2014: page eighty-three

Denver here we come!!

Ryan had a last minute business trip to Denver come up and he is bringing B and I with him! Should be a fun week (well, for B and I, anyway), as we get to see a couple of my friends from back in the Fort Collins days. I'm excited!

We left this morning about 8:45 and made our way along Highway 40 to Steamboat Springs, where we stopped for lunch at one of my all time favorite Colorado restaurants, Beau Jo's Pizza. Yum! The best part is that the kid's lunch buffet is free for kids 5 and under. Score!

Arriving at our hotel around 4:00, we rested for a bit and then hit one of my other favorite places to eat, The Cheesecake Factory.

Two great meals in one day, now that's a good day. ;)

2014: page eighty-two

Pretty much all day today (well, after church anyway) was spent getting ready to head to Denver tomorrow. Rushing around trying to get laundry done, clothes packed, toys and road trip entertainment packed, food gathered to take with us, etc. kept me running most of the day. Pretty tiring!

Usually, I get stuff packed further ahead of time, but I didn't even know we were going until about 6:00 on Friday evening. Yesterday, we were busy all day, which left it all for today. But, I am excited about the trip so it makes it all worth it.

2014: eighty-one

The big news of the day is that Ryan sold his motorcycle. Bittersweet feelings best describe how I am feeling about it and I think it's fair to say that he feels the same way. You see, he decided last fall that he was going to sell his bike in order to get an older Jeep that would take all of us to the mountains, rather than just him.

I can't even begin to describe how I am feeling about this. Such a sacrifice, yet something he decided all on his own. It's not something that I had ever asked him to do. I appreciate beyond what words can express his choice to make time with his family his priority! My heart is touched!

After we finished the sale of the motorcycle, we took a drive to the mountains as a family in the Jeep. Such a beautiful day for a drive with a stop in Neola for some ice cream. :)

2014: page eighty

Ryan and I checked out a preschool in town that offers a class for 2 year olds! I know, 2 seems a little young, but I think that B will love it, mostly for the social interaction. She loves other kids! So, this fall, we are going to try it out! And, hey, if it doesn't work out for some reason, that's ok.

Since Crystal had B for a while, Ryan and I hit up Round Robin for a quick lunch date after visiting the preschool. Yummy food and great company! :) We did run into his mom there and chatted with her for a bit while we were all waiting for our food.

After Ryan got home from work, the three of us played in the yard for a while. We ended up coming in too late to start dinner, so we just headed to Mi Casa. Oh darn... Ha!

This is the view from our backyard right now. Love the golf course view no matter what time of year it is!

2014: page seventy-nine

Oh man, last night was a little rough. B woke up sometime between 2:00-2:30 AM wide awake and ready to play. We think that she had a very vivid dream, because Ryan found her standing at the top of the stairs talking about playing with the kids and wondering where they went. :)

He put her back in bed and she happily went, but continued to wake up (if she ever fell back asleep) every 30ish minutes still ready to go play. We took turns putting her back in bed. Finally, about 5:00 AM she fell back asleep until wake up time. Like Ryan said, it was hard to be mad at her when she was so happy. Ha!

Well, she did sleep in a little bit and woke up about 8:30 AM. I brought her in to lay down in our bed with me for a few minutes and wouldn't ya know it, she fell back asleep until 10:50 AM!! That is unheard of for her and I wasn't quite sure what to do. Of course, I just let her sleep because apparently she needed it. Thankfully, she still took a (late) nap, which lasted 2.5 hours. Wow!

So, we got a late start to the day, but we had a great day and she even went to bed just a little past her normal bed time.

Although, I did feel bad for Ryan having to still go to work early in the morning after not getting great sleep for about 3 hours of the night. He went to bed early tonight. :)

Perhaps one of the funniest things B has said to date was said today. She successfully went poop in the potty (yeah for that!!) and when she was done, she commented on how one was a big poop and one was a baby poop. At this point, she said "Awww, cute. Baby poop." Oh my! I laughed pretty hard! Only a child could think of a small baby poop as being cute!

Sleeping in Daddy and Momma's Bed

And finally! It's the first day of spring! Yippee!!!



 

 

2014: page seventy-eight

What is on my heart and mind. Grace.

 

(All of these images were found from a google images search)

2014: page seventy-seven

B loves wearing her hat and scarf that she got for her birthday from her Uncle John, Aunt Stacey and cousin Jensen. This includes running around the house in them, sitting on the potty with them, and going outside with them on.

2104: page seventy-six

B's two year old doctor's appointment was today. All went well, other than she recognizes the doctor's office when we walk in now and she kind of freaks out. Nothing that her favorite game on the iPad can't fix. :) Although, she also freaks out when she sees either the nurse or the doctor. But, we all survived.

I just have to throw in right here that I am so very thankful that Ryan goes with me to her doctor's appointments. He has been to every single one, which is amazing. I'm glad he's there with me when she has to get shots and to help hold her down while the doctor looks in her ears, etc.

She has grown a bit and is now in higher percentiles. She weighed in at 25 lbs 3 oz (25th percentile) and is 33.5 inches tall (45the percentile).

We promised her a cheeseburger and ice cream when we were done, but by the time we picked it up at the drive thru and were on the way home, she was fast asleep. :)

And, of course, today is corned beef and cabbage day! Otherwise known as St Patrick's Day to everyone else. Ha ha! It's no secret that corned beef and cabbage is one of my all time favorite meals.

Today was the first time that B initiated and followed through with going potty all by herself without me asking and promising candy if she went! We are making progress! Yippee!

2014: page seventy-five

A wonderful Sunday!

B fell asleep in church for the first time in a really long time, which means we didn't get to sing happy birthday to her. Oh well. I'm sure we will next week.

My mom and dad were still here after the party yesterday and went to church with us. John, Stacey and Jensen stayed the night in a hotel and met up with us after church for breakfast. Ryan ended up cooking breakfast for all of us. Yum!

Spending the afternoon with my family was great and I'm so thankful that they stuck around for a while!

The rest of the day, we just chilled out at home just the three of us. Ryan finished B's swingset last night, so we spent a bit of time swinging, too. Swinging is one of my favorite things to do, so I am thankful Ryan decided to build one that is sturdy enough for an adult. :)

2014: page seventy-four

Birthday Party!

We celebrated B's birthday today and it was fantastic with lots of family, food, and fun!

New Big Wheel from Daddy and Momma!

Running around outside.

Birthday Cake!

More birthday cake!

Auntie Crystal reading to Jenna, Ciara, and B.

Oooo, a fun new outside toy!

Hiding in the balloons. :)

Getting ready to attack Uncle John with the balloons! (And wearing her new nightgown Grandma sewed for her)

2014: page seventy-three

I think she needs a sandbox. :)

2014: page seventy-two

I'll admit it. I finally broke down and paid someone to help me come clean our house. I pretty much fail on a regular basis with keeping it clean. Hopefully, someday, I will get my act together, but until then...well, we'll see.

The sweet gal that came and helped today is a family friend of Ryan's family and her little family could use a little bit of help financially, so I figured this would work out well for both of us. I get a cleaner house and she has funds to buy a few more groceries.

Not sure yet if this is something we will continue, but she did a wonderful job cleaning things I just haven't gotten to, while I cleaned the kitchen....again. Seems like that is all I ever get clean. :)

Ryan is out of town today just for a night, but those days just seem longer for some reason. Thankfully, nicer weather is here, which means we can go outside. Wahoo! That always helps!

This girl loves dirt, so she spent a long time digging in the dirt and dumping it on the sidewalk.

Today was not a great potty training day. Probably a result of being out and about all day yesterday for her birthday and relying on Pull-ups too much. Oh well, we'll try again tomorrow.

2014: page seventy-one

What an amazing day celebrating B's 2nd birthday!

Ryan surprised us both by taking the day off and planning a little trip to Vernal and the Dinosaur Museum. What a great daddy!

B loved the museum and talked about "having fun at the dinosaurs" the rest of the day and how they "weren't scary." Ha ha ha! When she first saw one and how big it was, she was a little intimidated. So, we had to tell her they weren't scary. After that, she was fine and enjoyed herself.

After the museum, we hit up Wendy's for a cheeseburger. Man, this girl loves them. She ate 1.5 cheeseburgers! I knew she liked them, but that's a lot for such a little girl. :)

Then we stopped off at CAL Ranch to see if they had any more chicks. Boy did they! A LOT of them, along with some ducklings and baby turkeys. She spent a lot of time walking around looking at all of them and saying how cute they were.

Home for a nap was next, followed by a visit from some cousins, an auntie and grandma.

To end the birthday day, it was off to Marion's for another cheeseburger (hey, it's her birthday, she can have all she wants, right? ;)) and to share a banana split. Yum!

Oh, and Skype-ing with her other grandpa and grandma right before bed.

A very full and fun day, indeed!

Happy birthday, baby girl! Momma and Daddy love you beyond words!!

Left: The play kitchen was one of her presents.
Pics on the Right: checking out the baby turkeys.

At the Dinosaur Museum

Waiting for our food at Marion's

Chicken noodle soup, cheeseburgers, and ice cream!

2014: page seventy

Lately, I have been painting some wooden words to hang on the wall and B has wanted to help. As much fun as she was having helping me, today, I decided to grab her an unpainted wooden plaque and let her go to town with it. She had a blast! Picking which color to paint when and how was so much fun for her.

Unprompted by me, she started chatting about what she was painting. A turtle! I was so surprised that she was painting something specific! She went on to chat while she was painting and said, "a arm, a tail, another arm." I was pretty impressed! I know I am biased. :) We will definitely be painting again soon.

Cousin Aryka came over to play today when she got out of school. Silly girl sang a song, well several songs, about bacon, including some dance moves. Apparently, she really, really likes bacon. Ha ha!

Towards the end of the evening, we sat down on the couch and Aryka wanted to braid B's hair. B still doesn't like her hair played with much. Once she realized that Aryka was touching it, she told her, "ow," which it didn't really hurt. Then the next words out of her mouth cracked both Aryka and I up. "That's MY hair." Seriously! Where does she come up with these things? Too funny!

"Turtle" by B

The new dog bed is such a fun place to pretend sleep on. :)

One of the bacon songs/dances. My favorite part is the part about turkey bacon. "No way!" Ha ha ha! I agree! :)

 

2014: page sixty-nine

I had crazy amounts of energy today. In and of itself that is weird for me, then add on the daylight savings hangover and it is REALLY weird! Ha ha! But, nonetheless, I was energized.

B went over to auntie Crystal's house and since I had all this energy needing to be used, I did a bit of organizing and tackled a bunch of the laundry that's coming out my ears. Ha!

It felt good. No, it felt great!

90% of my crafting stuff is organized for the first time in, well, never. Our guest room is a little more cleared out. And I will be able to find what I want WHEN I want it. Wahoo!

B wanted to get out after her nap, so once Ryan got home from work, the three of us and the dogs went for a nice walk, enjoying this spring-like weather. Yeah spring!

2014: page sixty-eight

Running around on the golf course on a Sunday evening. :)

She loves to run around out there! It's great to have all that space out our back door! I need to utilize it more often (when there aren't any golfers, of course! Ha ha!).

2014: page sixty-seven

Another usual Saturday with a trip over to Vernal for a little shopping, etc.

I enjoy these Saturdays!

2014: page sixty-six

Auntie April dropped off a sweet little present of a light-up wand, bracelets, a little froggy, and M&M's for B today for doing so well potty training. B was so excited! Thanks Auntie!

We spent most of the day at home again today to keep working on potty training. She is doing really well and only had 1 accident at home today! Woohoo! Yeah for catching on!

Dinner at Pelican Café and a stop-in at Ryan's parents finished out our week.

Thankful that it's going to be the weekend!

2014: page sixty-five

Broken record here...more potty training and my hubby bringing home food for us. :)

Pics below are of B and Ryan hanging out in the guest room before bedtime. The bottom pic is my fav, because B is pretending to be asleep. :)

2014: page sixty-four

More potty training. Need I say more? :)

Ryan brought us lunch, so could actually eat. Ha ha ha! And then fixed dinner when he got home. What a man!

Today is Ash Wednesday, which is the beginning of Lent. Earlier today I read an excellent article on Lent, which gave me a great perspective on it. Considering that I had never really thought much about Lent before marrying Ryan, this was helpful. It's not just about giving something up, but also about adding something, about giving to the less fortunate. All of this as a way to focus on what Jesus did, His sacrifice leading up to Easter and the celebration of His resurrection.

In all honesty, the past few years, I have half-heartedly attempted to "do this whole Lent thing." This year, I wanted it to be different. It had to be something that really meant something and that I committed to or I just wasn't going to do it.

Thinking of something was proving to be a challenge and even as of this morning, before I read the article on Lent, I had nothing concrete. I had figured that I wasn't going to participate in Lent this year. I am thankful that I read the article, was challenged by it, and felt God showing me how I could "sacrifice" for Him for 40 days.

Therefore, I am giving up something that will be difficult for me, but a good challenge. As well, I am adding more time with Him to my day and intentionally being attentive to possible needs around me and how I can help.

All glory to Him, my God and Savior!

2014: page sixty-three

Potty training!

ALL DAY!

Truly, that is what we did all day and nothing else. I'm ok with that for a few days. One on one time with my girl all day, not worrying about anything else. :)

Ryan, thankfully, brought chicken home for dinner and jumped right in with the potty training once he got home! Whew, a little break for this momma.

I am beyond thankful for an amazing hubby and daddy! (See bottom pic below)

New big girl underwear!

Sitting on the "big" potty!

Encouragement from my hubby! :)

2014: page sixty-two

Night one in her big girl bed went pretty well! Yippee!

When we first put her down, she did try to get out about 5 times. Ryan would quietly put her back to bed and after that she stayed put! She did also get up around 3:00 AM, but I just layed her down again and she went back to sleep. :)

Naptime on the other hand was a little rougher, but we eventually had success. Ha ha! She got out several times to play, but persistence in putting her back in her bed paid off and after about 45 minutes, she stayed in bed and went to sleep.

Auntie April asked if she could take B this evening. Of course, I said yes! I dropped her off and hung out for a while, then headed home. Ryan worked kind of late, so I had a little time to myself to prepare for potty training which starts tomorrow! Yikes!

2014: page sixty-one

We are experiencing quite a nice end to February and beginning of March! I hope it lasts!

All of the snow in our yard is gone and was gone a few weeks ago, which is almost unheard of here with temperatures having been in the 50s during that same time frame. Wahoo!

Hopping in the Jeep for a Sunday drive led us to the mountains. Of course, there is still snow up there, but not as much as should be for how early in March it is. I enjoyed the drive and even seeing snow, since we got to come down out of it. :)

This evening brought a big change to our household as we decided it was time to convert B's crib to a big girl bed. As you can see, I think she is pretty excited about it! We'll see in the morning if it was a good choice. Ha ha!

This is my new favorite picture! B insisted that she help Ryan put it together. :)