Missing Chris

Christopher is due back today and we couldn't be more excited for his return. He left Sunday for a conference in San Diego and it is the first time since Haley has been born that he has been gone for so long. After I put Haley down last night, I went through some of our old photo albums. It is hard to believe he and I have known each other for 13 years! I love that he is a challenge and his witty, confident, stubborn self is the perfect balance for me. He is my best friend (you too Lane) and confidant, makes me laugh daily, is my sturdy shoulder to cry on and my partner in our life together, good and bad. He is the man that gave me our most precious gift from God, Miss Haley. Chris, I know I don't thank you often enough for all you do for our family. I love you and can't wait to have you home!

Labor Day

What a nice long weekend! Mike and Kathleen Comstock came down to visit Miss Haley and we had such a nice time.

We had a yummy long lunch at Elbow Room (where I swear I saw Ashley Simpson, but it turned out to be a look-alike) and then were off to Fresno State to tailgate with the Fresno Rugby Club before the Davis vs Fresno football game. Miss Haley slept through her first tailgate, not a big football fan I guess!



Mike and Kathleen are both Davis alumni which made the tailgating even more fun. I witnessed a flabongo for the first time. It is basically a beer bong done out of a plastic flamingo thing. Very interesting!

We also got to see some of the Davies clan. Papa even made an appearance!


We skipped the game to head home, bbq burgers and watch Bottle Shock. What a great film. I love happy, bubble movies and this was perfect. Give it a watch if you get the chance.

We did some shopping on Sunday and I was gifted my birthday present a week early! The Cannon Rebel that the Patricios have that I have been drooling over so I can take even more pictures of Miss Haley. Thank you Chris, mom & dad! Kathleen and Mike headed back to the Bay and Chris and I settled in for a relatively uneventful rest of our Labor Day weekend. As always I end with a few pics of our precious little one....

We were busy, busy Comstocks this weekend! Friday Haley and I met Aunt Natalie, Aunt Brooke, cousin Geo (Nathan) and Aunt Melissa for lunch at CPK. Melissa lives in Chico and it was so nice to have some catch up time! It has been such fun to have Brooke in town and Natalie fairly close. Brooke and Carlos have really become some of our closest friends as well as family!

Saturday was daddy and Haley day (she wore Giants gear for the occasion) while mom went to yoga and a baby shower for Melissa and the soon-to-be Brenna. Chris and Haley were all over town, stopping at the bookstore to pick up a few favorites. Most especially the new Olivia book and the Disney Happily Ever After series. Brooke Bell was so kind to gift us the original Olivia book and Haley has been hooked ever since. She LOVES Olivia! Haley and Chris then popped in to Nordstrom Rack for a few daddy work essentials followed by a stop in at daddy's work and then to lunch. I had a very nice "Bree" day and had such a lovely time at the shower.
Just waking up

Sunday Chris had to drive to SF for a rugby meeting and Haley and I headed for the mountains. We got to see my Uncle Jim and Aunt Michelle, the Spencers and Gg! Haley and I have really spent quite a bit of time with my grandma Conway (Haley's Gg) lately and I just love it. She is such a fantastic woman, so much fun to visit with and becoming quite the Pinochle player! We were just there for the day and headed home to meet Chris and prepare for the week!

I love Grandpa!

Me and Gg!

I can't believe how fast this year has gone and that the holidays are almost here. We are so looking forward to all the fantastic 1sts with Miss Haley! She is growing everyday, rolling over and trying to crawl! We love her so much and feel blessed to have such a fantastic addition to our lives.

We're in the planning stages of some big events. We host gourmet group on the 12th of September and have some big surprises in store! My mom, Aunt Jeanie, Aunt Lisa and I are preparing for a shower for the bride-to-be Katie Richardson on the 10th of October followed quickly by a baby shower for Katie Flinn on the 25th. We'll be spending Thanksgiving with the Comstocks this year. My mom and I are hosting our annual Christmas Cookie Party again in in December and I can't wait for Christmas with the Conway/Richardson side. We'll have 4 new babies at the Richardson festivities - Miss Haley, Vincent Alexander (Brooke's), Brenna Jean (Melissa's) and Noah Flinn (Katie's). I'm thrilled our little one will have so many cousins her age to play with! So much to look forward to! Have a fantastic week!

I can grab them now!

Babies, bows and rides on the train!

I feel so proud that I'm actually updating! Lots to report! Miss Haley and I went to visit my friend Sabrina's new little one Maya. She is just the tiniest thing - I can't remember Haley being that small! We had such a great visit and were glad to bring dinner over - I do remember being in a bit of a daze the first couple of weeks and cooking was not a high priority! Both mom and baby are doing well and adjusting to life at home.

We had a quick visit with the Patricio girls on Friday and were thrilled to give Taylor and Peyton their very first bottle cap bows. One was gifted to me and I knew the fashionable Patricio babes would love them. We only got to peek in on Miss Peyton (we came at nap time), but she is getting so big!

On Saturday Haley and I had wonderful time at the Toyloy luncheon in honor of Catherine's foray into the musical theater world. We attempted to see the play, High School Musical II, but my little one thought lights out meant nap time and was having none of it! The first couple of minutes were great though and we got to dress up!

Early Sunday morning my mom, Haley and I headed up to the Bay for our hair appointment. We got to lunch with Mike and Kathleen Comstock before heading out. On the way back to the cabin, my mom dropped Haley and I off at the Matthews home in Stockton. We got to visit with Karie, Andrea, Allison (who is pregnant and just starting to show), Jozelle and her little one Jack. Jack and Haley are just 6 days apart! We had such a fun time catching up, bbqing and swimming. Monday morning, Karie and her dad dropped us at the train station and Haley and I had such a fun ride home. The conductor even stopped by to say what a beautiful baby Miss Haley was! I'd have to agree...

July & August....

Well, I’m getting a bit better at my updates – once a month at least! As always, we had loads going on. Most important, Miss Haley was baptized on July 25th at Saint Lucy’s Catholic Church. We had a private ceremony and then a huge celebration at the Conway Compound. We opened a huge bottle of champagne we received as a gift for our wedding and were saving for a special occasion. My mom and I made all the food - a ham, turkey, tons of picnic chicken, corn salad, shrimp salad, 5 tri-tips - it was all gone by the end of the party! I think we had just fewer than 100 people in attendance! We had the Davies in from FL, family and friends from all over California. It was such a special day for us. We are so happy our little peanut has joined the faith. We are expecting quite a bit from her Godparents, Lane and Brian!

We finished one celebration and headed off to another – the annual Richardson Family Reunion. Our hosts this year were the Camerena and Richardson girls. Brooke, Natalie and Joyce did a fantastic job of organizing everything. Our Shaver retreat was the perfect location and we even managed to secure a bedroom that fit the pack-n-play in one of the condos (quite a feat with 30 or so people vying for rooms). It was a fun and relaxing week, complete with outdoor yoga (thanks Katie), loads of pinochle (I was down over $60 at one point), great food (I’m still dreaming about the lemon, cottage cheese pancakes, Aunt Rebecca) and even better company! Miss Haley even scored a few custom knit headbands made by the talented Natalie! I think we all agreed, however, to elect a pinochle score czar next year and automate the scorekeeping!

You'll notice our very drunk boys in the front!

Miss Haley attended her very fist rugby game this past weekend, to see Uncle Andy coach his 7s team from Aspen. We don’t get to see our Aspen friends very often and were thrilled to drive up to Treasure Island and visit for a few hours. We also got to see Grandpa Comstock and he certainly was in his element! It was a quick turnaround because Chris had a full day of golf lessons starting early on Sunday with Uncle Brian, Steven Spencer and the newly engaged Paul Basila.

I started back at work last week and the transition has been relatively painless. I decided on a 3 day schedule, at least for awhile, and we have been blessed to have fantastic people watching Haley. We had a rough go of the nanny situation when the person we had slated to watch Haley decided to return to Mexico as a result of some huge drama. We certainly have our guardian angels watching out for us – we were referred to a wonderful girl, Courtney, who already loves Haley. She watches her on Tuesdays and Thursdays. On Wednesdays, Julie and Dawn Davies have come to our rescue. My sister’s mother and sister-in-law volunteered to take a day. I can’t believe how lucky we are to have such a fantastic extended family (I count the Davies as family). Julie treats Haley just like her own grandchild! My always wonderful mother takes Miss Haley when we need her help and we’ve even been able to talk her down from her mountain getaway to babysit!
Our newest addition to Gourmet Group, Kevin and Kelly Patterson, hosted a wonderful dinner last month. It was our first meeting with all in attendance in quite awhile. How things have changed. When we first started the group, no one was pregnant or had children. At our last dinner everyone in the group was either pregnant or had just had a baby! Something in the water...

Here are just a few pictures of our little peanut....

Old Friends...New Babies

Okay...so I stole the facebook title and the pictures from Brooke Bell...but she was so well prepared with the camera and the title. I am so lucky to have such good high school friends. Karen Simpson, in town from Georgia, brought us together for a mini reunion. So Karen, Brooke, Jill, myself and the 3 little girls Pheobe (karens), Riley (brookes) and Haley (mine) all met at the Daily Grill for a fun afternoon of lunch, champagne and catching up. Such a fun time! I miss Karen and am so glad she makes trips back fairly often to see her family! It is very nice to have Brooke and Jill in town!