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Saturday, July 26, 2014

Grandparents Come to Town

It just so happened that my mom finished hiking the Colorado Trail at the same time that my dad was in Denver for a work conference, so we have enjoyed a wonderful reunion here in Denver. Lucy has been enjoying a little time with her grandparents...

{Lucy with her Lynnie & Pop Pop}

My mom left this morning, but my dad is here in Denver until Tuesday. On Thursday, we leave for our annual summer road trip. We are headed to Georgia, and then on to Florida to visit family and the beach. I can't wait to see the people and places we love so much! I am hoping Lucy sleeps through most of the drive, but now that she's older, we'll probably have to stop often to let her get some energy out. Pray for a safe, uneventful journey for us! I will try to remember to take pictures to document our adventures :)

Wednesday, July 23, 2014

Take Me Out to the Ball Game

Last night, Lucy went to her first ever baseball game. While I wish it was a Braves game, she did wear her Braves shirt to represent her true team.


{Our attempt at a "selfie"... Way more difficult with a 14-month-old who wants to grab the phone.}

{Lucy and her precious little friend, Evan}

{At one point, Lucy tried to hold Evan's hand. He wasn't too happy about it.}

Lucy loved the baseball game, but I think she loved Evan more :) Our friends (Evan's parents) also have a 4-month-old named Sam. All three kids stayed up way past their bedtimes and were total champs. Too bad the Rockies couldn't pull out a win against the Nationals!

Friday, July 18, 2014

A Lucy Update

It's been awhile since I've updated on Lucy, so I'm catching you up today :)

{Lucy believes that she is a dog.}

At 14 months...
- Lucy loves to explore. She is curious and adventurous. If only her mama would just let her taste rocks!
- She could sit in her room and read books for hours. Sometimes, I notice that Lucy is being unusually quiet. This either means that she is getting into trouble, or that she is reading. She has started to "read" out loud to herself, which is basically the cutest thing I have ever seen. 
- Lucy's first (and only word so far) is "dog". Although, when she says it, it sounds more like "dah". 
- Everything is a telephone. The remote control is a telephone. A stuffed animal is a telephone. She will put random objects up to her ear and start chatting, as if she is speaking to a long-lost friend. She even does hand gestures. Makes me wonder what I look like when I talk on the phone. 
- She knows various parts of the body. When you say, "Where's your nose?", she will point to her nose. When you say, "Where is your belly button?", she will lift up her shirt to show you her belly button. She also has no problem showing you your own belly button. 
- She still doesn't walk on her own, and she doesn't seem to be in any hurry to do so.
- Lucy can "dismount" the couch all by herself. She can also climb stairs, which makes her mama very nervous. 
- Lucy's favorite food: Anything we are eating. Except vegetables. 
- Lucy's favorite book: Anything Dr. Seuss or starring Elmo. 
- Lucy took her first shower yesterday. I was in the shower, and M had to leave for work, so Lucy joined me in the shower. She thought it was the greatest thing ever. Like playing outside in the rain, but warm! 

Lucy is growing into such a fun little person. I can't believe she isn't a baby any more. Sometimes, I look at her and think, "Who is that toddler?" She is getting so big! 

Monday, July 14, 2014

Life as a Stay-at-Home Mom

You may or may not know that I have chosen not to work while we are here in Denver. I am grateful to have that choice, and I certainly do not take it for granted. I am still planning weddings, but only one at a time. This means that I am able to stay home with Lucy girl, which is good because she is growing up FAST. I want to savor these days with her, to watch her little mind develop and explore, to cuddle her when she needs to be cuddled, to watch from a safe distance while she exerts her independence. There is no worldly career more fulfilling than being a mother, and I would not trade these precious days for anything.

{Lucy made a video with my phone the other day, without my knowledge. I was looking through my phone and found this... We might have a future filmmaker here.}

A typical day: We wake up and change Lucy's diaper, and then give her breakfast, usually bananas and berries and yogurt. If I am particularly exhausted, and I need some time to make my coffee, I will put on Sesame Street (which she LOVES). After breakfast, she usually plays for a couple of hours. This morning, for example, we let her crawl "nekkid" in the yard (which she also LOVES), and she ended up peeing and pooping right by the door, so I cleaned that up and then got her dressed. She usually goes down for a nap mid-morning, during which time I will do some work around the house or take a shower, depending on how badly I need one, which I almost always do. When she wakes up, we eat lunch, and then we go on some sort of "outing", either to the grocery store or the library or just on a walk to the park. This usually takes up a large chunk of the afternoon, and by the time we get home, it's time for her afternoon nap. I do some more cleaning (or lately, read The Fault in Our Stars... and cry). By the time Lucy wakes up, she's usually hungry again, so I give her a little snack and a cup of milk, which she eats while I start on dinner. M usually gets home from work around this time, so the two of them play together while I finish making dinner. We eat dinner together (Lucy usually lasts about ten minutes in her high chair before she starts throwing all of her food to the dogs.), and after dinner, we try to take a walk around the neighborhood, most of the time with popsicles in hand. When we get back from our walk, it is usually Lucy's bedtime, so we bathe her and get her PJ's on and read to her, before tucking her in and turning out the lights. After Lucy goes down, M and I have a few hours of grown-up time, which is usually spent watching Netflix and drinking wine / eating kettle corn on the couch. Since we don't have central air, we open the door and the windows, and listen to all the nighttime sounds - the crickets and the frogs and the neighbor kids playing flashlight tag. Around 11, we finally go to bed, and I am usually asleep before my head hits the pillow. 

These days are simple and beautiful. On paper, they might seem ordinary, but they feel like magic to me. I wouldn't change any of it for the world. 

Sunday, July 13, 2014

Exploring Denver

This past weekend, we did some exploring around Denver. Saturday night, M and I went out on a little date...



We had dinner at a place called My Brother's Bar, which is in Highlands neighborhood - right down the street from our house! I seriously can't believe the views.


After dinner, we had dessert and drinks at a place down the street called Colt and Grey. It was swanky and so delicious!

Today, we rode our bikes along the river to the Denver Aquarium. Lucy LOVED it. She kept pointing at all the fish and squealing at the top of her lungs :)


Denver is such a cool city. I think we are going to enjoy living here :)




Monday, July 7, 2014

4th of July

This 4th of July was particularly wonderful, as we had dear friends visiting from Fort Collins and Salt Lake City. We ate lots of good food and finished the day with a fireworks show in the park near our house...

 {Lucy got to stay up late to watch the fireworks...}

After our friends left, I had to head up to Estes Park for a wedding. I didn't get back until late last night, and I am still recovering. In the midst of all the craziness, we are finally getting to enjoy Denver. We explored more of our neighborhood today, found an amazing deli and a great thrift shop, and I feel like I am finally starting to learn my way around. The next step is to learn the bike paths and the Light Rail, which is Denver's public transportation. Wish me luck!

Thursday, July 3, 2014

Goodbye, Hello

Last week was our last week in Fort Collins. We spent the week finishing up with work and saying some goodbyes. Except we now live only one hour away from Fort Collins, so "Goodbye" is more like "See you sometime soon"...


On our last night in Fort Collins, our friends had a little going-away party for us. It was the most perfect soiree you can imagine. I am going to miss these dear friends and this sweet chapter of our lives. 


Now that we've said "Goodbye" to Fort Collins, we have officially said "Hello" to our new home, the Mile High City. Sure, we moved our stuff here two weeks ago, but since then, we've been traveling all over the place. We haven't really had much time to explore and enjoy our new home. 

This week, we have been setting up our new house, painting and hanging things on the walls. I am extremely happy to report that there are no more boxes residing here with us. I will post some photos of our new house soon. I think this is the fastest I have ever finished unpacking a new house, thanks to everyone who helped us!


Our dear friends are coming from Salt Lake City to celebrate the 4th of July with us - wait, is it July already? - and M has started his new job at a church here in Denver. My mom is also here in Colorado, hiking the Colorado Trail. Also this weekend, I am coordinating a wedding up in the mountains. As you can probably imagine, there is quite a lot going on, but I will try to update faithfully and frequently. 

Have a safe, relaxing holiday!!!