Nemo - the Betta

I have wanted to buy a fish for Cael for as long as I can remember and his upcoming birthday seemed like the perfect opportunity. Going into it I knew that I would be the primary caregiver for said fish and that in all likelihood, the fish would be more mine than his, but that didn't stop me. I had betta's when I was younger so I knew there were not going to be any goldfish in Cael's bowl. I attempted to get Cael really hyped up about his new pet fish, but after the initial novelty wore off he couldn't have cared less (didn't stop me). We made a trip to Petsmart where we proceeded to pick out our new pet, a bowl, some rocks, food and back home we went - at this point I guess it is fair to say that Cael was more interested in the dogs available for adoption, ALL the other fish, the guinea pigs, the dog toys than he was his new fish, but again, that didn't stop me. Cael had an opinion on certain matters - he wanted a blue fish, dark blue and turquoise rocks and he wanted the fish's name to be Nemo.

Within a couple days of having Nemo it became apparent that he was not doing well so my mom, Barb and I headed off to Petsmart again so I could pick up more supplies (this fish was NOT going to die on my watch). I also made the executive decision to switch out some of the rocks - I removed the dark blue ones and replaced them with gold and clear - so that Nemo is a little easier to see. He is now thriving and I am pretty sure Cael doesn't even remember that he even owns a fish, much less that his name is Nemo ;) 

Mexico, baby

In July, Ryan and I made plans to go to Playa Del Carmen with some friends of ours. We paid our deposit and started daydreaming about white sand beaches, ocean breezes and a week without any responsibility (no kids, no work....sounds like heaven to me). Dan, Jess and Ryan have known each other since their high school years at Platteview in Springfield, NE and when I was introduced to Jess we hit it off almost immediately! The four of us get along so well and we have been talking about taking a trip together since 2004 so it was long overdue. Forgive me if I go into too much detail as this was our first trip without the kids and our first 'couple' vacation in a VERY LONG TIME!!!!!!

We woke up at 2:00 am on Saturday morning to catch a 6 am flight to Houston where we met up with Dan and Jess and after a brief layover flew into Cancun. The flights were non-eventful and we arrived at approximately 1:30 pm. It was an all inclusive resort so food and drinks were unlimited and trust me, we took advantage! We went to bed at approximately 8:00 every night and woke up at 7:00 every morning. Our schedule basically consisted of the following: wake up, put on our swimsuits and cover ups, brush our teeth and head to breakfast at the buffet (usually Ryan had reserved our chairs at the pool or beach already), after breakfast, we headed to our designated spots where we proceeded to lay out/read/swim. Around 10:00 we ordered our first drink and leisurely drank until it was time to go get lunch at which time we usually headed over to the 'American' restaurant at the resort for their delicious chips, cheese, hamburgers, wraps and salads (and we were never disappointed). After lunch we laid around by the pool until it was time to go back to the room to get ready for dinner. We had 5 restaurants to choose from and after stuffing our belly's full of delicious food it was time for bed (no one said we were party animals) and then we woke up and did it all over again!

I think the boys got bored because Jess and I were literally content to read, sleep, eat and drink ALL day EVERY day! Our next trip will be to a nice warm place with beautiful beaches and plentiful food and drink, but will also include UNLIMITED golf! We are already planning our next vacation and I am very much looking forward to our next adventure with the Gochenour's! Thank you both for a wonderful trip!

A big thank you to Grandma and Nana because without them there is no way we could have taken the trip. They stayed with the kids so we could have some much needed 'couple' time and there are literally not enough words to express our gratitude. They handled each situation, crisis and routinely mundane things with grace, laughter and humility and from the bottom of our hearts we THANK YOU!

Happy Gram - Big girl!

Aveyn got a happy gram at school today!! I didn't realize they did them in the Young Toddler rooms, but I am so glad that they do. She is progressing in leaps and bounds and it is so fun to see her little personality and her abilities develop more and more each day. Her teachers love her and so do we!!!

'Aveyn has been doing great at eating lunch and drinking from her sippy cup! The past few days she has been picking up her cup & drinking without us even asking her. She's also been trying new things during snack/lunch. So exciting!!' Ms. Kristina & Ms. Rachel

Family pictures

With the holidays just around the corner, I decided it was time to think about our family pictures. In the past, my dad and Kim have taken our Christmas card picture for us, but they are in Florida and my attempt last year to take a picture with the self timer feature on our camera turned into a bit of a fiasco. I scoured Craigslist.com until I found an ad for a photographer and after I visited her website, I fell in love with her personality, her style and her spunk. We decided to meet at Cheesman Park in downtown Denver on Saturday, October 30th. The weather was supposed to be nice and since we were going to be out of town the following week, I wanted to get them done as soon as possible.

Mandy was great and despite the wind she assured me that the pictures were turning out really cute. I was nervous because the kids weren't cooperating (do they ever), the wind was awful, I couldn't see what she was taking and how they were turning out and it was making me crazy. At the end of the session, Mandy told me should would probably have them to me within the week and EVERY day I checked the mail (and her blog) to see if they had arrived as I desperately wanted to see them before we left for Mexico. I got the CD on Friday (the evening before we left) and was pleasantly surprised at how they had turned out although I was hoping for a better family picture, but with kids what do you expect?

Perhaps I'll post a teaser of what our Christmas cards are going to look like OR maybe I'll make you wait....bwa ha ha ha ha (insert evil laugh). I will also be uploading them to Shutterfly where they will be available to order in any size you want at the prices listed on the website!!

Cowboys, Kitties and Bees..Oh My!

I am not going to lie - I really don't get into the Halloween spirit very much, but I enjoy picking out the costumes for the kids and taking pictures! I suppose I will enjoy it more once Cael and Aveyn understand the concept, have definite costume ideas and are excited about going trick-or-treating, but this year I merely tolerated the holiday. Unfortunately, Aveyn was sick so we decided that she should probably stay at home with me while Ryan took Cael out for a quick trip around the neighborhood. As usual, Cael was a hit in his costume and got a ton of candy, which he wanted to devour as soon as he got back to the house. Meanwhile, Aveyn had fun handing out candy with Mommy and everyone loved her kitty costume.

I had bought Cael a cowboy costume, but decided that the outfit that Barb made a few years ago was much cuter and made a better choice. I am hoping she will make the costumes for the kids every year because I think she does such a great job and they turn out so adorable. Happy Halloween everyone!! Hope you had a great time and got lots of candy!

{Cael} Kids Say The Darndest Things

Cael loves nuts of any kind and has started requesting cashews as a snack, however, instead of cashews he calls them Cash Tubes. HAHAHAHAHAHA - LOVE IT!

{Aveyn} Quick Update - Health

Aveyn was sick with a fever all last week so Ryan and I kept her out of daycare thinking she was fighting a cold. We took her to the doctor a few days later only to discover that she had double ear infections (owie), which the doctor rated an 8 out of 10 in terms of pain and severity. She also told us to bring her back in if her ears started bleeding (I am sorry, what...... BLOOD??) so they could re-evaluate and possibly prescribe medicated drops. I felt like the worst parent in the world, but she showed no signs other than the fever and being a little more cranky than normal. When Cael had ear infections, he wouldn't sleep unless held in an upright position. The doctor just said that at this age girls have a higher tolerance for pain (I'll say)!

Girl's weekend

Ryan and Chris went hunting so Kyli, Veronica and my mom came to Denver for a girl's (plus kids) weekend. Mom bought each of us a velour 'outfit' so we could all be twins (or triplets) and the idea was to sit around, talk, laugh and watch the kids play together. Although it wasn't always easy, it was still a good time! *thumbs up*!

Given we had the kids, I think we did a pretty good job of entertaining ourselves although we decided that a true girls weekend was a MUST (the boys can't be the only ones who have fun)! We did a little shopping, but mostly hung out at the house, drank, ate and acted as referees for the kids. I had fun and I think they did too!

In an attempt to burn some kid energy, Kyli and I decided to take the kids up to McDonalds (yes the Dreaded McDonalds). Mom stayed at the house for no other reason than my car was out of commission (at the dealership being worked on) and we didn't have the space in the Passat. She graciously offered to stay at home so we could get the kids out for a bit. Cael LOVES McDonalds and it was a great way for all three of them to burn off some energy. 

I am so grateful that they came out because otherwise my weekend would have been a long and lonely one. We're hoping to make it an annual tradition and it will only get better as the kids get older. I, for one, can't wait! Love you both and thanks for a great weekend!