Three's a Hoot!

"My birthday was March 24th. We put presents out and a little owl nest and I love my owl. We ate pops and it was fun." - Maddie, on her 3rd birthday

She's right - that was pretty much her birthday! Presents... an owl nest... owl pops... owl masks... owl milk... friends and Fancy Nancy... an uncle with a TON of energy... Three.

Birthdays - Take 1!

Our world has been a little crazy (little might be an understatement, but crazy definitely fits). In all of the madness, I've yet to do a post from either Gavin's or Maddie's birthdays! So, today is Gavin day, and tomorrow you're in for a hoot. Gavin turned one on December 2nd, and that happened to be the day we showed the house to the person who bought it. Since it turned into a house-showing day at the last minute, the poor boy had a bit of a stressful day. But, there were presents... And ice cream... So it wasn't exactly a bad day. The real party was still to come... It was bigger than we would normally be up for, but since our move seemed imminent (and turned out to be even more so), we wanted to be able to see as many of our friends as possible. The kids had a ball. Clearly. You can't go wrong with tents, tunnels, and a ball pit (thank you, Craigslist). And of course there were cupcakes. Of which the birthday boy was a fan. Who likes cupcakes? It was a great day. A fun party. And somehow, my baby turned one - my last no year old was gone. Happy (belated) birthday, sweet Gavin. You make our world so much more fun.

Aunt Joanne

When we moved here we were welcomed by the open arms of Great Aunt Joanne and Uncle Fritz. Aunt Joanne's face lit up when she met Maddie and Gavin - she liked us, too, but Maddie and Gavin were definitely her favorites.

She loved that Maddie wanted to read on her sofa.


She was amused by us even as the kids ate up her sweets, spun in her chair, ran around the house, and caused general chaos wherever they went.


In February, Aunt Joanne joined us all for a trendy breakfast at Snooze in Boulder, and afterward she took Maddie for a ride on her lap in the wheelchair, which Maddie thought was the best thing ever.

That day as Fritz and Joanne pulled away in their car, Maddie began to cry, "I miss Aunt Joanne." We told her not to worry, that she'd see her the next weekend. And she did, and she loved it.


But I don't know what to tell her now. We'll all miss you, Aunt Joanne. Your feistiness, your laughter, your ready smile, your hugs. We'll all miss you.

This is Why We Moved to CO

On Easter morning, we packed up the kids (and their sippy cups and their extra clothes and their new trains from their Easter baskets and their snacks...) and headed to Deer Creek Canyon, about 40 minutes away.

It was our first real hike as a family...

...and it was breathtaking and amazing.

Everyone hiked for a while,

and there was so much to explore...

and to climb!

Our littlest hiker was pretty serious about showing us he could handle the hike, and he vehemently protested being carried...at all.

There were so many moments where we just stopped and looked at each other and said, "THIS is why we moved to Colorado. Right here."

And right here.

And right here.

After we reached the top (whoohoo!) we had a little picnic lunch.

And after filling their tummies, the kids were both ready to be carried down the mountain.

Could the two of them be any cuter?

It was an amazing day - a perfect, blue skies, mountain kind of day. The kind of day you just want to have again. And again. And again.

And we can...because THIS is why we moved to Colorado.

Happy Valentine's Day!

From us to you,


here's hoping you have a sweet day...


filled with love.

Their Space

We've had to buy a lot of stuff since we moved here, but our best investment was definitely this $30 Craigslist find. The kids use this table for everything.


Today they were both hard at work on filling in some new coloring books that Aunt Katrina sent. I love the fierce concentration on their faces.


I can't help but look at this table and imagine all of the art projects, all of the building with blocks and magnatiles, all of the snacks, all of the adventures that the kids are going to have right here in a space of their own.