Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-NAU (Life Goes On)

Halloween should always be on a Sunday

2010-11-05T19:45:00.000-07:00

Last weekend was so much fun.

Saturday morning we went to the Denver Children's Museum, where they had some great activity for the kids:

Later that night Grandma and Grandpa came up to carve some pumpkins. Alex had a ton of fun with the seeds:

Sunday Morning Grandpa and Olivia made us some waffles:

We trick or treated on Main Street and in the neighborhood. Olivia was a pro:

It's going to take us a while to eat all of this sugar!

Berry Farm Field Trip

2010-11-05T19:34:00.000-07:00

Last month Olivia's class took their first field trip. The entire family decided to go along for the fun!

First they let the kids get lost in a maze followed by picking a pumpkin:

(not sure why she decided to wear orange sunglasses the entire day)

(some of Olivia's mom's group friends - Aeva & Brynleigh)

(Alex navigating the maze)

Later, they allowed us to pick the best tasting raspberries we have ever had.

The girls worked hard to fill up their boxes,

while Alex worked hard to fill up his belly.

Birthday Month

2010-08-23T07:08:00.001-07:00

As many of you know, August is a big month for birthdays in the Nau house. In the beginning of the month we celebrated Alex's first birthday:

First candle.

Adriane's new fun project is making candy bouquets. Both Olivia and Alex received one for their birthday. Alex quickly discovered that the bouquet = sugar. The second he saw it, he wouldn't eat anything else. We had to find hiding places where it was out of his sight (you would be amazed how many places we had to try).

As a little brother, Alex has developed the "you need the jaws of life to get this away from me" grasp. He only uses it on special toys. The Elmo phone that Olivia picked out for him is definitely one of those toys.

Grandma and Grandpa bought the coolest gift of all... a ball pit. It's been a hit!

Since Jamie is out of town this week, we celebrated Olivia's 3rd birthday on Sunday:

We had some of Olivia's favorite summer-themed foods for lunch: Hot dogs, corn, peaches and ketchup!

Olivia's candy bouquet.

Olivia wore her new blue fancy dress to open up her presents... she got some great new toys!

Lastly, Olivia had her first day of preschool last week (she is just going one day a week). Here she is with her back pack and new outfit (you can see little brother looking on behind the door):

Make sure to check out Adriane's Photography Blog for updated 3 year and 1 year pictures!

The Vacation Blog

2010-07-28T19:58:00.000-07:00

Yes, we are finally getting to the vacation blog.....

On June 30th we packed up our car and headed off for a 10 day road trip and vacation. Since we did spend nearly half this trip in the car, this blog wouldn't give you a true taste of the vacation without some commentary on the time spent in our minivan. Each kid presented a different worry when it came to the car ride.

For Olivia it was bathroom breaks. We knew that she would stay entertained with DVDs and the simple fact that she spends hours a day sitting and looking at books. A couple days prior to leaving it appeared that Olivia was on the verge of being completely potty trained. We weren't sure how the vacation would effect that. Lucky for us, it moved her into the completely potty trained category. She did a great job telling us when she had to go and letting us know how long she could hold it. We went the entire vacation without an accident, and haven't had one since.

With Alex, we weren't sure how he could stay entertained and if he would sleep. Alex has always used pacifiers just for sleeping and we didn't want this to be the start of a full time habit. He turned out to be a road trip stud. He kept his normal nap schedule and was entertained by books, toys and Adriane sitting in the back and talking to him.

Olivia's great sense of humor made the car trip much easier for everyone.

Our first stop was Tucson, Arizona where Adriane's brother and his family live. We all had a good time, but no one as much as Olivia. It's been 6 months since Olivia and Alanis last hung out but you never would have guessed that... within minutes of arrival they were singing songs, reading books, playing games, and pretty much attached at the hips. Alanis was also so good with Alex. She shared toys with him and gave him plenty of hugs and kisses!

The girls - catching up.

The girls - watching cartoons.

Alex enjoying the couple of minutes that Tucson fell below 90 while we were there.

The kids - after a nice dinner out.

After a couple of days in Tucson we jumped back in the car for a 6 hour drive to San Diego. While in San Diego, we tried to find a balance between relaxing and sight seeing. Unfortunately it never got warmer than 70 degrees so our plan of just sitting and relaxing on the beach never happened. We did get to spend the 4th of July having a bbq with some friends and catching up. We will let the pictures tell you about the rest.

Beach Days: Adriane sharing her favorite beach activity with Olivia - finding seashells.

Alex's first ocean crawl.

We saw an entire beach filled with Seals!

Olivia the Explorer, right before tide pooling.

Wild Animal Park

It's too bad this bird didn't have the same bladder control as Olivia... shorlty after this picture, he let loose on my shirt!

Disney Land

M-I-C-K-E-Y M-O-U-S-E

The princess lunch at Ariel's Groto.

Each princess autographed Olivia's crown!

This moment is still discussed daily at the Nau house.

The Nau Clan after surviving Disney Land.

After 5 days in California we headed back to Tucson for one night and then made our way home!One last story in Alanis's play house.

Overall, our first vacation as a family of four was a good one. Even if it did take us nearly a month to recover and post this blog!

Bee Swarm

2010-06-19T19:25:00.001-07:00

Yesterday afternoon, I was sitting in the family room reading some things for work and repeatedly thought I was hearing rain. I asked Adriane over and over if she heard it, but she just laughed because it was 80 degrees and sunny outside. I then went to check upstairs for a dripping faucet or pipe and was shocked when I got into the guest shower and saw hundreds of bees outside the window. I went outside and saw thousands of bees going into a hole outside our family room.

We called some beekeepers and each said they wouldn't be able to come out until at least Friday. So we figured we would just wait it out until then.

Then today I was outside trimming our grass. I had my IPOD and wasn't paying much attention. About half way through I noticed a large shadow and looked up and saw millions of honey bees. I ran inside to call some more beekeepers.
Now they considered the situation more urgent. When they came out they said the bees were hanging out with their huge honeycomb in the walls of our house. We had two separate beekeepers tell us they couldn't be saved. They both recommended calling an exterminator. This devestated Adriane because of the current honeybee shortage. So that's what we did. We still need to call someone to take off more dry wall and take out the honeycomb.

Music Blog

2010-06-16T19:33:00.000-07:00

Like most kids, Olivia and Alex love music! Enjoy the videos below:

As we mentioned in the last blog, Alex loves to mimic all noises. Recently he learned to whistle. You can hear Adriane and I but eventually Alex lets out a little one:

Nana and Pop-pop bought Olivia a kazoo. She loves it. Here is her rendention of "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star". You can also hear her back up singers Bart and Alex.

Getting to Know Olivia and Alex, Version 2.0

2010-05-29T17:56:00.000-07:00

Last year at this time we posted a blog with some of Olivia's favorite things and other tidbits we wanted to remember. We thought it was a good time for an update.

Olivia

Favorite outdoor activities:

Jumping in puddles

Watering flowers

Favorite indoor activities:

Legos

Books (having us read to her, reciting stories by memory, making up stories)

Funny Phrases:

"I have a tummy headache!'

Take rid of it"

Favorite Books:

"Lady Bug Girl and Bumble Bee Boy"

The Olivia books

Berenstain Bears

Favorite Movies:

Beauty and the Beast

Elmo's Springtime

Clifford

Parent Brag Moments:

Olivia loves to list the instruments she hears in every song on the radio

Counting is very natural to Olivia. She can recognize a group of up to five items by just looking.

Olivia is the best big sister. She is a great at sharing and is very aware of Alex's emotions and what she can do to help.

Alex

Favorite Toys:

Puppets (guaranteed laugh)

Balls

Jump-a-roo
Whatever toy Olivia has

Favorite Foods:

Yogurt

Peas

Banana-cado

Words:

Dada

Mama

A-WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO (like a coyote)

Bed time:
Alex rubs his ear to comfort himself.
He needs 10 pacifiers in his crib, because he loves to throw them out of the crib during the night.

Parent brag moments:
Alex is a natural with his ball. From his first time seeing it, he knew exactly what to do with it.
His sense of humor. He loves to mimic all sounds and will just laugh at himself. He mimics Franni's heavy breathing and all of the noises Olivia makes.
Alex is so cuddly. He loves to nuzzle close and won't let go.

Since it's been a month since our last post, here are some photos of our most recent adventures:

(We watched five caterpillars turn into butterflies over these last couple of weeks. We read books about the process as well as "The Hungry Caterpillar".)

Nana's visit

2010-04-24T11:08:00.000-07:00

This last week Nana came to visit from Rhode Island. Nana had Olivia make a list of things they could do during her visit. Here was Olivia's list:

1. Go to the park

2. Do a craft

3. Sing songs

4. Read books

5. Eat dinner

For #2, Nana brought a bird house they could paint together. Here are some pictures of the project:

On Nana's last night in town we went to Casa Bonita to check off #5 in Olivia's list. Olivia and Alex really loved watching the divers!

I think Nana and the kids really enjoyed her visit.

Easter

2010-04-07T19:52:00.000-07:00

We had a very exciting Easter weekend.

On Saturday we went to the neighborhood egg hunt with Olivia's friend, Brynleigh and her family. The girls did great! Even Alex enjoyed a Kit Kat:

On Sunday we drove up to Cheyenne to celebrate Easter with Adriane's family. The Easter Bunny came and hid some eggs for Olivia to find. Olivia even helped Alex without any encouragement.

(Ready for the trip! We didn't forget about the other Holiday on Sunday - Red Sox Opening Day.)

(Olivia showing off what she termed a "BIP"!)

(Checking out their loot.)

Some other highlights from earlier this week:

Olivia let Adriane give her a manicure.

Alex is very close to crawling. Olivia was so excited she wanted to take a picture. I tried to capture both.

Oh Yea

2010-03-22T20:07:00.000-07:00

When Adriane and I read my mom's comment on yesterday's blog we both instantly remembered the picture she mentioned and knew we had a copy somewhere. After some digging we found it:

Of course, Alex looks much better!

Saint Patrick's Parade

2010-03-21T19:55:00.000-07:00

Last weekend, Olivia and I made our way downtown to watch the Saint Patrick's Day Parade. Here are some photos:

We took the light rail downtown (which Olivia thought was really cool) and got off at Union Station.

We found a seat right across from the station.

Olivia could not wait for the parade to start!

She had the cutest little wave and started collecting beads very quickly.

I tried to capture her excited face in this picture, but missed it by a second. She got most excited for the horses and the little girl dancers.

This weekend while playing dress up, Olivia wasn't in to trying on the wigs, but Alex enjoyed them:

Spring Fever

2010-03-09T14:16:00.000-08:00

We had a warm, beautiful weekend and decided to cram in an Alex and Olivia photosession into our already packed weekend. Here are the results...

We started off in our bedroom...

then moved outside.

We couldn't resist putting this one up-

To see even more, check out my photography blog.

Eat Your Heart Out!

2010-02-13T20:33:00.000-08:00

Happy Valentine's Day!

Half Way to a Year

2010-02-03T19:40:00.000-08:00

Alex turned six months old today, so we had a little "half" birthday for him...

Olivia and I decorated "half" cookies (less ambitious than the half cake I made for Olivia at this age)

And we sang Happy "Half" Birthday

Alex didn't get to actually try any of these cookies, but he was okay with that because he got to try avocado instead!

He also had a check-up at the doctor's office. Here are the stats:

Weight: 16 pounds, 5 ounces, 45th percentile

Height: 26.5 inches, 50th percentile

Alex's First Bite

2010-01-22T12:33:00.000-08:00

Alex got to try rice cereal last weekend... he wasn't too sure at first, but after the first bite, he was all business! I'll let the pictures do the talking!

After he quickly finished the first batch I walked away to make him seconds. This is when we discovered that he has an interesting way of telling us that he is still hungry. Hopefully we can break him of this habit by high school.

In the end, he was a great eater and not too messy.

2010-01-20T19:55:00.001-08:00

Basement Fun

2010-01-19T19:11:00.000-08:00

Last night we had some fun in the basement. We started off with a puppet show:

Then Olivia was showing off her summersaults and head stands, when she decided to start dancing:

SEE VIDEO IN NEXT POST. BLOGGER IS BEING WEIRD.

Better Late than Never...

2010-01-05T19:18:00.000-08:00

We had a whirlwind couple of weeks leading up to Christmas- here's what we've been up to...

We opened some family gifts early in an effort to avoid uneccesary packing.

Olivia thoroughly enjoyed opening both her own gifts...

as well as Alex's.
Alex's first Christmas gift from Nana and Pops was a hit.

We then headed to Colorado Springs for some more fun...

First up, a get-together with my wonderful friends from elementary school.
Here's a group shot (quite a challenge with 6 kids, hence the lack of eye contact).

Then Olivia had many adventures with her cousin, Alanis.

Tea parties with "Jingle-Bell Dog"

Sledding (once again with "Jingle Bell Dog")

Chuck E. Cheese

My mom and I drive by this little spot often and always comment what a great photo opportunity it presents. So, we put the two girls in their matching outfits, headed there in the freezing cold, and I snapped away.

Finally, Christmas morning.

Olivia was quite impressed with the playhouse Santa brought, along with all the stocking stuffers.

Cousin Alanis got some "Franklin" books.

Both girls had fun with the puppets from Grandma & Grandpa.

And Alex was pleased with his exersaucer.

4 Months

2009-12-12T20:42:00.001-08:00

Alex had his four month appointment earlier this week and he is clearly a big, happy, healthy boy! Here are the stats and a couple pictures to show it...

Weight: 15 pounds, 15 ounces 75th percentile
Height: 25 1/2 inches 75th percentile

Three weeks before Christmas

2009-12-07T19:55:00.000-08:00

Twas three weeks before Christmas, and all through the rooms

The Chipmunks were singing out our favorite holiday tunes;

Olivia hung the ornaments on the tree with care,

Happily placing each one here and then there.

She fell snug in the box for the Christmas tree,

And called out “Mama, Dada, please come and help me!”

And Adriane with her camera and I in my Red Sox cap,

Olivia admired her work with Alex in her lap.

Adriane put Christmas stories in their head,

A nighttime ritual right before bed.

We would like to wish you and your family the same Holiday cheer,

A Merry Christmas, and a Happy New Year.

Colorado Weather

2009-11-16T18:28:00.000-08:00

The wonderful thing about Colorado is the quick changes in weather. These last 3 weeks are a good example. In our last post we had 26 inches of snow. The following weekend we went hiking in 70 degree weather at Red Rocks:

Followed last weekend by shoveling, tent story time and making the Caruana Family's famous snow ice cream (recipe below): Recipe:

15 Cups clean snow

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 Cup Sugar

1/2 Cup Milk

dash of salt

Mix together and serve.

Since we were mostly stuck inside this weekend we also took some photos of Olivia and Alex:

October Snow

2009-10-28T19:16:00.000-07:00

Today we got hit with an October snow storm! It was a great chance to try out Olivia's new snow pants, coat and boots:

(she picked up Snow Angels pretty quick)

Then we spent tonight doing some final Halloween prep.

Pumpkin Carving

It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown

Alex woke up to see the final results!

2009-10-18T19:39:00.000-07:00

With a big sister like Olivia who always wants to share her toys...
and a photographer mom who likes to test all of her ideas...Alex will definitely develop some patience.

Backyard Hiking

2009-10-10T20:22:00.000-07:00

With anticipation of below freezing weather this weekend, we took a before-dinner hike on Friday. Olivia found some leaves, Bart smelled some rabbits and Alex stayed awake. Here are some pictures of our adventure:

After our last post a lot of our friends and family were wondering how big Alex is. Well, we had his two month appoinment and here are his stats:

Weight: 13.2 lbs (80%) Height: 23.5 inches (75%)

Catch Up!

2009-09-28T19:49:00.000-07:00

In an attempt to keep Alex's baby book as full as Olivia's, we had a little photoshoot. Here are some of the results...

Love his little smile here!

Of course, I had to snap a few of just Olivia, too!

A Visit From Auntie "E"

2009-09-16T12:54:00.000-07:00

Jamie's sister, Erin, was in town for a visit last week. A good time was had by all with activities including...

tea parties with Olivia in the ladybug tent,

and lots of snuggles with Alex.

We also celebrated Jamie's passing of the CPA test, complete with...

"CPA" sugar cookies and

the burning of his study materials.

One of Jamie's friends who works in Rockies' sales had four extra tickets 10 rows behind home plate! It was perfect timing because Erin loves to watch baseball.

Thanks for all your help Auntie "E"- we miss you already!

Finally, Alex (or OWLix, as Olivia calls him) has been giving us lots of smiles lately. Here's one I caught on camera:

Cousin Alanis

2009-09-12T19:47:00.000-07:00

Our whirlwind August decided to continue into September. First Olivia's cousin, Alanis, along with her parents, Anthony and Carol, were in town during Labor Day weekend. Olivia and Alanis got along so well! It is so neat to watch them grow up.

(Sorry for the blurry pictures. We only had Adriane's camera in Colorado Springs which I obviously have trouble using. I still think I captured their good times.)

We all took a trip to the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo:

Alex's video

2009-09-08T19:35:00.000-07:00

One month later and Adriane and I finally finished up a video about Alex's birth. Enjoy:

Music by:

Cat Stevens, Bob Dylan and Garth Brooks.

2 Years

2009-08-25T19:17:00.000-07:00

Since August has been so action-packed (1 newborn, 2 birthdays, 2 weddings, 1 new CPA), we decided to have a small family birthday party for Olivia. It was a great day for our little girl:

Olivia started the day with a Grasshopper hunt with Grandpa

Then she opened her gifts:

Books

Snacks

A Piggy Bank

Lots of Great Clothes

She ended the day with an ice cream cake topped with M&Ms made by Grandma:
Finally, we had Olivia's second year appointment today. Here are the numbers:

Weight: 24 Pounds (20% Percentile)

Height: 33 Inches (25% Percentile)

Photo Shoot

2009-08-16T20:40:00.000-07:00

I finally got around to taking and posting newborn photos of Alex. Here is a preview:

For all the photos, please visit my photography site: http://amnphotography.blogspot.com/

Singing

2009-08-12T19:58:00.000-07:00

Olivia loves to sing! However, it is very hard to catch on video. Tonight we were lucky enough to catch part of one of her favorite, "Baby Bumble Bee"...

Big Sister Olivia

2009-08-07T18:17:00.000-07:00

We are home from the hospital now and figured it was time to document how Olivia is adjusting to being a big sister.

At the hospital Olivia played the role of entertainer. She was very popular - all the hospital staff just loved her. You could see the disappointment when someone stopped by our room and it was just Adriane, Alex and me. I walked the halls a number of times and was called Olivia's dad. Olivia has developed quite the sense of humor. Adriane's mom described it best when she said that Olivia has an internal humor clock. If the group she is with hasn't laughed in an hour, she starts to act silly to lighten up the mood.

During our stay, Olivia mostly ignored her brother with the occasional, "Give baby brother kiss?" or "Give baby brother a pat?" It took her until the third day to want to hold him. We asked her everyday and she always insisted "no". On Wednesday, Olivia and I were looking at the newborns in the nursery when I asked again. She replied "OK" and starting walking back towards the room. On the walk back she reminded me over and over that she was going to "hold baby brother". When we got back into our room she hopped on the couch and held him for the first time:

When we first arrived home, Olivia gave Alex a tour. Since then she has been obsessed with getting him diapers. Sometimes when putting Alex in his bassinet you will have to move 20 diapers first. Olivia is also very interested in where everybody is at all times. If all of us are sitting in the family room and Grandma takes Alex upstairs, once Olivia realizes they are gone "Where's Grandma? Where's baby brother?"

Here's some pictures from our trip home:

Waking up from his last hospital nap.

Going home gear.

Leaving room 2206.

We made it home!

Day 2

2009-08-04T16:13:00.001-07:00

Welcome Alexander James

2009-08-03T19:32:00.000-07:00

6 pounds 15 ounces & 19.5 inches long

First photo with mom and dad

First bath

Big yawn!

Meeting Big Sister Olivia

(sorry for the blurry photos - this is what happens when amateurs use nice cameras)

Olivia Day!

2009-08-01T20:22:00.000-07:00

With a new brother coming on Monday, today we borrowed an idea from our good friends- The Beardsleys- and celebrated "Olivia Day". Which means we spent the entire day doing all of Olivia's favorite things. It was a very busy day:

We all broke out the crayons and worked together on this sign.

Olivia, Bart, Ralph and Dad went to the Bark Park.

We enjoyed a fresh bowl of mixed berries on the deck and watched people walking, running, and riding on the trail.

A trip to the swimming pool. ("Rubber Ducky doing the backstroke!")

Red Robin dinner and dessert.

Finally, fun and games at Chuck E. Cheese.

Sunflowers!

2009-07-22T14:44:00.000-07:00

Olivia and I were driving to the store today and came across this beautiful field full of sunflowers. We got out and had a little photoshoot!

Free Stuff!

2009-07-12T20:00:00.001-07:00

It’s no big secret that we love getting free stuff! So this weekend was our delight. Friday night was free Chick-Fil-A… as long as you dressed like a cow!

Every year, on July 11th (because the date is 7/11) 7-11 gives away free Slurpees. As we headed to Colorado Springs, I made a quick stop to get one for each of us.

Today we visited the Cheyene Mountain Zoo with Adriane’s parents. Olivia had a blast. She couldn’t stop talking about each exhibit until we came to the next one. Here she is feeding a giraffe.

The quote of the weekend came when we stopped by the elephant cage. Olivia commented, “PU…. That elephant needs a new diaper!” (and it really was quite stinky!).

Although the zoo wasn’t free, we did stop by Jamba Juice to take advantage of a buy-one-get-one-free coupon after a hot day in the sun.

Nursery Progress Update

2009-07-05T19:51:00.000-07:00

We've been working to complete the finishing touches on baby #2's room. I think we're finally there...

I made the mobile by painting wood cut-outs and hanging them from a dowel with fishing line.

We found this perfect fabric and my mom worked hard to sew the curtain and pillows.

The glider (each piece of furniture was a Craigslist find!).

Finally, I painted each of these shapes and hung them on the wall for an added touch.

So, the baby's room is ready- now we just have to think of a name for him!

2009-07-04T20:02:00.000-07:00

Pig Tails!

2009-06-27T19:34:00.000-07:00

I've been anxiously awaiting the time when Olivia would have enough hair to do some fun styling. Finally, I was able to put pig tails in (although they only lasted for about an hour before she pulled them out!).

JMN Photography

2009-06-20T08:44:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, I talked Adriane into handing over the camera and letting me take some maternity photos of her. As you have probably noticed, since Adriane bought her camera, 90% of the photos on this blog have been of Olivia and me. Here's what I came up with:

Ok! Here's the truth. Adriane still did most of the work. She found the spots, chose the poses, and made sure all the settings were right in the camera. All I did was push the button and try to make her smile or laugh.

Long Weekend

2009-05-25T19:15:00.000-07:00

Our main project for this weekend was to plant our vegetable garden. Olivia just loves to take part in any project that we are working on. She is such a good girl that a shovel and rake will keep her busy for a good two hours!

After playing in the dirt, Olivia was a mess. She was happy to get cleaned up.

Here is the final project with labels. This garden will supply us with most of our veggies for several months (as well as all of our Jack-O-Lanterns for Halloween)!

After a long day of work we spent the next day walking, playing and taking pictures in the open space behind our house. Here are a couple of favorites...

Our Weekend in Pictures

2009-05-03T13:23:00.001-07:00

Olivia loved looking at all the fish at the Downtown Denver Aquarium.

Afterwards, we took a walk along the Platte River and snapped a few pics.

Finally, Olivia helped Dad put together the crib we got for her baby brother!

Arbor Day

2009-04-25T10:13:00.000-07:00

Every year, in celebration of Arbor Day, the town of Parker has volunteers assist in planting new trees. This is our fourth year in a row helping out.

Here's Olivia - eager to go:

Getting some digging tips from Dad:

Hard at work:

And finally, a family picture with our newly planted tree:

Getting to Know Olivia

2009-04-19T21:27:00.000-07:00

Olivia has been changing so much these last couple of months. Since I stopped her baby book at one year, I wanted to jot down some recent milestones and figured the blog would be a good place to do so. Jamie and I brainstormed together and came up with the following (and, of course, what entry is complete without a few pictures!?!)...
Favorite Jokes (Olivia loves jokes. Every day she asks Dada for “more jokes”)

When asked, “What’s black and white and read all over?” Olivia quickly responds, “NEWSPAPER” and cracks up!

She also is getting close to understanding the concept of a knock-knock joke. It usually goes like this:
Knock Knock
Newspaper who?
No, Olivia – who’s there?
Grandpa.

Why did the chicken cross the road? Newspaper (see a pattern here?)

Favorite Books
“Red Sock Book” (Red Sox 101)
“Peek-a-Boo Book” (Bedtime Peek-a-Boo)
“Crayon Book” (The Crayon Box That Talked)

Parent Bragging Moments
Olivia has known all of her basic colors since about 13 months.
Olivia knows the majority of her letters.
Olivia is getting very close to counting to 10.

Sleeping Mates
Taggy
Bunny
Sleep sack

Favorite Toys
Busy Ball Bopper
Blocks
Sun Glasses

Favorite Unconventional Toys
Buckles
Hangers
Mama’s lotion and cream containers

Words (At this point Olivia is like a parrot. She says everything we say. Here are some of the impressive ones).
Constitutional Law
Sarbanes Oxley
Jason Varitek

Favorite Songs
Row, Row, Row Your Boat
Take Me Out to the Ball Game
Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star

Favorite Games
Hokey Pokey
Hide and Seek
I'm Gonna Get You (where she runs to Dada screaming, “I’m gonna get you” and when she gets to his leg he pick her up – upside down)

Denver Tea Party

2009-04-16T09:46:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I attended the Denver Tea Party. I had a good time and was very impressed with the speakers - mostly that they stayed on topic. While the media is sending mixed messages about what the Tea Party rallies were about, I wanted to take a minute here to say why I attended yesterday’s event.

(7,000 People Strong)

I didn’t attend because of 3% tax increases to the top 2%.

I did attend because I feel that the debt we are creating today is going to take a lot more than a 3% tax increase to the top 2% to pay for.

I didn’t attend because I am a Republican, Democrat or Independent.

I did attend because for my entire voting life I have only had a choice between two parties: one that says they are going to spend and then spends, and one that says they aren’t going to spend and then spends.

I didn’t attend because I feel that I pay too much in taxes.

I did attend because I understand supply and demand, which means that printing money doesn’t create wealth... it creates inflation.

Ultimately, I understand why some have criticized, made fun of and diminished the Tea Parties. I wasn’t protesting so they would hear me. I was protesting so those who preach fiscal conservatism start walking the walk and give me a party to believe in. That, in the end, is why I attended yesterday’s event.

Dreaming of a White Easter

2009-04-12T19:46:00.000-07:00

Happy Easter!!!

This is how our weekend went:

Saturday afternoon, we went to Colorado Springs and dyed eggs with Adriane's parents. Olivia does good work, don't you think?

Every year, I make the (in)famous Boston Red Sox egg. This year I was so proud of my work that I convinced Adriane to take a pciture of it.

When we woke up Sunday morning we were surprised with some huge snow flakes!

Olivia dove right into her Easter basket and was pretty happy with her loot.

After church we had an Easter Egg Hunt and it didn't take Olivia long to get the hang of this game.

Just in Time for Easter

2009-04-08T16:11:00.000-07:00

Lately Bart has been joining us in waking up Olivia each morning. Of course she loves this and talks about him the entire morning.

Olivia then spends most of the morning playing with Bart: patting him, kissing him, hugging him, giving him a noogies, even giving him his bone. Although Bart can be a very naughty dog, he is very gentle with Olivia:

Now that busy season is slowing down I worked from home today and joined Adriane and Olivia for a lunch on the deck. This is the first time Bart has been outside his dog run since last fall. He immediately ran under the deck and we heard crunching! Then, he brought us quite a surprise- a rabbit foot. I managed to wrestle the foot away from him but for the remainder of the lunch, he continued to bring us rabbit parts one by one (we are just hoping it wasn't the Easter Bunny!).

At least, as they say, rabbit feet are lucky!

It's a......

2009-03-26T13:38:00.001-07:00

BOY!!!

The Zoo

2009-03-15T14:55:00.000-07:00

Jamie is heading out of town for two weeks starting today, and so we crammed in an action-packed weekend before he left. One of our activities was going to the zoo. We took Olivia almost a year ago, but this time she was so much more aware and loved the animals!

She went on a carousel ride and decided that the stationary polar bear was a safer bet than the panther that moved up and down.

Jamie's looking cool sporting two pairs of sunglasses!

And of all the animals we saw, Olivia's favorites were the geese that were all over the place.

Saturday Night Tradition

2009-03-07T17:04:00.000-08:00

We have started a new, Saturday night tradition to relieve the stress that comes along with Jamie's busy season. Here's Olivia telling us about it:

Yes that's:

Chocolate Milk

Pop Corn

and Wii

Like No Place on Earth - Wyoming

2009-03-01T19:21:00.000-08:00

Today we made a quick trip up to Great Grandpa Gertsch's house in Wyoming for lunch. While looking out the window Olivia noticed a "Horse, NEIGHHHH." We had to go introduce Olivia and the horse was happy to oblige as long as we gave him carrots:

Olivia's new favorite thing is giving everything a noogie:

(hopefully these pictures came out ok, it's my first time using the camera on my phone)

First Steps

2009-02-22T18:52:00.000-08:00

We know that most people would get to make this post about 6 months ago, but Olivia followed in her mom's footsteps (ha - get it?) and waited until right before she turned 18 months to take her first step. Unforunately, with all the excitement, Adriane used the video camera like a real camera and took the video sideways. So you will have to turn your head or the monitor to the side!

This happened on Friday morning and she has been practicing all weekend. She is up to six steps now.

2009-02-12T10:21:00.000-08:00

In honor of Valentine's Day...

We hope your day is filled with love!

Big News!

2009-01-31T10:06:00.000-08:00

A close-up of the shirt to emphasize its importance.

Yes, baby #2 will be joining our family in August. We are so excited (and a little nervous, too)!

Mixing Business with Pleasure

2009-01-17T07:55:00.000-08:00

The last ten days have been the best business trip of my short career, because Adriane and Olivia joined me. My new client has a large subsidiary in Waterbury, Connecticut, so we decided it would be a good opportunity to visit my family.

First we went to Greenwich, Connecticut to visit my aunt, uncle, and grandparents. Olivia was a little shy at first but once she grew comfortable she started talking up a storm. "Dee Dee" (my aunt), "Bob" (my uncle), Na Na (my grandma), Pop Pop (my grandpa), etc, etc, etc.

Next we made our way to my parent's new home in Rhode Island. They bought a Getty gas station and have been very busy running the business.

Here's my dad and Olivia behind the counter:

Here she is playing with the day's profits.

Getting ready for sleep with my mom:

The things my mom teaches her grand daughter!

My sister and Olivia watching the Golden Globes and playing red carpet:

Erin interviewing Olivia on the red carpet.

Walking the red carpet.

The last couple of days Adriane and Olivia were such good sports and hung out with me in Waterbury. There wasn't much to do but they found ways to have fun. We built a fort in the hotel room so Olivia had her own private area to sleep! Of course she loved it.

Adriane leaves today and I have one more week in Waterbury! It just won't be as much fun without Adriane and Olivia.

A Trip to the Mountains

2009-01-02T16:49:00.000-08:00

After all the Christmas excitement, we took a family trip to the beautiful mountains of Buena Vista. Before we left, I had to snap a picture of my grandpa with two of his great-granddaughters.

Once we arrived, my mom had a fun project planned: teddy bear making. My job was to pin the patterns to the fabric, my sister-in-law, Carol, was in charge of all the cutting, and my mom did the sewing. We ended up making six bears total- three for Olivia and three for Alanis.

My brother relaxing with his girl.

Finally, I couldn't pass up the opportunity to do a quick photo shoot.

The secret to these cute expressions? Cheerios!

2nd Christmas

2008-12-25T17:29:00.000-08:00

Pre CHRISTMAS

Our Christmas fun started a little early, since we didn't want to haul too many gifts down to Colorado Springs. We also wanted to give Olivia a little practice handeling the wrapping paper.

Olivia did a great job opening all of her gifts by herself. In this picture she is opening her new favorite books sent from Nana and Pop-Pop!

My dad was very excited to get Olivia Wally (the Red Sox mascot who sings "Sweet Caroline"). Olivia was very excited, called him "Elmo" and gave him a kiss!

My aunt sent Olivia a crawling jungle toy which she loved.

Real CHRISTMAS

We made it down to Colorado Springs for Christmas Eve church and dinner. This is the first time we got to celebrate a Colorado Springs Christmas with two beautiful little girls- Olivia and her cousin Alanis. They both did great at church and dinner. Christmas just has a different feel with little ones around and we are looking forward to the new and old traditions to continue to blend.

Olivia woke up earlier than ususual on Christmas morning and of course Adriane and I were happy to take her to see her gifts! She started with the her stocking:

Then we made our way under the tree: (it's hard to tell who is more excited)

Olivia and her cousin Alanis shared Denny's (Adriane's dad, not the resturant) famous waffles and then played in the wrapping paper and opened the rest of their gifts.

WE HOPE ALL OF YOU HAD A MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Thanksgiving and Videos

2008-12-03T19:30:00.000-08:00

We planned on doing a Thanksgiving post, but we didn't get a ton of pictures. With all of the family and the food we kind of forgot to take the camera out. We went to Colorado Springs to spend the holiday with Adriane's parents and had a total of 14 people at the dinner table. Anybody who knows Adriane's parents knows that everything was perfect! The one picture I did manage to take was of the three girls (Adriane's second cousins and Olivia) playing Rock Band old school style (the way we did when we were kids).

Since Olivia seems to figure out something new everyday, I figured we should also show some more videos:

Olivia's favorite toy down in Colorado Springs. She can ride it by herself now, but only in one direction!

Olivia fell in love with Egg Nog!

Olivia playing the recorder.

As you can see Olivia had a traumatic experience meeting Santa Clause:

Don't worry, we have taught her that the guy isn't too bad!

Game Time!

2008-11-30T08:27:00.000-08:00

Cookie Monster

2008-11-21T08:48:00.001-08:00

Olivia and I made some oatmeal-butterscotch-chocolate chip cookies.

As you can see, she was quite pleased with the results!

Pumpkin Carving

2008-10-28T21:10:00.000-07:00

We spent our night carving some of the pumpkins we grew in the garden this year.

We prepared Olivia for what we thought would be a messy event...

but rather than digging into the pumpkin "guts," she was more interested in playing with some of her halloween toys.

In the end, we came up with some pretty cute jack-o-lanterns!

Denver 1/2 Marathon and Marathon Relay

2008-10-19T14:10:00.001-07:00

This morning we woke up @ 5am to drive downtown to run in the Denver Marathon! Adriane was running her first 1/2 marathon with a couple of friends from her mom's group and I participated in the marathon relay with some friends from work. Everybody did better than expected and I know Adriane and I are ready to take some time off from running!

(From Left to Right) Michelle, Amy, and Adriane

These girls all finished in the top 30% of the 3,800 half-marathoners, averaging less than 9 minute miles!

(From Left to Right) Mark, Jamie, David, and Jason

Our team finished 58th out of 290, even with a 10 minute wait between one of the handoffs.

The Capital Building and starting line (Yes- this picture was taken by the amateur, with our point-and-shoot, before sunrise... but you get the idea!).

Time Machine

2008-10-11T19:26:00.000-07:00

We found a fun website: http://www.yearbookyourself.com/

Check out our family over the decades...

OLIVIA

1952

1964

1990

ADRIANE

1978

JAMIE

1952

We couldn't stop laughing when these next two pictures came up because they look almost identical to Jamie's school pictures during those years (we'll try to scan them in later)!

1996

2000

Video Time

2008-10-05T16:20:00.000-07:00

Wow, it's been a long time since we posted videos on our blog. Now is a good time since Olivia is really starting to move and also developing quite the personality. I hope you can see it in the videos below:

Eating with Olivia is always an adventure! She loves most foods, but also loves feeding herself. Last weekend while Adriane was running errands, I was supposed to feed her applesauce. Usually she will use a spoon, but since mom wasn’t around, she wasn’t going to have it. This is how I decided to feed her:

(Good thing I got everything cleaned up before Adriane came home!)

For this video you are going to have to put up with a snorting teddy bear played by me. Olivia found it pretty hilarious as you can see:

Olivia and Bart have become very close. They have always coexisted, but the turning point was when Olivia consistently made sure to throw at least two pieces of everything she eats on the floor for Bart to snatch up. Below is another cute interaction:

Olivia can’t enough of her books! Now matter where we set her on the floor, she always seems to find them. Most of her free time goes like this: Crawl to books, pick one, hand it to mom or dad, sit patiently while we read it, repeat until play time is over.

2008-09-28T14:02:00.000-07:00

I decided to created a separate photography blog where I can showcase pictures of my practice sessions. If you get a chance, check it out at: amnphotography.blogspot.com!

Buena Vista

2008-09-22T20:26:00.000-07:00

My brother and sister-in-law flew in from Arizona for the weekend. As a family, we went to the beautiful mountains of Buena Vista to relax. It's been a while since we've posted, so here comes a picture overload!

Before we left, we had a picnic and took a few family pictures at Garden of the Gods.

Here's Grandma holding Alanis by the reflecting pond.

Grandpa (and all the guys) had a fun time fishing.

Grandma and Grandpa took a hike with Olivia.

Uncle Jamie read a bedtime story to the girls.

I tried my hand at some scenery pictures and it became clear why they call this place "Buena Vista."
To top off a wonderful weekend, Anthony and Jamie went to the Bronco's game!

Beautiful Brynleigh

2008-09-08T19:31:00.000-07:00

I took advantage of the sunflowers again today, this time with a little girl named Brynleigh. She is five days older than Olivia and they play together often. Didn't her mom choose a great sweater to make those eyes stand out!?!

Sunflowers

2008-09-07T06:01:00.000-07:00

The weather is cooling down and fall is in the air! I had to take some pictures of Olivia in the sunflower patch behind our house before they disappear.

Lovely Layla

2008-08-30T13:25:00.000-07:00

I had the chance to do another photography practice session.

Check out this five-month-old cutie!

I am working on creating a blog just for my photography that I can hopefully link to soon!

Birthday Suits

2008-08-27T13:36:00.000-07:00

Olivia received so many cute outfits for her birthday that we decided to do a fashion show -blog style (I also got some fun new backgrounds that I wanted to try out!). Grandma found fairy wings.
Melissa and Maisie chose this fun butterfly outfit.
Family friend, Nancy, picked this one out.
Aunt Nancy sent this dress from Wisconsin.
Aunt Erin put together this top and matching skirt.
Nanny and Aunt DeDe bought this pretty pink petticoat.
Aunt Erin found these galoshes and couldn't resist... Olivia's working on growing into them!

Thanks so much for all the great choices! We had fun trying them on!

Happy Birthday Olivia!

2008-08-24T19:47:00.000-07:00

Olivia turned a year old on Saturday and, naturally, we had a ladybug party to celebrate!

Everyone who attended got to guess how many ladybugs were in the jar.

There were 823 in all (or so).

After the guessing, we had a ladybug release and it was a big hit with the kids!

We sang "Happy Birthday,"

Olivia got her first taste of cake,

and then we opened presents.

Happy Birthday to the sweetest girl in the world! We can wait for all the years to come!

15 minutes in the Basement

2008-08-24T17:32:00.000-07:00

Olivia's Birthday party pictures to come soon, but first:

As you can see a tornado touched down very close to our house. Luckily it dissipated before it reached us!

Into the Wild

2008-08-10T17:53:00.000-07:00

This weekend we decided it was a good time to introduce Olivia to camping. Our friends Jeff, Julie and their three dogs, joined us and we all had a great time. Here are the pictures to tell the story.

We found a great campsite, with beautiful views of Pikes Peak and the other Colorado Springs mountain ranges. Nearby was a group of giant boulders which we spent the day climbing on. Even Olivia got in on the action:

We took a nice hike with all four of the dogs! Olivia had the best seat in the house and asked her favorite question "That?" (meaning What's that?) until she tuckered out:

After the hike we ate dinner, made a valiant (although unsuccessful) attempt at getting a fire going, and then got ready for bed:

Olivia had no problem sleeping in the tent. She slept through the night even with her dad's snoring and her mom's worrying. Luckily this is the only bear we came across:

After a great breakfast, we drove around and enjoyed some more views and headed back home!

2008-07-31T20:20:00.000-07:00

I had the chance to meet up with my friend, Joanna, and her son, Ryan, to practice up on some of the photography techniques I've been reading about. Here are a few of the shots...

We decided to put Olivia into a few of the shots and she was in for a big suprise...

Our Mastercard Commercial

2008-07-28T18:25:00.000-07:00

Bath supplies to get cleaned up for Company Picnic $3

Getting a caricature done at the picnic $2 Tip

Learning to pick nose just in time to show all of Jamie's bosses - PRICELESS!

First Trip to the Zoo

2008-07-20T20:29:00.000-07:00

This weekend wasn't very exciting, but last weekend we went with some friends to the zoo! Olivia instantly fell in love. Below is the day in photos:

Olivia and I, ready for the big day.

At first Olivia was a cautious observer. I had to point out all of the cool creatures and tell her what they were.

It didn't take long until she got the hang of it. Most of the day went like this:

Olivia - Point

Me - "That's a (fill in a blank)"

Olivia - Clap, laugh and sometimes try the word out herself (she is very good with bird)

Our friend Alison holding Olivia during a shade break (the temperature was in the high 90's) Olivia showing off that she is taller than one animal at the zoo!
A family picture!

While looking at the elephants Olivia's point, clap and laugh were a lot less animated. As soon as I put her against my shoulder she was down for the count. Besides the airplane this is her first nap in someone's arms since she was 2 months old. I loved every second of it!

More Critters!

2008-07-11T08:17:00.000-07:00

Check out the giant snake skin Jamie found on his run this morning. I know you can't see the numbers on the tape measure but it was over five feet long! Yikes!

Happy Birthday America

2008-07-04T19:50:00.001-07:00

Ladybug Release!

2008-07-01T13:45:00.000-07:00

During a visit to the local garden shop this weekend, I found this bag of live ladybugs (1,750 in all!). We had a "ladybug release" last night and Olivia loved it!

Beagle Rescue Picnic

2008-06-22T19:09:00.000-07:00

Every summer, all of the beagles associated with the Colorado Beagle Rescue get together at a local park for a picnic (they are a great organization if you or someone you know is looking for a beagle http://www.colobeaglerescue.org/). We have now attended four and each year have had a great time. Below are pictures from this year's event:

Here is a group picture! Over 30 beagles showed up to the picnic.

They have an agility course for the dogs to practice on. Overall, Bart is quite agile...

unless, of course, he gets hot and needs a break in one of the tunnels.

Every year they have a themed costume contest. This year was centered around politics and the election. We dressed Bart as a "Hanging Chad" and he took 3rd place.

They also host a number of games. Bart is really good at musical plates and places every year. This year he took 2nd. Here Bart is gloating after the game.

Another exciting part of our weekend was the vast amount wildlife that visited the open space behind our house. It gives us a chance to practice with our zoom lense:

We saw 3 deer early Saturday morning.

This little guy ran right up to our fence! He got away pretty quickly once we started taking photos.

2008-06-15T19:54:00.000-07:00

Happy First Father's Day to a wonderful dad!

San Diego, Part 3: Photography

2008-06-09T20:06:00.001-07:00

While on our trip, Adriane finally found the time to read some of the photography books she has been stockpiling. She also used the trip to practice what she is learning. I think she's getting pretty good:

San Diego, Part 2: Tourists

2008-06-06T19:22:00.000-07:00

Del Coronado

When we first arrived at the beach, we were so excited to see four dolphins jumping in the waves!
Olivia really enjoyed sitting on the beach, and, as you can see, her favorite part was eating the sand.

Pacific Beach

Olivia loved the water! She put her feet in and laughed as the waves came near.

Sea World

Dinner with the Beardsleys

Even though Adriane and Autumn live 800 milesapart, they are still on the same page. Before we left for San Diego, Adriane had to finish her most recent craft project: a tutu for Olivia. We called Autumn once we arrived in California and discovered that Autumn was working on the same project. Here are the girls showing off their mom's work.

We had a great time at dinner! We even planned to all run a 1/2 marathon together sometime in the near future!

San Diego, Part 1: The Marathon

2008-06-05T13:25:00.000-07:00

We are back from our trip to San Diego and ready for things to settle down (we only spent 9 nights at our house in the month of May)! Because we had such a fun-filled time, we decided to break the trip up into separate blogs.

The main reason we went to San Diego is so I could run the Rock 'n Roll Marathon. Every couple of years, my company pays for all the expenses (flight, hotel, pre-race dinner, race fee, and rental car) of one marathon in the U.S. Two years ago I ran Chicago and had a great time. When I received the email that they would sponsor the San Diego marathon, I knew I had to do it just for the free trip to one of my favorite cities. I told myself that since the hardest part of training was during my busiest time at work, I wouldn't train as hard as last time and just plan on finishing the race.

Well I re-learned a very valuable lesson - it isn't worth doing something if you aren't going to give it your best shot. The marathon was extremely difficult and very painful to finish. But, hey, I did finish and now need to find another marathon to redeem my time!

Here are some pictures of the event:

The Grant Thornton Denver Team. Overall Grant Thornton paid for 230 employees from all over the world to participate in the marathon.

Olivia pre-race in the hotel room! We have been trying to get Olivia to say "Da-Da" for weeks now and she decided to bust it out for the first time on race day (no kidding).

Mile 20. I am hurting pretty bad at this point!

Memorial Weekend

2008-05-26T15:57:00.000-07:00

Three day weekends are the best! Olivia turned nine months old on Friday and spent the day playing with her friend Ryan at a local park.

Saturday was spent doing yard work (the crowds at Home Depot made it apparent that this was also the plan of the entire city!). On Sunday, Adriane's parents came up and we had a BBQ. Olivia was excited because Grandma gave her her first taste of watermelon. Clearly, she loved it.

Living in Colorado on Memorial day is always extra special because of the Bolder Boulder. With over 50,000 runners, it is one of the largest 10K races. We try to participate every year. It is held annually on Memorial Day to honor the service men and women of this country. Each year we run, it seems to be for different personal reasons (this was Adriane's first race since Olivia was born and part of my San Diego Marathon training), but no matter the reason, seeing thousands of people with the names of current and former soldiers pinned on their backs provides a much deeper sense of pride and inspiration.

Obviously, this picture was taken after the race. We were all exhausted, but had a wonderful time!

Trip to the East Coast

2008-05-21T16:52:00.001-07:00

Last Tuesday at 6am, we pulled Olivia from a peaceful sleep in her crib for a big adventure to the East Coast. The plan was for her to fall right back to sleep in her car seat as we drove to the airport. Of course she seemed as excited as we were and talked the entire drive. After an hour wait in the security line we got to the gate only to discover that our flight was going to be two hours late. So we spent the time walking the terminal with the stroller to get and keep Olivia asleep (I had my IPOD distance sensor on and, in case you were wondering, one loop around the B terminal is .89 miles). The flight out there went well - no crying, but lots of walking in the back of the plane. Once we arrived in NY and drove to Greenwich, CT, it was time for Olivia to meet more of her family:

Great Aunt DeDeGreat Nanny and Poppy

Great Uncle Boband Sandy & Dusty- the family Golden Retrievers.

We also had a chance for Olivia to meet the Atlantic Ocean. Of course it was too cold to get in but we did get some good pictures.

The main reason for our journey was my sister's graduation. Several years ago, Erin bravely left her friends, family, and job in Colorado and headed to graduate school in Springfield, Massachusetts. Her determination clearly paid off... she made a wonderful group of friends, really impressed her professors, and will start the next stage of her life working as a family therapist in Brooklyn starting June 2nd. Good job E!

For a finale, the night before we left, my uncle let us use his tickets for the Red Sox game. The game was too late and cold for Olivia but we did get decked out in our Sox outfits and took a picture. My Red Sox luck continued (remember the last time I saw them play they won the World Series) as John Lester threw his first no hitter. It was an amazing game to see live!

By the end of the trip we learned that Olivia is very much an extrovert. She had seen so many new faces during the week and then saw even more in the airport... we got delayed again... this time while we were on the plane. We ended up sitting on the plane for over five hours and the entire time Olivia was talking to all those around her. She was quite the hit on the flight. As we were walking through the airport, Adriane and I looking like zombies, Olivia said "hi" and waived to every person we passed by (even with very little sleep)!

She figured it out!

2008-04-27T17:39:00.000-07:00

8 Months Already?

2008-04-23T19:26:00.000-07:00

Olivia turned 8 months old today! Here's how we celebrated:

For the past several months, there has been a lot of construction on the creek behind our house. Olivia and I took a walk to check out the progress. We discovered that a beautiful waterfall had been created.

On our way home, we stopped to do some swinging. This was her first try and she loved it!
Finally, to end our day, we watched Jamie play some basketball. Unfortunately, his team couldn't pull off a victory (It's tough to get a smile out of Jamie after a loss).

Olivia still had a great time.

What do you think?

2008-04-20T19:51:00.000-07:00

Yes two blogs in one day! We get asked all the time who Olivia looks like and never know what to say! Now we know (thanks to Autumn for the link!):

MyHeritage: Look-alike Meter - Free family tree - Old photos

Practice Makes Perfect

2008-04-20T17:12:00.000-07:00

Check out Olivia's new trick:

No, you don't need to adjust your volume control... there's nothing to hear.

Olivia is getting very good at mimicking us. We have been trying to teach her "Ma-Ma." She has the mouth movement down, and we're anxiously waiting to hear the word!

Half-Marathon

2008-04-09T08:13:00.000-07:00

Jamie ran the Platte River Half-Marathon this weekend in preparation for the

San Diego Marathon that he will run in June.

Olivia and I, along with Jamie's sister who was in town from Massachusetts, were there to cheer him on (although we didn't actually find him until after the race was finished).

Olivia shook her homemade pompom as soon as she saw her dad.

That evening, we all went out for ice cream to celebrate Jamie's accomplishment.

Opportunity Knocks

2008-03-31T18:07:00.000-07:00

Lots of opportunities to photograph this weekend! Here are some of our favorites.

The quilt in the background was "pieced" by Olivia's great, great grandmother Helen Gertsch.

These three were all taken in front of a hand plow that originally belonged to Olivia's great, great, great grandfather Frank Aerni in the early 1900s.

Olivia takes a break in her great grandma Katie's chair...

and plays outside in the grass with her watering can.

Peeking over dad's leg.

An Easter Celebration

2008-03-25T19:23:00.000-07:00

We celebrated Easter weekend at my parents' house. There was a houseful... I think 17 people in all.

We finally got to meet Olivia's baby cousin, Alanis.

My grandfather's three great-granddaughters, Olivia, Alanis, and MacKenzie, were all together with their Great Grandpa!
We snuck in a "photo shoot" with the 3 girls - what fun! Grandpa was sleeping so he missed this event.

It was not only an Easter "photo shoot", but also Olivia's 7 month birthday.

The Easter Center piece: In past years, we've used sugared fruit, egg baskets, or flowers. But, this year, my mom got especially creative and dreamed up the idea below. First, she found the 3 bunnies (one for each of the great granddaughters). Then, when she was at the candy store, she found the chocolate covered peanuts. Look closely at how these 2 "elements" combined... "It was our best center piece yet."

Trip to Ohio

2008-03-20T06:03:00.000-07:00

Last weekend I was lucky enough to get to travel to Ohio for work. I was excited because it gave me a chance to see my family and meet my niece, Keegan. She is a sweet little girl with a great mom and very supportive grandparents. It was a fun trip. See the pictures below:

Keegan getting her belly time,

relating with her uncle,

and finding her thumb for the first time!

Spring Fever!

2008-03-10T19:59:00.000-07:00

The weather has been beautiful these last few days, and we're definitely ready for Spring!

Our neighbors acquired some chicks, and we couldn't resist the chance for a photo opportunity.

Those same neighbors also got a puppy!

Although it was a little late, Olivia had her six month appointment last week.

Here are her stats:

Weight: 16 pounds, 11 ounces (70th percentile)

Height: 26 1/2 inches (75th percentile)

*We're pretty sure the height is incorrect...

Jamie thinks her head slipped down a bit while she was being measured.

Friends Forever...

2008-02-28T13:39:00.000-08:00

Last weekend, Olivia and I visited Autumn, my friend forever... (well, since kindergarten) and her daughter, Laine. Below are some pictures of the gathering.

Friends Forever!

Moving On

2008-02-24T21:31:00.000-08:00

The better part of our weekend was spent helping my parents move out of their house. It was a home they lived in for 33 years, a home my grandfather's company built, and a home that I grew up in. This weekend, our emotions ran the gamut- from the nostalgia and rich memories of the old house, to the immediate excitement of the new house.

So goodbye old house...

Hello new house!

Olivia's moving on, too. I can't believe she's already six months old! During all the chaos of the move, we still found time to celebrate her "half" birthday with a "half" cake that I made.

Tagged!

2008-02-19T18:46:00.000-08:00

How long have you been together? 10 years total. We've been married for 4 1/2 years.
How long did you date? 6 years- we are high school sweethearts.
How old is he? 27
Who said "I love you" first? Jamie
Who is taller? Jamie
Who sings better? I do, but that's not saying a lot because Jamie's awful.
Who is smarter? Depends on the subject.. we both have our own strengths.
Who does the laundry? I do, I don't think Jamie's done a load since I've been at home- going on 6 months now.
Who does the dishes? Usually I do, but Jamie does them when he can.
Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? I do- I'm scared of sleeping closest to the door!
Who pays the bills? Jamie does, but it will soon become my job.
Who mows the lawn? We're xeriscapers.
Who cooks dinner? I do on weekdays, but we enjoy trying out new recipes together on the weekends.
Who is more stubborn? Me- no question.
Who asked who out? I stalked Jamie for quite some time, so he finally decided to ask me out so I'd leave him alone. He
decided I was a keeper.
Who proposed? Jamie
Who is more sensitive? Tie- we both have our moments.
Who has more friends? Jamie's definitely the social butterfly between the two of us, but we mostly share our friends.
Who has more siblings? Jamie's got one more.

I tag Peedle- what a great way to start off your blog!

Happy Valentine's Day

2008-02-14T17:42:00.000-08:00

Here's how we celebrated-

Jamie made us heart-shape blueberry pancakes.

Adriane did a photoshoot with Olivia.

We enjoyed heart-shaped brownies for dessert.