Archibald Blog

Baby Katie

2011-11-16T20:41:00.007-07:00

We have been blessed with a sweet baby girl! Katie Archibald was born on Friday, October 28 at 2:51 pm. She weighed 7lbs 6oz and was 20 in long.

So here's the story:

I went to the hospital at 7:30am and after we got checked in John and I walked the halls stopping every 1-2 minutes for contractions, and in my room I bounced on one of those big exercise balls to try to get the baby to drop.

After a while, the contractions got pretty intense (to put it mildly). So I asked for the candy man to come give me that sweet stuff (epidural). About an hour later, my doc came to break my water and I think I was only progressed to a 5 or so.

To keep the progression, we kept rolling me over from side to side (with the idea of moving baby down), and at one such time (about an hour and a half after my water was broken), the student nurses were relocating the baby's heart rate on the monitor, but were having a real hard time getting an accurate read. So our regular nurse (named Katie) came in to try. She had told me earlier that if I felt any pressure that I should let her know so she could check my progress. Well while she was adjusting the monitor, I let her know that I thought I felt some pressure. So she lifted the blankets to check me, and next thing I know she gasps and quickly places a baby on my stomach. (Katie told us later that she was out to her elbows. Which must have happened quickly because they had just checked me a minute before that.) She starts rubbing the baby down to try to stimulate a cry (which did work, much to everyone's relief) as she yells "Get a doctor!". I was just in complete and utter SHOCK. I pushed for 2 1/2 hours with Aiden, so I did not expect this baby to be born on her own--sans pushing!

So anyway, within seconds the whole nursing staff (it seemed like) and one doctor rush in and get to work. About a minute later my doctor comes in just in time to deliver the placenta (sorry, TMI) and has to quickly leave (since his other patient was in the middle of pushing).

Oh yeah, I failed to mention that Aiden was in the room while all this was happening. Luckily my mom was also and had the wherewith all to catch it on video AND shield Aiden from the gore.

Well, baby turned out to be just fine, and she is adorable. We were super blessed that day to have the nurses we did. We were especially blessed to have nurse Katie who delivered our little Katie (no coincidences there). I'm so glad she knew exactly what to do and made us feel at ease in a high-stress moment.

We love you Katie Archibald and the sweet spirit you bring to our little (but growing) family!

Aiden helping me bounce

Proud parents

Our first family picture with Katie

Nurse Katie

She sort of looks like a pirate here. :)

Proud papa

I have to say that John is an amazing husband, father and birthing coach. Even though he did laugh during one of my contractions because I was hurting his hand. Love ya, John!

World's Best Brother

(and he totally is)

Proud grandma of 4

(Thanks Mom for everything!)

"Co-freeka" part dos

2011-08-09T16:24:00.015-06:00

Here are some more pictures of our "Co-freeka" (as Aiden called it) trip in May. It was such an awesome trip. We did a ton there, but I'll let the pictures do most of the talking.

There were howler monkeys living in the trees just outside the house. We stayed at a beach house on Playa Flamingo (gorgeous)!

This was our first morning there. Aiden would wake up at 5:30 or so everyday. So some mornings we would go right to the beach or the pool.

Notice the small lizard Aiden is holding. We really got acquainted with nature on this trip.

Boys are odd (no more explanation needed).

This is one of the many capuchin monkeys we saw on one of our excursions.

This is the crew that went scuba diving. While they were swimming with the sharks, the rest of us went snorkeling at Playa Hermosa (I think). One problem: jellyfish stings every 3 seconds! But I did get to see some fish, including a blowfish.

On the way to Arenal Volcano we stopped at a fruit stand on the side of the road and ate some delicious watermelon. On the subject of food there--beans and rice, which were yummy, but the fruit was crazy good!

Aiden loved looking out with grandpa's binoculars. He seriously was so good on our trip.

We were apparently very lucky to get such amazing views of the volcano. I guess the view is obstructed by fog a lot of the time. Also, the next day there was an earthquake toward the center of the country (where the volcano is located).

We got to go zip lining in the rainforest. There were such awesome views and it was so fun!

Aiden got to go on a nature walk with those who didn't zip line. He loved it. I just love this picture! I know I'm his mother, but he is seriously adorable!

This is our tour bus. Since we had such a big group, it was really the only way to get around. And our driver and tour guide were awesome.

Here's a picture of the 3 of us in the water together. Not a good picture, but oh well.

Pura Vida!

Couldn't help but put this picture in. :)

We went swimming everyday! Aiden loved the pool, and would wake up first thing (at 5:30, mind you) and want to go right in. Same deal for after his nap. It was so nice (especially since it was a private pool).

Our extraordinary view from the pool area. The beach was literally across the street from the house.

The beach just outside the house was virtually private for us. The water was PERFECT. Luckily there were no jellyfish, but there was a pod of sting rays (7 at one time we saw) living there. They were super docile, and Aiden loved looking for them. Aiden also loved playing in the sand, of course (sorry no picture here).

Mommy and baby howler monkey in our tree- so cute!

I just liked this picture.

Loving life!

This is the room we stayed in. We all had our own rooms and bathrooms, and they were really nice!

This is a pretty good view of the open living area where we would all hang out.

This is Santos, our pool guy. He was super nice. And Aiden still talks about him. "Remember that guy Santos, mom? Like Sand-toes! Ha Ha Ha" He also remembers that we say "hola" to Santos. :)

Santos is explaining to Brett what fruit that is.

We had amazing sunsets every night. This one was just sort of peculiar, the sun being blood red.

We had an amazing time! Thank you so much Archibald's!

Costa Rica (Part 1)

2011-06-04T15:20:00.009-06:00

The Archibald clan took a family vacation to Costa Rica this May. It was so awesome! However, John and Matt had their own 4-day "man-venture" down there before the rest of us came. I'll let the pictures tell the story:

Surfing in Manuel Antonio

John was able to use his German even in Costa Rica!

Steps up to their awesome hotel room

Being a monkey

River boat ride from Sierpe to Drake Bay

The ruins of ancient spheres in Costa Rica

Some video (in/out of water) of Dolphins swimming. They had been jumping 10 feet out of the water, of course before they could get it on video.

The plane from Drake Bay to San Jose

Drake Bay airport

Batter up

2011-04-23T10:29:00.008-06:00

I know every parent thinks that their kid is the best...but mine really is. He's got a perfect swing for T-Ball and I see big things in his future.

Snow Cave

2011-01-26T13:24:00.011-07:00

The Stats:
4 Mile Snowshoe
3,000 ft Elevation Gain
11,550 ft Elevation Camp Sight
8° F Outside Temperature
-12° F Windchill Temperature
A very cozy 36° F Inside Temperature and an awesome snow cave camp out

Thanksgiving Highlights

2010-12-06T19:48:00.023-07:00

A little tribute to the Highlights magazine stories with the little pictures inserted as words.

John, Kelli, and Aiden got on a to fly toand met up with their friendsand, two of the greatest people in the world.
John and Kelli's friend took them to go see some of the touristy places of . It was so much fun and they bought lots ofand. The funniest part of the trip was when they took Aiden to see the. Aiden had so much fun watching theand listening to them bark, when all of a sudden a birdon. Gettingon is not very fun but everyone had a good laugh. When was done with work everyone ate some delicious food that cooked. They even got to eat some greatJohn, Kelli and Aiden really loved their time with andand think they are the greatest. After their time inJohn, Kelli and Aiden went towhich is right next to
. It was so much fun to spend time with theand Aiden especially loved visiting hisand. It was such a fun trip and
was delicious. At the end of the trip Kelli even got to be there when herhad her firstJohn, Kelli and Aiden think that they are all very blessed for having such great people in their lives.

Thanks to everyone for a great trip.

Recap

2010-11-12T10:46:00.010-07:00

For all of you suckers that like to keep up with us, I'm sorry that we don't update this more often and I'm even more sorry that our lives aren't more interesting for you. Enjoy!

Aiden's second birthday (the indoctrination starts early)

The little pyro liked the candle more than the ice cream

Birthday Skype

Aiden the goat whisperer

Northglen Harvest Festival

Aiden had a blast with all the animals

Elk Fest

Aiden loves elephants

Pumpkin patch

My Son Is A Genius

2010-09-16T16:33:00.002-06:00

Happy 4 Year Anniversary

2010-08-19T00:01:00.000-06:00

Kelli and I have been married a whopping 4 years and I can say that each one has been better than the last. In case you missed it, here's a video of what we've been up to . . . more or less.

Summer Swimming

2010-08-01T08:31:00.002-06:00

Satisfied?

2010-07-24T14:56:00.003-06:00

Yes, apparently I have better things to do than update my blog everyday. Or...maybe it's laziness. You be the judge. I could go back and update you all on our Fourth of July and all the other summer things, but I'm not gonna.
Last night we took some cute pictures of Aiden climbing trees in the yard with Daddy. I don't think this is the last we'll see of this little monkey up in a tree.

Oh, and we hit a huge milestone in our car last weekend just as we were pulling in from camping. (Sorry, no pictures of camping, but here's this little gem of our odometer). :)

Not bad for our '99 Saturn. Happy trails Betsy.

Duck Safety PSA

2010-05-26T22:20:00.003-06:00

Our day at the Denver Zoo was winding down when we went to go see what we thought would be some of the more benign animals . . . The ducks. Well part of the path was taped off and Aiden was a little bit curious and decided to go take a look. Aiden took two steps down the path when a crazed duck came out of nowhere and took off after Aiden. Aiden remembering one of the several talks that we've had on duck safety instinctively spun around, let out a scream and played dead (exactly what you're supposed to do when a duck attacks). Then without wasting time trying to stand up Aiden army crawled back to the safe arms of mom. The only question left unanswered is, "Am I a horrible parent if the first thought I had after the ordeal was 'dang it, I didn't get that on tape'?"

Doesn't Quite Get The Concept

2010-05-08T16:21:00.002-06:00

So Happy for Spring!

2010-04-27T20:01:00.005-06:00

We are so excited that spring is here! We had a really cold winter, and now we're ready to rock the park!
We absolutely love the area we live in. Being so close to downtown Denver, we get to take advantage of all the museums, the zoo and sporting events. And since we are also so close to Boulder, we look forward to a lot of fun hikes once it gets warmer.
Here are some of the fun things spring has brought so far this year...

Fun at the Denver Zoo with our new friends the Hammonds

"Hike" around the lake before General Conference

Easter! We were surprised at how much he LOVED the Easter egg hunt.

Beautiful flowers!

Oh yeah, and lets throw in a couple of April snow storms for good measure!

Learning to do some new things at the park this year

Denver Children's Museum

Dance Fever

2010-03-28T17:17:00.002-06:00

We bleed blue!

2010-03-09T20:44:00.003-07:00

If you're reading this blog, you probably know us well enough to know that we love BYU. We recently went to the BYU basketball game at CSU and decided to take Aiden with us. He had the time of his life. One thing to know about Aiden: he is obsessed with balls. So he loved watching the big boys play ball for 2 whole hours. The game was great- the cougs won by more than 20 points, and there were a ton of BYU fans in the crowd.

GO COUGARS!

Butterfly Effect

2010-03-09T20:15:00.004-07:00

Aiden and I went to the Butterfly Pavilion last week. It's just about 15 mins from where we live-and he loved it! Besides a butterfly habitat, they had big fish tanks with fish, crabs, jellyfish, and huge starfish. Kids could pet starfish, and even a horseshoe crab. Much to my horror, they also had a room full of bug displays (and to my greater horror), showcasing tarantulas. They even had one the kids could hold (yippee)! My skin was crawling. But I tried to be really brave, because I do not want my son to be phobic like me. Anyway, he had fun looking at all the butterflies, flowers and creeping things.

Slackers

2010-01-17T20:09:00.003-07:00

So, we have been big-time slackers. I don't know if there is anyone who actually cares, but for the one or two that do... I will try from now on to keep up with life.

I'm not going to waste my time or yours with trying to catch up on the last 3 months. Mostly because the thought makes my head explode. And no one wants that. That having been said, I will attempt an overview.

November: Thanksgiving in Provo with a side trip to Idaho to visit Grandma and Grandpa Archibald. While in Idaho we were rear ended by a semi. No injuries, no damages, not even a scratch. We love our Saturn. Oh, and John got a job!! We are so blessed to be one of the lucky ones to have employment during these tough times.

December: Aiden and I went to Fresno for 3 weeks for the Christmas vacation. John came for 2 of those weeks. We had a blast. We did a ton. If you'd like to know all the details, my sister, Staci gave a great overview in her blog. We have a link to her family's blog on ours. However, one side trip we did from there was to Gilroy. We met up with our friends the Sagers and had dinner with them. We really missed them since they moved to California, so it was really good to catch up. And, it was weird to be punched in the nose by the overpowering, eye-watering smell of garlic while passing in and out of Gilroy.

January: Came back from Fresno. Not much to report yet. Aiden is talking more (says mom, dad, yeah). He still dances a ton and makes incredibly cute faces. Basically he's a ham. Videos and pictures to come, of course.

Halloween

2009-11-06T19:18:00.004-07:00

Aiden was a leopard for Halloween (not a cheetah—we checked). He was a cute little thing, if you ask me. Trick-or-treating was not in the cards for him this year because he was asleep by 7, but probably next year! We did, however go to our ward "trunk-or-treat" (minus the trunk, due to weather) and got enough candy to appease Mom and Dad.

John and I went as people who got attacked by a leopard whilst on a safari.

Public Enemy #1

2009-10-29T21:34:00.003-06:00

Wasps. They are now my enemies. Why? At approx. 1800 hrs one viciously attacked my poor little boy while he was looking out one of the kitchen windows at the snow. Luckily Aiden is not allergic to wasp stings (it turns out). As for that infamous wasp--he got his. A warning to all you wasps out there (and bees for that matter): Watch your back. As far as I'm concerned, you are now public enemy #1.

First Snow Angel

2009-10-22T13:53:00.002-06:00

I've always loved the first snow of the season, when the trees are all perfectly flocked and it's so quiet and serene outside. We decided to take Aiden outside to play in it. He even made his first snow angel (with a little help from daddy). I know every mother thinks this, but my baby really is the cutest baby! :)

First Official Haircut

2009-10-21T21:19:00.004-06:00

Just after Aiden turned 1, we decided he was finally in need of a haircut. He was starting to grow some kind of mullet or rat-tail. As cool as that is, we didn't have any flannel onesies with the sleeves cut off.

Before:

After: (and without any tears!)

Pumpkin Pickin'

2009-10-19T19:39:00.004-06:00

Last Friday we took Aiden to a enormous pumkin patch that's not too far from us. Aiden had a blast! He got to wander through the pumpkins, see some cute baby animals, and play in all the hay! Man that kid loved the hay! Grandma and Grandpa Archibald picked out some great pumpkins that we'll soon carve--so that'll be fun. I think this will definitely be a family tradition for years to come.

this is Aiden throwing a fit when we took him away from the fun. Bad parents.

LSAT...oh that LSAT

2009-09-26T23:07:00.004-06:00

Well I took the LSAT today and I have to say I think I did pretty well but I'll find out for sure in a couple of weeks. Best case scenario, I scored perfect and have law schools clamoring over me to give me full-ride scholarships. Worst case scenario, I didn't get a single answer right and I'm forced to wash car windows at intersections for spare change. I'm betting it's somewhere in between.

Roman Holiday

2009-09-20T21:33:00.002-06:00

Heat, gelato, sunblock, a skirt with tennis shoes, ruins, ruins, ruins, more gelato, pasta, pizza, oh the pasta, fountains, cold thirst-quenching water, heat, mimes, steps, sweat, cobblestone, churches, nuns, swiss guards and the phrase, "that's probably something."

Weimar Republic

2009-09-20T19:19:00.003-06:00

We are diligently trying to finish blogging about our Europe trip. I think of our blog as kind of a scrap book, so I'm trying to keep up as much as life would allow.

After we visited Berlin, we traveled to Weimar. This was my favorite stop on our vacation. It was so beautiful there! It had the perks of a city, but more of the quaintness of a small village. Our hotel was amazing, and was right next to the Park an der Ilm (Goethepark). This park was the first thing we explored. It was right out of a story book. It was terrifically green, there were amazing ruins covered in flowers, stone steps that lead to a clearing complete with a violinist, stone bridge, a babbling brook, ducks, a palace and the summer cottages of Goethe and Schiller (famous poets). Really neat right? While in Weimar, we ate a famous Thüringer Bratwurst, Joey's Pizza (both of which John had been craving since his mission) and THE MOST amazing dinner we ever had at a backyard biergarten just next to out hotel. Our mouths still water at the thought. The town of Meerane (another place John served) is real close to Weimar, so we went there to visit a good friend, Bruder Lohmann. We had a really good visit with him, and John got to learn how the area was doing. When we returned to Weimar, John wanted to try and find a family he had taught 5 years earlier. So we walked around for a little bit, and before long, he found it! That was pretty miraculous in my opinion. John pressed their door buzzer, and a young girl's voice answered. John explained who he was and as the girl was buzzing us in we heard her yelling to her mom, "Archibald!" before she let go of the intercom. I could tell John was so exited/relieved that they remembered him. The thought of it brings tears to my eyes. They say that you love the people you serve while on a mission. Since I haven't served one myself, it was really cool to see first-hand how much John loved the people we visited that he had served years before. Unfortunately, we couldn't stay and chat long with the Posekardt family that night, but we arranged to come back the next day before we left. When we came back, Frau Posekardt had cakes and tea on the table along with a baby outfit and teddy bear for Aiden. German hospitality! Aiden loved Frau Posekardt! She played with him and fussed over him just like he was her own grandchild. She let us use her room to put him down for a nap (the poor thing was probably not liking napping in his stroller that whole time), then she watched him while John and I went with her daughter and daughter's boyfriend to souvenir shop, and let us give him a bath before our train ride. It was an amazing visit. Sadly, we had to leave Germany, a country that is full of beautiful landscapes and beautiful people.

This is the park John ran through everyday when he lived here.

Geothehaus

The meeting house/missionary apt in Meerane.

Visit with Bruder Lohmann

Familie Posekardt (well, two of them)

i am one.

2009-09-18T15:58:00.005-06:00

Aiden turned one year old yesterday!!! We had a lot of fun playing and trying to make him feel special. We went to the library (which was closed for renovations-bummer), then I took him to the grocery store to let him ride the 1 cent pony ride (which he is apparently deathly afraid of now), but we didn't strike out, 'cause we took him to the park to ride on the swings--definitely one of his favorite activities. Thank you everyone for the presents--he loved opening them (and in some cases, cuddling them. :)

Ich bin ein Berliner

2009-09-04T16:00:00.008-06:00

As soon as Aiden and I got to Amsterdam to meet John, we hopped on a train to Berlin. Boy was I glad to see John after an overnight flight from New York to London, then another flight from London to Amsterdam. But we made it in one piece (barely) and were excited to be all together again. When we got to Berlin it was raining, and no taxi would take us to our hotel because we had no car seat (which wasn't a problem in D.C. or New York taxis). So we walked in the rain, in the dark to our hotel. Luckily, our hotel was much nicer than we were expecting, so that was good. The next morning, we hit the ground running and saw almost everything we wanted to by foot. We first went to Check-Point Charlie (where we got our passports stamped at my request and to John's chagrin since it was very much a touristy thing). Then we walked by the place where the Nazi headquarters were located (there's nothing there now--just rubble). We went to the Brandenburg Gate, where they were hosting the paralymics fair that day. We walked into the Holocaust Memorial, ate a döner (like a gyro), saw the Siegesäule, walked through Tiergarten, saw the Reichstag, and the Bellevue Palace (plus a lot more, I'm sure). The next day was Sunday, so we went to church in Berlin. It was great, even though I didn't know what they were saying, but they were really welcoming. A nice man asked us over for dinner at his apartment, so we went and enjoyed a nice Sunday afternoon with he and his two boys, and two return-missionary girls. It was really neat to get to experience, in a small way, a typical eating appointment like the ones John had on his mission there. That day we also saw the East Side gallery (the Berlin wall), the Berliner Dom, and Bebelplatz (where the book burnings took place) among other things. We saw so much there in just two days-it was really neat. For John, I could tell that it was extra special for him being in Berlin again, because there was a gleam in his eye as soon as we got into Germany. We definitely plan on going back one day (perhaps sans baby).

To Amsterdam!

2009-08-26T15:33:00.008-06:00

John had the opportunity to present his senior thesis at the International Association of Forensic Linguists Conference which was held in Amsterdam this year. After all his hard work and dedication, their group delivered a great presentation! Sadly, the only part of Amsterdam Aiden and I were able to see was the airport/train station since, so I enjoyed looking at all the photos he took.

No, neither of these girls are me. These are a couple girls who were in John's group.

Here's all the people that presented at the conference from John's group--sans their professor (pictured behind them).

Trying too hard

2009-08-26T15:22:00.003-06:00

This is what happens when you try too hard when you smile (although I still think it's the cutest thing)

Crazy awesome summer!

2009-08-26T15:05:00.003-06:00

Hello all,

(I say "all" with the assumption that there is more than just one person following our blog--I'll admit that I really hope that's true. To all two of you, I hope you haven't missed us too much!)

We've had a pretty crazy summer (hence the un-updated blog), but we've had a lot of fun. Here is a small list of some of the things we've done:

1. Aiden and I met my family in Washington D.C., then afterwards visited Philadelphia and New York City

2. John presented his senior thesis at a conference in Amsterdam (and hit it outta the park)

3. Aiden and I met John in Amsterdam, then traveled to Berlin, Weimar, Meerane then Rome

4. Moved from Provo to Colorado

5. Aiden started sleeping through the night (yippee!)

6. Aiden started walking

7. John and I had our 3rd wedding anniversary

I'll follow-up with more details and more pictures!

The 'Y'

2009-06-02T14:57:00.003-06:00

On Memorial Day, we decided we needed to do something active, so we hiked the 'Y'. For those of you who might not be hip to Provo vernacular, we hiked up to the big 'Y' painted on the mountain by us. Although it is essentially a BYU cougar rite of passage, I had never done it before, so I was nervous (because I am horribly out of shape).

As I was huffing and puffing up to the trail head from the parking lot, I saw little kids as tall as my hips that were skipping up happily and without a bead of sweat on there sweet, little heads. Bitterly I thought, "Their parents will have them on their shoulders in no time." I pressed on with the determination to beat, or at least stay close behind these whipper-snappers.

We did a pretty great job, I think! We got up there and back within 3 1/2 hours. Maybe not a world record, but good for us. The weather was perfect, with a cool breeze and cloud covering when we needed it. Anyway, we had a good time--Aiden especially! He was happily squealing and smiling the whole way up in his carrier, and slept on the way down (along with all those little kids on their parents shoulders who didn't respect the harsh climb). Good family memory for the Archibald's!

Almost there!

We made it!!

3 minutes, 93 pictures, and about 33 different emotions

2009-05-31T21:54:00.003-06:00

It must be exhausting being a little kid with the enormous emotional swings they experience every 3 seconds. I shot Aiden in continuous mode on my camera for about 3 minutes and was blown away with all of the different emotions the camera picked up in that time.

Cousin Fun

2009-05-29T16:23:00.002-06:00

Some pictures of Aiden and Lily when we were in California.

Mother's Day

2009-05-29T16:08:00.005-06:00

For Mother's Day, we drove up and surprised (well, tried to surprise) my mom since we were just in L.A. It was fun to be together as a family for the holiday, and was especially neat since all of us kids (with grandkids) sat at church together that Sunday.

So serious, Lily!

Our family is growing so fast!

Auntie Em!

Since it was so flippin' hot in Fresno, we thought it would be a good idea to have a pool party on Monday.

Lily is actually wearing Kimberly's old swimsuit in this picture! It's a little worn at this point, but it works.

California: part deux

2009-05-22T15:17:00.010-06:00

The Beach!!!!

Aiden saw the beach for the first time during our trip. Although we weren't able to spend a lot of time there, it was worth it. Aiden didn't much care for the cold water, but other than that, he seemed to like it okay. It was really neat--as we hiked down to the shore, we saw a pod (?) of dolphins. There must have been at least 5 or 6!! So cool!

California dreamin'

2009-05-22T14:49:00.005-06:00

Our good friend, Adam Barlow got married Mother's Day weekend in Newport Beach, so we drove down and had a fabulous weekend. Although there was a ton of car time, it was fun to go down to southern California, where I partly grew up.

It was really sweet of my grandparents to let us stay at their house and it was fun spending some quality time with them (thanks again)!

The Newport Beach temple is gorgeous! Unfortunately, this is the only picture we took of the temple and the bride & groom (who were also gorgeous) :)

We made our way to Whittier (the Braun's old stomping grounds) and took a picture in front of our old, beloved house. It looks much sadder than it did when we lived there--especially around this time of year, because we always had a new bed of flowers planted in time for Mother's Day. No flowers. tear.

Just down the street from our house was the bestest park ever. We probably spent more time there as kids than in our backyard. Ah...memories...

Carmen, Susan and I at the McDonalds playplace that John and I met them at. So fun to see them again!!

Happy Graduation Johnny!

2009-05-22T14:24:00.006-06:00

So, we're playing a little catch-up...but John graduated April 23-24 from Brigham Young University! We are so excited to be through this hurdle! We've really loved BYU and the experiences we've had here, but boy are we glad to both be done (pending grad-school)! Many thanks to moms and dads and siblings who were able to come celebrate with us! We have way too many pictures to post- but I'll try to get some gems in.

Gotta love those veggies

2009-04-20T16:38:00.005-06:00

#1 Peas:

(Kind of a different perspective)

#2 Squash:

#3 Carrots:

#4 Sweet Potatoes (his favorite so far)

Crawling!

2009-04-13T22:44:00.004-06:00

Aiden officially started crawling on Easter Sunday. We are way excited and proud of the little guy, but a little apprehensive of our tyke's new found mobility.

Buy me some peanuts and cracker jacks...

2009-04-13T22:27:00.005-06:00

We went to the BYU v. Air Force baseball game on Friday with Heather, Ali and Matt. We had fun, and Aiden seemed to be really interested in what was going on. We were even able to snag Cosmo for a photo-op. Surprisingly, Aiden didn't mind the "ferocious" cougar holding him. Wardrobe provided by Grandma and Grandpa Archibald.

Dance Part-ay

2009-04-13T21:47:00.004-06:00

We knew Aiden would like music and dancing even before he was born. When I was pregnant with him we watched the movie August Rush one night and whenever there was music playing, he would go nuts and pummel my insides (we figured that meant he liked it). **Side-note**That night Aiden was so active, John was able to feel him kicking for the first time. Anyway, enjoy the video.

Bears, Beets, Battlestar Galactica. . . mostly bears.

2009-04-11T23:00:00.008-06:00

I was checking out some headlines in a few German newspapers and found this crazy story from the Berlin Zoo. I can't wrap my head around what motivated this woman to jump in and then swim towards the bears. The pictures pretty much sum up what was in the article.

The good news is that through some heroic efforts by the staff she survived her romp with the bears but ended up in the hospital. I guess I found this interesting because on one p-day we went to this zoo and I remember thinking how cool it would be to swim with the polar bears. I am so glad I didn't.

6 Months Old

2009-03-20T21:17:00.009-06:00

Aiden turned 6 months on Tuesday (St. Patrick's Day). I can't believe how old and big he's getting! We marked the occasion by making a green eggs and ham casserole in the morning, and dressing him in green outfits. He also had his 6 month doctor's appointment. Aiden is 15 lb. 12 oz, 26 inches long, and does NOT love the vitamins the doctor prescribed. The doctor said that he looks good, so I guess we must be doing something right! :)

He is absolutely the light of our lives and constantly surprises us with how cute he is. I find myself giggling all the time just from looking at him. I can't get enough of that little guy. Aiden is a really good baby. And a ton of fun!

So far at 6 months Aiden loves:

to laugh, yell, play in his walker, be silly, sit up, pull mommy's hair, high-five, clap his hands, roll over, get body slammed by daddy, grin, wiggle, and suck on everything.

Do you like the faux-hawk?

Sleep

2009-03-16T21:16:00.001-06:00

Six months ago, I was in a hospital bed waiting to be induced the next morning. Little did I know then, that I would never sleep a full night again. Aiden turns 6 months old tomorrow, and I realized that that means I have gone 6 months without a good night's sleep. Wow. It's kind of empowering you know, because if I can go 6 months, I can go longer...right?? I've actually been pretty obsessed with the subject. There is one helpful site I came across in my search (babycenter.com). I like it because it offers a ton of articles on all sorts of subjects and doesn't require me to pay for their "fail-proof, guaranteed or your money back" program that will "help you and your baby sleep TONIGHT". The quest for sleep is looking promising, though. Right now my little one is in his crib sound asleep. He won't stay there, but well, it's progress.

Ok... starting now

2009-03-01T18:00:00.000-07:00

Well, after about 3 months of pretending to have a blog we've decided to actually put something on it. So here's a few pictures and a movie from the last few days of the Archibald family.

Don't worry cleverer posts to come later.