January Happening

January tried very hard to drive me to the nut-house but I didn't let it and we came off conquerer(s). I must say this dreary month has got to be at the bottom of my "favorite times of the year" list. It was SOOO cold in Saratoga. I mean like bitter angry cold. To keep us (semi) sane Dan and I brainstormed what we could for the kids to do. Here is a little run down of our January happenings.

 Dan started school up at the beginning of the month. To stave off the crazies I've been getting very creative with things to entertain the troops from that awful time between dinner and bed. Lately our favorite activity has been to drag Eli's mattress off his bed and turn his room into a make-shift tumbling arena. Its a big hit and surprisingly no one had broken a leg. 

 I've been sewing a ton. Its a good way to keep my mind busy and my nights full. Here is Saminina modeling a little skirt pattern I was trying out. Doesn't (s)he look so dainty?

 Eli went to the dentist for the first time yesterday! He was so so good. It kind of surprised me. He cooperated with the doc, let them fiddle around in his mouth, and didn't squirm or fuss at all. Success!

 I signed Eli up for karate. He LOVES it and is doing pretty well. He was good days and better days but his teachers are super patient and energetic and keep him on track...mostly. 

 Although Sammy looks less than thrilled in this pic he and Eli and really starting to play together. Its not a consistent thing and we definitely have brother fights but I can see a potential good in this whole having two kids gig. 

Eli chills under his new Star Wars quilt made by my dear friend Debby. I mentioned to her one day that I was looking into making Eli a quilt to go with his new Star Wars sheets. One thing lead to another and we ended up doing a sort of "Postal Service" quilting bee. Well...that sounds like I did something productive. I just chose the fabric and Debby worked her magic into this amazing design. I LOVE it...and most importantly so does Eli. 

Sammy Turns 1!

My "little" Sammy turned 1! It's been almost 3 weeks but I wanted to get his stats in from the Dr before I posted this. At 1 year of age Sammy weighs 27 lbs, measures 32 inches, and is big, happy and WALKING! That last one is new as of this week. He sorts of lumbers around in this sort of stiff-legged zombie lurch and I love it. 

Taking a bath in Auntie Jody's sink! He loved it. 

 Getting into brother's paints!

 Chicken watching! A favorite pastime around here. 

 Scared of the car wash. 

Standing up and climbing on everything!

 Because we celebrated Christmas in Denver on Sammy's birthday we didn't do a big to-do. Instead he got a balloon and a cake made by Daddy!

 He was the best cake masher I've ever seen. The mess was enormous. Good job Sammy!

 I love this little boy so much. 

Trip to Denver December 2012

We just returned from our trip out to Denver. Although we are tired folks we are so glad we made the trek there and back again. The Garfield group knows how to have a good time and we partied it up pretty hard. 

 I was invited to attend "Girl's Night" which is a yearly party held by a group of old high school friends my sisters-in-law are a part of. It was a blast for sure. The white elephant exchange was a riot. 

Eli and Nora played hard all weekend. These two are good buddies...but can be a little like oil and water as Nora is a girl and a bit dramatic and Eli is a boy and LOVES to push buttons. As the adults around Dan and I spend a bit of time laughing in our hands at the little tiffs these two fought out. 

Garfield Grandkids minus a sleeping Sammy. 

We made a visit down to Jeff and fam in Colorado Springs to see them and their new house. Both were lovely. Eli had a great time playing with his cousins. 

 Dan and Jabba. 

 Sammy explores a sippy.

 NEW YEAR'S EVE! I should make this event its own post but I'm being LAZY so I'll just share a bunch of pics! We had a totally amazing time. Dan's siblings planned quite the evening and we just tagged along. First stop was a restaurant in down-town Denver I won't soon forget. Everything was AMAZING. Seriously one of the best meals I've ever had. 

 Here was my entree plate. Lobster and fillet mignon....how can you beat that?

 After dinner we were invited to take a little "joy ride" around Denver in the limo Dan's other siblings had rented for the night. I hadn't been in a limo since High School prom and it was FUN. 

 The obligatory "I feel like a celebrity but in fact I have two kids at home and a mortgage" shot. 

 I kept commenting that the limo reminded me of Space Mountain. 

 On to the next event!! We had tickets to an 80s cover band concert at a pub downtown. It was a blast. Dan commented a few times during the evening that he had no idea his wife was such a wild child I told him he had never seen me out so late so tired. 

 We found some groupies who were drunk enough to let us pose with them for a pic. 

New Year's Eve comes to an end. We made it until 2am which is LATE for us. It felt especially late when Sammy woke up at 6am...

We made it home last night and enjoyed a good night's sleep in our beds. When we woke up Eli had a fever of 102 and was throwing up. This afternoon I took him into the drs and found out he has a nasty double ear infection. He's been so cuddly all day...too bad its all due to sickness!