Score!

I have been on a mission lately. I want a table for our upstairs hallway. Just something simple that can hold a flower arrangment or a plant, a photo or a lamp. Not really sure actually. I needed to get the table before going any further. I was feelin' lucky and there are a couple of flea markets that I drive past on my way home, so we decided to check them out on Saturday. It was like heaven! It brought back fond memories of all the antique shops I had access to when I lived in Wisconsin.

We browsed the flea market looking for little treasures, but mostly a table. It didn't take long before I found just what I was looking for. It was a small table tucked in the corner of a booth and it just caught my eye. I inspected further and realized it was a sewing machine table - complete with foot pedal and instruction booklet. There was a small note saying the sewing machine did work. The best part though - it is only $12. I couldn't believe it. Oh happy day!
Mind you - I don't sew, but I was instantly captivated by this sewing table and had visions of halloween costumes for Ian and window treatments for our home. The truth is I made a pillow in 7th grade and a sweatshirt in 8th grade for my Home Ec class. With the assistance of my aunt, I made a veil for Aris when she got married. That's it. Window treatments are more realistic than halloween costumes, but we'll see. My Mom has made me many wonderful things with her sewing expertise, but I never really picked up on it. I know the concepts of sewing and think I could figure it out, if I only knew how to operate the sewing machine. Ha! My Mom will be here on Thursday and I am hoping she can give me a crash course. Once I figure out how to work it, I want to make covers for our sofa throw pillows. The sofa needs a boost!
We had a fun afternoon at the flea markets. There were so many things I could have splurged on, but I stayed focused on the task at hand. I will save the other goodies for another day. We found an old school desk that I really wanted to get for Ian. I had to pass it up because it was $45, but it was ever so cute. I settled for a picture...
After a fun day of antique shopping, we headed home to get ready for visitors. We invited our friends over who have a 2.5 year old daughter and 6 month old twin boys. Whoa! We had a nice time, but I was exhausted by the time they left. I have no idea what I am in for. I did get some good ideas on childproofing though. I can't imagine having 3 kids under the age of 3. I am sure you just take it in stride or go crazy. We enjoyed hanging out with them though and look forward to getting together every now and then. Once they headed home, it was time to get Ian ready for bed. He is all about the routine - dinner, bath, put on the pj's and a night cap. He moved into his big boy tub this week. He isn't sure how he feels about it yet, but we love it!

Gimme a C!

Ian is SO close to crawling at the moment. We can't believe it. We thought he might crawl last weekend, but he is making us work for this one. Ha! He was up on all fours and grabbing everything in sight. Every time he moved we stared in awe, but alas...nothing. Yesterday was exciting though - he is now in army crawl mode. We are moments away from full blown mobility - which I have to confess has me creeped out just a bit. I am excited for Ian and can't wait for him to be able to explore even more of the world around him, but nervous for us. Every time we go to the doctor he asks if we have gotten down on the ground to crawl around and see what trouble we can get into. "Uhhhh, no." was my exact response I think. Mainly because I have no idea where to start - I feel that I am somewhere in the middle. So, I did some research and stumbled upon a checklist from www.babycenter.com. OK - my first thought was how did I ever make it to 32!! I am 99% sure my parents didn't pay that much attention (no worries 'rents - cool by me). But then I started thinking about it and the guilt sneakily crept in...all of the sudden I was like, "OMG - whatever made me think I was competent enough to be a parent. I am either not doing these things (using the safety strap on the changing table - Ian doesn't even have this option [gasp]) or didn't know they could happen (drowning in the toilet - who knew?). " I calmed myself down and decided to focus. Overall, it is probably a general guideline for those clueless when it comes to childproofing (i.e. Me) but really they could have saved a lot of time if they just would have put "Don't ever leave your child unsupervised. Ever. Period. No questions." So, as I sit here and write this I think to myself - "what needs to be removed from my living room?" I decide to go make dinner and think about it tomorrow. I have one more day, right? I need to let the list sink in:) In the meantime, enjoy my little video below. I took it yesterday evening when we got home. It is pretty cool. If you don't want to hear my silly comments (recommended viewing mode), you can mute your computer.

Hurricane Ike Evacuees

My Dad and stepmom live in Houston, TX - needless to say their lives have been uprooted a bit. My Dad had surgery on 9/11 and was quickly discharged the following day due to the hurricane activities. Fortunately, their home was considered a "safe zone" so they did not have to evacuate. They chose to stay and didn't face much damage. A tree down in the front yard (that they actually wanted to get rid of anyway) and no power was the consequence. Lucky for them...
My Dad got the opportunity for a run to Parachute, CO and he gladly accepted since it would get them out for a couple of days. Dad called last Monday to say they were on their way to Longmont via a stop off in Parachute. They arrived at 6:30 PM on Tuesday, just in time to wish Ian sweet dreams. Jon & Heather stopped by to say hello. It was a short visit because they needed to get some rest. They took in some beautiful mountain drives and a trail with Jon & Heather during the days - Ian and I were able to visit with them at night. On Friday, Casey invited them to Dal Ward for a tour of the kitchen with a complimentary view of Folsom Field and we met up with Heather's parents on Friday evening for a family dinner. They got the news that their power was back, so they headed home on Saturday. Unfortunate circumstances brought them here, but we were thankful for the time.

Below are a couple of pictures of them with Ian. They brought him a Colts Football to practice with and he loves it. Ian showed off his newest trick...being on all fours. Crawling is next on his list! I threw in a couple other favorites I have from this month. Hope you enjoy!

A minute in the mountains...

Casey had this past Friday and Saturday off. I was able to navigate taking Friday off, so we took advantage of the time off together and got a room in Vail. I packed everything Thursday night, so all we had to do was wake up and hit the road on Friday. It was raining and cloudy - ugh! I was initally worried about the roads, since I-70 is notorious for horrible traffic, but despite the snow/rain mixture we made good time.

We stopped off in Georgetown for breakfast. We hit a small cafe on the side of the road - breakfast was mediocre and overpriced, but the people were friendly. The owner had on her Packer sweatshirt and shorts, so we knew we were in good company!

A young couple was there on their way to a wedding. The girl had a Polaroid camera and wanted to test it out, so she asked to take a few pictures of Ian. He was all about it and gave her a lot to work with. Ha! We got a couple of cute Polaroids, which made me happy and reminded me that I need to purchase more Polaroid film before they stop making it at the end of this year. Kinda sad if you think about it.

We hit the road with a full belly and a full tank of gas - taking in all of the beautiful scenery.

We arrived in Vail around Noon. We checked into our room at the Lodge at Vail. It was in the heart of Vail Village. We set up the pack n' play so Ian could take a nap and we rested ourselves. Ian awoke from his nap and the weather cleared enough for us to take a little stroll around the area. There was a sculpture dedicated to all those who had represented Vail in the Olympics, the ski lift that runs year round and a pretty cool playground that Ian would have loved - maybe next year:)

After lunch we headed back to the room to relax. The clouds rolled in and it started to rain a bit again. For a minute, I was concerned that the Oktoberfest was going to get rained out. But in true Colorado fashion, the clouds soon parted and the sun broke out. It was gorgeous once again. We fed Ian and got him bundled up for the chillier weather. He looked so cute in his first pair of shoes and fleece jacket. We browsed the festival - enjoying a couple of beers and sampling some tasty food.
Ian was a trooper and seemed to enjoy himself. It got pretty chilly once the sun went down and it started to rain again, so we headed back to the room. Partying with a baby just isn't the same. Ha! We hung with Ian for a bit, then fed him and got him ready for bed. He was wiped out and went down without a peep. Casey and I weren't far behind. It had been an eventful day for everyone!

Ian slept until 7 AM. We all got up and started our day. We ventured to the town of Edwards. We checked out their farmer's market and enjoyed a lunch at Moe's. I am a sucker for their sweet tea and tomatillo salsa! The farmer's market was nice - we bought some fresh peaches. Yum! We also found a great spice company. They are fresh and organic. I tasted the best cinnamon of my life at their booth. Check them out at http://www.smithandtruslow.com/.

The drive home was fabulous. The sky was clear and bright blue. The mountains looked gorgeous with their snow caps. We had a blast and couldn't believe how well Ian handled the road trip. We love to travel, so we are happy he seems to love it too:) Although it is exhausting - evidenced by this picture of Ian.

dreams do come true

I woke this morning to fabulous news - IKEA is coming to Colorado! Oh Happy Day...

My first trip to IKEA was glorious. Overwhelming too. This store is a dream - the lights, fabrics, mirrors, frames...I could go on and on. I love this store! Casey and I love it so much that last Labor Day weekend we hopped in the car and drove to Draper, Utah just for their IKEA store. We spent the day browsing every inch of that store and escaped with only $100 or so in damage. Mostly because we took the Honda, had we brought the Explorer I would have justified more purchases (I think Casey was thinking ahead) and stored it all in our garage until we moved into a bigger place. Really.

I know it will be some time before they open their doors, but it will be worth the wait! There is only one thing that could have made my day better and when I opened my mailbox I couldn't believe my eyes - there was my 2009 IKEA catalog. Amazing!

Hate to cut it short, but I have a wish list to make:)

She's Crafty...

I made my first scrapbook in 2000. My friend, Erica, was pregnant with her first child and I thought it would be a wonderful gift. I jumped right in and created a baby book for her son, Gabe. My obsession grew from there.

It is calming for me. I love being able to create something original and share it with others. My time since January has been limited and my scrapbooking room has only seen glimpses of me these past few months - usually when I need to whip up a quick card for someone's birthday or anniversary. There are several projects pending - our anniversary scrapbook, our holiday scrapbook, my belly scrapbook and Ian's baby book. I like to sneek in a few minutes when I get the chance, but it is hard when I have numerous other tasks calling my name. Laundry, dishes, dusting...you name it, but none of them are as fulfilling as craftin'.

I recently had the honor of making birth announcements for my good friend, Kate. It all started back in February when Kate received Ian's birth announcement in the mail. She was the first to call me and tell me how much she liked them. It made me feel good to know that someone else liked them as much as I did. The conversations began and Kate asked me if I would be willing to make her baby girl's announcements. Willing? Absolutely! She told me the colors she wanted and sent me some designs she liked, that got my creative wheels turning. We went shopping for supplies 2 weeks before her little one arrived and once I had all the "stats" it was time to start craftin'.

I had so much fun! I spent many a night cutting and pasting things together - it helped me to justify my time in front of the T.V. Yes, I watched hours of the "new" 90210 and the season premiere of America's Next Top Model, but the end result were super cute baby announcements. I wanted to make something Kate & Colin would love - it was their little girl's debut to the world after all! I just dropped off the announcements to her on Friday and the results are in...they love them. I am so happy that they turned out so well. I am grateful they trusted me to create their baby announcements - thank you Courtney family!

Labor Day Weekend 2008

Ian has been quite busy exploring his world. He now pulls himself up on all fours, but then cries because he isn't sure what to do next. He started rolling over onto his stomach from his back, but he still cries out in the night when he ends up on his back. I think I need to work harder on not automatically going in to roll him over because it will make my life easier. He has found his tongue...and his toes! Every day is a new adventure and I love to see the world through his eyes.

Friday, we started Ian in his booster seat. He looks like such a little man waiting for his dinner. He also tried avocado for the first time. A delicious treat indeed! Saturday was a not so relaxing day at home with Mommy. Poor little guy just wasn't having it - between the sneezing, coughing and runny nose he just couldn't get a break. Sunday we took a trip to Boulder for a CU vs. CSU party at my co-worker's house. There were plenty of kids for Ian to watch and he also got to hang with his favorite "nanny", Maggie, so he was cool for a couple of hours.

We had a few friends over for Labor Day and it was a great time. The weather was wonderful and the company even better. Ian was not feeling the best all weekend - I am thinking 80% teething and 20% cold. Regardless, he was less than happy most of the weekend and didn't sleep well at all. He must have been tuckered out by Monday because he took great naps and loved hangin' with his peeps on Monday. Ian woke up to a house full of visitors. He was excited to see his friend, Ella - she was busy sleeping though. The ladies mostly hung out in the house because of the bee hive that appeared in our backyard. The bees did go away after a couple of hours, so we introduced Ian to his pool. He wasn't a fan though. He humored me long enough to get a picture or two and then he quickly let it be known he had had enough. The boys played Jarts at the back of the house. It was a pretty intense game of Jarts that went well into the evening - congrats to J Dizzle for taking the trophy! Ian was excited to dine outside for the first time. He liked the new scenery, but it couldn't distract him from the sweet potatoes and oatmeal! After a quick bath, he was eager to get his pajamas on. I found these pajamas at Old Navy a couple of weeks ago...they say "I'm Awesome!" on the shirt and for those of you who knew Ian in utero his nickname was Baby Awesome. Perfect. So, I fed my little guy and put him down for the night. I was eager to get my hands on Ella, so I ended my night rocking her to sleep with the magical touch of my finger. It was a good day for all.