Sawyer's GR8!

This kid. This spirited kid who has a mind of his own and the sweetest heart - he's 8! And, he's GR8! We celebrated his 8th birthday all day yesterday.

First of all, it's not every Thursday when you go outside to pick up the milk delivery and find a HUGE sign in your front yard. Yes, some people do like to wear footie pajamas in June and I've found it's best if you don't ask questions. Like Elsa, just let it go.

After breakfast, Madelyn, Sawyer, and I went to Red Rocks and hiked. It wasn't terribly hot when we got there but we were quite sweaty by the time we finished. It was also fairly crowded. I guess I shouldn't be too surprised. It is Summer and Colorado and Red Rocks are both destinations. 

The birthday king requested McDonald's for lunch so we honored his request. We finished up decorating his birthday cake in the afternoon. Had the local grandparents over for dinner last night. Sawyer discovered his love of shrimp and other shellfish in Lincoln on his 7th birthday last year. At his request, we had lobster macaroni and cheese. Honey brought her orange sunshine Jell-O salad. No birthday is complete without cake so we ate cake. Yes, that's a cat cake.

We took some more pictures in front of the birthday sign after dinner. Who knew that the birthday yard sign could also be used to play yard sign hide and seek?!

The birthday celebration will continue on next week when he goes to a Japanese steakhouse for dinner with friends. He's already committed to catching shrimp in his mouth. Fingers crossed I can capture that in a picture!

Thank you, everyone, who sent cards and gifts, called, and texted Sawyer yesterday on his birthday. He's special to me every day but extra special on his birthday. Your remembering and your love mean a lot.

HAPPY 8th BIRTHDAY, SAWYER!

Lady Penelope of CloudCity aka Penny.

The start of a new (cat) generation began for us this past weekend. We adopted a kitten!

In late October, I reached out to a local Siamese breeder via her website and asked to be kept in the loop should she have any kittens come available. Honestly, I didn't think I would ever hear back from her and I figured we'd just adopt a garden variety cat from a shelter. So, on Thursday morning when I woke up to find an email from this woman stating she had two litters of Siamese kittens ready for homes, I was so excited!

Saturday morning, we drove to Lakewood to pick our kitten. The kids were invited to come with and I was happy for that. I vaguely remember picking up Dusty back in 1980 but I still remember it. I thought it would be an important experience for them to have.

There were 7 kittens remaining and they were all so cute and playful and funny. It was room full of Jilly Boo, JuJu Bee, Jezebel, and Skippyjon Jones! We narrowed it down to two kittens, Pinky and Greenie. The names were based on the color collar they were each wearing, of course. Pinky was a seal point and Greenie was a blue point. They were sisters from the same litter. In the end, we chose Greenie!

Meet our dear, sweet Penny.

We (I) decided she will be registered as Lady Penelope of CloudCity. CloudCity is the name of the breeder's cattery.

She is 15 weeks old. Her birthday is August 18. She is a funny kitten who talks non-stop...even when she's eating. She purrs with her whole body and loves lap time. Bringing home a kitten is never easy but after a day and a half, we're both getting more comfortable with each other. I might still need the noise canceling headphones though if this meowing doesn't let up.

We have truly missed our Sadie cat. Even though it was her time, and we knew it was her time, her absence was still hard and definitely felt. Dear Penny will never take Sadie's place and we wouldn't want her to. She is already making her own place in our home and hearts and will be a great member of our family.

Also, when she's 15 years old, Madelyn will be 22 and Sawyer 20. YOWZA!!!!!

10th anniversary jam.

10 years of wedded bliss.

Griff and I celebrated by spending, almost a week, sans children in Boston and Maine. Madelyn and Sawyer (and Sadie) spent the week with grandparents. We certainly missed them but knew they were well cared for and we had a great time.

Day 1.

Flight to Boston. Dinner at Eastern Standard.

Our dinner at Eastern Standard was outstanding -- possibly one of the best I've ever had. The atmosphere was cool, the service was excellent, and our food was delicious. We had full tummies and passed on dessert. However, our server insisted we couldn't leave without dessert and she delivered  a dish of custard with raspberries and chocolate.

We stayed at the Sheraton Boston in the Back Bay. The hotel was within walking distance to Fenway, Commonwealth Avenue, Newbury Street, and T stations. Once we parked the car in the hotel garage on Sunday afternoon, we didn't get it back out until we'd checked out on Tuesday morning.

On a side note, it is so much easier traveling without children. Wink.

Day 2.

Fenway Park tour. Freedom Trail. Afternoon swimming at the hotel. Boston Red Sox game.

We had the 900A Fenway Park tour on Monday morning. It was the PERFECT way to start our day. Other than the grounds crew, we were almost the only people in the park. Fenway Park is such a neat stadium with so much history and so many preserved artifacts. Even if you're not a baseball aficionado, I would recommend the tour.

Standing on Yawkey Way.

Original grandstand seats.

View from atop the green monster.

Our ballpark tour wrapped up at 1000A. We walked back to the hotel, sunscreen-ed up, and headed north to the T station. We picked up the T near the convention center and rode up to North Station. Our plan was to follow the Freedom Trail from the north southward.

If you are the least bit interested in United States history, the Freedom Trail is such an incredible experience. The red brick path insures you don't get lost along the 2-1/2 mile walk. It wanders from point to point through the various neighborhoods. In the North End, I truly felt like I could envision it 250 years ago before our country gained its independence. And, the fact that the settlers built all these churches and homes and meeting houses without the use of modern construction tools constantly blew my mind.

Street's a little uneven.

We capped off day one by attending the Red Sox - Orioles baseball game. Talk about a fun place to watch a game. The fans are so devoted. We now consider ourselves Red Sox fans.

Oh, and I figured out we walked a half marathon, logging over 25K steps. Whoa!

Day 3.

Breakfast on Newbury Street. Drove to Camden, Maine. Lobster roll for lunch. Sunset schooner sail aboard the Appledore II.

We stayed at the Lord Camden Inn in Camden, Maine. It was right in the center of main street and across from the harbor. Our room was on the fourth floor and we had incredible views. Both mornings, I watched the sunrise over Penobscot Bay. And, I didn't even have to get out of bed for it!

View from our 4th floor balcony.

Our first evening in Camden, Griff really wanted to go on "an old people cruise". I was wanting to hold off until our second day but caved and we went that night. We booked a sunset cruise on Appledore II. While it's true we were the only people under 50, other than the crew, that didn't matter. It was a 2-hour sail from the harbor out to wherever the wind blows you and back. And, Griff got picked to help raise the main sail. Thank goodness for our youth!

Raising the main sail.

Returning to Camden Harbor.

Sunset over Penobscot Bay.

Day 4.

Run from Camden to Rockport (and back). Walked the Rockland Breakwater. Lobster roll for lunch, again. Low key pizza and salad dinner from Camden House of Pizza.

According to Fodor's Travel, the walk from Rockport to Camden is one of the prettiest in the world. We did it from Camden to Rockport, and back, and can agree that Fodor's Travel was not lying.

Rockport's harbor was much quieter than Camden's although it was still fairly early in the morning. We saw the remains of lime kilns that were used 200 years ago when Rockport lime was harvested, processed, and loaded into windjammers to be taken to Boston or wherever lime was needed in construction. What's cool is the trains would pull up above and behind these, dump in the lime, it would get processed in the kilns, and then loaded into windjammers docked directly in front of them to sail off to wherever. The railroad tracks are gone and the harbor has been changed. Now there's a gravel road instead of water right in front of these but still...so hard to imagine!

After our run, we cleaned up and went to Rockland to visit the Rockland Breakwater. It's a man-made granite pier, built in the 1800's, that is 7/8 of a mile long with the Rockland Harbor Light House at its far end. Due to tides, the breakwater is only "open" from 1100A-200P. The walk out is a little disorienting but nonetheless incredible.

The lighthouse is W A Y out there in the distance.

Day four's lobster roll came from a little roadside lobster shack called Claws. The line was long but the food was worth it. This was my favorite lobster roll of our trip.

My future's so bright, I've got to wear shades.

Lobster PILED high. Yum!

Day 5.

Drove to Portland, Maine. Visited Fort Williams and the Portland Harbor Light in Cape Elizabeth, Maine. This was awesome. Walked around the Old Port in Portland, Maine, and visited Harbor Fish Market. Almost got pooped on by seagulls but - HA HA! - they missed us. Dinner at Walter's.

I had heard about Portland Harbor Light but I wasn't familiar with Fort Williams. Holy cow. Fort Williams -- what's left of it, at least -- is so interesting. The remains of the batteries and bunkers for placing and sweeping mines during World War I are still present and accessible. And, the cliff walk was breathtaking. It's hard to imagine axis forces trying to get access to Portland during this time but I read on one of the plaques that a U-boat was intercepted in Casco Bay...which is just around the corner from Cape Elizabeth. It really brings the world wars so close to home.

Seriously. This state is so photogenic.

Beautiful day.

Day 6.

Drove back to Boston. Flight home...FIRST CLASS.

We had a very full trip, both with activities and fun. It was so nice to be alone together. I realize those two words are in opposition but whatever. I ain't no grammar expert.

It was nice returning home and getting back into our normal routine. Grammy and Grandad and Honey and Poppie obviously fed Madelyn and Sawyer because I swear they grew while we were gone. Thank you for making our trip possible...and for feeding the kids.

Griff, here's to 10 years and many more. Thank you for choo choo choosing me.

Big Cat

Guess who read this book to me the other night all by himself? That's right - Sawyer!

It's a sweet book about two kids and their big cat. But, it's even sweeter when it's being read to you by a sweet 5-year old who loves cats. He did a great job and melted my heart.

Sometimes, as the second child, the milestones don't get documented as thoroughly as they do with the first child. Well, consider this milestone documented.

Way to go, Sawyer!

First day of school.

August 17, 2016.

First day of 2nd grade for Madelyn and first day of kindergarten for Sawyer. We have two elementary schoolers. This is such a milestone for our family. I still have to pinch myself to believe it.

I did not attend the post first day drop off Boo Hoo / Yahoo event for kindergarten parents. I had a run to attend to! But, I also wasn't sure whether I was a boo hoo or a yahoo...I think a little of both.

Here's to a good school year for everyone!

Banner day for Sawyer.

After getting stung yesterday twice in the neck by a wasp at the Denver Botanic Gardens at Chatfield, sweet Sawyer had a much better day today. In fact, you could say he had a banner day! He...

a) Received his kindergarten teacher assignment. And, it's official. He has Mrs Murray! We are so excited for him and know he's going to have an awesome year. (See previous post re: Mrs Murray.)

b) Leveled up AGAIN in swimming lessons! He swam 25 yards backstroke all by himself and passed up to level 6. Way to go, my little buddy!

c) Attended a LEGO Mini Build with Madelyn this afternoon at the LEGO Store. They each built a cute little apple complete with worm, or in Madelyn's case a caterpillar because caterpillars are less gross than worms.

Happy days all around. Hope yours was good, too!

Platte River Half Marathon (2016)

The Platte River Half Marathon has come and gone.

According to my watch, my time was 2:07:47. Not bad considering my goals were to: (1) stay mentally strong and actually enjoy the race; (2) beat my time from 3 years ago; and, (3) beat a 10:00/mile pace. Check, check, and check -- I did all three!

Officially, I had the world's greatest (and cutest) cheering crew. Griff and the kids met me at mile 3, mile 10, and about 50 feet before the finish line. The two littlest Andersons ran across the finish line with me. It was so encouraging to see my family along the way and definitely helped me keep going.

And lastly, following are my results according to the race's website:

     Time - 2:07:41 (9:45/mile pace)

     Overall place - 613/1367

     Place in my gender - 264/825

     Place in my division (gender + age group) - 47/154

I thrive on numbers and statistics. It's the accountant in me! If you would like to see the above information in graph form, please let me know. Ha ha. While I didn't win the race, I'd say overall I had a good race.

Not sure what my next running goal will be. I'm thinking about shooting for 1000K miles in 2016 as I'm already one-third of the way there. Stay tuned.

F I N A L L Y.

The tooth FINALLY came out today.

Little Miss Muffet was snorkeling around the pool this morning and came up and said, "My tooth! It's gone!" Sure enough, that hanger-on of a tooth had come out. (Back story: This tooth had been completely detached on one side but rooted solidly on the other side or at least a week. Without using unnecessary force, we could not get that tooth out.)

Madelyn had been convinced this was her sweet tooth. (Thanks a lot, Pinkalicious.) Also, given this was one of her big front teeth, it was presumed to be worth more to a tooth fairy. Needless to say, she was upset that she'd literally lost her tooth.

So...I donned my goggles and swam around the pool looking for a teeny-tiny front tooth. And, I found it. Thank the Lord, I found it.

Now all is well. She has her tooth and can set it out tonight to see what that tooth fairy brings. What is the going rate for a front tooth?

Happy anniversary, Honey and Poppie!

48 years, 8 cross country moves, 6 different states, 3 children, 4 grandchildren, a couple of cats, and you STILL look as happy as the newlyweds from Omaha that you were on this day on 1967.

Happy anniversary to you, Mom and Dad. I love you.

Kindie program.

The last day of school is almost here. Sawyer's last day was actually today. (See post to follow.) Madelyn's last day is tomorrow. But, today was the long awaited Kindie Program.

"We all had a vacation and we grew, grew, grew into first graders!" 

There were four songs and a "play". Each kindie made their own Chicka Chicka Boom Boom shirt so they were dressed appropriately for that song. Madelyn got to be an A! 

The top picture shows all fifteen of Madelyn's classmates from this year. They have become such a close-knit group of kids. The assistant principal commented at the opening of the performance on how amazing it was to see how much these little people have grown over the year. And, it's so true!

Proud Papa.

Proud Grammy and Papa.

Seriously, how is is our Mile High Madelyn done with kindergarten already?! Only twelve more years until high school graduation. I don't even want to think about that!

Mrs. Murray.

I might be biased but Mrs. Murray is the world's greatest kindergarten teacher. We've had such a great year and she does an amazing job with her kindies. I thought it was going to be hard to top our experience with Madelyn's preschool teacher from last year but Mrs. Murray is right up there. 

Mrs. Preciado.

Mrs. Preciado is Mrs. Murray's aide and an ever present figure in the kindergarten classrooms. We'll absolutely miss her, too, next year.

I'm hopeful that when Little Brother enters kindergarten (in two years) that he can have the same wonderful guidance as Madelyn did this year.

One more day, tomorrow, but it's just the year-end party. Then it's well earned time off for fun, sun, and fun in the sun! Thank you, Ben Franklin Academy, for an awesome year. First grade, we're ready for you...in three months!

Way to go, Madelyn!

Kitchen project - DONE

As of last week, our kitchen is done.

 

The cabinets were the final piece and I love love love the results. It's like we have a whole new kitchen! I have to admit that I did have one or two mini panic attacks once the painting was underway. But, I knew deep down the end result would be worth two weeks of no cabinet doors and no drawer fronts. The glass coffee carafe was the only casualty during this time, too, which was impressive. At any rate, it's done.

 

 

 

 

 

The cabinet color is Boston Fern and the island is Swiss Coffee both by Behr Paint.

Happy 1st Birthday, Little Brother!

Two weeks ago, we celebrated the first birthday of our very own Little Brother aka Sawyer. It was a wonderful day that came much faster than I anticipated. Funny how 365, make that 366, days can fly by so quickly!

Sawyer had a great actual birthday which included macaroni and cheese, cake pops, and birthday presents. A few days later, in spite of the heat, we threw a big backyard bonanza and partied it up with our good friends and family. Below are a few pictures from the birthday celebration -

The birthday boy -- officially one year old!

Playing with a new birthday toy.

Give me that cake!

Mmm...cake.

Chocolate and frosting make a little boy happy.

No too much frosting on the face.



Cheese!

Unfortunately, I didn't get any pictures that caputre the rest of the party but it was quite a party. We had kids rumpusing in the yard, climbing the fort, and adults playing "corn hole". Cinderella even mopped up our deck at the end of the party! Uncle Gabe, Aunt Kari, and new cousin, Sloane, sorry you missed the party this year. But, we can't wait to join you at your first birthday NEXT year! Thank you to everyone for the phone calls, emails, cards, and gifts. Happy birthday, sweet Sawyer! You're one-derful (cheesy, I know) and we love you SO much.

And, last but not least. Vital stats from our twelve-month appointment with Dr Marc:

Height: 29-1/2 inches, or 50th percentile

Weight: 23 lb 5 oz, or 75th percentile

Head: 46 cm, or 75th percentile