Welcome to 2010!

Well the New Year arrived with a bang this year. Dan and I hosted a few close friends at our house on New Year's Eve and I'm happy to say that my house is still in one piece. It was very different this year compared to last year when I was pregnant. This year Julie was the pregnant one and I was free to enjoy the champagne. Dan played poker with the boys while I chatted with the girls in the kitchen. Needless to say, we woke up the next morning with headaches & less money.

Some of the things we're looking forward to in this new year!

• Another little man Aitkens will be joining us in the spring!
• Laina is on her way to crawling now and I predict will be walking before summer
• I am learning to sew, so we'll see what horrible projects come of that new skill
• Dan and I are going to the Kentucky Derby in May! Yay!
• Our friends are getting married over Memorial Day weekend
• Laina's first birthday in June and much more!

I write these posts more for myself than anyone else so I'm sorry if I come off cheesey. :) Just loving life.

Goodbye 2009!

Well as the year comes to a close, it makes me very happy to realize that this past year everything seemed to go our way. Here are some of the really exciting things that happened in 2009 for the Shepard Family.

• Laina joined our family
• We purchased our first home in a beautiful neighborhood that I lovingly refer to as Stepford
• Dan won the award for sales person of the year in his job!
• We had a new neice join us, Alex and found out that a new nephew is on the way in 2010
• Many of our friends also expanded their families (it was the year of the baby)
• Dan's Grandmother successfully navigated her way through 2 surgeries within a few months of each other and is on the road to a full recovery
• Both of our extended families have been lucky enough to be healthy, happy & employed

There are many more things that made this a great year for us but this is just the few highlights. Hope you were as blessed as we were this year. Hope you have a wonderful New Year's! Goodbye 2009!

Merry Christmas 2009!

Everyone told us that this Christmas would be different. Everyone said it's totally different when you have a little one. It absolutely was very different this year. We finally had a reason to get up on Christmas morning and have a little Shepard Christmas. Usually Dan and I end up doing something boring like buying a joint present, so there's really nothing to do on Christmas morning. Well this year we actually had stocking presents and really took the time to have a traditional Christmas morning. It was very exciting to see Laina's face even though we both knew she didn't really get it. She had a great time.

1/2 year old

12/21 marked the milestone of 6 months for the Laina bug. (Since Halloween when she was the lady bug, her nick name has become Lainabug.) She has just started sitting up on her own and really rolling over from her back to her tummy. I was getting a little concerned that she had little interest in doing either for a while but this past few weeks she has really taken big steps in her development. Now she is really able to play on the floor by herself and she seems to enjoy her new found independence.

Laina's first trip to MU!

Over Thanksgiving we decided to take a trip to the Mizzou Campus and show Laina around to her future school. (Obviously if she chooses.... but she will... oh yes, she will.) It was a beautiful day so we were able to get some good pictures of her in the cheerleading jumper. Here she is exploring the campus map. We also took some great pictures at the columns. The campus almost looks the same as when Dan and I were there. I love reminiscing. College was so much fun.

Timber!!

This past weekend the Shepard Family went hunting for a worthy Christmas tree to adorn with the few ornaments we have. Luckily there was a place right up the road. It was pretty cold and windy but my little trooper Laina hung in there.

Then I of course proceeded to place her in front of it and take tons of pictures of her.

I am really excited for our first Christmas with our new addition. I know she's not quite old enough to appreciate all that the holidays offer with friends & family and food of course... but it's just going to be so much more special with her there. I always get very sentimental as the years come to close. Maybe it's because the holidays make me realize how lucky I am or the excitement of a brand new year and a chance to accomplish something great in life. I think for 2009 we didn't do too shabby in that department. For now I'll just enjoy these moments, hope you do the same!

Turkey Day Coming Up!

Laina is now 5 months old and I"m realizing how behind I"m getting on many things (including blogging). I won't blame it on her but it does feel like my lack of time really began in late June... hmmm...

Anyway lots of exciting things have been happening in the Shepard household lately. We are very blessed with another little nephew that will be joining us in early April! Julie is due April 8th, 2010. So this Turkey Day we will be giving thanks for more than just our beautiful family but also the future ones who will join us. Unfortunately Laina will have to wait another year before she partakes of the turkey... just rice cereal for now but I have a feeling some one will slip her some mashed potatoes when I'm not looking. Hope your holiday season reminds you not only of what you have to be thankful for but also what lies ahead.

Laina & Dan on Halloween!

R.I.P Matt Miller (second cousin)

Recently a distant cousin of mine died of cancer at 28. He lived in D.C. with his family and I met him only once when I was in college while visiting with my grandparents.

He was an extraordinary juggler and even performed at the White House.

Below is a video dedicated to him. Such a horrible thing to lose your child, my heart goes out to his family.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kT-jaC2TiwA&feature=player_embedded

3 Months Old!

Happy 3 Month Birthday Laina!

I'm so excited that Laina is now 3 months old. I know I should be crying in my coffee that she's growing up so fast but she is really a ton of fun now. She is starting to get over the crazy amount of crying she was doing and she loves to play. We can sit her in her bumbo chair with a rattle and she's pretty entertained now. She also really enjoys babbling to us as we listen in our pretend conversation voices "uh, huh? oh really? what else? tell me more!". I swear you become a different person when a baby is around but she seems to enjoy the conversation so I'll keep doing it!

So I couldn't resist getting out the baby pictures to compare and see who she looks like... what do you think?

Man I was such a chunky monkey when I was little! Can't wait to see what she looks like in a few more months.

Labor Day Fun

This year we got the whole family together (minus Bret since he decided to grow up and have a job... sheesh) for Labor Day down at the lake. It was a great weekend. Little brother Josh brought along a friend from college and some of our other friends stopped by as well. See fun pics below!

Doug cooking WING O FIRE - YAH!

Doug & T-money (Tristan) on the seadoo

This is Justin & Sara posing next to Josh's friend. Seriously, this is what we do to outsiders... if you ever get invited to join my family down at the lake, be warned... we will destroy you. Any inclination you may have that you can hold your own when drinking will be crushed. This young man was quoted saying "your family drinks too much" when we finally took him to bed... after taking many pictures of him passed out of course.

Case in point: Jackman (middle) let it be known that it was his birthday... wrong choice. Bix (left) and Doug (right) chose to also torture him. He didn't make it. Passed out shortly after this picture was taken. Good Times.