our happy life

Moving

2009-07-15T15:53:00.002-06:00

I've decided to change our blog over to, well, a better host. Please bear with me, as it's pretty new and I'm still formatting/setting everything up, but click here to get to our new space!

Parades, Fireworks, Candy - Oh My!

2009-07-10T08:48:00.007-06:00

I've been working on a post for a while now, and have decided to scrap it in favor of a simple update on a great weekend. I mean - I'm hormonal, emotional and hanging onto my sanity by a thread...doesn't make for a very upbeat post!

Anyway - we spent the 4th weekend up in Breckenridge with our friends, the Watkins, and got some more visiting in with our friends who are here from Austin. It was a great time, the kids had a blast at the huge parade and were in awe of the fireworks. We stayed in an awesome place, and only had about 1/4 m. walk to probably the best place in town to view the show! It was so nice to get away for a few days, and get some good chill time in with friends.

Hazel is doing great, she is really an easy baby - much easier than Evan was, in hindsight! I can't decide if that's a 2nd born thing, or just the difference b/w girls and boys, but I'm loving her predictability and really appreciating this time around how EASY newborns are. She's had terrible baby acne & cradle cap, hence the lack of pictures this past week, but she's been smiling a lot more and is starting to make really cute cooing noises!

Evan continues his toddler antics. I'm struggling a bit trying to embrace his "boy" ways (aka: animalistic tendencies). He has his good moments and not so good moments, but when my patience is thin and I'm exhausted (pretty much 100% of every day), it's extremely hard to deal with the not so good ones! At heart, he has such a sweet soul and is really loving - so I try to remember that when he's jumping off the couch, screaming as loud as he can and shooting things. Oh, our morning started the other day with him pouring dark plum colored nail polish all over our beige-carpeted stairs. Sweeet...

Here's a cute picture of Pete & Hazel, and our friend Chris with Ava, on Pete's birthday - the girls are only 7 weeks apart! It's been really great for Heather and I to hang out often, letting the older kids run out their energy while we cuddle the new ones and share the joys and trials of our days.

Life With 2

2009-06-22T13:37:00.005-06:00

It's one of those things, like pretty much all of parenthood, that you just can't understand until you've experienced it. I think that all in all, things are going amazingly well for us as a newly expanded family. Now, that isn't to say that we're not having our struggles, or that I haven't been frequently reduced to tears or yelling. One of the things that I've really come to value in my friendships is HONESTY. And it seems to be something that is fairly rare especially among mothers - there is so much competition and judgement out there! I love to be able to share the good things and lament about the struggles, and to find that no matter what it is, there is a friend that's been there - or more likely in our group, one that is currently going through it! So, being perfectly honest - life with 2 is really wonderful, and really hard. Not exactly profound, is it? I am being honest when someone asks how it's going, and I say "Great!". But they're usually not asking during that fussy hour, or in the middle of yet another meltdown from Evan... And for those that have experienced it and know better, or know me well enough to delve a little deeper - well, you're just risking that you'll catch me at a moment where I need to vent. Or cry. Or maybe sing with joy about our 2 beautiful, healthy children.

And speaking of healthy, isn't it amazing that kids (especially toddlers), STAY relatively healthy, despite the things they get into? For instance, while playing at the park and finding that chasing balls with his friends just wasn't cutting it for fun, Evan decided to collect dried up worms. Lots of them.

Hazel - 3 weeks old!

The First 10 Days

2009-06-11T18:27:00.005-06:00

We had Hazel's check up with the midwives & with her pediatrician this week, and she's doing perfectly. I'd like to take credit for having amazingly yummy milk, but I think that it's more likely we've lucked out with 2 really good eaters - Hazel gained an entire pound in just 1 week! I wish we could go to the birth center for everything, I'm really going to miss going there, it's just so much more peaceful and enjoyable than Going To The Doctor. Hazel is changing daily, as newborns do, and we think getting cuter by the minute! She's really sweet & mellow, sleeps great, and even has had her waking hours only when the sun is up...so far. Evan's been an awesome big brother, he always wants to hold her and loves when she grips his finger. Of course, the change in the house has been a lot for him to adjust to, and that's manifesting itself how it usually does with Evan - with sleep issues. We're now armed with some varied advice from friends who have been there (thank you!), but we're thinking that maybe this is just something we need to accept until it passes. I'm just trying to remember how thankful I am for his age and relative maturity, this would have been much more difficult a few months ago. Also, Pete's been an enormous help - it's man on man around here. What in the world do people with tons of kids DO??

Here are some photos from the past week:

Happy family of 4!
Brother & sister - awwww....
A doe gave birth to 2 fawns right on the other side of our fence the other day! I think she chose our house because she knew what a wonderful entry to the world Hazel just had :)
Hazel's first of many poolside happy hours - she's just 4 days old!

Welcome, Baby Hazel!

2009-06-03T12:40:00.006-06:00

We are so thrilled to welcome Hazel Mae to our family! She is just the most precious little thing, and looks so much like Evan did as a baby. She was born at the Mountain Midwifery Birth Center on Monday, June 1st and we were home just 4 hours later! It was a wonderful experience being there, exactly what we had hoped for - peaceful, calm and loving, without all of the unnecessary chaos that goes with a hospital birth. Hazel was born "in caul", and into water in the birthing tub, it was really amazing. The midwives were all really excited since being born in caul is so rare, and just added to the excitement of her birth. It's really nice to have this time to bond as a new family at home, and we're grateful to have both sets of parents here to help out. Evan's been really great so far - but I think all older siblings are, until they realize the baby isn't leaving! But he's really the perfect age to be welcoming her, accepting and curious, and easily distracted by playtime with the grandparents. He loves to touch her and talk about her, we just keep reminding him of all of the fun things he gets to do because he's the Big Brother. We had our home visit today and Hazel is doing perfectly, she's 6 lbs. 15 oz. and exactly as she should be. I feel great, so much better than I did the first time around - just excited to introduce her to everyone!

Evan:

Hazel:

Getting Closer...

2009-05-21T09:14:00.004-06:00

We have less than a week until my due date, and we're still crossing our fingers that this little girl makes a slightly early appearance. Everything is going well, I've made some progress, and my midwife confirmed that she had dropped a couple of stations in the past week. Of course - "progress" in labor terms could mean anything, maybe she'll come tonight, and maybe I'll still be pregnant well into June! Except for extreme exhaustion and the usual aches & pains of being 39+ weeks pregnant, I'm feeling ok. Why is the anticipation and anxiety of The End so unbearable? Not that I'm a particularly patient person to begin with, but you'd think with all of my training in childbirth & labor, I'd be able to surrender to the unknown of this a bit better. Afterall, I'm the one who's been reminding my friends that "babies come when they're ready!" - I'm just really hoping every minute that OUR baby is ready now! We've been trying to keep busy with activities, as much as my energy level allows, and also get some little projects done around the house.
We had another awesome shower thrown by Pete's coworkers this past weekend - it was completely girly'd out, and I just loved it. Everyone was so generous, and we have a ton of new, adorable outfits to deck this little one out in! I never thought I'd be the kind of mom who dressed her daughter in frills & pink...but after having a boy first and struggling with how NOT cute most of the stuff is, I'm all in - bring on the ruffles!
This week I officially gave up working out, I hung in there as long as I could without being completely miserable, and I'm feeling pretty good about my fitness level throughout this pregnancy - which isn't actually that hard since I was pretty much INactive while pregnant with Evan! We have her room set up, although she'll be sleeping with us for a while - the wall decals are my favorite, easy to stick & removable when we're sick of them!
So - send us some good labor vibes, we're ready anytime now!

Happy Mom's Day!

2009-05-10T15:07:00.006-06:00

Happy day to all of the wonderful, hard working moms out there!

Mommy & her monster - I mean...adorable, brilliant, idyllic son:

It says a lot about my current state of mind and energy level when my perfect day is as simple as lots of good food, sleep & having help running some errands. I'm actually grateful for the cloudy, cool day today...like many people that live in this perpetually sunny state, it's sometimes nice to have an excuse NOT to go out and be active!

We're down to the final couple of weeks, and OH MY GOODNESS (a favorite Evan saying), am I ready to have this baby! She is extremely low - this according to my midwives who can feel the base of her skull in my pelvis rather than the top of her head, and backed up by the she's-about-to-fall-out feeling I have down there. This gives me hope that a) she'll be early, and b) I'll have a miraculously short labor. I figure after my first birth experience, I pretty much earned that. Here's to hoping!

A pic of the beautiful henna painting on my ready to burst belly:

"Playgroup"

2009-05-07T19:18:00.011-06:00

At this point, this word has come to have many meanings for us. Before we had Evan and I heard the word "playgroup", I envisioned (I know this is terrible) a group of dowdy moms sitting around scrapbooking about their babies and eating Doritos. Maybe I'm not the only one, and this is why so many women are waiting longer to become a mother? In any case, what we've searched for/found/created is a wonderful departure from what I used to envision! Our playgroups provide us with grounding, support, exercise & play buddies, friends, a sense of community - and on and on.

Here's what I mean:

Girls Playgroup - outdoor fun & hanging out. Doesn't it appear that our group breeds like rabbits? Neighborhood Playgroup - at "The Cave"

What a pleasant surprise from what I had feared of suburbia living. I never dreamt of hanging out in a setting like this, with a neighbor providing live entertainment, kegs, a chocolate fountain (the hosts must be catering to pregnant ladies), and a fire pit - all in the name of "playtime" for the kids! Pretty much doesn't get cooler than this.

Epitome of Childhood

2009-05-07T18:59:00.003-06:00

Celebrating Baby

2009-04-28T15:15:00.013-06:00

We were incredibly spoiled this week with baby celebrations! I know that I gush about what great friends we have a lot, but truly, we have the kindest, most generous, loving group of friends anyone could ever hope for.

(35.5 Weeks!)

The weekend kicked off with a gift that Pete gave me, a photo session at Body Photage, and it was one of the greatest experiences of my life. It's no secret that I haven't felt the greatest this pregnancy - physically or mentally, and a couple of hours with Darrell was all it took to make me feel like the most beautiful pregnant woman alive! Who knew that it could be so much FUN to be nude for 2 hours in front of essentially a stranger? We viewed the proofs just a couple of days later, and we're really excited to have some of his gorgeous work to forever reflect our celebration of this new baby.

Saturday we had a couples shower thrown by Casey & Jevan, Natalie & Christa, and it was so much fun. Casey went all out making a huge spread of yummy Southern food, and we lingered for hours just enjoying the company of friends that we don't get to see very often. It meant so much to us that everyone made it a priority to celebrate this occasion with us, we are so thankful for everyone's time & generosity!

Sunday I had a girls shower with my amazing "mom friends". We spent the morning in Boulder at a yoga class and having brunch at one of my favorite spots, the Boulder Tea House. They put together the most thoughtful "blessingway" gift, which included a henna belly painting, a sitting for newborn photos with the photographer who did Evan's 1 yr. pix, and all kinds of things to use for labor & postpartum - such a cool idea, and so very me! Their support and friendship continues to be the rock of my existence as a mother.

It's hard to believe we're down to only 4 weeks (give or take) - it's gone really fast this time around, although I'm sure the next few weeks will drag in anticipation. I'm feeling pretty good, considering. Just anxious to not be pregnant, and to meet our little girl! She's rolling & pushing all the time like she's trying to escape the confines, and I just can't imagine that there's anywhere else for her to go but OUT - I feel huge, and like I have to put in some serious effort to keep from doing the pregnant waddle. I don't remember feeling like this with Evan until the last week or so, even though I was much bigger with him.

Happy Easter!

2009-04-12T18:09:00.017-06:00

I didn't really remember how fun this holiday can be! I mean, most of the Easter's we've spent in Denver have been with friends & lots of cocktails, which is undeniably fun - but leave it to a toddler to remind you of being a kid and how days like this can be magical. We started the festivites bravely with Toddler Egg Dying 101 - and even survived without any major catastrophe, despite lots of kids with short attention spans and many cups of dye. Then Evan got to make and eat cookies with Nana - a huge hit, especially sneaking bits of the sugar sprinkles. This morning was like Christmas with all of the basket gifts (and candy), followed by brunch with the Easter bunny and an egg hunt. Evan was pretty frightened of the grown man in a bunny suit for about 10 minutes, then he warmed right up and was yelling, "Hi, Easter Bunny!" the rest of the time. He even willingly followed him outside for the egg hunt (and more candy)! We visited with good friends at a mid-day party where Evan was a little testy (I'm sure it had nothing to do with all of the excitement...and candy), then spent the afternoon napping and getting Evan's "big boy" bed all set up in his room for the inaugural night - hopefully the sugar crash will knock him right out and it will go smoothly!

They're being so careful!

Practicing his babysitting skills

Making cookies at Nana's

Hiding from the scary bunny, he'll never get me in here.

Oh wait, - he's not so bad!
(After we reminded him that the bunny brought him candy)

Egg Hunting!

2 Going on 20

2009-04-01T05:53:00.005-07:00

You know it's NCAA tournament time when your 2 year old (after a few days of no games) asks: "Mommy, is anybody playing basketball tonight?". !?!

Followed by dinner time, in which he touches none of the rice, macaroni salad, or teriyaki that would usually interest a toddler - but instead asks for, "More sushi, please!!". These are going to be expensive tastes to keep up with...

One of his favorite foods lately is tofu, what a true Colorado boy :)

We had some friends over to watch the games and enjoyed 2 amazing MSU wins last weekend - wow! We also celebrated Gm. Lundgren's 65th bday - hard to tell if Evan liked saying "Happy Birthday, Grandma" or eating his mini cupcake more. He still wishes me a happy bday almost daily, and mine was 2 months ago!

He's been telling anyone who'll listen that he "has a baby sister in mommy's tummy", which is pretty adorable. And the other night while we were out to dinner we caught the beginning of this funny conversation between him and the older man next to him:

Evan: "Hi, I'm Evan!"

Man: "Well, hello Evan. How are you?"

Evan: "I'm doing good. I'm cute! You cute, too?"

Ah - the honesty of a toddler. Obviously, he's been told that a few times before! He's really into trying to figure out all of his friends mom's names lately - and getting straight all of the new babies in the group. He's doing pretty well, it's a lot for a little one to remember. I just love that he's growing up with such a great group of moms who watch out for and love him, and that he's so comfortable with!

I had my 32 week appointment with the midwives today and everything is going great. I'm still measuring small, but nothing concerning. I've definitely felt a huge energy drain in the past couple of weeks, and we're getting anxious to meet this little one! She's been doing some borderline painful gymnastics in there lately, but it's fun to pick out the body parts as they move around - such a cool & bizarre sensation. It's been so wonderful this time to have other pregnant friends to share the experience with, and I feel really confident about the support system we have to look forward to - for Evan and for us! I remember feeling pretty alone while pregnant & isolated from our friends the first time around, this is much better for the hormonal psyche :)

We attended a really fun class at the zoo, where the kids got to go on a "safari" finding different animals, make a photo book about their journey, and touch cool stuff like a rhino horn, a jaguar fur & a 7' boa constrictor:

Little Frog

2009-03-25T13:29:00.003-07:00

Here's a clip of Evan reciting his favorite song from music class - about a little frog that gets put in the bathtub. We had a great time in class with our friends, but we've decided to move the kids onto other fun stuff. Music was just not active enough for our nearly 2.5 yr. olds - so, back to gym class! It was fun when he was younger, but he's getting so much more out of it now - and mom is really enjoying about the only activity that truly wears him out!

It IS March Madness!

2009-03-23T06:16:00.009-07:00

Toddler hiking that includes playing with sticks and looking for tadpoles - and trying not to fall off of bridges into the water in the process:

Sharing ice cream with mom after lunch on the patio:

I'm 31 weeks along now - AH! And Evan's got a new ride for those long hikes, since mom's carrying the "other one". This week, Evan thinks we should either name her "Agua", or "Evan-again" - taking a poll, feel free to vote!:

And of course, it's tourney time, one of the best times of the year! While Nat & mom watched the nail-biting MSU game, Evan played in the hose with dad. So much for thinking we'd be snowshoeing a lot this winter!

March?

2009-03-09T07:21:00.007-07:00

As much as we love this awesome weather, we desperately need some snow around here! Evan's been having a great time exploring outside during hikes and walks in the park. I'm so thankful that we had all of last summer to really take advantage of hiking together when he was a little older and while we still could, he's too big for me to carry any distance comfortably now and there won't be any hiking with just me & 2 kids - it's a summer we'll never forget! I'm going to start leading Toddler Hikes for our group, and then back to leading some Baby Hikes once Evan starts preschool in the fall and I have a couple of free hours with just the baby.

He's gone from being slightly physically timid to having hardly any fear, he'll jump off of anything and is obsessed with skateboarding. Yesterday after our hike he spent some time "riding" with the help of dad, sooo cute. He's also fully into the "I can do it!" stage, which is great to watch, and just means we need to allow some extra time to get moving. That seminar we went to was really a great help to us - he's been SO much better this week, and our days are much more enjoyable without the frustrations we were both experiencing before! I'm pretty amazed at what a difference there's been with just a little more consistency and immediacy on our part.

He's started telling us that he "has a baby" in his belly, too, which is hilarious. It must be such a crazy concept for a 2 yr. old to grasp - he keeps asking to see his baby sister, and comes up with some really funny names for her. He's been feeling her kick when he has enough patience to stay still for more than 5 seconds, but he's much better at just talking to her. I can't believe how fast it's approaching!

Bye Bye Grandma!

2009-03-02T18:55:00.002-07:00

After we dropped Grandma off today, Evan fake cried in the car and said, "I never get to see Grandma!". Awww...

We had a great week together, got out for some hiking & a fun dinner out, and doing our usual stuff with friends. I think it was fun for mom to see Evan interacting with the other kids now that they're all so much more into playing WITH each other, rather than the parallel play. We were both sad to see her go today.

Pete and I went to a seminar with a bunch of other couples on this parenting style we've been trying to use...trying being the key word here. I would say we haven't been extremely consistent, and it was really helpful to learn from the source (the father & son that developed it). We're excited for all of the "opportunities" to implement our new skills! It was also fun just to get out for a whole day of adult time.

I'm now in my final trimester, and still feeling pretty good and energetic. I've been getting lots of exercise with my wonderfully athletic and motivated friends - these girls are so inspiring, and keep me healthier than I would be on my own (thanks!!). It's pretty fun to come up with new ways every week to get in a workout AND let the kids get their playing in. We're looking forward to a great week playing in the sunshine & even more warm weather!

Sunshine Fun

2009-02-28T07:26:00.002-07:00

Just a couple of cute pix from a fun day outside, catching bugs!

Energy!

2009-02-25T17:46:00.005-07:00

We had an active week last week, checking out new things like the Denver Art Museum and doing some of our usual faves - mom's exercise followed by kid's play and time trying to burn energy in the nice weather. This kid is impossible to wear out! Have I mentioned that he has a lot of energy and totally exhausts me on a daily basis? Pete was on a snowboarding trip for 4 days, but we kept busy with help from friends and even got a girl's night out - the only problem being that Evan hasn't stopped asking for our babysitter since she was here.

My mom is in town right now, so we've been having a fun week in the warm temps & gorgeous sunshine. She agrees - it's not just that I'm tired and pregnant, Evan is challenging to keep up with!

Here's a clip from an excursion last week, playing on this cool "bubble" installation at the DAM:

Perfect Weekend

2009-02-17T13:00:00.011-07:00

It doesn't get much better than a long weekend that includes yoga, snowshoeing AND hiking! Oh, and a whole afternoon of girly pampering at the spa :) We spent a fun Valentine's Day at the Aquarium and having lunch out, then feasting on crab legs & chocolate fondue for dinner. Evan is much happier when there's other people than just me to play with, his energy is endless and he wants constant interaction - otherwise he gets pretty destructive, kind of like a new puppy. Parents of toddler boys can probably relate...I know that there are a whole different set of challenges with girls, but his "boy-ness" is so pronounced and difficult to deal with lately.

It was really great to get Natalie out and show her the best of a Colorado weekend - showshoe one day, and hike in 60 degree weather the next! We took her out on our neighborhood trails, which she had attempted to hike on when we were gone a few weeks ago, but didn't get very far. We had neglected to tell her about the slightly scary mountain lion warning signs (oops!), and decided a lion was not something she wanted to face alone.

I love this photo, Evan's expression just says, "Holy sh*t, did you see the size of that tiger?!" (and yes, it's totally bizarre that there are tigers at the aquarium). And I couldn't resist this "What Not to Wear" photo - seriously. There is just not much to say about that get-up:

And here's a couple from snowshoeing - the pregnant belly & layers of clothes don't make for a very flattering picture, oh well!:

Laying Low

2009-02-11T15:15:00.005-07:00

My very good friend, Natalie, moved to town a couple of weeks ago and will be staying with us during her transition. Evan loves having the extra playmate in the house, if we could only keep him from tormenting her poor little dog... I love having her here, too - it's been so long since we've lived in the same city and been able to spend this much time together, and it's extra fun for those MSU basketball games!

Last week was my birthday, and although I don't get as excited to celebrate it as I used to, I had a great time. A few of my wonderful girlfriends and I went out to my new favorite restaurant in Denver and enjoyed one of the best meals I've ever had - what a treat to have a night out with such great food & friends! I was sick on my actual birthday, but Pete was kind enough to stay home so I could rest up and we still went out to dinner at "the club" for seafood night. The best was having Evan say "Happy Birthday, Mommy!" - and even wrapping up "gifts" for me in his menu (spoons, forks...) and presenting them to me.

We're not sure where he got it, but Evan's response to everything that we tell him "no" to lately is, "I don't get to (insert want) EVER!". Funny, but not exactly charming. The other day at the grocery store it was, "I don't get balloons EVER!". This age is constantly challenging and hilarious, as the kids learn so much every day. Just when I think I have the most difficult child on the planet, or I'm going to lose my mind, I'll have a grounding conversation with a friend who just reminds me that ALL of our kids are going through the same things right now and I'm not alone. They all have their days, they all have their specific challenges, and they all have so many wonderful wonderful things to love.

Winter Park

2009-02-02T10:47:00.008-07:00

We had a very fun (and exhausting) getaway to the mountains with friends this weekend. It's really great for the kids to play 24/7, although I think it's challenging for them...or at least for Evan...to have to share & have that much stimulation all day! He didn't sleep much, which means that we didn't sleep much - but that's ok, he's never been what I'd call an "easy" traveler, and we still manage to do it often. It's great for us parents to have so many people to keep an eye on the roaming toddlers, and to be able to hang out together in the evenings after the kiddies go to bed. We got out for some snowshoeing and sledding in the beautiful sunshine, and enjoyed the gorgeous views of the Frasier valley from the house. Evan was obsessed with the air hockey table, we could barely tear him away from the thing! Our group has been really good about doing these weekends every few months, and we always look forward to it. The girls & kids spend a lot of time together on a weekly basis, but it's great to get the husbands in on the fun, and to hang out as families.

Changes

2009-01-27T21:34:00.005-07:00

I've been thinking, that not so far off, Evan is going to have to start sharing with his new sibling. Our time, his toys, and this blog! Up until now, I've pretty much kept it to solely Evan pictures & doings - but we'll be changing it to a slightly broader look into our family as it grows. I hope you'll enjoy the transition!

So, a few thoughts from me about where we are...

Being a mother to Evan is the most rewarding job I've ever had, and I'm over-the-moon excited about welcoming our daughter to the world in the spring! In hindsight it wasn't very long, but it seemed like eternity that I searched for something that I was passionate about - and it wasn't until I was gifted with the choice of leaving my career behind that I finally found clarity. It was extremely important to us that our children have a parent that is with them full time, and the journey has been as rewarding and as challenging as you'll hear from any parent. Being a mother has also led me to getting certified as a Labor Doula, which from the first birth I attended felt like what I was meant to do my whole life. I would consider myself a lucky person, but our lives today are beyond what even I would chalk up to as just luck. I am grateful for so many things - our family, friends and health at the top of the list, but also for this amazing place we call home (both our wonderful neighborhood & just CO in general), for the experiences we've been given, and for the people that love us and continue to join us for this ride.

Confused Seasons

2009-01-21T08:55:00.004-07:00

How great is 70 degrees in January? We had a wonderful day enjoying the weather yeterday with a run in the park & visit to the zoo with friends, and today we plan to hit the trails! Evan is never going to understand seasons when we get 7" of snow one day and we're all bundled up, and it's 55 degrees the next. We're all still waiting for winter to hit, and taking advantage of the warm temps in the meantime. We took Evan to the Stock Show last weekend, which was mildly fun for us (livestock is only so interesting) - definitely more entertaining for Evan, or maybe it was just a high from his first taste of cotton candy. Mom got to enjoy a nice, long afternoon at the spa with a fellow pregnant friend - bliss! Other than that, we're just up to the usual playing & outings - below is a cute pic of Evan having a dinner date with his "ladies", and skateboarding with dad & friends. He's fully into the toddler questioning and "Me too!" stage - everything is "What's this do? What's that? What happened?", and he really thrives on predictability, no doing something different every time!

Adventures in Toddler-dom

2009-01-10T15:11:00.005-07:00

It sure is exhausting keeping a 2 yr. old boy entertained! We had a fun week getting back into our usual swing of things - meaning lots of playing, playing and more playing! We went to this really awesome indoor play area, which the kiddos absolutely loved - and us mommies, too, since it seems way less germy than the Children's Museum (and they have a full-service coffee bar)! Evan is still talking about it.

He was especially excited to start back up with our music class after a holiday break, and to enjoy a beautiful 64 degree day outside! Our neighborhood has been doing "playgroup" since this summer. This used to be simply meeting at the playground, and morphed into a full-on party every week. Now that we're mostly indoors, it's absolute mayhem! We hosted before Xmas, and I thought the 15 or so kids we had was pretty crazy, but there must have been close to 30 kids this past week, plus all of the parents and 4x as many cocktails. It's great for the kids to have that sense of community, and such a good way to welcome the new families that are moving in and get to know everyone better. Almost all of the kids are under 5, we feel so lucky to live in such a great neighborhood!

Lately he likes to say, "That's ok, no worries", which cracks us up. We're still entertained everyday by his eating, he approaches meals with such gusto it's impossible not to watch him. We take him out to eat often, and always have comments from other diners about how good he is, and how he just devours anything! When we give him juice, he gets it with 50% water, so lately he's taken to asking for it and then doing a "No water...juice!" dance.

Somewhere in between all of that playing mom even got a morning off while Nana & Papa babysat, which was time for me to attend a meeting at the birth center and meet with the midwives. I'm feeling great now that I'm halfway through with the pregnancy, I've been feeling the baby move for over a month and we're getting really excited about our new spring arrival!

Happy New Year

2009-01-03T11:05:00.002-07:00

May this year bring everyone fun times, good health and happiness!

Merry Christmas!

2008-12-30T20:17:00.003-07:00

Well, this was definitely our best Christmas so far with Evan. It was really wonderful to have both sets of grandparents and Uncle Brian & Kayle in town to celebrate with, and the days surrounding the holiday with visits from special friends and cousin Veronica! Evan was treated to a live lobster dinner AND a seafood boil (both of which he devoured), and so many presents he was clearly overwhelmed by all of the new toys. It was incredibly fun to watch him get so excited about Santa and opening presents, and a riot when he joined in for some Wii action. We are so thankful for a wonderful year, and for our amazing family & friends who continue to fill our lives with love & laughter!

More Fun...

2008-12-22T19:57:00.005-07:00

Evan is loving to talk about Santa, the red nosed reindeer (and watching for the "reindeer" in our yard), the Christmas specials of his favorite cartoons, and eating out a lot since mommy doesn't want to cook! Here's pix of making brownies, meeting Evan's adorable new friend, and the Zoo Lights - very fun!

Christmas Season

2008-12-15T08:29:00.015-07:00

This holiday season has been so much fun with Evan, and there's so much more to look forward to! We can't get enough of the pre-Xmas activities, and were enjoying the great weather...until this week - brrr!!

Making a gingerbread house:

Wrapping presents, playing outside, and snoozing on the way to visit Santa:

Still a "Big Boy"

2008-12-09T15:47:00.003-07:00

We had Evan's 2 yr. check up today, and he's still topping out the charts for height! He's an even 3'-0" tall (90th %tile) and 29 lbs. (50th %tile). She sat observing and asking him questions for over 30 minutes, and kept saying, "Are you sure he's only 2?", and that she was "just in awe" of how advanced his communication and physical skills are for his age - especially considering he's a boy. She thought that he was so amazing (I think after he counted to 10 for her), that she even commented that if she were me, she'd be scared to have another child because Evan has set our standards so high and it's not typical to have such an advanced 2 year old! One of her first ?'s was if I thought he might have 50 words - I told her that a year ago, he had close to 50 signs (which they count as words) - and that he speaks in 3-4 words sentences now. Maybe we just have an easily impressed pediatrician, but we do think that he's pretty special. Ok - enough gushing? :)

On a Happier Note

2008-12-07T19:39:00.003-07:00

Aside from being very sick, we got to go get our Xmas tree in warm, sunny weather! We also did one of Evan's favorite activities, he "walks" Lucy down to the pond and will spend all afternoon throwing rocks into the water if you let him.

Sick

2008-12-07T19:30:00.007-07:00

Evan and I have been sick for a few days - we thought it was just a cold to start, so we hung around the house trying to keep occupied, we even made some Christmas cookies! But on Sat. night, Evan was pretty bad and we made our first trip to the emergency room. Of course, he thought it was great - they have popsicles, a fish tank, and cartoons, what's not to like? The doc was surprised to find that he had a pretty severe double ear infection, because he was being so well-mannered - and he had pink eye on top of that! The pic with the hat (where he is obviously not doing well) is on our way to the ER around midnight. Evan's usually pretty healthy, this is only the 2nd time he's been really sick, so it's pretty scary for us - he's doing much better now, back to his usual energetic self :)

It Takes a Village

2008-12-07T19:14:00.003-07:00

I'm sure that anyone with kids can relate, but sometimes it really strikes me - like when we get together with friends and let the toddlers run wild. On Friday night we had 10 adults, 5 toddlers, 3 pregnant ladies, 1 baby, and a partridge in a pear tree! The kids loved the Trail of Lights at the Botanic Gardens, and it was pretty funny to see them literally run in every direction (the term "herding cats" comes to mind). There was a pretty cool treehouse that they hilariously all got up into, and then proceeded to have an impromptu dance party! It may not be your child's nose you're wiping, or your little one you're swooping up to keep from running into the trees/water/drop-off - but it doesn't matter, and you know that even if your kid isn't within immediate sight, they're in the group and someone's looking out for them! Good times, it was nearly like before we all had kids and used to go out on Friday nights...

Happy 2nd Birthday, Evan!!

2008-11-29T17:21:00.006-07:00

TWO, already?! We didn't really have much planned for Evan's big day, because we hosted Thanksgiving the day before with a big group of friends. It was great this year to have the kids join us at the table for dinner, and we were so thankful to have such a wonderful group to celebrate with! It was a very late night, so we had a mellow morning on Evan's birthday and let the day take shape, which turned out absolutely perfect. We went for a hike in the morning at Red Rocks, spent the afternoon opening presents and eating cake (that mom baked from scratch!), and went out for pizza dinner with friends. Evan spent the day marveling over the present opening, and "returning" the Happy Birthday's to people. It started snowing in the evening, and we woke up today to a blanket of snow on the trees and a beautiful sunrise over the hills. All in all, it was really amazing to experience the past couple of days surrounded by people that mean so much to us, and have been such a big part of Evan's life. We are all so lucky to have so much support and love! Thank you all, for your good wishes, your time, your friendship and for spoiling Evan!

Energy to Burn

2008-11-26T16:08:00.004-07:00

This is how we've been "hiking" lately (set to Evan's favorite song):

And pix from a post exercise/playtime lunch out - anywhere that has mac 'n cheese, blue jello and enough high chairs for our big group is a winner!

Back to Cali

2008-11-26T13:57:00.008-07:00

This past weekend we were in CA again for nephew Jack's baptism. What a mellow & sweet baby he is! We had lots of fun visiting, having an early birthday celebration for Evan, and hanging out in San Fran. Evan is really a seasoned traveler, but mom & dad are exhausted from all of our trips - we're happy to be spending the holidays at our house this year!

Reflection

2008-11-18T13:16:00.004-07:00

This time last year, we were preparing for Evan's 1 year birthday party - he could stand alone, take a few unassisted steps, climb up and down stairs, use about 15 signs and 12 words, and loved trying new foods. It's truly amazing to see how much he's changed this year! I couldn't even guess at how many words he knows, he loves running/jumping/spinning/marching, giving hugs & kisses, animals, music, hiking, helping us out with anything, his FRIENDS (he loves to name them all, or request who should come when we're going on an outing)...and tons of other things - the enthusiasm of discovering the world for the first time :)

I thought his first year was wonderful and exciting, but then he hit about 15 months and things REALLY got fun! He's so much more self-sufficient now, he's energetic and enthusiastic, and really fun to play with. He seems to be excited about the new baby - our friend gave us a really cute book about being a big brother, and it's one of his regular requests.

Here's some recent shots - I managed to catch a shot of him somewhat close to a butterfly at the Butterfly Pavilion, but it definitely wasn't his favorite outing. After he got dive-bombed upon entering the room, he wanted nothing to do with the "scary" butterflies!

Chicago

2008-11-13T14:16:00.007-07:00

What a fun time we had visiting our friends, the Muller's, in Chicago. It's been so long since we were able to get together, the kids were just babies! It was nice & relaxing, and we even survived the flight without a seat for Evan...although not recommended.

Happy Halloween!

2008-11-02T12:15:00.004-07:00

I really want to post a little video of our fun Halloween festivities, but our computer is on the brink of death (hence the very few blog posts, as well) - so if I don't throw it to the mountain lions before we can actually fix it, I'll post soon! We had a great week running from one fun activity to another, and still managed to revamp Evan's costume last minute. He wanted nothing to do with most of the accessories to his original. He thought trick-or-treating at the Children's Museum was a blast, once he figured out that he just had to say it and people gave him CANDY! We also did a hike in costumes (aka: chase the toddlers thru the woods), went to an afternoon party and got lots of trick-or-treaters. Phew.

Visits

2008-10-29T12:41:00.003-07:00

This past weekend we headed up to Steamboat to chill & hang with our friends, Craig & Kate. I think the honor of "funniest Evan saying" for the week goes to a comment after we left dinner with them one night - we got in the car, and he says, "Nice people"! We had a great visit with Auntie Carolyn last week, and this week with Natalie and her family. The fall hiking has been wonderful, cool temps and dry trails. We've been doing more activities lately that involve running Evan's energy out, rather than mom's - trips to the zoo, Children's Museum, playing in the park, etc. He loves to watch football (thankfully), but it doesn't matter who's playing...he just likes to yell, "Go green!". And we get a kick out of him saying "Obama!" anytime a commercial comes on TV with Barack - which is a lot, being the battleground state of Colorado.!

First Political Rally

2008-10-18T16:40:00.004-06:00

These are for you, mom & dad!

Rocky Mountain Fall

2008-10-18T16:35:00.003-06:00

Check out the slideshow for pix of Evan playing in the leaves - like any little kid, he loves jumping in them and throwing them at us! His vocabulary is growing so quickly, and he cracks us up daily with the funny things he says. With all of the Halloween decorations around, I've been hearing a lot of, "Ooh, scares me", and I think about a million times a day he says some variation of, "I come too!...Mommy come too!...or Daddy come too!".

Friend Time, Mountain Style

2008-10-06T14:36:00.004-06:00

This weekend we went up to the mountains with a group of friends - this is the same group that we began the summer camping with, then went to camping in cabins, and this time opted to rent a house! The kids had such a blast, it was really fun to see them play from dawn till dusk. The parents had a great time, too, just chilling out watching football and getting some good Euchre in!

Langhorst Family Time

2008-09-24T20:26:00.004-06:00

My parents, brother & girlfriend were all here to visit 2 weekends ago, and it was so fun playing with Evan and having him really interact with everyone. They haven't seen him in almost 6 months, and he's changed a ton in that time! We went berry picking and hiking, and did a lot of just hanging out...which was great. His language has really exploded in the past couple of weeks, and he's saying lots of funny things, in typical Toddler-ese. One of my favorites was from Costco last week when someone came over the loudspeaker, "Whoa. Who's talking?", also, "Mommy's shirt, dirty". He asks about 100x a day, "What's that do?", and is constantly demanding that you, "Come, play!".

Chad & Alice Get Hitched

2008-09-16T13:50:00.005-06:00

What a beautiful wedding at the vineyard! We're still amazed that Evan stayed up happily until midnight that night, but he was a dancing machine, even teaching some new dance moves (I use that term very lightly) to the other kids. We didn't manage to keep him looking neat and clean for long...but hey, he's not even 2.

California, Cool

2008-09-16T13:39:00.004-06:00

We survived another trip! Actually, Evan was really good - he just lost it for a bit on the plane ride home, but I think that mostly I was overreacting when we got off and I swore I'd never travel or have children again :) The poor kid was running on very little sleep for the week, and a lot of having to be strapped in a seat that day. All in all, it was a fun time and he even hung in there for a day of wine tasting in Napa - yay for mom & dad! It was fun to visit my grandparents, they haven't seen him in a year and they were amazed at how smart & active he is. We got to see Uncle John & Aunt Karen, too (still no baby!), and Evan loved playing with the other kids at the wedding. He's really much more fun to travel with nowadays, and we had a blast introducing him to new places and sights...although we could have done without the insitence on sleeping with us most nights!

Outside

2008-09-07T14:31:00.003-06:00

Being outside is Evan's favorite - he can't seem to get enough of running, playing and exploring out there! We had a busy as usual week, and are enjoying a pretty chill weekend at home together before heading out to CA on Tues. The weather has been gorgeous, and we're all enjoying being able to hike/ride in cooler temps! We took Evan & Magnus to watch the MSU game at the bar yesterday, and regrettably didn't get a photo - but the boys were great little cheerleaders and looked so cute in their green gear! We even got Evan to say "go green" :)

I Heart Noodles

2008-09-07T14:28:00.003-06:00

Labor Day

2008-09-02T15:41:00.005-06:00

We enjoyed a perfect Labor Day weekend, complete with happy hour, house projects and lots of fun with friends! We had to say goodbye to the Lundgren's for a little while, but Evan had tons of fun playing while they were in town. We went to a BBQ hosted by the Spence's on Sun. and had a great time visiting & playing. Then, we hosted our own BBQ yesterday which was a bit of craziness (just how we like it)! It was wonderful fun for the parents & babies alike to have so many of us together, and we even managed to get all of the toddlers in one picture - we didn't even attempt to get the newborns in there. I definitely had a moment in the midst of the mayhem, standing back to appreciate what was going on. Our house, filled with love & activity, and perfect to entertain in - and all of our great friends that we've met since having Evan. When I was pregnant, I was really nervous about not knowing anyone that would have babies the same age - and then moving out of the city we were a little apprehensive about how everything would fall together for us. But, here we are only a year later - living a life we only dreamed of, with wonderful new neighbors & friends, and a vibrant son who loves to entertain just as much as we do! We are so thankful for everyone in our lives, for the dreamy place we get to call home, and most of all for Evan - who shows us the simplest but most important things in life every day...like how to beg food off of anyone who will pay attention (thanks, Wes!).

Yard & Music Fun

2008-09-02T15:32:00.003-06:00

Our new grass is finally established enough to terrorize, and Nana & Papa (we're just going with what Evan can pronounce at this point!) bought him a new Elmo sprinkler. What is it about Elmo that makes him like crack for babies?? We've also started music class, which I'm hoping will get to be a bit more interactive on Evan's part. The first week, he pretty much stared at the teacher like she was nuts and only got animated when the colorful scarves came out. No comments on that one, please.

Animals

2008-08-27T12:36:00.003-06:00

More petting zoo fun...Evan even hugged the pig this time, and cornered some chickens to pet. The animals are all a lot bigger than the last time we were there, and this time we learned that the 2 pigs are named "Paris & Nicole" - ha! We played at the playground, rode the train twice & picnicked with the whole crew of friends that also came to harass the animals - busy morning!

More Camping

2008-08-27T12:11:00.004-06:00

It was another wonderful weekend here in lovely CO. We went camping with our friends in Colorado Springs, and had a great time with the kids - this time in cabins, much easier than tents! It is just a blast watching the "little friends" explore, get dirty and learn from each other. They get so excited to see one another (although that's nearly every day!), and I think they're really learning a lot from their consistent interaction. The dads got in some rock climbing while we hiked, and on Sun. we went to check out some old cliff dwellings. Not quite Mesa Verde, but the kids loved climbing through the tiny rooms & getting really dirty!

Farm Fun

2008-08-22T08:00:00.003-06:00

Last week we went to the Littleton Historical Museum, which has a working 1890's farm. The kids had a great time, especially with the animals. I call this one "Pig Skipping" - I don't know which is funnier...that you can't decipher Evan's squeals from Audrey's or his joyful skipping!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jQJ0Zw9IKpA

E's First Break

2008-08-20T13:08:00.002-06:00

Well, we finally did it - we left Evan with Gm. & Papa Lundgren for 4 whole days! I only cried a few times...it was really hard to be away from him, but really great for us. We had a fantastic time road-tripping out to Park City with friends and celebrating a beautiful wedding. We took full advantage of our time away, including great meals, golfing (dad), 4-wheeling and shopping (mom)! Evan did great with Gm. & Papa, and really loved having the undivided attention and constant playmates. Since it (finally) rained here in CO, they did lots of fun things indoors like making art and playing with new toys. I'm in no hurry to leave him again, but the break was nice for all of us :) This week we're busy as usual trying to wear out a nearly 2 year old before leaving to camp this weekend. Evan's biggest accomplishment lately is stringing 3-letter words together! It seems like yesterday we were amazed that he was learning to crawl, and now he's all talk. I especially like how he tries to boss me around, "Mama, eat cracker!". He's quite good with manners, and we really love his very enthusiastic, "YEAH!'s".

Busy Adventuring

2008-08-10T08:12:00.005-06:00

Playing naked outside wearing beads, bike riding, beach time and rockin' out in his own boy band...phew. We also hiked, made it to the library (mom's first time since college...that is so embarrasing), and are enjoying a fun-filled weekend with friends - what a busy week!

Ah, Summer

2008-08-06T07:09:00.005-06:00

What a lovely week we've had so far! Not much new going on, just enjoying the slightly cooler days and being especially thankful for the friends that help us through the good, and the bad times. It's hard to believe that summer is nearly over, but I think it's been our best ever - at least for Evan & I! Here's some pix of Evan with his girlfriends, one of our favorite hikes from last week, and the crazy fat lip he woke up with the other day (good thing it only lasted for a few hours)!

Friends

2008-07-29T12:33:00.003-06:00

Evan's been loving having my dear friend, Natalie in town. We've been giving her some space since she's here taking the bar exam, but everytime we pull up to the house he starts saying, "Nat!". We dragged her out to Red Rocks this weekend and made her do a stairs workout - just getting her ready for Colorado living! The other day, Evan was standing at the door calling out to Pete - and when he wasn't answering to "Dada, dada"...he started saying, "Pete! Pete!", it was hysterical. His new phrase is, "I'm nice" - which usually follows him whomping some kid in the head with a toy and me reprimanding him. We've been trying to beat the heat around here by getting out earlier in the morning and staying out in the mountains, but we are SO ready for a cool down. Evan went on his first "toddler hike" last week - he didn't hike very far before I had to carry him, but he does have pretty short legs. We even had a slumber party with friends while dad was in Vail this weekend, and Evan and Magnus got to sport their matching jammies!

Keeping Cool

2008-07-20T11:20:00.002-06:00

What a great time we had playing at Splash waterpark last week! Evan took a spill and smacked his forehead, but didn't seemed deterred from the water for long. He is so smitten with Audrey, I can just see this continuing in the future...him chasing her around, and her trying to get away from him! Some of our favorite words lately are "bake-ee" (bacon), "BIKE", and how he suddenly went from saying "yeah" to "yesss". We've had a busy last few days playing with friends, swimming & hiking - and are looking forward to an afternoon of the same! Somewhere amidst the fun, we have been getting a ton done in our back yard - the crew finished yesterday, the hot tub is finally making its exodus this week, and new furniture is on the way. Still lots to do, but it's looking so beautiful - hopefully the deer will leave our new plantings alone...

Botanic Gardens

2008-07-16T20:35:00.002-06:00

It's been a long time since we've been to Denver's Botanic Gardens, and they are really spectacular! We got there early to beat the heat, and the kids loved playing in the children's garden and watching the koi. There was a lot of "Get out of the bushes! Don't pick the flowers!" with the 1.5 yr. olds, but it's always so fun to watch them explore and really develop their relationships with each other. We spent the afternoon playing at the pool, we have the coolest neighbors here, and are really enjoying hanging out with them and all of the kids. We love this neighborhood, it's such a wonderful setting and lifestyle!

Tiny Town

2008-07-12T19:43:00.004-06:00

I never realized this, but Tiny Town is actually a tiny town! Totally bizarre, but the kids think it's great since everything is their size. We had a wonderful morning with friends hiking & checking this crazy place out, Evan especially loved riding the train. This week we also had a fun day at the "beach" following a bike ride, and of course, lots more hiking! Our yard is now quickly turning into the oasis we'd like it to be, and we're looking forward to long summer nights enjoying the cool mountain air. Evan is chattering away, inunciating words and stringing them together better, and being a typical toddler boy. He is so full of energy, and wears me out daily - but he says and does the funniest things, it keeps me excited every day for more! He's now sort of a test model for a bunch of Kelty backpacks (a benefit of mom's "job"), and we're enjoying having yet another excuse to get out on those trails. He adores "ah-poo" (the pool), and we go over on most days for some wet play time. Some photos of the funny little town:

4th of July Fun

2008-07-06T07:23:00.003-06:00

What a busy week for Evan! We kept him up really late for a party early in the week and he did great, and we all had a fun time on the 4th BBQ'ing with friends. Magnus, Audrey & Evan are already great buds, and it's so cute to see them all together. Our friends were gracious hosts, considering they don't have kids and they let ours play with the Rock Band "toys" and jump all over their furniture! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QLNesszSZcw

Crazy?

2008-06-30T12:43:00.006-06:00

7 couples, 7 babies under 2, and 7 dogs camping. What? We had a tiring, but great, 1st camping trip with Evan. We went up to Leadville with our group of friends and braved tent-sleeping with 1.5 yr olds. We can't really say it went perfectly, but it was a lot of fun, and great to see all of the (very dirty) babies playing and enjoying the new experience...for the most part. The hike we went on was gorgeous, Colorado-living at it's finest! As if that weren't enough activity, we came home and went right to Red Rocks with the Knight's for Evan's 2nd Widespread Panic show (check out the slideshow for more pix). Good friends & good times - can't really beat that!

Summer Fun

2008-06-26T07:52:00.005-06:00

We've been having a fun visit with Gm. & Gp. Lundgren - this week we went to see some music in the park, hiking, swimming, biking, playing with friends... Evan just loves having the extra attention and playmates!

Happy Father's Day

2008-06-18T13:38:00.003-06:00

To all of the great dad's out there! We had a nice day, lunching at "the club" and BBQ'ing dinner later that night. Evan was just really happy to have spent the whole day on Sat. with daddy. So happy, he pulled a special treat out of his diaper early Sun. morning and smeared it all over himself to wish dad a Happy Day first thing in the morning!

Swimming

2008-06-11T13:24:00.002-06:00

I think we're going to be doing a LOT of hanging out at the pool this summer! Seriously...here's a picture of Evan & Katelynn hanging out with just a bit of the surrounding view, and this is just a 2 block walk from our house. Also a pic of him eating watermelon, post swimming and nap - he's getting a pretty sweet fro!

Dreamy

2008-06-09T14:07:00.004-06:00

I need to take some more pix of us out and about - it's so beautiful here in CO right now with the hills all green and the flowers coming out. We continue to hike a lot, but also just got a bike trailer and have done 2 rides in it with Evan. I think he likes it ok, but after a couple of hours he's pretty fed up with being strapped in! It was great to go out with our friends, The Watkins, in the gorgeous weather on Sat. & ride with the kiddies. Yesterday we went to our pool for the first time (we just joined "the club"). Living here is like being on perpetual vacation - the view from the pool is of the hills & Red Rocks, we can hardly believe we get to live here!

Animal Fun

2008-06-04T19:36:00.002-06:00

Today we went to a really cool Children's Farm with Heather & Audrey - it was a riot watching the kids chase around and pet all of the animals. They also have a small train to ride, and great open spaces for picnics & play, we had so much fun!

Mixing Old & New

2008-06-03T13:22:00.004-06:00

Well, it turns out we're not totally biased, even our Doc says that Evan is advanced in his communication - he's 26 lbs. and nearly 34" tall! Which just serves as a reminder of how much weight I carry on my back many times a week. Funny E. moment from this morning...he took a chip clip out of the drawer and held it to his ear like he was talking on a Bluetooth! Last night he was rockin' out to dad's "new" turntable while playing with his (very) old Match Box cars. I'm not exactly sure why we have this thing, I'm solidly in The Joy of iPod camp - but Pete seems very happy & nostalgic blaring old school Beastie Boys on 45...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OVowvKF6Gzg

Oh, And Happy Memorial Day

2008-05-28T23:08:00.002-06:00

Happy Half Birthday, Little E

2008-05-28T19:15:00.003-06:00

Evan is 18 months old today!! We had a great day - he "graduated" from The Little Gym, we had lunch with friends complete with a sprinkle-covered ice cream cone, and played with new toys. He loves the new Dr. Seuss animals from Grandma, but he calls the fox "Elmo"! He continues to impress us daily with his communication skills, we think he's very advanced for his age...although it's possible we're biased. He's becoming really affectionate and much more daring physically - once he's figured something out (like scaling the raised planters in the yard), he goes at it with gusto. Seeing the world through a child's eyes is truly a gift, their natural joy is contagious!

Little Mimic

2008-05-24T08:26:00.004-06:00

Check out Evan "saying" the alphabet!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yciF4RjyTo4

BFF's

2008-05-14T09:30:00.007-06:00

These are too cute not to post... Evan adores his friends, and is especially drawn to girls and older kids - he should have been a younger sibling! Here he is helping Laven get up on the deck.

Happy Mom's Day

2008-05-12T12:36:00.004-06:00

I've decided there should be a mother's day at least once a month! We had a lovely day together, Evan took a super long nap, mom got spoiled with tons of good food all day long (and no dishes!). We took a hike up the hill in our neighborhood and had a scrumptous picnic, the weather was wonderful - ahhh!

Evan in Action

2008-05-05T07:00:00.003-06:00

How can you not love this kid? Here he is discovering water, rocks and boats during our trip in Austin: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gW48MuEcKdQ

Every day is a plethora of new discoveries, and it's so fun to be on this journey with him! We're loving his new word, "dude", and how he cracks himself up all the time. He loves to pick flowers and smell them, and exclaims "Oh, BUG!" while stomping his feet when he sees one. Indoors, he likes to pull all of the cushions off the couch and jump on them, and he's been riding his scooter all over!

Baby Happy Hour

2008-04-27T14:13:00.004-06:00

Evan loves to hang out with Jevan and Casey - I think mostly because they're teaching him all about happy hour...
He's such a cool little boy, and has such a funny personality. It's really great for us to have wonderful friends that love him so much!

The Great Outdoors

2008-04-27T13:58:00.003-06:00

It's lovely springtime in Colorado! We had a wonderful week hiking, playing in the park, BBQ'ing with friends, etc. Evan loves to be outside, and as a typical boy is usually throwing rocks or playing in the dirt. It's been so fun lately to watch him really interacting with the other babies - they still mostly parallel play, but he especially likes to chase the girls around and make his friend, Laven, giggle. His vocabulary keeps getting bigger, I've lost count! Definitely his favorite exclamation is, "Oh NO!".

Yee Haw

2008-04-16T10:13:00.004-06:00

We had a great trip to Austin to vacation and visit Uncle Brian. It was so fun to finally get together with our friends there and watch our kiddies play together! Evan is picking up dozens of words, too many to count lately - he even started saying his first rendition of "Grandpa" this week...."baba"!

Weird Eater

2008-04-02T13:41:00.003-07:00

We've been having a great time with Gm. & Gp. Lundgren in town, lots of playing and showing off our usual hang-outs. He's picking up words and chattering a lot lately, the best thing he says lately is, "Oh-KAY!". This is Evan eating the heck out of my seaweed salad...that's about all I can say.

All Good

2008-03-24T06:30:00.005-07:00

Whew, a tough week with Evan, he was the sickest he's ever been - he's really only had a cold before. We had a fun Easter with him at a friends house for brunch after he was better, though. The only good thing about him needing to stick around the house and sleep a lot was that we got to watch all of the bball games! I swore we wouldn't let him watch TV, but he's absolutely obsessed with "Jack's Big Music Show". Usually, he just pats the couch when he wants up, hands us the remote and says, "dar-doo" for cartoon. We tried to suffice with a different cartoon (gasp!) yesterday, until he pointed at the TV and said, "Jah!".

Happy Green!

2008-03-18T07:41:00.005-07:00

Recovering from the Big Ten tourney and gearing up for mom's favorite time of year...March Madness!! I know Evan's looking forward to watching lots of basketball the next couple of weeks. We celebrated St. Patty's day at lunch with friends (4 moms & 4 babies - who wouldn't need a Guinness for that?), then mom got to go out with the girls for the evening. Evan is running around pretty quickly, has around 35 signs, 10 words, and does about a dozen animal sounds - great party tricks! We caught a better video of him doing "tickle, tickle, tickle", while also mimicking dad's whistling: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=STzfz25amAg

Chipotle, Anyone?

2008-03-10T13:27:00.007-07:00

Here he is enjoying his first "burrito bowl"...
We just had to get Evan the incredibly obnoxious ball machine that he's been coveting at his friends' house, we love how every time he turns it on he says, "Wow! Wow!" - like he's still surprised the balls come flying out the top. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4EenFLEWHxc
His cutest phrase lately is "tickle, tickle, tickle", which we managed to catch a little bit of on video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1IY8IZPHQ68

Helping

2008-03-05T09:52:00.003-07:00

Just helping Grandma with her glasses, and making it easier for dad to fix the screen door! This morning Evan helped me transfer the clothes from the washer to the dryer, and lately he loves to help sweep the floors and clean up spills! I think we'll keep him.

A Great Week

2008-03-03T09:17:00.004-07:00

What a treat it was (for mom & Evan!) to have Grandma here for a whole week! Grandpa Lundgren was also here for a few days, and both got to watch Evan play at The Little Gym. We go once a week, and usually Evan just loves it - but this week he was a little under the weather and unfortunately cranky in front of his cheering section. We also went to the Children's Museum, swimming and the zoo - and enjoyed a 74 degree day on Sat., followed by nearly 1' of snow on Sun.! We had a great time watching MSU's victory with the Spence's, but then had to send Grandma back to MI. I was very lucky to have been hired as a hike leader for our Mountain Mamas group! The conditions are ever-changing right now so there's not too many hikes on the schedule this month, but I'm really looking forward to another great season of hiking with Evan - and the excuse to "train" for my job :)

Kisses, Zoo & Bubbles

2008-02-25T10:03:00.006-07:00

We had a busy time last week, and a great visit over the weekend from Uncle Brian and friends. Now, we're enjoying a week with Grandma filled with more fun! He just loves having company, and more people to play with and give him attention. Here's Evan trying to kiss his friend, Laven, enjoying a ride on the train at the zoo, and playing with bubbles.

These Days

2008-02-22T08:24:00.003-07:00

Evan just becomes more amazing all of the time, I am so lucky to have the opportunity to spend my time with him - to hopefully ensure that he grows up to be a confident and love-filled adult. Despite the hard moments, I cherish my days with him and am thankful to finally have my dream job! Lately, he just seems to understand everything we say. It's great to have him answer "yes" or "no" (with nods) when we ask him questions, and he's using about 28 signs. Every day is an adventure to him, he loves to point things out to us and be outdoors. We've been hiking a lot lately with the nice weather, and he seems to get just as energized from the activity as mom! His favorite thing to do lately is feed his fish, every morning that's the first thing we do. Although, numerous times throughout the day I find myself digging random things out of the tank (raisins, crackers, fuzz). He also is great at giving kisses lately...big, open-mouthed ones :) We are lucky to have an amazing group of friends that we're able to do lots of fun things with throughout the week, they've been such a source of support, friendship and inspiration over the past 14+ months - I'd never stay sane, and Evan wouldn't have great playmates without them!

Where Did It Go?

2008-02-13T15:53:00.002-07:00

A favorite gesture of Evan's lately. Check him out saying "hello" to his friend, Boone's, future sibling!

Yay - Neked!

2008-02-07T09:27:00.000-07:00

This is a sure fire way to cheer up a

grumpy baby. Evan likes it so much, it

makes us slightly concerned about his

future choice of career...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gPd_nKBloIM

New Tricks

2008-02-04T13:38:00.001-07:00

Evan is learning how to eat with utensils (maybe spaghetti isn't the best choice for practice), and has figured out a clever way to get his bottle up off the floor! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qQS8agAgv-U

Go Green!!

2008-01-29T15:16:00.000-07:00

It's good to start them early! Evan wanted to go to the bar to eat wings and watch MSU stomp those nasty Wolverine's, so we had to oblige - we're good parents like that. Oh, and we bought him a fancy new hat!

The Usual

2008-01-23T13:56:00.000-07:00

Let's see...we've been swimming, to the Aquarium and snow shoeing - not too much is new! 2 more molars, and 3 new signs, and Evan's enjoying walking all over in his new "big boy" shoes. Here's a picture of his new friend, Magnus - he likes ceiling fans. We had a fun day celebrating Audrey's 3rd birthday!

Fun

2008-01-12T08:25:00.000-07:00

Check out my awesome scooter from Gm. & Gp. Langhorst! This week we went to the Children's Museum (much more fun now that he's walking), swimming and snow shoeing.

Snow Time

2008-01-09T09:19:00.000-07:00

Evan got a new sled from Gm. & Gp. Lundgren, and he loves it! I think he's an even bigger fan of eating the snow, though. I made a list of the signs he uses today, and it's actually 21 - and growing daily!

Things I Love This Month

2008-01-07T19:00:00.000-07:00

Cheesy puffs (eating in general), walking & playing chase, carrying around chapstick, playing in the bathroom and using lots of signs (about 14)! Here's a couple of clips: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eC8FmSZvIJE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZOfz5kJJngc

And...Happy New Year!

2007-12-31T18:46:00.000-07:00

Evan will sleep through the ball drop, and likely so will mom & dad...

But we did have fun snowshoeing on our neighborhood trails!

Merry Christmas!

2007-12-30T09:44:00.000-07:00

We all enjoyed a fun visit in Michigan for the holiday. Evan loved exploring Grandma & Grandpa's house, playing with the animals and getting tons of attention. While there, he mastered coming down the stairs and really gained his confidence cruising on their furniture and carpet - he now is officially walking! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-5C_RN5TZgA

Shoeing, Swimming and Santa

2007-12-13T14:43:00.000-07:00

Evan went on his first snow shoe yesterday, and it was absolutely gorgeous out! Then we took him to visit Santa, which he totally loved, as you can see. Oddly, right after he cheered right up and "got the Led out" while playing with tupperware: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GArFea-gPMY. Today, there was swimming and lunch out with lots of our friends - we sure are a busy and happy bunch!

Snow!

2007-12-11T19:01:00.000-07:00

We finally have snow! It's beautiful here in the foothills, and it's beginning to feel like Christmas. It's hard for Evan to move in his full suit, but he enjoyed watching Lucy play. Also, a video clip of post-birthday balloon fun - by Grandmother request.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ANI12lZD4hs

More Birthday

2007-12-03T09:23:00.000-07:00

We had such a fun party for Evan, and were lucky enough to celebrate with lots of family and friends that have been such a huge part of his first year of life! He wasn't much into the cake, but ate the berries out of it and was completely spoiled by everyone.

Happy 1st Birthday!!!

2007-11-29T10:16:00.001-07:00

Evan had a wonderful birthday - 1 whole year old! We played at the Children's Museum, and Evan created his first work of art...with only minimal amounts of paint ingested. We opened some presents and had dinner out, a perfect birthday celebration. We can't wait for the big party on Saturday!

The End of Evan's First Year...

2007-11-25T15:13:00.000-07:00

This is such a reflective time, remembering just a year ago when we were anxiously awaiting Evan's arrival. It's amazing to see what a character he's become and how much he's changed!

First Steps!!!

2007-11-16T08:00:00.001-07:00

Just as I say we're not anxious for walking, Evan took his first steps! He's still wobbly, so who knows if actual walking is in the near future - but it's pretty amazing to see him try. Managed to catch a few of them on camera: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQh9i1ZK1kE