In anticipation of my birthday, Husband took off work on Friday and let me choose whatever we wanted to do. I chose to go on a family hike in the Estes Park area. We bought a baby backpack carrier from our neighbors and headed out.

The scenery was beautiful.

As you can tell, Little Man LOVED the carrier. Perfect for Mr. Observant

The chipmunks came up so close. It was fun to see Charlie just stare at them.

To top the day off we strolled the main street of Estes Park and snacked on some goodies. Perfect start to the weekend and a milestone birthday.

Readers! How’s it going? I know, I know, I’ve missed you guys. but what can I say? Wife was out of town for forever last week so I decided to finally finish the Disneyland video I’ve be ,ahem, working on for the past few months. Just think of it this way: It took me two years to finish our wedding video and this one was only a couple of months! I say that deserves the coveted “Most Improved” prize that everyone hated getting in T-Ball. Anyway w e had a lovely time with our family out in the Happiest Place on Earth and can’t wait to do it again!

Disneyland Video from Steve Cramer on Vimeo.

We had a fabulous time Friday night at Charlie’s {almost} 1 year photo shoot with the talented Robyn. She is such a fun, classy gal and was great to work with because she just let Charlie explore and capture him.

If you’re in the Edmond area and want a fab photog, check her out.

Here’s a little sneak peak until the rest are done:

My family started a small cattle company and the other morning the first calf was born. The fam was walking around like a bunch of proud parents. Everyone came over to Nana & Papa’s before work/school to see the newest member.

Charlie got pretty excited when they all started mooOOOing.

Oh and meet “Bitch” so eloquently named by the eldest brother. She’s up next to have her babe.

Remember these cute little bums? Well, they’re back by popular demand…

After one heck of a day of traveling, Charlie and I arrived safely in Okie land. Charlie was a champ thru our travels, but let me highlight some of the better moments of the day for you:

• Baggage tagged and in route to Austin, TX
• Running through the Denver Airport
• Almost missing our first flight
• Changing a diaper while waiting in line to get on the plane, Charlie gives a great show
• Walking OUT of the security point in the {stupid} KS City Airport
• Have to go BACK THROUGH security in the KS City Airport…
• Only to find the restaurants were on the OUTSIDE of security
• Brushing shoulders with a convict being transported & escorted by 5 cops
• Having a loud, crude drunk on my next flight getting THROWN OFF THE FLIGHT

WHEW. But, we made it. I was in Okie for only 2 hrs. before my brother, Benj, convinced me to run the Midnight Streak 5K race with him. What was I thinking?

• I had little to nothing to drink  all day…I was flying after all and absolutely HATE public bathrooms
• What little food I did have on my stomach was a BBQ Burger and Onion Rings
• And it was still 98 degrees at 11pm when the race started

But, like Benj said, you can do anything for 3.2 miles. Oh and don’t mind the gazelle-like crazies that were “warming up” for the race a hour ahead of time. I wanted to yell at them to save their energy, they’ll hit a “wall” at mile 2.5 hehe. All in all, it was so fun to run it with him.

The next day was Sunday and was extra special because my entire family {minus Steve-O, as the nephews call him} got to go to church together. Brad was called as the 2nd counselor in his Bishopric and because my dad is Stake President, he got to preside over everything. What a special day.

And this is just the start of our Okie Adventures…

…Amigos! Tomorrow Charlie and I are bound for the Heartland for a week and a half. Husband is staying behind to earn the dinero, but don’t you worry we made sure to stock up on bagel bites, corn dogs, fresh pineapple & peaches for him…what more does he need?

I’ll try to blog here and there, but let’s be honest when I’m home, I’m home. So, bring on the friends, family, good food, all-you-can-drink Jambas and yes, even the disgusting hot, humid weather…

PS Yvette, if you’re reading this…it’s supposed to be a surprise for the siblings that we’re flying in early

We’re so excited for little Luke to make his grand entrance any day now and grow up fast so he and Charles can start playing.

To celebrate the countdown, I hosted a baby shower for Laura. I had so much fun putting together the green & navy details and Laura made out with some great loot.

Can you believe she’s 3.5 weeks away from her due date? She looks fabulous

I’ve been getting ready for several get-togethers and parties and it sure does help to have an extra little set of hands around. Case in point:

We were fortunate enough to have two out-of-town visitors this week.

My oldest brother, Kent, was in town for business and stayed at our house. He wined and dined us and was a huge help in laying sod. We just wish he could’ve stayed longer with his entire family.

One of my besties from high school, Hannah, was in town for her cousin’s wedding, so we got to meet up. She was so sweet and even brought Charlie and early b-day present. We chatted and lunched and further realized how much we miss living by one another and how we desperately need a Girls’ Trip ASAP.