stop growing!

dear Cora, please don't grow up too fast! i want to remember when you were little, when you needed me to help you sit up, when you weren't in 12 month clothes, and wearing shoes that you seem proud to have on... how did that happen? it has only been 7 months, but you have changed and grown so much!
love, mom

cora meets animals

we have been to a lot of fairs with petting zoos and animal farms lately, and we love getting Cora up close and personal with the animals. she was terrified at first, but she seems to really love it now. a sign that she is loving it is her reaching out to pet the animals! she is so brave.

all animal farm adventures must start on a tractor

big girl sitting on a cow with cousins Cade and Connor

this pony approaching fast scared her a bit...

...but Cora quickly realized he was friendly as he sniffed her toes

goats at the Utah state fair. if you can't tell Cora is smiling!

feeding a cow

sheep...Cora was trying to figure out why they were covered like this, and so were we!

so brave petting the sheep...much different than her first up close and personal encounter with the pony above.

I love that Cora is meeting lots of different animals and it is so fun for Geoff and I to watch her!

anniversary

can it be that 3 years have already come and gone? it seems like i have known Geoff forever. i'll never forget the first time we met... we were at Jake and Jenna Vela's house for Jake's birthday party in April of 2008. i showed up late because i had decided i wasn't going to go because of being bogged down with homework. Jenna called me asking why i hadn't showed up yet and that she had someone she wanted me to meet. after a little convincing i decided to go, mostly cause Jenna is a good friend and i also have a hard time saying "NO" to people. when i walked in the door i noticed some people playing rock band, and i happened to notice that the guy singing was really into it and very sweaty! i continued on into the kitchen where i found Jenna. she was talking with some people, so i sat down at the table and joined in. before i knew it the guy that was sweaty and singing came into the kitchen and was saying his good-byes. he introduced himself to me and we chatted a bit (i don't really remember what we talked about, but i remember it being very awkward cause he had just gotten home from his mission a month before). the one thing i do remember Geoff saying to me was, "you are going to fight my battles". i didn't know where that came from, but he caught my attention. I just said, "oh really!?" i remember thinking he was strikingly handsome, had a good personality, and a GREAT smile. i headed into the living room, feeling a little awkward from that conversation. he didn't follow me, but as he was walking out the door i decided it was getting late and i should get going too. on our way out the door he suggested we go on splits with the missionaries, because we had talked about me trying to get a job at the MTC and how he was just home from mission in Ohio, and as such he needed my number. i gave it to him and asked him to walk me to my car because i was nervous in the dark. he did and was a pure gentleman about it. thirty seconds down the road i hear my phone ring. i didn't recognize the number, but answered anyways. it was Geoff. he said, "i don't normally do this, but i think you are so beautiful"... i was definitely blushing all alone in my car and didn't know what to say. i remember feeling happy inside and very excited. he then said, "we should hang out on Friday." i agreed. so Friday was our first official date, a week later we let each other know that we were falling for one another, a month later we flew home to New York so he could meet my family (May), a month after that we were engaged (June), and two months later we were married (August). yes, it was fast, but we knew we were meant to be together. i could not be happier! i look forward to many many many more anniversaries together.

i love you Geoff,
Happy Anniversary

p.s. oh and by the way, Jenna never introduced me to the guy she wanted to set me up with and i am so happy she didn't because Geoff and i would not have talked at the party if i was chatting with that other guy. we had such a small window to meet each other because Geoff was living with his parents in Bountiful, UT (an hour from where i was living) and headed off to school in Idaho the week after we met. in my mind we were so meant to be because all of the pieces fell into place for us to meet, find out we liked each other and that we were compatible all in a short amount of time.

enjoying summer

we have been really loving the end of summer here in Utah. Geoff and i were commenting on how beautiful it really is in Utah during the summer. sometimes when we think of Utah we only think of the dreary winters that seem the suck the life out of you. it gets so gray here and it's harder to be outside because of the snow and cold temperatures. the mountains spotted with green and the wild flowers (some of which Geoff picked and put on Cora's hat) really make summer time in Utah gorgeous. we are never really here during the summer and so miss out on the fun outdoor activities that Utah has to offer like hiking. don't get me wrong.. skiing (which is also outdoors) during the winter is the best here and is a major attraction for people from all over, but there is something special about a beautiful summer day up in the mountains of Utah. here we are in Park City hiking up a mountain-biking trail that winds around to the top of the mountain, crossing over ski trails as we climbed:

Cora absolutely loved it and did great on our 2 hour hike that Nancy and Steve showed us!

this is my new favorite picture of all of ushere is Cora today out on our walk around Cameron and Brittany's neighborhood. i have tried to take her out on a walk every morning for a few weeks now. she seems to really loves it outside and it helps that she can see out better in this stroller that Britt is lending us!

6 months ago

our family of two became this:

6 months ago and we could not be happier!

Cora is 6 months old today.
She is so big sitting all by herself in this high chair at a restaurant. Sitting up on her own is her latest accomplishment and she is so proud of herself when she does!One of my favorite things about Cora is how vocal she is. She is constantly talking and it seems like singing at times, and just making happy noises that make us smile. She has started sleeping through the night again, which I am very grateful for. Months 1-3 she slept through the night, but for some reason months 4 & 5 she decided she would wake up every 3 hours. I'm glad that is over! She is very strong: she holds her head up off the ground when laying on her back, she loves standing, she rolls over, she does this side to side head swaying and will whack you in the side of the face if you're not careful, she sits, and she kicks you if you're in reach of her legs as she is laying down.

Here she is so big riding on Daddy's shoulders!
I cannot believe that Cora has only been with us for 6 months, it seems she has always been part of our family.
Happy half birthday to her!

cora meets cousins

we made it back to Utah from California last week. we're staying in Park City with Geoff's parents at a cabin they rented for the summer. geoff's sister stacie and her family are here too and we are having a BLAST! cora absolutely loves kids and she just thinks these cousins of her are so funny! they know exactly how to make her laugh and smile. lately i always have a helper to grab me a diaper, help me change cora into her outfit for the day, grab cora toys, etc. i can't wait till cora is big enough to run around with these kiddos!

cora with jackson and chloe

lexi and cora

the twins, claire and chloe, with cora

it's too bad cora doesn't live closer to her cousins in Washington, New York, and Utah (well for now we're in Utah but not for long)

a day at the park

the weather in California is incredible! just about 10 mins from where we live is a beautiful park called Lacy Park. we spent a few hours there just laying on a blanket with Cora, throwing the frisbee, and walking around the park.

for about a week now Cora won't stay in this position on her belly (see below) for very long. she is rolling from her stomach to her back and we celebrate every time she does it, which she seems to love!our time in California is coming to a close. i'm packing up this week as Geoff finishes things up at work. we have enjoyed our time here and we have especially enjoyed watching Cora change and grow since we first got here in May!