The Andrews Family

Snow Day!!

2012-02-08T11:20:00.000-07:00

Last Thursday night a storm rolled through town and we got a LOT of snow! Schools were closed, day care was closed and Daddy had to go to work. In total, we probably had 15 inches of snow by Friday night. The flakes just kept coming down. The boys and I didn't leave the house at all. We got to sleep in and watch a couple movies, take naps, and play games. It was an incredible day!

Saturday we had a sled date with the Courtney's. They have a sledding hill behind their house and it is perfect. Ian and Ella had SO much fun! Milo, not so much. Casey and I took him down a couple of times, but he just didn't care for it. He was more interested in touching and eating the snow. Ha! Ava loved it though. As soon as she got to the bottom of the hill she would say "more!" Too cute.

This video is hilarious! Ian and Ella going down the hill together for the first time. Enjoy:)

Saying goodbye isn't always hard...

2012-01-30T13:29:00.000-07:00

Last week was a short week for me since I took PTO on Monday + Tuesday, but it seemed to take forever! I couldn't wait for Friday to arrive. Fridays are the best! My Mom has taught me a lot throughout my life, but one of the most important things is don't cook on Fridays! Ian + Daddy went to pick up the pizza and Milo helped me pick up the toys in the living room. He was getting a little restless, so I put him in his seat while I got drinks and such ready. He was unusually quiet so I went to check on him...

he was just catching up on his celebrity gossip. Toddlers - they're just like us! Craving instant updates and photos of the hottest celebrities;)

Celebrating the start of the weekend with some pudding. Who's in?

It only took 4 years, but we FINALLY said goodbye to our kitchen floor. I didn't think it was going to be possible to get a different floor until we were ready to clunk down some serious cash to get the entire kitchen/main floor remodeled. But IKEA had a killer deal on flooring and we snatched it up. It was super cheap which made it okay to be a band-aid until we can tackle the whole project:)

Maggie + John came over to pick up some stuff...little did John know he would get sucked into helping tear out the old floor (insert maniacal laugh here). Ian was a huge help too. Man, that little guy loves to work!

Saturday Casey was up and at 'em - as Mr. Frazier and Mr. Black were heading over at 10 AM. I gathered up the boys and we headed to the Courtney's for a play date! I am thinking I won:) Ian and Milo had a blast hanging with their BFF's. Ava even shouted "Milo" when we walked in. Too cool! They not only play well together, but they snack well together too...

Ian and Ella took in a science experiment - in between building rocket ships and arguing over who had to potty more. LOL! Kate assured us the experiment would be much cooler with dish soap sans hand lotion, so we may need to try this again. Nonetheless, I was amazed. Ian + Ella just wanted to get back to playing and I can't blame them for that. We tuckered the toddlers out and shortly after Ava went down for a nap, we headed home for nap/quiet time as well.

This is what we came home too - tada! A lovely wooden laminate floor that I LOVE. It was not hard saying goodbye to that icky laminate flooring with mauve diamonds. Not at all. That floor has always caused me angst because no matter how hard I cleaned it, it was never going to come clean. Talk about driving yourself crazy! I eventually gave up and threw down a not so attractive, but better than gross laminate rug - but who wants carpet in their kitchen. Not me!

Huge thanks to my husband, Christian, Brian, Colleen, Monica, and Kate - without all of you this floor would not have been possible...until probably four more years! There are still a couple of things to tackle, but to me it is perfect and I am so happy to no longer be living with a disgusting floor. Now if I could just get everything else updated in a Saturday afternoon life would be good:)

Sunday was a gorgeous day - for many reasons. I got to sleep in until 10 AM. WTF?! Casey and Ian were up earlier, but Milo and I were cuddle bugs. It was awesome. We cleaned the house and then I headed to a jewelry party. There were so many sparkly things I wanted, but I resisted the temptation and just stuffed my face with all the yummy food Maggie made instead. It was just fun to kick back with good friends and have a good girly time. On top of everything else, it was warm and sunny. Like a spring day. I even busted out the flip flops for most of the day!

Before it got too chilly, we took the boys to the park. We try to do a rotation, so this time we went to Garden Acres Park. It is close to Lily's house, so Ian was quite familiar with it and requested it. I have driven past many times, but don't recall ever going.

Milo loved the slide and the soles of his shoes acted as the perfect stopper for when he reached the bottom:)

This had disaster written all over it, but ended rather successfully. I was impressed!

Milo loved the swings and he even learned a new trick...

Disappearing Milo:)

The boys wanted to check out the water before we left. Milo kept saying "duck" and "quack" as we were walking towards them. So cute. Ian really wanted to play with them. I just wanted to make sure the geese didn't attack us for not bringing food!

Superheroes to the rescue!

2012-01-27T17:26:00.003-07:00

One good thing about having your child's birthday so close to yours is a visit from the grandparents! We have been blessed the last couple of years to have grandparents in town to watch the kiddos so I can celebrate my birthday too:)

This year Casey and I stayed overnight in Denver. I was all about re-creating the old days when we would make a weekend out of my birthday in Chicago! We came darn close. It was so much fun having adult time, perusing downtown Denver - enjoying cocktails and great food!

We got a room on Priceline, ended up at the Sheraton. We got a room on the top floor and had an amazing view of downtown. We grabbed snacks and cocktails in the Club Lounge before heading to the 9th Door for dinner. It was no Cafe Iberico, but it was delicious. I really enjoyed the Sangria - it made me long for summer. We had a couple of warm, sunny days last week so after dinner we were able to stroll back to our hotel. I would love to say that after dinner we went dancing and raged until the wee hours of Saturday, but the truth is we couldn't wait to get back to our room and sleep in a cozy bed sans children! We're old:(

We tried like hell to get a good photo of us. This is the best we could do! Tee hee.

I forgot my swimsuit, but I still had to check out the rooftop pool. It is a heated, year-round pool. Awesome! How often do you get to dip your feet in the pool in January?! I couldn't have asked for better birthday weather.

My actual birthday was on Saturday, but it was business as usual for the most part. I was scrambling trying to get everything prepped and ready for Ian's party on Sunday. I don't care for parties on a Sunday (unless it's the Super Bowl!), but I didn't want to have Ian's party on my birthday either. So a Sunday it had to be.

I still had the chance to celebrate - my Mom and I got pedicures, she made my favorite meal for dinner and I got to enjoy dinner with my whole family:) To top it all off, I got an ice cream cake for dessert! Yum. That night Kate came over to help my Mom and I put the finishing touches on party favors. It was nice to hang out with the girls and just be crafty. I am thankful for the help!

Sunday it was up and at 'em. We had a house to clean, a cake to decorate, Pop Rocks to buy, snacks to make, a table to decorate. Ian's party was also a bit earlier in the day, so time was of the essence. Thankfully I had a house full of people to help out before 10 little superheroes descended upon me!

Super Ronan, Super Ian, and Super Keller - these boys are awesome!

Then it was time for cake! I cannot believe I did not get one picture of Ian's birthday cake. I was a bit frazzled, but it wasn't until I had cut into it that I realized there were no pictures. I thought for sure my Mom got one, but nope. Not a single one. So...this video contains the one and only shot of the SUPER cake Grandma Jane made for Super Ian!

Time for cake!

Clara & Mommy

Super Ella

Milo jumped in and started taking down the decorations. His subtle indication that the party needed to start winding down...

Usually I have a cute picture of the table display in all its' glory, but this year you just get a picture of the aftermath. Ha! I am resolving here and now to be more on top of it in 6 months when I throw my next birthday party. I should probably start planning now though...

Monday was Ian's actual birthday. I can't believe my baby is 4! He lets me know that he isn't a baby and doesn't like it when I tell him that he will always be my baby. Daddy made him special pancakes to celebrate being a big kid:)

He got to open up a few more presents and the Superman PJ's from Aunt Bobbie & Uncle Larry were a HUGE hit!

I was surprised I could get him to pose for me and what I love most about the second picture is seeing Milo in the bottom left corner clapping and cheering for his Superhero brother!

My favorite people in the world

2012-01-18T16:26:00.000-07:00

Uncle Jon's employer makes mannequins (insert ridiculous jokes regarding Mannequin movie here - ha!) and he brought over this lovely goat a few months ago. Originally the plan was to have this in our booth at the Arvada Craft Fair. Until I saw how huge it is! It has been living in our garage since then and Casey brought him into the dining room the other day. Ian and Milo were lovin' it and I couldn't resist snapping a photo before Uncle Jon took it back home with him.

Love!

We took the big kids to the park on Sunday for a little outdoor fun. It's been chilly here, so we needed to get out while the weather was a bit warmer. The sun wasn't out, but it was still a nice day. Ian and Ella had so much fun and were psyched when they found this tree with a hole in it. They wanted to know who lived in there. How cute! Kate and I were just waiting for something to jump out of there. Not a peep, but in the end it was the freakish squirrel at the shelter that had us bolting for the car.

Milo is obsessed with my phone. He (accidentally) learned how to take photos with it and that took his intrigue to a whole new level. This is a photo he snapped himself (okay, with a little help from me but for the most part it was all him). He hasn't figured out yet that the flash is a beast and always blinds him, but I still think he looks pretty cute. We were all smiles - which was clearly before the Packers loss to the Giants:(

Extension of the holidays

2012-01-02T11:38:00.000-07:00

Heather sent me this picture of Peyton and I just had to share it. So cute! Apparently, Milo and Ian wore her out. Sweet little P.

The lazy days of the holidays are here. We were picking up the living room the other night and Casey broke down the box their art easel came in. The boys quickly learned the simple joys of a box slide! Weeeeeeeee!

Grandma & Grandpa Schneider's Christmas package arrived on Wednesday. It was fun to have some more presents to open. Milo loves his camera!

Ian just had to put on his fireman shirt as soon as he opened it. Like his smile doesn't give his total excitment away?!

I can't believe 2012 is here. Wow! Ian had quiet time in the late afternoon and we told him he could stay up as late as he wanted. He hung out until 9 PM, but was starting to show signs of bedtime. He went down earlier than we thought, but couldn't resist peeking in his head in to check out all the debauchery that goes on while he is sleeping. He didn't hang around long, so I am thinking he wasn't too impressed. Ha!

Cheers to 2012! Good friends, good food, good times. We enjoyed a low-key night with the Courtney's, Maggie, and John. I gathered up some recipes I have been wanting to try and whipped up a menu. It was so yummy. PB&J wings, chips & queso, soft pretzels, fried pickles, cheese balls were just a few of the snacks (all prepared with love while visions of an IKEA kitchen were swirling in my head!). It got my gears greased and I am ready to throw a Super Bowl party!

Cheers (thanks Whipple for mixing it up a bit) to 2012! And here's to my first favorite photo of 2012...

precious, isn't it?

Christmas hangover

2011-12-30T16:06:00.000-07:00

You know what I mean...that "blah" feeling you are left with in the days following Christmas. The presents are opened, the cookies are eaten, the tree is bare (sans presents and probably a few needles too!) and you are tired. This is the first hangover I have had in a long time. Ha!

We had a wonderful Christmas though. It was low-key, just the way I like it. Santa was good to us, but there was one thing on my list I didn't get. A one-way ticket to independent wealth, perhaps my letter got lost in the mail:( We are truly blessed though, so no complaints here.

We kicked off the holiday weekend with a tour de Longmont for Christmas lights. You would think by now I would be more prepared for this excursion, but every year it is the same. The GPS won't work right, we drive around until we stumble upon some lights, I take one picture and my battery dies, yada, yada, yada. It was still cool to check out some new homes this year. I can't imagine all the effort that goes into doing it up like some of these places do!

Milo was so intrigrued...

by this!

We had Uncle Jon, Aunt Heather, and Peyton over for Christmas Eve. A delicious meal and SO much fun watching the kiddos play together. They had a blast!

How cute is Peyton in her holiday duds? Ian was more into the beach bum look this Christmas Eve. Ha!

Ian's police helmet was a huge hit!

I would say the dessert gets a thumbs up from Milo:)

Ian and Milo got an art easel and art supplies. Gettin' crafty in 2012!

Love this little girl and the fact that she walked this book over to me, plopped down on my lap, and snuggled right in. My heart melted!

Milo checking Santa's route before he hits the sack.

The evening wrapped up and our guests had to say goodbye. I love being able to spend the holidays with my brother and his family.

Milo crashed hard, so it was up to Ian to make sure the cookies and milk were out for Santa. Plus, the reindeer food was out for Rudolph.

Ian made his own chocolate milk for Santa:)

Can you tell he is excited?!

He thought he might have heard something before heading up stairs. With his ear plastered to the window he was just waiting to hear the jingling of those sleigh bells. But I reminded him that Santa would not come if he saw us awake because he cannot reveal his magical surprises!

We must have heard him because when Casey and I came upstairs for bed it was clear he had arrived. How did we miss him?!

We were sure Ian was going to wake us up at 5 AM to open gifts, but we were presently surprised when both boys slept in until 7:30 AM. Merry Christmas to Mommy & Daddy! Once Ian was awake though, he could hardly contain himself. He ran downstairs and shrieked with delight when he saw Santa ate the cookies, drank his milk and that Rudolph even enjoyed his carrot! The biggest surprise was that Santa brought him exactly what he wanted...a kitchen. That little boy wants to be a chef just like his Daddy! Milo was excited too, although he had no idea he was excited. He was just shrieking because his Big Brother was. Hilarious!

We were able to pull both of them away from the kitchen long enough to open their other presents. I desperately tried to be my organized self writing down what everyone got and from who so we could get our thank you notes in order. What a joke! Sometimes I wonder why I even try to be like the person I once was. I really need to accept my new normal - unorganized, frazzled Mom:)

Milo was all about opening presents, but Ian took the cake for opening the most presents. I didn't mind!

What - this wagon isn't to hold me, just my stuff?!

I absolutely LOVE this picture. The smile on Milo's face - priceless. A cozy time with Daddy before his nap. Ian squeezed in some QT with Daddy too.

After naps and quiet time, we headed to Rocky Mountain National Park for some sledding. I was so bummed last year because we never had enough snow to make sledding worthwhile. We have already had more snow this year than we got all last year. Amazing!

We did a handful of runs - maybe 5 or so each. Milo wasn't a huge fan, but he sure was a trooper. I got quite the work out carrying a baby and a sled, then balancing us both down the hill in an attempt to not eat it. Ian loved it. He asked to go alone, but I just wasn't ready to send my baby down that big hill all by himself. Maybe next year. I would feel much better if we started with the small sledding hill by our house! We had a lot of fun - not too crowded and a gorgeous day. It wasn't long before we were all exhausted and needed to head home though.

Pooped!

The rest of our evening was quiet and we were all eager to catch some zzzzz's. All in all it was a great Christmas, but I would be lying if I said I wasn't happy it is over. I need 364 days to relax and prepare for next year!

Happier Holidays are ahead

2011-12-23T17:03:00.000-07:00

I love a white Christmas! It just makes it feel more like Christmas...but 15 inches is more than enough.

It all started on Wednesday night...I skipped the commute on Thursday and opted to work from home.

This was my beautiful view into work this morning:)

And now I am heading home to hang out with this cute little elf!

Merry Christmas, let the holiday celebrations begin!!

Christmas Carols & Cookies

2011-12-21T10:59:00.000-07:00

Last Thursday, we all got to experience our first preschool holiday program. I completely spaced that we were supposed to bring cookies or some baked good to share with everyone. Eeeek! Fortunately, Daddy saved the day with fudge he received as a gift. We arrived on time and totally looking like we had our s*!t together. The kids were playing instruments while waiting for the guests to arrive. The smile Ian had when he saw us both arrive was priceless! He is the sweetest.

The kids sang "Twinkle, Twinkle Christmas Star" and "Jingle Bells". Everyone did a great job considering all the faces (some known, some not) staring back at them from the crowd.

The best part was after the program when we got to eat cookies and drink punch. Yum! Oh, and gifts. Ian was psyched to get some books, but most excited about his candy cane. It was a great day with Ian and we were so happy that we both got to be a part of it. Later that night we were getting ready for bed and I asked Ian what the best part of his day was. He giggled and said, "I was so excited to see you guys today at my show." Love!

Slowly but surely we are getting our tree decorated. It is always fun to break out the boxes and find all the holiday treasures that you forgot about. This year is definitely the most fun we have experienced with Ian because he really gets it and is SO excited to see Santa. We have had a conversation or two or three about how Santa only visits good boys and girls, so he better watch out. Just like Mommy - Santa has eyes in the back of his head too!

Last Sunday we had the Courtney girls over for our annual cookie baking extravaganza! Ian was a great helper and so proud to show off his chef coat and hat. He kept saying, "Now I am a chef just like Daddy." We got up early Saturday morning to make and bake our cookies. I threw the icing together while the boys were napping because I knew Ian was going to consume enough of it tomorrow during our decorating party. Ha! We ended up with 55 cookies in varying holiday shapes - trees, snowmen, stockings, wreathes, and candy canes. Ian's favorite was the wreath because he could poke out the middle and sneak the dough when I wasn't looking;)

Sunday started off a bit challenging and I knew it would be. I am sorry G.I. Joe, but sometimes knowing is NOT half the battle. Ian was so excited to see Ella and decorate cookies that he could hardly contain himself, which led to tantrums and disagreements on almost everything until cookie time actually arrived. We all survived though!

Milo want more cookies!

OH, you're supposed to put the sprinkles on the cookies?!

Kate made a personalized cookie for each kid. I am thinking someone has a future in cookie decorating!

Our delicious bounty. I also broke out one of my Christmas presents from last year and did some piping on a few cookies. It is no Jane Schneider, but I thought they turned out pretty well:) We split them up so the Courtney's would have cookies for Santa too. I am just hoping there are enough cookies left for Santa at our house. They have been staring at me everyday and I just can't say no! Queenie cookies are one of my many vices. At least now I have a helper in the kitchen who gets to them before I do.

Gettin' in the spirit!

2011-12-19T14:17:00.000-07:00

I am trying, REALLY trying to get into the holiday spirit this year. But I am feeling more bah-humbug than jingle bells:( I think I just have too much going on. Typically I am ahead of the game and ready for Christmas come Thanksgiving, but not this year. Piecing it together day by day, we'll get there!

Before the boys and I headed off to Indiana for some QT with Grandma and Grandpa, we bought our tree. They say you shouldn't buy your Christmas tree after dark, but this year we didn't have any other choice. It seems like every day and every night is crammed full of things to do, clean, buy, wrap, bake...it is actually amazing we even have a tree this year! I have to admit it is the first time I have ever thought to myself how nice a pre-lit artificial tree could be. Oh no!

Indiana or Bust!

We were off to the airport bright and early - this little guy was all smiles, the other was refusing photos. Ian is so much like me it is frightening most days!

We made it through security unscathed (barely!) and were able to park ourselves at the gate for a couple of minutes. I dreaming of catching my breath, the boys dreaming of snacks and sippy cups! We had a front row seat to our plane when it pulled up and Ian thought that was pretty awesome. All things considered everyone did a great job on the plane and the other passengers were so kind and understanding of my defeated state of mind.

This picture is so cute to me. I was telling both of them to watch for Grandma's car as we were landing!

First stop, Steak n' Shake! By the time we landed and got our things loaded up it was not far off from dinner time, but the Andrews clan was starving. My first stop is always Steak n' Shake. I had been telling Ian all about having a shake once we got off the plan, so we swung in and got a shake + a little snack to tied us over until our next stop on the culinary tour de Indiana:)

Friday night we headed to Indianapolis to hang with the Green family. They have moved since my last visit to Indiana, so I was psyched to see the new house and all the kids. The kids had so much fun playing together. Depending on the activity, Milo toggled back and forth between the other kids and the dog. Ha!

Mallory, Ian, and Nathan - aka "Three Musketeers"

Not a great photo, but I just had to share the dance party that the kids had. This was Milo's favorite - he was right in the middle shakin' his money maker!

It was a late night, but SO worth it. Milo was asleep before we even got out of their subdivision! Ian fought it for a bit longer, but eventually caved. Fortunately, I had the bright idea to bring PJ's and change them before putting them in their car seats. Go Mommy!

Saturday we got to visit with our good friends the Penwell's. Heather and her girls - Tanner and Elisa - headed over after their breakfast with Santa. The kids got to play and snack while Heather and I caught up. The last time we got together Heather was pregnant with Elisa, so it was wonderful to meet her the day before her 2nd birthday!

Saturday night we got the boys dressed in PJ's and drove around to look at Christmas lights. One of my all-time favorite things to do during the holiday season. My great-aunt and great-uncle had a spectacular holiday light display when we were growing up. It was so fun to see! I would never want to do all the work to get it to look like that though!

A little backseat fun while we were driving around to look at lights. I think they had a pretty good time!

Playing Cootie - I forgot how much fun that game is and Ian truly enjoyed playing it. I hope Santa was watching!

Horsin' around with Grandpa while he is watching basketball.

My Mom bought this race track for Ian many visits ago and this was the first time that he actually played with it and got it. Milo on the other hand just wanted to knock it over. I wanted to super glue it together, but wouldn't make for easy storage then. Boo.

A great surprise from our trip was finding out that one of my best gal pals from high school was in town as well. She has a little boy born a month after Milo, so I got to meet him too. It was wonderful! She happened to be in town because her brother had just had a baby girl and she discovered I was in town through my random posts on Facebook. I love the Menard's - I spent a lifetime on their front porch swing and was so excited to be in their house again. It was exactly how I remembered it being! My Mom often runs into Bekah's parents so we are always kept up to date on each other, but there is nothing like some QT with an old friend to warm the soul!

Torre Cerro - the cutest!

Not the best photo, but a blurry shot of the Cerro & Andrews clans! Milo was obsessed with the photo on the wall behind us and could not be bothered with yet another photo. Ha!

The boys have their own room at Grandma's house and Ian even got an extra awesome surprise...a race car bed! I am not sure if he was more excited about the car bed or the Cars sheets on the bed! He did so great sharing this space with his brother and he never got out of bed while we were there. He was so proud of himself for that and so was I. A huge accomplishment in our world right now. Milo looks a little like he is in prison. Believe it or not, this is the same crib that my brother and I used to sleep in when we were at our grandma's house. While some might see it as a death trap because it definitely isn't up to code, my boys have loved sleeping in it and I swear they sleep better in it than they do their own crib at home!

Monday, Monday - back to reality. But not before getting to unwrap some Christmas presents!! Ian opened his chef outfit. He was excited, but I am not sure he got exactly what it was. Fortunately, it fit in our luggage and we could bring it home to get a picture of him for Grandma. What a great gift, just in time for our annual cookie bake-off with the Courtney's (post to follow)!

The boys did great on the plane. The ride home went more smoothly. I lucked out because both flights were not full, so I was able to keep Milo in his car seat on the plane. A Godsend! He is way to wiggly to be set free. Thankfully Milo took a good nap before heading to the airport and somehow I was able to convince Ian that the plane flew faster if his eyes were closed. Score for me! I think Milo was the only who stayed awake the entire flight home. The first time I have ever been able to get a couple of zzzz's when flying with children. Yay for me!

Meet Daniela Aubrey Berghoff

2011-12-06T16:45:00.000-07:00

My dear friend, Michelle, gave birth to her third baby girl this morning. Isn't she beautiful?! I cannot wait to snuggle with this little bundle in a couple of months. Congratulations to the Berghoff family - especially big sisters, Elana and Sofia.

Daniela Aubrey Berghoff

December 6, 2011

8:32 AM

7 lbs. 13 oz.

Thankful

2011-12-02T23:41:00.000-07:00

We had a special Thanksgiving this year. One of those moments when you step back and think to yourself, "Will I ever get this opportunity again?" Casey's parents arrived the Sunday before Thanksgiving. Casey took the whole week off from work so he could spend time with them. It was a crazy time for me - end of Open Enrollment at work and prepping for the Arvada Center show - but I was so excited to meet my youngest nephew, Christopher, and hang out with 5 of the coolest kids I know. So. Much. Fun.

The Thanksgiving meal is my all-time favorite. I love everything about it. The only thing that could make it better is a new kitchen:)

One way to brown your turkey...

and I was impressed that all the sides actually fit into our "easy bake oven!"

Our Motley Crew (sans Taylor, he was at the adult table until he realized how lame we were;))

Best Buds (they are sharing a cardboard box!)

Black Friday - a HUGE day for Monica and I. Our business, It's the Little Things, debuted at the Arvada Center Holiday Craft Fair. We had so much fun! Meeting new people, selling our wares, hobnobbing with other local artisans, and moat importantly...getting our name out there. Thanks to everyone who has supported us! Especially our families, for holding down the fort while we did our thing. I cannot wait to see what 2012 has in store for us! Follow along here.

Casey's parents headed back to Wisconsin on Saturday and I wrapped up Day 2 of the show. It was a good time, but I was ready for some down time come Sunday. Milo and I hung at home while Casey and the family went to Rocky Mountain National Park. It was a gorgeous day to be in the mountains.

Auntie Megan and Christopher

Taylor - 8 years old. Full of spunk, but softspoken and sweet. He is a cool kid and did a great job being the oldest of 5 boys. He enjoyed playing video games with Uncle Casey and even joined Ian and I for a mini viewing of the Wizard of Oz. It is hard to believe that Taylor was born 6 months after I met Casey.

Ethan - 6 years old. Silly, with a great smile and a laugh you can't help but join in on. He and Ian were close, gave Casey and I a vision for where we are headed. And I love it! Poor Ethan woke up sick on Friday and by that evening was in the ER. Fortunately, he was fine just needed some fluids to get him back up and running.

Ian - 3 years old. Bringing up the rear on this brat pack. He sure loves his cousins and wanted nothing more than to be with them every minute. my sweet baby. I can't believe he is almost 4 years old. Where has the time gone?

Taylor, Ethan, and Ian all have one thing in common - they are all awesome big brothers!

To these little cuties: Milo is 15 months old and Christopher is 12 months old. They both mastered the art of walking while they were together. It was pretty cool to see. They took baths together, kind of played together (usually when one or the other had food - ha!), and did their very best to keep up with the older ones.

Sunday was our last night with the Martinez clan. We ventured out for dinner instead of spending our last night together cooking and cleaning up after ourselves. We were 'that' table at the restaurant, but all in all everyone behaved themselves and had a good time. It was so great to have our family visiting for the holiday. We are truly blessed.

One last bit of exciting news - Milo is forward facing now! We had to move the car seat for Christopher and figured we should just leave it that way for Milo. I enjoy having him face forward. I think he likes it too because he hasn't stopped talking in the car. There is so much new stuff for him to see and he loves to tell us all about it. Neat.

Flying the friendly skies

2011-11-29T14:07:00.000-07:00

Last Christmas I purchased a stellar gift for Casey - a helicoptor ride! It was a livingsocial deal that I couldn't pass up. We had a ride scheduled in April and August, but both were cancelled due to weather. Finally we were able to get on the schedule for November and nothing got in the way! Colorado Heli-Ops was awesome - their staff was so friendly and they made the whole experience really awesome!

Uncle Jon came over to hang out with Milo while we took Ian along for the ride. I was nervous that ian might get scared and not want to ride in the helicopter, but he was all in! And so patient...it took some time for them to get everything ready, so Daddy and Ian got to check out the flight simulator while we waited. I am not sure who enjoyed it more - Ian or Daddy:)

Here is a quick video of our ride:

Photos from our day:

We love to take pictures of people taking pictures - ha ha!

It was a gorgeous day to fly. The Flatirons were beautiful!

This was my view the first time I looked straight down. Wow.

Casey and I both got the aerial view of our employers. Pretty cool to see.

Folsom Field and the University of Colorado - Boulder

Level 3 Communications

Off in the distance, if you look close, you can see downtown Denver

Ian gave him stamp of approval once we landed. I was surprised to find out it wasn't as loud as I thought it was going to be. It was pretty cool to be able to hear everything going on - I didn't know we would be able to hear the tower and various pilots communicating. I picked up a couple of buzz words to throw around the next time I am hangin' at the airport - ha! It was so much fun and an experience we will never forget! Thanks livingsocial and Colorado Heli-Ops!

After the ride, we had to rush home and continue cleaning house. We had to get ready for Grammi and Grandpa Andrews to arrive. They were set to arrive the next day and we were in no shape for house guests. It didn't take long to get stuff cleaned up and then we had some time Saturday night to relax. Ian has been talking about Thanksgiving at school and he even made this awesome headpiece. I call him Chief Stealmyheart:)

Our company arrived and we had a house full of guests over the holiday. We had a wonderful time and I will post about that soon. I had to get this post out before I fell too far behind.

Hope everyone had a wonderful holiday!

I heart catalogs!

2011-11-17T18:12:00.000-07:00

It's that time of year! I rush to my mailbox to see what new catalogs I got today. I rarely buy from a catalog, actually I can't recall the last time I did make a purchase from a catalog. But I LOVE to browse them. I mean, how cute are these personalized pillows from Red Envelope? The cutest! I will get my money's worth from my recycling bin over the next couple of months for sure. I know I could go paperless and look at all of this stuff online, but there is just something about a magazine - the touch, the sound...so much better than the online experience.

Gettin' rowdy up in here! My boys are the best entertainment in the world and I love that they are starting to play with each other a lot more. Here are a few (not so good) pictures I took of them playing in their room last night. I am probably going to jinx myself, but I can't believe that Milo has not climbed out of his crib yet. He loves being on the big boy bed. I am thinking it won't be long until bunk beds are in force. Ian decided he wanted to play the "baby" so he put all his blankets and pillow in Milo's crib. Too funny those little men are! They make me so happy:)

Our own little bounce house

2011-11-14T14:02:00.000-07:00

It was a fairly quiet weekend for us. It would have been better if we could end this cycle of sickness - I am SO over the runny noses, coughs, sneezes, and it is only the beginning of cold season. It was a beautiful weekend, but very windy. Probably worked out for the best because we have a lot of housecleaning/organizing to do before our guests arrive next week.

Ian and Milo are starting to play together more and more. I can think of no better sound than their laughter echoing throughout the house. Granted, that laughter is often followed by cries or tattling screams indicating some wrong doing by the younger sibling who can't speak for himself, but for the most part they have fun and are so caring, kind, and loving toward each other. We are so blessed!

Ian's love of boxes seems to never end. He lets his imagination run wild and I think it is awesome.

Milo has learned that he can disrobe himself and his favorite time to do it is at the dinner table.

Our boys are the best - they keep us moving, laughing, exhausted, excited, and most importantly...smiling!

Next week we will be adding 6 more live bodies to our household. Grammy and Grandpa Wisconsin are arriving on Sunday and Aunt Megan, Taylor, Ethan and Christopher will arrive on Tuesday. We are so excited! We unearthed the air mattress and figured the best way to make sure it would be suitable for our guests is to give it the kid test first. The Courtney girls came over Sunday for a play date (complete with delicious blue Rice Krispie treats!) and helped the boys give a thorough test! Heck - even I love running across the room and jumping onto it so I can only imagine how much fun it is for all of them. The big kids did a great job of watching out for the little ones too. Such fun!

We've got a walker!

2011-11-07T13:58:00.000-07:00

It's official - Milo is mobile on two legs! He had been preferring the speediness of all fours, but yesterday he started reaping the full benefits of being on two legs. While exciting, this is such a challenging time for me because he only wants to be down and exploring. I can't blame him, but my oh my - the tantrums when I have to redirect him. That boy has some lungs!

No major plans on our plate this weekend and that turned out to be a good thing because we had more sickness. Ugh! I wasn't feeling the best on Saturday, but Casey got hit the hardest yesterday. We had planned on a play date with the Courtney's at our place in the afternoon, but illness struck so we made a last minute change to our plans.

Kate had a fabulous idea - we packed up the kids and met at the WOW! Children's Musem. Everyone had a lot of fun - it allowed Kate and I to catch up with each other and Casey to get some rest in a quiet house. The last time we were at the museum was to celebrate Ella's 3rd birthday, so Ian was psyched to go back and I was (as always) amazed by how much he remembered about it.

Milo's fascination with doors continues. He loves to open and close them - which always makes me nervous for the ever-pending finger pinch!

Ian doing his "Dorothy" impersonation - "Look, Mommy. I am caught in the cyclone like Dorothy!" Tee hee.

Milo is holding the mirror while Ella practices her "These boots are made for walkin'" dance. Little heartbreaker!

Driving Miss Ava - Mr. Milo was eager to chauffeur her all around town in his car.

My piano man!

Milo was busy dancing with himself. He was enthralled by his dance partner and couldn't believe how they were able to keep up with his mad moves:)

Lastly, we had an attack over the weekend. Everyone is okay, well...except for Mr. Pumpkin. The squirrels loved him!

H is for Halloween

2011-11-01T13:30:00.002-06:00

We attended the annual Halloween parade in downtown Longmont last Saturday. Last year was the first time we had gone and it was so much fun. I am always amazed by how many people turn out for it - seems like the whole town! Poor Ava was sick, but everyone else got to join in on the parade fun.

Gone are the days of the homemade costumes (at least for now). I have so much on my plate, but it is also a lot easier to make a homemade costume for one and we all know you can't make a homemade costume for one and not the other or you just end up being the bad Mom who favors one over the other. So, affordable, gently used costumes for both it is!

Ian was a dragon - he wore this costume several times before the parade, but for the life of me I could not get him to wear the dragon head during the parade. Choose your battles, right? He did have the dragon roar down pat though!

I thought for sure Milo would be the one fighting the hood because he won't wear anything on his head - ever. He surprised me though! Milo was a whoopie cushion!! I will miss the days when I can no longer dress my kids the way I want to, so for now I shall revel in it. A lot of people gave me crap for dressing him in pink, but my response to that was...a whoopie cushion is pink! He had to wear pink or otherwise he would have looked like a wannabe whoopie cushion. Right? He is cute enough (and secure enough in his manhood - ha!) to pull it off and if this is the only embarrassing photo I get of him through the years then I would consider him a lucky kid.

Ian and his favorite cupcake, Ella:)

Our Motley Crew

We strolled Main Street with all the other trick or treaters - kids taking turns in and out of the wagon and adults taking turns pulling the wagons. We saw several great costumes, but the best by far is the Lego family. We saw them leaving parade last year, but I wasn't able to get a good photo and it looks like this year they added a new member to their Lego family!

After the parade, it was time to hit up the downtown merchants for candy. It was a bit crazy - lots of kids, lots of candy, and lots of skill to navigate those unruly wagons through the crowd! We had to tell a couple of white lies to make it through the madness. 1. You can only get candy if you are in the wagon and 2. You can't open candy until the end because you have to choose your favorite and you can't know your favorite until you have all your candy. I am sure it is no surprise to learn #2 did not go so well, but I can't really blame them:)

We had a great couple of hours, but needed to head home for naps and quiet time (secretly hoping nap time included Mommies and Daddies!). Everyone had a blast and we were bummed that Ava had to miss out on all the fun.

My niece, Peyton, is definitely the cutest witch I ever did see! Ian kept asking me if she was a good witch or a bad witch. I confirmed that she was a good witch, but that she could still cast a spell on us if she wanted to so we better behave:)

John and Ian were both tired after the parade and needed to hitch a ride!

Unfortunately, the nasty cold started to spread around the Andrews house on Sunday. By Monday morning, it was in full force and Ian was the first victim. Bummer! I knew he truly wasn't feeling well when I told him if he stayed home with Daddy he would not be able to go trick or treating and he stayed in bed and agreed. What?! A sure sign of illness. I didn't want him to miss out on all the Halloween fun (okay, truth is I am a royal procrastinator and just hadn't gotten around to carving the pumpkin yet) so last night we carved our pumpkin. He helped carve some of it and picked out the shapes for the eyes and nose - in between his duty of passing out candy to the trick or treaters.

Hoping everyone had a safe and Happy Halloween!

Ian's first tattoo

2011-10-28T15:42:00.000-06:00

I got home last night and the first thing Ian said to me was, "Mommy, I got tattoos!" Grammy Andrews sent a special Halloween treat. I told him I would "give" him a tattoo after dinner and he couldn't eat fast enough!

At first he wanted to share them with Milo, but once he saw cool they were he insisted having all 8 of them on him. His first sleeves - ha! The simple joys of childhood. I love them.

2011-10-26T13:24:00.000-06:00

I love scouting out new places and things to do in our area. Thanks to livingsocial, groupon and the like you can find out about places that might otherwise remain unknown.

Save money + new adventure = happy Mommy!

Saturday morning we packed up the boys and headed to the Runway Grill. I had a voucher that expires 10/31 and I wanted to make sure we used it. This restaurant is located at the Rocky Mountain Metro Airport and it is AWESOME! If you have little boys (or little girls, but let's be real...I saw one little girl there and I am pretty sure she was only there because she has a brother. Just sayin'.) this is the place to go for Saturday morning breakfast. You can't beat the view and we all made it out with full bellies for under $20 (total cost before using the voucher - score!)

View from our breakfast table - it was a bit windy or we would have dined on the patio:)

I want a ceiling fan like this in my house!

It was a fun morning and a great way to spend a gorgeous day in Colorado!

Milo fell asleep on the drive home, but woke up once we got home. It was a quick nap, so we decided to take a walk in downtown Longmont. There was a new store I wanted to check out and a woman from my business planning class had just moved into a new location so I wanted to check out her place too - Divine Divas. Another place I recommend for cute, affordable funky items that you won't find anywhere else. There were so many things I wanted to buy, instead I dropped a couple of hints about a possible gift certificate for Christmas;)

Ian loves the fountain, even though there is no water in it this time of the year we always have to make a stop to check it out. He also noticed that they replaced the art and thought it was hilarious that he got to say "Cheese!" in front of the mac n' cheese sculpture.

The rest of our weekend was pretty low-key. Picked up around the house, did laundry, and watched some Packer football. Woohoo! I love having the space in our basement to relax and spend time together as a family. It is also wonderful because the boys can rummage through the toys and play to their heart's content, then come Sunday night we can pick it all up and have it tidy for the week. A remodel worth every penny!

Lookin' for treasures...

We got a Halloween package from Grandma and Grandpa Schneider - always exciting!! Ian LOVED his wax moustache and insisted on "wearing" the bat decor. We are getting pumped up for Halloween. This Saturday is the Halloween parade in downtown Longmont. It is supposed to be nice and warm, which is good because we have several inches of snow that need to go away!

Never too young to put them to work:)

I got a couple of funny videos to share too. Ian taught Milo this trick over the weekend!

Milo gets the dancin' gene from his Mommy!

Ian loves the Wizard of Oz and I love that he loves the Wizard of Oz. The last few weekends have been spent lounging on the couch with one of my all-time favorite movies and my favorite oldest son. I bet you can't guess his favorite line...

Happy Fall Y'all!

2011-10-17T15:22:00.000-06:00

It's that time of year again! It seems like only yesterday we were hitting up the pool every weekend, but in come the colder temperatures and the leaves are changing color. I love fall, but am struggling to come to terms with the seasons changing this year. I am not sure what it is - maybe it is because that means the end of the year is getting closer? That snow is on the way? That soon my baby is going to be 4 years old? That I will be closer to 36?! Who knows. I just find myself wishing that the 80 degree days would last a little bit longer this year.

I did get one last 80 degree day of the year on Saturday. It was gorgeous! Yet weird to be at the pumpkin patch on such a warm day. It is hard to get in the mood for pumpkins and cider when it is so warm out, but I appreciated the extension of summer anyway.

We met up with the Courtney's (sans Colin and Ava because Ava was not feeling well) at the Pumpkin Patch after nap time. Jonathan, Heather and Peyton were also able to join us for a bit before it was Peyton's nap time. Ian and Ella love the rides - who cares about pumpkins when you can fly an airplane, drive a car and slide down a huge inflatable fire truck. Right?!

Milo hung out in his stroller just watchin' all the fun around him. Next year he will be ready to fly an airplane and bounce to his heart's content in the bouncy castle, but for this year he was my wingman. We talked about pumpkins, gourds, and mums. Right before we left Ian decided he wanted to ride the train around the pumpkin patch and he asked if Milo could join him. How cute is that? I asked him to make sure Milo stayed seated, but that I thought it would be okay. I almost had a tear in my eye as they rode away - they just looked so darn cute riding in the barrel together!

We had to get the annual how tall I am this fall photo. Ian is going to hate it when I make him get his picture taken there in his tween years;)

Family photos! It is so hard to get a photo of the four of us where everyone is looking at the camera and smiling, but somehow we were able to find success on Saturday. Say cheese!

We got a call from Monica as we were leaving the pumpkin patch and they said it was the perfect time to for us to stop by. We headed over to their place so the boys could meet Clara. Ian was so excited to meet her and seeing him interact with her was lovely. Milo was more interested in the cat...who was not so interested in him:) I was able to pry him away for a photo and Ian agreed to be in the photo as long as he could "stay cooking". ha!

The new (and improved!) Black family

Christian, Monica and Clara Black

The newest little thing in my life...

2011-10-12T14:15:00.000-06:00

She is here! Our friends, Monica and Christian Black, welcomed their beautiful baby girl to the world on Sunday. Let me introduce you to...

Clara Evelyn Black

7 lbs. 6 oz.

20 inches long

October 9, 2011

9:21 PM

I was able to sneak away from work on Monday to meet her. Let's be real, I don't care what was on my agenda I was making room to meet this little bundle of love! She is so tiny and sweet. By far the highlight of my week thus far.

I can't wait to introduce Clara to my other favorite little things too!

Ian loves to help in the kitchen. We spent all last weekend making freezer meals for the Black family (perfect timing I would say). I love having a helper in the kitchen, I just wish I had a different kitchen. The layout is horrible, the cabinets are falling off, the flooring is heinous - covered up by an equally heinous rug, one drawer has screws coming out of it in order to keep the drawer front on, the color palette is mauve (gross!)...I could go on and on. Point is: I despise our kitchen and yearn for the day when we can get a main floor makeover. Unfortunately, I don't see that happening until...well, never. So that being said, I am so thankful to have Ian as my wingman in an otherwise dreary room in our house. He makes me forget about all the things I don't like about our kitchen and reminds me that anything can be good as long as you have a friend alongside you!

Peyton is walking and talking, then walking and talking some more. She is a girl on the go and she wants to tell you all about it! She gives the best hugs and kisses an auntie like me could ask for. Her smile is so sweet and her giggle is contagious. It is so much fun to see her interact with the boys - these 3 are going to give us a run for our money:)

Milo - my favorite little big man! He loves playing peek-a-boo and tickling. On this particular day, he was all about tickling Peyton's feet while she was texting her BFF's. ha! Milo's smile melts my heart. He has taken some steps, but still not walking. He looks at Peyton like she is a freak as she walks across the room, probably thinking to himself "How do you do that?!" He loves the bathroom - the tub with or without water, the game of how much toilet paper can I roll off the tube, and making sure he is there to "help" whenever anyone needs to use the restroom - some day he'll understand no help is needed in that department. Ha! He would stay in there all day if he could. Too bad I can't give him some cleaner and sponge and tell him to get to it:)

Farm vs. Circus

2011-10-04T14:55:00.000-06:00

Last Thursday, I went on my first preschool field trip! I took the morning off so I could join Ian and his preschool buddies at Miller Farms. Casey and I took Ian there last year before my maternity leave ended, so we were excited to be able to go back this year. We picked onions, potatoes, carrots, beets, celery, corn and were able to round up several pumpkins and decorative gourds (my favorite!). We had so much fun and it was nice to get to know the kids/parents/teachers a little better. We had some time to kill after the hayride, so we stayed to play a bit longer. I wasn't going to rush this Mommy and Ian time together! Plus, my favorite thing at the farm is the giant pillow that you can jump on. Best 10 minute workout ever, friends. I was SO sore the next day it wasn't even funny. Okay, it was a little funny. Pathetic how out of shape I am though.

This past Saturday, we joined the Courtney family for the Piccadilly Circus in Ft. Collins. It was our first circus so we weren't sure what to expect or how the kids would react. The "big" circus was also in town, but we thought starting small might be best. The tickets were affordable and now I know why...once they get you in the door you pay out the a** for everything else. When am I going to get the hang of this?! Anyway, $5 for a pony ride and $5 for cotton candy then we were ready for the show to start. They had some good acts. I am sure no one will be surprised when I say the motorcycles in a cage were Ian's favorite:) It was a great place to start and not overwhelming at all, which was nice. It just made for a very long day. Ian fell asleep on the ride home, not even 10 minutes after we pulled out of the parking lot, and slept all night long. Milo was chatting all the way home, but didn't hesitate to pass out once he got a clean diaper, PJ's and his blanket. I would say a good time was had by all!

Sunday was game day!! Packers vs. Broncos - we had Maggie, John, Uncle Jon, Aunt Heather and Peyton over to watch the game. Everyone pitched in and we enjoyed chili, cornbread and brownies/ice cream for dessert. I didn't want to get too cocky, but I was pretty sure this game was going to be a slam dunk. Another win for the Pack - GO PACK!

Longmont Oktoberfest

2011-09-22T17:41:00.000-06:00

We had a great time hanging out with the Frazier gang at the Longmont Oktoberfest. I love the fact that our kids our old enough to play together (except for Milo obviously) and we get some adult time while hanging out with our kids. The event was much larger this year than last and SO much fun!

Ian was finally able to go down the BIG slide - he has had his sights on this one for a long time! It was $1 well spent because he had a blast. He begged to go ahead, but fortunately I was able to distract him with music and dancing:)

I asked Milo to give me his party pose - I would say he nailed it. Ha! This kid loves music and he was happy as a clam to be hanging out with us. We sure were blessed with an easy going little man...for now anyway.

The bands were great and the kids didn't have a care in the world as they danced the night away!

By 9 PM it was mission critical - we had to get our munchkins home and to bed! A wonderful night had by all:)

Last Friday, my dear friend Kate turned 29. We all gathered at her place on Saturday to surprise her and celebrate her last year in her 20's.

She had no idea, although you can't really tell by this photo. It is hard to take the picture at the exact moment. It was a great time with friends and "family".

My breast friend:)

Ava is on the move and Milo is trying to figure it all out. What?! You mean there is more I can do with these little legs of mine?

My little chefs de cuisine

Wonder Woman and her Superman

Milestones, Mountains and Mayhem

2011-09-15T17:46:00.000-06:00

Where do I even start?! I always know when I have been way too busy...I am behind on the blog posts and my DVR gets too full. Ha! The end to summer has begun. It is sad to say goodbye to summer, but I always look forward to all the wonderful things that fall brings.

One sure sign of the end of summer is the Festival on Main in Longmont. We strolled through downtown to see all it had to offer. I always feel bad because they have this fun stuff for kids to do, but either Ian is too small or the line is ridiculously long. Not a win-win for anyone. We still had fun and it was a great way to wind down the work week!

Saturday we went to the annual Yesteryear Farm Show. It is heaven for little boys! Tractors and trailers and hay...oh my! Look how cute Ian and Milo are in the wagon. I love it. It was a very hot day, so we didn't stay too long but it is always a good time.

August 30th my baby started preschool! Can you believe it?! Ian is attending the Small Wonders Preschool twice a week and we are all so excited. The first day was great - he tolerated my multiple requests for photos quite well:) I was able to adjust my work schedule so I can drop him off in the mornings and his daycare provider picks him up and takes him back to her home for the rest of the day. We have had some rough patches, but I think we are on the mend. We read books and talk a lot about what he can expect at preschool to help ease the anxiety. One day at a time...I just look at Milo and try to wrap my mind around the fact that it won't be long before I am sending him to preschool too. The time goes by too fast!

Labor Day weekend was a blast - we were blessed with visitors from the East Coast! One of my college roommates, Liz, had a conference in Colorado Springs the week after Labor Day so it worked out perfectly for the Hood's to join us over Labor Day. Liz and I were both pregnant at the same time last year, so I was very excited to meet her little man and to see Colin and Brent again. We took them to all our favorite spots and I cherished every moment. I didn't want the time to end.

Colin is 5, so he is close in age to Ian and the babies are only a week apart. The babies didn't really notice each other. I forgot how funny it is to watch kids "play" with each other when they are that age. Colin and Ian had...well, a love/hate relationship if you will. It definitely gave me a glimpse into my future:) But really, all in all we had a blast and the boys got a long great. Ian made a picture at school this week of his family and friends - Colin got a spot on the page so I think that sums it up pretty well!

They arrived on Friday, September 2nd. I flew in from Rochester that morning, so when I got home I had to scurry and get prepared for a weekend of visitors. They arrived a few hours later and everyone was pooped. We had hoped for an early night on Friday, but wrong! Ian really wanted Colin to camp out with him in the living room, so we set up the tent and tried our best. However, by 10 PM it was time to lay down the law and get them to bed because we knew we had to be up and at 'em the next morning!

Saturday we headed to the airport for breakfast. It was a fabulous airport day - perfect weather and a lot of flight activity. Very cool. Then we headed to Crackpots so Liz could get thumbprint charms for her boys. I was so happy she could finally get these because she was the original one to tell me about them. I was also able to get a replacement for Milo's charm that I lost at the pool this summer. We returned home for naptime and left the big boys with the bigger boys. Liz and I treated ourselves to a pedicure, then hurried back home so she could take Andrew to Urgent Care. We thought it was probably nothing because he seemed in good spirits, but alas...it was strep. Poor baby:( We had to cancel our picnic with the Courtney family that night. We still had our picnic at the park and the boys had a blast riding the big wheel and motorcycle through the tunnel. Hours of entertainment and Milo got his first skateboarding experience!

Sunday we took a day trip to Rocky Mountain National Park. We were blessed with another gorgeous day! We brought a picnic lunch, found a good site when we arrived where we could eat and the kids could explore. We spent the day driving through the park and taking in all the beautiful sites. It was an exhausting day for all, but well worth the journey.

Monday we lounged around for the most part. The boys had fun outside playing with the water hose and doing a craft. They painted foam gliders - 2 for each of them. They had to pack up and head to Denver for the night as Liz's Mom was flying in Monday night and Colin/Brent flew home on Tuesday. It was hard to say goodbye, but I knew I would get to see Liz one more time so that made it easier. Check out the slideshow for some great pics from their trip!

Wednesday night I drove to Colorado Springs and met Liz, her Mom and Andrew for dinner. It was so nice to see Dori - it had been several years since I saw her. She is just as lovely as I remembered:) We had dinner at a local pub and I loved getting to spend a little more time with Liz. It made for a long day, but I wouldn't have had it any other way. I am so blessed with wonderful friends!

A couple of random pictures below that I just had to share. Milo had chicken casserole and mashed potatoes for the first time last week. Judging by the photo I would say he was pleased:)

Casey showed me this picture from when they were in WI and I love it too - currently my desktop photo at work. It just makes me smile. It is quirky and perfect. I am SO blessed!

On your mark, get set...GO!

2011-08-26T09:38:00.000-06:00

I cannot believe my baby is starting preschool - part of me is so excited, the other part of me is a bit sad. Ian is such a wonderful kid! I love his sense of humor, laugh, smile...I love it all. It seems like just yesterday I was fumbling my way around our one bedroom apartment with Ian in one arm and a PB&J in the other, trying to scarf it down before he was hungry again and praying the clock would move faster so Casey would get home. We've come a long way...

Tuesday was Back to School night for preschool. He was so excited! I love his enthusiasm about it and I hope it carries on for many years to come:) His first official day is August 30th. I am going to adjust my work hours that day so I can drop him off and pick him up - I want to be the first to get all the details! He is such a kind, caring, loving kid...but you wouldn't know it from the look on his face here;) Reminds me of Dennis the Menace!

Mr. Milo made friends with the frog and tarantula - he was in heaven because all the older kids went outside for recess while the parents stayed inside to get schooled on the preschool rules. He had all the toys to himself!

That's a wrap!

2011-08-22T12:25:00.000-06:00

I knew this weekend was going to be a bit crazy - sometimes I wonder how we pack all of this activity into just 2 days! So, when I got the call on Thursday afternoon that our helicoptor ride for Saturday AM was cancelled (again!) I was okay with it. Disappointed, but thankful for the couple of hours it gave me back on Saturday morning.

Friday Casey and I decided to take the boys for sushi. Okay, confession: we really wanted sushi and decided to let them tag along with us since leaving them at home unattended is grossly frowned upon. It was an adventure to say the least! It started with me having to change Milo's diaper in a restroom with no changing table. The worst! I wasn't about to lay him on the floor and there was really nowhere else. SO I held him in one hand and changed a poopy diaper/got him re-dressed with the other. It felt like I was in there forever and by the time I was done I had worked up a good sweat. Ha! I am just thankful no one walked in on me:)

Ian loved the miso and salad. Not so keen on the rolls, but he did okay for the first time. Milo loved the edamame and sticky rice. He was fascinated by the fact he could clap his hands and the rice would stick to him. Of course, he wouldn't let me get a photo though. We were that family in the restaurant though - fortunately surrounded by good sports!

Maggie came over Saturday morning and we headed to the Lafayette Peach Festival. I have always wanted to go to this festival, but never made it for one reason or another. Alas, we were able to make it this year. It was HOT and crowded! We were able to stroll through the entire festival, but it was a challenge. So many people, me with my awkward double stroller and a TON of things that Ian just had to check out. Thankfully Maggie and I could tag team - Milo just chilled in the stroller taking it all in. That's the life!

Yum - Italian Ice. A must needed break from the heat!

How cool is this?! Genius. A tent for women to breastfeed and change their babies. Absolutely brilliant...why didn't I think of that?

There was a yard sale close to where we parked and from afar I could spot some toys for kids. I figured we should check it out and I am so glad I did. It was a young family with 2 small kids. The kids were "selling" some of their old toys to raise money for new toys. Again, genius.

We got this ride along toy for Milo. We have some, but they were all Ian's and I figured it was time for Milo to have one all his own. Plus, it was $10. A steal!

Ian got this crane and I can assure the smile on his face was there all weekend. He LOVES this crane. It goes everywhere with him. It is the best $5 I have spent in a long time!

Milo wanted to get in on the action as well. Ian isn't sure about sharing this with anyone else and I don't blame him. It is pretty darn cool!

Once we got back from the Peach Festival, it was time for me to head over to Monica's for her baby shower. Her friend, Katie, hosted the shower. Local friends, family and co-workers joined to celebrate the pending arrival of Baby Black. We can't wait to meet her!

The picture on this onesie was actually done by Monica. Katie made the image into an iron-on transfer. It turned out super cute!

There was an awesome spread of food! Which was good because I was starving:) It took me a minute to realize I was eating cherry tomatoes out of a diaper though. Such a cute idea!

Unfortunately, I had to leave the shower early to head to my next event - Avyn's first birthday party!! It has been so much fun celebrating all the birthdays these past few weeks, but I have to be honest. The cupcakes must stop! My waistline is starting to show how much fun these past 4 weeks have been and I need to be able to fit into my fall clothes!!

I picked up the boys and we were off. Ian had to bring his crane along - "I have to work, Mommy." Fine by me because I knew it would occupy his time:) It was great - Ava entertained us all with her cake lifting tricks and the occassional shout out to the crowd. She is a riot! We enjoyed yummy cupcakes from Indulge Bakery and watched her open some gifts. All in all it was a great day...exhausting, but great! Too many great photos to share, so here is a little slideshow for you to enjoy.

This video of Avyn and her Daddy is hilarious!

Sunday we were up and at 'em early - it was the last day Roosevelt Pool was open for the season. Yay! I am not sure what we will do the rest of the summer if we aren't able to hang out poolside with the Courtney's. I guess we'll be forced to find another city pool until they are all closed. I can't let my tan go now - I have worked way too hard on it this summer:)

We finally said adios to Milo's infant car seat. Woohoo! Doesn't Milo look like such a big boy? We still have to get one for Casey's car, but Milo can still use the infant car seat in there. We just don't have to lug him around in it anymore. He will be rear-facing for a couple of months yet, but by his 15 month check-up we should be able to have him forward-facing. I loved it when Ian was finally able to ride forward, so much more interaction!

Milo mind reading - a little game Ian and I like to play. We try to determine what Milo is saying to us. My choice for this photo was: "Can someone turn down the sun? It is really intense over here." LOL!

Ella went to the zoo with her Daddy, so Kate and Ava joined us at the pool. Ian was excited because he got all the Mommy attention! It was a great day for the pool indeed.

I couldn't get her to smile for me. She was probably thinking, "Hey, I smiled enough for you yesterday at my party. Can't you lay off the camera?" Never...

After the pool and Milo's nap, we headed north in the hopes of successful back to school clothes shopping. Check! We scored some shoes for Ian - 3 pairs to be exact. It was hard for me to pass up the New Balance and Adidas sneaks. But I just couldn't justify $50 for 2 pairs of shoes - when I could go with off brand and get 3 pairs of shoes and 8 pairs of socks for $45. Why push him to the name brands now? I will have plenty of time to fork out obsene amounts of money just so my kid can have the "cool" stuff. Pants, shirts, hoodies - check, check, check. We are ready for fall! Now for the hard part...purging the old stuff to make room for the new stuff.

And yes, the crane went with us too.

3 down, 1 to go!

2011-08-17T16:51:00.000-06:00

My mother-in-law sent me this picture yesterday (thanks, Mike!) and it made my heart melt. I just had to share this picture - the 5 smartest, funniest and cutest boys I know. I am SO lucky to be a mother and aunt to this awesome crew. I cannot wait to see what amazing young men they all turn out to be:)

Okay, onto our weekend! It was the last weekend with Grandma and Grandpa Schneider, so we tried to make the most of it but relax too. My parents are the best - they truly take care of us when they are here. The boys love waking Grandpa up in the mornings (he sure tries his best to sleep in!) and sitting at the table enjoying breakfast with Grandma. I love being able to get ready in the mornings knowing that they aren't getting into anything they shouldn't be;)

Saturday was the annual Fire Muster in Downtown Longmont. Milo stayed home with Grandma and Grandpa so Ian got a couple of hours with just Mommy and Daddy. Always a good thing for the soul! We enjoyed the parade - although I think the parade last year had more participants. They had similar demonstrations, but the only one we were really into was the helicoptor demo. It was supposed to be at 11:30, so we grabbed some snacks from the Flight Deck Grill and got a seat up close. Only to have the demo delayed for an emergency - completely understandable, but disappointing nonetheless. Ian didn't seem to care though:)

Daddy and Ian got a lot of alone time, although I must say Ian is coming around to being a Momma's boy and I am lovin' it! Anyway, I digress. After the parade we walk over to Roosevelt Park for the other activities, which is where Ian's preschool is located. He got to peek in the windows and check out the preschool playground. He is so excited to be starting this new chapter and so are we!

We couldn't stick around too long because we had to head back and get ready for Peyton's first birthday party! This is our 3rd weekend of birthday parties. It has been fun, but I think the cupcakes are starting to catch up with me...my pants were a little tight this morning. Ha!

Peyton officially turns one on the 18th, but friends and family gathered to celebrate early. OF COURSE, my camera battery died as soon as I arrived. I am so over my camera right now (anyone wondering about a Christmas gift yet...this is hint - wink, wink) and so thankful I at least have a back up with my phone. So, I didn't get any good pictures and I am bummed about that. Fortunately, my Mom did and she will share them with me.

Peyton enjoyed eating Grandma's cake! Her Mommy made yummy cupcakes for the rest of us to enjoy.

Sunday we were up and off to the pool. It was our last day to take Grandma to the pool:( It was warm out, but mostly cloudy so the pool wasn't much of a relief. We still had fun. I am going to be so sad when the pool closes for the summer. I was shocked to learn it is this Sunday - I thought they would at least be open thru Labor Day. Other city pools are, but the two geared at the younger kids closes early. We'll just have to move to another pool for the rest of the summer. I am not ready to give it up!

Daddy and Grandpa stayed at home to work on drywalling our office closet. We had to tear it out several months ago due to a water leak and we figured Bob should earn his keep before heading back;) No really, Bob was a great help to Casey on this project. While I was getting Milo down for a nap, Ian was helping Daddy in the garage. He really wanted to help Daddy "work", but I lured him away with the suggestion of a possible treat...bribery is my favorite thing about parenthood I think!

Ian, Grandma and I headed north for some back to school shopping. I was hoping to score some pants and shoes for the fall. Nope. Everything was either out of stock, too expensive or not the right size. Ugh! I am clearly a rookie at this whole back to school shopping thing. I think I should have been doing this a month ago. Maybe I will get lucky and score some deals this weekend. Fingers crossed!

Ain't Gnome party like a first birthday party!

2011-08-09T21:06:00.000-06:00

I can't believe Milo is one - it seems like just yesterday that we were bringing him home from the hospital and adjusting to life as a family of four. The time sure does fly by! Friday night we opted to go out to dinner. I learned several important things from my Mom - one of which, don't cook on Fridays. I try to stick closely to that rule;) We went to the Pumphouse and surprise...we got a table right next to Uncle Jon, Aunt Heather and Peyton! Couldn't have worked out better.

Ian was so excited to tell Uncle Jon about his day at the Boulder County Fair. He had a blast!

Milo to Peyton, "Don't you know it's my birthday?! Now give me some of that mac n' cheese, please!"

We hosted Milo's first birthday party at our place on Saturday. Not many people, just close friends and family. I saw a woodland theme in a magazine a few months back and as soon as I saw the mushroom cupcakes I knew he had to have a Gnome party. I had so much fun planning this one and to think I threw it together in a short amount of time. Thankfully there are a lot of awesome websites out there with great ideas! I really wonder what I did before Google...really.

We had a blast. Casey made the perfect cupcake stand with a little guidance from me;) He did a great job of bringing my vision to life - thanks babe! These babies go for $75 on some websites. Grandma Jane made the cupcakes and they were delicious as usual. Milo had his own little cake that he went to town on. I was so happy he was into it - although the look on his face when I show him the cake with the candle burning is priceless!

Grandma Jane also helped me make the twig frames for each kid to take home. I might have to hang one in my house too! I ordered most of the stuff from Oriental Trading company, but I was disappointed to learn the gnome rubber ducks were out of stock. So I bought some rubber ducks and made my own. I thought they turned out cute. The glue wasn't permanent so the kids could take it off if they wanted. My favorite was the gnome party hats - PERFECT! The Hollander's graciously offered their gnomes to us - I have to return them on Friday and I think I am going to miss them. They are just so darn cute! The kids enjoyed a couple of activities, but mostly just loved playing together and creating chaos all over the place. But a good chaos:) Milo got some great presents, but the older kids were way more into the opening of them than he was. That was fine by me...he'll have many more years to open his gifts! I made some snacks, but tried to keep it light since the party was in the late afternoon. Everything was a delicious, but we all know we go to parties for the cake. Right?

Sunday morning we went to the pool. There are only a few days of pooltime left in the summer and I am determined to squeeze at least one in every weekend. After the pool, Ian and I picked up Maggie and headed into Boulder. Ian had a blast running through the sprinklers and he even got to meet Bruiser. This dog is so cool! It had been a long time since I strolled Pearl St. I always forgot how colorful it is - I saw a teenager walking around with his pet snake and a woman running around topless within a couple of blocks of each other. What else can I say?

Happy 1st Birthday, Milo!

2011-08-05T10:23:00.000-06:00

One year ago today you entered our world and have been melting our hearts ever since. You are such a joy and I cannot wait to see what an amazing person you become. We are so proud to be your parents and are thankful each day for the wonderful family we have.

Love you baby boy and wish you all the happiness in the world!
This slideshow is for you...

What were you doing one year ago today?

2011-08-04T20:17:00.000-06:00

I bet it wasn't what I was doing...

Can't you just read the excitement on our faces?! I don't look too bad considering the fact I was FREAKING OUT!!! I let Casey express that one. What a crazy ride.

These pictures were taken close to midnight. I called the dr. a little after 11 to say I think I should come in. The tone in her voice told me it was a bit more urgent than that. I knew that when she didn't laugh after I said, "I will be there in awhile, I have to finish packing a few things." Not only that, but we had to stop and get gas on the way. I clearly did not think I was going into labor - thankfully I have a wonderful husband who is often the voice of reason in this relationship. We arrived at the hospital about 45 minutes after these pictures were taken and we met Milo for the first time about 3 hours later...

Goodbye July, Hello August

2011-08-02T14:11:00.000-06:00

We sure have crammed a lot into these last couple of weeks! There is so much to share that I figured a bunch of slideshows would be the easiest way to go. Unfortunately, I did not do a good job of getting many pictures at the lake. It is a little difficult when you are spending 90% of your time on the water and don't have a waterproof camera!

Casey and I took a vacation sans children - a TRUE vacation. It was amazing! Grandma and Grandpa Schneider arrived on the 21st. We hit the open road the 22nd after I finished my work day. I was worried about how I would handle being away from the boys for such an extended period of time. I knew they were in good hands though and would have a blast with the g'rents.

We drove through the night - arriving in Kansas City at 6 AM. We have friends that live there so we stopped in for a quick visit. I can honestly say I have never been driving thru and popped in at a friend's house that early in the morning. There is a first time for everything! It was great to see Sharon and her husband, Sean, again. We also got to meet their 2 gorgeous children - Ezra and Margot! It was so wonderful to see them. Sharon prepared a delicious breakfast and they sent us on our way with some local beers. We are hoping to return the favor someday!

We arrived at Maggie's parents house around 10 AM. I had to take a quick shower to wash all the roadtrip scum off of me. There were people flying in from various places, so we used the Brown residence as a meeting place. We also got to meet some family and friends of Maggie's that were not able to join us on the trip. It was great to finally put a face to the names of all the people Maggie talks about.

Maggie's parents prepared an awesome Kansas City BBQ lunch for us and then we were off on the next leg of our trip - Big Cedar Lodge. This place is awesome! It totally reminded me of Dirty Dancing - needless to say, "Hungry Eyes" was on replay in my mind all weekend. ha! We took full advantage of what they had to offer - jet skis, champagne brunch, floating off the side of the pontoon boat, tubing (which I totally rocked BTW - good to know I still have the skills from my teen years!), the lazy river...you name it. Maggie did an awesome job planning such a wonderful time for all of us. It was glorious!

We headed home on Tuesday and figured we should take our time. Why drive 10 hours if you don't have to? We stopped at Lambert's for lunch. I was so happy that I happened to see the billboard (I really miss billboards - informative and entertaining!). I remember hearing about this place and I knew we had to check it out. The food was phenomenal. Probably not the best road trippin' meal, but who cares. It was delicious!

I convinced Casey to stop in Wamego, KS for a visit to the OZ Museum. The museum was closed for the day by the time we rolled into town, so we hit up the Oz Winery for a wine tasting. They have the coolest labels and I couldn't resist purchasing one. I opted for the Yellow Brick Road white table wine. I loved the label of the Ruby Sippers, but didn't care for that specific red table wine. Then we checked into the Simmer Motel - we only had two choices and this was the cheaper of the two + they had an outdoor pool. I have had my share of interesting hotel/motel stays in my life, but this one definitely ranks high on my list. I am not even sure what to think about it. The people were nice, the room was clean - truly no complaints, but I am still stumped on the room decor. Especially the handmade door signs. We joked on the drive there that we should stay in a theme hotel...I think we did, we just didn't know it at the time. They have a Wizard of Oz themed room that this woman showed us on her phone at Barleycorn's Deli where we had dinner. I am SO glad we didn't get that room - I don't think I would have been able to sleep. Ha! If I had to guess what our theme was I would take a shot and say it was themed after "The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas" movie. Hmmm...

It was a nice little town. We hit up the museum Wednesday morning. We were shocked by the amount of traffic rolling through this little town. We thought to ourselves, "Maybe this isn't the one horse town we were thinking of." We asked the staff at the museum and they said that I-70 was shut down because a man had barracaded himself in his car with a gun. WTF?! Seriously. Yes, seriously. Thankfully it was I-70 East and we were able to hit the road after the museum as planned.

We got home around 7 PM Wednesday night. I am not sure who was more excited to see us - the boys or the g'rents. Those boys sure ran them ragged for a few days. Everyone had a blast though. I was so happy to see Ian and Milo, I swear they grew a couple of feet while we were gone!

Thursday was a day to run errands and relax because Friday was all about...

IKEA Centennial has arrived. Woohoo! I was so excited, like a child on Christmas Eve. We arrived a little after 9 AM and they opened the doors around 9:30. We enjoyed a free breakfast and then strolled through the massive store. It has been a few years since we have been inside an IKEA so it was fun to see all the new stuff. The only downside is that it made me want a new kitchen even more and it is going to be awhile before I am lucky enough to get that!

We even had a "celebrity" siting. Kirk Montgomery from 9 News was in line in front of us. Tee Hee!

Saturday we headed to the WOW Museum to help Ella celebrate her 3rd birthday. We have not made it to this museum yet, so I was excited to check it out. It was so much fun for everyone - Casey and I included. I tried to race him on the pully, but that was a joke. Literally. Is it sad to admit that my 3 year old did a better job on the pully than I did? Sad, but true. Milo loved crawling around all the different exhibits. I tried so hard to get a picture of Ian with the birthday girl, but it was next to impossible. I can't blame them - there was so much fun stuff to check out!

Casey had to work on Sunday, so we decided to spend the morning at the pool. The Courtney family joined us too. It was a HOT day, but everyone enjoyed relaxing in or around the pool. Grandpa read his book in the shade while the Grandmas and Moms played with the kiddos in the pool. It was a very exciting day for Ian - he learned he can touch in the deep end of the pool on his tip toes. This made him feel more comfortable about being in the deep end and he even jumped off the side a few times. Milo is all about the pool. I am thinking we need to get this kid enrolled in swim classes, although I thought that about Ian too and it was a bust. Milo LOVES it though. He is a fish - he splashes, dunks his head in - has no fear!

We decided while at the pool that we should have a picnic for dinner that night. We went home to let the kids (and in my case, parents) nap and got ready for our picnic. We brought the fried chicken and brownies, while the Courtney crew and Aunt Amy supplied the rest. The kids had a blast swinging, climbing, sliding and the babies loved crawling in the grass. Miss Ava even took a step or two - that girl is ready to walk!

It was a wonderful, exhausting vacation for all and I couldn't think of a better way to end it. I can't believe it is August and that my baby is going to turn 1 on Friday. I have a lot to do, but I can't wait to celebrate with our friends and family.

Ian's newest trick

2011-07-21T13:07:00.000-06:00

Grandma and Grandpa Schneider are arriving today. Ian is so excited and cannot wait to show off his new trick! My apologies for the sideways video, but I just had to share. I am pretty impressed that he can do this:)

Flyin' Solo

2011-07-20T16:56:00.001-06:00

Casey and the boys scheduled an impromptu trip back to WI to visit the family. Casey was nervous to fly with both boys solo (rightfully so), but he made it like a pro. I helped him pack up on Wednesday night and dropped them off Thursday morning on my way to work. Milo couldn't wait for his first airplane ride!

Casey kept me updated with pictures and texts the entire trip. Ian was thrilled to be riding on an airplane and as long as he had his blankie in hand he was good to go!

The plane from Denver to Green Bay was not full (shocker!) so Milo was able to remain in his car seat and have his own seat on the plane. A huge help to Casey I am sure. He fell asleep before take off and woke up 15 minutes before they landed. A blissful trip indeed...

Aunt Megan picked them up at the airport with Ethan and Taylor in tow. Ian could not wait to see his cousins. I was pleased to have alone time, but bummed that I missed out on their interactions. They had a blast! Not only have the boys grown a lot, but 2 more boys have joined the family:) Watch out next summer when all 5 of them can cause some trouble!

July 2011

July 2009

Maya and Milo

Ahhh...the beach. How I miss you so!

All the cousins (sans babies, of course!) playing

Casey and Ian met up with Kyle and his daughter, Addison, at Birmingham's. One of my favorite places in Door County! Nothing beats a Birmingham's cheeseburger and fries with a side of Leinenkugel's. Brad (the bartender) was working, looked at both of them and chuckled. I bet he never thought he would see the day that Kyle and Casey showed up to his bar with their kids in tow!

Ethan and Ian - a match made in heaven!

Milo enjoying some of Grandpa's pancakes. They sure are delicious!

Everyone had a great time. The trip was too short and it was hard to say goodbye, but I was so excited to get my boys back home. I enjoyed my alone time. Not having to be on someone else's schedule was so foreign to me. I found myself humming 'Glory Days' a lot, but the truth is I wouldn't trade it. Alone time is nice, but my boys are my life and that is fine by me.

Of course, I saved a majority of my tasks for the last minute so I was scrambling on Sunday to get my list completed. I found time to enjoy the pool with Kate and the girls in the morning. Can't neglect my tan! And I also got a manicure, but then it was down to business. Ha! Casey called around 7 to let me know their flight had been cancelled. Oh no! We spent a couple of hours texting and calling trying to figure out what was going on. I was finally able to rest once I knew they were in a hotel and would be able to fly home Monday AM. Casey nailed it and I knew he would. He is an awesome father and my boys are SO blessed to have him. This is the picture he sent me Monday morning - troopers!!

Cuties

2011-07-11T13:47:00.000-06:00

Alas, a low-key weekend! Friday night we met up with the JHP crew at Rhythm on the River. The "real" festival is on Saturday and it can be a lot of fun. We decided to skip the big day this year, so we headed down Friday night to listen to some music. We got hit with heavy rain, but it didn't last long. We took refuge under a table umbrella until the dark clouds passed. Casey took Ian to a play area in one of the tents and I stayed back with the little ones. Okay by me:)

Peyton and Milo

This smile gets me every time!

Saturday was a busy day for me - but all about me, so that made it better. First stop was to Aveda to chop my mop! I am feeling lighter already:) Not to mention the added bonus of getting a few extra winks in the morning because I don't have to do much with my hair. Woohoo!

Then I met up with my friend Lisa for shopping, lunch and a mani. It truly was a blissful day of spoiling myself. I needed it! I was happy to get home to see my boys though.

Milo is on the move and there is no stopping this kid. He desperately wants to be doing whatever it is that you are doing. Ian is starting to get aggravated by his little brother and has little patience for having to share EVERYTHING. I can't blame him really. It must be hard. Milo doesn't know what it is like to be the only one so he often gives Ian the stink eye, but I try to sneak in things just for Ian from time to time.

Milo really wanted to help me load the dishwasher. I snapped a quick picture and it brought back fond memories of when Ian wanted to be my little helper too. Aren't they the cutest?!

Ian spent most of his weekend "working" outside. It is nice that he can play outside and I am SO thankful for the screen door because it allows more flexibility for everyone. Milo cannot wait to get outside with his big brother, but for now he just has to watch eagerly from the window. Milo has become rather chatty in the past couple of days and we are pretty sure he was yelling "Ian" yesterday. It is so cute to watch them interact - Ian will stop by and talk to him through the window sometimes...or in this case, show off his Otter Pop in a subtle manner.

Ian's Jobsite (aka one-third of our backyard)

For those of you not following my business blog (you should be!), I wanted to let you know we now have an online store! We are so excited to take this next step into small business ownership. We are working hard to launch new products this fall and if you become a follower/subscriber you won't miss a beat.

Stop by and check it out - you just might find something you can't live without it!

http://itsthelittlethingsllc.bigcartel.com/

4th of July

2011-07-06T16:56:00.000-06:00

I love the 4th of July! Summer, BBQ's, and fireworks. It doesn't get much better than that. Last year it rained and I was 8 months pregnant, so it wasn't hard for this year to be an improvement. Ha!

Friday night we got home from Lily's and there was a storm brewin'. Ian is fascinated with thunder and lightning and asked if he could watch the storm. He quietly sat in the doorway for a couple of minutes and watched it roll in. Made me miss the Midwest thunderstorms...

Saturday AM I laid Milo down for his morning nap - Ian laid in bed with me and we watched some old school cartoons. Loony Tunes and the Smurfs. Apparently I dozed off for a second because the next thing I knew there were giggles coming from the boys room. Ian crawled into Milo's crib and woke him up to play. They were SO adorable that I couldn't really be mad about it. Saturday was a low-key day. We hung out around the house waiting for Daddy to come home from work so we could go to the Black's BBQ. Ian helped me make salsa and ice cream sandwiches. Both turned out fabulous. I do want to perfect the ice cream sandwich recipe before sharing with y'all though. Stay tuned!

I love the Roosevelt Park pool! It is my secret weapon really. The boys love it too and it is a wonderful way to pass the time. However, I did learn that the pool is much more fun (and easier for me!) when we have the Courtney crew in tow. Hurry back from Michigan, please:)

Plus, the biggest bonus of all is they both crash afterwards. Milo was bagged before we even got to the car! We went on Sunday and Monday - had a great time and can't wait until this weekend. We are excited for Daddy to be able to join us.

Sunday we headed to Denver for a BBQ with the Nordlof's. We thought it was going to rain on us, but we were blessed that it moved around us. Linnea had fun playing with Ian and Milo. She wasn't eager to share her toys, but did a great job all things considered. She was the "teacher" so she could show everyone how to use her toys. It actually worked out quite well. Ian needs somebody to keep him in line. ha!

I knew Monday was going to be a LONG day so I tried my best to run the boys ragged. In the morning we hung out at the house so Milo could nap and I could get all our stuff together for the pool. Daddy was supposed to join us, but ended up having to work. Bummer.

It was a hot one outside, so we tried to find fun things to do inside. Ian invented the "Milo Monster" game. He would run back and forth from the couch to the loveseat while the "Milo Monster" chased him. Quite humorous indeed. Then we played a game to see who could make the funniest faces. I was impressed with the face I got when I said, "Milo, give me your best monster face!"

Ian chimed in with his silly face and his Ninja face!

Casey got home from work around 7:30 PM. We gathered up our things and headed out to find a spot to watch the fireworks. In the past we have always joined the Courtney family at Coldstone Creamery and watched them from their lawn. This year we stumbled upon a great spot - a large parking lot where people gathered to set off fireworks before the show. Very fun.

It was so cool to see Ian's excitement. This is the first year that he truly got what fireworks are all about. It was so cute to hear him say, "Oooo...I like that one!" There was a little boy next to us that Ian enjoyed playing with before the show. Once the fireworks started he asked if he could take his chair up by the boy and sit with him. They were adorable. Milo did a great job too. I couldn't believe he was up that late, but I guess...who could sleep with loud booms surrounding them? The hardest part was the 40 minute drive home, but a small price to pay for family fun! Milo fell asleep as soon as we drove out of the parking lot. Ian chattered about the fireworks all the way home and when we got home he said he wanted to play. We told him it was bedtime for all and not another peep was heard. A huge thank you to the City of Longmont and all the sponsors who provided us with a great fireworks display!

As some of you may know, my camera frustrates me on a regular basis. The battery dies often, takes a long time to charge, shutter time is an eternity so I miss most of the good shots...yadda, yadda, yadda. However, the one good thing it does do is take pictures of fireworks. I love to take them because you never know how the shot is going to turn out. Casey and I got some pretty cool pics. I couldn't pick my favorites, so I put them into a slideshow for you to enjoy as well:)

Proud Mama

2011-06-30T12:11:00.000-06:00

I love my two boys and it is getting even more exciting as they start to interact/play together. Ian is such a proud big brother - although quick to rat out Milo when he is breakin' the rules. Ha! I got up Saturday morning to find them "working" on our vacuum. It was adorable. Milo has a fantastic sense of humor, as well as Ian. Our house if full of laughs and smiles and I love it.

Saturday was the Longmont Airport Expo. It was a beautiful day! We met up with the Courtney's - Maggie and John tagged along with us. Uncle Jon, Aunt Heather and Peyton joined us later. We had a blast getting up close and personal to all the planes, helicopters and skydivers. We attended the expo a couple of years ago and I have to say this year was MUCH better! It was a great family event and a great way to spend a Saturday morning together.

We didn't get to see our festival friends, the Frazier's, at the expo. So we called them up and invited them over for dinner. It was our turn to return the favor! We have so much fun hanging out with them and the kids have a grand time together. Poor Mia - the only girl. She holds her own though. We did have an "incident" that put a little wrinkle in the festivities. Ian climbed up on a chair to throw something in our outdoor trash can, he lost his balance and fell off the chair...scraping his left forearm along the grill on his way down. It was several minutes of chaos, but we were able to get it under control. I wasn't sure whether a trip to the ER was necessary or not. We decided to watch him and his arm to determine the next step. It wasn't even 30 minutes later that he was up and running about with his peeps again, so I felt okay with not going. I did take him to the doctor Monday morning and they were impressed with how well it looks. They told us to keep doing what we are doing and return on Friday for a follow-up. Ian was just excited to show it off to all his daycare friends and tell them what happened. This is just the beginning for me...

Sunday we met up with the Courtney's for pooltime. Lily takes Ian to the Roosevelt pool a lot during the summer, but I have not. I decided it was time to take advantage of the local pools. Right before walking out the door I hear a crash and Milo crying. I run into the bathroom to find him with 2 large scrapes and a HUGE goose egg on his forehead. This time I was alone and trying to manage both boys, so I probably was not as calm as the day before. I put a cold washcloth on his head, but he wasn't having it. We rocked for a little bit until he was calm enough to get in his car seat. I was worried this might impact his mood at the pool, but he did fine. By the time we arrived at the pool it was as if it never happened...except for the huge gash on his forehead. Milo loved the pool. He just hung out in his float and was perfectly content watching the world go by around him. We brought a ton of snacks so we could have lunch taken care of before heading back home. Ian and Milo were both wiped out after the pool, so they both took naps and I lounged as well. I am thinking this is our new weekend tradition!

I had so many pictures to share that I had to make a slideshow. Enjoy!

Oops!

2011-06-27T10:17:00.000-06:00

I swear I posted this, but clearly not. I guess I got the slideshows posted and called it done. My bad.

Linnea (the darling daughter of Erin and Mattias) turned 2 on June 22nd. We headed to Denver on June 18th to help her celebrate. She hosted a party at Little Monkey Business. I have heard great things about it, but this was our first time there. Ian LOVED it and I loved that he could just run around and I didn't have to worry about where he was or what he was doing. There was a space for crawlers, but Milo wanted to be with the big kids. We let him crawl around and hang out in the places where there were not many bigger kids, but all the kids did a great job watching out for him. A little pizza party and cake after a hard night of playing. What could be better? We went to the Nordlof's for some down time following the party - kids played in the backyard, we enjoyed a drink or two. Then it was time to head home for bed:(

Sunday was Father's Day and Casey's only day off during the week. The boys both slept in until 7:30 AM, which was lovely. We let Daddy sleep for a bit longer, but he is a morning person so he didn't sleep too much longer. We hit the road and headed up to Rocky Mountain National Park for a couple of hours. It was a gorgeous day! We were hoping to see some snow (Ian insisted on wearing his snow boots and bringing along his shovel just in case), but didn't get too far before it was time to turn around. A busy day was still ahead! We stopped off to check out the raging river. It was awesome. I can only imagine how much crazier it is going to get since there is still so much snow to melt. We all enjoyed a fun day with Daddy! We are blessed to have such a wonderful man to keep our home happy. Thank you for all you do for us my love.

Later that night we headed back to Denver - I got Casey tickets to the Rock of Ages musical for Father's Day. We had talked about going and it worked out that Erin and Mattias scored some discounted tickets for us. Always a bonus! We enjoyed a great dinner at Marco's and then met the Nordlof's at the Limelight Supper Club. Not like the supper clubs back home, but still a nice atmosphere and great cocktails before the show. Rock of Ages was awesome - it was like being at all my favorite concerts at once! I wanted to get up and dance, but figured I would get the stink eye from all the theatre peeps. So I rocked out in my chair and sang along to every song. I highly recommend anyone who was in love with the hair metal bands to check out this musical - you will not be disappointed!

Hidden Gem

2011-06-16T10:10:00.000-06:00

It's no secret that the Andrews clan LOVES the airport! Last Sunday the boys slept in until 7:30 (woohoo!) so we packed up and headed to the airport for breakfast. Nothing beats an affordable, yummy breakfast while watching planes, skydivers, helicopters and the occassional jet! We love Diane and the Flight Deck Grill! June 25th is the Longmont Airport Expo and we can't wait. If you live in or around Longmont, I definitely recommend this fun (and free!) family activity.

Our view from the breakfast table. It doesn't get much better than this! We were able to watch two rounds of skydivers as well. It is hard to get photos of them because they look like little specks in the sky until they are about to land. There was a lot of activity this particular day. We even got to see a jet land and take off. Pretty cool!

Ian has been in need of a haircut for some time and we were stalling. It's hard to throw down $20 for a trim, but I guess it is better than what it would look like if I gave it a try. Too risky. Casey had Tuesday off so he took Ian to Loveland for breakfast and to check out a new place...Lollilocks. Kate recommended it so we figured why not. They enjoyed breakfast and then were going to head to the water park, but on the way they found a construction site and Ian had to watch them. He kept shouting "They're working!" He was in heaven. I am amazed Casey was able to pry him away to get his haircut - ha!

Before

After...

Casey was going for a Tony Hawk cut from the 80's, to which Ian lovingly called the "Hawk". When Casey sent me the first picture I was a little worried about him looking Amish. I just needed to see it in person. At least it wasn't a rat tail! He didn't care, he was just excited he got a lollipop:)

Batter up!

2011-06-14T14:38:00.000-06:00

This weekend was a blast - some planned and some not. Saturday morning Ian told me he wanted to go to the Flower Bin (a local nursery that we take the boys to when we need to get out of the house - bonus, it's free!). I told him we could do that, but we needed to stop by Uncle Jon's first. We ended up staying there for the rest of the morning and the kids enjoyed a yummy lunch that Aunt Heather made. It was a fun impromptu visit!

Ian was disappointed we never made it to Flower Bin, but I told there would definitely be some gardening in our weekend plans so he should not fret. He didn't want to go down for a nap, but after letting him know a trip to the park was planned after his nap he was quite cooperative. I am not against bribery!

We met up with the Courtney family at the Rainbow Ridge park. The weather was great and everyone had so much fun. We got the kids to sit and eat for about 2 minutes. We knew it would be a challenge - who wants to eat when there is a giant playground behind you? Plus, I knew the more they played the more exhausted they would be which would equal bliss at bedtime. Enough said.

I know I am biased, but I have to admit our kids are pretty darn cute! We were able to lure them away from the playground long enough to enjoy Rice Crispie treats. Ella helped her Mommy make them and they were delish! They are one of my favorites and clearly a hit with the rest of the crew:)

Sunday we took Ian to his first Rockies baseball game. We had a blast! John's birthday was the 8th and Maggie arranged a weekend of baseball for his friends. We couldn't have asked for a better day! Ian was excited, but I don't think he knew exactly what he was excited about. John is the biggest baseball fan I have ever known. He loves everything about it and is loyal to his team. He bought Ian a Rockies shirt last year and I was so happy to see it still fit him. His shirt matched John's jersey - too cute!

John brought a baseball for Ian to get autographs on. In the picture above he is getting an autograph from Charles Blackmon. He thought it was so cool! Just look at the expression on his face in the picture below. Love it!

It was great to take Ian to the game with people who go all the time. They know it all, we just had to follow their lead! After the second inning, we took Ian to meet Dinger. Again, he was quite excited but not exactly sure what he was excited about. Once he saw that Dinger was a dinosaur he was even more excited! He got Dinger to autograph his ball too.

When we moved to Erie, we rented a carriage house from Bob Donchez. He was the best landlord ever! He is a professor at the university, so we have kept in touch with him since he can pop in and say "hi" to Casey at work. We also knew that he was a vendor at the Rockies games (the REAL Bob the Beerman!) so I left a message for him on his cell phone and sure enough...he was there. It was great to catch up with him. He missed Ian, but sent him a larger than life popsicle that brought a huge smile to his face!

And cotton candy too - the treats were endless! So much fun for a little boy.

We left in the 6th inning - Ian did great, but man was he tired. No nap - I thought for sure he would fall asleep on the drive home. But he stayed awake (barely!) and talked, talked, talked about the game...and lawnmowers.

His new thing is asking how lawnmowers work. He will tell you that some have engines and some don't. Some have gas and some don't. Some plug in and some don't. He could talk about lawnmowers all day long! Imagine his shock when we found a robot lawnmower down the street from our house. What?! Mind was blown. He told each and every person he saw for the rest of the day about the "giant robot lawnmower" - it was hilarious! Truth be told, my mind was blown a bit too.

We had a relaxing evening and everyone was pretty tired. Milo enjoyed some one on one time with Daddy in the hammock. While Ian helped me plant rhubarb. I am hoping it takes, but my history with plants in Colorado is not good. Only time will tell!

Ian and Milo

2011-06-08T14:33:00.000-06:00

Shoes, Shellac and Sunshine

2011-06-06T12:17:00.000-06:00

When my Mom was out for Easter we attended the Mollie McGee craft show and stumbled upon a woman selling Bandals. I had never heard of these before, but knew if it had to do with flip flops and interchangeable bands...I was in!

Last Friday I hosted my first Bandals party with Dawn Hackney. A few girlfriends joined in the fun and even Ian had to check out the goods. They are SO comfortable and I love that I can get different looks but maintain the base that I have broken in. If you love flip flops - you must check them out!

This is one of four bands that I purchased. Dawn was wearing this band at the show and I had to get them. I am not much for animal prints, but I thought these were too cute. I must also mention my toenails, courtesy of the shellac pedicure at Mimi's nails- another summer must have! It costs a bit more but is totally worth it. This pedi is almost 2 weeks old and looks just like it did the day I got it. Perfect for a busy Mom like me!

Casey had to work early on Saturday and the boys woke me up at 5:45. Lucky me! By 9 AM I was starting to lose my mind. Casey called and suggested we come to C4C for lunch. I couldn't get the boys ready and out the door fast enough. Ian started jumping on the bed, "Yay, yay, yay! I get to see my Daddy!" It was so quiet there - maybe 10 students total. I love eating out at a place where my kids can be loud and messy and I don't feel like there a 100 pairs of judging eyes laid upon me!

I got the boys home in time to take a nap. Milo fell asleep almost immediately after leaving C4C. I didn't want him to because I knew it would hinder his real nap once we got home. Ian tried to keep him awake by yelling, "Cock-a-doodle-do!" at the top of his lungs. No success, despite his best efforts. All he got out of it was the stink eye from Milo.

I was able to get the boys down for a nap and had 30 minutes to myself before Milo decided he was not going to nap any longer. I think Milo is starting to learn that if he wants anything to himself he is going to have to nap off schedule of Ian. I can't blame him. I truly enjoy the alone time I get with both of my boys. Once Ian got up from his nap, it was off to Stephen Day park for some fun with Ella! They had a blast playing together. I love that they are at the age they entertain themselves mostly, which affords Kate and I the opportunity to catch up:)

After the park it was time to pick up Daddy and Milo, then head to the Frazier's for dinner. It is so nice to have friends with kids close in age. The boys (Keller on the left and Ronan on the right) have so much fun together. What a crew these boys will be once Milo is able to join the pack!

Sunday we headed to Loveland to get summer clothes for the boys. Ian is still able to wear a few things, but he was in desperate need of t-shirts. It is nice having 2 boys because they can share some stuff, but they are off in seasons so Milo is only able to wear a few things that Ian never got the chance to wear.

We stopped at Culver's for lunch. Yum! I really wanted to get a picture of Milo with a Culver's bib on like I did with Ian. So cute!

I had to settle for a sack hat instead. I couldn't believe he kept this on - I can't get him to wear a hat to save his life. Apparently, I am not going for the right look...

Sunday afternoon I made a rhubarb crisp. My co-worker brought me some from her garden, as well as a plant for my own yard. I haven't had much success in growing anything since we moved here, so my fingers are crossed. I love rhubarb pie, but wanted to try something a little different. I found this recipe and I dare say...it might be my new favorite! This little cutie thinks so too:)

walkin' and rollin'

2011-06-03T14:41:00.000-06:00

Milo is on a mission. On the 16th of May he crawled on all fours for the first time and he hasn't stopped since! The crawling phase was short lived. He only crawls in order to get from one place where he was standing to another place where he can stand up. Danger! Danger! This milestone has taken childproofing to a whole new level and I am not sure I am really prepared for it. He sure is loving this new adventure though.

I figured I should probably put his new found skill to work...

no time like the present to teach him to wash the windows and do laundry:)

Happy Friday!

if you took a holiday...

2011-05-31T16:49:00.000-06:00

A couple of weeks ago my friend, Erin, asked if I would like to housesit while she went to California with her family. They live in a great area of Denver and I love their house, so I was up for it. They have a daughter, Linnea, who will be 2 in June. So I knew it would be childproofed and that Ian would love being able to play with some new toys!

Friday after I got home from work we packed up the car and drove south. We weren't sure how the weather was going to play out so we had a sunny plan and a rain plan in place for Saturday. We got there about 7 PM and settled in. I am still amazed by the amount of stuff we have to take for a little overnight as a family of 4. I have come a long way from being able to move from place to place with only a car full of my belongings, that's for sure. We got Milo fed and ready for bed. I wasn't too nervous about him, but more nervous for Ian and how he would handle it. He did fabulous! I got Milo to bed while Casey and Ian walked to Peter's Chinese for takeout. Yummy! Milo snuggled up tight in Linnea's comfy crib and the three of us enjoyed a nice dinner. Once the kids were in bed, Casey and I got caught up on episodes of Dexter (we recently became addicted during our free trial with Netflix!) and I started my ever important IKEA wishlist...July 27th is right around the corner!

Saturday we woke up to a blue sky and sunshine. Woohoo! It is about time. Ian played some songs on the piano for us while we got ready for our trip to the Denver Botanical Gardens. He loved the piano - Daddy even showed him how to play Mary had a little lamb. Cute! Of course, my camera died a few minutes and only 2 pictures into the gardens so please forgive my lousy pics...

Ladies and Gentlemen, Mister Sir Ian Walker...I requested Rocket Man;)

Milo was so excited when I told him about our plans for the day! Okay, so it was really just the bananas he was having for breakfast.

I wasn't prepared for the cost of the DBG - $34 to get the four of us in! I was standing in line to buy tickets and a woman tapped me on the shoulder. She asked if I had to buy tickets and when I replied with yes she handed me 3 tickets. What?! She was a member and had free passes that expired today. What a blessing. It sure made me enjoy my time there more knowing that it was a free experience. I tried to pass on my tickets when I left in an attempt to pay it forward, but everyone was a member. Now I know why...

Ian and Daddy chillin' by the water after several minutes of rolling down the hill. So much fun! We encouraged Ian to run to the top and do somersaults on his way down. Before we knew it there were 10 kids rolling, running, somersaulting down the hill. It was awesome! I started to roll, but quickly realized it was not the best plan. Ha!

I wanted to get Milo out and let him play on the grass, but when I walked around to the front of the stroller I saw he was wiped out. Who knew all that "strollin'" would knock him out!

Ian is surely trained to say "Cheese" whenever I pull out the camera or my phone - now we have to work on him saying cheese and looking at the camera. But I still love this picture!

Our plan was to hang out in Denver on Sunday, but poor Milo woke up with a fever and was very lethargic. I wanted to get him home and comfortable as quickly as possible. We chose to forego our Sunday plans and head home. I was praying the whole time that he wouldn't go downhill and require an urgent care visit because he was scheduled to see his pediatrician this morning. I am happy to report there were no urgent care visits needed - just a lot of TLC!

Ian was happy to be home, even though he had a lot of fun on our trip - he wanted to get back to his own backyard and toys. We enjoyed the rest of our family day. Casey had to work at 5 AM on Monday (ick!) so it was just the boys and I for most of Monday. We took it easy and stayed in our PJ's all day. We drove around looking for trains in the morning, but didn't find any. Only heard their whistles. Then it started storming so we headed home for some downtime. Ian really wanted to play outside and I told him he could after some quiet time as long as it wasn't raining. He jumped at the chance to go outside after his nap and he even brought tears to my eyes when he brought me this bouquet...my heart melted. I asked if I could take his picture and he replied, "Yes, but you have to hurry because these need to get in the water." LOL!

Lastly (and completely off topic), I want to give a very BIG congratulations to my business partner, Monica, and her husband, Christian. Today they found out that they are welcoming a baby girl in October. I cannot wait to meet little Miss Baby Black and spoil her with all kinds of obnoxious things that will drive her Daddy crazy;)

It's the Little Things goes LIVE!

2011-05-23T16:40:00.000-06:00

It's the Little Things (aka Melissa and Monica) made its' debut at the Erie Town Fair on Saturday! I took Friday off from work so I would have the whole day to run last minute errands, pack up the car and check over my list a million times.

I woke up Saturday at 6 AM and snuck out of the house while my boys were still sleeping. I had been nervous for several days about the weather. We don't have a lot of cloudy, rainy days in Colorado but last week was intense. I don't think we have had that much rain since we moved here. I just wanted it to be sunny and warm out so people would want to roam the streets of Erie and buy all of our stuff!!

I have attended many craft shows in my life, but this was my first time being on this side of the fence. I wasn't sure what to expect. I didn't really have expectations. I knew Monica and I had spent countless hours designing our products and our booth. Now was the time to sit back and relax...right?

We arrived a little after 7 AM to find our booth marker:) We were lucky to have Christian (Monica's husband) there to help us unload. I didn't think it would be that much, but once you start unloading everything you quickly realize this would have taken forever with just me! BTW - Monica is pregnant and has been ordered by her doctor to not do heavy lifting. Didn't want anyone to think she was a diva and didn't want to help me unload/set-up;)

We had a couple of hours before we had to be ready to sell. It was nice to be able to take our time setting up. I think our booth turned out beautiful! Who wouldn't want to visit us?

We were done setting up by 9:30 - which gave us 30 minutes to relax. Um...nope. I swear, the clock struck 10 AM and the wind hit. It was fast and furious. I spent so much time worrying about the rain that I didn't even think about the wind. Silly for a CO girl. I should know better! We tried everything to keep our display in tact, but we had to cave an hour into it and take all the cards down. Fortunately, I was able to place them in their labeled containers but I can't blame anyone for not wanting to rifle through them. Our stationery, notecards, tins and caddies were secure enough for the most part. I was just praying our poster or boards didn't come loose and strike someone in the eye. Not good PR! I was disappointed, but not discouraged. We kept smiles on our faces and tried our best to sell, sell, sell. We both walked away from it knowing we did the best we could in the conditions we had.

It was an experience and a good one despite all the challenges Mother Nature brought. Now we must look at the lessons learned and see how we can improve for next time. We need to get our website complete and probably start a blog. We need to continue making product and come up with new ideas (I already have a couple of great ones brewing...) and shop ourselves to local stores. There is so much to do and as soon as I recover from Saturday I will get on it:)

I will keep everyone posted on our progress and in the meantime, feel free to drop us a quick note!

Monica and Melissa

itsthelittlethingsllc@gmail.com

May Days

2011-05-19T11:49:00.000-06:00

On May 6th Casey and I celebrated our 5th wedding anniversary! Our original plan was to go to Chicago for the weekend, but in an attempt to be fiscally responsible we chose not to. Being a responsible adult can be a downer. But we still tried to make the best of it...

Our day started by taking this cute little face to the doctor for his 9 month check-up. He had been battling a bad cold all week and I just wanted the doctor to confirm all was okay. Well, he did confirm that all was okay and that there was nothing I could be doing to help his cough (a cough so bad it was making him gag and throw up!), but added that he had a right ear infection AND still isn't gaining weight like the doctor would like so additional labwork and a urinalysis was needed. Ugh! I am okay with blood and needles, but having to hold down my 9 month old while they desperately search for a vein and he is screaming for his life was not exactly how I wanted to start my day! All in all, we survived and his labs came back normal. We head back at the end of the month to get his ear checked and I am praying, wishing, hoping and crossing my fingers that he has gained weight!

We got the kids dropped off and headed to Denver to spend the day. Getting some QT with Casey was long overdue!

First stop - a driveby Centennial IKEA, which is set to open July 27th. I cannot wait!! I will be celebrating Maggie's 30th birthday at Lake of the Ozarks and will get back on the 26th. I figured I would need time to recover from my trip and gear up for IKEA so I took the whole week off. I can't handle the crowd of opening day, but I am thinking a trip later in the week is definitely on the agenda.

Next stop, lunch at Euclid Hall. This place has been on our wishlist for awhile and man was it worth the wait! It was a gorgeous day so we were able to sit outside and soak up the sun while enjoying a couple of beers. Perfection in my eyes. The food was awesome. I highly recommend this place if you are ever looking for a delicious meal in Denver!

Pickle Sampler

Cheese curds - hell yeah!

Bone marrow - tried it, but could do without it.

Sausage and mustard sampler - yummy! Casey said the blood sausage was better than the one we tried at Cafe Iberico and I decided to take his word for it. One blood sausage is enough for me in a lifetime!

Chicken n' Waffles - yes please!

With our anniversary on Friday and Mother's Day on Sunday it made for a busy weekend. All I wanted for Mother's Day was to sleep in. I had been dreaming about it all week. It didn't work out in my favor though. Ian is all about Daddy 99% of the time, but on the ONE day I could sleep in he just had to see me and was waking me up at 7:30! It is really hard to resist his cuteness...

I am blessed to be the mother of these two beautiful boys!

Ian decided that they needed to treat me to ice cream for Mother's Day and there was no way I was ggoing to object to that! It was another nice day so we took a stroll down to Glacier Ice Cream. They have the BEST Junior Mint ice cream - double it with Double Dark Chocolate and I am in heaven!

We asked for a kids' cone of vanilla for Ian...um, clearly their idea of kids' size and mine are two different things! He loved it though:)

Last weekend was exhausting. Monica and I have spent countless hours preparing for the Erie Town Fair this weekend. All the blood (literally!), sweat and tears we have put in these last few months will hopefully pay off on Saturday. We are so excited!!

That being said, I didn't want to cook last weekend at all. It was a dreary weekend and I just wanted something warm in my belly without having to put in effort. We decided to take the boys out for dinner - something I have been avoiding for months (as my first experience when Milo was just a few weeks old has left a bad taste in my mouth!). We chose Passage to India and we went early as to beat any dinner crowd. Food was okay, service was bad. I probably will not go again. But Milo had a blast sitting in the high chair and munching on pappadums. He devoured a couple of them and loved my Aloo Mateer.

He looks so serious in this picture:) Dining out was a success and I feel like we are starting to resume a somewhat normal life. It is amazing how much one little life can change yours. Milo loves watching his big brother - he wants to eat his food, play with his toys and now that he has started crawling he is going to be all over it. We don't think Ian has figured this part out yet...life is good.

My little Picasso

2011-05-17T15:54:00.000-06:00

On the Move

2011-05-02T15:54:00.000-06:00

Casey had to go into work early on Friday morning, so I got the boys up and ready for Lily's. It was PJ Friday and that always makes life easier. I was finishing upstairs when I thought I heard Ian calling for me. I wasn't sure because it sounded like he was in a tunnel. I came downstairs and this is what I found - he wanted me to help him put his gloves on so he could "go to work." I told him only if he let me take his picture;)

Milo is changing so much everyday. He moved to table food full-time over the weekend. I am thankful we don't have to purchase baby food anymore! I was amazed at how he was just done - decided he did not need pureed food anymore and wants to eat anything that we have in our hands. I had to tell Ian that he cannot give Milo anything to eat - I praised him for wanting to share, but had to make sure he wasn't going to sneak him snacks like he was our pet.

Milo is really close to crawling! He will crawl backwards, but doesn't attempt to go forward yet. It is so much fun watching him go from sitting, to his belly, back to sitting, up on all fours, crawling backwards, sitting up again. A man in motion! I am thinking the baby gates will be up before too long...

31 Cent Scoop Night

2011-04-28T11:58:00.000-06:00

The City of Longmont includes a newsletter with your monthly bill and I love it. They always have snippets of information about community events that otherwise I might have no idea about!

Last night was the 5th Annual 31 Cent Scoop Night at Baskin Robbins. Yum! They had 2 fire trucks on display - one vintage that you could only look at and one new that you could get in and climb around in. I think it is very cool that our local firemen/women do events like this. What little kid doesn't love a fire truck?! They also had ID kits for kids, but the biggest attraction was a scoop of ice cream for 31 cents!

Captain Ian

Milo is hanging onto the fireman's every word!

Ian chose bubblegum ice cream - a favorite of mine from childhood too! Although he definitely wanted to get in on the pistachio and almond I chose. I didn't mind sharing:)

Milo really wanted ice cream too, but had to settle for a couple of bites from my waffle cone. He is not interested in baby food anymore. All he wants is table food. Which is cool, but not what I am used to. Ian ate baby food until he was 15 months old!

Easter Weekend 2011

2011-04-27T11:30:00.000-06:00

Mom and Bob arrived the Friday before Easter - Casey and Ian picked them up at the train station early that morning. Milo went to Lily's and I went to work. It was hard to concentrate at work because I was wishing I was at home hanging out with them. They were able to rest up before going on a tour of homes for sale with Dave Lorraine.

When I picked up the boys at Lily's I asked Ian what his crown was for and he replied, "I am King of Earth Day!" He cracks me up...

My Mom and I hit up the Mollie McGree craft show on Saturday - Maggie tagged along with us. I wanted to get some ideas about how booths are set up. Granted, this craft show is indoors but it still helped me vision what I need to prepare for. I had a slight panic attack realizing we may be underprepared for our first show! One of my favorite booths was the nut buffet - there were so many different flavor combinations and it was fun to try some new things. There were a lot of great vendors there and I hope to be one of them someday:)

Ian and Milo shared some brotherly love on Easter Sunday. They are so cute together. Milo watches Ian's every move and takes it all in. We had a busy day prepping for the Easter meal and Easter egg hunt.

Ian helped me make these delicious cake balls. An new favorite in our house. Yummy! I chose a white cake with strawberry frosting and dark chocolate cover. I want to try out some other combinations and see what I can come up with. I wanted to eat the whole platter!

Heather made some delicious (and adorable!) cupcakes for everyone to enjoy. Everyone loved them!

Peyton and Auntie M

Milo loves Uncle Jon's beard!

My handsome little boy!

Peyton loved trying out the new swing. The bigger kids all wanted to swing once she got in, but fortunately we were able to distract them with candy. Ha!

Miss Avyn

Ian and Ella patiently waiting to start the Easter egg hunt. It is hard to believe that next year we will have 5 kids running around looking for eggs. I am thankful for the big yard. It was a lot of fun this year because Ian and Ella were truly into it. They knew the drill!

Ian had plenty of Easter surprises, but by far his squirt gun was #1!

Ella found 10 out of the 20 eggs the Easter bunny hid in the backyard!

Ian would have found 10 as well, but one of the eggs he found got pooped on by a bird. What are the odds? He was not without enough treats to last him the day and then some. He is still asking if he can have an Easter treat each night we get home. I might have to help that candy disappear a little faster:)

Mom made me these awesome pedicure socks! I have never seen anything like them, but they are great. Clearly I am in need of a pedicure - I am hoping for a chilly day so I get to wear them:)

Ian loved his tool apron from Grandma and Grandpa! He wore it all day. I was surprised we were able to get him to take it off for bedtime. He put it on first thing Monday morning to wear to Lily's!

Love your Mother!

2011-04-20T11:38:00.000-06:00

Longmont has an Arbor/Earth Day festival every year, but for various reasons we have never been able to attend. Last Saturday was the 2011 festival and we made it! Maggie and the Courtney crew joined us for the fun. They have a ton of activities, both educational and fun, for the kids. Unfortunately Ian was still recovering from his stomach bug so he was very mellow. He stood in line for several minutes to operate the tree stump remover, but as it was his turn he spotted Smoky the Bear and was no longer interested in the equipment. Surprising in a way. I felt bad for Ian because he could barely muster the energy to be excited about anything. I was so thankful to have Maggie there to help me tag team my minions!

Milo is able to sit in the stroller and see the world. Finally! He loves it and so do I. The double stroller doesn't seem nearly as monstrous when you aren't adding on the additional weight of the car seat. I swear I needed my CDL when I was operating it that way!

There was a giant Earth balloon floating in the middle of the community drum circle. Ian and I listened to the music for a bit. I tried to get him to join in with a maraca, but he just wanted to observe. I hate seeing my babies sick, but I have to admit - I LOVE the cuddle time I get. Ian is a Daddy's boy so I will take any chance I get!

Ian and Ella wrangled Maggie into pushing them on the swings. They seem so big in this picture. I can't believe it - to think it wasn't that long ago that they looked like this.

Miss Avyn just chillin' with her mama. She is such a sweetie and I love those big, blue eyes!

While we were at the festival, Casey and Tom were at the house installing our new screen door. Who knew this little white door could make me SO happy. Thanks to Tom for helping install it - it would have taken Casey and I several days and trips to Home Depot and I am pretty sure he did this blindfolded. Thank God for friends that are handier than you!

After Ian woke up from his nap he was feeling a bit better and wanted Maggie to swing him in the backyard. Again, a welcomed break for me:) We hung out while Milo continued to sleep. I told Ian that we would need to camp in the backyard someday and boy did I open a can of worms with that one! He couldn't stop talking about it. He had to know more about this camping thing. I told him we would have to do a trial run in the house first and then move up to the backyard before truly camping in the wilderness. There was no waiting - he had to camp THAT night! So...Casey set up the tent in the living room. We were schocked when Ian fell asleep in the tent on his own and stayed there. Amazing! Casey told him he would join him once it was time for him to go to bed. I snapped this picture before heading to bed myself on Saturday night. One word: adorable.

Moving full steam ahead on the business venture. Last week we received our City of LMT license and yesterday we received the one from the DOR. yay! We are official...scary. Our Open House is going to be held on May 12th so we are cranking out all the last minute details. I can't believe this is happening. We are nervous, but very excited for our first show. We will be debuting at the Erie Town Fair on May 21st. May this be the first of many shows for Monica and I.

A chance meeting

2011-04-13T17:01:00.000-06:00

Last Saturday Ian and I took a road trip to DIA. I read on Facebook that an old boss of mine was in CO so we messaged back and forth, deciding a quick meeting at DIA would work best. I was so excited! We have kept in touch ever since I left Wabash Valley Hospital to move to WI - she came to my bridal shower, our wedding and even the baby shower for Ian. I found it only fitting to bring him along so they could meet. She is doing well and looks exactly the same. It was cool to be able to connect this way, so I must admit...Facebook isn't that evil.

We had a playdate scheduled for Saturday with the Courtney crew. Ian is always excited to see Ella. Kate and I decided to check out the new BRU by our house. Whoa - I was not prepared for the insanity that ensued! People everywhere and kids straight flippin' out (including my own)! I prefer the BRU in Ft. Collins because they divide the baby side from the toy side, but not this one - everything in your face as soon as you walk in the door! There was a guy making balloon animals, a lady face painting and various characters in costume. It was fun, just a bit overwhelming.

Arrrr Matey!

Meow.

Whenever we see someone in costume, Ian will ask if he can give them a hug and/or kiss. Geoffrey was spotted from across the way and Ian took off running. I thought for sure he would be more excited about the Stormtroopers than Geoffrey, but I guess the Stormtroopers are more intimidating in person than in book form;)

I promised Ian we would go to the park after he woke up from his nap on Saturday. I was praying the whole time that the weather would hold off long enough for me to keep my promise and thankfully it did! It was pretty windy, but the sun was out so it was nice enough for a few minutes. I kept Milo in the stroller and just wheeled him around the playground. He didn't seem to mind!

Sunday night was bath night and we finally introduced the rubber duck bath tub to Milo. He loved it! Whew. This is the same boy who did not get a bath longer than 30 seconds for the first 6 months of his life. I was worried we might be in for a long haul if he did not like the upgrade. Being able to bathe both of them at the same time truly makes life easier...

and Ian is psyched to have a bathtubmate - not sure the feeling is reciprocated though. Milo has suspicion in his eyes. ha!

We finally took the first step toward landscaping - only took 3 years to get the hald dead shrub removed from the corner! Everyone has nice corner lots and then there is us. Alas, we have a blank slate...well, kind of. I have struggled since moving to CO to figure out the climate in regard to planting. I seem to kill everything, but we don't have the money to plunk down on anything fancy. Not to mention my lack of time or energy. At least if we don't get to planting this summer we won't have an atrocious half-dead juniper bush suffocating our corner lot:)

Yay for PJ Friday!

2011-04-08T12:55:00.002-06:00

Happy Birthday to the Frasier Boys!

2011-04-06T10:20:00.000-06:00

You can tell it is spring because the calendars start to fill up and the weekends fly by in the blink of an eye! Last Saturday we were blessed with AMAZING weather - it was 79 degrees. Perfect weather for a birthday party. Ian's buddies, Ronan and Keller, had their 3rd birthday party. Ian was psyched to them since they no longer go to daycare with him. Do you like the outfit he chose?

Since the weather was so great the kids were able to play in the backyard - and this meant water balloons! Milo and I chose to have a picnic on the living room floor instead. I knew if I tried to feed him outside he would be too distracted by all the activity. I love that he is able to sit up on his own and I remember how much easier life started to get at this point. Yay!

Who could resist this spinach, apple and rutabaga face?

After our picnic, we joined in the birthday party fun outside. The kids had so much fun playing together and it was awesome how well everyone got along. Ian and I talked prior to the party about the importance of letting Ronan and Keller play with their presents and that he had to ask if he wanted to play with one of their gifts. I was impressed that he remembered to do just that!

Milo enjoyed sitting on a blanket in the backyard.

Just hangin' with Mommy and Daddy and his butterfly teether.

Mia also celebrated her birthday (she is their older sister) - pretty nice that they can get away with one birthday party a year for all 3 kids!

Keller, clutching tightly to his new favorite pinwheel:)

Ronan - going straight for the cupcake. That's my kinda kid!

One of the things I anticipated when Casey and I decided to move to Colorado was being able to have family dinners. When I was a kid we would go to my great-grandparent's house every Sunday for a family dinner. You would walk into my great-grandma's house and be hit with the smell of fresh bread, pies and homemade egg noodles boiling on the stovetop. Actually, I went to pick up the kids at Lily's on Monday and was hit with a smell that took me right back to that exact moment. I love when that happens. Life is busy and schedules are hectic, but I like that my brother and his family are able to join us for Sunday dinners. We can't do it every Sunday, but I am thankful for the times when we can do it.

Peyton and Milo had a blast playing together before dinner. They recognize each other a little more each day. I can't believe they are already big enough to join us at the dinner table. So much fun!

What a cutie! I am afraid this little girl already has her Aunt Melissa wrapped around her finger.

Ian's favorite part about a visit from Uncle Jon - getting to play in the back of his truck!

Monica and I are hard at work getting ready for the Erie Town Fair - only 44 days until our debut. We are hard at work building inventory, submitting applications, purchasing packaging materials, starting a business plan - so much to do, but I think we are right on track! We are hosting an open house on May 12th for friends and family to see our work and give us feedback. That means we have even less than 44 days, but I am confident we will come out swingin'. Stay tuned...

Giving Back

2011-03-31T17:08:00.000-06:00

Level 3 offers volunteer opportunities for us throughout the year. I have not been able to participate in the past - either due to PTO or pregnancy. VOC does some great work and I hope to be able to volunteer with them again in the future. The project I worked on was restoration in Fourmile Canyon. Last September, Boulder experienced a wildfire that destroyed approximately 6,000 acres. The devastation and loss was enormous. I wasn't in a position at the time to donate financially or physically, having a newborn to care for. But I wanted to be able to give something back, so I jumped at the chance to volunteer with this great organization last week. If the area was to receive heavy precipitation several of the surviving homes and families would be at risk from flooding, so our responsibility was to rake and re-seed this area with 3 species of grass seed. It was rugged at times, but so worth it. I am happy I got involved and hope to volunteer on future projects too!

Ian certainly thought I was the coolest Mom on the block with my hard hat and vest!

I really like this picture - although it is sad to think that I was standing where someone's home once was there is still a beauty in this lonesome tree.

Batteries and a septic tank are the only proof that a home once stood.

It is very hard to understand this type of loss unless you see it with your own eyes, but we all felt good at the end of the day knowing we at least did something.

The views were spectacular - this was my view during my lunch break. Sure beats the view I have from my office now!

I found a few more pictures from the visit with Casey's parents and they were too cute not to post. Enjoy!

I love this photo of Milo! He is so happy - the messier, the better.

I found a few more pictures from the g-rents visit...

Ian was SO excited to see the peacock feathers at the zoo!

Almost as excited as he was to see the construction site - ha!

The elephants were a big hit too - he could have stayed in this spot all day.

It was nice to have visitors and we had great weather, always a bonus! Casey got to play some golf with his Dad. His Mom helped me craft and gave me some great business ideas. I enjoy making things with her and we were able to go to the craft store - a place where we could both get lost for hours. Ian really enjoyed spending time with them - it was cute getting to see him interact with them. Made me wish we lived closer to their grandparents. Milo has grown so much since they saw him last and he was jazzed to show them his new eating solids skills and how he can sit up on his own! The visit went by fast, but it was great. Always hard to say goodbyeThey were a bit worried about their flight home because of the snowstorm headed for them. They were fortunate to get home safely and as scheduled.