ben & erin

Riley Laughing

2011-08-30T17:55:00.000-07:00

Riley's Uncle Brian can get her laughing all the time...we love it! Riley is 3 months now and has been cooing and talking too!

All the Many Places We've Been

2011-08-03T13:55:00.000-07:00

Well since I wrote last Riley has seen and met LOTS of places and people. We started our adventures on Riley's first plane ride to Colorado. Riley got to meet her Aunt Shay and Uncle Tom along with her cousins. She had her second baby shower and got to show off to Mommy and Daddy's friends. Then we were off to California. She met Grandpa and Grandma, Uncle Clinton, Uncle Richard, and Uncle Bryan. She also met Great Grandma Johnson. She had another baby shower thrown by her adopted Aunt Justine. She did great on the plane rides!

We brought Uncle Clinton home with us and took him to Washington DC to visit Trav and his kids. Clinton stayed for a month and we also got to take him to NYC. This was the first time I left my little lady overnight.

Amongst the chaos Ben and I celebrated our 5th wedding anniversary. Ben made me a steak dinner and set up a projector for us to watch Persuasion. He also set up a gazebo with lights and played "our song" for us to dance to. It was very romantic and I am so thankful for Ben. Over the past 5 years I have come to love him more and more. He is my best friend and I will love him forever.

A Year Overdue!

2011-06-14T08:11:00.000-07:00

It has been almost one year since my last post...that's not good. As for being overdue, I'm officially announcing that I was pregnant and am now a mom :)! Ben and I had Riley Justine on May 25th at 3:59am. She was 7lbs 8oz and 19.5 inches long.

Labor went well. Warning for anyone who doesn't want to read about my labor...STOP NOW :)! I wanted to have Riley without any drugs and that's what I did, but I don't know if I'll ever do that again...if I have a choice :)! I woke up late Tues at 11:45 and had 3 painful contractions. I had been to the doctor for my 39 week appt earlier that day and the nurse practitioner said that I was dilated to a 4 and 90% effaced, so if I started having any contractions I should come in. So we drove to the hospital and got there around 1:00. The doctor checked me and I was dilated to a 5 or 6 and 100% effaced so they admitted me. I walked around for a while and got in the jacuzzi, which I would highly recommend. I started to go into transition while I was in the jacuzzi and it got pretty unbearable, so I got out. When I got back to the room I was in a lot of pain and my water broke. I started feeling the urge to push, so the doctor came in and said I could start pushing. I pushed for about 20 min and then little Riley made her way into the world at 3:59. I'm thankful that my labor was short, but the intesity is something I never could have imagined.
So far Riley has had her first bath, her first trip to church, her first shopping trip to the grocery store and mall,her first holiday (Memorial Day, her first nights stay in a hotel to visit Daddy and coming up in a week she will have her first trip on a plane.
I can't express the love I have for this little girl, I could sit and hold her all day long. She is my angel :)!

Theres no 4th of July like one in CODY!

2010-07-08T19:25:00.000-07:00

Ben and I LOVE the 4th of July! In fact I think it's Ben's favorite holiday. This year we were able to visit my dream place to live, Cody, WY. Unfortunately, with Ben's job, I don't think that will be happening. So, many visits to my aunt and uncle's cabin in Cody will be made throughout our lives together :)! Tom came along with us too. My dad grew up there and had his 40th High School Reunion over the weekend. I love the small town, close knit community I feel when I visit. I had a few fun summers there when I was in High School.

We visited the Buffalo Bill Historical Museum, watched a gun show, and went to the Cody 4th of July Parade.

Then we went to the dam and visitor's center there.

We had lots of fun at the RODEO!

I love visiting Yellowstone, but I didn't get to see any bears this trip...until next time!
I also recently went to my cousin, Madi's, wedding in Salt Lake City. It was a beautiful wedding and here are some pics from that too...

Shay la Lynn

2010-06-17T05:47:00.000-07:00

In honor of Shaylen's b-day (a few weeks ago now), I decided to devote a blog to my dear sister :)! Shay is one of my loo loo sisters that I mentioned earlier and I'm so thankful that I have gotten to know her better over the past few years.

About 6 months after Ben and I were married we moved to beautiful Colorado and closer to SHay and her adorable family. Since then SHay has been a big support to me while Ben has been gone. I can visit her home any time and feel welcome there.

Shay is one of the best moms around. She knows what her girls need and helps them accomplish their goals. She can take $50 and turn it into a math birthday party you will never forget, decorated to the tee along with many fun math filled games (and making math fun is an accomplishment in itself). She has a good knack for making the best birthday cakes for her little ones, I wish I had a picture of one of her great creations. SHay takes an active role in the girls' schooling. She is constantly attending some event, volunteering in the classroom, or wrestling girls to get their homework done. Shay helps her girls to explore different activities like dance, soccer, karate, baseball, piano, writing, swimming, reading and the list goes on. You will never see the girls sitting in front of the screen all day and that's ok with her girls because they are having fun doing something else. With fun comes work as well, Shay always has some system to encourage her children to get work done too! Shay has a great love for the gospel and it is reflected in her parenting. When I visit, never fail, I see her family gathered together for prayer, scripture study, Sunday sharing time, Family Home Evening, or family council.

Shay enjoys a few things for herself too. Shay loves baseball. Whether she is watching the Rockies, supporting her brother, teaching her girls, or rocking 2nd base, you can see that she loves it. I don't know if Shay enjoys sewing or not. I've never heard her complain about it and she does a dang good job, so I'm going to say she loves sewing too :)! Shay is a great cook/baker. Shay can also arrange flowers beautifully, she was a great help at my wedding. Shay LOVES to write and she is pretty darn good! I have only been priviledged to read a few of her works and every time I am blown away with her creative thinking. I think it is Shay's dream to open a quaint little bookstore some day and sell some of her own work.

Shay is a hard worker and a little bit of a perfectionist. She loves to have things in order and is always abiding by the rules. She has worked hard to create a food storage for her family not only does she have that but it also looks nice and neat too :)! She is always prepared. Shay is a good student and is working hard to get her degree as well.
Because of her great job at keeping in order I have no doubt that she pleases the Lord through her obedience. She leads a righteous life and is an example to those who surround her.

I am so glad to have Shay as my sister and friend, I love you Shay :)!

Look Out World Here I Come!

2010-05-26T10:01:00.000-07:00

I'm finally decided to put my first blog up today :)! I decided to start this blog to update family and friends about what we're up to. I love reading other blogs and am excited to start my own, so here we go...

Ben and I have been so happy to be done with school for the summer :)! We have had lots of fun this spring so far! For spring break all of Ben's sisters and mom came to Wellington to visit.

We call ourselves the "Loo Loo sisters". When I married Ben I adopted a slew of sisters to add to my collection :)! We have lots of fun sending out an e-mail chain with questions to get to know each other better. Recently we started an add on story that has turned into quite an adventure :)! Every once in a while we get together for Loo Loo retreats and banish all the guys from the house. Once the boys are gone we do all sorts of secret girl stuff. I can share some...

Our days were filled with hairstyling, chick flicks, junk food, crafts, and girl talk. We had a great time and can't wait for the next time the Loo Loos unite :)!