I love fall.
To me, it is the most beautiful time of the year. The colors are stunning; the air is crisp and refreshing. It’s the only time I absolutely can’t stand to be indoors during the day. For people that haven’t visited CO in the fall I highly recommend it. The change in color of the Aspen trees is a high priority for fall tourists. The bright yellow leaves mixed with shades of red, brown and occasional green is gorgeous. The best part…is the weather is “expected” to be nice (70’s-80’s) until next week. I’ve lived in CO long enough to know not to trust the weather but I’m holding out hope.
Another great thing about fall is the TV shows and football. It helps make the earlier sunset of fall tolerable. I tend to fall sucker to multiple shows: the OC, Survivor, Amazing Race, Grey’s Anatomy every once in a while, and MTV shows like Laguna Beach, Real World, Real World/Road Rules Challenge and if it’s not embarrassing enough I have caught a few episodes of Two-A-Day, okay, probably all of them. Wow, that sounds like a lot of TV. The only way I could watch all those shows is because of my friend. His name is Tivo. I love him. He brightens my day. When I turn on the TV and there is nothing on my 200 channels and I start to feel sad, I remember Tivo is saving some show for me to watch. Did I mention I love him? Tivo makes folding laundry, cooking going through piles of junk mail and cleaning the kitchen bearable.
Now I will chat about Football. Better known as to myself as… F-doubleO-T-B-A-doubleL, let’s play football. This is one of the cheers I remember from high school and probably will never be able to say “football” without chanting it in my head. I also clap and do the little squat and jump when I recite it to Lily. Kind of like my singing, you will never witness this. Good for you. Hawkeye football is very entertaining and because I have a blog I get to mention that the Hawks beat the Cyclones. Yay!!! My in-law side of the family is split pretty evenly with Hawks and Cyclones. My dear friend, Kerry, who never reads my blog, is also a dedicated Cyclone fan. She has season tickets-- she is that dedicated. When the Cyclones beat the Hawks last year (to be fair the Cyclones have won more than the Hawks in recent years…have no clue how) Kerry had to call and brag. I was at a wedding out of state and had no idea what was happening with the game…until I got her call. When I saw she called I knew the Cyclones won. Only the winning team fans can call anyone else and typically the losing team fans don’t answer. So yes, I contacted Kerry this year and had some fun. Her new man is a Hawk…which makes it even more enjoyable.
More about football…my nephew, Payton, wanted to participate in a family fantasy football league. Randy set it up and my bro, myself, Randy, Randy’s bro, Randy’s sis, her husband, Payton, Randy’s friend Moss and his parents are in a league…called Randy’s Cool. Again, to mention, Randy set up the league and apparently had naming rights. It’s fun. There is a little smack talking here and there. Playing fantasy football has pretty much eliminated my favorite teams. They weren’t exactly my favorite football teams, I was brainwashed. I liked the Dolphins cuz my bros like them and I also liked the Raiders cuz my uncle, Russ, liked them. I had no voice of my own, it was forced upon me from a young age. When I moved to CO I did enjoy informing Bronco fans that I was a Raider fan. Their faces usually dropped in disgust and inappropriate verbal statements were made. I’ve been involved in fantasy football over the past couple years between myself and helping Randy. Instead of watching one team I root for my fantasy football players. It really makes watching “dumb” games like the Chargers vs. Giants entertaining. If I did have to pick a favorite team it would be the Colts. I like Payton Manning and they have 2 good Hawkeyes.
Thursday, September 28, 2006
Monday, September 25, 2006
Another lovely weekend...
I know I usually say our weekends were nice but I really couldn’t tell you that we have any bad weekends. Weekends do not include work which pretty much means they are fun filled. Anyhow, we did have a very nice weekend. On Saturday our routine was a little messed up. Lily normally wakes up at 6AM, thanks to her parent’s work schedules, but she decided to sleep in a bit. She woke up at 6:45 only to fall back asleep while breast feeding until 9AM. This meant I was able to snooze a little longer snuggling with a warm little girl in a comfy recliner. My day was already going well. I made a warm breakfast for myself, Lily and the dogs and we played and cleaned until nap time. After nap time we went to Staci’s house and hung out with her 2 girls and Carolyn and her 3 month old girl, Emma. It’s always fun to watch Lily interact with other kids. She loves to watch them, keeping a distance while playing with their toys. Sunday was a laid back day. Our breakfast plan fell through so we hung out, played, watched football and napped. It was a gorgeous day so we went for a stroller ride and had our dinner at the park. Lily has developed a new smile for strangers. When someone says hello to her she will initially act shy and but proceed with flashing a super cheesy smile, showing all her teeth and wrinkling her nose. Of course, it melts my heart and makes me laugh out loud. Our nice elderly neighbor got a kick out of her smile. I was hoping she would smile at him since last time he came close to her she started crying.
Halloween is coming up and I am trying not to decorate too soon. I attempted to put up fake spider webs (first had to remove the real ones) but couldn’t get much done since I’m short and all of our ladders were mia. Probably a good thing since it’s only September. But I love Halloween and foresee Lily having many costume birthday parties with her parents in full costume mode. Regarding the decorations, I don’t want the cutesy decorations but I opt for the really scary kind. I want the house the kids are scared to trick or treat at. But hopefully not too scary that they don’t approach the door.
Most likely everyone that knows us knows that Randy has a major lactose allergy. Many of you probably have heard an interesting story associated with bowel issues secondary to milk intake. Lily may have an allergy, not necessarily milk since she’s tolerated a few sips here and there. It may still be dairy related because she yakked up yogurt on one occasion when given a whole baby serving and may have reacted to cheese lately. On Saturday I noticed her left lower lip was swollen when eating. A few days before I noticed a bump (like a small blister) on the same lip area after eating dinner. Both events lasted a short time with her lip returning to normal within 45 minutes or so. Still strange. I didn’t note exactly what she ate the first time but cheese is the only food I can almost definitely relate to both events. After chatting with the ped’s office we will back off on most dairy until after she’s a year old. We may do some allergy testing too but I am waiting to hear back from her doctor. Since the second swelling involved eggs (which she’s eaten, mostly yolks, on numerous occasions) she probably won’t get a flu shot. Good for her, bad for me. I hate flu shots but have been instructed to get one, especially if she cannot. I will not complain again since it’s for the well being of my daughter but I do hate shots. I loved giving them just not receiving them.
Recent Lily changes lately involve stair climbing. She amazes me with her ability to climb stairs. She’s quick and quite capable with no guidance from her parents. Of course she has no fear or understanding of the implications of going down the stairs but that’s where her parents and gates come into play. Lily is also letting go of one hand while standing. Her balance is getting better all the time but I do think it will be a little longer before she’s walking. When I walk with holding her hands she only tolerates it a short time before refusing to put weight on her legs. Lily is also into singing and dancing lately. If I am singing (likely you will never hear me, I only perform vocally for my daughter and husband) she will start making sounds to mimic me. With dancing, if she hears music, she will start moving her upper body and waving her hands. I keep telling Randy she will be a dancer but he’s pretty against it. He wants to “dork” her out as much as possible. Overalls and flannel shirts are his idea of her future wardrobe.
Halloween is coming up and I am trying not to decorate too soon. I attempted to put up fake spider webs (first had to remove the real ones) but couldn’t get much done since I’m short and all of our ladders were mia. Probably a good thing since it’s only September. But I love Halloween and foresee Lily having many costume birthday parties with her parents in full costume mode. Regarding the decorations, I don’t want the cutesy decorations but I opt for the really scary kind. I want the house the kids are scared to trick or treat at. But hopefully not too scary that they don’t approach the door.
Most likely everyone that knows us knows that Randy has a major lactose allergy. Many of you probably have heard an interesting story associated with bowel issues secondary to milk intake. Lily may have an allergy, not necessarily milk since she’s tolerated a few sips here and there. It may still be dairy related because she yakked up yogurt on one occasion when given a whole baby serving and may have reacted to cheese lately. On Saturday I noticed her left lower lip was swollen when eating. A few days before I noticed a bump (like a small blister) on the same lip area after eating dinner. Both events lasted a short time with her lip returning to normal within 45 minutes or so. Still strange. I didn’t note exactly what she ate the first time but cheese is the only food I can almost definitely relate to both events. After chatting with the ped’s office we will back off on most dairy until after she’s a year old. We may do some allergy testing too but I am waiting to hear back from her doctor. Since the second swelling involved eggs (which she’s eaten, mostly yolks, on numerous occasions) she probably won’t get a flu shot. Good for her, bad for me. I hate flu shots but have been instructed to get one, especially if she cannot. I will not complain again since it’s for the well being of my daughter but I do hate shots. I loved giving them just not receiving them.
Recent Lily changes lately involve stair climbing. She amazes me with her ability to climb stairs. She’s quick and quite capable with no guidance from her parents. Of course she has no fear or understanding of the implications of going down the stairs but that’s where her parents and gates come into play. Lily is also letting go of one hand while standing. Her balance is getting better all the time but I do think it will be a little longer before she’s walking. When I walk with holding her hands she only tolerates it a short time before refusing to put weight on her legs. Lily is also into singing and dancing lately. If I am singing (likely you will never hear me, I only perform vocally for my daughter and husband) she will start making sounds to mimic me. With dancing, if she hears music, she will start moving her upper body and waving her hands. I keep telling Randy she will be a dancer but he’s pretty against it. He wants to “dork” her out as much as possible. Overalls and flannel shirts are his idea of her future wardrobe.
Friday, September 22, 2006
For anyone interested...
I am participating in the Komen Breast Cancer Walk in October. I decided to try and raise a few bucks, I figured even a few dollars could help. Much to my surprise, people responded more gratiously than I ever expected. I sent an email to a few people and so far have raised $160!!!! WOW!!! I am so excited. The process to donate is pretty darn easy so for anyone that is interested...here is the link.
http://www.raceforthecure-denver.com/site/TR?pg=personal&fr_id=1020&px=1286262
For people that cannot donate, spread the word! Spreading the word about breast cancer, encouraging yourself and people you love to do self exams is just as important as donations.
http://www.raceforthecure-denver.com/site/TR?pg=personal&fr_id=1020&px=1286262
For people that cannot donate, spread the word! Spreading the word about breast cancer, encouraging yourself and people you love to do self exams is just as important as donations.
Lily is 11 months old. Here are some tidbits about Lily:
She doesn't care too much for toys but would rather open and close cupboards, drawers and doors. Lily entertains herself by pulling off the refrigerator magnets and pulling pots and pans out of the cupboards. She is pulling up on everything and will walk with us holding her hands. She likes to feed herself "adult" food and also likes to share her food with the dogs. Lily is getting better about not testing what I mean when I say "no" in my stern voice.
Lily's favorite word is not mommy or daddy but...dog. She will say "dowg" over and over, of course, causing laughter from everyone around (which is why she says it over and over). While Grandma McEntaffer was feeding her last week and she kept saying "dowg" only for Grandma McEntaffer to discover the plate had a picture of Scooby Doo on it.
Can't think of more to write...I think I've been out of the blogger world too long. I will try and get better with more frequent posts and even checking other people's blogs. I probably could just post pictures and people would be happy. :)
She doesn't care too much for toys but would rather open and close cupboards, drawers and doors. Lily entertains herself by pulling off the refrigerator magnets and pulling pots and pans out of the cupboards. She is pulling up on everything and will walk with us holding her hands. She likes to feed herself "adult" food and also likes to share her food with the dogs. Lily is getting better about not testing what I mean when I say "no" in my stern voice.
Lily's favorite word is not mommy or daddy but...dog. She will say "dowg" over and over, of course, causing laughter from everyone around (which is why she says it over and over). While Grandma McEntaffer was feeding her last week and she kept saying "dowg" only for Grandma McEntaffer to discover the plate had a picture of Scooby Doo on it.
Can't think of more to write...I think I've been out of the blogger world too long. I will try and get better with more frequent posts and even checking other people's blogs. I probably could just post pictures and people would be happy. :)
Saturday, September 02, 2006
4 Things
This is a fun way to share some things about myself with you. In case you didn't already know. I added a few extra tid bits.
4 JOBS I HAVE HAD:
1. Bean walker-I grew up in SD what more can I say.
2. Receptionist at a hair salon-great discount!
3. Orange Julius-most of college, Randy and his friends benefited when I worked till close and bought home goodies instead of throwing it away.
4. Waitress at Bob Roe's-best tip money ever.
4 MOVIES I COULD WATCH OVER AND OVER:
1. Sweet Home Alabama-I've watched it so much my DVD is worn
2. Sex and the City-okay, not a movie but I seriously could watch it ALL the time.
3. How Stella Got Her Groove Back. Randy's favorite too. just kidding.
4. Bourne Identity/Supremacy-my favorite action/suspense movies
4 PLACES I HAVE LIVED:
1. SD
2. IA
3. CO
4. That's it, haven't lived anywhere else.
4 OF MY FAVORITE FOODS:
1. Starbucks white chocolate mocha
2. Mandu and Bulgogi, made by my mom-in-law.
3. Broccoli-I swear I love it.
4. Sour gummy worms-almost always accompany me on car trips to SD/IA.
4 PLACES I'D RATHER BE:
1. With Lily and Randy anywhere (my previous post indicated our family time is minimal these days)
2. New Mexico in November, celebrating a rocket launch.
3. Kauai, HI-if I could only pick one vacation spot for the rest of my life it would be here.
4. Day spa with unlimited massages, facials, pedicures and manicures.
4 THINGS I WANT TO CHANGE (and can change):
1. Stop being indecisive
2. Lose weight-yada, yada, yada
3. Sending cards late-it's really not genetic
4. Start volunteering-yes, it was a New Year's Resolution but hasn't occurred yet.
4 THINGS I AM THANKFUL FOR:
1. My husband and daughter, they have taught me so much about myself and I strive to repay them with happiness and my love.
2. My SD family including extended family, in-laws and friends that I have known long enough to be considered family. You guys rock.
3. Caffeine-I don't considered myself hooked but it helps keep my house clean.
4. Growing up in a small town with a large family.
4 CHILDHOOD MEMORIES:
1. Sunday breakfast and dinner with McGuire family
2. Getting awesome hand-me-down clothes from my cool cousin Erin
3. Melissa and Kerry-too many memories to name one.
4. Birthdays-my mom always made the best of them.
4 HIGH SCHOOL MEMORIES:
1. Being late to dance squad everyday with Melissa (even though school was 2 blocks away).
2. Meeting Randy at the mall.
3. Teepeeing (sp?) and hill jumping(I hope Lily never tries hill jumping) :)
4. Sports (volleyball and soccer) dance and cheerleading, kept me out of trouble for the most part, well except for hill jumping but I never got caught and never used my own car.
4 COLLEGE MEMORIES:
1. The boys-meaning all of Randy's friends. I was the only female with about 10 guys for years. They provided lots of crazy memories.
2. Two drunk, okay, very drunk occasions. The first was the night before my mom picked me up at the end of my first year. Luckily she laughed knowing I learned my lesson or at least until my 4th year after a very hard pathophysiology final.
3. Working hard with usually 2 jobs and maintaining a good GPA.
4. Going through the different changes with Randy and getting engaged.
4 JOBS I HAVE HAD:
1. Bean walker-I grew up in SD what more can I say.
2. Receptionist at a hair salon-great discount!
3. Orange Julius-most of college, Randy and his friends benefited when I worked till close and bought home goodies instead of throwing it away.
4. Waitress at Bob Roe's-best tip money ever.
4 MOVIES I COULD WATCH OVER AND OVER:
1. Sweet Home Alabama-I've watched it so much my DVD is worn
2. Sex and the City-okay, not a movie but I seriously could watch it ALL the time.
3. How Stella Got Her Groove Back. Randy's favorite too. just kidding.
4. Bourne Identity/Supremacy-my favorite action/suspense movies
4 PLACES I HAVE LIVED:
1. SD
2. IA
3. CO
4. That's it, haven't lived anywhere else.
4 OF MY FAVORITE FOODS:
1. Starbucks white chocolate mocha
2. Mandu and Bulgogi, made by my mom-in-law.
3. Broccoli-I swear I love it.
4. Sour gummy worms-almost always accompany me on car trips to SD/IA.
4 PLACES I'D RATHER BE:
1. With Lily and Randy anywhere (my previous post indicated our family time is minimal these days)
2. New Mexico in November, celebrating a rocket launch.
3. Kauai, HI-if I could only pick one vacation spot for the rest of my life it would be here.
4. Day spa with unlimited massages, facials, pedicures and manicures.
4 THINGS I WANT TO CHANGE (and can change):
1. Stop being indecisive
2. Lose weight-yada, yada, yada
3. Sending cards late-it's really not genetic
4. Start volunteering-yes, it was a New Year's Resolution but hasn't occurred yet.
4 THINGS I AM THANKFUL FOR:
1. My husband and daughter, they have taught me so much about myself and I strive to repay them with happiness and my love.
2. My SD family including extended family, in-laws and friends that I have known long enough to be considered family. You guys rock.
3. Caffeine-I don't considered myself hooked but it helps keep my house clean.
4. Growing up in a small town with a large family.
4 CHILDHOOD MEMORIES:
1. Sunday breakfast and dinner with McGuire family
2. Getting awesome hand-me-down clothes from my cool cousin Erin
3. Melissa and Kerry-too many memories to name one.
4. Birthdays-my mom always made the best of them.
4 HIGH SCHOOL MEMORIES:
1. Being late to dance squad everyday with Melissa (even though school was 2 blocks away).
2. Meeting Randy at the mall.
3. Teepeeing (sp?) and hill jumping(I hope Lily never tries hill jumping) :)
4. Sports (volleyball and soccer) dance and cheerleading, kept me out of trouble for the most part, well except for hill jumping but I never got caught and never used my own car.
4 COLLEGE MEMORIES:
1. The boys-meaning all of Randy's friends. I was the only female with about 10 guys for years. They provided lots of crazy memories.
2. Two drunk, okay, very drunk occasions. The first was the night before my mom picked me up at the end of my first year. Luckily she laughed knowing I learned my lesson or at least until my 4th year after a very hard pathophysiology final.
3. Working hard with usually 2 jobs and maintaining a good GPA.
4. Going through the different changes with Randy and getting engaged.
10 Months Old
Our little missy is now 10 months old and her first birthday is nearing. Hitting 10 months has brought about crawling and learning the word "no" which seems to go together with crawling quite easily. She loves to explore and doesn't sit still for very long. She likes to play with pots, pans and utensils. We bought her a walker that moves. She is pretty good about going backwards and figuring out how to go forward everyday. When she is headed for a plant or an electrical outlet (yes, of course, it's covered) and we tell her no, she looks at us and smiles. Then she tries again and when we say no again her smile fades just a little. Too avoid saying no too much we usually re-direct her at that point. The dog's water dish is another issue. It's located on the kitchen rug but repeatedly is a possible source of fun for Lily. When we forget to put it out of her reach and she spots in from across the room she will start crawling normally and when she is closer she will speed up, as if she knows she only has a few seconds to reach this pot of gold. As I grab her before she reaches it she squeals and laughs.
Biting is another issue. Biting me and another girl in day care. The day care kids tend to hug her and really get in her face all the time (they mean well). A 2 year old girl at day care learned the hard way to stay out of Lily's face. Lily bit her right on the cheek. Luckily the mom was very nice and said she had biting issues with her daughter too. We fixed the biting during breast feeding (ouch, yes, it really, really hurts) and changed from being around the TV and noise to a quiet room where I can focus more on her. The biting has stopped and I am able to focus a lot more on my baby. It probably helped that her 8th tooth broke through and there doesn't appear to be any more teeth coming...at this time anyway.
On the job front...I am changing jobs and found a nice job with great benefits. I had time off for the past few weeks and plan to start my new job on Tuesday. I have enjoyed my time at home and was able to be with Lily a lot. Since we still had to pay for day care I was also able to run errands, cook and clean while she hung out at day care. Thanks to Staci we ventured to the Denver zoo and Denver Children's Museum. We also visited Randy at work a few times and went to the library. Speaking of Randy, he has been incredibly busy with his rocket. Going to work early and leaving work late has been our story for the past few weeks. It will pay off soon, his launch is scheduled for November. Keep your fingers crossed that everything goes smoothly over the next few months.
I am hitting my own milestone tomorrow...the big 3-0. Yes, it's a little sad to leave my 20's but I won't dwell on it. Onto the next phase on my life and I look forward to it. Bring it on I say.
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