Postage Due

I was very proud of myself for getting Samantha's announcements out. It was another one of those projects that becomes much more difficult with a baby. But, I stuffed the 150 envelopes, printed the labels and got them all ready -- all while I bounced with Samantha in her baby carrier.

Much to my dismay, I received about 10 back in the mail the next day with stamps that read "insufficient postage". Apparently the small square size does not run properly through the mail reader. I've heard that some arrived without problems but many arrived with postage due. I apologize for anyone who has had to pay to get mail from us!

You have to admit though, she is pretty darn cute! If I don't have your address or if you refused to pay the 20 cents, you can see the announcement here. She is worth every penny if you ask me.

Done Being Grouchy

My best friend Ryan recently brought to my attention that because of an earlier blog about being overwhelmed with visitors, I have permanently scared people away and people are afraid to call or visit. I want everyone to know that I love seeing people and introducing them to Samantha. I will admit those first few weeks were a little much...but it is amazing how a little sleep can help improve your attitude.

I have always been a big sleeper. I'm not really a morning person or a night owl, I just like to sleep all the time. I think I had a bed time until I was about 16 because I have always been so grouchy when I don't get enough sleep. Turns out, the same is true today and Samantha must know how much better life is for all of us when we get some sleep. She has been a really fantastic sleeper lately, Saturday she slept from 11 pm to 6 am - I think that counts for sleeping through the night! Now, it isn't quite that good every night but it is close and I am SO very grateful and feeling much more sane.

A good night sleep is worth so much to me and now that I'm rested, I'm ready to socialize - please don't be scared.

Busy August

Samantha met many important people this month as we had some special out of town visitors. My Grandma, Samantha's Great Grandma Gentry (G cubed), came for a wonderful week long visit from Oklahoma. I am fortunate enough to have known and been close to my Great Grandma and I am grateful that Samantha has her Great Grandma in her life as well. Dave's best friend Mike Hay was in town this week with his fiance Karessa. It was great to catch up and have some dinners with them.

Dave's Aunt Patty also came to meet the latest arrival along with cousins Kelly, Jaime, Jordan and Riley. Jordan is my favorite little guy and he proved that he is going to make a fabulous big brother soon. Samantha was especially excited to meet her Aunt Molly. We had some good bonding time with Molly and Brian and we all rocked out on the Wii with Rock Band.

Other fun visitors included Jessie Danielson, Ryan Smith and The Rosenbergs. You can catch up on all of the photos here, you will also see in the photos that Samantha is already a huge sports fan. She is a die hard Broncos fan and she has been cheering on Michael Phelps in the Olympics....soon you will also see her dedication to the Tampa Bay Rays baseball team.

New Definition of Productivity

As my good friend Josh would say, "I make things happen for a living". I like to get things done and see results. However, with a new baby, a productive day is now greatly different than what it used to be. That's okay too, I am now responsible for another living person - feeding her, changing her and making sure she is happy is my primary priority these days.

But, I am doing my best to accomplish more every day. This week I started showering while Samantha slept. I know, it doesn't sound like much, but for the past 6 weeks I have showered when someone else could keep an eye on Samantha. I also shopped for my friend Annie's 30th birthday, wrapped her gifts and sent them all with Samantha at my side. And, we made a trip to the grocery store, to Target and for some nice long walks, just the two of us. It's funny how the little things feel like big accomplishments!

I am trying to soak up all of my time with Samantha and she is frequently smiling at me this week to remind how priceless every day is. If I can't get a shower in or we can't get everything done in a day, that is alright too.

Naked Family Photos?

About a year ago my little sister showed me some pictures she had found of a teacher at her school who is also a friend of a friend of mine. My sister had found the picture on a professional photography site and it was a new family photo of this guy, his wife and their new baby. The only thing was, he wasn't wearing a shirt. We all got a good laugh about the photo wondering why in the world they would do the family portrait shirtless.

Fast forward to a week ago when our family friend and crazy photographer Cheryl came over to take pictures of Samantha and our family. After about 5 minutes she asked Dave to take his shirt off. Apparently these naked photos are now all the rage. I must say that Dave was quite a willing participant. When Cheryl asked me to take off my shirt a few minutes later I rolled my eyes and she quickly told me what a prude I was. Before you know it, there we all were, me, Dave and Samantha without our clothes on, posing for a family photo.

I did ask after awhile if we could get a decent amount of pictures taken with all of our clothes ON. I mean what in the world am I going to do with naked pictures? It makes it look like we all choose to disrobe on a Saturday afternoon and delight in our family unity...very Boulder. We got the pictures back a few days ago and while there are a lot of fantastic photos of Samantha, and some good (clothed) family shots, the naked photos are hysterical. I plan to lock them away but I will display a few for your enjoyment here!