Road trip to Kansas City and beyond.

FINALLY posting pictures from our road trip to Kansas City and Lincoln in June. Yep, it's been almost two months but here we are...better late than never!

We took our first non-mountain, long road trip with the kids this past June. Our destinations were Kansas City to see friends and family and Lincoln, of course. The kids declared road tripping awesome. McDonald's in the car plus snacks plus movies equals a good time for sure!

We stayed in Lawrence with Don and Susan on Saturday night. They were gracious enough to tolerate our late arrival and made us feel incredibly welcome in their home. Sarah, Joe, and the boys came over Sunday morning for a delicious brunch. The Noltemeyers are old friends but they always treat us like family. It's so nice to having people like that in your life.

Speaking of Noltemeyers, our next stop was Olathe to see Matt, Sally, and the girls as well as their new home!

Love the Noltes and love these kiddos. They are all so sweet and are all so sweet together. Must because they have awesome parents. (Tee hee.)

Fireflies. Madelyn and Sawyer were beside themselves with the fireflies.

Brunch on Monday before heading to the Plaza. Let's do this again soon, Noltes!

Monday we moved to the Sheraton in the Plaza. We walked around some and did a little window shopping.

Met the cousins, Aunt Judi and Uncle Elvin, and everyone else at the Kansas City Country Club for night swimming and a picnic. It's been too long since we saw everyone but we had a blast. The kids loved the high dive and swimming. (Our joke was to see how many different pools we could swim in on this trip. As of this point, we were only at two.)

What a sweet group. Aunt Judi and Alasdair recruited us to help plan the Knight family reunion in the Fall and we're happy to help. Looking forward to seeing everyone again sooner rather than later!

Tuesday, we went to Oceans of Fun and had an ocean of fun. The weather was perfect and we got to the park early enough that we got to do multiple rides on all the really popular, really fun rides.

You'll never believe it but in the park, there was a trio of men playing drums and they were wearing tank tops with cats surfing on slices of pizzas. You should ask Madelyn if she saw it. (Also, wink.)

Hey, it's Ben Franklin!

After dinner treat on Tuesday - The Waffle Bar. Mine was good but I should have stayed simple.

Wednesday was an important day for our family. It was Sawyer's 7th birthday. Happy birthday, little brother! It was also the day we left Kansas City to go to Lincoln. GO BIG RED!

Stopped at the Arbor Day Farm in Nebraska City. Took a tour and picked up our free baby trees.

Ate lunch at Valentino's also in Nebraska City. Madelyn has declared their spaghetti to be the best. I'm not even sure what to say about that. Hello...pizza?! I know she's mine but sometimes her food choices make no sense. Either way, thumbs up all around for Valentino's.

After arriving in Lincoln and checking in at the Cornhusker, we drove over to campus. There really is no place like Nebraska. I got all sorts of nostalgic walking around campus. For real, it's been TOO LONG since we visited.

It was also really hot but that didn't cut my campus tour short.

Memorial Stadium. This was as close as we could get to the field on short notice. Also, one of my little campers was quickly running out of steam and any interest in doing anything else besides having some birthday dinner and swimming, again.

Birthday dinner at Shogun. He was intrigued but a little nervous. Griff caught the shrimp in his mouth and while Sawyer wasn't interested in catching shrimp, he did realize that he really likes shrimp. Happy birthday, Sawyer!

We had birthday cake back at the Cornhusker. I think it was a molten lava chocolate cake in a cast iron skillet with ice cream although I don't have any pictures of the treat. But, we did get a picture of this tiny boot of beer. How cute is that?

We headed back to Colorado the next day and it was good to be home.

This trip made me realize I miss the midwest, humidity, mosquitoes, and all. I loved getting to see our family and friends and getting to share Lincoln with my family. Bonus: I may have sold both kids on going to the University of Nebraska, too, so I think the trip was a win all around.

Oh, and our final pool count is below:

1 - Matt and Sally's neighborhood pool

2 - Swimming with the cousins at Kansas City Country Club

3 - After KCCC, swimming back at the Sheraton KC Plaza

4 - Oceans of Fun

5 - Swimming at the Cornhusker

6 years old.

Our guy is six years old. To be honest, he's been six now for a few weeks. However, his mother is slacking in the blog department and is just now getting around to posting. It's been hot!

Sawyer celebrated his golden birthday on June 6 with a triple header -- tennis camp in the morning, swimming lessons in the afternoon, and t-ball practice in the evening. His tennis crew serenaded him with happy birthday at the end of camp. It was very sweet. His name was on the board at swimming lessons and he was, again, wished a very happy birthday. In between swimming and t-ball, he worked on his birthday gift from Griff, Madelyn, and I. It's a new Lego Star Wars speeder! (Don't ask me which one.)

The long awaited Captain Underpants movie premiered on June 2. So, on the Sunday after his birthday, Sawyer and four of his school friends met for lunch and a movie. They are an incredibly sweet group who I got know throughout this past year.

We enjoyed pizza at The Rock...

...and underwear cake. Who doesn't like cake with tighty whities on them?! Happy birthday, Sawyer!

After lunch, the soon-to-be first graders, along with Mile High Madelyn and I, walked the short walk down the the street to the theater like a family of geese. There was even honking and shaking of tail feathers.

Captain Underpants - TRA LA LAA! Popcorn, waters, and reclining seats made our day complete.

The movie was what I expected. But, most importantly, the birthday boy had a great day and it was a great celebration of him. Happy birthday, dear Sawyer!

2013 Platte River Half Marathon: Check.

The ladies of Team Anderson finishing the Platte River Half Marathon.

April 7, 2013

My time wasn't as fast as the Colfax Half Marathon last year BUT I still completed it. And, for the most part, I achieved all my race goals. I don't set a hard and fast time goal but rather several goals. Some are measurable and others are subjective. This way, even if I don't set a personal best each time, I'm not disappointed and can still appreciate all that I did accomplish. (Maybe I should have been a psychologist or therapist instead of accountant.)

The Platte River Half Marathon starts in old Littleton and follows the Platte River Trail north to 8th Ave. From there, it crosses over I-25 and all the railroad tracks and finishes at 10th and Osage near the Buckhorn Exchange. Most of the race is on a slight decline except for the last 1-1/2 miles.

After coming down the overpass at mile 13 and returning to flat ground, I noticed a sign off to my left. Someone had made a sign for their friend, Mollie, and I remember thinking, "Hey, her name's spelled like mine. That's cool." When that group started jumping and hooting and hollering, that's when I realized the Mollie on their sign was referring to me! Shelley and friends had made an awesome sign "Mollie, P-P-P-Push it!" and were quite the cheering squad. For some reason, I was so surprised to see them at that point but still happy and grateful. Thanks, Shelley and friends!

Another block or so later, I recognized a curly haired girl sitting on her father's shoulders. I also recognized the girl's father along with her younger brother. It was my family! When I got close enough, I said, "Want to come with me?" and Madelyn hopped down off Griff's shoulders and ran the last two blocks with me. Thank goodness she wore her running shoes that day! It was a real treat to finish with her. I think she was very proud of herself as she proceeded to wear the finisher's medal all day. And, she enjoyed the post-race expo including apples, playground time, and ice cream bars immensely. Everyone enjoyed the Light Rail ride back to the car especially Sawyer.

I'll likely wait until Madelyn's in kindergarten and Sawyer's in preschool to do my next half marathon. That's really not even that far away. Who knows? Maybe I'll get up the courage to do a full marathon...or maybe not. At any rate, I'm enjoying exercising again for fun instead of following a rigorous training schedule while juggling preschool, sicknesses, and uncooperative Spring weather that acts more like Winter.

Congratulations to Teresa Bauerle on running your first half marathon! I'm happy to have been a part of it with you. :)

January

It's been almost a month since my last post and I don't really have a good excuse. I could blame it on the technical difficulties I've been having with Blogger on the computer. But, most of my blogging is done through my phone or the iPad. Time does seem to be moving really fast lately though. Maybe that's my problem! We're just too busy having fun.

After ringing in the new year, we celebrated our sweet, sweet Madelyn's 4th birthday. Her annual check up was good. The doctor re-confirmed that she's still a genius and, it turns out, a little on the smaller side. She was in the 25th-30th percentiles on both height and weight -- a petite little thing!

We hosted her first kid-oriented birthday party. Eleven of her friends, and their parents joined us, during the Broncos play off game for the Fun Bus. In spite of the cold -- the kids had no idea it was 12 degrees -- a GREAT time was had by all. Purple cake pops were served along with chocolate milk. The only thing that might have made the day better would have been a Broncos win. Oh well.

 Fun Bus. Hello, old friend.

The grand finale - sliding out the back of the bus.

I think each kid did this at least a half dozen times.

Happy birthday, dear Madelyn.

Purple cake pops like the lady requested.

The gumballs were hit, too. Kids and adults dug in after the cake pops were gone.

Somehow I didn't see that one coming.

The following weekend, Madelyn and I took a trip to Chicago for a girls' weekend with Auntie Kate and Aunt Trish. What fun! We got free DirecTV on our flight out so Madelyn watched Madagascar 3, a household favorite. Upon arriving in Chicago, we lunched and later got manicures and pedicures at ZaZaZoo Nail Salon. A friend of mine, the former director of SPAVital at Pura Vida, who now lives in Chicago, recommended it as a good salon for mommy-and-me manicures. Madelyn's nails were beautiful and it was a real treat.

Living it up.

The skyline on a COLD January day.

On Sunday, we brunched at Tweet where Kate and Trish pointed out "the actor from The Bodyguard." I corrected them as him being from Dumb & Dumber which just happens to be one of my favorite movies. Griff says all my movie quotes come from that movie but I'd have to replay the tape of the last ten years to confirm or disprove that fact. Thanks to Trish, though, I got my picture taken with him - Mike Starr!  He was incredibly gracious and very kind. Although he may not be there every Sunday, I highly recommend Tweet. Their food is delish, the service is excellent, and it's very kid and family friendly.

"Pills are good!"

Enjoying a delicious fruit salad at Tweet.

On Monday, Auntie Kate, Madelyn, and I visited the Shedd Aquarium. Somehow, it still cost us $78 to get in on free day but it was worth the price of admission. We saw everything there was to see including the Jellies exhibit and had a blast.

After returning to Colorado, Anderson & Co experienced a bout of the stomach flu. No one was spared. That was the pits but we're all back and on the mend. Life is getting back to normal. Madelyn returns to school and gymnastics, half marathon training with my little running partner (Sawyer) resumes, and Griff will be in and out of town again for work. Bring on February!

Bath toys

Sending a little shout out to the Noltes.

Thank you for sharing the extra bath toys with Madelyn and Sawyer. As you can see, we're having quite a good time with them!

xoxo,

Griff, Mollie, Madelyn, and Sawyer

Week four

Life is finally starting to feel like normal again this week. While it's not the pre-June 6 normal, and I'm happy for that, we're getting back into our routine. Madelyn, Sawyer, and I have had quite the busy week.

Monday - Grocery shopping in the morning. Playground and fountains in the afternoon. I really want to use the Baby Bjorn more with Sawyer than I did with Madelyn. We successfully grocery shopped with Sawyer in the Bjorn. And, Madelyn got a Lightning McQueen car for being such a good helper.

Tuesday - Play date in our old neighborhood with our friends, Andrea and Rowen (former next door neighbors). It was HOT and fun. Life in Stapleton appears to be good. Our old house looked fine but weird with someone else's furniture on the front porch. But, it was good to return to our new home afterward.

Wednesday - Swimming at the rec center with Honey and Poppie. Poppie and Madelyn swam at both the indoor and outdoor pools while Honey and I watched and Sawyer slept. It was another hot one but, luckily, we got a little relief with some afternoon clouds. Also, had dinner with the Andersons at Grandpa's house.

Thursday - Playgroup and bike parade with the Mom's Club. Still tired from yesterday, Madelyn didn't want to stay too far from my side and that's okay. We had a good time with our new friends and Madelyn marched in the parade since we didn't bring her bike along.

Friday (TBD) - Weight check for Sawyer and story time at the library. A quiet day before the long weekend might not be such a bad idea but we'll see where the day leads us.

Sawyer is still eating a lot but we're settling into a little schedule. He's sleeping between 3-4 hours at night. I'm getting a little more rest as well. I'll never again be fully rested and I'm okay with that. That's why they make under eye concealer. I wouldn't trade my Mdelyn or my Sawyer for anything.

Ethan's Birthday Party / The Fun Bus

Two weeks ago, we attended the birthday of party of Madelyn's best bud, Ethan.  His mother mentioned his birthday party to me in late Summer and said she had reserved this thing called the "Fun Bus."  Griff laughed when I told him this because whenever we get together with Ethan's family, we have to schedule two months in advance.

At any rate, here it is!

The Fun Bus!



A little stretching before all the fun really gets started.  The Fun Bus provides an hour of instructor-led playtime while the parents wait on the curb peaking in through the windows.

Here comes Madelyn through the tunnel and down the slide. She also jumped on the trampoline (a lot), swung on the high bar, played basketball, and made music with all her friends.  Everyone, including the instructor, told me she was the superstar of the party and participated in EVERYTHING.

Here I come!

And the finale - sliding out the back of the bus.  Of course, she got down and said, "More? More?" So, she got one more turn before heading back inside the house.

Like all good birthday celebrations, cupcakes were included.  Daycare has trained these children to sit at the table and wait patiently when they want their food!
(Clockwise from left - Ethan, Amelia, Madelyn, and Emerson)

 

Mmm...cupcakes.  Happy 2nd birthday, Ethan!  Thanks for inviting us to your Fun Bus party!

My weekend

Friday
Meghan came over and stayed with me while Mom and Dad went out. Meghan is my morning instructor at daycare and I really like her. We had lots of fun.

Saturday
I got up extra early at 6:00 am so that I could maximize the weekend with Mom and Dad. We went over to my friend Gray's house. His mom and dad fought over who got to hold me. I like them a lot. They had to go out for an hour so Gray and I read books and played while his parents were gone.

Later, Mom and I went to a ladies' lunch with her friend Brooke. I had only seen her in pictures and heard stories about her. She's really nice in real life and I'm glad I finally got to meet her.

And, because I didn't want to miss out on any of the weekend, I only napped for an hour-and-a-half...all day!

Sunday
We went to the SuperTarget to get our groceries. Guess who we ran into there?! Ethan and his mom and dad. Our moms were both picking out food for us. I got peas and sweet potatoes. He got all sorts of fancy stuff. Some of it included compote but I don't know what that is anyway. I like my vegetables.

Then we were down by Grammy and Grandad's house so we stopped in to visit. I got to say hi to Grandad. My Uncle Lee is going to be on Wheel of Fortune sometime soon, too. I can't wait to see him buy a vowel!

After all that, I'm pooped and headed to bed. Being a six-month old is hard work but it sure is fun.

Water baby

As soon as Dr Brandon cleared Madelyn for swimming and sunscreen, it was imperative that we make our first family trek to the swimming pool.

Her buddy, Gray, and his parents were going to the pool, too. So, the six of us headed off together.

Madelyn is living up to Kerkhove and Anderson family traditions of being a good little water baby. She splashed and smiled and laughed and talked and even had half of her lunch bottle at the pool. And, when a little boy jumped into the pool and splashed the three of us, it didn't phase her one bit. She just made a funny face and then kept on enjoying herself.

Now that we're members of the parent club in our neighborhood, I completely get and appreciate all the family friendly touches especially those at the Puddle Jumper pool with all the water features and zero-depth areas. I know Madelyn appreciates them, too.

Hopefully Uncle Jerky won't be too disappointed that she hasn't mastered the cannonball...yet. The summer's not over.

Thank you, Luke's mom

Luke is one of Madelyn's buddies at daycare.

Quick tangent: There are three or four little ones in Madelyn's class all within one month of each other -- Ethan, Luke, Ollie, and Madelyn. Addie used to be Madelyn's best girl friend but her family moved to Boston. Ethan and Ollie are really good on their tummies but hate sitting. Luke and Madelyn are semi-pros at sitting but don't really like being on their tummies.

Back to the main story.

The other morning when I was dropping Madelyn off, Meghan (the morning instructor) and I were discussing the crinkle boxes and how they're so popular. Meghan mentioned that Luke's mom gives him crinkled up wax paper at home and how it's the perfect toy. First and foremost, it crinkles. Secondly, it's non-toxic. And third, the wax keeps it from getting soggy after having been played with (and stuck in one's mouth) after a while.

We don't have wax paper but we do have parchment paper. Tonight, I gave Madelyn a crinkled up piece of parchment paper...and the rest is history.

By the way, she had her Cindy Lou Hoo hairstyle when I picked her up from daycare today. Apparently, she's "our favorite little girl" so I guess that means she gets fancy hair-dos from now on.

Daycare

Thank you to all for your kind thoughts and words last week as we embarked upon the next stage in our development as a family. To answer your thoughts, daycare (and work) is going well.

Every day the instructors jot down notes on Madelyn's daily sheet to let us know how and what she did. Her daily sheets have all had very nice things to say, including -

"I was a little shy at first but all my new friends & teachers just loved me!" (Day 1 - Last Thursday)

"...I was such a sweet girl." (Day 4 - Yesterday)

"...loved 'talking' and laughing for my teachers!! I loved my naps and ate a lot. I had such a great day!" (Today)

Clearly, she's doing well and we made a great decision in choosing her daycare. She even has a friend named Ethan. He's about four weeks older than Madelyn and helped show her the ropes these last few days. His parents have be-friended us, too, which really makes the daycare seem like an extension of our neighborhood.

The only downside is that she's exhausted in the evenings but she's still sleeping through the night. If that's our only complaint then we really have it pretty good.