Last few days in Denver

We are now residents of Houston but I first wanted to blog about our last few days in Denver.  On Wednesday 8/29 my Bible study girlfriends planned a dinner at an Italian restaurant and since David was in Houston working already, Austin stayed with Jessica, one of his former teachers.  It was so sweet of them to plan this and I got to say goodbye to everyone that could make it.  David came back in town late Friday night.  He played golf Saturday morning and we worked on packing after that.  Austin and I made one last trip to the Cherry Creek Farmers' Market for some strawberries and peaches.  We were supposed to go out to dinner with Ryan and Kelly on Saturday night but our babysitter was sick so they ended up coming over to our house and we ordered pizza, tried to watch the Texas game on the computer since it was on the Longhorn Network, drank wine, and chatted.  We will miss them!  But we will be back in Boulder on 10/5 for their wedding!  Almost every day for the last week we were in Denver, Austin and I went running at Wash Park. We would drive there, and I would run pushing the stroller twice around, which is almost 5 miles.  Then after the run, we would sit on the grass and he would have a snack of cheese and applesauce.  He really enjoyed watching the people, dogs, geese, ducks and cars as we circled the park.  He also loved standing up holding onto the stroller while eating cheese.  On Sunday afternoon, we went to Adam, Rachel and Brody's house for dinner and playtime.  It was so fun to hang out with them one last time.  Rachel cooked tacos and we just played on the floor with the little boys.  I can't wait to find out if their #2 will be a boy or girl!  

Tupperware fun while packing

Farmers market farewell

Clapping at Wash Park

Ah!

Telling a story

So excited for the first Texas game of the season!

Best buds

Snack at Wash Park

Mommies and their boys

Blue-eyed 

Savannah is a horse

Chilling with a bottle - we are almost breaking the bottle habit. He only had 1 today and the rest of his milk was from a sippy cup - yea!  Such a big boy!

Looks like Austin is bossing Brody around in his own house

Friends!

Brody trying to give a gentle hug - ha!

Austin gets mad....

So Brody gave him a head-butt

Uh oh, now Austin sits in Brody's red chair

Brody's attempt to sit on top of Austin :)

On Labor Day, David played golf for one last time at Cherry Creek Country Club where we were members.  I am sure he will get invited to play there again with friends, but I know he was sad to leave.   I dressed Austin in his USA shirt, forgetting that it said Happy 4th of July on it too.  Oh well.  We enjoyed a run at Wash Park and later that day we grilled in our backyard one last time - steak, chicken kabobs with veggies, and corn on the cob.  We headed over to Bonnie Brae ice cream - my favorite Denver ice cream place  - so yummy!  In the evenings the last few nights in Denver - I made sure to spend some time in the hammock with Austin.  He is more squirmy now and doesn't like to sit still very long but we spent many hours in the hammock about a year ago when he was a little little baby.  The fountain in our backyard pond and the swaying of the hammock worked like magic when he was fussy in the evenings.  We will definitely miss that.  We also enjoyed the comfortable evenings out in the front yard on a blanket and swinging.  On Wednesday night, Jessica came to stay with Austin while David and I had one last night out in Denver.  We went to a restaurant called the Ale House at Amato's, which had a wonderful view of downtown from the elevated patio.  It opened less than a year ago and we had never been before but it was a perfect spot for a last date night out.  On Thursday we closed on our house and fortunately Austin's school let him come for a drop-in day.  We had more packing to do and it is MUCH easier to pack without a 1-year old crawling around.  Although we closed on Thursday morning, Jon, the buyer didn't take possession until Sunday so we had a couple of days to be out.  Mary/MiMi came up on Thursday night to help with the moving on Friday, and more importantly, the drive.  More to come on the move....

For now, goodbye Denver.  We will miss you dearly.  We will miss our friends, the fall leaves, the crisp air, the mountain views, our first house, the birthplace of our baby, our genuine church, the hammock and pond, our neighbors, Wash park, and even the snow, among many others.  I hope to visit often.  

Celebrating the wrong US holiday - oops

ice cream!

Mommy is all smiles after her ice cream - Austin missed out :(

Hammock time!

Chilling in the front yard

Just swinging

Downtown view

Our 1st house (don't worry, we didn't sell Savannah with it)

New playmate

Since Austin is not going to school right now, he has found a new playmate.

And for those of you not on Instagram, I will miss this beautiful tree in our front yard (except for October when it sheds its massive amounts of leaves)

ONE YEAR!

Better late than never.  Austin turned ONE on August 9.  It is crazy how fast the year has flown by.  This year has been filled with so many new memories.  I wish I had it all on video but that is why we have pictures and this blog - to document as much as possible and to embarrass Austin when he turns 16.  

At 12 months you are not yet walking.  You can travel between pieces of furniture and stand holding on with just one hand.  You can also use your walker toy and push it but are still pretty wobbly.  You are pulling up on everything, including climbing stairs.  You don't know how to get down the stairs safely so this is a safety issue.  You will learn eventually.  Your favorite toys are your fridge farm (magnets that go on the fridge, from DiDi), your wooden train, your green ball, and the empty aquaphor tub (simple things).  You enjoy putting things in buckets or tubs.  You really enjoy brushing your teeth, especially since I bought you non-flouride fruity toothpaste.  You like baths and usually try to drink the soapy water.  You like it when Daddy tickles you - you laugh so hard.  You don't like having your diaper changed or putting clothes on.  You just don't like being still for that.  I can usually keep you still by handing you the aquaphor container.  So funny! 

Your favorite foods are cheerios, cheese (especially the yellow squares), strawberries, apple sauce, broccoli, avocado, hamburger meat with cheese melted in it, and mac 'n cheese.  We first gave you Annie's brand organic mac 'n cheese for your 1st birthday dinner.  You loved it!  I am thankful that you eat healthy things like broccoli, avocado, butternut squash, and strawberries.  Keep it up (no need to inherit your father's eating habits).  You have 4 top teeth and 2 bottom teeth and are getting better at chewing your food using these chompers.  On your first birthday we introduced you to whole cow's milk.  You didn't like it at first.  So for the first week or so we mixed it with formula or breastmilk.  We tried to get you to drink it out of a sippy cup or open cup and just get rid of the bottle completely.  That has proven to be much harder than I thought it would be.  You will only drink milk out of a sippy if you are really thirsty.  You prefer milk in a bottle.  But I know that you will not be drinking out of a bottle when you are 7, so we will get there.  You are still nursing, usually just before bedtime.  We started weaning right when you turned 1 and did just twice a day for a couple of weeks and now you are down to night-time only.  Our most recent discovery is that you have an allergy - to PEANUTS.  On August 11, just a few days after your appointment with Dr Lisa (who said you could try peanut butter), I gave you peanut butter on some bread for a snack.  You immediately broke out in hives on your face and started itching.  I panicked slightly, washed you off and called the pediatrician's office to talk to the on-call doctor.  You were not having any breathing problems, thankfully.  The doctor said to give you a dose of benadryl and a bath to be sure it was off of your skin.  You were okay for the rest of the evening.  We made an allergist appointment for this past Friday.  They did a skin test (pricks with a toothpick-like device) on your back of the following foods: eggs, soy, almonds, sunflower seeds, walnuts, cows' milk, and PEANUTS. Everything else came back negative except for peanuts...bummer.  I am thankful we identified this allergy early and that your reaction was not worse.  Now we just have to be careful.  It is not super severe; you can be around peanuts/peanut products and would not react if it were in the air.  It will cause a reaction if it touches your skin or if you accidentally consume it.  We have an EpiPen to keep with us at all times in case you have an anaphylactic reaction.  I hope to never need that.  It is very odd because I ate peanut butter often during pregnancy and have eaten it about 5 days a week ever since you were born.  The allergist says there is not really a rhyme or reason to it.  Interesting.

You are still sleeping like a champ at night - about 7:30/8 to 6/6:30.  You are starting to need a little less napping.  I have started letting you nap in the car or stroller during the morning if we are out and about (30-45 min) and then you take a longer afternoon nap from about 1-3pm.  Eventually we will get to one long afternoon nap since that is what you will need to do at your new school in Houston, most likely.

You are such a fun little guy.  Your first official word, right around turning 1, is Uh-oh.  You are so cute when you say it and will even say it when you have your thumb in your mouth.  Yes, you still suck your thumb - too often.  It's okay for now but someday it will need to go :)  You still think it's a game to find Savannah's water and food bowls.  If I forget to close the baby gate which separates the kitchen from the living room, you bee-line it to the kitchen and peek around the fridge where Savannah's bowls are.  You look back at me and crack up laughing.  You think it's a game even though I usually catch you before your hand goes in.  It's gross, but so funny.  It's so hard to get mad at that.

Austin, I can't believe you have been with us for a whole year.  I can't really remember life without you.  You bring us so much joy and many smiles.  Sometimes it is stressful (like when you get sick or bump your head and cry) but overall you are such an easy-going, fun little guy.  I pray that God keeps you healthy and safe and that you grow to know Jesus.  He loves you and so do your mommy and daddy.  Happy (belated) birthday, little buddy.

Who is 1?  Me!

Thirsty boy

Attempting to drink for a straw-sippy cup.  Austin, you don't have to tilt it.; that is the beauty of a straw

First scrambled eggs - yummy!

Eggs and raspberries -breakfast of champions!

Tickle monster!

Focusing on your train

Steamboat Trip

Last week, from Wednesday through Sunday, my mom and Stacy rented a house in Steamboat Springs.  Lauren and Stephen and Ricki came up for the family vacation.  The house was a 4 bedroom town home (5 stories - read: lots of stairs for Austin to conquer) that could have potentially slept 14 people. It was an awesome house - fully stocked with all the necessary kitchen supplies, a new hot tub on the porch, 3 or 4 balconies off of each bedroom, TV's, internet, and even a Wii.  Savannah was even allowed to come.  DiDi, Lauren, Austin and I rode in one car from Denver and David and Savannah rode in another car.  We made a stop for lunch on the way in Idaho Springs at Two Brothers Deli and then headed over Berthoud Pass and on to Steamboat.  Stacy, Ricki, and Stephen flew into Denver and rented a car to drive to Steamboat.  We made a grocery store trip soon after we arrived bought burger fixings for that night.  

On Thursday, right after Austin woke up, I went for a run from the house around the mountain neighborhood (STEEP HILLS!).  We all went to eat an early lunch/brunch at Freshies, one of our favorite places in Steamboat.  They have the BEST chocolate chip cookies.  The bedroom that David and I slept in at the house had a large closet - so, ta-da, the closet became a baby room. Austin's pac 'n play went in there (with the door open, of course) and he slept great.  We even had a small fan to make white noise for when we snuck into the room after he was asleep.  Stacy and David played golf on Thursday afternoon.  Ricki and Stephen volunteered to stay with Austin while he napped so that Lauren, mom and I could rent bikes.  We rode about 15 miles on the path along the Yampa river.  It runs along the river which is right next to the main road through town.  Ricki made a wonderful pasta dinner that night and Stephen so kindly did the dishes.  We even played a riveting game of Trivial Pursuit - girls vs guys, and the girls won!  Now that is a true family night on a family vacation.

On Friday morning, David, Lauren, Savannah and I went hiking on the Fish Creek Falls trail.  It was about 2.5 miles each way.  The hike started at the lower falls and went up to the upper falls.  David and I had done this hike 2 years ago when we went to Steamboat over the 4th of July.  While we were hiking, my mom and Stacy took Austin in the stroller on a long walk.  We then met them and Stephen and Ricki in town for lunch at a sandwich shop.  We shopped around a bit at the stores after lunch before heading back to the house for Austin's nap.  That night, Stephen and Ricki went out to dinner alone and Mom/Stacy went out to dinner alone.  Lauren tagged along (just kidding, Lauren) with David, Austin and me.  We went to get pizza at a kid-friendly place in town.  

On Saturday morning, my mom and Lauren took Austin in the stroller while I ran on the main trail along the river all the way to town.  We shopped around in town for Steamboat T-shirts afterwards.  Lauren, Ricki and Stephen rode the gondola to the top of the ski mountain that afternoon while my mom and I took Austin back to the house to nap.  Stacy and David played golf again that morning.  We enjoyed an afternoon hot tub dip as well, with a beer in hand.  Not a bad life. :)  David and I were in charge of dinner that night so we grilled steaks, corn on the cob and tilapia.  We also had salad and fresh snapped green beans.  

On Sunday morning, we unfortunately had to get on the road back to Denver so that they could catch a flight.  This "they" included David because he flew to Houston on the same flight to start his job at Aon on Monday.  I headed home to be a single mom for a couple of weeks.  Thankfully, I only had 3 days of work while being a single mom.  Today was my last day of work at Archstone.  David is enjoying his new job and comes back Friday night until Sunday afternoon.  We have ALOT of cleaning out and packing to do.  I hope Austin and I can squeeze in some fun Colorado things in the midst of packing before we move.  

It was a wonderful last Colorado vacation.  We will be back, I am sure, but it was nice to get away with my family one last time before we move.  Thanks, mom and Stacy!

Man's best friend

Uncle Stephen is hilarious

Family, minus our favorite little guy (he didn't make the hike)

Upper falls

Family shot - Austin, look at the camera!  

Man and his dog

Small family shot

Dad is funny

Little man with DiDi

Checking off the bucket list

Since we have lived in Colorado I have wanted to run in the Georgetown to Idaho Springs Half Marathon.  It is always around the first week of August and I did not run last year for obvious reasons (I was birthing a child).  I did it this year on Saturday, 8/11!  It is such an awesome race!  It starts in the mountains in Georgetown, an old mining town along I-70.  It finishes in Idaho Springs, another mining town.  The course is along the frontage road, which runs along Clear Creek.  Most of the race is on the road but about 2 miles is on a dirt path.  It starts at 8,500 feet and eventually ends at 7,500 feet.  There are some ups and downs, but for the most part it is a gradual downward.  I drove to the race by myself and David and Austin met me at the finish line.  We ate at Two Brothers Deli in IS after the race.  I finished with my second-fastest time ever of 1:37:56.  The course was so pretty and I felt really good the whole time. Here are a few pictures from the starting line. 

On Monday 8/13, Lauren, David and I took off to climb a 14-er.  We left the house around 5:15 and drove to the Grays & Torres Peaks trailhead near Idaho Springs.  We were all ready to summit Grays peak.  It was much colder than we thought it would be.  I have climbed 2 other 14-ers (a peak higher than 14,000 feet; there are about 50 of them in Colorado).  It was sunny and mild both other times so I was not expecting it to be cloudy (especially since we left so early in order to finish before the afternoon mountain storms).  The sun never showed up.  The elevation gain of the hike was a total of about 3,000.  We parked around 11,000 and climb to about 14,200.  The only problem was that at about 500 feet from the top (about 45 min of hiking), it started to rain, then SNOW (lightly).  David was behind Lauren and I and he was informed by a search and rescue man that it was only going to get worse.  He had a radar device.  He advised us to turn around and head down as quickly as we could.  David was not shy in taking his advice to heart.  So we all made the decision to turn around, only about 45 min away from the top.  Oh well, we tried.  It rained on us on the way down (we were prepared with ponchos but somehow we all forgot to wear warm pants).  We made it to the car, stopped for some warm food (chili) in Idaho Springs, before heading home to see Austin and mom.  Mom was so kind to keep Austin and take him to school while we attempted to hike a 14-er.  Even though we didn't make it to the very top, it was still fun!