The Pham Damly

Are You Ready for Some Football?

2011-09-11T22:04:00.001-06:00

Last weekend was the kick-off to the college football season. This weekend the big and little sooners gathered for a living room picnic to watch and cheer the sooners on in their second game of the season against Florida State.

Handsome football fan

The football is bigger than her!

No one wanted to take this picture except for mommy!

Ella loving the action in the living room!

Football is a big deal in our house, especially OU football. It is very cute to watch how the boys are really picking up on the game. Jake sounds exactly like John when he's watching a game now - he gets really into it and actually follows the game pretty well. The funny thing with Jake is (unless it is an OU game) he always decides to root for the team that is winning. He likes to win!

Jake is also playing 4 year old flag football this season. He asked to play it and initially I said no. I tried very hard to convince him to play soccer again this year (like last year), but he just kept insisting that he wanted to play football. So, we gave in and enrolled him. It was no mistake, he is actually a natural at the game. He is very fast and really focused on the game (a stark contrast with his soccer performance last year where he lost interest about 5 minutes into the game!) It's pretty cool to see him like something so much and be successful at it. I am glad I listened to him.

Jake and his football buddies

Getting ready for a play

John and I also got to go to the Bronco's season opener. We got out of the house early and went with some friends to dinner before the game. During the game, it rained and the Broncos played like poop, but we still had a great time getting out of the house and socializing for a change!

The ladies enjoying an adult beverage before the game!

All About Jake - Age 4.5

2011-08-29T21:29:00.000-06:00

Jake's first Jr. Kindergarden project - called "all about me". A little brown bag came home and we were to return it with things that Jake could show his teacher and his classmates to describe himself. Below are pictures of what he put in his bag (with a little help from mom and dad of course). He was very cute as he practiced describing all of the items with us the night before.

Jake the Cutie

Favorite sport: Football (favorite team: OU!)

Favorite food: Meatballs

His pet: Sadie

BLANKIE! (can't be without it)

The Family

Favorite book

Favorite toy: Trains

Favorite color: Green

Favorite movie: Cars 2

Ella is 9 Months!

2011-08-22T10:16:00.000-06:00

Ella is nine months old now. It's hard to believe that she is already so big. We visited the doctor on Monday, and here were her stats:

Weight: 14 lbs. 13.5 ozs (less than 3%)
Height: 27 1/4 inches (45%)
Head: 43 1/2 cm (25%)

Here are some things Ella is doing now:

Started rolling all the way over and over again (traveling quickly by rolling)
Can sit up from laying down (pulls on things or rolls to her side to get up)
Trying to get on her knees and pull up to her knees on some toys
Sleeps on her tummy
Says "ma ma" and "na na"
Says "nai nai" when tired (for night night)
"Sings" very loudly (in church or when someone else is singing)
Makes the "milk" sign for something to drink and (a form of) "all done" (slaps her hand on the tray)
Turns the pages of her books as we read
Still no teeth!!
Has crazy hair that looks like a baby bird - in a mohawk pattern on the top of her head!
Eating all veggies and fruit with cereal (rice and oatmeal) and just started Yogurt. Still very sensitive to texture (can't stand any chunks yet!)
Very interested in moving around all the time, but other than rolling a lot, she can't get anywhere just yet. This usually results in a lot of squirming (when in my arms), or screaming (when on the floor)!
Still getting up at least one time during the night

little talker

active on her tummy

eating yogurt! yummy!

hi mom!

loving the swing at the park

What I Would do if My Baby Slept Through the Night...

2011-08-17T22:37:00.000-06:00

Read more than one paragraph of a book without falling asleep
Get up early and exercise in the mornings
Give up caffeine again
Be able to recall simple things like people's names and my own phone numbers
Make it through a whole movie without falling asleep
Fix the perpetual kink in my neck
Stop snickering when asked by strangers if she's a "good" sleeper
Look 5 years younger
... miss her cuddles and company in the moonlight

Sleep Baby, Sleep

I Know What You Did This Summer...

2011-08-07T22:45:00.001-06:00

... but you don't know what we did because I haven't blogged all summer! Here is a photo montage to help catch up. School starts on Monday (can you believe that?) so hopefully I will get in a better routine again and start keeping up with this all again!

We were very busy with lots of fun stuff this summer. Starting off with a trip back to OK for Memorial weekend (which I already blogged about here). And a lot of baseball (which I also already blogged about here).

In June, Jake spent some time in OK with his grandparents for 9 days (it almost killed me for him to be gone that long!). He had a fantastic time playing with his cousins and taking a trip to Dallas to Lego Land. Every time we asked him if he missed us, he said "nope!". While Jake was in OK, we had Trent's brother Gavin visiting. The two boys had so much fun together playing wii and riding bikes. We went to the Denver zoo and went on a hike at Devil's Head with the boys and Ella. It was her first hike. She loved it and so did the boys.

Hiking Devil's Head

Brothers Hiking

Ella loved the trees

The boys meet the forest ranger (Bill)

Lots of stairs to climb after a long hike!

Ella loved resting in the forest

The boys played A LOT of wii

Jake and Ella (the day after Jake got home)

Three boys eating watermelon

Happy 10th Anniversary

Father's Day 2011

At the end of June, my sister Jen came with her family for a visit. We visited the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo and went to Pirate's Cove. We also made 'smores and had a great time playing (the kids) and hanging out (the adults). The house was crazy with 6 little boys ages 7 - 1 1/2, but it was also very fun. Trent went back to OK for the week with them and had a great time spending the 4th of July there with his Brother and cousins. He even got to play on Gavin and Drew's baseball team for their tournament and is said to have hit the "game winning hit" in one of the games (a big highlight for him!)

Crazy boys at the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo

Ella, meet Wallabee

Ella fed the giraffe!

Drew with his dad Brian

oops! blow it out!

I think we need a bigger picnic blanket!

back yard s'mores!

5 boy cousins

Cousins!

We spent the 4th of July as a foursome here in Denver. The weather was great for a change and we enjoyed the Highlands Ranch parade, a cook out with some great friends, and Jake and I watched fireworks that night with some friends. It was a great day!

Happy 4th!

Little cutie

Self pic at the fireworks show

Brother and Sister!

We saw several of these with all the rain we got this summer!

Finally, at the end of July, we met the Pham Damly :) in Dauphin Island AL for the week. We rented an amazing beach house and had the best time playing and laughing together. John's sisters and their families as well as his parents all bunked together in a fantastic 5 bedroom rental. All 15 of us! If you are looking for a quiet, remote beach island, Dauphin Island is the place for you. The Island was hit hard by Katrina so most of the houses (including the one we stayed in are newly remodeled or brand new buildings all together). It was Ella's first time at the beach (and Trent's that he remembers). Ella was unsure of the sand and waves but tolerated it all for many picture sessions. Trent couldn't get enough of the ocean. He played in it and the sand for hours. Jake also loved the beach and really liked the little pool that the house had on its deck. It was a small 4 foot deep pool that was perfect for the kids. They spent about 75% of their time in either the ocean or the pool. Talk about tired kids each night. There were definitely no issues with them going to sleep every night! We loved the place so much that we plan to return - someday soon hopefully!

En Route

Beautiful Dauphin Island Alabama

Fun in the sun!

Lovin the beach!

Yea! Beach!

Trent in the waves

7 grandchildren

Ella and her Ba Noi

Ella and Mommy

Picture perfect

Cute Boy!

A walk on the beach

Cousins

Crazy boys

have saucer will travel

peace!

missing one boy

on a treasure hunt!

Jake flying a kite

pretty girl

sand in her toes

we love the beach!

loving the sun and surf

sisters and brother

i'm going to get you!

helping Ella stand for a picture

cute kids!

wish you were here

we wish we lived at the beach

The only family picture we took! :)

Phew! That's a brief recap of the summer. It was filled with lots of swimming, sunning, laughing, and playing. I am so sad to see it go, but am looking forward to school starting and getting back in the good old routine (once we get over the initial shock of the daily routine that is!)

Stepping Up to the Plate

2011-06-08T17:00:00.002-06:00

John has been itching to coach something for a while, and when no one volunteered to coach the 7-year old coach-pitch group Trent plays, well it was the perfect opportunity for him to "step up to the plate!"

Little did he know exactly how much work it is to teach 13 7-year-olds how to play baseball! He has been to meetings, and teaching sessions, done research, etc. all in preparation for the first practice! Luckily several other dads signed up to help him (it's very necessary when trying to keep the attention of 13 7-year-olds!). The first practice was rained out, but we were able to get 2 good ones in before the first game this weekend. So far everyone is doing well and having fun playing. Here are a few pictures of the first game (taken by one of the parents with an awesome camera!)

first time up at bat

second time at bat

running home

Ella at 6 Months

2011-06-03T17:00:00.001-06:00

Ella is such a joy to be around. I truly am in awe of her daily. She is growing and changing constantly. It's hard to keep up with all of the new things she's doing now! She is very entertained by the big boys - it's really cute to watch how much she enjoys them.

Ella's 6 Months Stats (6/3/2011):

Height: 25 1/2 inches (45th %)
Weight: 13 8/14 lbs. (10 %)
Head: 42.4 cm (35th %)

What Ella is Doing Now:

Saying "ba" and "da" sounds
Loves to play with and suck on her own feet
Rolling from back to belly (but not yet consistently)
Sitting up less-assisted for longer periods of time
Reaching for and grabbing everything
Squeeling/singing a lot
She "sings" along with me now when I rock her at bedtime (cooing while i'm singing, quiet during the breaks in the song - it's so cute!)
She loves to listen to me recite "Good Night Moon" while I get her dressed for bed (she prefers to watch my mouth instead of look at the book). I love how her eyes light up as soon as I start to recite it.
She has time each night to watch her bird mobile while I prepare her room for bedtime. After she eats, I say "IIIIIIIIt's Birdie Time!" and she responds with a big smile, laugh and lots of kicking while she watches the birdies
She loves to be outside. We put her in her saucer outside while we work/play out there and she can be out there for hours playing and watching everything.
Still waking up at least once to eat during the night. I guess she just loves my company so much that she can't stand to go all night without seeing me! :) And I guess the feeling is mutual!

Sitting up!

grabing for everything (much to dad's schagrin)

first time with a cup

Memorial Weekend 2011

2011-06-02T08:00:00.000-06:00

As soon as school was out for Trent, we loaded up the car and headed East back to Oklahoma for the long weekend. Just a few days before we left, Ella caught her first virus and resulting ear infection. Luckily we started some antibiotics before we left or the trip could have been a lot worse! Ella was not the happiest little traveler in the condition she was in, so mom had to spend several hours riding next to her playing music and thinking of other distractions. After almost 13 hours on the road, we made it!

As always, we didn't get to see everyone as much as we would have liked (we pretty much need to live there to do that!) but we got some good quality time with our immediate family - which was awesome!

Though this was not Ella's first trip back to OK, she was much more engaged with everyone this time around. She loved getting all of the attention and was happy to be held by everyone.

On this trip, Jake stayed behind in Oklahoma with his grandparents and we brought Gavin (Trent's brother) home with us to visit for the week. It was so hard to leave Jake but he was so excited to stay behind and have the time with his grandparents and cousins!

Here are some of the many pictures we took while we were gone...

Ella and her Ong Ba Co (John's Grandma)

Ella and Grandma Rosie (my Grandma)

Happy to be passed around!

Jake lovin' the hot tub pool

Ella and her Ba Noi (Grandma)

Cousins Drew and Eli

Ella and her Paw Paw (with his sail boat)

Crazy cousins in the "pool"

Cousin Drew

4 cute cousins

Gavin, Trent, Drew, Jake

Oh May, Oh My!

2011-06-01T14:49:00.002-06:00

May has come (and gone!) Here are some of the things we did last month. I am still trying to get the hang of working/momming again - hence the reason for the absent posts (and the title)! I am hoping to be organized with it all again soon, but summer is already shaping up to be quite busy (so no promises!)

All three of them are growing like weeds. It was quite cold for May around here so they have been forced to wear their winter clothes a little longer than I would have liked. Since it's raining all of the time, I guess we can blame the shortness of their pants on the fact that we actually have been "expecting a flood".

School is out for summer! Trent is officially a 2nd grader!! He had a great first grade year. He is reading above grade level and excelling at math and other subjects too. It's still so amazing to me the transformation from (almost) 2 years ago. He's doing so well and we are so very proud of him!

Stylin' Baby

Mother's Day at the Zoo (A Pham Family Tradition)

Jake and Cousins Chloe and Trent (waiting for the Zoo train)

Riding the train

Big 2nd Grader!!

Monkeys at the Zoo!

First Mother's Day w/ Ella

Night Out! (Accenture Spring Formal)

Bathing Beauty

I call this her Shirley Temple impression

Still loving the saucer!

Easter Eggstravaganza

2011-04-30T17:49:00.001-06:00

We had a great Easter this year. The weather, as usual, was not the nicest, but we still were able to get a few egg hunts in. We managed to organize ourselves enough to go to church and also had some friends over after for lunch. Here are some of our pictures!

amazing... we actually got a good one!

wearing thier Easter best

Ella Bella

Thanks for fixing my headband Nanny
(it fit perfectly!)

Silly bunny

bunny with bunny

hoppy Easter!

Ella's first Easter basket
(that funny bunny gave her baby food carrots)

the loot

Look what I do now!

2011-04-29T21:54:00.000-06:00

Ella has been working on it for a while, but finally got the hang of eating! She gets really excited now when she eats (like i can't shovel it in fast enough!) So far, she's had rice cereal, oatmeal cereal, bananas (a favorite) prunes (to off-set the bananas) and apples. She's not a fan of the apples, but they are the newest so we will keep trying! Here are some cute sloppy pictures...

very first taste (loved it)

feeding her in the exersaucer
(because she hates the bumbo and screams when I put her in the high chair! such a princess!!)

mmmmmmm...

trying to get the hang of it

finally learned how to open her mouth and take in the food

sloppy Ella = adorable

Ella - 5 months old

2011-04-19T21:56:00.001-06:00

Ella turned 5 months the day before I started back to work. She's getting so big, so fast!

um, mom... what are you going to do with that camera?

I like to be cute

little girl getting BIG!

still loving her playmat

smiley girl

so happy!

Here are some things she's doing at 5 months:

Laughing a lot - usually at the big boys
Squeals (talks) a lot - especially when happy and excited
Likes to watch mom and dad's mouth when we talk and eat (studies us very seriously)
Rolls over from belly to back quickly now
Eats rice cereal, oatmeal, and bananas
Holds head and chest very steady (plays in exersaucer unassisted)
Rides in her stroller like a "big girl"
Started to move around the crib when sleeping

Love the One You're With

2011-04-15T23:07:00.004-06:00

In the last several months, many of our good friends/neighbors (who shall remain nameless here) have decided to move. They are not going too far, just upgrading to bigger homes. This has made us quite sad and even made us start thinking of making a move ourselves. In fact, John had the bug so bad that he started looking at houses, talking to realtors, etc. Don't get me wrong, the idea of moving into a bigger home with more room for all 5 of us sounds lovely...BUT who are we kidding? It's not as easy as just finding the home of your dreams to move into. You must first, SELL your own home which involves cleaning and listing and keeping clean, and showing, etc. Then there's finding another house, the mortgage brokers, the contracts and negotiations, etc. It's a bit overwhelming just thinking about all of the WORK and STRESS and LACK OF SLEEP that goes into such an idea. And did I mention I have a 4 month old that does not sleep well?

So, after a few heart-to-heart conversations with my beloved husband (including me saying something like this: "the thought of listing/showing our house makes me want to break out in hives hon!!!"), we decided it was best to stay put and give the old gal a few touch-ups so we can continue to be happy where we are!
We've completed the first project - Plantation Shutters in the living room, master suite/bath, and office. Made a world of difference in our living room (lovingly referred to as the "sun room" or "hell") temperature-wise. We're hoping for a return on investment with energy savings alone!
We also hope to do a few other things including refinishing the hardwoods and new carpet eventually. Heck, once we're done, we may never want to move! (OK, not likely as the children in the house grow bigger and bigger, but we can at least put off a move for a while!)... I think?

Jake's Photos

2011-04-15T23:05:00.000-06:00

Keeping Jake busy can be a challenge sometimes. He's a real home body. He doesn't really like to get out of his PJs and leave the house for any reason (he can only occasionally be lured by a play date with his BFF Mackenzie).

The other day, I asked him to take some pictures of me and Ella. After which, he had a grand time with my camera for a while. Here are some of his pictures - pretty funny :) He cracks up every time he looks at them (must be an inside joke!)

view of backyard through a screen

shaky preschooler with hydrangeas

action in the exersaucer

room askew from atop a couch

army man in bumbo

this stuff is bananas (b-a-na-na-s!)

half eaten PB&J on racoon plate

sophie well lit

celing corner of a dining room

butterfly on exersaucer (in detail)

sister delighted
(up close and personal)

Sleeping like a Baby

2011-04-09T23:16:00.000-06:00

"People who say they sleep like a baby usually don't have one." -- Leo J. Burke

I haven't posted an update on sleep primarily because it went from bad to worse and I've been relatively beside myself about it for months now. Now that we've made it through the last few tough weeks, I am able to reflect and share the story (disclaimer: it's a long one).

As I mentioned, Ella's sleep has never been great, and it actually got worse instead of better right around the 3 month mark. Out of necessity, I began co-sleeping with her because I was just too tired to deal with all of the night wakings. I kept telling myself that once she started sleeping longer (like Jake did), I would move her out of the bed. It was not the best sleep I've ever had, but really the best sleep I could get at the time. Up until 3 months, she had been going to bed around 7 PM and not waking until around 11 PM to eat, then would go back to bed easily. Then she would wake again around 1 or 2 AM at which point I would bring her from her bassinet (in our room) to our bed where she would eat several more times as we dozed until morning. At around 3 months, Ella began struggling with bedtime as well. I would put her down at 7 PM then she would be up again around 30-40 minutes later. She would need soothing (nursing, rocking, paci, etc.) and then would go back down, but only for 30 minutes or so. This continued over and over until around 9 or 10 PM when she would seem to fall into a deeper sleep finally. I know I don't have to say this, but the routine was ABSOLUTELY EXHAUSTING, not to mention IMPOSSIBLE when I had to get her and the boys to bed by myself (which I had to do on several occasions). Something had to change!

So, I hit the books. I looked to the books which I already owned (but never needed too much with Jake), and I also checked out several books on the topic from the library. After A LOT of reading, it was very clear that Ella had developed several negative sleep associations (which are basically things she associates with sleep and must have to fall asleep/fall back asleep). The biggest culprits: nursing to sleep and sleeping with mommy/nursing to sleep!

obsessed with sleep books

The biggest challenge of reading so many different books and philosophies on sleep and sleep training was that there was a lot of conflicting advice. On one end of the spectrum is the cry-it-out method (CIO) which basically leaves the baby to cry with no comfort until they cry themselves to sleep. And the other end of the spectrum was the co-sleeping/attachment method where by you comfort your baby in your bed and wait for them to outgrow the night wakings. And many methods in between. It was sort of an agonizing decision, but I finally came to the conclusion that all the methods probably work for some, and you have to pick the method that works best for your baby and family (and what you yourself can stand!)

In our case, we decided on a method that did involve crying, but also allowed us to check on her as often as we wanted and was not too strict in the middle of the night (when I am at my weakest). Ultimately, I decided on a book I already owned called Sleeping Through the Night by Jodi Mindell.

I decided to tackle the two sleep issues separately as not to lose my sanity. First on the list was to create new positive sleep associations and help Ella learn to fall asleep on her own at bedtime. According to Mindell, once a baby learns to fall asleep on her own, she will stop waking so much (or, rather will easily fall back asleep when she does wake naturally during the night). So we began by changing up her routine to nurse first, then change into PJs/book (Good Night Moon), then rock with mommy/paci until she's sleepy (but not asleep) and lay down in her bassinet awake.

The first night was tough. She cried for about an hour before she was able to fall asleep. John and I checked on her/comforted her every 10 minutes or so until she fell asleep. The second night was better, we only had to go in a few times and she was asleep in a little less than an hour (with less crying than the night before). The third night, we were shocked to see her go to sleep with NO crying at all in about 15 minutes. And it was DONE! Now, she goes to bed, falls asleep on her own, and falls back asleep when she wakes slightly. I have to say, this in and of itself is an absolute RELIEF to me and is so much better on me and the whole family at bedtime! I can now engage with the boys again before they go to bed and have a conversation with my spouse (which I had not done much of in the last 4 months!)

After she was sleeping well for about a week (during this time, I would bring her to bed with me when she woke to eat in the middle of the night), I was ready to tackle the co-sleeping transition. I decided that she should move to her crib for this transition instead of the bassinet in our room because as mentioned before, I have 0% will power at 3 AM. Much like the sleep training at bedtime, the first few nights were brutal. She woke up for her first feeding around midnight, I fed her in her room and put her back in bed. She woke up again at 2 AM, then at 3 AM, 3:30 AM (at which point I waved the white flag and asked John for help). He got her back to bed at 4 AM, and she was back up at 4:30 AM at which time I finally fed her again and got her back to bed. She was up again at 6 AM and since the sun was starting to come up, I decided to throw in the towel and bring her to bed with me. I was definitely feeling defeated and very worried about the next few nights. But, night #2 was slightly better than that (with fewer wakings) and every night since has been a little bit better. We're currently on night #8 and she is only waking 2 times to eat (AMAZING from where we started!)

I'm not sure about this mom!

My baby wanted to sleep, she just didn't know how to do it by herself. It was my job as her mom to help her learn. The best part of this all is how much happier Ella is during the day. She is smiling a lot more, content to play on her own, and way less fussy. Oh HAPPY DAY!

Ella in her crib

The Count Down is On

2011-04-04T07:00:00.013-06:00

As of today, I have exactly 2 weeks before I start back to work. I am feeling very anxious and sad, but also excited to be back in the swing of things. I haven't exactly had the easiest maternity leave with the easiest baby. I am so thankful I was able to stay home with her for so long and also thankful that I had three days a week with her all to myself. She's such a mama's girl that I think it may be an adjustment for her. But we've got an amazing girl who is going to come to our home to care for her while I work. It couldn't be a better situation and I am so thankful for her as well!

I will really miss this.....

Playing at home

But luckily I am just going back 3 days a week again and will still have 2 at home with her and Jake (at least until August when Jake starts a full time Jr. Kindergarden program!!)

For the moment, I am going to try to enjoy my last few days at home with just me and her because I know from experience now that it will never be quite the same :)

Sorry for the delay...

2011-03-25T23:48:00.000-06:00

What can I say? Life is busy :) It's been a while since I posted, so here is an update for March!

Ella continues to get so big. Since she can hold her head up so well now, I decided to get out the exersaucer. I use a few blankets to keep her propped up in it and she absolutely loves it.

Ella in the exersaucer

She still likes to play on her play mat too. She is spending a lot of time now working on her fine motor skills. You can really see her work hard to move her hands slowly toward the toys and she can actually grasp and bring the toys toward her mouth which she is thrilled about!

Ella on her play mat

Ella's sleep actually got worse in March (and I didn't really think that was possible). She is still not napping longer than 20-40 minutes at a time and waking often after she goes to sleep for the evening. She is still sleeping with us out of necessity (yes, we've now created a monster -- more on that in a later post!). But, there are a lot of things I love about sleeping with her, not the least of which is this adorable smile I get to wake up to each morning. This smile ALMOST makes up for the kinks in my back/neck and also for the fact that I have not had more than 2 hours sleep without waking since she was born!

Ella in my bed

The boys are doing well also. Jake is learning to write his name. He comes home with papers almost every day and is improving a lot from day to day. He's also in Soccer again at school. He plays every Wednesday. He really likes it - Wednesdays seem to be his favorite day. Jake continues to be infatuated with his sister. He wants to hug and kiss her all the time and show her everything he's playing with. He also thinks he always knows the reason why she is crying. He will say "I think she's hungry", or "She's sad because I have to go to school."

Jake Loves Ella

Trent finished his second season of basketball in March. It was amazing to see the progress of his team from one year to the next. This year, watching the games was so much different. It actually felt like a real basketball game with the guys engaged for most of the game and actually playing good defense and offense. He started to be a lot more aggressive with the ball this year and plays really good defense. We were really proud of how much progress he has made. We also learned this month that Trent is a natural at skiing. He took one lesson, and is very comfortable on the mountain. John said he would be skiing blue runs after just a few more trips!

Not the best pic, but one we actually managed to snap!

Ella: 4 Months

2011-03-17T17:21:00.002-06:00

We went to Ella's 4 month check up today. Here are her stats and a little bit about what she's doing these days...

Weight -- 11 lbs. 11 ozs (10%)
Height -- 24 inches (45%)
Head -- 39 3/4 cm (15%)

Much like Jake, Ella is a little one, but still growing according to her own curve (I looked back and she's actually smaller than Jake was at 4 months!) . Our Dr. gave us the green light to begin solids so we will be starting her on cereal soon too - that will be fun!

What Ella is doing now...

Rolls from side to side (almost over to her belly when on her back)
Drooling a lot (maybe some teeth in the next month or so?)
Playing in her exersaucer (can hold her head well and stand for a while before getting tired)
Smiling a lot
Laughing (she loves when mommy throws a plastic bag in the air - thinks it's the funniest thing!)
Blows raspberries

Here are some recent pictures of the little doll:

Miss November

Too Precious!
(can you spot her crazy brother in this picture?)

Playing in her saucer

Happy St. Patty's Day!

Loves her saucer!

Random Pics of February

2011-02-21T21:31:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures of what we've done in February...

Ella getting too big for Jake's lap!

Stylin'
(and sucking on my hands as usual)

Ella now rolls over onto her sides when she's playing and sleeping

Had to share - this is how I spent my time from around 4:45-7:00 pm
each night since Ella is so cranky during this time

Happy New Year!

Love this picture!

The boys first skiing trip
(they LOVED it)

Those are supposed to be thumbs up I think

Be Mine

2011-02-17T21:43:00.002-07:00

Most people consider Valentine's day to be a pointless, commercial holiday; but Valentine's day holds some sentiment for me for many reasons. Most notably, it is the anniversary of John and my first date 13 years ago. We were out to dinner over the weekend and as usual at one point in the dinner we had all three kids causing a ruckus of some kind (for example: Ella crying, Jake playing under the table, and Trent spilling his drink). I said to John, "If you knew 13 years ago we would be sharing this life with these crazy kids, would you still have asked me out?" To which he replied, jokingly "NO!" (at least I think he was joking) :)

For the last few years, we've spent Valentine's day at a University of Colorado Hospital benefit called Hearts of All Ages. I have to admit that in years past when we only had Jake, I was a little miffed at having to spend my evening (our anniversary of sorts) at a work function for John. This year, however, I was very excited to get the kids dressed up, get out of the house and celebrate the holiday because, let's face it, we aren't really going places these days!
The evening, as expected, was a crazy one with three kids. But, the boys had a great time, and surprisingly Ella was awake most of the evening, being very chill (unlike her) and taking it all in. She actually stayed in her daddy's arms most of the night and was pretty content to do so. It was really a great evening this year.

Ella turned 3 months this week also. Her daytime sleep is getting a lot better. She is napping a lot better and more consistently and is able to stay awake for longer periods of time without being cranky. She's found her hands and loves to suck on them, and she also is getting more and more vocal. She now wakes up in the morning with a big smile on her face and likes to lay and talk to me. She is still a little cranky in the evenings and we can't quite figure out when her bedtime should be yet (I'm sure it will fall into place soon). But one really cute thing is that she can be crying, ready for bed, and as soon as I take her up and say "night night" and start putting her PJ's on, she gets really excited and smiley as if to say, "yes, they finally get what I want!"

Here are some pictures of the event and the growing girl and family:

Little Valentine

Thinking about sucking on her hands

What happens when your brother won't stop
pestering you with a little frog toy (get used to it sister!)

Cuties

Daddy's Sweetie

Ella's 12 Weeks Old

2011-02-12T13:36:00.000-07:00

... And getting so big! Here are some pictures from our latest photo session!

Sunday Fun Day!

2011-02-07T13:29:00.000-07:00

The weekend brought more snow, but warmer temperatures, so we decided it was time we all GET OUT OF THE HOUSE! Mommy most of all has been going a little stir crazy, so even I bundled up with miss Ella in tow and headed (where else?) to the sledding hill of course!

Jake

Cool boys in their new ski helmets

Trent

The boys had such a great time, and I quote from Trent: "This was the best day of my entire life!" (he's a little dramatic...he comes by it naturally I suppose)

Bundled little bear

SO CUTE!

ok, mom... enough pictures already!

Then Sunday night was the Superbowl. The boys were very excited to watch the game. At first Jake was rooting for the Steelers until they were loosing in the first half and he quickly changed his mind to root for Green Bay (he only goes for the wining team regardless of who they are!) They also loved the half time show with The Black Eyed Peas - thank goodness they kept it pretty much PG!

It was the first year I think that we didn't go to or host a party for the game. I was commenting on how relaxing it was for a change, but John was sad to not be socializing (and drinking) this year. I made a few yummy super bowl snacks for us all though, so not all was lost!

The Super Bowl Fans
(a little tired from a day of sledding!)

To Sleep Perchance to Dream

2011-02-02T12:55:00.000-07:00

Those of you who know me also know that I very easily become obsessed with certian things, especially where my kids are concerned. Right now, I am obsessed with my baby's sleep. It's certianly understandable, I think most moms of infants are (at least that's what I am telling myself!).

I think I set myself up for failure with Ella. When I was pregnant with her, I imagined she would come out and be very mellow (like her brother) and sleep anywhere, all the time. Because, hey, she's the second child, don't they have to "go with the flow?" Well, boy was I wrong! The world revolves around Ella because she demands that it do so!

Ella is not a good sleeper at all. Not during the day, not at night, not ever. So, being obsessed with this (and having to deal with a tired cranky baby all day) I began my quest for the magic fix that will help my baby sleep! In my reading, most of the experts say that a rough "schedule" should look something like this: baby eats, baby plays, baby sleeps. And baby should not stay awke for more than 2 hours inbetween sleeps. Oh, and also baby should sleep in the same place everytime, and lay down sleepy but not asleep. Oh, yeah, and baby should not need any "props" for sleep (paci, mommy, etc.)

So, I have started to try to implement some of these suggestions... which basically means my entire life consists of soothing a baby to sleep (and then back to sleep). I have to believe this will help me in the long run and help Ella get the sleep she needs. So far though, I have not seen any consistent results.

Next on the list, I will try to get my baby to sleep A LOT longer at night (oh and also get her out of my bed during the night) -- not sure that will happen for a while though!

and THAT, my friends, is why mommy needs coffee!

little no-sleeping cutie
(she even looks tired in this picture)

No It Snot

2011-02-01T22:59:00.000-07:00

The boys both have a cold now. Nothing serious, no fever or anything, just a LOT of mucus. And, of course, now Ella has her first snotty nose too. Luckilly, one of my friends recommeded I purchase one of these before she was born:

It's an electric snot sucker (I think the fancy term is nasal aspirater) and it's very handy indeed. This thing can suck out all of the snot in one fell swoop! Which means the screaming can be over much sooner than when we do it the old fashoned way.

Here's a recent picture of the little lady :)

Talking to her bunny friend

Out of the Mouth of Jake

2011-01-26T09:09:00.011-07:00

Jake is a pretty funny guy, he's always said some really funny things. I wanted to capture some of the things he's said recently...

About Ella:
(when Ella was born, he said to his grandma) "She's so cute, she looks just like me!"

"Mommy, Ella is my sweetheart"

"what I like best about Ella is that she toots... hee hee hee"

"Mommy, Ella will be a girl when she grows up, right?" (me: Ella is a girl now Jake), "Oh, she just has a boy haircut then?!"

"Ella is so cute, when I grow up I'm going to marry her." (John: that's not legal in most states Jake)

About Mommy:
(background: Jake has always had some kind of strange fixation with my hair. Since he could talk he would tell me how much he prefers me to wear my hair down)... "Mommy, you look beautiful today!" (me: Thank you sweetheart!) "Mommy, I like your hair that way... not like when it's in a pony tail" (me: ok, Jake) "Mommy, why do you wear your hair in a pony tail anyway?" (me: because mommy is busy and it's easier honey) "Well, I don't like it when you wear your hair in a pony tail" (me: duly noted Jake!)

Jake Age 4

Brand New Baby!

2011-01-26T09:09:00.000-07:00

As I am writing this post, my little angel is asleep in her bed. Yes, I said ANGEL! The Dr. definitely diagnosed her acid reflux correctly. We've been on the medication now for over a week and have seen a drastic difference in her mood. She is only fussy now when she's tired or hungry -- this, I can handle!

Now... for how long she will sleep? That is another post altogether!

Here are a few recent pictures....

What are you looking at bunny?

Happy Girl

Ella Bella

Stylin' in my boots!

Where Does the Time Go?

2011-01-18T22:58:00.000-07:00

(since I am not sleeping as much as most people, shouldn't I feel like I have more time than everyone else???)

Ella is two months old this week, and what a blur it has been! It does not seem like that much time has passed already, but I definitely feel like she's growing and changing every day.

We went to the Dr. today for her two month appointment. The poor baby had to get FIVE shots and a new oral Rotavirus vaccine (new since Jake was a baby). Mom didn't fair too well during the shots - I just cried my eyes out along with her. So much so that the nurse asked me if I was ok! Darn hormones!!

One good thing that came out of her appointment is that we may have an answer to why she's been so incredibly fussy. Really, fussy is a very kind description of what she's been like. She's just been so very hard. When we started describing her bahavior to our Dr. today she seemed pretty sure that Ella has acid reflux. So, we have a new prescription to try and I am really hoping we see a new happier baby in a few days! (I'll keep you posted of course!)

Here are Ella's stats from today's visit:

Height: 22 inches (40th percentile) - up from 20 3/4 inches at 2 weeks old
Weight: 9 1/2 lbs. (20th percentile) - up from 7 lbs 6 ozs at 2 weeks old
Head Cir: 37.8 cm (20th percentile) - up from 35.5 cm at 2 weeks old

Getting SO BIG!

who, me? cute?

Look who's smiling...

2011-01-15T18:04:00.000-07:00

BIG smile!

love this smile!!

Some Sleepy Milestones for Us

2011-01-10T12:12:00.000-07:00

This week we had several sleep related milestones...

(1) Jake is officially night-time potty trained (so cool!) -- he's been dry in his pull up for several months now, but we haven't really wanted to deal with any night time accidents since things have just been crazy at home lately. When we got back from vacation, we were out of pull ups so we were kind-of forced into a night in underwear. He did great and we're not looking back!

(2) Trent had his first sleep over! -- he has been begging for a sleep over for almost a year now, but we've not been too sure of it. One of his good friends invited him for a sleep over/birthday party this weekend. He was SO excited. We resisted the urge to call numerous times to check on him :)

(3) Ella's new bedtime -- Ella has been much more alert and awake more for the last few weeks. It's been great because she's smiling now and playing more, but it also made for a very over-tired baby. Ella is a little more difficult (sensitive?) than we remember Jake being. She spent the last week screaming her lungs out from around 5pm until we went to bed (and I mean ear-pearcing screaming!). I did some re-reading of some of the sleep books that we had for Jake and realized that she was just over-tired. So we started putting her down for bed around 7pm and now we have a nice break in the evening vs. a screaming fussy baby for the last hours of our night! (I know, DUH mom and dad!!) She's still not sleeping for more than a 4 hour stretch at a time, but I know that will come soon enough. Just glad she's a happy baby again!

Ella's "baby leggs"
(the adorable leg warmers she's wearing)

Ella playing and smiling

Christmas, Christmas and MORE Christmas!

2011-01-08T21:51:00.000-07:00

Christmas and the days leading up to it were great. We celebrated with some friends in early December and had a personal visit from Santa at their house. The boys thought it was so cool and even Ella had her first meeting with Santa.

The boys tried extra hard to be good this year as we had a new addition to the family (and I am not talking about the baby!) Yes, we finally got an Elf on the Shelf! The boys decided to name him Comet and he was magical! The whole "schtick" wore off after a few days with Jake who told Santa when asked that he is "only sometimes good" to which Santa replied: "well, at least you are honest!" But with Trent, it was magical! One evening I was praising Trent for having such great behavior since Ella was born (which has been such a blessing). I told him that I knew he was being so great because of her, etc. After I went on and on for a while, he finally spoke up and said: "yeah, and because we have an Elf living with us now and watching everything we do!"... ahhh the magic I tell you!

We went to Hudson Gardens to see all of the lights on the day before Christmas eve. The weather has been very mild here so we really enjoyed walking around and it was not too cold for baby Ella. The boys really enjoyed it.

At Hudson Gardens light display

On Christmas eve we decorated a gingerbread house (which the boys were SO excited about) and went to Christmas mass. We prepared for the big guy by putting out some of the cookies the boys helped me make and some egg nog then it was off to bed!

Trent working hard

Despite how it looks, this picture was NOT easy to get
(but it's a Pham family tradition!)

We spent Christmas day at home just the 5 of us. It was nice to be home and do the intimate family thing for a change, though we missed being with family. It was strange to have no where to go, but the boys really enjoyed playing with all of their toys all day. I made a ham and some of my Aunt Barbara's cheesy scalloped potatoes for dinner which actually turned out good!

The JOY of Christmas morning
(yes, I bribed them with thier new toys to get this picture!)

Ella Bella

Is Christmas over ALREADY!?

Finally we traveled back to Oklahoma City after the holiday and had more Christmas there :) It was great to see everyone. John's grandparents celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary and almost all of his family came in to celebrate with them. It was a nice to see a lot of his family we haven't seen in a long time. We got all of the cousins together also - as always all of the boys loved playing together!

The whole PHAM damly!

3 weeks

2011-01-03T14:58:00.000-07:00

Ella was 3 weeks old on Wednesday. My how the time flies by when you have a new born (and are not sleeping!) At her 2-week appointment, she was already well past her birth weight (7 lbs 6 oz) and had already grown another inch and a half (to 20 1/2 in). I'm so thankful that she's such a great eater!

We've had tons of help with family here since before she was born. On Saturday afternoon, we will be on our own for the first time since she was born. It's been so great to have all the help - now the real test will begin! We will need a few days I am sure to figure it all out, but hopefully will settle into a routine soon. Here are a few more pictures of the growing girl!

Jake loves to hold Ella

Ella on her changing table looking at the light

Full of milk

After first bath at home

Look a Like?

2010-12-06T10:29:00.000-07:00

When Ella was born, John and I both thought she looked exactly like Jake. Their stats were pretty much the same as well (her's at 7 lbs, 19 inches, Jake's at 7 lbs 3 ozs, 19 inches). After looking back at Jake's pictures, there are definitely a lot of similarities, but of course some differences too. Here are some pictures of both to compare...

Jake a few minutes old

Ella a few minutes old

Jake a few hours old

Ella a few hours old

Jake day 1

Ella day 1

Jake unwrapped

Ella unwrapped

Jake going home

Ella going home

Jake resting on mom's chest (day 5)

Ella resting on mom's chest (day 5)

Jake's scowl

Ella's scowl

Welcome Ella Rose!

2010-12-05T14:46:00.000-07:00

Ella Rose was born one day before her due date on November 17th at 1:11 PM. She weighed 7 lbs even and was 19 inches long. She is such a joy, a perfect little angel. We are all so happy she's here!

Ella Rose - just a few hours old

sweet baby girl

Jake meets Ella Rose

Jake and Trent with Baby Sister

So happy she's here!

Jake getting to know his baby sister

Making Room for Baby

2010-12-05T14:08:00.001-07:00

Here are a few pictures of the nursery...

view from the door

view from the closet

view from the window

Time for School!

2010-08-19T10:27:00.000-06:00

Trent is back in school this week. He was so excited to go back. We went to the school to meet his new teacher the Thursday before he started. She is new to the school this year and so very nice. He was so excited to start the first day. We had a slight snafu when he rode the bus home on the first day. It was his first time riding home (he rode to school all year last year, but never back home because he was in AM kindergarten). When the bus came to drop off all the neighborhood kids, I watched them all get off one by one.... then the door closed and the bus took off - NO TRENT! Of course I panicked. After some kind words from a neighbor I frantically called the school holding back tears. They quickly determined that he got on the bus and had just missed our stop. They radioed to the bus which promptly brought him back to our stop. He was a little worried, but relieved when they brought him back. On day two, the process went much smoother. I don't think he'll miss his stop again :)!

I Heart Summer in Colorado

2010-08-03T10:03:00.000-06:00

This weekend we took a quick trip to Copper Mountain. John's company was one of the premier sponsors for the Children's Hospital Courage Classic bike ride and fund raiser. We had a great time together riding the ski lift, hiking, shopping and playing in the bumper boats. The weather was beautiful (my favorite time of year to enjoy the mountains!). The boys were very exhausted after the fun filled day and turned in early (which meant some down time for mom and dad relaxing in the condo). On the way home, we got in some back-to-school shopping at the Outlet Mall in Silverthorn. Great fun-filled weekend and yet one more weekend avoiding the looming "to do list". School starts in 6 days and the weather will be changing before we know it, so there will be plenty of time for the "to do's" I think!

Trent and John riding the ski lift up

Family pic at the top

Little mountain man

Mommy and Jake taking a break

Trent and Jake

View from the ski lift

Dad and Jake on the bumper boat

Trent on the bumper boat

It's About Time You Should Meet...

2010-07-28T23:27:00.000-06:00

For those of you who have not yet heard, we're baking another little turkey. This time, SHE is due 10 days before her big brother's birthday (November 18). We are so excited to grow our family some more and we can't wait to meet her. Things are so much different the second time around - the time is passing so quickly and there is so much to do yet! Trent and Jake are both very excited (of course they don't have any idea what they are in for :)) John and I are well aware however, so we're enjoying our last few months' sleep before the big day!!

Jamaican Us Crazy... So We Went to Jamaica

2010-05-11T10:12:00.000-06:00

Many of you know that we've had a crazy/busy/emotional year in 2009, so John and I decided to take a last-minute trip in February to Jamaica. If you have never been there, you should definitely add it to your list. There was not one thing we did not like about it (people, food, weather, resort, etc - all amazing!). Not to mention that we got to get away from the bitter Colorado cold spell and into 80 degree weather (exactly what the Dr. ordered!) We picked Jamaica because, although it does have some cool things to see, we really just wanted to relax and stay on the resort and really DO NOTHING (something we have not done in a very long time). Luckilly, John and I are the perfect pair and both enjoyed doing nothing but laying at the pool/beach, eating, sleeping and reading! We were also very lucky to have a great nanny here at home watching the boys - they adore her and had so much fun while we were gone (I don't think they even missed us!) Here are some pictures of our trip!

(a view from our balcony)

(a view of the Mountains behind our resort)

(John relaxing on the beach!)

(Leslie on the beach)

(a view of the resort at sun set)

(going out for dinner at the resort)

I Can Hardly Contain Myself!

2010-01-02T19:25:00.000-07:00

My latest obsession... Organizing (everything)! I don't know if it's because of the New Year, because of the mountain of new toys we acquired for Christmas, or maybe it's all of the advertisements bombarding me. Regardless, I can't get enough!

The toy room closet!

(before)

(after)

A new bookshelf for the boys!

New shelves in the garage!

Coat and boot racks in the garage!

(masterminded by moi, installed by John)

The list goes on and on, but that's all we could manage to do over the weekend! Up next, my closet (yikes!)

One Giant Leap for my Little Man

2010-01-02T11:49:00.000-07:00

Jake is officially a big boy now! Last night, Jake agreed to give up his passy to the passy fairy in exchange for a big boy present. Now, we've been talking up this magical night for many months now; we originally were planning the big event for September, but as you know our life got a little complicated in September! Jake was a little aprehensive about the whole idea the closer we got to actually doing it. "But, I want to sleep with my blankie AND passy tonight mommy!" But, after a lot of touting the BIG BOY PRESENT that is going to be so super duper cool, etc, Jake reluctantly put the passy's in the bag. Now, for those of you who don't know the passy fairy, she typically likes for you to leave your passys in a bag outside on a tree. However, given that there is about a foot of snow in our front and back yards, we let Jake decide where to leave the passys! After a little bit of thought, Jake decided we should hang them on the Christmas tree :)

This morning, Jake found the Big Boy BIKE that the passy fairy left for him by the Christmas tree. Well, actually Trent (our early riser) found it and promptly reported it back to Jake! Jake was so excited to have a big boy bike!

So, how did it go the first night without passy!? Well, due to the New Year festivities the night before, we had one VERY tired little boy who (and this has never happened before) fell asleep during the reading of the bed time story! So, going to bed without passy was not even an issue (as he was already asleep when he went to bed). So I guess we shall see tonight how it will be for him. I think he'll do ok - we'll just need to remind him about his new bike!

Christmaspaloza

2009-12-30T21:58:00.000-07:00

We spent this Christmas in Oklahoma visiting family this year. We decided with (now) 4 of us that we can't really justify the expense to fly any more (not to mention all of the presents we would need to haul to and fro), so that left one option -- to drive 10 hours with a 6 and 3 year old. Surprisingly, the trip was very easy! I spent almost a week master planning (in my head) all of the items I would pack to keep the boys occupied and out of trouble for the trip. I am happy to say that the organization paid off! The boys did so well and the trip was a breeze!

We had a great time visiting with everyone and sharing the magic of Christmas with the boys (and with our family). The only low point of our trip was a terrible snow storm that hit on Christmas Eve. It was the absolute worst winter weather I have ever experienced. Blowing snow and white out conditions. All of the highways in Oklahoma were closed for a day and a half! Oklahoma is clearly not equipped to deal with that kind of weather! Unfortunately, with all of the snow, many of our family activities were cancelled or rescheduled and we weren't able to see everyone we were hoping to see. But we left with a promise to come back in the summer this year and hopefully have a few get togethers that will enable us to hang out with some of our extended family a little more!

(Jake, Trent, Drew holding Eli, and Gavin)

I hope everyone had a great Christmas (despite inclement weather!)

November (because aparently I can only blog once a month at best)

2009-12-22T20:12:00.001-07:00

Trent's Thanksgiving party at school:

We kicked off the holiday festivities with a classic kindergarten Thanksgiving party in Trent's class. It was very cute and Trent was mostly just so excited that I came to his classroom. I made turkey cookies that Trent proudly passed out to all of his classmates, and the class wore cute little hats and sang several Thanksgiving songs. So cute!

The Christmas Train:

Nanny and PawPaw came for Thanksgiving this year and we went up to Georgetown to ride the Christmas Train and see Santa. The train ride was very fun - the boys enjoyed it very much! During the ride, Santa came and sat with each kid and they each got to write down what they want for Christmas and give it to him. The Santa was very realistic and such a sweet old man. The boys were in awe. On their Christmas lists: Jake - a BIG airplane, and Trent - wii Lego Starwars game (to which Santa replied, "huh?") :)

Thanksgiving:

We had a great Thanksgiving celebrated with Nanny & PawPaw, and with our neighbors, The Borie's. It was my first attempt at home-made pumpkin pie, and I was pleasantly surprised that it came out so well. I won't be so scared to make it from now on! On Thanksgiving night we actually braved the crowds to shop at the Castle Rock Outlets. It was INSANE and something John will probably never do again with me! :)

Jake's 3rd Birthday!:

Capping off the holiday weekend was Jake's birthday. We got to spend it on his actual birthday and partied at a local kiddie gym called Romp n' Roll. The party was very fun, and he had lots of good friends there to celebrate with him. I love the teacher-led activities to keep all the tots busy and best of all they clean it all up when you're done - can't beat that in my book!

I can't believe my baby is three years old. It seems like only yesterday when we were bringing him home from the hospital - it's cliche, but time really does fly!

Happy Halloween

2009-11-04T20:54:00.000-07:00

Halloween was very fun. Our neighbor's hosted a great party on Friday night (John and I went as Jon and Kate +8), and then we went trick-or-treating around the neighborhood. The boys got enough candy to last us through to next year I think!

(our jack-o-lanterns)

(Trent, Jake & Mackenzie trick-or-treating)

(the ninja and the dragon)

(Jon and Kate plus 8 (and a dragon))

Oh SNOW!

2009-11-03T11:30:00.000-07:00

Yep, that's right folks, we've had a total of 3 (yes THREE) snow storms in the month of October!!! The first was just a light dusting (but Trent's first experience with the white stuff so we snapped a few pics).

The second was a little more (about 6 inches) and of course we built a snow man!

(Trent snow angel)

The third was just ridiculous, really. We got around 35 inches here in Highlands Ranch where it snowed for 2 days straight. Trent got 3 snow days (unheard of here in Denver!).

(our deck - about 1/2 way through)

(Mackenzie and Jake sledding on our drive)

(John waist deep on the deck)

It stopped and warmed up a bit just in time for trick-or-treating! This week it should be in the 60's all week. Gotta love Denver weather (or NOT!) :)

(our neighbor's Halloween inspired snow man!)

Our New Addition

2009-11-03T11:11:00.000-07:00

Many of you already know that we have a new addition in our home since the beginning of September. My Nephew, Trent has come to live with us! Trent is a very sweet little man and we are so happy to have him here with us. Of course it's been an adjustment (having a kindergartner and another little guy around is completely different) but we've settled in and are having a great time with him (Jake especially thinks Trent's awesome)!

Here are a few pictures of Trent!

(Trent on the plane coming to Denver)

(Trent playing at the Denver Children's Museum)

(Trent's 6th Birthday)

Summer is fading...

2009-08-25T16:20:00.000-06:00

Well, it's been over a month now since I posted here - and I promised myself I was going to keep up with this darn site! Oh well, what can I say?

Jen had baby Eli and we went to Oklahoma at the end of July/1st of August to visit and meet him. What an amazing experience! Eli was born on his due date (August 1st) just as his mommy hoped he would be (what a good boy), and I was able to be there when he was born. While we were there, I got to spend a lot of quality time with Jen and the rest of my family and Jake got to spend some quality time with his cousins, grandparents and aunts/uncles. It was so much fun. We were sad to leave, but happy to be home (Daddy missed us a lot!)

Eli Joshua Downing 8-1-09

Jake taking the tractor for a ride

Proud big brother Drew with baby Eli

Jake and Drew on Paw Paw's boat

d-day (just a few hours after Eli was born)

School has started now and the young maple tree in my back yard is already starting to change colors. I know fall is on it's way soon. This makes me very sad. I love summer so much and this year it was WAY too short here in Colorado. I hope the summer weather lingers a little longer.

But what can you do? Well, for starters, it's time to look for Halloween costumes, and plan our annual trip to see the Colorado fall foliage! That is definitely something to look forward to!

Chugga, Chugga.. Poo Poo!!

2009-07-13T21:36:00.000-06:00

Paw Paw came for a visit this weekend on his way to a job outside of Grand Junction. We all went to the Railroad Museum in Golden, CO. They just happened to be celebrating their 50th anniversary, so there were a lot of people there and a lot going on. There were also a lot more trains there than usual which was cool to see. We also went to the park and let Jake play in the fountains before Paw Paw left town. He had such a good time that he didn't want to leave. We'll definitely have to do that a few more times this summer!

Jake is on a 2-week dry streak (give or take a few tiny "didn't-make-it-in-time" accidents)! He's really started to get it and can hold it a lot longer now. He even went poo poo on the potty at school today!! hooray!!

The 4th (of April?)

2009-07-06T10:56:00.000-06:00

We hosted a 4th BBQ with our neighbors (the Lynch's) for the 5th year in a row this year. For the last two years, it rained on us. This year, not only did it rain, it rained a LOT and got very cold. Luckily, with the basement newly completed, we had room for everyone to come inside! The kids loved the new couch in the basement and used it like a "bouncy house" for their entertainment. Well, I guess it IS supposed to be an entertainment room, right? We skipped the big fireworks show again this year for the Larson's show. Doug never fails to entertain/scare us with his not-so-legal fireworks show (care of WY fireworks)! Jake really enjoyed having so many friends over and loved watching the fireworks with PawPaw (when he wasn't hiding from them).

Happy Hosts

(see storm clouds in the background)

The family pic!

Mackenzie, Clara & Jake (before the rain)

The new couch (aka Bouncy House) -

yes, that's an action shot of Jake on his head!

Paw Paw, Jack and Jake

Hallelujah!!! The Basement is Finished!!!

2009-07-06T10:40:00.000-06:00

Without further ado...pictures of the new and improved basement!!

Entertainment Room (view #1)

Entertainment Room (view #2)

Bathroom (shower)

Bathroom

Bedroom

Wet bar

Rec room/wet bar

Summer at Last!

2009-07-01T10:49:00.000-06:00

Sorry it's been a while since I updated the blog. Summer has finally arrived here in Colorado and we can't do anything but enjoy it! Jake started swimming lessons a few weeks ago. He was not sure what to think about it at first, but after lesson #2 yesterday, he is now fearless! He now jumps off of the side of the pool into the water (into my arms of course), and I also caught him going underwater after the older kids did it (scared me to death!) He's such a big boy now!

Father's day was fun too. Dad spent Saturday golfing and we spent the day at the pool as a family on Sunday. We got Dad some new grilling acutroment and a new grilling cook book (cliche I know, but that's what he wanted!). Now maybe dad can cook us some yummy food on the grill this summer!

Now that summer is here, Jake has a new favorite thing -- popsicles and ice cream! Can you blame him? Our block has been targeted by several ice cream trucks lately, so Jake now knows exactly what that music is and has an immediate Pavlovian reaction the instant he hears it. I distinctly remember the sheer joy of the ice cream truck growing up as well (of course, mom and dad "share" with Jake).

Monsoon season?

2009-06-10T15:19:00.001-06:00

Apparently there is a monsoon season in Denver (who knew?), and it came early this year. I guess it wasn't bad enough that it snowed in May, but it hasn't gotten above 70 degrees in weeks now. Being the weather nerd that I am, I tried to find an explanation and found the following.

http://www.thedenverchannel.com/weather/9459810/detail.html

And, did you know that a monsoon is actually referring to the wind pattern and not the rain? Interesting...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monsoon

We've also experienced several consecutive days of severe weather including several funnel clouds and tornadoes in the Denver metro area. If you follow my facebook status, it's all I can talk about these days.

(funnel cloud just behind our house on May 31st)

On the up side, today is going to be sunny and 80 degrees - with (of course) a chance of thunderstorms and severe weather starting this afternoon. I'm so ready for a hot summer pool weather, but I am beginning to wonder if we'll ever get any this year - is it possible for it to skip right over into fall? Ugh!

Right in our Backyard

2009-06-02T21:50:00.001-06:00

We went exploring this weekend at Daniel's park (just a few miles behind our house). Jake was so excited to ride in Daddy's "big truck" (his jeep) on the bumpy road! Sadie came along for the ride and hike and he was equally excited for her to come out with us too. We saw several buffalo and lots of prairie dogs. The view of the mountains was amazing. Jake didn't stop taking about our trip all day.

Under Construction

2009-06-01T09:50:00.000-06:00

Many of you know that we are finishing our basement. It has been good so far (but our poor neighbors would have another story for you!) Jake is really into all of the "struction mans" going in and out of the house. He asks me "what's that mommy?" every time he hears hammering, etc. coming from the basement. "Is it the struction mans mommy?"

Here are some pictures of the half-way point. We can't wait for it to be done! Most of it will be done next week but we're waiting for cabinets and carpet for a few weeks more. Once it's finished we will have space for all of Jake's toys (yeah!) and we'll be able to park in our garage again too! I'll update pictures once it's done.

(media room/entertainment den - view #1)

(media room/entertainment den - view #2)

(rec room w/wet bar)

(bathroom)

(bedroom)

May

2009-05-31T21:27:00.000-06:00

It's been about a month since we caught up with everyone, so my first post will be a recap of May.

The weather in May lacked a little to be desirable. It seemed to be cool and rainy most of the month. On one of the warm days we had, I let Jake play in the sprinkler and John got to start working on the lawn (with a little help from Jake). The sprinkler was a hit for both Jake and Sadie - I am sure we'll be bringing that out more this summer!

Memorial weekend we went to the Denver Museum of Nature and Science. Our friend Erin and her son Austin joined us. Jake had so much fun exploring the museum and hanging out with Austin.

John got to play golf on Monday, so Jake and I joined the Borie's at the Gaylord Street fair. The rain held off for about an hour, then we all got soaked. Jake loved playing with his BFF Mackenzie, riding rides and eating corn dogs!

Nugget Fever!
The Nuggets made it to the second round of the playoffs so we watched a game at a friends house, and John and I got to go to a Denver Nuggets vs. LA Lakers game on Memorial day! We had "suite" tickets and had so much fun. Denver won by a mile that night - - so sad they did not keep it up (they lost to the Lakers in Game 6 on Friday night).

(Jake and Jack McDoniel sporting "bird man" hair!)

Starting a Blog

2009-05-31T17:46:00.000-06:00

Hello friends and family,

I'm finally jumping on the blog band wagon. I can't promise a lot of creativity, but hope to use this to post pictures and keep everyone up to date with us!