Friends

It's funny how hard it is to make new friends as you get older. When you are a kid, it is easy. Any neighbor, fellow teammate, or classmate that is not a bully can become one of your best buddies. It doesn't really matter what they look like, what they wear, or what their other interests are. If they will "play" with you, they are your friend.

Dogs seem to be no different. Jack is not "breedist", does not care about age, or even if another dog likes him in return. If he meets you, he wants to be your buddy.

But somewhere along the way, making new friends gets significantly more difficult. In middle school and high school, cliques form and we become more judgmental. By the time you are a full-blown adult, you also judge people on their careers and lifestyle choices, in addition to other things. The list of potential friends keeps getting smaller and smaller, until you are left with only a select handful of people. This is probably not a bad thing if you live close to those people and can see them on a regular basis, but for Joe and I it is kind of tough right now. All of our closest friends live 3 hours away or out-of-state. Needless to say, we miss them a lot.

So, I am trying to learn from Jack and other little kiddos with seemingly less intelligence than us educated adults. Although we love our "old" friends dearly, it is time that we try a little harder here in Roseburg. Jack reminded me of this important task last week when we had a visit from one of my besties Nicole and her pup, Olive. Jack and Olive had never met, but it took approximately 10 seconds for them to fall in love with one another and become buds. Here are some pics from their visit, along with some of my oldest and bestest friends. Love you all and hope to see you soon!

Introductions

They look so fierce here, but they are both so sweet :)

About to embark on an adventure with my babies

Nicole with our doggies before our walk

Frolicking with joy

The beautiful North Umqua River

Happy Olive

My crimpy-eared Jack

Sooo happy

Tug-o-War

And the winner is... Olive!

My first and oldest friend, Jimmy Hoover

8th grade softball with Merissa and Michelle

"The best night of my life!" (until my wedding and Maddie), with Nicole :)

My OSU buddies

My bestest girls and bridesmaids

My favorite boys and loves

My little love bug and favorite girl, Maddie

Just hanging out...

Nothing too exciting to report this week. Just keeping busy with the usual... work for Joe, and lots of feedings, diapers, laundry, etc. for me. I went out to visit some students and support Sutherlin HS's baseball team in their playoff game yesterday. They lost, but it was still fun to get out and see some really nice kiddos and my co-workers on a sunny day. I am getting out of the house most days for some good runs/exercise too, which has been nice. Went to my 6-week appointment yesterday and I am officially unrestricted in my exercise routine, so I am pumped about that. The nice weather the last couple of days has been very motivating to get out and exercise. In fact, as I type this I am looking out the window thinking it's time for a run and to end this post. So, I will. But not before I post a few of my favorite pics from the last week or so. After all, that's why you're here, isn't it?

Daddy/Maddie nap-time, LOVE

Haha! Cross-eyed Maddie ;)

Being a little goofball already

Aw

I LOVE it when babies half-smile, especially mine

Almost a full smile

6-weeks old and filling out her 3-month clothes already... yup, she's a Newton :)

Hello beautiful

Having fun with mama!

She still doesn't know what to think about tummy time...

Little Miss Serious

Maddie's Newborn Photos

In case you haven't noticed, I am slightly obsessed with pictures. I like to take them and I like to look at them. A lot. So it shouldn't come as a surprise that I wanted to take professional pictures of Madeline in her newborn stage. However, such photo shoots often come with a hefty price tag. After looking into the two best photographers in Roseburg, I learned the $500-$1,000 cost was not really an option for our family. So, I looked around and indulged in one of my favorite online shopping sites: a living social deal.

If you don't subscribe yet to livingsocial.com you MUST start. I repeat, it's a must. Even more than cheap eats and spa packages at 50% off, it keeps marriages happy. I get to indulge in my online shopping needs and my husband is happy with the amazing deals I get. (Actually, even Joe is addicted to the site. Especially the "getaways" section for vacation deals.) Anyway, side note. Back to the shoot.

So, through living social I scored a great deal on photography. For $40, I received a 1-hour photo session with Emilie Schreiber and three 5"x7" prints of my choice. In addition, I purchased the rights to all of the photos on a CD for only $100 extra. I know what all of you men are thinking, $140 is a good deal?! For professional photos, yes it is. Especially when I have the rights to print them whenever and wherever I want. Or upload them online, such as below... check 'em out!

Thoughts on your favorites? I am still trying to decide which ones to frame...

1 month!

Madeline's first month of life came and went in a flash! Now we are already into month two and I am still amazed by how quickly she changes and grows every day. (As Joe recently said, "She looks more like a real human now!") Her sleeping patterns are still inconsistent and downright miserable at times, but she is also much more alert and more fun to interact with when she is awake. She makes a LOT of funny expressions and is "talking" to us more (grunting, cooing, shrieking, etc.). I've noticed some moms get sad as their babies get older ("She is growing up too fast!"), but I am enjoying each new development and growth along the way. After all, she is still tiny and cute, she's just getting more and more personality... what is sad about that?! Maybe one day I will lament the growth of my children (probably about the time she hits the teen years), but until she can hold up her own head, sleep for more than 3 hours at a time, and relieve herself without my having to clean up her mess, I think it's safe to say "developments" are a good thing :)  Anyway, here are a slew of pictures to commemorate our first month together as a family. Some of the highlights are a visit from her friend Brynn, Easter weekend, and our first family hike.

Meeting her buddy, Brynn Richards

Brynn is 6 months older than Maddie. It looks like such a difference now, but it probably won't be long before she is just as big as this sweet little girl!

She is really good at sleeping. During the day.

Love this

Cracking a smile :)

Awake and alert

Love her gaze

Being silly

Beaver Nation just got bigger

4 generations of "Huie" women

Hi Uncle Brian!

3 Beaver Believers!

Maddie with the Joy family

First family picture!

Our first hike at North Bank park near Glide

My boys

My little girl :)