3.5 Years Old and Other News

Jacoby is 3.5 years old as of last week. I can't really believe that we're on the downhill slide towards having a 4 year old in the house! He's getting so big and grown up, and (despite some resistence) he's becoming very independent and can do many things on his own now. He's a good brother to Morgan, he's playful, has a great imagination, is very observant, and is a good friend at school. Garbage trucks, fire trucks, any animal that is "dangerous", and rocking out with his guitar are his favorite things right now. He told Justin last week not to touch him when they were on their way to a time-out because he was a "dangerous alligator" and would bite him. (: Jacoby has had to learn some things about our bodies and how sometimes they don't always work right and that's why we have to visit the doctors. He's learned a lot about what it means to be brave. Just before our trip to Aspen he watched an episode of Sesame Street on visiting the doctor. The little boy received a shot and didn't cry. The doctor and his mom told him he was very brave. Since then, Jacoby tells us each evening before he gets his "magic medicine" that he's going to be brave and then gets his shot without crying or fussing. Lately, he's taken to holding Morgan's hand and helping him walk down the stairs. I'm not sure what's more sweet, the hand holding while they go down the stairs together or Jacoby's encouraging words to Morgan that he's doing a good job!

This month went by fast for us. We enjoyed a short vacation, a family visit, lots of time outside, and the transition into new and exciting classes at school. It's been a really good summer for us--just enough activity to keep us out of trouble but not too much busyness. I'm looking forward to the fall and cooler weather, not to mention having Justin finish this yucky comprehensive exam that's hanging over our heads. The boys and I took a picnic dinner to Chautauqua one evening last week while Justin was teaching. They enjoyed playing at the park and eating outside. One of the dads at the park commented on how brave Morgan was, as my almost 18-month old dived head first down a slide probably intended for older kids while following his brother's exact behavior. I just don't know about that child and where we picked him up and how exactly we're supposed to keep up with him!

I had a great time exploring some of San Francisco during the short time I was there Sunday and Monday. Most of my time was tied up with work, but I did have a chance to do a lot of walking and climbing (the hills are just amazing!). I visited Lombard street (the really curvy one), tried not to get run over by the cable cars, went to a few great spots to view the bay and the bridges and Alcatraz, walked along the water front, just happened to stumble across Ghirardelli Square (: , and ate calamari and clam chowder at a really good restaurant. So, it was a fun, quick trip and I think I found a couple of decent possibilities for our board meeting in the spring. I missed my boys a lot--Jacoby said he needed to come with me next time so he could see the ocean.

We hope you all have a great week and Labor Day weekend!

Family Visit

We were very excited to welcome Grandpa Michael, Granmanette, and Uncle Jared this past weekend. We enjoyed walks, plenty of time reading books, helping Granmanette take pictures of our favorite toys for her project, playing, and spending time together.

The boys wasted no time getting our special visitors involved in their daily routine and activities, including the cute things, the naughty things, the funny things, and the sad things. Jacoby learned how to play "Go Fish" this weekend, so most of us are feeling fairly proficient at that game now. It was only fair because he didn't get to play when the adults were playing a fun card version of Scrabble. He was supposed to be in bed while we were playing but curious little eyes kept appearing at the top of the stairs to see what was going on that was so fun. He even moved the potty to the top of the stairs so he could watch while going potty "one more time"! (:

It was really hot this weekend, so we stayed close to the air conditioning but did get outside for walks and some backyard fun. Last night before bed, the boys broke out their guitars and played together. Watching Jacoby join in with his little guitar was one of the highlights of the weekend for Mommy.

Granmanette came to see Jacoby play soccer on Saturday. We were so proud of him and how he followed directions and did everything the coach asked him to do. We can already tell that he's starting to master some of the skills they've been practicing.

Both boys started their new classes this week. Jacoby was very excited about his new room, and his teachers did a fabulous job turning it into a cozy preschool room. He started the day off by falling into the potty...yes, that's right. His new classroom has a full-sized potty which is a bit of a change from his last classroom. Anyways, I'll spare you most of the details but just say that we're practicing new potty skills at home so that we're better prepared for the big potty at school.

Morgan was a little more tentative than I expected when we walked into his class. But we spent some time looking at the new toys and pretty soon he and his friend T. were busy exploring together. I can't believe they've been at the school for a year now. I was a weepy mess saying goodbye to Morgan's teachers last week even though we'll still see them around the school. They did a wonderful job taking care of our little one over the past year.

Justin has a busy week ahead trying to get caught up on reading. He started teaching Greek I last week and has about 9 students in the class. This will be the only Greek class most of these students will have so I think Justin feels compelled to make sure they all do well. We have a staff outing to a Rockies game this week, which has turned into a really fun annual tradition for us. I go to San Francisco next Monday for work. I'm looking forward to visiting for the first time while scoping out just the right place for our board meeting next spring.

Trip to Aspen and Snowmass

We enjoyed a lovely 4 days in Aspen and Snowmass this week. Justin and I visited this part of the state right after we moved here in 2004, so it was fun to go back with the boys and explore.

We drove to Aspen through Leadville, CO, which boasts being the highest city in the U.S at 10,152 ft., and up over Independence Pass. It was a beautiful drive and the boys enjoyed the scenery as well as a new pile of library books. The condo we rented in Snowmass was also beautiful and located right on the Snowmass Club golf course. The boys loved exploring all of the nooks and crannies, particularly the ones not kid-proofed, and it ended up being a very good home base for us in between our activities.

La Plata Peak -- Colorado's 5th tallest mountain (14,361 ft)

Here's a quick re-cap of our trip:

Day 1 -- Silver Queen Gondola and Swimming
We rode the Silver Queen Gondola 2.5 miles (and a gain of 3,000 ft in elevation) up to the top of Aspen Mountain. The boys loved this and have added this to their list of favorite transportation machines. We spent several hours at the top of the mountain walking, exploring some of the activities for kids, and had a picnic. The views of the Elk Mountain range were amazing. We were at 11,212 ft, so the temperature was perfect and the air very thin! Jacoby did a great job hiking all around despite the thin air. We rode down the gondola and headed home for naps and then enjoyed a swim at the pool after dinner. After a full day out in the sunshine and at high elevation, we were a tired little family but it was a great, great day!

Mommy & Jacoby in the gondola

Pretty view

Lots of activities await visitors at the top of Aspen Mountain. Here we are exploring the sand pit and all of its toys and shovels.

Playing in the tree house

A great spot for a picnic (Aspen Highlands ski area is in the background)

Headed back down the mountain

View of the chair lift far, far below the gondola

Swimming at the pool

Day 2 -- A Visit to the Maroon Bells or Morgan's Melt-Down
So the background for Day 2 is that whenever we travel the boys sleep pretty well but they usually don't sleep quite as well as when they're at home and probably not as long either. By our second day they were starting to show signs of being tired, and allergies were bothering all of us. I'm not sure if there was something in our condo or in the environment or both, but it was affecting all of us. Poor Jacoby got the worst of it and came down with a pesky cough (and his trademark croup).

Since the late 1970s, the U.S. Forest Service has provided bus service to a majority of the visitors to the Maroon Bells as a preservation measure, since they are the most photographed peaks in North America. When we went to buy our bus tickets we were told that the Forest Service would let us drive in since we had small children in car seats, but by that time we'd already mentioned the possibility of riding a bus and Jacoby was not to be deterred. And also by this time, it started raining and looked kind of ominous up the valley where we were headed. But we enjoyed the bus ride up the valley and learned about the wildlife, aspens, and the avalanche shoots. Morgan had soon had enough with the educational tour and started protesting shortly before we arrived. The bus left us by a small shelter where we hunkered down while the thunderstorm passed. The sunshine came out and we began a very muddy trek around Maroon Lake (which is very green, so Jacoby was sure it was full of alligators). Interestingly, Jacoby and Morgan were the only children in the area while we were there. I'm not sure if we received more comments about them being twins or about their hats. But in any case, shortly after finishing our hike Morgan went into melt-down mode and proceeded to cry and cry and cry until he finally passed out in Justin's arms. I think he had been trying to tell us all morning that he was really worn out but sometimes Mommy and Daddy just don't pay close enough attention. ): So, despite Morgan having a rough time and the crazy weather we really loved visiting the Maroon Bells--it's a captivating area and one where you can spend hours just taking in all of the loveliness.

On the bus to the Maroon Bells

Waiting out the thunderstorm in the shelter

The peaks behind clouds

The Maroon Bells

Starting our trek around Maroon Lake

The wildflowers were really pretty

Mommy and a really tired Morgan

Jacoby and Daddy

Maroon Creek

By the time we were leaving the clouds had moved back in again

Day 3 -- Elk Camp Gondola and Chair Lift at Snowmass
Before heading home, we rode the gondola and chair lift up to Elk Camp which sits at 11,300 ft above Snowmass Village. The boys thought riding outside on the chair lift was really fun and we enjoyed yet another picnic with a beautiful view. Once we got back to Snowmass, we packed into the car and headed home. This was a great trip for us--lots of time outside in the mountains and fresh air. We made a lot of good memories and look forward to visiting this part of Colorado again!

View of the Maroon Bells from Elk Camp

Another picnic

Riding back down to Snowmass Village

Twin ouchies

Hello!

This is a quick post to say hello before we head up to Aspen and Snowmass for our mini vacation tomorrow. We're very excited to get out of town and into the high country.

Our week included transition meetings at the school for both boys. Jacoby is headed to the Preschool II room in a couple of weeks. One of the many things that we really like about our school is its primary care philosophy and curriculum. And basically, it just means that Jacoby stays with his classmates and teachers until he leaves the school for kindergarten. So for him, the transition in a couple of weeks just means switching classrooms and moving into a bigger space with a whole bunch of new stuff to explore! They'll be focusing on letters and numbers and reading and writing this next year.

Morgan will be moving into the Toddler classroom with his group of little friends and will actually be starting with new teachers but he's been spending time with them and has gotten to know them over the past couple of weeks. Morgan's transition might be a little more of an adjustment since they'll have more structured time, but I'm sure he'll handle it fine. He and his posse members will have a lot more space and new toddler things to play with instead of all of the baby stuff!

The boys and I visited the Boulder County Fair on Friday and enjoyed seeing the animals and tractors. We were lucky enough to catch a big tractor plowing one of the arenas, so we stopped to watch him until he got a little too close for comfort and Jacoby said "Mommy, I want to leave now". (: Jacoby went to soccer on Saturday and enjoyed running up and down and all around the field again. It's great for expending extra 3-year old energy!

We spent the weekend tidying up and preparing for our trip. The owner of our house comes this week while we're away. It's given me a really good excuse to de-clutter and clean out, so the house feels very clean and "light" to me. Justin is very busy reading for his exam. One of these days I'll get his bibliography posted so you all can see what he's reading and join in the fun if you're lacking reading material. (:

Have a great week everyone!

A New Month

Can it really be August already? Really? The past month has been a great one for us. Just as I had hoped, having a month with virtually nothing on the calendar helped us all de-stress, refocus, and enjoy summer together. August is going to be a busy month but we'll still have plenty of late summer to enjoy.

Jacoby and I joined his class on a field trip this week to Chautauqua. We went on a short hike, played at the playground, and enjoyed a picnic outside. They are a very fun group to hang out with and I love watching Jacoby interact with his classmates. His special friend A. decided to move their relationship up to a whole new level by giving him a smooch right in the middle of class! His teachers said that A. said something like "Jacoby, you really need a kiss..." and then just planted one on him! So cute!

Our other fun news for the week is that Jacoby started soccer on Saturday. We were a little nervous about how he'd do since he's our more reserved child, but he was thrilled and seemed to love every minute of it. He especially enjoyed running the opposite way down the field from the rest of the class, but Mommy joined for a little while to help him get oriented and understand that he had to listen to Coach Tracy. He was playing soccer in the living room last night and said that he wanted to go back to soccer class today, so I think we may have found a good activity for him. He was totally worn out after class but not tired enough to keep from devouring 3 "soccer muffins" when we got home. (:

Soccer was not so fun for Morgan. All this poor little kid wanted to do was to get out on the field with the rest of the kids (you can hear him lamenting in some of the video below..."down, down"), and it especially didn't help when Jacoby got to bring home a balloon at the end of the class. We chose to go with the indoor soccer league because they had a better schedule for us and also start classes for kids as young as 18 months. So, next week I think we're going to see if they'll let Morgan join the little kid class that goes on at the same time Jacoby's meets even though he's a month shy of 18 months (all though you'd think he was a 2-year old just by looking at him).

Happy August to all of you and have a great week!

World Cup here we come!

The indoor soccer field

Enjoying a "soccer muffin"

Settling for the guitar even though he'd rather play soccer