Sunday, December 25, 2011

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.   : )







Thursday, December 22, 2011

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.





Wednesday, December 21, 2011

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...

Saturday, December 17, 2011

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.  : )

Monday, December 12, 2011

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:


Saturday, December 10, 2011

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!:

Wednesday, December 7, 2011

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!  : )


Tuesday, December 6, 2011

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: