Lisa Visits! (Oct 25-28)

Lisa and Logan came to visit from Minnesota for a long weekend and we were excited to have them!!!  Here are the boys patiently strolling while we toured Old Town Saturday morning waiting for our table to open up for brunch.  Thank goodness eating out with a 9mo old and 18mo old went smoother than I thought it would!

Stretching their legs and expending some energy before sitting down for brunch.

Saturday afternoon we had fun going on the New Belgium tour and sampling beer, wish Shawn could have joined us :)

New Belgium's tours were booked for the day, but Rob's shirt got us in! (The shirt was last year's Christmas gift from Natalie and Matthew and seems to be the gift that keeps on giving...yay for us!)

Our little Rocky Mountain (Belgium) Ranger.

Taking some time to play at the park across the street.  I don't have a picture of Logan, but he was busy mastering the slide...the boy operates without fear (and has 9 lives)!

A beautiful Sunday afternoon hike.  We went up the Poudre Canyon and discovered that the hike we'd planned on was closed at the trail head because of the Northern Colorado flood earlier this fall.  We instead hiked part of Greyrock Trail.  Props to Lisa for hiking with an 18mo old on her back!!!

The boys, resting at the top of our climb and getting a chance to stretch their little legs.

Funny story....Lisa was on the phone talking to Ryder, her 4 year old who stayed home this trip getting to spend some 1:1 time with dad.  He starts to ask her random questions about what I looked like (and what color my couch is - what?!?).  She does a good job providing him with enough details to satisfy his curiosity.   Shortly after she gets off the phone with him, we're looking at photos of the weekend and she says, "I should have just told him that you look like me!"  If you have a minute, scan through the photos posted of the two of us...it's pretty uncanny!

A photo Lisa grabbed the afternoon of the hike.  Love how his two little teeth pop out in the black and white coloring (thanks, Lisa!).

Enjoying the Packers' win over the Vikings (while the kids are sound asleep!).

I'm 9 months!

Jameson is a very happy 9 month old.  I can't believe how fast he's growing and how quickly his first birthday is approaching.  Just prior to turning 9 months, he started standing in his Pack-n-play at daycare and we subsequently lowered his crib mattress.  Good thing because later that same night as lowering it, we watched him stand on the video monitor.  Some other developmental milestones accompanying 9 months include: proficient crawling, pulling himself up to a standing position, lowering himself back down, cruising, waving good-bye, making various vocal noises including a lot of "clucking" sounds.  He doesn't seem as interested in specific toys, often picking them up to then dropping them and happily moving on to another.  He is very captivated by discovering his gross motor abilities.  Jameson is a good eater.  He hasn't rejected any foods yet, although we think he had a minor reaction to peas.  He still really likes his baths and his dogs (we've even seen some early efforts at him trying to play fetch with them!) :)

At his 9mo wellness check, he measured 18lbs 1.5oz, and 28in long.  He's steadily following his own percentile curve, but is on the littler end :)  The doctor was super impressed with how social and happy he is!

Some big shoes to fill!

Matching fans for a fun Sunday afternoon of football...and as Jameson's Uncle Matthew says, we were wearing our Sunday best :)

Trip to Michigan, Oct 2-8

Jameson and I took our first solo trip (missing daddy).  We flew to Wisconsin and stayed the night with grandma and grandpa. The next morning, we drove with grandma up and over to East Jordan, MI to visit Aunt Natalie and Uncle Matthew.  In Michigan, we enjoyed some fall weather with fall festivities: apple picking, a pumpkin patch and football!  The challenges of flying with a 9 month old by myself and taking two 10 hour road trips (about a 10-11 hour drive between homes in Wisconsin and Michigan) were tough, but totally worth it.  We had a blast and can't wait to go back!

One of the most exciting moments was that upon our arrival Jameson got a gift from his Aunt Natalie and Uncle Matthew - a picture frame which said, "Cousins are forever" and had a picture of an ultrasound!!!!!  Aunt Natalie surprised us with news that she's pregnant!  We can't wait to meet their sweet little one due April 24 (just 2 days after Jameson's Aunt Karen is due with her third little bundle of joy!...it's going to be a busy month!)

Jameson showing Uncle Matthew just how much fun he has on the swing.  (Too bad we had to leave Michigan before those apples made it into a pie!)

More practice in a high chair.

Breakfast at the apple orchard.

I love you Grandma!!!

Fun in the Pumpkin Patch.

Out to lunch with grandpa and grandma before having to fly back home. It was a perfect fall day to eat outside.

The affection between Rufus and Jameson apparently grew stronger with distance :)

Weekend in Vail, Sept 28

Pitstop in the mountains along our drive to Vail.

I was glad that pitstop could include coffee! :)  It had already been a long morning... shortly after getting on the highway leaving Fort Collins, we realized that we had forgotten Jameson's Pack n' Play, so we had to turn around to get it.  After spending another half hour at the house feeding Jameson, we were back on the road for about an hour and a half before realizing that we also forgot the metal-frame backpack for carrying Jameson to go hiking.  And so it begins....right?

We happened to drive by an awesome park and put Jameson on a baby swing and assisted him down a slide for the first time.  He loved both!

What a gorgeous afternoon to play at the park.

When he swung, each time he flew forward he had the biggest grin and giggle.  It was contagious, for sure!

Enjoying being a kid again.

Yes, it is a heated pool, but I still can't wait until Jameson is old enough to go in the hot tub!

A look ahead at our hike.

The changing fall color was one of the reasons for the trip.  The Aspens were beautiful, and while we thought we timed it perfectly with the height of the fall foliage, the Aspens were only just starting to change.

8 Months

8 months old!  He is growing so fast these days, reaching one milestone after another.  Labor Day weekend he cut his first tooth, and two weekends later, his second.  He loves eating solids (lots of fruits and veggies) and is growing more and more curious about the foods that he sees us eat (we can confirm that he likes homemade cookies and banana bread).  Some of his biggest achievements this month have centered around his mobility.  He has finally gotten the knack for crawling, though he's far more interested in standing and walking.  Let the baby-proofing begin!

This gloomy day was the perfect day to bring a little sunshine to daddy!  We surprised him at work and went out for lunch.  The dreary weather lingered for about a week and brought with it devastating floods - thank goodness everything at home was safe.

"Green Nineteen...Hut-Hut-Hike!"

We start 'em young.  Go Packers!

A little more cruisin'