Broyles

The dental group at Todd’s work had a potluck and baby shower for us. It was fun to see the people he works with, spend a little time with them, and meet the new faces that have come in. Sylvia organized for everyone to fill out a “birthday advice card” ranging from Konor’s first birthday to his 18th to be given to him on each corresponding birthday. Obviously the advice varied based on the age appropriate year and who was filling out the card. She had each person read them aloud – it was a lot of fun.



Angela, (who puts “craft” in crafty) made us a diaper cake. It was totally comprised of diapers and wipes, with all sorts of baby accessories tied to it for the decorations. She rolled up baby washcloths for candles – it was too cute! I hated taking it apart so I had to get a picture of it.

A small group of wonderful ladies from church hosted a shower for me at Lori’s (second picture on left) house. Everyone who came was extremely generous and supportive. I was a little overwhelmed but it felt so good. My Mom and Grama sat on either side of me while I opened gifts. Mom compiled a great list for me to help in the thank you card writing later, while Grama checked stuff out and passed the gifts to be organized. My sister-in-law, Jennifer, came with my nieces, Bailey and Cassidy (first picture on right). It was great to see them – I don’t get to all that often – and they were a great help. Bailey took some awesome pictures, while Cassidy organized gifts and hauled out chairs when it was over. Todd’s Mom, Jo, and sister-in-law, Kelli, (picture on bottom right) were there along with Todd’s Aunt Norma and three cousins. It was a beautiful day, we enjoyed great snacks, had fun, and Konor got spoiled for sure.

July 24th. . .our little curly haired Kloe girl would be 2 years old today. This year, her Daddy brought home two pink roses (with a balloon) for her and I got a dozen - just like a year ago. It’s truly amazing how much our lives have changed in just two years and yet the impact of our angel is still as strong. We were so blessed to have her. Happy Birthday, Kloe. . .your Momma and Daddy love you.

Todd and I decided to take “one last trip” before Konor comes in August. We debated on several places before we chose to go back to Portland. Portland is a great city – great shopping, good food, cooler weather for my hot pregnant self – and we enjoyed our time there in October. We picked a long weekend, booked a hotel downtown and we were set. We visited Powell’s Books (a bookstore that spans a whole city block) which is full of new and used books – a reader’s paradise. Of course we had to go to Chipotle – the best burrito place ever – a couple of times, Voodoo Donuts, and Nordstrom Rack. I even talked Todd into talking me to Tiffany’s. What could be better? I know! Leaving Tiffany’s with a little blue box – which I did. Yep, Todd totally surprised me when he bought the ring I’ve had my eye on for some time now. What a guy.

Our big discovery and adventure this trip was the waterfalls. We had seen Multnomah Falls from I-84 our first visit to Portland and made a mental note to check it out sometime. Well, we did. Just outside of the city, off of the Interstate runs Columbia River Gorge Scenic Highway. The strip of road stretches parallel to the freeway and has to be one of the prettiest drives in the Northwest. On both sides of the highway is lush, green foliage, combined with native flowers, and beautiful waterfalls. Multnomah Falls is the second tallest year-round waterfall in the nation, dropping 620 feet. We hiked halfway up to a bridge that passes in front of the falling water. The sound of the crashing water was loud enough you had to raise your voice to talk and you could feel the mist of the water as it sprayed up from the force of the fall. The temperature dropped dramatically the closer you got.


Further down the road is Horsetail Falls. We hiked up a very steep trail to the top of the fall. I had to stop several times to catch my breath – my lung capacity is certainly not what it used to be before I was toting around a watermelon. During one such stop, Todd found a tree with the center carved out and waited patiently. (I had to get the picture.) As we weaved back and forth on the switchbacks up you could look down and see a tiny dot that was the car. The really cool part about this particular waterfall is you can walk underneath it! It was amazing!! The trail continues on but we'll have to save that for another day - one where Todd can carry Konor.


We also stopped at the Vista House at Crown Point. The Vista House was build in 1916 and serves as the symbol for the Columbia River Gorge. It has recently been restored - the marble and stained glass are beautiful. The basement contains a neat gift and coffee shop. The views from Crown Point were breathtaking. A nice volunteer gave us a map showing all the falls and recommended his favorite stops along the way.

Okay, as promised (Taige. . .and Cassie), here is a belly shot picture. I am right at 30 weeks pregnant and as you can see, he is all out front. Wow! Here I thought Kloe was out front but sometimes I think this kid is trying to pop out my belly button. My stomach is soooo hard. Todd and I went to Portland for a long get-a-way weekend. . .more to come on our trip later. . .and I had him take this in our hotel room before heading out for the day. I wanted to get this posted for all those wondering what I currently look like.

Konor is doing great. He is a very busy boy. . .lots and lots of movement. He has been known to wake us up on more than one occasion before 4:00 in the morning with what I call “Konor calisthenics”. Todd simply claims he is on Pop Pop’s time.

We are getting more and more excited to see who little Konor looks like. I have a feeling he will look a lot like Todd. All in all, not a bad thing! His furniture arrived yesterday so his room is starting to come together nicely. I will post some pictures once we have it completed.

Baby Broyles’ name is Konor Todd. . .for now. We’ve been calling him that for awhile now so I think it will stick but who knows? Using Todd for a middle name is somewhat of a family tradition -- Richard is Todd’s middle name and his Dad’s first name – same goes for his Grandpa and Dad – you get the idea.

March 31st was my 20 week doctor’s appointment. They did a thorough anatomy ultrasound – it was soooo cool. Todd and I got to see the different sections of his brain, all four chambers of his beating heart, urine in his tiny bladder (kidneys are working), diaphragm, arms, legs, hands, feet, nose, lips. . .it was amazing. They also confirmed once again that he is a boy – he is definitely not shy when it comes to that.

The first ultrasound picture is a profile of his face. He had his feet up by his head the entire time. So yes, that is a foot at the top of the scan. The second picture is a perfect picture of his nose and lips in the center of the scan. You can see his nostrils on the left and his perfect lips just below. They were checking for a cleft lip but the detail is awesome. You’d think it was a 3-D ultrasound.

We took this picture the following weekend on Easter Sunday.

I remembered wearing this shirt on Easter two years ago with Kloe.

In early March, Todd and I attended the “Wild Out West” dental conference in Phoenix, Arizona. We hadn’t been back to Phoenix since we moved from there -- nine years ago. Where does time go? Our trip was also planned around seeing some of our great friends who we have kept in contact with but don’t get to see nearly enough. Sooooo much has changed in the valley of the sun over the last few years – we were amazed by all the growth. A new Cardinals stadium, dozens of shopping centers, and many houses now exist in all the fields we used to drive by to get to the base and our home. Speaking of our home, our old base house has been torn down and a new built in its place. A much needed improvement.
Our classes ran from Thursday to Saturday. We stayed downtown so we could walk to the convention center. Spring time in Phoenix is the best. The palm trees are magnificent, all the grass is green and the flowers are in bloom. The air is warm and fresh with orange blossom sweetness. It is great. Friday night we drove up to Scottsdale to meet my friend Elizabeth for dinner (picture was taken this summer in Mtn. Home). Elizabeth and I worked together at Albertsons for a short time in Phoenix and then again in the Boise office. She is fun and adventurous. Saturday, after the conference, we drove out to Goodyear and stayed with Earl and Barbara. Todd and I attended church with them while living in Phoenix. I transferred to Boise for work five months before Todd and he finished his undergrad degree at ASU. Earl and Barbara "adopted" him during that time and we have been close since. We love them dearly and had a great time.

We also managed to sneak in a spring training baseball game. The Indians and Reds built a new ballpark in Goodyear – so of course, Todd had to check it out. We had great seats for a good price, awesome weather, and enjoyed watching the pros play ball.

A couple of weeks ago, Todd spent a long “guy’s” weekend in Colorado skiing with some friends he went to dental school with. His trip started out on a low note when his flight out of Boise got cancelled – the first flight they could get him on was for the next morning. Super bummer. So after some planning and more than a few phone calls, he rented a car in Denver and met up with the guys a day later. He missed out on a day skiing but he did get the opportunity to drive a Kia Rio. Tradeoffs right? When he was describing the car to me over the phone I asked him if it was the kind of car you’d expect a bunch of clown to jump out of – he responded with a laughing yes. So for the rest of his trip, whether it was choking up the mountain passes or stuck in the snow in front of the condo, it was only referred to as his clown car. The weekend picked up, however, once he met with the guys and he got in two great ski days on the beautiful mountains of Colorado. Todd, much like everyone else who gets the chance, fell in love with the state’s beauty and wonder.

Ted, who planned the weekend, lives and practices with his dad in Loveland, Colorado. His parents have a condo near the resort they skied (Copper Mountain) so it worked out great for the guys to have a place to stay. Jeff and Marc flew in from Indianapolis – Jeff works with his brother in a practice and Marc is a pediatric dentist, working with his dad, in Lafayette, Indiana. It may make you ask “Where is Todd’s dentist relative so we will know where we are supposed to end up?” Its okay, I had the same question. Another Todd, Ted’s roommate from undergrad, was able to join them for a day also. So for a couple of days the boys got to be boys – no girls to bother them. I know I didn’t get all the stories, and I’m sure I don’t want all the sorted details but I do know Todd had a great time and that’s all that matters.