Colorado Trip - Day 3 & 4

Day 3

After enjoying the free breakfast at the hotel we packed up and headed out. Our first stop was Seven Falls. We skipped all the steps and headed to the elevator inside the mountain. We checked out the waterfall, bought some magnetic rocks for Drew, fed the trout and visited all 3 gift shops (ridiculous!) Sis got hungry so we skipped the Indian Dance but all in all it was a pretty good stop. Jared carried M in the baby bjorn and I was thankful for the break!!

Next we headed to America the Beautiful Park for a picnic lunch. There was a neat playground and fountain. I think Andrew enjoyed them both!

We decided to head on to Denver. A quick stop at Wal-Mart (YUCK!!) for some groceries for the week and we headed up the mountain. This is the prettiest part of the drive and the hardest if you tend to get motion sickness. But we made it to the top and only heard "Are we there yet?" a billion times.

Last minute stop at Safeway for our favorite coffee that wasn't available at Wal-Mart and we pulled into Twin Rivers. We did it!! And we had fun =)

After dinner and baths we all headed to bed...

Day 4

Jared and I decided to take it easy so after breakfast we went to the base of the mountain to check out the activities. Drew made a list of all the things he wanted to do when he had a "ticket." Putt-Putt, Bounce Houses, Human Maze, Alpine Slide and much more!! They have added a lift that takes you from the parking lot to the Village. Nice!! That walk was no fun in past years.

We stopped at Doc's Roadhouse for some lunch which ended in a small meltdown by Drew so we decided to go back to the condo for naps.

3 hr nap for all...we were tired =) Chicken and veggies for dinner and a walk along the river to Safeway for desert finished off Day 4.

Day 1 and 2 of Vacation

Call us crazy but we decided to take advantage of Grandma Ruth's condo in Winter Park Colorado to get away from the heat. We 100% knew that it could take the whole week to get there with 2 kids but it was all about the journey and not the destination. So I figured I would use the blog as a way to record the trips events.

Day One

Thursday afternoon after sis's Dr's appt we headed out. We loaded up the car and started out of the driveway when sis started screaming. I checked the clock and it had been 3 hours so...

Stop #1 - Home

I headed back into the house to feed M and 30 minutes later we were headed out again!

Stop #2 - Iowa Park Rest Stop

A feeding for sister, 2 diaper changes, a change of the movie and a few snacks and drinks. This is a very typical place for my family to stop on the way to Paducah. If you are ever out that way and need to stop check it out...it's pretty nice, for a rest stop.

Stop #3 - Paducah, TX

A little R&R with MawMaw and Popi. A great roast dinner and bacon and biscuits breakfast. A perfect way to start the trip.

Popi and Drew working on a floor puzzle...there was no convincing him not to get down on his knees. We certainly couldn't tell he had suffered a stroke just a few months ago

Popi and Sis having a "chat"

Day 2

We headed out about 8:30am, we were aiming for 7:30 so not too bad! We had no expectations on how far we would go but...

Stop #1 - Amarillo, TX 10:30am

Not bad! We stopped for Starbucks for Mommy, playtime for Drew and of course milk for Sister. Other than the massive mosquitos swarming us, not a bad stop.

Stop #2 - Texline, TX 1:50pm

Quick potty stop for Dad

Stop #3 - Clayton, NM 2:00pm

Found the jr. high that offered a picnic table and shade tree. The fact that the sprinklers were running in the middle of the day turned out to be a plus for Andrew.

Stop #4 - Trindad, CO 5:00pm

Drew and Daddy visited the Colorado welcome center which turned out to be a great place for A to burn off a little steam. Kids tables with colors, erasers, white boards etc. Dad grabbed some brochures to help plan our week.

Stop #5 - Pueblo, CO 6:30pm

Truck Stop...The meltdowns began so we feed M and let A run a little. We decided to call it a day and found a place to eat and hotel.

Stop #6 - Colorado Springs, CO 7:15pm

Dinner at The Mason Jar. Jared loved the chicken fried steak, brother liked the dirt and worms desert and Mom liked the glass of wine! Finally made it to the Springhill Suites around 9pm.

All in all a great day! A few meltdowns but not near as many as I expected. Gotta go! Time for day 3 to start....oh and did I mention that sis slept all night the past two nights. 10pm till 6am. NICE!!!

Our Driver

Sleeping Babies!

Home Sweet Home (for the night at least)

A wedding and a 2 month old

My dear friend Erin married her man Jon on July 10th! It was such a great time and a little bit of work too. Drew was one of 2 ring bearers and I was the matron of honor (sound so old!) Honestly...worst kids ever in this wedding, mine included. They were CRAZY!!! But the bride and groom laughed and that's all that matters. Can't wait to see the video!

Drew was manic the whole weekend running around like the crazy 3 yr old he is.

Everyone wore Converse...cute!

Drew teaching the bride and groom about Mr. and Mrs Potato Head

Sis all dressed up for the rehearsal dinner

Big THANKS to Gigi for watching sister and eventually Drew in the hotel room. It made the weekend much easier! Thanks GIGI!!

2 months old!

I can't really believe it but McKinley is two months old! She celebrated by rolling over during tummy time. She saw Dr. Aimee this week and she is doing great. She is very strong and could lift her head AND chest off the table when the Dr. put her on her tummy. I think it is from all that back arching for the last two months when she was upset and I would try to calm her down =)

She weighs 11lbs and is 22 inches long. She has starting "talking" to us a lot and is full of smiles. When she hears Andrews voice (which is often) she will turn her head as far as she can to find him. He still loves playing with her and when she cries he tells me the baby is hungry or says "quick the paci she's crying!"

Smiles! Love them...

"Biggie Bubbles!"

This kid has taken more bubble baths than I have since we moved in this house! His aren't exactly relaxing though...

Just plain funny...at least they were both happy!

More pics

Ready for a day of shopping with the girls

Andrew evidently is over clothes. Every time we turn around he has taken them off!

All dressed up for her first pool party!

Neighborhood water ballon fight

4 weeks

Whew! I can't believe it has been 4 weeks since we became a family of 4. Time is moving fast but sometimes days (and nights) are VERY slow.

Andrew is doing great as a big brother. He loves to help and his new favorite game is babies. He feeds, burps and rocks his baby. He uses the "curtain" and lifts up his shirt to feed the baby. I have been trying to explain that only Mommy's feed the baby this way and big brothers and daddy's use a bottle. But he tells me his baby is too little for bottles (oopps I though that was a good answer to his questions about bottles.) Live and learn is my new motto!! He is a handful though and NEVER stops talking.

McKinley is a sweet girl although she is a little more difficult than Andrew was as a newborn. She sleeps well at night 4-6 hour stretches but she has a difficult time in the evenings. Sometimes she wails from 9-midnight with few breaks. Luckily she doesn't wake up Drew who ironically hasn't woken up once in the middle of the night since she was born. She is a great eater and is gaining weight quickly. She weighed 7 lbs and 3 oz at her 2 week apt and gained 3 oz when we went back 2 days later!

Jared is getting adjusted to the chaos of 2 kids and a sleep deprived wife. He is a huge help in so many ways. He is great at getting Drew out of the house to go swimming or the playground. He also drives us all around town while I run in to grocery store or wherever. And of course he cooks and cleans. I am spoiled I know. I won't lie though we both agree all this "family time" takes a little getting used too =)

And me...after two weeks off work Jared returned full force. Today is his second overtime shift (which means 48 hours of just me and 2 kids!) I bet there are a lot of Mom's that would think it was a breeze but it has been over 3 years since I have been home with Andrew every day so just keeping up with him is new and then add a newborn, little sleep oh yea and still recovering from a c-section!! Mealtime and clean up alone can fill an entire day. This Mom stuff is way harder than any "real" job I have ever had, but I knew that already. We have been getting out of the house some. We have gone to story time at the library and yesterday we went to the movies. Yep that's right I took them both to the $1 movie at studio movie grill and it was fun!! A few bumps but I would do it again (the sling is a wonderful invention.) We have had a few play dates with Henry and Margot and cousin Gavin, which means I get a little adult conversation. And of course Gigi, Papa, Gabby, Grandma and Pappy have all helped out in different ways. What it that saying..."It takes a village!!"

Well I am sure that there is more I could share but it's nap time and they are both asleep so I am hoping to brush my teeth and take a shower =)

A few pictures...

I'll try and post more recent pictures soon!

Almost Time...

Trying so hard to remember what it was like when Andrew was this small, but honestly it is hard to imagine. Everyone says it is so different the second time around. You will be so much more relaxed they say. But really will we?

All I know is that we will soon find out. Only a week now until we meet Miss McKinley Ruth! What will she look like? Will she have a head of hair like Andrew? Will she be as content as he was as an infant? I am so curious to see her and get to know her.

Getting to this point has been a journey but with the end being so near I can't help but be extremely thankful, excited and anxious!! See you soon baby girl.

April Parties!!

Whew! What an April?! Bachelorette weekends, baby showers, wedding showers and weddings...and all for our very best friends! We started it off with a weekend at the Gaylord for my long time friend Erin's bachelorette party. What a great place? We spent time in the spa, had a cocktail party in our suite and finished it off at the Glass Cactus. I didn't do a very good job taking pictures (hosting as the maid of honor 8 months pregnant was about all I could handle =) but here are a few...

The bride to be

Next came a baby "sprinkle!" A small party given by my sister in law Amy and 2 great friends Shelbi and Shannon to celebrate Miss McKinley Ruth. So many cute and girly things! It was great fun and everything was so pretty.

Shannon, Shelbi, Me and Amy

Andrew posing before he left with Daddy for a bit

Amy made the cutest diaper cake and yummy cupcakes.

What a pretty table?

A glimpse of McKinley's bedding

The next day it was on to hosting Erin's wedding shower...yep that's the same dress and you will keep seeing it!! I justified buying it with only a month left by wearing it to at least 3 events. I figured no one would know since it was all different groups of friends. Forgot about the pictures. Ha!!

Erin and I

There was more food in the kitchen but again not that great with the hosting and picture taking!

Finally we wrapped April up with a wedding in Tyler for Jared's long time friend James. It was a long weekend but lots of fun. I know Jared really enjoyed spending time with his friends from the Navy that are scattered throughout the country.

James, Jared and Tom

Probably our last photo as a family of 3

Does that ball and chain look familiar?! Yep! I was glad to get rid of it!!

Dancing Machine

Andrew's favorite part of any PARTY!!!

I won't lie, it was a lot to manage but really so much fun. How great to celebrate so many life events for our very best friends?! Now just a few more weeks until we get to meet McKinley...can't help but hope the beginning of May goes as fast as April!