load at school. And by full, I mean Summer courses and starting 17 credits in the Fall...I am one busy mama. I have to say I am very proud of my progress this last Spring semester, though. I was accepted into the Health Information and Informatics Management program at Boise State and will be finishing my last 2 years on track for graduation in May of 2014. Seems like forever away, but it will go by fast.

A few things have changed over the last few months. Tommy and I have gone from the lifestyle of renters to home ownership. We live in a cute, suburban neighborhood in a quiet town right outside of Boise. We still commute to Boise for work and school, but the drive is nothing compared to real commuting (what I've witnessed on my trips to larger cities in California). We are very exciting about this accomplishment and we finally feel like we are starting our lives together as a family.

Speaking of trips to California, we have made 3 trips since my last posting. One for Lindsey and Miguel's wedding in November, which was absolutely beautiful and we were so happy to be apart of! Another in January to visit Tommy's parents and grandparents who were also visiting from Iowa. This was a very important trip. Not only did Bridget get to meet Grandma and Grandpa Steepleton for the first time, so did I! And I absolutely fell in love with them. Tommy's family is really great and I love to share those relationships with him...especially when Grandpa is full of lots of stories and a great recipe for pork tenderloins ;). Our third trip was in May to see Ali, Tommy's sister, graduate from college. I cannot express how awesome that trip was. Spending time with Tommy's family in Sacramento and watching Ali walk and accept her diploma was a very fun experience. Ali was also accepted into Graduate school at Pacific University....wow! She will go on to do great things, and we are so happy to share those moments with her. Bridget loves her Aunties, and she was very fortunate to be able to spend time with her Aunt Leah as well! 

Ali was not the only graduate in my family this year! My mother also graduated from NNU with her Bachelors in Business Administration. My mom has worked so hard for her degree and I was very blessed to be able to watch her walk to accept it. Although one of the longest graduation ceremonies I have ever been apart of, it was nice to see my mom so happy. My Aunt Malissa and I threw a dinner party at my house and it was the first time we'd had family over for dinner at the house. It was a lot of fun and I enjoyed time spent with everyone. 

Recently T.J and Theresa made a long road trip up to Boise with a trailer full of Tommy's childhood memorabilia as well as furniture to fill our guest room with. We spent the week with them, including celebrating the 4th of July. We were very happy to be able to show them our new home and the life that we have built together. It's a great start and we are so proud of our accomplishments thus far. Bridget loves when Grandma and Grandpa come to visit, and the visits just never seem long enough!

There are a ton of other events that have happened in the last few months but they are currently slipping my mind....Here is a brief update on Bridget's growth and development:

-She has her first tooth!

-She is walking along the couch or while holding on to Mommy and Daddy's hands!

-She is eating lots of different foods like pastas, fruits, veggies, puffs, cookies, and she loves peas!

-She is weighing in at 22 lbs and is 27 inches tall! 

-She has long brown curls and her hair has lightened up.

-She loves swimming in the kiddie pool and playing anything musical. 

-She can say quite a bit of words but her favorites are "Mama" and "Dada". 

-She has a huge smile and very spunky personality.

-She is a curious kitten and loves to get into everything.

-Her favorite toys are her farm puppets that her cousins in Arizona got her for Christmas! 

Bridget turns 1 on September 10th! It is flying by, who knows she may be walking by then...

Where did 2011 go?

Talk about being busy! Tommy and I both worked retail during the holiday season. Can you say crazy? Say it again. That's how it goes from black Friday until New Years...lots of people, and not happy people who are enjoying the holiday season...mean and impatient folks who really need to take a chill pill. Anyone who has worked retail before understands. On top of working the craziest time of the year, we were juggling finals, moving into a new apartment, and taking care of our lovely baby girl.

We all enjoyed our trip to Southern California in November to see Lindsey and Miguel's wedding. It was a beautiful wedding and we are so happy for the beautiful couple! We had a great time visiting with family and friends, including Tommy's cousin Sam from Virginia, his grand parents, aunts, uncles, sisters Ali and Leah, nieces and nephew, and of course TJ and Theresa, Tommy's parents. The flight was easier than expected, Bridget didn't even cry! She slept most of the time and was pretty content with the trip. I felt bad for the other babies on the plane whose parents were pretty cranky because their ears hurt and they were crying :( poor kiddos. Tommy also took me to a great mexican food place called "Albertacos" in Mission Viejo. Mmmm..mmm...I love me some California burritos. Our trips to California are always fun! This trip was a trip we won't forget.

Thanksgiving was right around the corner. We spent Thanksgiving with Ali here in Boise and enjoyed a relaxing weekend. We black Friday shopped a bit (not on purpose, it just kind of happened) and enjoyed a yummy dinner at my Mom's. I love that we are starting our own family traditions. It really makes the holiday season feel special.

Christmas came next...and boy was this a fun one! My parents are divorced, so I still enjoy celebrating two Christmases with my sisters at my Dad's, and another at my Mom's. This time we even had our own little Christmas celebration for Bridget and then we had the opportunity to webcam chat with TJ, Theresa, Ali, and G&G Nance to open all of our presents. Bridget wasn't really into the "Christmas" adventure this year, she doesn't quite understand it yet. Next year will be a lot better! She did make out pretty good. She absolutely loves all over her gifts. She loves to play with all of her toys. Mommy appreciates all of the cute clothes :) hehe.

New Years was filled with a dinner at the Cheesecake Factory, shopping at the Mall with Grandma Tonya and Chloe, getting Bridget's ears pierced.