The Alarm

A few weeks ago when we were up at the condo, I put Elias down for a nap in our room because we had guests staying in Elias' room. About halfway through his nap, someone asked, "Is that an alarm?" Sure enough the alarm clock where Elias was napping was going off. One of Elias' favorite things is to play with the clocks (so always check the alarm before going to bed). He slept right through it. When he woke up and I went in to get him, he was clapping along to the beat.

Babies

Quite a few of our friends are having babies! Gina and Cam were one of the first people to come meet Elias, so we went up to meet Alex soon after she was born. They seem to be having a great time. A tiny, cute little package, just in time for the Holidays.

Spicy

Elias doesn't eat much variety. His main meal either consists of soy sloppy joe, pasta or soy hot dog. We decided to try something new and gave Elias some red lentils that Matt made one night. Matt had added a little too much curry so they were pretty spicy. Elias ate them up and kept asking for more. Time to find some new recipes online. I guess he likes spicy.

You Want Me to What?

So, Elias had his first dentist appointment a few weeks ago. The place was great. They had a big castle inside with tons of toys for kids. We played while we waited for our appointment, and Elias loved it (the toys that is). The dentist was an older woman who was a bit over the top. She was so glad I had brought Elias in when he was 1 (I said...well he is really almost 2), and she just couldn't get over the fact that I had thought to take him to the dentist (I am apparently one of the best parents ever). The real reason to bring him in was to find out how and if we were supposed to be brushing his teeth...especially because he really doesn't like it when we do it.

To say that Elias did not like the dental exam is an understatement. But I was a little amused when I got the dentist to sing the A B C song with me to try and calm him down. It was relatively quick, and she scrapped off quite a bit of plaque. Then she proceeded to tell me we should brush his teeth dry, then with a little kid's toothpaste and then floss. This leads directly to the title of this blog, "You want me to do what?" They gave me a little flosser and told me it was a must since Elias' teeth are all crammed together (braces are very probable). The dentist was amazed that he didn't already have cavities. She said it must be because we haven't been giving him juice.

The funniest thing about this is that when it is time to brush, Elias gets very upset for the dry brushing and keeps asking when we get to floss. He doesn't mind the paste as much, but he loves the flossing. Flossing a 20-month-old's teeth...and him enjoying it. Who would of thought?

Kent

We were lucky enough to have our Berea, Kentucky friend, Kent, stop by for about an hour last week. It was fun to get caught up on each others' lives during his quick visit. I love that feeling I get when old friends slip back into my life so easily...and it seems like they were hardly gone.

A Gymnast?

I think Elias might have a potential future as a gymnast. Elias' new "game" is to climb up on the headboard in our room and walk along the edge.


Then he prepares for his dismount,

and falls back on the bed getting a perfect 10. But then again, the judge might be a little bias.

Ahhh, that Fresh Pine Smell

We got our real, live, yummy smelling Christmas tree up and decorated last weekend. It has been interesting trying to keep Elias out of the lights - his favorite part. It is hard to believe another Christmas is already here. I think I have discovered that all of the years start to blend together because the pictures are often so similar. Check out the Christmas tree picture from last year.

The New Look

Matt has decided to start shaving his head. There seem to be mixed reviews at work, so I thought I would make my own poll:

A. It makes Matt look younger.
B. It makes Matt look older.
C. Who in the heck is that?

Elias' First Shower

For the longest time, Elias has liked getting into our shower and playing. He especially likes it right when someone has finished using it. I guess the extra water inside makes it feel more like the real thing. Last week, we decided to let him have the true showering experience with Matt. I'm not exactly sure what he thought of it, but I know for sure that he didn't really get it. Right when he was done, he wanted to take a bath. One thing is for sure, this kid likes water.

Thanksgiving

What? A turkey? You must be thinking, now wait a minute...Matt and Erica are vegetarians. It's still the case, we just shared our Thanksgiving with two friends who happen to be excellent cooks...and meat eaters. We headed up to the condo on Thursday morning and cooked some super yummy food. They made the golden turkey pictured above, brussel sprouts, sweet potato casserole, wheat bread, and homemade vanilla ice cream. I made pecan pie, and Matt made stuffing, cranberry sauce and potato strudel. It was a weekend of feeling very, very full. The three of them went skiing on Friday and Saturday, and Elias and I walked to the playground. We also splurged one night and our friends made homemade fudge sauce for the vanilla ice cream. I think I ate more with just a spoon than I did on my ice cream. The way Thanksgiving should be.

Air-Pane

Who knew there were so many airplanes flying by every day. Every time one goes by Elias points up and says "air-pane". Then a few moments later he says, "Bye bye air-pane".

33

I've been 33 now for almost a month, and I am just now getting around to writing about it. I guess the older you get, the less important they become.

I had a great birthday. Matt surprised me the day before by inviting friends over for pizza, and every single one of them got me a present. I got chocolate from two of them (they know me well), a toaster for the condo, a homemade bag and homemade earrings, and a bar of natural, yummy smelling soap. Unfortunately for me the Broncos were playing that night, and most of them wanted to watch. Not what I would have chosen, but it was still nice to have everyone over.

On my birthday I opened many wonderful cards, had breakfast in bed and went to work with cake. I always try to bring a cake in on my birthday because then I just get that many more people to celebrate with me! That night, Mom and Jim and two of their friends were in town, and we went out to a nice Italian dinner. I got a beautiful scarf and some wooden spoons to round out my birthday loot. I'd say I made out really well.

Do I feel older? That depends on when you ask me, and if Elias is having a good day or not.

"Dat"

Elias is obsessed with knowing what everything is called. He points to things and says, "Dat. Dat." repeatedly until you tell him what it is called. It quickly became apparent to me that I really don't know what a lot of things are called. What do you call the piece of metal that surrounds the lock on a door? A door knob plate? How about the giant bolt covers on light posts (I'm guessing you can gather I call them bolt covers)? What about the small rectangular shaped plastic box with holes in it at the church where Elias has his music class. Is that a monitor? A humidifier? A speaker? As you can see, it is hard to come up with names, and sometimes it is impossible to even know what something is. Never before would it have occurred to me that there are so many things that I can't name. I'm guessing that I'm really going to learn what I don't know once Elias gets old enough to ask me, "but why?"

The Zoo

A few weekends ago, Elias and I went to the zoo for the first time. It was absolutely packed because it was a free day. We lucked out by getting one of the last spots in the overflow parking lot, and it had only been opened 30 minutes. We took the whirlwind tour...meaning Elias staying in his stroller almost the whole time. It was hard for him to see over some of the fences and all of the people, but I think he enjoyed it anyway. He really liked the hippos and the birds (there were peacocks roaming around where we were eating), but wouldn't touch the snake (can't say I blame him). It is very difficult trying to get young children to SEE the animals in their habitats...especially to a kid that doesn't really talk yet. Oh well. Maybe next time he will finally get that the zoo isn't just rocks, grass, fences and glass panes.

Christmas Already

I know, I know...it isn't even Thanksgiving yet, but I wanted to get this out there in case those handful of readers out there who are going to get Elias a Christmas gift are going to go shopping soon. I've decided to go for a theme based Christmas for Elias this year (learned this from Jamie!). If you were planning on getting him something, please get him some Duplo Legos. Duplo Legos are a little bigger than regular sized Legos (and compatible with regular Legos), and Elias seems to love them at the doctor's office. We already have a table "ordered", so just some Duplo building blocks (bricks) would be great. Lucky for me Elias doesn't know how to use the computer yet, so he won't read this and spoil Christmas morning.

Appalling to Some

Many of you won't understand and may even be a little appalled, but I'm finally, just now, starting to like Elias. Some people just adore babies. I've learned that I adore other people's babies. I'm definitely a fan of kids once they get a little older. Elias is starting to give out hugs and kisses, he is talking a lot (although we usually don't know what he is saying), he is beginning to know what he wants and doesn't want...all of these things gives him a personality. That makes him fun. So, while I've always loved Elias, now I'm really beginning to like him. No one really warned me that this may very well be the case, so if you haven't had any children yet, but plan to...it might take you a while to like your kid. I don't think it is that out of the ordinary...and I'm guessing it comes and goes.

What Didn't We Do?

Mom and Jim came out for a visit...or more like work detail. Below is the short list of what we accomplished:

Basement plumbing (only 4 trips to Home Depot)
Painted two tables and chairs for Elias, plus a strip by the front door that needed it
Shopping marathon - drug store, grocery stores, bookstores, goodwill, post office, ross, target
Fixed a few electrical switches
Hung up our sushi plate (finally)...it looks great!

We even managed to do something fun and went contra dancing on Friday night where our good friend Wendy was the caller. We all had a great time and danced until we were worn out and good and sore. Elias had a babysitter and slept through the whole thing at home.

You would think that with all that done I wouldn't have anything left on my list...but you would be wrong.

A New Condo

Why were you in Fraser for Halloween, you might ask? Well, we just closed on a condo up there giving us our very own mountain getaway. I think Matt is already dreaming of waking up, taking a quick bus ride to the mountain and skiing Winter Park on fresh powder (OK, he has been dreaming of that since the middle of summer, but now it will soon become a reality). Below is the view from our deck (and through a zoomed-in camera lens).



Let the visits from friends begin!

Halloween

Elias was a cowboy this Halloween, compliments of Grandma Darleen. He wore his costume on Friday to his music class and then on Saturday when we "trick-or-treated" around an outdoor mall up in Fraser, CO (the mountains). The stores mostly handed out little toys, so it was the perfect place to go (Matt was upset that we didn't get even a single piece of candy...for him mind you, not Elias). Everyone thought Elias made an adorable cowboy. He even got to ride on a Bison.


They had really decked the place out with witches, spiders, scary noises, webs, dry ice in the fountain and a pumpkin shaped dry-ice bubble machine (Elias' favorite).


All the kids were in costume and even many of the parents. It was the perfect thing to do to celebrate Halloween. Since Fraser is such a small town, it felt like a giant party where a bunch of old friends were getting together...and then we were there too.

Bright Idea?

Whose bright idea was it to make cups for kids that have a ring of clear liquid around the glass so it looks like there is water in it? They usually put little plastic toys in between the two layers of plastic so they float in the pretend water too. This makes it very difficult to determine if there is actually any real water in the glass and how much. Not such a good idea. Although, I guess I was the bright one who did buy the cup.

Elias Helping

Although he is the one who made the mess in the first place.

Public Service Announcement

Recently I have attended a few social gatherings with just Elias (Matt has been sick or busy). It is no simple task to entertain your child at someone else's house or in a public place that isn't childproof and preferably padded on all sides. I always come prepared with toys and food, but inevitably Elias loves to get into those things that are not for kids. This is no new thing, it happens at home too. The trouble is, I go to a party because I would like to talk with people, eat and enjoy myself. I have noticed that at events, if I have to constantly watch and play with Elias, no one comes and talks to me. I tried to talk to a friend at the last party, but he wouldn't follow me around and talk as I chased after Elias. So, I write this as a public service announcement. The next time you are at a party and there is someone there with child in tow, follow her (or him) around and play with their child, talk to them and make them feel like it was worth it to come out. Even if you don't have all that much to say, just think how much more conversation it will be than the last time they were at a party.

Missed Post

As I was checking my posts, I realized earlier this month I was planing on writing about getting Elias off of the bottle, but never finished it. So this is about a month behind, but Elias is using a sippy cup. Hurray!

I decided one day (and who knows where I get these crazy ideas) that Elias should transition from using a bottle to the sippy cup. I actually think we may have waited too long because it was a bit of a struggle. Elias takes a while to warm up to change (don't we all), so for a while, he just wasn't drinking milk anymore (this made Matt worry, of course). I knew he could use both kinds of cups we had because he drinks water out of them at school. One day they told me he drank a cup and a half of water out of the sippy cup, so it became a battle of the wills. After about a week, he started using one particular kind of cup pretty well, so I deemed him off the bottle. He still doesn't drink quite as much milk as he used to, but I think it is because he is eating more. That Elias just keeps on growing up!

Highchairs are Gross

We were lucky enough to get a used highchair from a co-worker and it worked really well for feeding Elias. I have just recently returned it to her as her daughter is having a baby. I'm sure you have seen it in the many pictures I have posted here. The thing is highchairs are really gross. They get food stuck everywhere and are impossible to clean. This particular highchair had tons and tons of nooks and crannies, screws an seams. Icky!

To take its place, we got one of those restaurant highchairs on Craig's list. It has far few pieces to clean and pulls right up to the dinning room table. I like it sooooo much better. I've decided when babies are small, getting a highchair that hooks onto a chair is the way to go. When they get to be toddlers, the restaurant style chair works great. Just a little tip for those of you yet to experience the sticky god-awful smell of days old food caked onto a traditional highchair. Hope this helps.

Conferences

Elias had his second parent/teacher conference at daycare last week. To summarize:

Elias doesn't put up much of a fuss and can be easily overlooked at school. He often entertains himself, and always has a smile for the teachers. He is slow to try new things and will let you know when he isn't interested. He loves music, being outside, books, puzzles, and stacking cups. He will participate in art projects, but doesn't like getting messy. The goals for Elias are to try and get him to interract more with the other kids.

When I told Matt, he was a bit disappointed. He doesn't want Elias to be quite so much like him, and would rather him be a little bit more like me. I must say I'm not surprised he is a lot like Matt. Just look at him for goodness sakes.

And it is Still Snowing

We've gotten well over a foot of snow in the last two days. Elias, Matt and I went out to play in it for a short while this afternoon (no work!). My favorite moment was when Elias leaned on a big pile of snow and went head first into it. Wasn't quite as solid as he thought. I found it hilarious...Elias, not so much. It is supposed to be sunny and 40 tomorrow. Gotta love Colorado.

Cruddy

Everyone seems to be feeling cruddy these days. Elias got a cold with wheezing (as always) and was just too tired to go to school for a few days. Once he seemed better rested, he quit eating and started crying non-stop. That can only mean one thing...ear infection. Luckily we have some drops from last time that relieve the pain, but it still entails a trip to the nurse practitioner, a couple more days out of school and ten days of medicine. One would think with all of the time off of work I could have gotten a lot done at home, but no such luck. Now Matt and I have sore throats, and strep was going around my office. Ugh. Wonder how much I'll get done if I have to take off for that.

A Busy Boy

Elias gets into everything. Almost everyone describes him by saying, "Elias sure is a busy boy." A few weeks ago he pushed his toy table over to the kitchen counter, stood up on it and was trying to get something down that I'm sure wasn't meant for him. Busy.....hmmmm. I tend to say "trouble", but to each their own.

Illinois Part II

Right after the shindig on Sunday, Dad took Elias and me back to Springfield where we met up with my sister, Doug and their two kids. In the two days we were there, we squeezed in playing at the park (Ethan pulled Elias all the way there in the red wagon), catching up with my Dad's (not so little) little brother Dustin and making s'mores over a real fire in the living room. It ended with Elias getting an extra seat on the plane ride home (thank goodness). Matt picked us up at the airport, feeling better, but not 100%. Since it has taken me a few weeks to finally catch up on the blog, Matt is now over his strange virus...and we are already thinking about our next trip.

Illinois Part I

It has been a little while now, but I am finally finding time to write about our trip to Illinois...at least the first part. Elias and I flew to Chicago and helped Mom and Jim prepare for my Grandma Ruth's big 90th birthday bash. At least that is the way I like to think of it...us going out early to "help". We spent a few days watching the cars and boats, swimming in the pool and in the playroom. We also made cupcakes for the party, nailed down the party events and wrote names on name tags, etc.

We were supposed to get Matt on Saturday a the airport, but he was too sick to come (he is finally feeling better). So the four of us headed to the middle of nowhere Illinois to see family we hadn't seen in years. Some of the highlights at the party were a family tree with stickers to help the kids meet, coloring, a parade, a grand march, cupcake decorating, a nature hike and regular old running around. Sunday was a little more lowkey with the viewing of an old family video in the middle of the hotel breakfast area (I hope the people we didn't know staying at the hotel enjoyed it as much as I did), old friends of Grandma's coming to visit, outstanding cookies and regular old small talk.

It was nice to finally see those long lost cousins and catch up...just don't ask me the names of all of their kids.

Mama

It is about time...Elias is finally saying "Mama". He has lots of words, and seems to get more each day. A sample below:

Door and light - A lot of opportunities for these two

Animal noises - Moo, Baa, Ruff, Meow, Roar and my personal favorite - Oink (just ask him, you'll see why)

Daddy - We've been over this one before

All done - This one often comes with a sweep of the arm across the table

Numbers 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9 - If you point to these numbers, he will name the correct ones (not sure why he hates 1 and 7 so much)

Socks and shoes - He even "helps" put them on

Up - This means both up and down

Car and trees - If we are driving around and you ask him what he sees, he will say car even if there isn't one

Cheese and cracker - One of his favorite combos

No, no, no - This is a direct imitation of me and is done when he is doing something he knows he shouldn't

Just a small sample. He talks a lot even if we can't quite understand him. I guess we should start enjoying it now since once he gets older, it will be like pulling teeth to get him to say anything.

Cruel and Unusual?

I recently realized that the stuffed lion on wheels that Elias got from Aunt Jamie sits right outside Sumo's kennel when it isn't in use. Every time we are gone, I'm thinking that it just looks at Sumo and Sumo looks back, a little frightened. It is bigger than him.

La La La

Elias loves music and has started to sing. He can sing most of the tune of the "ABCs"...the words, not so much. He has a wicked "EIEIO" during "Old MacDonald", and he does the movements to "If You're Happy and You Know It" and "Head and Shoulders". When you see him, be prepared with "Itsy Bitsy Spider". He'll ask for it by mashing his fingers together. You'll know.

What, No Crying?

It may seem impossible to believe, but Elias got his haircut last week with no crying. We went to a recommended lady (thanks Shari!) who cuts hair out of her home. The trip took us over 2 hours, but it was worth it. At first Elias wasn't sure, but he sat in a boat chair, had a little table to put toys on, a magic bubble wand, and was watching "Baby Einstein". Colleen took her time (about an hour) showing Elias all of her tools and taking a break when he wasn't real sure. So much better than the kicking and screaming when I tried it. I guess he won't have to have 80s boy band hair after all.

Trusty Old Mazda

It has been a few weeks now, but my 1998 Mazda Protege was having problems. In fact, it was when our New Zealand friends were here (great timing). When I drove it, it would often idle really low, and die as I slowed down or waited at stoplights. After a while, I would have to constantly pump the gas when I was stopped to keep it idled high enough to get going when the light turned green.

One day, as I was leaving the daycare, it was acting up. Since daycare is downtown, we park in a garage and put our parking validation card in the machine on the way out. Then, we drive up a very steep hill to get to the street level. At about the middle of that hill, the car dies. This is not good. Luckily there weren't too many people behind me, so they could back up until I could get to the bottom of the hill, pump the gas and gun it up. Phew...just made that one.

In hindsight, after that I should have taken the car in as soon as possible...but with guests in town, it seemed hard to find a good time. The following Monday, on my way to work, I turned the corner for the last mile or so to work, and it was stop and go traffic. Having just passed the mechanic, I should have turned around right there and dropped it off. But no, I figured I could make it. Thirty minutes later, the car dies just as I am to turn into work and refuses to start again. I waved people around me, trying to yell that the traffic jam was not my fault. I called some guys at work who helped me push it out of traffic, called a tow truck (it was towed only 1 mile) and had the fuel pump replaced. Perhaps I better start calling it my rusty old Mazda.

Shorty

Shrimp, peewee, stubby, squatty, stumpy...I've started calling Elias these names to get him ready for the mean kids at school. All of his 18 month pants are way too long for him. I think he is going to be pint-sized, but I suppose it is too early to really tell. Oh well, I'm certain the mean kids will still be around once he goes to school, so a little early training won't hurt.

From Visitors to Vacation

Chris and Kareena (the reason we came)

We headed to airport with Brya; She went to San Francisco, and we went to LA for Matt's cousin's wedding. It was a whirlwind trip, but a great time.

Elias, Scout, Aaron, Noah (left to right)

When we arrived, we headed to Chris' Mom's house for a family get together. It was nice to catch up. We got the obligatory cousins' picture. It ended, as always, with the baby crying. I did a good job of getting the two older kids riled up with a tickle game behind the curtains. We all got in trouble for that one.


On Friday, after a breakfast at Ihop, we gathered at Andy and Diane's new house (it was beautiful). The kids loved playing in the pool. After a while the slide came out and Scout and Noah ran across the yard and "dove" into the pool from the side. They picked lemons from their very own lemon tree, and then proceeded to get stinging lemon juice all over their little cuts. Ouch. Someone else got in trouble for that one. That evening we had a nice dinner with all of the guests from out-of-town. Thanks Dave and Pat!

Great Aunt Serena and Elias

On Saturday morning we headed to the beach (wearing our reunion t-shirts, of course). We saw surfers, people standing up on boards and paddling around, and even some dolphins. Serena and I wished we had brought our suits.

Elias loving the waves splashing his feet

That afternoon was the wedding. Elias had trouble paying attention the whole time, but luckily this cup saved the day. The things kids like. We had a great time at the reception at Chris' Grandma's house!

It was nice to see the family, but as always, I wish there had been more time. Scout and Noah can't wait to see each other again. I'm looking forward to more hugs and kisses from Noah and more tickle wars with Scout. Ah...the Kiefers. Love you guys!

The New Zealand Invasion

Our friend Jess and her coworker Brya came into town for a work conference and stayed at the Kiefer/Ecklund inn. Unfortunately it coincided with the pink eye incident earlier described. As far as I know, no one else got my pink eye...which is the only good thing I can say about having it.

We had a great, busy time. Some of the activities were volleyball, trivia (they won), dancing (I worked the door instead of dancing...sniff, sniff), karaoke at Will's, game night at Dave's and more dancing. Oh yeah, they also went to their 4 day conference.

With all of the activities (and over half I didn't even attend) I can only hit the highlights:

-The parking lot attendant at the Turnverein directing me for about 10 minutes on parking my car in the exact place he wanted it.
-Cramming two bikes and a stroller into Matt's car with the car seat installed late at night in front of Jess and Brya's boss (she was impressed I got everything to fit)...then trying to get it all out again at home.
-Going to Taco Bell for a late night snack, taking pictures there, and having Matt ask, "Do they really want to go to Taco Bell?" when I him asked for directions.
-Laughing so hard I couldn't stand up when Brya split her pants playing a Wii game. I'm thinking if it was bad of me to laugh so hard at the time, it must be even worse to be writing about it here.

Game Night (no, my eyes weren't THAT red)

Brya

Pink Eye Sucks

...that about sums it up.

Daddy

Elias said "Daddy" for the first time yesterday and hasn't really stopped. We're not sure he knows who Daddy is, but he certainly knows we like it when he says it. No "Mommy" yet...I think Matt has been doing some coaching on the side.

Stepping It Up

I went running the other day, and as I entered the park, a race walker was just behind me. She quickly passed me, and I knew that I had to pick up the pace. I couldn't let a walker be faster than me running...even if I was pushing a stroller. With difficulty, I managed to catch and pass her, but I'm not sure how long I could have kept it up.

I'd hate to think what would have happened if she was being chased by men carrying Samurai swords (A reference from this week's NPR program, "Wait Wait...Don't Tell Me").

Book Club Take II

My friend Carissa and I started a brand new book club, and we met last week to kick things off. Everyone seemed to have a good time, and we have plans already for the next two meetings. The food was outstanding...stir fry, gyosas and homemade icecream (green tea and heath bar crunch) and cookies. Carissa picked the book, The Kitchen Boy by Robert Alexabder. It was pretty good historical fiction. We did a fair amount of book club discussion, with even a history lesson with handouts. I will have to pick a book in a few months. Any ideas?

What....A.....Day

Saturday, Elias woke up wheezing and crabby. Super duper crabby. In fact, he wouldn't drink his milk or eat, and cried for about two hours even if we carried him around. He has had wheezing before, but it doesn't usually affect him much.

We took him to Urgent Care around 9:00. Turns out he has an ear infection. He felt better after getting some pain reliever drops in his ears and even had some milk. Unfortunately, he was still wheezing, so we stayed until about 1:30 doing nebulizer treatment after nebulizer treatment (with some chest xrays in between) until his oxygen level was high enough. That is 4 1/2 hours people. All of us were ready to go after about the 4th treatment. I guess following the directions on our box of meds for the nebulizer (1/2 a container every 4 - 6 hours) is just a guideline.

He has a cold and it moved into his chest a little bit (happens quite often). By Sunday afternoon the wheezing had cleared up completely. I know, I know, the doctor was just being thorough. But as Matt pointed out it, we have had more experiences than not where we take Elias in to be checked out and we feel like we become prisoners. Wonder what he'll get next.

Gorgeous Colorado

Yesterday we were outside in beautiful Golden, Colorado. We spent a good portion of the day climbing with three great friends. It was the perfect number of people because there was always someone to watch Elias. Even though he didn't climb any routes, I think he had a great time just hanging out (mostly with Kat). With not much for him to do (but get extremely dirty), he ate...and ate and ate and ate. I have never seen him eat so much food. I think the picture below sums up how we all felt once we made it back to the car. What's not to love about Colorado!

Napping Conundrum

Elias used to take a morning and an afternoon nap when he was at home. He really does like sleeping (gets it from me). These last two weekends I have been trying to skip the morning nap because quite often he would just cry instead of nap...and he only has one nap at school. The trouble is by the time lunch rolls around he can barely keep his eyes opened and he becomes very very crabby (gets it from me). I'm thinking about re-instituting the morning nap..............for Elias.

Dessert Feast with Dinner

We had some great folks (Shari, Brad, Mika and Sara) over for dinner the other night and had a wonderful time. We had some yummy homemade enchiladas, but the really exciting part were the desserts. There were chocolate chip oatmeal cookies, carrot cake and chocolate cupcakes with some kind of cream cheese filling...a dessert feast with dinner as a side note. Just my style. We hadn't seen everyone in a while, so it was nice to finally catch up. It seems like it is harder and harder to find time to be with friends. Kids become giant time suckers; there is no time to hang out with good people, certainly no time to get all of the errands done, and the days, weeks and years fly by. As a friend so eloquently put, "sigh".

My Own Poll

I couldn't make a poll like I used to in yahoo, so vote via comments.

I couldn't wait to go to work this morning. It's not that I have the perfect job or that I'm working on a great project. It was just a much needed break from Elias. Does that mean:

a) I need a psychiatrist
b) It's all about balance
c) When wouldn't someone rather be at work?

Chubby Cheeks

High Hopes

A little over a week ago, Matt, Elias and I went to the Folks Festival in Lyons, Colorado. When I bought the tickets in early June, I was super excited. An all day outdoor concert with various folk musicians, plus the main act of Gillian Welch and her guitarist David Rawlings (love them!). Why wouldn't it be great?

Well, it was pretty crowded by the time we got there, so we were a bit crammed in on our blanket. Elias was antsy and pretty hard to keep entertained. It rained, but thankfully only for about 10 minutes. Once it neared Elias' bedtime, we tried to get him to sleep on the blanket, but he wouldn't have it. We had to stroll him around and around until he fell asleep. Then the transfer back to blanket didn't work, so we had to stroll him around and around again. We had to leave early so we didn't get to hear all of Gillian and Dave, and we were both exhausted on Monday morning.

Why is it that when you have such high hopes, things never seem to turn out?

Book Club

My high society book club ladies came over on Monday to discuss the classic I had chosen, Ethan Frome. It is always fun to get together and everyone seemed to enjoy the book. Unfortunately Elias had a hard time getting to sleep, and I discovered that Matt and I are not very good at cooking for more than 4 people at a time (there were 7 of us). It is unfortunate as I always have delicious food at all of the other book club meetings. I'm thinking we will head to restaurant for the next one.

Greeeaaaat

Last week, at Friday's music class, we had a substitute because our teacher, Mathew, was at jury duty. Jo, the director, taught our class. She was very enthusiastic and did a great job. Elias pretty much just sat and stared at her because she was new. On Saturday, we went to our music class with Gary, and Jo was there observing him since he is a new teacher. As the parents were arriving, Jo tells me very loudly that Elias seems very musically talented. She asks me if he may have inherited some musical genes and tells Gary to keep an eye on him because he is really amazing. She just couldn't get over how well he paid attention. Greeeaaat. Turns out to be the worst class as far as Elias and paying attention goes. Couldn't have predicted that!

New Pool

We finally got around to getting Elias a little pool for the backyard. He seems to really like water, and I think it is safe to say the pool is a big hit!

M A R K

Our friend Mark visited all the way from New Zealand. Matt had to be out-of-town for the entire trip for work (sniff, sniff), so it was just Mark, Elias and me...plus tons of friends. On Thursday, Mark hit trivia with Will, Kathy and Steve. They made a valiant effort, but only managed 4th place. Friday, during the day, Mark rode around on a bike while Elias and I went to music class. That night, a bunch of people came to our house for very large pizzas (two 24" and one 18") and games. We ate, yelled, laughed, met new girlfriends (go Dave) and had a really nice time. Luckily, Elias slept through it all. On Saturday, Mark played volleyball in the morning, and then we headed to Will's for Karaoke and Wii. It was a smaller, more intimate crowd, but fun none-the-less. On Sunday, we went to Lucile's for a great brunch with some old friends of Mark's from Grand Junction. In the evening, Mark went out to an unidentified place with another old friend from Wyoming (I think we all know where they went). On Monday, Dave was nice enough to pick Mark up and drop him at the airport. It was really fun to see Mark again, and hopefully he had a good time. At the very least, he can't say we didn't do anything.

Bellybuttons

Elias has recently gotten interested in bellybuttons. Since Matt doesn't always have a shirt on, it was most popular with him. Just today Elias realized if he lifted up my shirt, he could see my bellybutton. I can see this easily going horribly wrong out in public.

But Mom

It has already begun...

The Whirlwind Visit

Grandma Darleen and Grandpa Jim came out for a visit a few weeks ago. We had a great time, but not a moment of rest. Here are some of the things we did. I know most of them will make you jealous:

Installed drawer locks to keep Elias from meddling
Did some sewing related mending
Took out the toilet and sink from the basement in anticipation of redoing it
Changed a smoke detector battery
Sanded and painted a little mishap with the garage (yes it was me and my car)
Fixed the handle of the pack n play

While I know it doesn't seem like we could have had any more fun, we also:

Went to two Music Together classes
Visited the mountains and had a picnic dinner
Toured some property at Winter Park
Played with Elias

Really makes Denver sound fun, I know.

A Four Hour Tour

On Tuesday, I was in the car for about 4 hours...ugh. I went to work in the morning as usual, but I did know that I would potentially be taking Elias to the doctor to check out his eye infection...but only if they could squeeze me in. Turns out they had a spot at 10:30, so I left work at 9:00, drove downtown to get Elias from daycare, and then halfway back to work to the doctor's office. Turned out he had a "cold in his eye", so he could go back to daycare (good news). I also got a prescription for some eye drops to help clear it up (with leftovers for future incidents...even better news). I drove him back to daycare and then headed back to work. I made it back just in time for a 12:30 meeting where I was supposed to brief a few slides. At 3:30, I left work and headed back downtown to pick Elias up from the daycare, and then finally headed home. Phew...I'm tired just typing this.

No Baby Here Anymore

Elias spent the entire day on Thursday in his new toddler class. If he could talk, I think he would have said, "It's about time." He has been spending little bits of time over there for a few weeks now, and they always said he didn't want to go back to the infant class when it was time. Also, when Matt was dropping him off in infants, Elias didn't want him to leave. I think in toddlers this won't be the case.

What toddlers means is Elias (and all of the kids) sleep on a mat at noon. On Wednesday and Thursday he took a 2 hour nap. Go Elias! He drinks his milk out of an open-faced cup. It is pretty impressive. The kids sing songs, have 2 snacks and lunch each day, get read to, do arts and crafts, learn to set the table, pour, cleanup and help get themselves dressed. They also get to play outside a few times a day. This is Elias' favorite. Figures he likes recess the best.

The transition went very well, and I think Elias is really going to like it. No baby here anymore.

The Pool

I invited myself and Elias over to my friend Carissa's apartment again on Friday for some swimming. This time Elias warmed right up. We played for almost an hour (he even got dunked under a few times), and then had a snack. Elias had whole wheat fig newtons, and I got homemade ice cream and sorbet. Sometimes it's good to be the mommy.

Garden

We had our first garden grown tomato this season last week on top of our quesadillas. Yummy. And there are a ton of green tomatoes on the vine. Looks like we may only get a handful of raspberries, but we have already enjoyed some jalapenos and basil. I think it will be a tasty summer!

Odds and Ends

Some observations:

Elias now says "hi" to people when he sees them.
Elias blows kisses when it is time to say goodbye.
Elias can give a high five.
Elias just had his first nightmare that woke him up screaming.
I really can tell a lot of the time what Elias is trying to say.
Elias is a sweaty boy (and no, I don't mean sweet...although I guess he is that too).
Elias wants to know what to call everything.
Elias still loves books.

While Elias is learning all these new things, all I seem to do these days is clean up.

Out of House and Home

He isn't even a teenager yet, and he is already eating us out of house and home. I didn't think it was possible for one 15-month-old boy to eat that much. I'm curious if he has some hidden talent that we are just now realizing or if most kids his age eat tons and tons. We feed him 6 oz. of milk every three hours plus probably about 2 cups of food. I usually cut him off instead of waiting for him to make the "all done" sign. At daycare, he doesn't get that much milk, so right when we get home, he seems starving. Matt mentioned this to one of the teachers, and he thought she looked a little surprised. Luckily we are finding more and more foods that he likes. I'm not sure what we are going to do once he hits 12. I'll let you know once we start needing donations.

Chillin'

At our friend's house, Elias would not stop crawling into the Igloo.

At home, Elias loves to try to crawl into the side of this toy which is really only big enough for one leg. I guess we need to get out the cooler.

Weekend Fun

Yesterday I went climbing outside with Noah and Carissa again. This time Elias and Matt went to music class instead of coming along. We had a great time, and I even finished putting up this climb that Noah started. I hope to get my strength back soon, so I can really start leading again.

Today, we took a bike ride on the Cherry Creek bike path. Elias really doesn't like his helmet, but at least seems to tolerate riding along behind Matt. He seems to find the buckles the most fascinating. Maybe next time we can buckle him in, and then just take a nap on the couch.

My Second Haircut

On Friday I gave Elias a haircut. My second time cutting hair. It looks considerably better than it did long, but if you check out some previous pictures, that isn't saying much. Last haircut (only 2 months ago!), we took him to a kid's place, which none of us enjoyed...not even the lady who got paid. I was hoping that doing it at home would make it better, but alas, no. Elias screamed pretty much the whole time. I seem to go back and forth between doing it at home, and paying the $30 to take him somewhere. Maybe next time I will try cutting it while he is this drawer. He seems to like playing in it...and maybe I could use a bowl to help me out.

Out on the Farm

A friend recently moved out to Bennett, a small rural town in Colorado, to a place with 39 acres. He had a housewarming party last weekend, and Elias and I went. We had a great time checking out his new digs. He has a great house he has fixed up, a playhouse, a garage/dog kennel, a pond, lots of open space, and tons of mosquitoes. Elias had a great time in this little car. They talked about having a big camp out on their land next summer. I can't wait!

Mattress

When Matt's parents came for a visit, we opted to sleep in the guest room and gave them our room, to make it easier with Elias. What we discovered is we liked the harder, older mattress in the guest room better...or we at least liked the change of pace. We switched mattresses (so now is the time to visit because you get the double pillow top), and I think it has helped my back. Now I would say that I only ask Matt to rub my shoulders twice a day instead of every hour.

Swimming

Lucky for us, Noah and Carissa moved back to Denver AND into an apartment complex with a pool. Elias, Carissa and I went swimming last Friday. I haven't taken Elias since our class at the indoor pool when he was 6-months-old, so I wasn't sure how it would go. He was slow to warm up to the idea, but eventually he started really enjoying himself. He seems to love water at all other times (knocking over the dog's water bowl, taking baths, climbing into the wet shower fully clothed), so I thought it would be a hit. By the end, he was asking for more of sitting on the edge of the pool and "jumping" in on the count of three. I think a small backyard pool is in order.

The Terrible 15 Months?

So I have heard it called the terrible twos and even the terrible threes, but can it really start as early as 15 months? Just recently Elias has figured out walking and now walks all around the house. This means he doesn't want to sit on the potty, he doesn't want his diaper changed, he doesn't want to get his shoes and socks put on, he doesn't want to sit in the stroller...all he wants to do is walk around. And when you do something he doesn't want he squirms, throws toys, screams and cries. If he is on the floor, he even kicks and bangs his fists...a mini tantrum. I thought they were supposed to like doing what their parents wanted at this age? Sigh...I hope this phase doesn't last long.

1st Cousin Once Removed

We were very lucky last week. Elias' 1st Cousin once removed, Andy, happened to be in town for work, so we all got together for a nice dinner at the Wynkoop Brewery after his seminar. Matt's cousin and his wife just had their second baby so we got to find out what it is really like to have two. Andy treated us, so I like I said, we were very lucky last week. Thanks Andy!

Grandma and Grandpa K

Matt's parents came for a wonderful visit last weekend.

Elias had great fun playing with Marjie and Paul. He got a new wooden bug puzzle that he loves, and Paul read him some of his books (Elias' favorite thing to do).


For Matt's birthday (and the 4th of July), we celebrated with breakfast in bed and presents. Matt got clothes and some wooden toy making books (get to work Matt)...plus some really funny cards from Serena and Justin, Mom and Jim, and John and Sharon. Thanks everybody! Then we had a great afternoon at Wash park for some 4th of July fun. They had free ice cream (Elias liked that...and so did I), a great brass band and a kids' bike parade. Check out Elias' cool hat. Never thought they would get this much use did you Mom?

On Sunday we went to the Butterfly Pavillion. We got to see lots of bugs, Paul held Rosie the tarantula, and they released the butterflies just as we went into the pavillion. Can you find the blurry black and yellow butterfly in the picture?

On Monday, Matt, Elias and his parents went on a tour of a candy factory while I went to work. They got the better end of that deal. Marjie was nice enough to get me a few pieces of tasty candy from the gift shop.

Guests always have a great time, so Elias wants YOU to be the next visitor!