The Richards Family: January 2008

Sunday, January 20, 2008

Congratulations Brady and Megan!

Daddy went back to Utah last weekend for Brady and Megan's wedding. Mommy and I did not get to go, so we told him to take lots of pictures. Megan looked absolutely beautiful! I hope my future wife is that good looking.

Here's Daddy with Brady. After seeing this picture Mommy was double-sad she was not there. She kept talking about how good Daddy looks in a tux.

Daddy was gone for four days and to us it felt like a month! To welcome him home we went to the airport adorned in Utah t-shirts. We knew it would make him super happy.

Month 4 Birthday

I turned 4 months old on January 6th, and I am really starting to show a personality! I am such a happy baby! I laugh and smile all the time and I love to play with all of my toys. Well, by "play" I mean that I like to put all of them in my mouth... But doing just that keeps me entertained for long periods of time!

Friday, January 11, 2008

My first flight!

What in the world is going on? My parents woke me up 4 AM and took me to some really crowded place where we had to stand in line to get rid of all of our bags (I had no idea why my parents were giving all of our things to some lady in a uniform), and then wait in line again just so we could go through some weird machine and pray that it did not beep. Then we got onto this really weird looking contraption (Mommy called it an airplane) and sat in the window and middle seat next to some stranger that slept the entire time and wore earphones so he was even harder to wake when we needed to get up. I was utterly confused by all of this so I simply could not go back to sleep. For the entire four hour flight to SLC I insisted that Mom get me away from that crowded seat and stand next to the lavatory in the back of plane. As long as she stood with me there, I was okay.

By the time we flew home, I had adjusted to this new experience and it was old news to me. As a result, I slept from take off until we arrived in baggage claim. My parents thanked me multiple times for that.

Thursday, January 10, 2008

Utah Trip Part III - Celebrating with Friends

On New Year's Eve, Mommy and Daddy went out to a super nice, super fun dinner with the "Beta" friends. A big thanks to Allison for putting it all together!

After dinner, everyone went back to the Hansen's to bring in the New Year. It looks to me like several of the babies got to join the party while I was home in bed. Not fair! I hope I get to meet all of them when we go back this summer!

Is this what grown-ups do????

The Beta boys

The Beta wives... Daddy and his friends are sooooooo lucky!

The Beta wives being silly

Our last night in SLC Dave and Kim came by to visit and brought baby Elle. I was so struck by her beauty I was too stunned to smile for the camera.

Utah Trip Part II - Fun Family Photos

My first piano lesson!

Hanging out with John Richards III and family

Are you big enough to hold me???

Ah, that's a little better.

My first laptop! Yay!

Grandma Darling and Grandpa John - awwww, so cute!

All of the Richards cousins!

Butt out, Mom. I'm in good hands with Johnny.

Chillin' with Grandma Darling (that's a UVA hat and bib for anyone that was wondering...)

Aunt Mindy, Grandpa John, and Uncle Paul wrapped me up well!

My great-aunt Bebe stopped by to say hello!

Utah Trip Part I - My first trampoline experience

On New Year's day our whole family went to this place called "JUMP!" Nearly the entire floor is one big trampoline and you just jump from square to square. Here's my cousin Sarah -- Look how high she can jump!

Here is a better view of the entire floor. Our family is in the far back right corner. Mommy's camera doesn't zoom well, so this was the best she could do.

In addition to the trampoline floor, there are several other fun attractions. Here is my cousin Layton practicing his skills as a jockey.

This jumbo slide was super fun for my older cousins, but I was a bit too small to try it out. Up at the top ready to go down is Will, Anna, and Conner, and Savannah is the cutie at the bottom.

My aunt Loni took care of me much of the time we were there so that Mommy and Daddy could walk around and jump (Mommy didn't do much jumping... too scary...). She kept me nice and cozy because it was FREEZING in there!

Mommy, why is it so cold here???

Thanks Savannah! I was wondering when I would get a tour of this place.

Here's my time on the trampoline. I didn't last long...

Reading in the car

I can hold books all by myself and turn the pages! It is so much fun! Pretty soon I will be able to say the words aloud. Right now I read silently.

Christmas Morning

Santa came to see us at Mamaw and Papaw's house!

This was Daddy's favorite gift!

Santa brought me lots of books to read. I love every one of them!

He also brought me a few fun toys. This doggie talks to me every time I barely touch it. I think it is absolutely fabulous (as you can see)... but Mom and Dad weren't too happy when it fell over in the middle of the night (and thus its paw hit the ground and it turned on) and it started saying "Hug me!" over and over again until Mommy came downstairs and sat it upright again.

Sunday, January 6, 2008

Christmas in Kentucky

This year my great-aunt Debbie decided to host our annual Christmas Eve family dinner at her new home in Louisville. It was wonderful! Here is a shot of my maternal great-grandmother and my great aunts and uncles. From left to right on the front row: Carolyn and Gran-Gran. From left to right on the back row: Debbie, Mamaw (also known as Linda), Jeff, and Mike.

Here is our only family photo from this Christmas. I was a little cranky that day, so I was not much for smiling..

After the pictures, I changed into my Kentucky Wildcats outfit. I knew it would impress my Kentucky family members.

This is my great-aunt Vicki. As you can see, even her Christmas sweater is BLUE! She is a true Wildcat fan.

Here is my great-aunt Debbie. Not only did she let us all come over to her house, but she even gave me a personal tour. My favorite part was the big-screen TV.

Here I am with Gran-Gran. Doesn't she look amazing to be my great-grandmother???

Here is our entire family. Unfortunately, whoever took this picture did not zoom in. Oh well!

The day before Christmas Eve, Mamaw and Papaw had everyone in their immediate family over for a Christmas dinner. Here is my uncle Rick, aunt Lenore, and cousins Helena and Addam.

Here is my uncle Travis, aunt Crissy, and cousin Will. They live all the way in Chicago and it was the first time we had met! I hope someday soon we can live closer to one another.