Last weekend, we drove to Eagle, CO (in the mountains) to have lunch with a handful of people from Joe's family. Joe's second cousin, Shanah, her husband, Craig and their sweet, 3 year-old twin boys live in Eagle and invited us over for lunch. It was a beautiful drive and we had a great time visiting and catching up.

(Left to right)...Mike (Joe's brother who is living with us), Gary and Renee (Joe's Aunt and Uncle), Megan (Joe's cousin), Judy and Jim (Joe's Godparents), Shanah holding Keifer (Kole was too busy swimming to stop for a picture), Mia and I, Kenny (Joe's 2nd cousin), Craig (Shanah's husband) and Joe. Sorry if I misspelled someones name or gave someone the wrong title, I did this without Joe's help.

How fun is this blow-up water slide?! Mia really wanted to go swimming, so we let her go at it in her clothes since we didn't have her swimsuit.

Mia had a lot of fun watching the busy boys running and splashing.

I miss baby snuggles. I used to LOVE when Mia fell asleep on my chest like Bennett did a few days ago. Bennett is about 2 weeks old and is the son of our good friends, Mason and Laura. We are so happy for them and can't wait to watch Bennett grow and become friends with Mia.

Isn't he the cutest??

Mia turned 9 months old on Friday. I have been having so much fun staying at home with her. Mia crawled for the first time on July 2 and has been a busy little girl ever since. She loves exploring the house to see what she can discover. She has already ripped off two door stops and 1 knob from one of our kitchen drawers. Even though Mia is busy, she can play alone for a long time, which makes my job as a mommy a lot easier. She loves to play with her toys and her current favorite are her balls. She will sit and roll and throw a ball back and forth...it's the cutest thing.

9 months stats

Weight: 16.8 lbs

Height: 2 ft 4 in.

Diapers: size 2 or 3

Food: Breast milk, Organic Jarred baby food (she likes it all)

Solid foods she has tried: puffs, cheerios, pasta, bread, pancakes, waffles, bananas, avocado, watermelon and fish

Words she says: daddy, mom

She really tries to say (and i think she's said): thank you, baby, ball, night night, hi and all done

Mia can... clap, wave hi and bye, roll and throw a ball, crawl, stand holding onto something

Adjectives to describe Mia: Happy, giggly, smiley, feisty, independent and smart

My very talented hubby took Mia's 9 month pictures. He was able to capture every essence of her personality in one photo shoot.

Mia actually threw the yellow ball!

Mia did NOT want to take any pictures on the slide. Oh yes...did I mention that she has temper tantrums! : )

We had our family pictures taken a few weeks ago. All of the proceeds from the photo session went to Royal Family Kids Camp, which is a camp for kids in the Foster Care System. We got to record some family memories while giving to a great organization. Here are some of my favorites...

My normally, very happy baby decided to be Ms. Serious for all of these shots. What a stinker!

Love this picture of Mia and Joe...priceless.

Total outtake but this picture makes me smile.

On Thursday, my Grandma and second cousin, Jamie, came to visit for Jamie's Grandma's funeral and of course to see baby Mia and spend time together. We spent a lot of time relaxing and talking which was well needed for all of us. (Don't mind the squinty eyes...it was super bright outside.)

Me, Mia and Jamie

Mia and Great Grandma

Four generations minus my mom.

Great Grandma reading to Mia.

Joe's friend and old roommate, Nick, also came to visit last weekend. It was great to catch up and he and Joe had a great time together.

Joe and Nick all ready to go White Water Rafting (this picture makes me laugh so hard!)

Nick and Joe at Red Rocks. Apparently, they took turns trying to test their strength by carrying each other up the steps. I'm just glad they made in home in one piece!

On July 3rd, we went to a concert and firework show in a park downtown with our young marrieds group. It was so nice to be baby free and enjoy the beautiful evening with our friends.

Hillary, Laura and I. (Hillary and Laura are due to have their babies any day now.)

Friends,

fireworks,

lights,

and music...what a perfect night!

On the 4th of July, Joe, Mia and I went to the Rocky Mountain National Park to enjoy the beautiful state we live in.

We saw lots and lots of elk.

I can't believe this is just an hour from our house.

The most amazing spotting of the day...big horn sheep on the side of the road.

Mia and I at the top of the mountain.

Us.

Here are some more pictures from my family's visit last week...

Mia in her new pool.

Swimming.

We all (except Joe) went to Elitch Gardens when my family was here. Mia hung out with Grandpa Nick most of the time while the rest of us went on rides.

Mia with her Uncles.

My Mom, Nick, Cody and Colton went to the Rocky Mountain National Park while they were visiting. Mia and I didn't tagalong since I wasn't feeling well.

Joe creating a Diet Coke and Mentos Geyser! Fun times.