And we're off....

......on our next big vacation. Ryan, Cael, Aveyn and I headed up to Clayton, Idaho to spend the 4th of July with my Dad, Kim, Kyli, Chris and Veronica. We met the Gnader's at the airport here in Denver since they had flown in from Omaha and had a 3 hour layover at DIA (Denver International Airport). Within minutes, Cael and Veronica were acting like not a minute had passed since they had last seen each other (mid June) and were busy crawling over chairs and entertaining EVERYONE around them. We boarded the plane with Chris, Ryan and Aveyn sitting together, Kyli and Veronica sitting together and Cael and I sitting together. Cael and Veronica had fun mimicking each other and enjoyed the minimal turbulence that we encountered (the adults were grimacing while Cael and Veronica were shrieking in delight)!

The one hour flight put us into Idaho Falls where we had to rent cars for our 3 hour journey to the cabin. After a lot of running around (and waiting on the rental car people) we finally got on the road around 7 meaning we would not actually arrive until 10:00 or so.

We put Cael and Veronica in a car with the boys and Kyli and I took Aveyn. The car ride was non-eventful with Aveyn fussing for food or sleep. I think Kyli could sense my apprehension about whether or not Aveyn was comfortable and was wonderful about climbing into the backseat to feed her solids, checking to see if the sun was in her eyes, feeding her a bottle, etc. I am truly grateful - Thanks, sis!!

Little missy moo moo

This little girl has wormed her way into our hearts with her sweet smile, contagious laugh and outgoing personality. Not to mention those big blue eyes.... She is our peanut. She still adores her brother, hates to be left alone, is fascinated by Potter, has a mean grip (she is quite strong for as little as she is), is sleeping really well at night, still isn't that interested in table food, loves to chew on anything she can get her hands on, is rolling, sliding and scooching all over the place, has an obsession with things that make a crinkling sound, seems close to crawling, hates her car seat, loves to 'talk', doesn't like strangers until she gets to know them and she LOVES her Mommy and Daddy. Nicknames include missy, sissy, missy moo moo, peanut, princess, sweet pea, toots and punkin. She may look a lot like her brother, but she definitely has her own personality and isn't afraid to share it with the world!

Happy Birthday to Me!!

When I dropped Cael off at daycare on the morning of June 24th (my birthday) I asked him to please, please actually go potty in the big boy toilet. The daycare fills out a sheet for him and every time, it always said 'tried' and I wanted it to say 'went potty' or even 'accident' because that would mean progress in the potty training area. Imagine my surprise when I went to pick him up and they told me he had gone potty not once, but TWICE in the big boy potty!!!! What a great birthday present. It marked the first time he had gone potty as a big boy rather than in his diaper!!!! I was so happy I literally cried when they told me. Our little boy is growing up!

Wii - eeeeee

For as long as I can remember, Ryan has been looking forward to the day that his son (kids) would be able to play video games with him. My mom got us the Wii for Christmas and Ryan introduced it to Cael hoping he would catch on quickly (why wait)? Cael seemed to pick up on the concept fairly quickly, but he is still a 2 year old and his attention span lasts about 2 minutes (at best). Cael had fun learning how to pitch and hit and Ryan had fun teaching him how to play the sport via video game. He started losing his temper when Cael began having more fun launching himself into the couch (every time he would lose he would throw himself backwards into the couch) than he did actually playing the game. There are just some things you can't capture with a camera, but Cael had so much fun playing with his Daddy. It was really fun to watch!

Father's Day - 2010

Ryan is not only a great husband, but he is a WONDERFUL father. He changes diapers, cuddles, reads, sings, plays and is truly the best daddy these kids (and I) could ask for. Not only is he great with the kids, but he treats me like his best friend, his partner, his equal and I love him for it. He still opens doors for me, listens when I need to bend his ear, tells me I am beautiful, helps with the laundry, does dishes, mows the yard, all in addition to being very hands on with our kids. He is extremely dedicated to his family and would do just about anything to make us happy. He isn't perfect (who is), but he is close)! He slept in on Sunday (Father's Day), went to the driving range, then we ran some errands and finished the evening with a dip at the pool. I thought it was a great day and hopefully he did too. The kids got him a gift card to Coldstone (he LOVES ice cream) and I got him some vodka that he loves (Russian Standard) and a gift card to Home Depot. Once the kids were asleep we sat on the back porch, enjoyed a glass (or two) of wine, a cigar (Ryan) and spent the rest of the evening talking about Ed. We both got emotional, but it felt good to talk about him and reminisce about everything we remember about him as a father, grandpa and husband. It was a great day.

Sooo big

Aveyn is progressing in leaps and bounds. Whereas before she had no desire to even stand on her feet, she is now standing by herself (with help) for brief periods of time (our little girl is getting stronger). She is mastering the concept of the pincer grip (using her finger and thumb to grasp things) and the sippy cup.

With these new discoveries comes new territory to explore and she really seems to be enjoying herself. She recently discovered the musical chair and LOVES it. She gets this goofy grin on her face and starts shaking her little body to the music. It is too freaking cute for words (here, look at the picture - LOL).

She is turning into a bit of a Mommy's girl and is quick to express her anger when I put her down or walk out of her line of sight (I had this same problem with Cael). It is just so hard when I know that picking her up will make her stop crying. However, I know I am creating a monster and am working to overcome my immediate reaction to her tears and obvious discomfort. I can't believe she is already 9.5 months old and how much is going to change for Ryan and I between now and her first birthday! I think we are ready or as ready as one can be when dealing with a little kid!

Omaha Trip - June 2010

The trip started off a little rough (see Departing Denver), but as always it was great to see everyone in Omaha. Ryan, Nolan and Tim went golfing in the morning at Indian Creek (the course my mom lives on) and then came back to my mom's to swim. My mom had invited Erica, Nolan and Makenzi out (Barb had come to the airport to pick us up and had stayed the night) and my sister came out with Chris and Veronica. We had so much fun hanging out by the pool, playing volleyball, eating, laughing and just enjoying each other's company. We ordered pizza for dinner and made it an all day event.

On Sunday, Ryan headed over to Tim and Erica's with the kids while I packed and got everything ready for the flight that evening. My mom and I stopped by Heather and Jeff's to say hi and to see Bennett, but unfortunately he wasn't feeling well and was sleeping in his crib. We talked with Heather and Jeff for a bit and then headed out to meet up with Ryan and the kids. Ryan went to visit Ed's grave site with Tim and Barb while the rest of us tried not to fall asleep in our chairs (it had been a busy weekend). We ended up grabbing a snack and watching the kids play on the trampoline (Cael actually fell off and gave everyone a good scare - thank goodness he was okay). Before long it was time to load up and head to the airport. Luckily the flight home was a non-event and we arrived back in Denver with no problems (other than a couple of very tired kids)!

Departing Denver

Ryan and I planned a quick weekend trip to Omaha to visit our family (and hopefully squeeze in some time with friends as well). We were eagerly anticipating the weekend, but not looking forward to the short trip (lots of traveling = very little 'quality' time). Our flight was supposed to leave Denver at 7:10 pm, but given the foul weather (tornado warnings) we were anticipating a bit of a delay. However, when I checked our flight status on the way to the airport I don't think we were prepared for the two hour delay as the flight was now scheduled to take off at 9:07. We discussed going back to the house and waiting, but worried that things would change; the weather would get better and we would end up missing our flight. We arrived at the airport and headed to the gate only to discover the flight had been delayed again and was now scheduled to depart at 9:28. At this point, I am frustrated (it was already going to be a short enough trip) and worried about the kids. I was ready to just bag the whole trip, but Ryan wanted to stick it out given we would lose the tickets and money if we just skipped the flight. We were hanging out at the gate when they updated the departure time again: we were now scheduled to leave at 10:41. What?? Forget it!

Long story short, we stuck it out, boarded at 10:30 and finally taxied down the run way at 11:30. We encountered some of the worst turbulence (people were crying) I have ever experienced and I think both Ryan and I were wondering if we were going to make it off the plane alive. We finally arrived in Omaha at 2:30 in the morning (Central time). We were beat and the kids were on the verge of a major meltdown. We got to my mom's house, put the kids down and finally fell asleep around 4:00 so you can imagine that 8:30 came VERY quickly :) Regardless, it was an adventure and one we will never forget!