Jedi Master

It was another busy weekend! Friday night was Griffin's school Halloween party. They actually did an AWESOME job of decorating & making fun activities for each age level in every room. Griff was a bit nervous at first- probably a combination of being up past his bedtime, all the people in random costumes, and being worried that we were just going to drop him off! But once he figured out that everyone was there to have a good time, he had a lot of fun!

overly excited and blurry about being a Jedi 

cutest Yoda ever

when we first got to the party. a tiny bit freaked.

playing glow in the dark ring toss with his friend, Brandon. All is well.

Griff's bud Brandon is actually getting a little sister or brother a month before Griffin does! They'll have all sorts of horrible sibling stuff to bond over.

Saturday we got lots of chores done. I FINALLY found curtains I like for the living room, and I found this:

I know we didn't really NEED a new duvet cover, but isn't it BEAUTIFUL?? I just adore the color and I think it will keep me happy straight through the winter. 

Sunday was so nice out after we had a bit of snow last week, so we decided we wanted to take Griffin to do something outside. We decided on the zoo not thinking about the fact that it was their big Halloween event that day! Luckily we got there early enough where we beat the massive crowds, and even though Griff was costume-less, he got to go "trick or treating" along the way and he got to have his first ever pieces of candy! He is SUPER into the animals now and he had a blast pointing everything out.

he actually loved the lions. He was more terrified that I was making him move to a different exhibit.

all the animals got their own pumpkins. The lioness loved hers!

Swedish Fish & the merry go round

After the zoo, we stopped at Steubens- one of our favorite Denver haunts. Griff and I were a bit irritated by the wait (Griffin, fairly audibly so) but  it was SO. WORTH IT. Oh, gravy fries, how I missed you...

G during the 5 minutes he patiently waited for a table

After all that adventure, Griffin napped HARD. When he got up, we decided to take a nice long walk up to a new playground! There are SO MANY near our house, and we love discovering them!

G loves nothing more than a good playground

he has become QUITE the climber

and he ADORES the slide. Such a big kid!!    

walking to the play tunnel at the other side of the park

such a pretty place 

and lovely day

he did NOT want to leave

mama & boy

view on the walk home

I'm glad we got to have another great weekend before I get SLAMMED at work. We're doing pre-registration advising for the next two weeks and I have a caseload of almost 400 students. I literally don't have even a 5 minute break in my schedule other than lunch for the rest of this week! But this is the time of year we earn our stripes, I suppose- and it will be SO COOL to see all of our planning come to fruition!

Healthy Baby

The boys went to the doctor with me yesterday for my 17 week appointment and it went super well! I finally gained a couple of pounds which made the doc happy. I'm also measuring right on track & we got to listen to the perfect heartbeat! I got the results of the first half of our sequential screen which checks for genetic abnormalities and my chances are the lowest possible (chances of a woman my age having a baby with Downs Syndrome are 1 in 245. My results were 1 in 10000!)

We also fell in love with the doctor. During my pregnancy with Griff, I saw 5 different docs and they were all AWFUL- cold, no bedside manner, always in a rush, and not open to new ideas. I dreaded even talking to them on the phone, and that is part of the reason I switched to the midwives. We know that chances are I'll have to have another c-section, but I hated the doctors so much that I thought about just staying with the midwives until delivery. Especially because my last appointment was actually with the doc that delivered Griff, and she was terrible- rude to Drew and belittling me for my questions. But yesterday I was assigned to a doc I never had before, and he. Was. Amazing. He was HILARIOUS, acted like he had all the time in the world for me, and was awesome with Griffin (complete with high fives & fist bumps). We had actually met him before while we toured the new hospital during Griff's pregnancy & loved him then! So we decided that we'll schedule this delivery around him. We'll get to have the baby at any time during the 39th week (between March 28 & April 4) but we're going to wait and see when he is scheduled for surgery before we make the decision! I HATE the idea of going through this surgery again, so I'm taking ANYTHING that will make me feel more at ease about it!

Griffin charmed the pants off of everyone at the doctors office, so they can't wait to see him again too! He sweetly said "bye" to each of them on the way out & they all melted!

Our next appointment is at the end of November, and that is The Big One! We'll have the full anatomy check including finding out the gender. I can't believe we're already almost halfway done- this is going by SO FAST!

GO, IRON MAN!

Griffin has developed a passionate love for all things Avengers (hmm, I wonder where he got that from? I'm looking at you, DREW.) Anyway, one of his very favorites (other than the Hulk) is Iron Man, and I came home for lunch today to find that my baby boy had been replaced by millionaire playboy, Tony Stark. Or, a much younger, much dirtier version:

He made up the Iron Man helmet thing on his own!! My child is a creative (and comedic) genius.

16 Weeks!

This is me (and sproutlet) at 16 weeks!

My nausea went away out of nowhere about a week ago and that has been AMAZING. I actually feel semi- human again! And it was just in time- I know I did the best I could, but I was really starting to not feel like the best mama for poor Griff.

Fears and apprehension are starting to give way to excitement. We can't wait to start nesting again, and we're daydreaming about our new family of 4.

Another Amazing Weekend (belated post)

I kept meaning to write about last weekend, but between the debate on Tuesday and pure pregnancy exhaustion, I haven't had the chance until now. I suppose going in to work late once a week is good for something!

But last weekend truly was another great one. We're very lucky. In addition to all the great things we got to do, we were all healthy, happy and the weather was absolutely perfect. You cant ask for much more!

Friday night, Drew and I went out on a date!! Griffin's daycare hosted a late night where they fed the kids pizza and let them play around like crazies to allow the parents some alone time. It was the first time we had been out to dinner by ourselves in SO LONG!! We took the opportunity to go to a fancy place that we'd normally never get to go to, so we made reservations at the Briarwood Inn just a mile away from us on the creek. The food was incredible, the restaurant was gorgeous and romantic, and Drew and I just sat and talked for HOURS. It was glorious.

Drew even wore a tie!

On Saturday, the family went down to the Botanic Gardens at Chatfield for the Pumpkin Festival! We stopped first along the way to have breakfast. This is where Griffin first discovered that he adores whipped cream.

don't judge his bed head

And then we were off to explore the farm, enjoy the festival, and pick some pumpkins!

he settled for the small one even though he really wanted the giant monster pumpkin none of us would be able to carry back to the car.

Griffin is a huge fan of riding on daddy's shoulders

Griffin was in love with this horse and kept screaming "NEIGH!" at it. Meanwhile, it was CRAZY and kept freaking out because it's partner had jumped the fence and was being chased around the farm by the farmers

it is a GORGEOUS place

Not pictured: Griffin getting to pet a llama and a yak, Griffin chattering to the chickens, and Griffin FREAKING out just seconds before it was his turn on the pony ride (after mama waited in line forever) sending us all home sans pony ride.

The Sunday we went to grandma & grandpa's house for dinner and to celebrate grandma's birthday! Griffin LOVES it there because he is always beyond spoiled with attention and his favorite snacks.

we walked to the park by their house (making Griffin's day) 

his favorite activity with some of his favorite people

CUPCAKE!!

After dinner, Griffin was CRABBY. He had demanded to be excused from the table and then proceeded to rip off his shirt while he cranked around since we were all still sitting & chatting. Then my dad got up and brought over a huge plate of cupcakes, All of a sudden, Griffin came TEARING across the room toward his high chair screaming "hungry! hungry!" Apparently he has a sweet tooth.

After all of that, we were all happy and exhausted. Looking forward to a quiet weekend at home in a few days!

Fabulous Fall

We had an AWESOME weekend! One of those rare ones full of beautiful memories.

We ran the gamut of fall weather the past few days. Yesterday, it was cold and gray with occasional flurries. While I'm not ready for winter weather yet, I braved it to go to the Horseshoe Market with my friend, Lindsay. I found my mom an awesome birthday gift and I found LOTS of local artists who would make perfect contributions to a future nursery so I collected their cards! Once home, the boys and I snuggled in and watched movies. So cozy!

Then today we left the house early to go on a fall adventure. While there was some visible frost up in the mountains, our weather could not have been more perfect- sunny, crisp and 50s. We drove up to Boulder admiring the changing leaves and landscape along the way. Our first stop was to Snooze, an AMAZING breakfast place that we first tried in Denver. The Boulder location was brand new and even better! I had this sandwich which consisted of scrambled eggs, colby cheese, a homemade sausage patty and hollendaise sauce on a warm pretzel roll. BEST. THING. EVER. Even Drew took one bite and couldn't stop raving. The boys adored their breakfasts too and then it was time to move on to our second stop- Yaya Apple Orchard in Longmont.

On the way to the orchard, we saw a bunch of hot air balloons floating through the sky! They were absolutely gorgeous hovering over the fields and changing trees. Griffin was BEYOND excited and kept screaming "BOON!! BOON!!" I wish we could have gotten better pictures, but we were driving and there was no good place to pull over. They made the ride even more fun though!

Drew and I have been looking for a long time for a good apple picking place that reminded us of our childhoods. We found one or two, but they weren't much. And then we found Yaya. I cant tell you how blissed out I became just upon driving through the heavily wooded entrance and toward the barn. The entire farm is absolutely gorgeous and something out of an Americana painting. The second we got out and saw the animals, pond, buildings, pastures and the orchard all at the foot of the mountains, I knew this is a place that will always be ours. It's the dreamy type of place that traditions are based on.

Just as I was thinking those thoughts, the farmer that owns the property came up to talk to us. He asked where we were from and when he heard Ohio, he said "ah- my type of people! I'm from upstate New York and all I wanted to do was recreate my childhood. That fall tradition of picking apples and sitting by a fire and watching leaves fly by as you sip cider. That trip you looked forward to all year long." yes... YES!! That is EXACTLY what we were looking for!! He talked about how the farm was a total labor of love for him and how he and his wife took the overgrown and run down farmhouse and orchard and turned it in to what it is now with their bare hands. He talked about how the horses are like children to him and how when one dies, it is a huge loss, including a burial at pasture where the horse would always face "home", toward the barn. But then when new animals are born it is a cause for celebration! He gave us carrots to feed the horses and donkeys with. Griffin was in absolute heaven.

After our chat and visiting with the animals, Griffin wanted to run free through the orchard, so we obliged.

He also LOVED throwing apples into our bag and tasting the sweets in the store. We left with a TON of various beautiful apples, a dozen homemade cinnamon cider donuts, and a jar of apple butter. I can't wait to go back next year and every year after that!

On the way back, we stopped in Boulder again to pick up a purse I had been coveting. While we were there, we let Griffin play on the Chatauqua playground. We told him that his cousin, William, played there before G was ever born!

On the way back home, Griffin fell deep asleep (we wore him out!) and Drew and I enjoyed the view and the smell of fall in the air! We finished everything up with the Broncos game this afternoon (a loss, but fall-like none the less). It was truly an incredible weekend. And I spent it with my favorite people in the entire world.