Finding a Balance

Things here are going great. I'm really enjoying the extra time at home and the time spent at school. Anderson is such a great little guy and I truly cherish every minute I get to spend with him. I feel like I have more time to devote to him and to my teaching. I'm trying to set weekly goals of things I want to accomplish when I'm home. My goals this week were to exercise, try out a new recipe, start Anderson's one year Shutterfly book, and finish reading a book. I did the first three but still haven't found as much time to read. The weather has been absolutely gorgeous so we have been busy outside. I'll try next week! Another long term goal I've been thinking about is getting out more often with James. We have always enjoyed taking Anderson with us when we go places, but it is nice to go without him once in awhile. I think it's healthy for any relationship to have some adult time. Since we have no family here and I don't always want to feel like I'm asking friends, we signed up for a nanny service. I worked for a great one in St. Louis right after college and found one here in Denver. It is reasonably priced and I feel like we can trust the people that come into our home. I'm so excited to go out tomorrow evening! This way we can plan to go out a few times a month. I'm excited about going to see movies, musicals, dinner, etc. I think Anderson will do great and it will help him adapt to new situations/people.
Here are some pics of our little man from last weekend and this week. He had a really high fever last week but is feeling so much better!

He was a little under the weather but enjoyed

the drive out to Rocky Mountain National park.

The fresh air was nice.

Before daddy put the cabinet locks on. Really,

we should have done it awhile ago but they are done.

The beautiful Elk on a gorgeous day!

Anderson enjoyed the yummy apple.

He's getting better about feeding himself but

we sure do clean up some messes. Molly loves

it anytime Anderson eats.

Our Birthday Boy--September 19th

Dear Anderson,
We can't believe you are already a one year old. It has been the best year of our lives and you are the sunshine of each and every day. You have quite the personality and make us laugh and smile. You are doing so many big boy things now. First, you are no longer drinking from a bottle and now drink exclusively from sippy cups. Second, you are so close to walking. You cruise all the time but still don't quite have the self confidence to go off on your own. We think one day you will just forget to hold on and will be off to the races. Third, you learn so much by playing with things that aren't toys. It's amazing how fast you learn new games and figure out what the no no's are! Fourth, you talk all the time. You say a few words including momma, dadda, bird, and recently you have attempted to say Molly. Finally, you are a happy boy who is usually full of smiles. You laugh at the silliest things and it seems like we will do anything to make you laugh. It has been amazing to see you develop into the sweet,curious, adventurous, funny little guy you are. We feel like the luckiest parents in the world to have you as our son. We love you!
Love,
Mommy and Daddy

Our sweet birthday boy.

Molly celebrated too!

The kiddos.

The cute dinosaur cake (we have a great cake story).

Eating cake wore Anderson out!

Playing with a friend.

Funny videos

Fun

We had such a fun weekend last weekend. My parents were in town and watched Anderson for two nights while we went to the CO wine country. It was beautiful and even the drive there was amazing. We stayed in Palisade (where the CO peaches come from) one night and stayed in Grand Junction for one night. We went to several small, quaint wineries, ate at some fantastic restaurants, and just enjoyed having some time for ourselves. Anderson did great at home with the grandparents and of course we missed him but it was nice to get away.

Speaking of our little man, he turns one in less than 2 weeks. It is so bittersweet because it has gone incredibly fast! We watched a few older videos the other night and really couldn't believe that they were taken several months ago. Babies are so much fun but things just keep getting better and better. Our little guy is talking up a storm and is so close to walking. He is scared of falling so won't stand much on his own but he walks with his push toy and is getting really fast. We love him so much and I will probably shed a few tears when we sing happy birthday to him. Time sure flies.

Anderson and Molly are becoming better friends.

Molly loves Anderson's meal times.

A morning view of a vineyard.

The scenery was so different than in the Denver area.

The drive up to the CO Monument was breathtaking.

A cute little guy.

Anderson Antics

Anderson is such a little boy. He loves cords, electronics, and pretty much anything that he knows he's not supposed to have. He is learning that he should stop doing what he's doing when we shake our heads or say no. Sometimes it takes a time or two but he get's it. Anderson has really been jabbering a storm and I do love hearing him say momma. I just can't believe that he is so close to the big one. Again, *sniff*sniff*. I'm loving the time I get to spend with him. He is so much fun and has been so happy lately. He isn't teething at the moment so it's most certainly helped with sleep too!

We went to a Kindermusik preview class and he had a blast. He squealed and couldn't stop smiling and laughing the whole time. We had to sign up for the fall semester. I'm really excited about all the fun things we'll get to do with him this fall.

How do I get out of here?

I love the vacuum and get super excited anytime mom gets it out.

I'm going after the Wii remotes.

Molly, come inside!

End of Summer

We've had a great last few weeks of summer and school has already begun. We've had lots of company and spent a weekend in Copper Mountain. We had a great time with our guests and Anderson (and Molly) LOVED all the attention! It's hard to believe that our fun summer has ended and that little Anderson is already 11 months old *sniff sniff* He is so much fun but babies just grow up way too fast. Maybe that's why people have more! :)

Anderson is talking up a storm (baby babble) and is all over the place. He moves quick and when he wants something nothing stops him. He's doesn't like when we shake our heads no at him and will even sit and cry with huge tears. We try not to say no too much because we want him to know that no means no. Anderson is eating a lot of big boy food but still enjoys his bottles. He's lazy and would prefer that mommy or daddy hold the bottle for him. The past week has been an adjustment for him with mommy being gone and to top it all off, our babysitter is not going to be able to care for him the rest of the year. It was stressful but we did find a great new babysitter who used to teach in our district but chose to stay at home with her baby. One big plus is that she lives in our neighborhood so it will be a quick 2 minute drive.

School is going great and I absolutely love 4th grade! The kids are so much fun and my quote from the first day is, "Wow, you tell them to do something and they do it." It's amazing! My partner and I team taught this past week (just 3 days) and next week we start our part time schedule. I love the fact that I only have to teach Monday and Tuesday and then I'm off for the rest of the week. I think it will be the perfect arrangement because I didn't want to completely give up teaching. I do LOVE it! My new team is awesome too. So, things are pretty good right now. That's about it for now.

Anderson loved cheering for all the bikers.

Anderson and the bear at the zoo.

Anderson riding in his bike trailer.

Our cutie pie. He's ready for football season!

Fun

We're really enjoying the remaining few weeks of summer. My Aunt Tammy is here this week acclimating herself to the altitude so that she can ride the Copper Mountain Triangle with James this coming weekend. We're having a lot of fun and staying busy. Yesterday we went for a run and then went downtown to meet James for lunch. Today we went to Boulder to hike and have lunch on Pearl Street. Anderson's been exhausted!
Three of Anderson's top teeth are FINALLY breaking through. He has one more that looks like it will anytime. Yippee! We've had some sleepless nights here and there and are ready for him to NOT be teething for a little while. He's really changed in the last few weeks. He has started really shrieking when he wants something. He is loud! He's eating more big boy food and is so close to walking on his own. We will definitely need more baby gates soon! He's such a sweet but boy am I tired at the end of the day!
Here's a few pictures from the past few weeks including more from our MO trip.


Anderson loves chewing on his Sophie Giraffe.

I love this sweet pic of our little man.

Little ham.

Swinging outside at Grandma and Grandpa's house.

Having fun at the Magic House in STL.

Sweating at the park with friends.

Anderson enjoyed spending some time with his

Grandpa.

Wow, Where Did the Time Go?

I just realized that it's been quite awhile since I've posted. We went to Steamboat Springs a few weeks ago and then all last week we were in hot St. Louis visiting friends and family. After all the travels, we are so happy to be home. My Aunt is coming on Monday and then next weekend we are headed to Copper Mountain. James and my Aunt are doing the Copper Mountain Triangle Bike Ride. Anderson, my Aunt's friend Tracy, and I are going to relax and enjoy the beautiful mountain weather.

It's hard to believe but I actually go back to school in a few weeks. In fact, one of my new teammates emailed us about meeting to plan for the year. Yikes! I'm definitely not ready but I don't feel the anxiety I normally would and am even a little excited about my part time teaching role in a new grade. Yay! I feel so fortunate to be able to do this because I didn't want to completely give up my teaching job. It think it would be really difficult to find another one in the future.

Anderson has been so much fun lately. Three out of four teeth on the top have FINALLY broken through. Hooray! We've had some sleepless nights and they seem to be getting a bit better. Anderson talks all the time and is a funny little character. He loves to dance to music, he cracks himself up, and wants to try everything we eat. Molly is liking him more but still sometimes hurries to get out of the room when she see's him crawling near her. Anderson is pretty close to walking and boy will we be busy!

Yesterday we had the pleasure of meeting Kelli and Aiden at the Denver Aquarium! He is such a doll and it was great meeting them.

Here's some pictures from the past few weeks and I'll do another post with pics from MO.

Anderson and Aiden.

Dishes are fun!

Standing up is so much fun!

I love books!

I'm getting close to walking!

James rode the Tour De Steamboat.

Little things are so entertaining!

Wow, mom actually carried the backpack for a bit.

Daddy was tired from the day before.

Rabbit Ear's Pass. The hike was beautiful!

Made it to the top!

Time is Flying By!

Wow, where is the summer going? We've been very busy since we returned from our vacation. Anderson and I have gone somewhere everyday, which is really making the time seem to go faster. This past week we went to the zoo, tried out a class at Gymboree, went to the park, went shopping, etc. Oh yeah, we also had company the day after we got back from our trip. Our little guy is definitely on the move. He's so fast and wants to get into everything. At this point it's easy to distract him but we've had to use the word NO. We need a few more baby gates and something to keep him away from the fireplace. He wants to pull the emblem off the bottom and keeps heading in that direction. James firmly said no and made him cry the other day. He seemed to remember that but then the next day he was right back at it. Phew..He's so much fun but I'm a tired momma!

This weekend our friends Jarrett, Nicole, and their kids are going to visit on their way to Estes Park for vacation. Hopefully James will be up for hiking with them tomorrow. Today James is doing a 120 mile bike ride called the Triple Bypass up in the mountains. The elevation gain is over 10,000 feet. He's crazy! Actually, there are 3,500 crazy people doing it today. It is such a poplular ride that the registration was closed after 30 minutes and James didn't get in. He eventually was able to find a registration on Craig's List because someone couldn't do it. Hopefully he's doing okay! He did text me awhile ago and after 60 miles it was raining, 40 degrees, and had just stopped hailing. Yikes! I'll write an update once he finishes!

Our sweet, big boy!

He loves to cruise the couch and talk.

Wow, he made it to his bouncer.

Then to his carseat and the stinker got his pacifier.

He only gets it in his crib or when he's in his carseat.

Look how tired he looks after Gymboree.

Our Vacation

It has been a whirlwind of traveling the last week. We had a great time in Seattle and Vancouver. We had a lot of fresh seafood and coffee on our trip! Really, especially in Seattle there are at least three coffee shops on every corner. In Seattle we went to Pike Place Market and it was huge. I wish every city had a market like it. We had coffee at the very first Starbucks across the street too! Our first seafood meal at the Crabpot was absolutely amazing! They dumped a huge pot of seafood right on our table. Yum! We took the ferry to Bainbridge island and explored the quaint shops/restaurants, and played in the park. The views of Mount Rainer were spectatular. We also did a lot of exploring by the water and ate clam chowder/fish and chips. On another day we drove to Alki Beach and enjoyed the beautiful views and a good breakfast. It was a lot of fun but we definitely liked Vanouver better. We drove to Vancouver and had so much fun exploring the city. We stayed near Stanley Park, which is huge and beautiful. The city really reminded us a lot of Europe. We loved the glass buildings with amazing views of the water. Everyone was really friendly and it was just different than here in the United States. One day we drove to Whistler and it was one of the most amazing stretches of highway we've ever driven on. The views were breathtaking and the waterfalls along the way were gorgeous! They day before we left Vancouver and went back to Seattle I ran a half marathon. What a difference running at sea level makes. I ran so much faster and didn't get out of breath. All in all, it was great to see a new part of the country. Anderson had a great time and really enjoyed taking in all the sights. He is such a great traveler and boy was he a flirt. He made a lot of friends with his adorable smile. So fun!

Side story--We usually try to fly Southwest airlines. On the way home, James was in the A boarding group and I was in the B. The plan was for James to get on, get us a seat, and then I was going to take Anderson. Being a frequent Southwest customer, I knew that family boarding would be between A and B. So, after A was done boarding, I got in line for B. An older woman asked me what number I had. I thought maybe she was confused and proceeded to explain to her how the process worked. No, she wasn't confused, she was just a mean lady. She told me that I should go to the end of the line. I told her that I was in line for the family boarding. She then told me that Southwest didn't do that. All I could say was, "That's not very nice." Yes, I sounded like an elementary school teacher. She felt very bad. I did get out of line and sure enough, they called for family boarding and I was smiling on the inside as I passed her. Seriously, some people just are so rude. Why? Have people always been rude? It really did seem like people were more friendly in Canada. It just seemed like they were more aware of others and polite. Sometimes I just think about how self absored so many people have become and it makes me sad. I really want to teach Anderson to be a polite little guy!

Seafood at the Crab Pot

Ready for seafood goodness.

The original Starbucks in Seattle.

We loved the market.

An immigration reform sit in that shut down the city.

Ready to go!

On the ferry to Bainbridge Island.

Pretty view of Seattle.

Anderson loved the park on the island.

Alki Beach

Beautiful Vancouver.

Gorgeous!

Breathtaking view on the way to Whistler.

At Brandywine Falls.

Sleepy.

After mommy's half marathon in Vancouver. I ran

1:57, which was much faster than in Wyoming.