First Snow and More

It's been a very busy week here in the Barber house. Mommy had a big meeting at work (which went extremely well, by the way), Daddy is studying hard for his exam and wrapping up a paper for his seminar, and the boys were super excited about the first snowfall. They happily started campaigning to go outside and play despite their runny noses, which led to the lovely task of sorting through all of the winter gear to see whose boots still fit and whose don't, which mittens have matches and which don't, and which hat would actually fit on Morgan's ginormous (but very cute) noggin. It was fun to see Morgan's reaction to the snow since I'm not sure he remembered much from last winter.

We then got to enjoy a great weekend with Grandpa Michael and Grandmanette. Jacoby and I took a trip in to Denver with Grandpa Michael and enjoyed a little one-on-one time with each other. We took Granmanette to the library and park for some activity. The boys have been cooped up this week with colds, so they were a bit wild and unruly over the weekend. This made for an interesting informal family picture session we had planned with Grandpa Michael. The words "circus" and " total mayhem" aptly described this experiment in trying to get the boys to cooperate.

I am looking forward to much quieter days, getting ready for the holidays, and enjoying time with my boys. I've got some reading to do on Jacoby's latest diagnosis (Eosinophilic Esophagitis or EE) so that we're ready for what lies ahead, and Justin's found some interesting articles on children who have chronic illnesses. But most of all, we're really looking forward to getting Daddy finished with his first exam so he can enjoy some of the holidays as well. Have a great week everyone!

Watching the snow fall outside

Morgan watching the snowflakes on his mittens

Enjoying the snow

Venturing out into the snow for the first time this season

Racing cars with Grandpa Michael

Reading with Grandmanette

Grandma hugs are the best!

Happy Halloween!

Its been a very (mostly) fun week full of activities and events. Jacoby's class went on a field trip to Cottonwood Farms in Boulder on Monday. Justin chaperoned and they all came home with pumpkins. Jacoby talked about everything he saw and touched and liked about the farm, so it was a great outing for him. He and Morgan have been best buddies this week--they're practically attached at the hip. Jacoby involves Morgan in all of his imaginary scenarios, and Morgan is thrilled to participate. It's been really fun to watch them.

Thursday morning we headed into Denver before the sun rose for Jacoby's endoscopy at Children's Hospital. Everything went extremely well and we are so thankful to be near this hospital--they really know how to work with their special clientele and their parents! Jacoby did marvelously well for having to endure another long morning of fasting and going under sedation. He answered questions for the doctors and nurses and walked right into the procedure room so brave. We won't have the full results of the biopsies until early this coming week. It's hard to know what to think: on the one hand, we would like to find "something", whatever that may be, so we can move on with treatment and hopefully end any discomfort Jacoby may be having that we don't fully know about. On the other hand, what if they don't find anything? Then we're left with a bit of a mystery, a handful of symptoms, and the report of a 3.5 year old that suggests not everything is feeling right in his tummy. We're very glad to have the procedure behind us and are now just waiting patiently for the results.

Both boys had Halloween parties on Friday. Jacoby has been wearing his tiger costume almost everyday for the past 3 weeks, but Friday morning he came down all dressed up like a fireman and decided that's what he wanted to be for the school party. I put together special treat bags for each of them so that they could have a safe treat when they went trick or treating to each classroom. And we also brought safe treats to share with each class. We got to have Halloween music with Miss Amy, which was great fun, and all of the teachers were dressed in costumes. Needless to say, both boys had a great time and enjoyed participating with their class, so it was worth the extra effort and worry about keeping them safe.

Our Halloween activities today included painting our pumpkins, raking leaves (the boys are all about the business of cleaning up leaves in our yard and they are awesome helpers), eating apples with caramel, and doing a mini-version of trick-or-treating around the house. They were only mildly impressed by the trick-or-treaters they saw tonight. We had chili and cinnamon rolls for supper which was really yummy. Overall, it was a great day.

Justin's big news is that his first comprehensive exam has finally been scheduled for December 1 (9 am - 1 pm). He's got a lot a work to get ready over the next couple of weeks. Please keep him in your thoughts.

My meeting is one week from today (insert reminder to breathe here). I've got 1,001 things on my To Do list for tomorrow. The week will fly by, I'm sure. I think it will be a good meeting--we've got an interesting agenda and will have great attendance. We will also find out on Tuesday if our incoming board chair is the new Lieutenant Governor of Colorado.

Happy Halloween everyone and have a good week!

I'll start with this picture just to say that this child will stop at nothing when it comes to climbing and expanding his physical capabilities. The day when you see him dressed in a helmet everyday is fast approaching.

Our tiger and giraffe racing around the living room

Jacoby offered to read to Morgan while Mommy & Daddy were fixing supper

Painting our pumpkins. These boys love to paint!

They were chasing each other around the yard and Jacoby thought it would be fun to grab Morgan's tail. Morgan was not pleased, and the whole neighborhood knew about it!

Silly boys

Happy Halloween!

We're wrapping up what turned out to be a very busy weekend. As you'll see, we painted, did outside chores, went to the park, and caught up on other things around the house.

The week ahead is going to be busy as well. Jacoby has his endoscopy on Thursday down at Children's Hospital and both boys have Halloween parties at school on Friday. Justin has been very busy handling some issues around the house. The furnace went out during the week, so that had to be repaired. Luckily, the nights have been warm enough that we didn't miss being without it. The mice seemed to be trying to wage a full-on invasion into our garage and basement a few weeks ago, so the pest control people have been out. It seems like we've either deterred the mice enough or they're on to a whole new strategy which we haven't caught on to yet, but hopefully they received the "You're Not Welcome Here" message loud and clear.

We hope you all have a great week!

Painting at their easel

Our own Picasso and Renoir

Picking up leaves in the backyard

Our neighbor C. came over to help

Playing at the park

Pumpkins, pumpkins, pumpkins!

I love our annual fall outing to the pumpkin patch. For the first few years of this tradition, many of the pumpkins in the field were almost bigger than each of the boys. But this year, it's clear that the boys are definitely gaining ground on the pumpkins. Jacoby was totally enthralled with his pumpkin knife and set out to rescue many of them from their vines and dig in the dirt here and there as well. Morgan was content to sit on the pumpkins, and he went from one to another trying them out and posing for Mommy and the camera. The picture opportunities were endless...even if we did discover a pint-sized finger print on our camera lens after the fact. Sigh.

Working hard in the pumpkin patch

Jacoby busy at work cutting pumpkins off their vines

I love this picture of the boys because it so captures what they're like together...close in proximity, Jacoby busy with something, and Morgan busy observing so he can try it next.

Sweet, sweet boy sitting on a pumpkin

The boys

Helping Daddy choose just the right pumpkins to take home
(Did you all receive the same memo about wearing plaid today?)

Cutting our pumpkin

Success!

Our big, handsome boy

Impromptu family photo

Mommy and her boys

Daddy and the boys

I can't believe it's the middle of October already! Justin and I are both extremely busy with our respective duties outside of parenting. Justin is teaching, reading, and attending a symposium each week. I'm in the middle of meeting preparations for our upcoming board meeting. And I'm pinch-hitting for another colleague at work as the meeting planner for a second meeting happening right after our board meeting...apparently it must have looked like I didn't have enough to do already with just one meeting! It's actually kind of fun for me because I get to work with my friends in Policy which is where I started out (almost 6 years ago!) before I moved into the President's office. So, to catch everyone else up on the rest of what's happening here's our list of highlights (and a couple of low-lights) so far this month:

1. We love fall! The weather has been beautiful, the Continental Divide has a dusting of snow, the boys are having so much fun in school learning about all things fall, and we're enjoying lots of fun fall food.

2. The boys are crazy about firemen right now. They dress up in their helmets, boots, and gloves and put fires out all over the house. Morgan does exactly what Jacoby does and they watch "Elmo Visits the Firestation" every evening together.

3. This one is part confession, part highlight, and part low-light: we went to church! Most of you know that we've struggled to keep church in our routine for lots of reasons, but this weekend there was a special children's service at a church we've been to a few times. Jacoby really enjoyed the story and drama about Noah, I mean Moses and the 10 Commandments (just kidding, it hasn't been that long!), but the way they did the snack for the kids was a complete nightmare for those of us with food allergies.

4. And continuing on with the challenges that food allergies often bring, getting a flu shot for our two boys has become 150% more complicated now that they have allergies. We now have to go to the allergist's office, and the boys have to be tested for egg allergies...I know, don't ask me why and I'll save you from the rant I have on this. When you're already allergic to eggs and then have to be tested, it's very uncomfortable to have your back flare up in hives. They also test to see if they're allergic to the flu shot, which neither of them were. So after 30 minutes of itchy hives, Jacoby and Morgan finally got their flu shots and then we had to wait another 30 minutes to see if they "reacted" to it or not. They were fine and we finally got to leave. To add insult to injury, I came by to pick Jacoby up from school for his flu shot right as Miss Amy was about to begin music...Mommy was in the double-dog house for most of this day. ):

5. Jacoby's hugs and bedtime singing! Jacoby is giving the best hugs right now, complete with pats on the back and a "Love you" while he's hugging. And sometimes a hug from her 3.5 year old is the best medicine if Mommy is having a rough day. (: The boys are big time into singing before bed and love "Wheels on the Bus", "If You're Happy and You Know It", and "One little, Two little, Three little (tigers, kangaroos, dragons, lizards, alligators, etc.)" to name a few.

6. Jacoby's tiger costume from Grandma Pam has been a big hit and he wore it most of the week whenever we'd let him. The rules were that he couldn't wear it outside, to school, or to bed. We had to make a habitat for the tiger and he roamed the house freely. Morgan was not sure what to make of the costume, was definitely not interested in putting his on, and was for sure not a fan of being the tiger's "meat." We had to tame the tiger a few times. (:

We want to wish Aunt Kenzie a very happy birthday--we love you very much!

Montana Adventures

Where do we begin with this long tale about our recent adventures in Montana?! The boys traveled the 10-hour trip each way without much complaint, especially on the way home when it was just the three of us. We had a wonderful visit with our family and each day was filled with time outside, special outings, and new activities with our loved ones. It was a great trip and we had a lovely time. I think the trip is best summarized in pictures so enjoy!

Morgan and Cousin Jax hanging out together

The cousins...there was no shortage of activity or sound in the house
while these 4 boys were together!

Jacoby quickly learned that anything he did (naughty or nice) was repeated/copied three times!

Painting pumpkins at Aunt Megan's house

The boys loved the playhouse at Aunt Megan's.
They found an old play kitchen and spent much of their time cooking spaghetti and being "bakers".

Grandpa Bill brought two pedal cars for the boys to play with and they were a big hit.
Here Jacoby is trying to drag his up the hill.

Grandpa Bill helping Morgan drive the car.

The little boys with their cups and spoons

Having so much fun!

We enjoyed a beautiful morning at Zoo Montana.

Grandpa Bill and Morgan

We spent a wonderful afternoon at the corn maze and pumpkin patch.
Here Jacoby is helping Jax through the corn maze.

Riding on a hay wagon pulled by a tractor.

The little boys busy again in Grandmanette's backyard.

Running to the fence with Grandmanette.

Playing under the tree in Grandmanette's backyard.