Week 34: Baby Booty

Mason got to spend sometime with our friends Ryan and Trisha this past weekend. Trisha is 26 weeks pregnant and cute as ever. They are moving and Ryan and Matt spent the day using their muscles and loading the Uhaul while Trisha and I visited and Mason gave her some practice at things to come. They are having a boy:)


When we got home we were tuckered out but our little energy bomb was not. He loves to have his clothes off (quite normal for babies) so I let him scoot around in his diapy but that was not enough to we went with the full monty!



Nothing cuter than naky baby booty.

Look at those muscles:)

Like a Greek statue:)

All was well until he stood up against the couch and peed all over it...it was fun while it lasted.

Week 32: The simple joys of July

During the week we had to get out of the heat so Mason and I headed to the hills to hang out with Cormic and Emily. We love our newest bubba.

Mason getting ready for bed in his baseball jammies. Yes he still sleeps with us and we love it. This will be a subject for a later blog when we get ready for the challenge of moving him but that won't be for a couple of months.

My mom was out of town for the first week of Cormic's life and it was breaking her heart so she had to get some quality time in this past weekend.

Big stretch.

Three generations of Armstead boys (couldn't catch Keegan for this shot.)

Cody dog (Cade and Emily's dog)

Uncle Matt working on Keegan's golf game, just a few obstacles to get around!

Keegan getting some mom time. He is doing well with his new brother but he misses all the one on one time he had with his mom. He is a big helper when it comes to changing diapers and I have requested his services for Mason's diapers. We will pay him in cookies.

Emily helping in the kitchen, looking darn good for having a baby a week ago.

Uncle Matt getting some Cormic lovin'

We had a nice BBQ to celebrate our July birthdays: Matt's, Cormic's, Grandma June's (in memory) and my dads.

Keegan was explaining to me that if he ate his entire hot dog his muscles would be super big like grandpa's.

Watch out Kobyashi.

Mason our lil' chow hound.

Proud Mama of two boys.

My mom made Grandma June's chocolate cream pies, per my dad's request.

After all the good food we built a bonfire. Grandpa was teasing, as usual, to throw Keegan in the fire if he didn't behave.

My Dad and Fisher.

The next morning we were treated to hotcakes and sausage and the grandparents took the kids to play. Um can I come to this retreat every weekend?

We wrapped up the weekend with a new gate install to prevent any major stair tumbling. Mason was rattling the bars of his new jail.

And a lovely Sunday evening rainbow. Countless blessings.

Week 30 and 31: busy lil' bees and a new nephew

We have been busy. The fourth, Matt's birthday, and a new baby. I guess we were having so much fun that I forgot to get pictures at most of these events...oops!

Mason spent some quality time with GG on the holiday weekend and he sure finds her to be the "bees knees."

I am not sure where she gets all her energy? Matt says she was the grandma that did all the water slides, amusement parks ect...and for the most part she is still this way.

Let me give you some drool kisses.

Finally after two months of gnawing and buckets of drool ( I am not exaggerating) we have a bottom tooth. AND have I mentioned that he is a crazy kid? He is crawling so fast and pulling up on everything he can. He is into everything he is not suppose to be and I don't stop moving when he is up but I am not complaining because this age is so much fun. The calorie burn is a plus as well.

On July 9th at 12:12 pm Cormic Colton Armstead entered this world at 8lbs 14 oz. We were hoping he would be born on the 10th, my grandma June's birthday but I guess god and Cormic had another plan:) Emily woke up at 5 that morning in strong labor and Cade and Em. headed to the hospital and six hours later with two pushes he made his appearance. He is so precious. He does look like Keegan as a baby but he has a lot of dark hair. I just love these babies. Congratulations Cade, Em. and Keegan! We love you so much and look forward to all the fun memories that lie ahead.

Holding Cormic made Mason feel HUGE!!! I am constantly in awe how fast they grow.

Unfortunately both of my parents were out of town the day he was born so Matt and I headed over there as soon as we could to meet him. I can't believe my lil' bro is a dad of two!!!

I didn't get any pics of Em that day (per her request which I completely understood) but in my opinion she looked great and was recovering quickly.

We took Keegan for a couple days (one night). He was a blast but definitely a challenge. We bought him a "congratulations you are a big brother" gift. A toddler camera. They are nearly indestructible digital cameras that can take video and you can play games on them. I was impressed with all the capability for $45.00. This definitely kept him entertained. He took pictures of EVERYTHING. He also is big on "Why" right now, it would go on and on so we would just say "because." We really did enjoy having him and it was good practice for things to come. By the time Cade, Em, and Cormic picked him up on Saturday we were exhausted.

Here is a video from a few weeks ago. Its not the best crawling video we have but blogger did not seem to like the others.

Week 29: somedays are just challenging

Right now I should be downtown having lunch with a group of my girlfriends. This was a lunch I suggested we have and that I would bring Mason too....well I guess my life no longer revolves around me.

Here is how our morning went:


6:30 Mason is up



7:00 Ingest large amount of coffee because I am exhausted from 7 months of not sleeping through the night:)



7:15 bottle for Mason



7:30 he is fussy. Need to get him in the stroller so I can workout and he can nap.



7:45 Hit the trail for a long run/walk



8:30 Witness a rattle snake eat a rat on the trail...had to mention this because it freaked me out! I start to sing Lion King, the circle of life. Mason falls asleep to block me out.



9:00 home, sit outside and stretch while throwing ball to dogs and letting Mason play in the grass



9:30 hit the shower, place Mason in his crib with some toys



9:35 Hurry and dry off because Mason is screaming at me LOUD.



9:40 He is rubbing his eyes and screaming, must be tired, Great he will nap and I can get ready



10:15 still awake and not happy, I have sung "you are my sunshine" 100 times and "itsy bitsy spider" 200 times



10:35 he falls asleep, Thank you god!



10:40 he wakes up screaming



10:45 he spits up a large amount on the only clean shirt I have for the lunch today, that's okay I am sure there is something in my dirty clothes pile that will work!



10:50 get him dressed while he protests loudly...the thought crosses my mind that I should cancel...nah he will be fine once I get him in the car.



10:55 I try to pull my hair up but it is one frizzy mess...oh well its clean.



11:00 He is grunting and trying to poop....Ah Ha this is why he is unhappy...poor guy.



11:14 He is still trying to poop and his face is bright red



11:15 I call Kathryn while Mason is crying in the background and say "sorry we won't be there, please tell everyone hello for me"



11:30 A massive blowout occurs...he smiles immediately.



12:15 he is sound asleep


And the best part...I wouldn't change it for the world.

Week 27 and 28: Birthdays, special visit from a special aunt, fabulous fathers, and a new chapter

Here is what we have been up to the past few weeks...

We purchased an antique Hoosier Cabinet built in 1920. Previously a slanted bookshelf occupied this space but I started to envision Mason climbing it and/or cracking his head on the lowest shelf. I have also wanted more storage in our kitchen area but most buffets/cabinets are really expensive. I wanted to buy a piece we would have for a long time and not a target put together (nothing wrong with those we have plenty) so when we found this beauty I was tickled...however the store owner wanted more than our budget so we walked away. A few days later Matt and I went back and I sent my haggler in to strike a deal and obviously it worked. The piece is so well built and provides a lot of functionality. We will probably change the hardware but we have become found of its original color. We plan to check out more used furniture stores in the future.

We had a busy weekend the 13th and 14th. We were excited to go see our 13 year old nephew Luke play baseball. They had a tournament in our neck of the woods so we jumped on the chance to see him in action. He is quite the athlete. I am not surprised because athleticism seems to run deep in those Gilbreath genes.

Here he is pitching, he is a lefty. Uncle Matt is so proud. He also played first base and had some killer plays. Afterwards we were able to grab dinner with the whole gang and catch up. I must have been gabbing to much to get photos. We are so proud of our nieces and nephews.

The following day (Flag day and GG's birthday) we headed north for BBQ and family time. It was a wonderful Sunday. We laughed a lot. We love GG so much and she is very close to us. She turned 78 but she has the energy of a 30 year old. So blessed to have her in our lives.


The next weekend we hung low....hit up the farmers market, did house projects, and took long walks.

On Father's Day we loaded up the whole crew and drove 20 minutes south to a "leash free" dog park with ponds. The dogs swam their little hearts out and Mason loved watching them. We spent the rest of the day around the house and made a lovely dinner of steak and seafood and chocolate covered strawberries.

Matt with his boys and a visiting golden retriever puppy. This park has lots of dogs running free. Its fun to see all the breeds and watch them all interact.

A few words about Matt...he is a wonderful father and Mason is quite enamored with him. When Matt gets home Mason's face lights up and the giggles begin. Mason is definitely saying "DA DA" and it melts our hearts. First thing in the morning when he sees Matt he whispers "da da."
Its hard to imagine loving your spouse more or differently when its just the two of you but watching him become a father has changed our relationship in so many wonderful ways. From the second Mason was born Matt was by his side and because Mason had to be in the NICU and me in recovery he stuck by him through all the painful and heart wrenching procedures which gave me needed comfort. We love you so much.

We were able to spend some time with my Aunt Kelly on her way back from Telluride. Mason loved her, it is easy to do that with Aunt Kelly. She has a heart of gold. We can't wait to see everyone in September.

We also celebrated my mom's birthday the same evening. Happy Birthday Mom!

We have entered a new chapter with Mason....its called "you never stop moving because he is into EVERYTHING." He is officially crawling and pulling himself up on furniture. We have tried to get some crawling footage but he loves to pose for the camera and it stops him dead in his tracks.

We recently replaced our coffee table with a softer ottoman. He enjoys pulling himself up and shimming around to get whatever is hiding in there. He loves the remote control and calculator and of course magazines.

We had to lower the crib to its lowest setting because the lil' monkey almost crawled out. I got some great video footage of him doing this but it didn't end to well because he fell and smacked his face on his crib bars....I may be the worlds worst mom.

Hanging with Hunter.

Mason has decided the changing table is no fun in a stationary position....he likes to begin rolling and any possible movement to keep you from getting a diaper off/on him. Lately I just wrestle him down on the floor to change him or I do it while he is standing up but with a poopy diaper this provides a challenge. He loves to scurry away as soon as I get the diaper off and then protest loudly when I try to retrieve him. When is a changing table no longer needed?

Still but only for a moment.

We have had some good falls and head bangs lately. I am trying to balance protecting him but letting him discover...it is hard.

This age is so much fun. He is so interactive and though he has started to gain a little bit of independence he loves to be scooped up and rub noses. He is such a cuddler and I love that. I wish I could just bottle up these moments and place them on a shelf with a label that says "Open me when Mason is 14 and wants nothing to do with his mom."

Lastly, this is a cute video of Angela and Mason....he sure loves that girl as do we.

A special birthday girl

I am so blessed to have very special friends in my life. One of these special friends is my girlfriend Kathryn. She just celebrated her 30th birthday and I wanted to tell her "Happy Birthday! "

I have known Kathryn for over 10 years. We met at Mines and became close friends our junior year when we traveled to Vegas. She is such a vibrant and beautiful person. She is smart and witty. She is one of the few people I would travel cross country or to another country with. She loves to have fun. She is a foodie like me. She has great style. She is one of my favorite people.

I found a few old photos from our 20's (see below) and it made me think about how we have evolved from crazy and somewhat insecure college girls to professionals, moms, wives, and mature women (well most of the time).

I think 30 is going to be great because for me it seems like your 30's is your 20's glorified. Its your 20's without all the drama of friends and boyfriends. Yes. You have to workout a lot more if you eat pizza and drink beer and drinking does give you hangovers now but all in all you are confident in who you are, you do less stupid things, you have a steady paycheck, you have real friends and you can now look back at all those experiences in your 20's and say "those things made me who I am today."

Engineering Days 2001

Seattle Trip 2003 (odd pose)

Seattle 2003

Seattle 2003

Bachelorette Party 2007

Vail 2007: Winnings for guys to dance for me!

Wedding 2007

Here's to you Kathryn, looking forward to many years of friendship.