Fall 2012 Trip to Winnemucca

We made our annual trip out to Winnemucca this past weekend to visit family. When I tell people I am going to Nevada to see my family they get the idea that I am going to spend the weekend poolside, or in all the fun shops on the Strip in Vegas...well that is not the case! Winnemucca is a little mining town out in the middle of the desert. Their idea of shopping is heading down to the Walmart! I think the closest mall is in Reno which is over 2 hours away. I'm not sure how my family does it! I would go crazy without at least a Target nearby!

However, we always have such a good time, and I love going to see all my cousins and my Uncle Denny! Irelyn went last year but she was only 3 months old so she did really well in the car, sleeping the entire way. This time was a different story! She did not enjoy the 7 hour car ride...that is until Grandma Carol brought out the Cheetos! She made such a mess, but she was a happy camper after that! Oh how this little gapped tooth smile melts my heart!

While we were there they had a Hot Air Ballon Expo at the recreation park. I was so excited to go because I love going to the one in Provo, but it starts soooo early so we never make it! This one started at 7am which is actually 8am for us. The wind kicked up so they didn't get all the balloons up and out of there, but it was still fun to see them all.

Braden, Irelyn, Raquel & Jessica

 Irelyn's Halloween costume this year was inspired by her Uncle Denny and late Aunt Dawn. They are big time into the car shows and have always dressed up their little grandkids in poodle skirts and saddle shoes to go to the shows. I knew Irelyn needed her own poodle skirt, and that she needed to get her picture taken in front of Uncle Denny's Mercury Cougar just like her second cousins had before. However, she wasn't having it! She was so grumpy that morning so we didn't even get a smiling picture! Oh well she still looks like a doll!

We decided since there wasn't much to do in Winnemucca that we would spend one night painting pumpkins. Me and my first cousins once removed (yes, I actually went on and figured it all out to see what we actually are :) stocked up on paint and pumpkins and went to town!

Jordan's, Irelyn's, Raquel's, Jessica's, Jessica's #2, and Braden's

 I love hanging out with these guys! Even though they are 10-15 years younger than me, we still have so much in common and have so much fun! I can't wait until they come to Utah in a few weeks, I have some big plans for us!

I was so happy that Irelyn had so much fun too. There were times when she was a mama's girl, but she really took a liking to my cousin, Lance. I've always thought that he and my oldest brother Greg could be twins. They both look a lot like my Grandpa Thomas. She loves her Uncle Greg, and I really think that she just assumed that my cousin Lance was him. She spend a good hour just laughing and playing around with him and his hat! She also loved her second cousins, and wanted to spend most of her time with them!

It's always so much fun to go, and I hate that we only get to stay for a few days! Friday to Sunday just wan't enough! It especially wasn't enough of a break between 7 hour car rides! However, this time Grandma Carol bribed her with a sucker, and mom downloaded Megamind onto her Kindle, and the drive went a little smoother!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Irelyn and I had a very eventful St. Patrick's Day! We started the day bright and early at my parent's house helping out with their yard sale. I was amazed at how well it went for being a bunch of junk out of their basement! On a whim, the night before I took down all of my kitchen decorations to take over with me to see if I could sell them. I've had the same kitchen decor since we got married, and I am so ready for new! I ended up selling most of it, so I guess I get to redecorate! My kitchen is so sad and bare right now. I hadn't even really thought about what I wanted to do, so I have a big job ahead of me!

This little princess was a trooper all day. She was happy and smiling at all of our patrons! She was all decked out in her green for St. Patty's day. Her face in this pic just cracks me up! She is such a character!

 After our successful yard sale, my mom made our annual St. Patrick's Day dinner. Corned Beef, Cabbage and little red potatoes....it was absolutely amazing! I was going to take a picture, but was famished by that time and just started devouring what was on my plate!

My brother's kids were up there as well so we made a trip over to the park. It was Irelyn's first time playing at the park, and I think she loved it! She went down the slide with Saige several times, and took a swing with mommy. When we were done and I put her in her stroller she fell asleep almost immediately! The park tuckered her out!

 

Loved this pic of Saige. She posed and asked me to take her picture in the tree!

  All in all it was a fabulous lucky day!

Family Pics 2012/Irelyn's 6 Month Pics

I feel like I am very redundant with what I put on Facebook and on here, but my hope is to make this blog into a book one day soon, so I will continue to double up :) My friend Jeff Hill took some amazing family pics of us and some 6 month pic of Irelyn for me! I love how they turned out! We took the family pics out at my Grandma's farm in Goshen, and I think it was the perfect place! Then, Jeff set up his little studio for Irelyn's beautiful pictures!

Anatomy of Eating Rice Cereal

In an effort to help our pretty girl learn to sleep more than 2-3 hours at night we decided we should see if she would start eating rice cereal. It was quite comical watching her reaction to the different texture of the cereal. She wasn't quite sure of it! So here it goes...the anatomy of eating rice cereal:

Ok Mom, I'm all ready! Such a big girl in my Bumbo!

What is that strange stuff you're mixing up?

Okay, let's give this a try...

Ugh, I'm not sure about this mom!

I think I'd rather just eat my hand! I can probably get the whole thing in there if I try!

Oh, maybe I can just have both my fingers and cereal!!

Ok, let's try this one more time...

Ugh REALLY MOM?!? This stuff is terrible!

Needless to say, it didn't go too well! She didn't like the texture at all. I ended up making it so runny that it was almost just all milk, but she just kept spitting it out!!

This past week I ended up mixing it with a little milk, and applesauce. She seemed to like it a little better. It still got EVERYWHERE, but at least most of it made it in her tummy. I don't know if the cereal has anything to do with it, but she FINALLY slept thru the night for the very first time the night before Thanksgiving!! 9 whole hours! I just wish that Mommy would have slept the whole 9 hours instead of laying in bed fretting about why her baby girl hadn't woke up, and checking on her 3 or 4 times :) Hopefully I can get over that, and she will start sleeping longer!

She did get a taste of sweet potatoes at Thanksgiving, but she did not like that either!! I'm thinking we will be holding off for at least a few weeks before we try with veggies again!

This is one of the only pictures I took of Thanksgiving, but it is adorable! Irelyn with her little cousins!

Meet the Great Grandparents

Irelyn has been able to visit with so many people in her short weeks of life! Some of the most important of those people are her great grandparents!

We had the chance to go up to Salt Lake and spend the day with Billy's grandpa. Because he hasn't been doing very well lately, we knew he needed some Irelyn therapy! She can make even the worst day seem fabulous! He couldn't take his eyes off of her when he was holding her. It was just so beautiful to me to see this wonderful 92 year old man with my little newborn! However during this beautiful moment, Irelyn did what she does best and showed Great Grandpa Painter that she is in no way a lady when it comes to filling her diaper! The look on Grandpa's face was priceless! I wish I would have had the camera ready to snap a pic!

Irelyn then got to meet her Great Grandma Gloria. I love the brightness of her eyes as she holds her sweet great grandchild! I just love that she never fussed or cried when her great grandparent's were holding her, she was just completely content!

Great Grandpa & Grandma Daley came to visit while we were at my parent's house. The first thing Grandpa wanted to do was hold Irelyn! He wouldn't even share with Grandma, he just wanted to hold her the whole time! His grin was from ear to ear, and he just thought she was so beautiful!

Great Grandma Thomas met Irelyn in the hospital after she was born, but the first pictures we took were not very good quality, so I made her sit down and let me take her picture again! I love that with Irelyn joining our family we now have 4 generations of girls! I hope that her Great Grandma Thomas can teach her all the great things she has taught me!


Just one more set of Great Grandparents to go and she will have met them all! Now to find a time to get to Idaho!

Our little FIRECRACKER has made her BIG BANG!

Our baby girl, Irelyn Louise Painter, joined our family on her due date!!

Born July 4th 2011 at 11:32 pm

6lbs 8 oz 20 in long

After going to the doctor's office the last 3 weeks and being told by my doctor that if she was a betting woman, she would bet that I would go at least a week over my due date, I was pretty sure I wouldn't be meeting my sweet baby girl until mid July! However, she had different plans!! She knew that she was our little firecracker, and had to make her appearance on her due date, Independence Day!

After a long Sunday night of contractions, we decided we needed to get to the hospital Monday morning. Billy made sure to take the bumpy dirt canal road instead of going on the actual road to try to speed things along! My contractions were only 3 min apart when we arrived at the hospital at 8:30 am. It took me all day to get ready for the big show, and she made her appearance just before midnight! 

 

 She has been such a great baby so far! We had a fun little stay at the hospital, but we were so ready to get home!! Her daddy couldn't wait to get her home and show her off! We are both completely smitten over her, and I'm certain she is going to be a spoiled daddy's girl! She already has him wrapped around her little finger!