Ellie’s First Christmas

The end of December 2017 brought us Ellie’s first Christmas, and we were excited to spend this milestone holiday at home with our friends and family. Step One. Get a tree. Step Two. Decorate the tree. Step Three. Hang the … Read More

Bittersweet Days in Pennsylvania

Not all of our trips are for fun. In mid-December, we got the news that Chris’s uncle, Mike, was hospitalized in the ICU and they weren’t sure what was wrong. It turns out that last-minute plane tickets in December are … Read More

Ellie’s First Flight

 In the beginning of December, we took a quick weekend trip to Denver to introduce Ellie to some of our favorite people, Aunt Charlotte and Uncle Jim. Though our visits there never quite seem to be long enough, we are … Read More

Thanksgiving for Four!

In true “Traveling Shenks” fashion, Ellie’s first Thanksgiving was a busy one! Ellie hanging out with James watching the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. A quick family portrait before we head off. Thursday, we enjoyed Thanksgiving dinner with the Shenks at … Read More

Chattanooga in the Fall

In mid-November, just before Thanksgiving, we took a fun road trip up to the Chattanooga area to get some fun time outdoors before the holiday madness. We took our trailer with us and camped at a KOA that was technically … Read More

Fall Fun and Visitors Galore

Fall is my favorite time of year and this one was especially nice! After welcoming Ellie into the family, we were thrilled to introduce her to so many of our friends and family members who spent time with us and … Read More

The First Six Weeks

Ellie is such a wonderful addition to our family and we are so thrilled to have her! The first six weeks went by in a sleepless haze, as all parents will probably remember of those newborn days. She is often … Read More

Goodbye to Utah. Again.

We love Utah. And we love our friends that still live there. So, any chance we have to head west and visit, we take it! Once I got into the second trimester of my pregnancy, I started to finally feel … Read More

Welcome to the World!

Our last picture as a family of three (plus Leo) taken a couple days before she arrived. She’s here! Our beautiful baby girl arrived on September 27, 2017 at 6:56 am weighing 8 lb. 9 oz. and measuring 20 in. … Read More