Our Journey of Love: 07/01/2009

Amy & Kloden Visit!

My friend Amy and her son Kloden were able to come down and spend some time with us which was very exciting! Amy's husband was training for I believe an Iron Man competition that's coming up in August. Amy is also training for a triathalon! They put my walking to shame I must say lol. Kloden is adorable and has this chubby little legs you just want to munch on! He smiles so cute and he did so great with both Karalee and Alastair. Karalee was fascinated to have another baby around and Alastair was intrigued to see someone closer to his age as well. We went to the zoo thinking it would be nice since hey it was only supposed to be 80 something and slightly overcast. What we didn't realize was how stinking hot the humidity was going to make things! I know, I know. All of you who live in IL, KS etc are laughing your butts off at me right now for whining about humidity. I hate humidity, it just bites lol. So we only made it about halfway thru the zoo, got ice cream to cool off and then headed back to my place for a bit. Amy takes the most amazing photographs, I totally wish I had her eye! I have so many friends that take these amazing pictures and doggone it none of them live in CO! What's up with that??

07/10/09
Karalee, Alastair (he's in carseat sleeping), Amy & Kloden

Amy & Kloden - Amy's multi tasking, keeping Kloden snuggled and putting sunblock on!

Amy & Kloden

Karalee being silly

Amy enjoying ice cream while Kloden snoozes

Yay Kloden!

Amy with the boys

Kloden playing with the driving game

Amy took these pictures:

Kids and I looking for lions

Alastair kickin' it

Me with Kloden, Alastair and Karalee

Amy, Kloden, Me, Alastair and Karalee - proof we met LOL

Me with Alastair and Karalee looking at Lorikeets

Mmmmm ice cream

The boys and I

Karalee decided Alastair needed to wear a headband so we had to have a picture of that!

Karalee - this is my favorite picture of her that Amy sent me!

Karalee & I

A backyard for us? Really? Yes, really!

July saw the backyard become something more then a weed and dirt infested eye sore much to all our excitement! Karalee being the wonderful helper she is helped us shovel dirt and helped us unroll sod, and then ran over the lawn to tamp it down. ;-) Dana rototilled the new, good nutrient full dirt into our existing dirt so we had a good base for the sod to grow on, he did a fantastic job! It's back breaking work and with all the heat and humidity we've had makes you break a sweat that much faster.

We had no idea how heavy a roll of sod is so that was an experience! It's pretty easy to lay it though and we were so grateful to have the help of our neighbor Rob and his stepson Logan, they both helped a ton! Rob just tossed like 7 rolls of sod in the wheelbarrow, shoved it over the rocks into the backyard and then helped unload it while Dana and I un-rolled the sod. I was stunned how much he could push in that wheelbarrow! I'm a weakling though so just picking up a roll was enough work for me lol.

07/01/09
Karalee helping shovel dirt - in her words "I help!"

Karalee helping us move dirt - in her words "It's a BIG ONE!!"

07/03/09
Sod being delivered

Sod is here! We used all but I think 6 rolls

Logan, Rob, Dana & Karalee working hard

This is what the whole yard looked like after roto tilling etc

This is what it looks like now - I LOVE IT!!!

Karalee hard at work

07/06/09
Karalee & Dana test driving the yard

Ready...set...

...GO!

Victory!

Let the spoiling begin!

Grandma Karen and Grandpa Norman came out at the end of June to meet Alastair for the first time and to hang out with Karalee...oh and us by default ;-) They had a wonderful time and I know the kids had a great time hanging out with them as well. We hit the Children's Museum, the Botanical Gardens, Estes Park & Butterfly Pavilion. I think Karen and Norman were ready to sit down and rest each night after the days adventures! Karalee had a ton of fun on the way to Estes Park as she got to pick a lot of flowers that she brought home as well. The Botanical Gardens had a bunch of bushes and such they shaped into dinosaurs and they spooked Karalee a bit. I wasn't able to go as I worked but I'm told they had a fabulous time! For the Butterfly Pavilion they just took Karalee as Alastair was a bit ... difficult temperment wise so he got to hang out and play at daycare.

We took them to dinner their last night in town to SaltCreek Steakhouse. It was okay, I didn't have the steaks but I heard from everyone that did they were wonderful! The service was great, the glasses they give you are huge which I loved! Karalee gave salad a try, she liked the ranch dressing better then 1000 Island but had some trouble getting the lettuce all chewed up so she's not quite ready for salads. I do hope she'll like them, one because they're good for you and two because she'll get less grief in life if she does lol. As a non salad eater myself I can attest you will get shocked looks, people trying to convince you that you do like salad even when I know I don't - I have tried it more then once, no go - and so on.

06/27/09
G-Ma Karen and Karalee-we stopped for a leg/nursing break on our drive to Estes Park

Alastair with G-Ma and G-Pa

G-Ma, G-Pa, Alastair, Karalee (in the trunk lol) and Dana

Me, Alastair, G-Ma, G-Pa, and Karalee at the hotel we stopped to have lunch at in Estes.

Karalee running through the grass

Alastair and G-Ma (how cute is that outfit!!)

Karalee and I making a wish

06/30/09
G-Ma & Karalee-I think this was outside the Butterfly Pavilions

G-Ma, G-Pa & Karalee at Butterfly Pavilions

Karalee having fun

1..2..3...

...WHEE!!!!!

Alastair and I (with Jim in background) at dinner

Everyone at dinner

June Fun

We took the kids to a water park for the first time and met our friend Monica there. Karalee was a little nervous at first but once she realized that we wouldn't drop her she relaxed and had a blast! I was so proud of her! She would run into the water to get us, then hop out and do it all over again lol. Alastair jealously watched - he's too little to go in the pool yet, has to wait until he's 6 months as his body will adjust to the temperature better then.

We celebrated Father's Day at Joe's Crabshack which Dana declared is better the Red Lobster! So we have a new place to go for his shrimp fix! Karalee was fascinated by this huge shark they had hanging up on the ceiling (fake obviously) and made both Dana and I take her to see it several times lol. He got a couple Phil Collins dvd's and a cd he'd been wanting so he was very excited.

Alastair is starting to chunk up a bit, mostly he's just a long little man! :-) He hasn't laughed quite yet but he does "talk" to us which is adorable! He loves to look right at you and just light up the room with a big ol' smile and chatter away back at you. So cute!

Karalee is just so smart and is putting phrases together like crazy. It's amazing to me daily how fast she learns words and how fast they become sentences! It's so nice to be able to communicate easier. She still doesn't tell you why she's crying but for most everything else she tells you. Usually when she's crying it's a fit and she just goes "I cry. I sad. I cry." The "I sad" is for every cry no matter what the reason is lol.

06/18/09
Alastair is ready for baseball!