Here is a recent picture of Erica's family: Noah, Mallory, Gabe and Nathan
We missed you guys on our trip!
Monday, June 29, 2009
Sunday, June 28, 2009
Little Miss SofiaThursday, June 25, 2009
I'm a Big Boy!
Grandpa Conkright stopped by last evening, he has been on a motorcycle trip since the first week of June. He has traveled to many places with Jon and his brother-in-law, Larry. We were able to see him before we headed out East and fortunate enough to see him before he headed back home today. Ian really enjoyed dinner with Grandpa! .jpg)
We also had our friends, Maggie and John, over for dinner last night. Since I no longer get to see Maggie everyday at work it was a great opportunity for us to catch up! Several months ago I stumbled upon an old school desk at a local antique shop. I loved the desk, but wasn't going to splurge $45 on it. It just so happened that a couple weeks later Maggie was back home visiting her family in Baldwin City, Kansas for their local Maple Leaf Festival. She gave me a call because a school was selling their old desks for $5 and she wanted to know if I wanted one. Yes! But how was I going to get it back to CO? Well, her very kind parents - Sam and Cindy Brown - drove out for a visit last weekend and they dropped it off. John was kind enough to haul it all the way to Longmont for me too. The least I could do was feed him:) Thanks guys! Ian looks like such a big boy and he is already to get his study on...
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Ian is also all about feeding himself these days. Jury is still out on the solid foods, but he does know he wants to do it himself. He has quite the vocabulary as well - he says kitty, belly, thank you, what's that, oh my gosh and has the most wonderful laugh too! Of course, you have to use your imagination a bit but with the gestures he makes I do believe that is what he is saying. Pretty cool. Check out this video of him feeding himself dinner tonight. What a little man!
We also had our friends, Maggie and John, over for dinner last night. Since I no longer get to see Maggie everyday at work it was a great opportunity for us to catch up! Several months ago I stumbled upon an old school desk at a local antique shop. I loved the desk, but wasn't going to splurge $45 on it. It just so happened that a couple weeks later Maggie was back home visiting her family in Baldwin City, Kansas for their local Maple Leaf Festival. She gave me a call because a school was selling their old desks for $5 and she wanted to know if I wanted one. Yes! But how was I going to get it back to CO? Well, her very kind parents - Sam and Cindy Brown - drove out for a visit last weekend and they dropped it off. John was kind enough to haul it all the way to Longmont for me too. The least I could do was feed him:) Thanks guys! Ian looks like such a big boy and he is already to get his study on... Ian is also all about feeding himself these days. Jury is still out on the solid foods, but he does know he wants to do it himself. He has quite the vocabulary as well - he says kitty, belly, thank you, what's that, oh my gosh and has the most wonderful laugh too! Of course, you have to use your imagination a bit but with the gestures he makes I do believe that is what he is saying. Pretty cool. Check out this video of him feeding himself dinner tonight. What a little man!On a completely different note, I am saddened by the death of Michael Jackson. I have always been a fan! I loved my little red coin purse that said "I heart Michael Jackson." I had a poster on my bedroom door for years. I vividly remember the day my Mom came home with a surprise for me and it was the Thriller album. Best day ever! Casey and I actually joke that MJ is the reason we got together. There was a brief stint where it seemed like every other night there was a new MJ documentary on TV and we invited each other over to watch them. If memory serves me right, he even had MJ playing when he picked me up for our first dinner. How could I resist? Ian and I were able to rock out to some good tunes on our drive home tonight and continued while getting dinner ready. He was interested in dancing, but only for a second.
Sunday, June 21, 2009
I Heart Summertime!
I have always loved summer. Warm sun and more hours of it, refreshing cocktails, skirts and flip flops. What more does a girl need, really? I cannot recall how many times I probably uttered the times I was "bored" - only a week into my summer vacations though. The perils of youth - you don't really know how good you have it until you don't have it anymore. What I wouldn't do now for a few minutes to be "bored". Ha!
We have been so busy and a lot has changed. I started a temporary assignment with CRI, Inc. (www.crix.com). I started last week and it has been a welcomed change of pace. I am assisting the HR Director and Controller with miscellaneous tasks. We'll see where it goes. For now I am just trying to enjoy myself and the 4-day work weeks that lie ahead.
Ian and I headed to Baltimore on June 11th. We had a fabulous time visiting our friends on the East Coast! We arrived safe and sound on Thursday night. We enjoyed a nice dinner with the Hood family and then Liz's Mom, Dori, stopped over to say "hi." It was a warm welcome. Ian was excited about all the "new" toys to check out, they enjoyed playing together and Colin did a great job sharing.
I did not do a great job of taking photos, unfortunately. Most of our time was spent trying to wrangle in 4 kids! I did happen to get a shot of Colin and Ian before we headed out on our roadtrip to Pittsburgh on Friday.
The boys did a great job in the car. We stopped for a quick lunch because we were starving and needed to stretch our legs, but back on the road as soon as possible. We couldn't wait to see the Berghoff family! The boys had a great time playing with Elana and we were ecstatic to meet Sofia. On Saturday, my high school BFF and her son joined us for an afternoon. Joy and Drew arrived just in time for the playground. Michelle lives in Squirrel Hill - it is a great little neighborhood and they had this lovely play area (aka "the grassy knoll") in their complex. The kids loved it and it was a great way to pass a few minutes. We rallied the troops and headed to lunch at a local deli. 4 adults and 6 kids. It was controlled chaos, at best, but we all survived. We joked later that we should have recorded the episode and reviewed to better prepare for next time. Ah - mommyhood. It truly is a fabulous life...
I am so thankful for the quality girltime. It was definitely needed. We spent nice evenings on the porch after the kids went to bed just laughing and catching up. Although our first night was a little rowdy considering the Penguins won the Stanley Cup. Wow - that town is proud. Good for them though. We still enjoyed passing the time together - in between hoots and hollas. It had been some time since we had all been together - March 2007 to be exact. But we didn't miss a beat. Isn't that the most beautiful thing about friendship? We also came up with a crazy concoction I like to call the "Desperate Mom" cocktail. We were running low on everything and had exhausted our cranberry juice. Now what? Apple juice and vodka just didn't sound good. But throw in some ginger ale and OJ - you are good to go! And there was still enough apple juice left for the kids. Yay!
Ian and I headed home on Monday. A 4-hour flight with a 17 month old is just a bit challenging, not to mention tiring. Especially when he only naps for 45 minutes. I kept praying my "go, go gadget" arms would appear from somewhere. All in all, he did a great job on the plane. Ian was very happy to see his Daddy and so was Mommy. It was nice to be at home, but not for long....we now need to start preparing for our next trip - Wisconsin for 4th of July. We can't wait to see everyone. Ian is going to meet his cousin, Taylor, for the first time. I hope to do a much better job of taking pictures!
What else?
When I returned home from Baltimore, Casey surprised me with a new trash can!!! I know it sounds crazy, but I am so happy to no longer be battling my son about keeping his hands out of the trash can. Plus, I never liked having our trash can on display but with such a small kitchen we didn't have a choice. Casey rearranged all of our cabinets while I was out and now we appear to have a much more organized kitchen. A step up for sure. Thanks, babe!
We also added some shrubs to the front of our house. Nothing fancy, but a start. I was hoping to get more landscaping done this summer, but we have just been so busy. If I can at least get the side of the driveway done when we get back from WI I will feel as if I accomplished the necessities this summer. Well, that also includes ripping out the half-dead shrub, but I want to wait until later in the year so I have a couple of seasons to plan out our next project. Here's my DIY project for this month:
Ian wanted to join in too! He is holding my gardening shoes for me while I get everything ready outside. How cute. I wish he could have been out with me, but we live on such a busy street and he just isn't old enough to know not to run into the street. Maybe next summer he can be my gardening buddy.
Father's Day weekend - we really didn't have any plans. We just wanted to relax! We have been trying to get together with the Courtney family for some time, but plans just keep falling apart. We were able to see Kate & Ella for a few minutes yesterday. They joined us downtown for some lavendar lemonade. If you haven't checked out the Sun Rose Cafe -www.sunrosecafe.com - in downtown Longmont yet...I highly recommend you get there ASAP. This lavendar lemonade is the best and they are now bottling it so you can have one there and one for the road. Genius! Ian was excited to see Ella. She is crawling and standing now, plus has 4 teeth. She is getting so big. Next month she will turn 1 and we can't wait for her birthday bash.
It was rainy and cloudy, but we still managed to sneak in a walk downtown. I do wish the shops were open a bit later because I feel like I am scrambling to get there and showing up 10 minutes before they close. No one seems to mind though. It was fun catching up with Kate. We strolled through some shops and stumbled upon these gems. Ella really wanted them, but Kate had to put her foot down;)
We got up Sunday morning for breakfast with Daddy. We tried to check out a couple of new places, but they were just too slammed. And we were too hungry. We went to Lennie's and then headed to the park with our full stomachs. We discovered a wonderful place today - a new family favorite. Golden Ponds Park and Nature Area. It has 4 ponds and a walking trail. Beautiful views everywhere you look. I am thinking we need to reserve a shelter and have a little fiesta with our friends before the summer is over. I'll add that to my to-do list. With the weather being so severe lately we have received a lot of rain and stumbled upon an awesome waterfall today. Great photo ops for Father's Day!
We have been so busy and a lot has changed. I started a temporary assignment with CRI, Inc. (www.crix.com). I started last week and it has been a welcomed change of pace. I am assisting the HR Director and Controller with miscellaneous tasks. We'll see where it goes. For now I am just trying to enjoy myself and the 4-day work weeks that lie ahead.
Ian and I headed to Baltimore on June 11th. We had a fabulous time visiting our friends on the East Coast! We arrived safe and sound on Thursday night. We enjoyed a nice dinner with the Hood family and then Liz's Mom, Dori, stopped over to say "hi." It was a warm welcome. Ian was excited about all the "new" toys to check out, they enjoyed playing together and Colin did a great job sharing.
I did not do a great job of taking photos, unfortunately. Most of our time was spent trying to wrangle in 4 kids! I did happen to get a shot of Colin and Ian before we headed out on our roadtrip to Pittsburgh on Friday.
The boys did a great job in the car. We stopped for a quick lunch because we were starving and needed to stretch our legs, but back on the road as soon as possible. We couldn't wait to see the Berghoff family! The boys had a great time playing with Elana and we were ecstatic to meet Sofia. On Saturday, my high school BFF and her son joined us for an afternoon. Joy and Drew arrived just in time for the playground. Michelle lives in Squirrel Hill - it is a great little neighborhood and they had this lovely play area (aka "the grassy knoll") in their complex. The kids loved it and it was a great way to pass a few minutes. We rallied the troops and headed to lunch at a local deli. 4 adults and 6 kids. It was controlled chaos, at best, but we all survived. We joked later that we should have recorded the episode and reviewed to better prepare for next time. Ah - mommyhood. It truly is a fabulous life...I am so thankful for the quality girltime. It was definitely needed. We spent nice evenings on the porch after the kids went to bed just laughing and catching up. Although our first night was a little rowdy considering the Penguins won the Stanley Cup. Wow - that town is proud. Good for them though. We still enjoyed passing the time together - in between hoots and hollas. It had been some time since we had all been together - March 2007 to be exact. But we didn't miss a beat. Isn't that the most beautiful thing about friendship? We also came up with a crazy concoction I like to call the "Desperate Mom" cocktail. We were running low on everything and had exhausted our cranberry juice. Now what? Apple juice and vodka just didn't sound good. But throw in some ginger ale and OJ - you are good to go! And there was still enough apple juice left for the kids. Yay!
Ian and I headed home on Monday. A 4-hour flight with a 17 month old is just a bit challenging, not to mention tiring. Especially when he only naps for 45 minutes. I kept praying my "go, go gadget" arms would appear from somewhere. All in all, he did a great job on the plane. Ian was very happy to see his Daddy and so was Mommy. It was nice to be at home, but not for long....we now need to start preparing for our next trip - Wisconsin for 4th of July. We can't wait to see everyone. Ian is going to meet his cousin, Taylor, for the first time. I hope to do a much better job of taking pictures!
What else?
When I returned home from Baltimore, Casey surprised me with a new trash can!!! I know it sounds crazy, but I am so happy to no longer be battling my son about keeping his hands out of the trash can. Plus, I never liked having our trash can on display but with such a small kitchen we didn't have a choice. Casey rearranged all of our cabinets while I was out and now we appear to have a much more organized kitchen. A step up for sure. Thanks, babe!We also added some shrubs to the front of our house. Nothing fancy, but a start. I was hoping to get more landscaping done this summer, but we have just been so busy. If I can at least get the side of the driveway done when we get back from WI I will feel as if I accomplished the necessities this summer. Well, that also includes ripping out the half-dead shrub, but I want to wait until later in the year so I have a couple of seasons to plan out our next project. Here's my DIY project for this month:
Ian wanted to join in too! He is holding my gardening shoes for me while I get everything ready outside. How cute. I wish he could have been out with me, but we live on such a busy street and he just isn't old enough to know not to run into the street. Maybe next summer he can be my gardening buddy.Father's Day weekend - we really didn't have any plans. We just wanted to relax! We have been trying to get together with the Courtney family for some time, but plans just keep falling apart. We were able to see Kate & Ella for a few minutes yesterday. They joined us downtown for some lavendar lemonade. If you haven't checked out the Sun Rose Cafe -www.sunrosecafe.com - in downtown Longmont yet...I highly recommend you get there ASAP. This lavendar lemonade is the best and they are now bottling it so you can have one there and one for the road. Genius! Ian was excited to see Ella. She is crawling and standing now, plus has 4 teeth. She is getting so big. Next month she will turn 1 and we can't wait for her birthday bash.
It was rainy and cloudy, but we still managed to sneak in a walk downtown. I do wish the shops were open a bit later because I feel like I am scrambling to get there and showing up 10 minutes before they close. No one seems to mind though. It was fun catching up with Kate. We strolled through some shops and stumbled upon these gems. Ella really wanted them, but Kate had to put her foot down;)
We got up Sunday morning for breakfast with Daddy. We tried to check out a couple of new places, but they were just too slammed. And we were too hungry. We went to Lennie's and then headed to the park with our full stomachs. We discovered a wonderful place today - a new family favorite. Golden Ponds Park and Nature Area. It has 4 ponds and a walking trail. Beautiful views everywhere you look. I am thinking we need to reserve a shelter and have a little fiesta with our friends before the summer is over. I'll add that to my to-do list. With the weather being so severe lately we have received a lot of rain and stumbled upon an awesome waterfall today. Great photo ops for Father's Day!
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