As I sit here and try to cover all the events in our lives since October 2012, my first and most obvious thought is this...WE'RE HAVING ANOTHER BABY BOY! We found out in November last Fall, and even though we intentionally "threw caution to the wind" we were genuinely shocked, terrified and thrilled all at the same time that we were going to be parents to three kids. THREE BOYS! And even now, five months in...I'm still shocked, terrified and thrilled. Mostly, I'm so excited to meet this new little guy and watch Owen and Bodhi blossom into their own little team of big brothers. August 6th can't get here fast enough! Here is the 9 week pic...
The Holidays...
So, we spent Thanksgiving this year at home, and were so grateful to have some wonderful friends and neighbors join us at our house. Hosting holidays like Thanksgiving is one of my favorite things. I love cooking for people and setting a nice table and slowing down for a meal with good friends. Thanksgiving in particular because we are so reminded to be grateful, and it's one of those times in the year when people speak up about what they are most grateful for, and that's really what life is all about. We were happy to host, and loved having a low-key, mellow kick-off to the holidays.
Before we headed south for Christmas, we hosted a Christmas Caroling party this year, and it was so much fun, we've decided to make it a tradition! We printed lyrics to a few holiday favorites, loaded up on warm cocktails and hot cocoa and headed out to sing to the neighborhood! We had a fabulous turn-out of about 50 people, and it was a blast!
Chris & sweet little Dane
The ladies...Gin, Amy, Emily and Cary
Uncle Eddie showed up!
We just love Christmas Vacation, and can't let it go...
Old friends...Kipper & Chris
The Cadwells sisters! Amy & Emily
We were invited up to Bailey, CO to Chris and Linda Hermsen's (Zach and Erica's parents) place to cut down our Christmas tree...and there is just nothing like cutting down your own tree! It feels so traditional, and the kids love hiking around looking for the "perfect one!" I realize now that I don't have a shot of us cutting it down...but the kids had so much fun on the mountain!
We enjoyed a little "Christmas morning" of our own with just the four of us and Uncle Erock, the weekend before we headed to Texas. It was so quiet and peaceful, and the kids got a couple of small gifts...and it was lovely.
For Christmas, we got to be in Texas again with our families, and this year was a little bit different...but SO rewarding. We typically spend Christmas Eve with the Stiever's and Perry's at Mimi Kathy's or Steph & Ryan's, but this year Brielle was sick with RSV and staying at Children's Hospital. So, we packed up the food and presents and took Christmas to the Perry's at Children's. I think the kids thought they were at some sort of a holiday play land, and we set up shop in the lobby and cafeteria, ate a delicious meal (thanks Mimi!), and felt more grateful than ever to be together. It reminded us that the "scene" doesn't matter at all...the "people" in our lives are the most important part of those moments. That following week Brielle progressed and got to go home, and that was the best Christmas gift we could have been given.
We spent Christmas day at the Ranch with Mimi Darlene, G'pa Trey, Granny aka Gigi, Stephanie (& Nico), Ryland and Gunnison. It was great family time, and we're always so happy to get to be with the people we love and miss so much for Christmas. We got to see my Dad and his wife Debbie that next day, so we covered a lot of ground!
Ryland, Bodhi, Owen & Gunnison
OMG! Santa came!!!
Granny hosted the McQuone family Christmas, as she does every year, and it was nice to see everyone and catch up. I wish we could get together more and really be a bigger part of each other's lives.
Steph & Granny
My sweet cousins Hailey and Joani
Dorinda & Krisit
The girls' gift exchange!
The happy couple...Mom & Trey on their way to a holiday party.
The New Year!
We stayed home and celebrated the New Year on YouTube with the boys at 8pm (using the 2012 video of the NYC ball dropping)...they didn't know the difference...and frankly midnight is too late for us these days!
Traveling in 2013...
We've been so fortunate this year already to get to take a few trips as a family.
Austin
First in January, we went to Austin to celebrate Grandma the Great's birthday and visit the big Reese family! We love getting to go see them...everyone is so close, and we realized that if you sit on Grandma's couch long enough...you'll see everyone of them! They all stop by and see her and visit the most recent "out-of-towner" so frequently and it's wonderful!
Owen, Bodhi, Grandma and Aila
Ian & Brielle
Emily holding her little baby Melanie
Evan, Randy and Jonathon
Owen, Reese, Bodhi and Vesper
On the way to Austin...
Aila, Mimi Kaffy and Bodhi
We ate at Amy's Ice Cream three times!
The train at Zilker Park...Owen, Kipper, Aila, Bodhi, Mimi, Steph and Reese
We also got to visit GranDude and Nonni, as they are living just south of Austin in San Marcus, TX. The big news is THEY GOT MARRIED! Welcoming the new Mr & Mrs Stiever! Congrats to the happy couple, we are so happy to see you finally did it, and Rebecca, we're thrilled to have you in our family!
Florida Keys
In February, we were thrilled to leave the snow and head down to the Florida Keys to visit Mimi Darlene and G'pa Trey! It was warm (er), beautiful and the food was yummy! Mimi and Trey were staying in a house in Islamorada...a little fishing village. The home was on the water in a canal, and the backyard included a little yard, back porch and a boat to jump on anytime and go fishing! The boys were in heaven.
The canal...
Watching for sharks...
The Stiever's
Ready to go!
My boys and I
Trey heads out for some bait!
Got one!
Enjoying the view...
Mimi got one!
Enjoying the sun
Feeding Ralphie
another one!
Owen got chosen as the helper at the Dolphin show!
Girls' Trip!
For my cousin Jaime's birthday this year, Jennie Reid, Stephanie Perry and I decided to surprise Jaime with a trip to Colorado for a weekend away with the girls! I picked Jaime up at the airport, and she had no idea that Jennie and Steph were on the next flight in from Dallas...arriving about 15 minutes later. It was FUN to surprise her! (I LOVE surprises!)
This was such a fun group because we hadn't gotten together without kids since high school, and it was so nice to catch up and relax together. We headed up to Winter Park and cross country skied that afternoon at Devil's Thumb Ranch. It's such a beautiful retreat, and we enjoyed some yummy food and drinks after our ski day in the lodge.
We stayed on Lake Granby (thanks Karlbergs!) and went snowshoeing out onto the lake and shopping around in Grand Lake. We acted like a bunch of dorks, laughed a lot and took advantage of some much-needed/deserved girl time.
Home for while...
We had a huge snow storm, and then reaped the benefits the next day! The hill across the street from our house at Owen's school is the best sledding hill, so we spent the afternoon there!
Airborne!
Sooo much snow!
Brudders
Such a beautiful day!
Scout
If you have ever been lucky enough to own a "dog of a lifetime," then you know how hard it was for us to say goodbye to our beloved Scout last month. To us, Scout was very much a part of our family, and losing him was one of the hardest things Kipper and I have been through together. Scout was 15 years old, and we were lucky enough to have him since he was an eight-week old chubby puppy. Since day-one, he was truly the best dog on the planet. He learned everything so quickly and just wanted to please us and be with us, and we always wanted him there too. He was the kind of dog who knew when you were sad, happy, stressed or lonely...and he was always there. If you're a dog-lover, then you won't think I'm crazy when I say that Kipper and I always said it was like Scout knew what we were thinking, and he always knew how to be there for us. He was a unique, old soul with a mellow, loving, dependable personality.
In his 15 years, he loved swimming, playing tug-a-war, sleeping in the sun, bacon, cuddling on our bed, laying on the front porch. He was allergic to bees and never liked to poop in his own yard. ;) When we spoke for him...we assumed he couldn't pronounce his R's...and he was often compared to Eeyore from Winnie the Pooh. We called him "Scout About," and "Stinky."
Mostly he was our best friend, and after we had kids, he was protective and always there for Owen and Bodhi just the same. In his last days, he was not himself...not able to get up on his own, and grew weaker very quickly. We could tell in his eyes he was ready to go. We had a vet come to our home, and he got to pass peacefully in his own bed with Kipper, myself and Macy lying by his side. We've never cried so hard, and as I write this, I cry again. We'll miss him forever, and we know we are so lucky to have had him in our lives. Losing Scout was so difficult and hard to move on from, but we have peace in the fact that letting him go was the right thing to do, and Owen and Bodhi are so excited that Scout gets to be in heaven and "eat bacon and swim after sticks" and I continue to have that vision of him in my head everyday. There will never be another dog like you in our lives Scout...we'll always be grateful to have known you. RIP Stinky.
Owen was sad to hear that Scout wasn't going to live here anymore, but was thrilled that Scout got to go to heaven...and that is one of the many reasons I love having children.
Especially this big SIX year old.
Our sweet neighbor Sandy Fraser decorated our driveway to surprise Owen. He was thrilled!
Good morning big six-year-old!
On March 8th, we celebrated Owen's sixth birthday (with Uncle Eric, who shared the same bday) at our home. On Sunday, March 10th, we hosted his Ninja birthday party at the YMCA. It was a blast! We wore ninja headbands, translated our own ninja names, and Kipper led a ninja class. Such a fun time!
He has really grown up a lot in the last six months. He's learning so quickly and absorbing so much. He is SO much like his Daddy, and those two together get in a zone when they are playing or building something. It's very cute to watch their little personalities surface, and I am so proud of this little man.
And then there's Bodhi...this kid gets funnier every single day. He says adorable things like, "can I have more cava-odo pweese" (avocado) and "oh my gosh, I just gwew (grew) a wittle!" after he eats. He wants to name his baby brother "Snow Stiever" or "Spider Stiever," "Jimmy Neutron Stiever," "Leonardo," Michalangelo," or "Jack."
San Diego
In the middle of March, Bodhi and I took a last minute trip to San Diego with my mom, and we got to visit some wonderful family there. We stayed with Jaime, Jon, Niko and Mila (cousins) and visited with Julie, Jeff, Ryan and Erin. It was nice to get to see them and catch up. The weather was beautiful and we soaked in the sunshine!
Easter 2013
We stayed in town for Easter and after we found our Easter baskets from the Easter bunny and ate some early breakfast, we headed over to our neighbors for an Easter Brunch and Easter Egg hunt. Thank you Lindholm's for having us again this year! It was a beautiful day outside, and a very relaxing family day.
Library storytime
One last ski day at Eldora!
We decided to go up for one last spring skiing day the last weekend in March, and I am so glad we did! Owen is totally skiing on his own, and Bodhi is learning so fast (on the harness). We are so close to having them both up to speed on their own...just in time to teach another one! ;) It was a beautiful day in the mountains, and Eldora had live music and yummy food.
We are MORE than ready to kiss the snow goodbye and welcome the sunshine and warm weather with open arms!
Welcoming Spring & Summer!
Other funny stuff...
* When we went to the planetarium, Bodhi said "he saw real aliens in there and it was vewy scary"
* Owen asked me recently if moms and dads got married. I said yes, and he asked if there was a special "marrying place." I told him some people get married in a church, some people get married outside, etc. Then he asked if boys can marry boys, and I said yes sometimes. And he shrugged and said, "then I will just marry Ryland (his cousin) so we can hang out every day."
* When we told Owen and Bodhi they were going to have a little brother, Owen was in deep thought for a moment, and then said, "but won't we need three parents?" (yes, sometimes we'll feel that way!)
* "Starwalks" was Bodhi's imaginary friend for awhile. He walked very fast, and no one else could see him. He was not afraid of heights, and he had wings. He could turn into Iron Man any time he wanted to, and his voice sounded like a tiger. All according to Bodhi of course. Not sure where Starwalks went, but he hasn't been around for awhile.
* Recently I wore make-up and Owen asked me why my "eyelids were decorated"? I said, "Sometimes women wear make-up to look pretty." He just looked confused...
* Bodhi is often climbing all over his brother, trying to give him kisses. He says, "I wuv you ho-ho-ho bunches Owen!" (he's a lover...and sometimes a fighter....but he isn't subtle about anything!)
* Bodhi recently told me he could hear his heart "beeping," and said, "so, I'm still alive!"
* When Bodhi poops, he has to take all of his clothes off (not optional) and squat up on the toilet seat like a frog...he refuses to sit on the seat. At home, public restrooms and port-a-potties...no joke!
* When you ask Bodhi what his favorite color is...he says "golden." (not yellow..."golden")
Bodhi's words:
"Tow-a-bull" (Terrible)
"That cracks me out" (instead of "up")
"Poople" (Purple)
"Beeticle" (vehicle)
"Sing" (thing)
"Ba-woon" (balloon)
"Mo" (More)
"Sode" (Sword)
So much more to write about, but I will try to get back here in the next month and update more frequently!
And here's a pic of #3 at 20 weeks!
