Merry Christmas!

We had a wonderful Christmas weekend in Colorado.  Yesterday we went up to Fort Collins to spend the day with Jay and Melissa.  Ben was beyond excited to see uncle Jay.  In fact, he had two separate meltdowns when he thought we were going to Jay's and we weren't.  Like, clinging onto the door handle and screaming "uncle Jay!  Car!" kind of meltdowns...So, he was happy to spend the day there yesterday.  And, he got a car from Aunt Sasa on the way home - which he LOVES!  Best day ever for Ben.

This morning we woke up and had Christmas here at home - just the three of us.  Ben was showered with gifts from all grandparents, aunts and uncles.  Thanks to them we wont have to get him anything for months!!!  He got books, toys, trucks, and even a new Yankees hat from Papa!  Red Sox fans have to step it up quick or else this kid will be a full blown Yankees fan before we know it!  ; )

Chris and I also got some fun gifts from Santa and family.  My personal favorite is my new sunglasses and CD's for my car.  I think Chris was pretty fond of his new iron from Christine and Lea.  Seriously.  He also made out pretty nicely with a new GPS for his car!  I'm personally a fan of the needle point "go F yourself" that Cory made for him.  HYSTERICAL!!

We lounged all day.  We watched Home Alone, A Christmas Story, and part of Elf.  And, I watched It's a Wonderful Life last night while Chris snoozed on the couch.  We took a hint from A Christmas Story and ordered Chinese food for dinner tonight.  Time to get back on the workout bandwagon tomorrow!!  It's supposed to be mild and sunny all week outside, so hopefully we can get in some good walks.

It's definitely hard to be away from family this time of year, but we're happy to have our good friends here who take us in as family.  And, of course, we have each other.  And Skype.   : )

Snow day

What to do on a snow day with a toddler when Daddy is traveling?  No playground, no outside, no errands, no nothing.  We got about a foot of snow last night in the Denver area, and it's still sprinkling out there today.  So, I am trying my best to be as creative as possible for inside activities.  This morning we colored with crayons, played with trucks, watched Elmo and read some books - all before 11 am!

So, to Google I went, and I found a recipe for home made finger paint: http://planetgreen.discovery.com/home-garden/make-your-own-fingerpaint.html

It's more like a paste, but it works well since it doesn't spill.  Ben loved it.  In fact, we did a "yeyow" (yellow) paper, a "boo" (blue) paper, and even a "geen dee" (green tree) for Christmas. : )

Below are some pics.

Topless Phase

Ben is going through a major topless phase.  I'm pretty sure it will soon work it's way into a completely nude phase.  Which, is not going to be good since he's not potty trained!
He doesn't seem to care that it's only 30 degrees outside.  That it's December.  That we're living in Colorado!  He just wants his shirt OFF!

Here are some pics:

Topless Ben trying to go out into the cold...

Playing topless peek-a-boo...

And finally - topless (minus the bib!) lunch...

Santa Cutie

Spreading holiday cheer at Walmart.  It's what we do...

Pop goes the belly

Today is the day - 14 weeks and I officially look preggers!  Even my shadows are pregnant!  It's definitely true that you show much earlier than the first time around.  : )

Field Trip

This morning we packed up the diaper bag and headed down to the Denver Children's Museum.  Ben had so much fun!  He's a great age for this kind of hands on museum.  He got to paint and draw, play with scarves that flew with the help of fans, launch paper rockets, climb on the indoor playground and see a real firetruck.  He had a blast.
Afterwards we stopped by Chris's office to see his (new) digs and show Ben off to the staff.  ; )  Ben was asleep in the car before we even hit the highway.  He was pooped!

I didn't get too many pics because I was playing with Ben most of the time, but here he is playing with the trains and "driving" the firetruck:

Mommy and Me Days

Since Chris is traveling back home this week and weekend, Ben and I have been holding down the fort in Colorado.  24/7 parenting is no joke.  When you don't have a break or any alone time you're bound to get a little kooky and end up doing whatever it takes to keep your kid happy and calm.  This week I have gone to the grocery store and to Walmart just to keep Ben entertained.  I also went to the indoor playground, went to the mall, took at least a dozen 30 minute plus walks, and took long drives - just to keep Ben entertained!  So far we are doing OK, but we are so excited to have daddy come home!!

Here are some fun pictures from our adventures this week:

Ben at the grocery store:

Here he is reading his books (yeah for 5 minutes of quiet!):

Here he is playing peek-a-boo in the mixing bowl while "we" made zucchini bread:

And FINALLY he fell asleep!:

Baby #2!!

Chris and I are so happy to let everyone know that we are expecting baby #2 in June.  It feels nice to have our special secret out, and know that everything is going smoothly so far. 
Today I went to the doctor for my first trimester ultrasound, and baby Cali was very cooperative.  The baby was waving and dancing around, and even had the hiccups (just like big brother Ben always did!).  It's so nice to see the baby, but even more amazing to see things like the heart and the brain.  It's completely surreal. 

Cheers to a healthy pregnancy and a healthy Spring baby!  : )

Back from the doctor

We had Ben's 18 month check up today. Only one shot to get, thank goodness.  He did a great job and barely cried.  But, now he's a little cranky and keeps pointing to his "boo boo" on his thigh.  (((Ben))

He weighed in at 28 pounds and measured 34 inches tall.  That puts him in the 75th percentile for weight and the 90th percentile for height.  Pretty good!  He grew two inches and only gained one pound since his 15 month appointment.  Must be all that walking and running around he's doing!

Here are some pics of Ben from last night eating his banana at dinner, and from today watching Elmo:

Thanksgiving

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving with Jay and Melissa.  We loved being welcomed into Melissa's family home, and meeting her extended family.  Plus, Ben met some new friends and got to play with tractors.  It was pretty great for him too.  Even Suzy dog got in on the action and got to hang out with Brissy for 3 days while we were in Fort Collins.
We tried to get a good family photo for our Christmas card while Ben was wearing his tie, but no luck.  It's a challenge to get a good shot of a toddler AND mom and dad!

Here are some of Ben's latest and greatest shots...

Being fabulous in his stroller (you talkin' a me?!):

 Being fabulous on the couch:

 Being fabulous while watching a movie:

Above: Being fabulous in the car


: )

18 months

Ben is 18 months old today.  Time really flies when you're not sleeping!  Ben is in full toddler mode - he loves trucks and cars and books.  He talks all day long and he never stops moving.  It's been the hardest and greatest 18 months of our lives.  : )

Pics of Colorado from Meggie and Papa's visit

 Above: Ben with Meggie and Papa

Below: Ben's "big smile"

Ben with Papa and his trucks:

Ben with Meggie on the trails:

View of the mountains from the end of our block:

Blue and White Day

Sometimes, (OK, often) Chris and I will get dressed in the morning and quickly realize that we are essentially wearing the same outfit.  Green t-shirt and jeans with flip flops is a common offender.  I just blame it on the fact that we've been living together so so long and I do a lot of his shopping, so I get him what I like. 

Today was a whole new day.  Not only were Chris and I both wearing blue and white striped shirts (his a horizontally striped thermal and mine a vertical pinstripe button down), but BEN was also wearing a blue and white horizontally striped thermal.  I mean, I dressed him, yes.  But, I didn't realize that we were all matching until we were out at the playground surrounded by others who probably assumed we were on our way to our holiday card photo shoot at JC Penny!  Hehe...

Here is Super Ben and Super Dad in their matching thermals:

The latest

It's been a busy week or two here at the Cali home.  Meggie and Papa came to visit Ben (and us) last Friday.  It was so nice to have them here and for them to spend time with Ben.  We did have some adult fun too.  We went to Denver to see Lucinda Williams, went out to dinner and ate too much bad food, stayed out until 11 (woohoo!!).  We also went to Boulder to do some shopping, went to the Butterfly Pavillion - which is code for bug museum, where Joel held a tarantula and Ben touched giant cockroaches. 
Chris and I basked in the glory of having a 20 minute conversation alone while my parents played with Ben.  It was amazing....
We went on a lot of good walks on the trails, and I even got in a bike ride while Joel stayed home with a napping Ben.  It was a great long weekend together.

Now they are back at home and it was sad to have them leave.  Seriously - S.A.D.  I'm hoping it will get easier, OR that all of my friends and family will move to Denver to make it easier for ME.  ; )

Tomorrow I am subbing at a middle school and I am excited about it.  I am anxious to get back in the classroom and meet some new people.  Next week we'll go to Thanksgiving dinner up in Fort Collins which will be great.  Looking forward to spending time with our Colorado family. 

Here is Ben with his shades.  Is it possible to be "street" when you're on a trail?

Here is Ben wearing Suzy dog's bandana and making pirate faces:

Elmo Overload

Have we reached saturation point yet?!

Making Bread

Today I tried to get some help from Ben to make zucchini bread.  Really, I just needed a creative way to keep him contained for 20 minutes.

Here he is helping me make bread (and giving me a silly look!):

And here he is from another viewpoint to show that he really just stood up on a stool and watched Cars from afar!: 

Random Cuteness

 This is what happens when you tell Ben to do his "Big Smile"

 This is Ben's new preferred method of eating.  One leg up on the table.  This morning he went for both legs.  I don't think that will last...

This is just the best of both worlds - Elmo and the Yankees for Ben, Home Goods for Mama.  : )

Happy Halloween!!

Elmo was a huge hit.  Our neighborhood gets TONS of kids!  I think next year he'll be up for the challenge.