The Reber Family

Shumba @ 5-6 Months

2009-02-21T07:44:00.000-08:00

Our little red hound is growing up. She now weighs about 48 lbs. and is getting so tall. Shumba is as goofy, naughty, and cuddly as ever, we love her personality. The dog park in Las Cruces is her favorite place on earth, she gets along well with everyone. We are still in obedience classes with her and she catches onto everything very quickly. Chris says she is smart because she retains the knowledge of all the books she eats, she has a thing for paper and will rip up any in reach. On Valentine's Day we went hiking at White Sands National Monument. Shumba went berserk as soon as her feet hit the sand, she loved it! She also likes watching dog shows on TV, go figure. She will get right up next to the screen and wag her tail.

Silly Dog

With Duck

Playing at the Dog Park

Watching the Dog Show on TV

White Sands National Monument

Christmas 2008 (A Little Late)

2009-01-09T15:58:00.000-08:00

We had a great Christmas in both St. George and Salt Lake. We were so glad to see both families, our nieces Kristi and McKell are getting so big (and so is Abby, we can't wait for our nephew Chase to get here!). The day after Christmas we went four-wheeling with Toni, Darren, and Rich. It was great fun until Chris and I rolled our quad down a hill. We were so blessed to make it out with just some bumps, scrapes, and bruises. We spent the next few days pretty beat up and sore and had to delay our drive to Salt Lake. We ate a ton of food, spent a lot of money, and had an all around good time.

Before the Big Roll

McKell and her quad

Kristi in the Tinkerbell outfit we gave her (very into princess things right now)

Kristi and her quad

Shumba @ 4 months

Aren't I the best gift EVER!

Tough Girls!

Playing with Bailey

Since We Never Do Christmas Cards...

2008-12-24T08:51:00.000-08:00

Wishing everyone a Merry Christmas, we love you all!

The Dreaded Procedure

2008-12-08T10:11:00.000-08:00

UPDATE: The procedure was painful but went just fine, and the doctor said my uterus looks beautiful (he told me as he was moving the camera around in there and making my eyes tear it hurt so bad, like I cared at the time!). I am just a little sore now but doing well. Thanks to everyone for the prayers and positive thoughts, I love you all!

Tomorrow I go in for the dreaded procedure (hysteroscopy/cyst removals). As some of you know I have been having some problems the last couple months. I am pretty nervous about being awake the entire time (they better drug me good) but Chris will be with me, so that helps. I will be in the hospital all day and will be able to come home that evening. My doctor says I will be down for a few days and sore for a few weeks, but I am ready to get all this taken care of and have a normal life again. Sorry, no pretty pictures to go with this post :)

The Christmas Pickle

2008-12-05T17:03:00.000-08:00

Christmas is coming and the Christmas Pickle is in it's place of honor at the top of our little tree. Mom Reber would be so proud, it's the first year since we've been married that we've put up the tree (although we have our excuses!). The Pickle is a Reber family tradition, and it was given to me for Christmas 2005 when we got engaged.

Shumba At 13 Weeks

2008-12-05T16:56:00.000-08:00

Yes I have a compulsion, I can't stop taking pictures of my dog. Heaven help me but she's just so gorgeous!

I Have "Exercised" the Demon!

2008-12-05T16:41:00.001-08:00

Chris and I took Shumba on her first real hike to Aguirre Springs last weekend. You see, regular walks around the neighborhood just aren't cutting it, and our ultimate goal of course is to tire her out (tired puppy=good puppy). My little hound was in heaven! She picked up an animal smell at the top of the trail and immediately jumped into the tall grass and got real low to the ground, stalking whatever she had smelled. The last few days she has had a wild hair up her butt and wanting to gnaw everything in sight, I think she may be starting to teethe. I now know that God made puppies so dang cute so that we wouldn't roast them over a barbecue spit when they are in these stages. I am just grateful that is is still warm enough mid-day here to take her out and walk her, otherwise we would be in REAL trouble! This house is clear!

Aguirre Springs

My man, his dog, and a girly backpack.

The Aftermath

Happy Thanksgiving!

2008-11-25T07:37:00.001-08:00

This year we are spending the holiday at home since Chris only has a couple days off. I am going to attempt my grandmother's stuffing, mashed potatoes, and gravy for the first time, and not being the greatest cook I hope it all works out. I just want to say how grateful I am for a hubby that takes such good care of me, understands me completely, and loves me anyway. I love you babe!

Shumba At 11 Weeks

2008-11-25T07:15:00.000-08:00

Here is our Shumba (AKA Legs, Demon Dog, Momma's Little Monster). She is a little grassy from playing outside, but still gorgeous. She gets bigger, goofier, and more beautiful everyday. At her vet visit yesterday she weighed in at 19.8 pounds, growing like a weed. I am trying to savor every moment I have of holding her, it isn't going to last long! She also has Chris wrapped around her little paw. When Chris got back Friday from being in Washington D.C. all week, he picked her up and said, "Daddy needs to cuddle with his baby girl" and was giving her kisses. Too cute!

My favorite one of her, showing her goofy side.

Puppy Love

2008-11-14T17:23:00.000-08:00

We finally welcomed our little girl to our home on November 8th. We are having a blast with Shumba, although she definitely loves getting into mischief! We bought a pet gate to keep her confined to the kitchen when necessary, but within 20 minutes she had learned to climb up and over it! Looks like the crate will be the only way to go with Miss Shumba. She has been given the nickname "Legs" because hers are way too long for her and she sometimes has trouble coordinating them. She gets so frustrated when she can't aim those legs well enough to get that pesky itch. She did well getting her first bath and is learning quickly how to walk nicely on a leash. She will even sit for me now wihtout a treat in hand. After two nights of letting her sleep in the bed with us, we decided it would be best for all involved if she slept in her own bed next to ours. We forget that she will be about 75 lbs. full grown! She is getting used to it and usually only whines for a few minutes before crashing. As long as we tire her out with walks and playing, Shumba is the perfect little angel ;) We have lots of bugs around here in southern New Mexico, and grasshopper has become the "other white meat". She loves to chase and eat them, should I be worried? I try to think of it as just a good protein source. She is also the most vocal dog I have ever known, groaning like an old woman every time she changes position, whining for every want/need, and growling and moaning at all her toys. She is always dreaming of her days with mom and suckles in her sleep. We are definitely in love with this little girl.

Playing with her new "friend" in the hotel room mirror.

In her very large bed (someday it will fit!)

Napping with Dad

More Adventures in the Desert

2008-11-03T11:32:00.000-08:00

So I was continuing the task of putting all of our stuff away in the new house when I heard a rustling. I went to see what it was and saw a snake crawling across some plastic covering on the floor. I called Chris and he told me to use the broom to shoosh it out the door that it was curled up near, but when I got close it puffed up, started shaking it's tail, and striking at me. Baby rattlesnake without a rattle yet? Maybe...needless to say we called animal control. The guys came to get the snake and when they saw it started giggling at me. Apparently it was a bullsnake (a kind of gopher snake), harmless and even kept as pets. Under "bullsnake" in our southwest species field guide it says:
"If threatened puffs up, hisses, strikes; mimics rattlers by rustling dead leaves with tail."
There, no one can laugh now when it's a non-venomous snake that pretends to be nasty!

In better news, Chris and I start temple-prep classes this Sunday, I couldn't be happier. We look forward to becoming a forever family next year.

2008-10-31T09:07:00.001-07:00

Meet Shumba

2008-10-27T11:17:00.000-07:00

This little girl is definitely ours. Meet Aegis Shumba Mwana. Not the pup we had planned on, but still just as gorgeous! In fact she is show quality and she's the pup that stood out to us in the 4 week-old pictures (darker red than her sisters). She arrived in Salt Lake from Nevada yesterday, and I pick her up and bring her home Nov. 5th. Our breeder says that she is a looker and could even become a champion if we decided to show her, we'll see :) I just can't wait to see her in person and get to know this fiery redhead.

Carlsbad Caverns

2008-10-22T07:54:00.000-07:00

This weekend we spent some time at Carlsbad Caverns. We took a tour of the cave and also stayed until sundown to see the big bat fly-out. About 500,000 Mexican Free-Tailed bats left the cave entrance in under an hour, very cool to see! We weren't allowed to take pictures when the bats were flying though, apparently electronic devices irritate their ecolocation. We could actually hear them running into each other while they were leaving the cave, it's amazing any of them make it out alive!

Our Little Corner of the World

2008-10-18T17:01:00.000-07:00

Here is a picture of our house on base. No one is allowed to see the inside yet, it's jammed full of boxes! It is a lot bigger than I was expecting, with only a couple downfalls. Last night a scorpion visited the bathroom when I was on the toilet (and I am glad I was, I might have peed my pants!). And the whole house is wall to wall...linoleum?! Oh well, it will be nice when we get our puppy next week and start housebreaking her! We'll just need to invest in area rugs I guess. Well, base housing may not be the grandest but it is free, and we can't beat that! This morning I went to a training session for volunteering once a week at the El Paso Zoo, and they might even let me dive in the sea lion tank to help clean it. I gotta get my water fix somehow, right! It sounds like it will be fun, after a few months working on getting to know the zoo and helping with education projects I will get to help take care of the sea lions and aquarium fish.

Pictures Of Me & My Hubby

2008-10-12T22:01:00.000-07:00

I Have Succumbed...

2008-10-11T03:27:00.000-07:00

Well sisters of mine, I thought it was about time that Chris and I had a blog like you guys do, I was feeling a little left out! I swore I'd never do it, but here we are (ha ha ha). We'll see how long it lasts! Hope you all enjoy the first installment, I couldn't sleep and was bored out of my mind...here are the fruits of my late night up.

Our Story

2008-10-10T23:59:00.001-07:00

Love at First Sight...

Chris and I met in May of 2005 through an LDS Singles website (yes, on the internet). I was in my senior year of college at Humboldt State University in northern California and he was in the army stationed at Ft. Lewis in Tacoma Washington. I saw a picture of him and thought he was hot, so I told him so! Within a week we were talking on the phone for hours every night. Later that summer he was sent to Germany for work and I think we both didn't expect to speak to each other again. A few days before Labor Day weekend I got a call from him, saying that he had thought about me while he was gone and was back in the states, and that he wanted to finally meet in person. He drove 8 hours (one way) and met me at work on Friday, Sept. 2. I saw him walk through the door, and I knew I loved him. I took his hand, led him to another room, and we had our first kiss.

Chris started driving down every weekend to see me, so I figured he must like me! I think we knew right off that this was serious business, only a few weekends later we were talking about me moving north when I graduated that winter. By October we knew that we would be married, and we just couldn't wait. We were engaged that Christmas at my family's house in Salt Lake City.

In February I moved to Tacoma, and our parents and my brother came up to "help me move into my new apartment". In reality, we had decided to elope with just a few family members present. We were married on Feruary 18, 2006 (most of our family found out that afternoon, what can I say we do things a little differently!).

From Baghdad to the Bering Sea...

Chris and I have had a unique marriage from the very beginning, and things sure didn't calm down. After just over a year of marriage, on April 4, 2007, Chris was deployed to Iraq. He served there for 14 months and finally got home on June 9, 2008. It's a good thing I knew hardly anything about what he was doing over there! Since he's been home he's told me stories that give me the chills. We were so blessed to have him return home safe!

Chris in his "man-dress", dishdasha and shmog.

When Chris left for Iraq, I knew I had to do something to keep busy (or end up in the padded room), so I took a job working as a marine biologist on commercial fishing vessels in Alaska. Since then I have spent over 170 days at sea, through winter storms with ice freezing on deck and beautiful summer days surrounded by whales. I have seen things there that most people never even dream of: some of the strangest fish on the planet, smoking volcanoes, the Russian border, whales feeding, hurricane force winds, 500 lb. sharks, and waves over 30 ft. high. I am so ready now to be home with my hubby!

Yummy Lumpsucker!

Made the Move

2008-10-10T22:39:00.000-07:00

We have moved to White Sands Missile Range, NM and will finally have somewhat of a normal existence (yay!). Chris moved us down all by himself, since I was stuck in Alaska two weeks longer than planned, poor boy! I can't wait to "nest" and plan on taking the winter off from work. Chris just finished his first week at his new job, and his brain is fried from reading about all the technical details entailed. Next month we pick up our new puppy, a female Rhodesian Ridgeback we will call Shumba Mwana (Shumba for short), which means "lion child". She was born Sept. 4 along with 7 sisters and 4 brothers, wow! I am beyond thrilled to finally get my dream dog. Mom Reber says she is excited to get a "grandchild" (sorry we aren't doing better on that front mom).

A couple of the pups are being picked for showing, so we aren't sure which one of these cuties will be ours, but they all look good to me! Here are the girls at 4 weeks old.