Horse Lesson #1

We met Andrea at 9:00am for our first lesson. Bella worked with Reed
and I worked with Abe.
Bella demonstrating the proper way to lead her horse
Me dragging poor Abe along
Saddle up!
Why is Andee laughing??? :)
This picture cracked me up since all you can see of Andrea is her legs
What a natural!

Bella Turns Eight

Bella celebrated part of her eight birthday with us at Mom and Dad's house.
Build-a-bear stuff!
Webkinz!
And the piece de resistance...
Not just a cowboy hat
but Western riding lessons to go with it! Dad set up lessons for me too (unfulfilled childhood dream there) so this is something fun for us to do together. I'm looking forward to the quality time with Bella and lots of horsey memories!

Visit with the in-laws

Mom went dumpster diving with me and got quite a haul for her first trip! (new-in-pack ring pop not pictured. hehe)Busted the boys sitting like this on the couches. Dave looks like his mom, but I guess he inherited the Gervens mannerisms. What's the excuse for 8 inches of sock showing though??

Crystal T. Photography

We got married almost seven years ago before that "artsy" (as I constantly refer to it) style of photography that I love so much became popular. Since Dave has a tux from a cruise we took and I can still actually fit into my dress...

Crystal T. did a wonderful job. The photo shoot was fun for me and actually tolerable to Dave! No small feat considering it was in the 90's and he was forced into a monkey suit. She made us feel relaxed and spent lots of time working with us. Be sure to check out her current site. She has unbeatable prices and should have her own domain soon.

The dress survived! It's at the Wedding Gown Preservation Co. right now. ;)

Dave's Early Birthday

Dave kinda got sporadic celebrations the week before his birthday and nothing too special on his actual birthday. Since his parent's were in town we had cake.

This one is being submitted to Wilton for their magazine for sure! :p

His gift from me was a Chillow so his ears stay cool at night. If you don't know about Dave's ear issues...well....you're better off.

Oh baby!

We got to meet the latest addition to the Spellman family today.
Mama had them in their "big brother/little brother" tees. Too cute!

Remember Cooper? He's a teenager now and enjoyed playing a game of fetch with Dave.

Noah is kangaroo climbing. Probably because it's a somewhat safe place from being plowed down by Cooper. Though he did jump up through the slide and over to the other side at one point!

Noah opening Nate's gift

Stylin' and profilin'