Arizona State Fair

Tyler & I have a tradition of going to the State Fair every year in October. We always make sure to go on a night when they're having the demolition derby. Slightly white-trash but we love it.

This is the ride that my brother Joseph tries to "tame" every year.

Tyler & Joseph on the Zipper before it takes off. Note the smiles on their faces.

And this is after the Zipper. This picture was taken after he repeatedly said, "I'm going to throw up". Poor guy broke his cell phone on the ride when it fell out of his pocket (I caught some of the flying pieces as I was taking pictures) and then he had to take a breather for a while. The following year he went back for more...and got sick again. Maybe next  year.

Good friends Mike & Leah

Mike with his giant plate of french fries (that probably weighed as much as a small child). Every year I get a funnel cake and this year Tyler & I tried a deep-fried Snicker's and Twinkie. I guess it's a good thing that we only go once a year.

Alyvia

This little girl likes to have sleepovers at our house.


I would like to think it's because we're such a fun aunt and uncle.

But I'm pretty sure it has more to do with this...

I'm going for it

I've been going back and forth with whether I want to get started on our nursery. I want it to be ready when our baby comes, but seeing as we don't know when that will be, I've been hesitant to buy anything or get set up. Will our hearts ache every time we walk past the room that's missing a baby? Will it only make our longing for children even deeper? Maybe that door will stay shut a little more often, but all in all I think it will be worth it to be ready. My mom gave me her rocking chair when we were first trying to get pregnant, and last year Tyler surprised me at Christmas by having it refinished and fixed up. It was totally unexpected and so thoughtful. He kept it at my parents' house so I wouldn't find it, and when we were over there opening presents with my family he brought it out. I cried.

This is the same rocking chair my mom rocked each of her babies in. I love things that are passed down that have meaning. The wood was originally a different color and the seat was broken so Tyler had it all redone. He was so worried that it wouldn't be just like I wanted, but it was perfect. By far one of the best gifts I've ever been given. We've had this chair for several years now, and when my mom first gave it to me I thought I would be rocking my own babies in it in no time at all. But I suppose life often has a way of surprising us. Every now and then I'll sit in it and think about my babies. I wish they'd stop taking so long to get here, but Tyler & I know that wanting something so badly will make it all the more precious when it does come.  

Me sitting in my new rocking chair at Christmas.

So I'm just going to do it. I'll start by painting and then next we'll buy a crib. And if I have to shut the door every now and then, that's okay. There will be a day when that door will be open, and I can't wait.

Seattle

Tyler & I just got back from a long weekend in Seattle. It was our first time visiting and we met my brother & his wife there. And I took a ton of pictures: 

I thought Tyler was always squinting in pictures because we live in a sunny state. But this picture in overcast weather proves otherwise. He can't help it, it's hereditary.

You get the point.

The giant Gum Wall. We added ours to the stinky wall and then passed around the Purell. Then we went to Pikes Market which was definitely my favorite.

Love this picture of him.

Space Needle

Tyler & I have a really bad habit of wearing matching outfits a lot. Whether it's the same color, stripes, etc. This is the usual conversation before we leave:

T: "One of us should probably change."

B: "Yeah, why don't you go put on something else."

T: "I really don't want to."

B: "I don't want to either."

T: "Let's go."

And occasionally someone will ask if we planned it. No, we can't help that we both have excellent taste.

Here we are on the duck tour. Which involved a tour of Seattle, a bus that turned into a boat and went in a lake, and a lot of quacking. Pretty sure we shouldn't have enjoyed this as much as we did.

San Juan Islands

Snoqualmie Falls

We loved Seattle!

S'mores in the Summer

Tyler's parents are awesome grandparents. They are head over heels in love with their grandchildren & go along with whatever these kids want. S'mores in the summer? Coming right up.

You know you're in good shape when you still look adorable with chocolate & marshmallow all over your face.

It's been 7 years...

...and he's still my favorite.

Chase & Lauren

Tyler's youngest brother Chase got married a couple of months ago, which means we have a new sister-in-law!

Chase & Lauren

She is so cute! I would have been so intimidated marrying into a family that had 3 sister-in-laws that were older than me, but she's not even phased by it. So awesome!

Hard to believe Tyler's baby brother is married! When we told the family we were going to adopt, Chase said, "Why do you need a baby? You already have me." He was kidding, but he is kind of our baby. Luckily these guys are our neighbors so we still see them a lot.

The whole fam

Congratulations!