Celebrate!

We have been busy celebrating in the Andrews household! Last weekend we had three great reasons to celebrate: a first birthday party for Ella, a wedding for a former co-worker and I started my new job. Yay!

Ella's birthday party was Saturday afternoon. Unfortunately, Casey wasn't able to join us because of work. But Ian and I had a nice time helping her celebrate. There were many friends and family there to celebrate her big day! It was a duck theme. Too cute! Kate found a great use for the rubber duck tub...chillin' the drinks on ice. The cake was fabulous (and delicious!). Kate did an excellent job planning everything. I thought Ian might want to help her open her gifts, but he was more concerned with the plastic cups and crumpling the wrapping paper. He did a great job and was quite the charmer!

After the party we headed home so I could get ready for the wedding. Uncle Jon came over to babysit. Heather was supposed to join him as well, but she was busy being a new Aunt. Congrats! Her sister, Ganessa, had a baby boy on Saturday morning. His name is Asher. We have yet to meet him, but are very excited to some day soon. Uncle Jon was a pro though! They had fun eating dinner and playing before it was Ian's bedtime.

Maggie, John and I headed into Boulder for the wedding of Jim and Jecca Hammerstone. The weather was iffy that day, but it held off long enough for a beautiful outdoor ceremony. I got the chance to see a few of my old co-workers from Rogue Wave. That is always nice! I miss that crew. We had a nice dinner and enjoyed dancing the night away. Casey was able to meet up with us after work for a couple of cocktails. Jim ended the night with his version of "Humpty Dance" - it was awesome. I didn't know he had it in him!

Monday I started my job at Level 3. My official title is Benefits Coordinator. So far, so good. I am diving right in and meeting many new people. I liken it to the first day of kindergarten. Nervous about how the day is going to go, what to wear, making sure you have everything you might need. It was great though. My team is really great. It will take some time to get used to the increase in population, but I am up for it. My department alone is as big as Rogue Wave! I look forward to all the challenges and learning opportunities that lie ahead.

I took a few pictures this weekend and just composed them into one album. Hope you like!

Ian had his 18 month check-up on the 28th. Clean bill of health for the little man! He weighs 21 lb. 12 oz. and is 30 inches tall. He is growing so fast! The doctor was impressed with his new developments and said he seems to be doing great. He did so well throughout the appointment and even handled the shots well. We don't have to go back until he is 2 years old. Can you believe it?! It is hard to believe that the past 18 months have gone as fast as they have. Everyone tells you that it goes too fast and during those first couple of months you think they are crazy...but it is true.

Happy 18 Months, Ian!

Bikes & Babes

Ian was finally able to get together with his friend, Ella, for the much anticipated wagon ride. Of course, I don't have proof - but trust me. We walked to the park and played on the swings. It was so much fun! Except for the squeaks - note to City of Longmont: WD-40 @ Carr Park on the baby swings, please. The kids didn't mind though. Ian and Ella had fun making googly eyes back and forth at each other. Grandma and Grandpa Schneider arrived from IN last Thursday. Ian has been blessed with seeing all of his grandparents this summer! We enjoyed a few days together, but they were also in town to visit family from Minnesota. They were in Cheyenne for Frontier Days - it was a great chance for everyone to get together. We also took Ian to Sunflower Farm since Grandma and Grandpa weren't able to join us at The Farm in DC. He enjoyed it, but in a couple of years he will LOVE it. There was a zipline, tree playhouse and many other places to explore, so I know we will go back again. He was excited to see the pigs and feed the goats!

In our basement, is a picture of Casey when he was about Ian's age and he is sitting on a tractor - looking right at the camera. It is one of my favorite pictures. So, when I saw the tractor at Sunflower Farm I wanted desperately to replicate that photo with Ian. No such luck though. He was not going to look at me, but he sure had a blast driving the tractor!

They also brought us an extra special treat from IN - morels. Yummy! The best. Better than Little Mexico. That's saying a lot. We enjoyed them for dinner one evening. Heather was able to try them for the first time since she missed out at the lake. Ian jumped right in to help Grandma! I received some fabulous news last week. I was offered the position of Benefits Coordinator at Level 3 Communications. My tentative start date is July 27th. I am so nervous and excited! I think this will be a great opportunity for me and I am looking forward to it. Yesterday was my last day at CRI. I wanted to take a few days to relax and get things done around the house. July has been a busy month for us thus far and my house shows it:)

Mom & Bob headed home on Tuesday. Ian had so much fun with them - he especially loved the snacks they brought with them. Thatta boy! Is it really bribery when snacks are the reward? Ian gobbled up the plane cookies from Southwest Airlines.

Things are slowing down a bit now and that is a good thing. We have been on the go since April so this is a welcomed break. Casey's schedule at work is starting to pick up and I will be back to FT work soon. Ian continues to be a ball of fun - running around like a mad man from the minute he wakes up. We love it though! He is so active and talking a lot. I swear he calls me Melissa sometimes, which I find cute and surprising. He calls me Mommy more, so I will let it slide;)

Casey also had a pretty good week - he got a new bike! He is over the moon to say the least! He has waited patiently for the past couple of years and now it is his time for some fun. It all went down this morning before he headed to work. Ian was quite intrigued by this new machine as well. All I know is it is Silver and a Honda. I'll let him tell you the rest. Congrats, babe!

As promised...some cute photos of Ian on Lake Michigan. We are eager to sign him up for swim lessons, but will likely wait until next summer when things are slightly calmer. At least we are hoping it will be calmer. Enjoy!

Lastly, I have been feeling crafty (and discouraged) lately. They have the cutest stuff for girls, but it seems like all of the clothing for boys is "blah". Can I get a hell yeah from all my mommy friends with boys? Don't get me wrong, there is some cute stuff out there - I get sucked into a new website at least every other day. But what I can't do is justify spending more on my son's t-shirts than I do on my own. I have stumbled upon a few gems - obviously, because he has a dresser full of clothes. I spend most of my time on Etsy to score those, but as far as mainstream goes it is a pretty big disappointment. So, I decided to make some of my own. Just a couple of iron-on patches and voila! New cute t's for my little man!

Door County Vaca

We've already established how much I love summer. I have fond memories of summers in Door County and I was so excited to return with my family and celebrate the 4th! We arrived on a cloudy, rainy 1st of July. I was nervous that this was the weather we were going to have for the next week, but a pleasant surprise came the next day with warm sunshine and clear skies. The nights were cool, but that was a nice treat too. We spent some of our time at Casey's parents - sharing the upstairs apartment with the Martinez family! We spent the other part of our time in a cottage on Lake Michigan. You just can't beat those lodging options!

Ian had so much fun with his cousins. Uncle Sean and Taylor couldn't wait to meet him for the first time. Everyone had so much fun together. My in-laws live on a nice little street with minimal traffic and they also have a nice backyard, so the boys had their options for playtime. Taylor recently got a skateboard and wanted Uncle Casey to teach him some moves. I just prayed for no broken bones! Ian even got to try out the skateboard for the first time, with the help of Daddy of course

Wednesday night we went out for cocktails with Megan & Sean. Sean had to return home on Monday so we knew this would be our only opportunity to hang child-free. It was so great to catch up with them. They live in Virginia, so we always look forward to meeting at Grandma's house. Along the way, we ran into several of our old friends. Next thing we knew it was 2:30 AM and we had to call it a night. Unbelievable. Old habits die hard I guess. Needless to say, that made for a less than desirable Thursday AM. We all survived though. Casey joined his Dad and Sean for a game of golf, while Ian and I strolled through downtown Sturgeon Bay.

Mom & Bob arrived Thursday afternoon. We checked into the cottage on Lake Michigan. It was awesome! I had always wanted to stay on the lake, but never had a reason to rent a cottage. It was the best idea and I am hoping to make it somewhat of a tradition. When I was young, we went on summer vacations to Lake Wawasee and rented a cottage. I wanted to share that experience with Ian.

We ran a couple of errands, unpacked the truck and got settled into the cottage. Since Mom & Bob drove they were able to bring a lot of provisions with them. A definite plus and money saver. We headed into town to get a bite to eat, just when it started to seem like mission impossible we landed at the Greystone for some good burgers, fish and corn nuggets. Yum! Later that night, our friend Kyle came over to catch up and enjoy a nightcap by the fire. Friday we woke to a gorgeous day! Jon & Heather arrived in the middle of the night while we were sleeping. They unfortunately had some travel delays, but we were so happy they could join us. We went to Egg Harbor and walked through the downtown - we escaped just before the parade started. Nice to be with a native who knows the backroads in times like that! We also stopped in at Trio to say hello to Ron & Jerry, plus Ian had to meet them:) We returned to the cottage so Ian could nap and just relaxed outside.

Casey loved hangin' out beachside in his hammock!

No, we did not plan these outfits...but couldn't resist the photo op.

Ian was able to enjoy the water when he got up from his nap. Unfortunately, I can't get those pictures to load at the moment so I will have to post at another time. He loved it (as we predicted)! I carried him out into the deeper water on Heather's raft and he had a blast. This kid just can't get enough of the water. He enjoyed having some snacks in the hammock with Daddy once he was done swimming.

Later that night, we had everyone over for a cookout before heading up to the Egg Harbor fireworks. Sadly Casey was not feeling well and Ian was getting very restless, so we had to skip out on the fireworks. I was disappointed, but maybe next year. Ian did amazingly well with all the loud noises, but it became too much to try and keep track of him in the dark and there were so many people around that I just decided the cottage was the better option for him. The 4th of July was another beautiful day! We headed to the Warren's for another year of festivities. They always throw a fabulous party on the 4th. I wasn't sure how Ian would handle the loudness because we were much closer to the action at their house, but he did great. Wasn't phased a bit. He was more into the frogs the kids caught at the pond nearby...and the trampoline!

Sunday was a day to recover and the vacation was finally starting to catch up with me. Plus, I realized it was more than half over and that just made me sad. We were having such a great time. Relaxing in good company! Heather & Jon had to say goodbye to us early Sunday morning. Few of us had any cell phone reception at the cottage, which was nice in a way but also made it difficult to set alarms. Oops - one thing we forgot to pack on the list. I guess I am just so used to relying on Ian as my alarm clock that I didn't think about it. That being said, the alarms they set on their phones did not work and they almost missed their return flight home. Eeek! Fortunately they made it (not without a friendly reminder to slow down from the DC Sheriff).

Mom and Bob also had to depart on Monday. It was hard to say goodbye to everyone, but we know we will be seeing them again soon. They are going to be staying with us this coming Thursday through Tuesday. You always wish you had more time together, but we are so blessed to be able to see each other as often as we do. It was a wonderful family vacation and I know we all have great memories of this trip together.

Monday evening I met up with my former On Deck co-workers for a little cruise on the Harbor Lady. It was so much fun! Everyone looks great and I enjoyed catching up with them. They didn't get to see Ian, but I made sure to bring plenty of pictures along with me. Everyone is doing great and I really appreciate them taking the time to see me. I only worked with those ladies for a short time, but man was it a good time!
Tuesday was our last day. We headed home at 6:40 AM Wednesday and that meant leaving the house by 4:30 AM to get to the airport. We wanted to have a relaxed last day since we knew we had a lot to accomplish before the sun set. We rounded up the boys and headed to The Farm! What a blast. They loved it and it was so cool to see Ian with all the animals. We now know a trip to the zoo is worth the cost. He was so fascinated by it all and it was a great way to burn energy! We could just let him run around for a couple of hours. We had hoped to get ice cream on the way, but everyone was too pooped. Can you believe it?

It was a wonderful way to end our vacation. We got home early in the day on July 8th. While it was hard to get up and out the door that early, it was nice to get home and have an entire day to recoup. It wasn't easy to return to work, but we knew it had to be done. Now it is back to the grind and the excitement of everyday life!

Ian did have a couple of milestones on the trip that I just have to brag about! He is officially off formula and drinking milk like a champ. We also said goodbye to baby food. He is all about the table food now. Yay! I am so excited. His vocabulary seemed to grow by leaps and bounds as well. He repeats almost everything we say and you can mostly understand him, which is a nice touch. He is running everywhere and keeping us on our toes! We are so excited to see what the next phase brings us...