Congratulations to Bill, who completed his first Ironman 70.3 yesterday! I am so proud of him for consistently setting a variety of goals and always reaching them with such precision. When we moved to Boulder Bill decided to register for the Boulder Triathlon Series (a sprint, Olympic, and Half Ironman). His training began quickly after our move but was slowed down by chronic sinus infections that led to sinus surgery in June. At that point we did not plan on him continuing with this race but soon after he decided to go through with it, even though his training was cut short. Bill was very strong with the swim and bike events and cut his transition time down significantly from the sprint. He had a strong finish considering it was 97 degrees out for the last 2.5 hours of his race, and I have a feeling he’ll be doing another one of these in the future. I cut Robin’s nap short to take the girls to see him finish, which was quite an event in itself for me considering I had to stuff them both on a shuttle bus with a stroller and keep them happy in the heat (no shade) for an hour and a half! We were so proud of him at the finish line – quite an accomplishment!
For the complete set of photos, click here.
It was wonderful to ‘get away’ with our family this past weekend. We left early Saturday morning for Beaver Creek, where we stayed in a suite at the new Westin Riverfront Resort and Spa. We first visited Minturn Market before heading to the hotel to get settled and let Robin take her nap. In the afternoon we went to the Village, where Lilly had fun doing the trampoline jump and rock climbing and Robin was happy as can be climbing up and down the stairs and escalators, lol. The girls played in the fountains and we had a nice dinner before literally running both girls through an unforseen downpour on our way back to the hotel. The most fun we’ve had in the rain! That night the girls slept in the living room area while Bill and I watched the first full day of Olympic coverage. We spent Sunday at Vail, walking around the town and taking the gondola up to Eagle’s Nest, where we hiked around and had lunch. We drove home around lunch time and got caught in some traffic – and hail! – on our way home. It was a fun, although brief, vacation and we look forward to heading back to the same hotel very soon.
For the complete set of photos, click here.
At 15 months Robin is more active and daring than ever before and saying new words all the time. This past month she went from babbling but not saying many words to sounding out words frequently and speaking many clearly. Her favorite word is ‘shoe’, which is also her favorite object at the moment. She LOVES putting shoes on (especially L’s crocs) and off and walking around the house in Mom and Dad’s shoes. Robin also points to objects she recognizes and says words such as dog, cat, cracker, milk, ‘dadi’ for paci, slide, and book. Robin will climb almost anything with ease and often gets herself into trouble, as evidenced by the bruise on her forehead in the photo above. She dropped her morning nap these past few weeks and has been taking one much needed long nap in the early afternoon. She has become almost impossible to put in her carseat once again, arching her back and straightening her legs whenever we leave the house – to the point that Bill has taught me wrestling moves to get her into her seat and I almost always break into a sweat. Aside from that one point :), Robin is playful and sweet as can be and my favorite part of each day is going into her room in the morning. She’s always bouncing up and down and has the biggest grin on her face and the greatest bed-hair of all time. LOVE! <3
Weight: 24 pounds, 13 oz (75th percentile)
Length: 32″ (90th percentile)
Head: 18-1/4″ (50th percentile)
Lilly has been talking about her ‘polka dot’ birthday party for months now, and we didn’t disappoint! It was so special to have family in town to help us celebrate (Aunt Terry, Nana, Boppa, and Grandma), and neighbors and friends joined us as well. The kids decorated crowns and helped Lilly open presents while we drank beer and munched on pizza and cake. Lilly was beyond exhausted even before the party started (busy day and no nap) but had so much fun celebrating with everyone. Happy 3rd Birthday to our sweetheart!!!
For the complete set of photos, click here.
Happy Birthday cake video coming soon…
At 3 years old Lilly is sweet and busy as can be. She loves her artwork and caring for her baby doll and stuffed animals, and is very particular about certain items and where she wants things to be in her room. Lilly is beyond the questioning stage and seems to have a strong understanding for the world and things around her. She loves being outside and is playing much more with her sister – she usually plays well with her unless she is overtired, etc, in which case she’s often in need of some ‘bedroom time’. She is very nurturing and loves to snuggle with us in the mornings. If someone isn’t feeling well she spends much of her energy caring for them. A few weeks ago when Bill was recovering from sinus surgery Lilly carefully covered him up with blankets and told him that all he needed to do was to ask for her during the night and she would be there for him if he needed – so sweet! Lilly enjoys preschool and still spends much time observing the kids and their behaviors before jumping into activities. She is shy around strangers and kids she is not familiar with and goofy and loveable around those she enjoys. We are so incredibly proud of the girl she has become!
With Aunt Terry and my mom in town Bill & I started L’s birthday off with an 8 mile run and returned home to learn that Lilly had just woken up (at 9am – the latest she has ever slept by over an hour)! With her refusal to take naps lately she sure was exhausted! We celebrated in the morning by taking Lilly to the Broomfield Bay Aquatic Park followed by lunch at Panera. No nap in the afternoon meant Sesame Street for Lilly while the rest of us furiously decorated the house for her party. She was SO excited when she first saw the decorations!!
3 year old ‘interview’ video coming soon…
Weight: 29 pounds (10-25 percentile)
Height: 37-1/4″ (50th percentile)
We were so happy to have Aunt Terry visit this past weekend! She arrived on Friday (after a full day and evening of flight delays) and we spent the long weekend showing her around town. My mom, Nana, and Boppa were also in town (for L’s birthday) and the girls had so much fun seeing everyone. While Aunt Terry was here we visited the Denver Children’s Museum, went shopping, ate at Turley’s, and prepped for the birthday party. We look forward to her next visit!!
We celebrated Bill’s 32nd birthday with Indian carry-out, cupcakes from Tee & Cakes, presents, and lots of hugs from the girls! Lilly sent a special card to work for Daddy and spent about an hour making cupcakes for him in her play kitchen. Happy Birthday, Da, we love you!!
For the complete set of photos, click here.
It’s always fun on the 4th! This year we stayed home to participate in the community bike parade and picnic. Lilly had a blast decorating her bike and Robin’s car and our neighbor Elsa tagged along with Lilly as they biked around the lake with the other kids. Our friends Kirsten, Scott, and Mack joined us for the games (potato sack races, three-legged races, balloon toss, etc) and picnic. We were amazed by how many kids there were! Robin was exhausted by the time we sat down for the picnic, which included lemonade, bbq, and rootbeer floats, but Lilly continued to have fun playing with her friends and even helped the neighbors out with their lemonade stand.
Later that evening we dined on (vegetarian) hot dogs, mashed potatoes, corn on the cob, and potato salad. No fireworks this year due to the fireworks but we’ll make up for that next year in Seattle! Happy 4th!!
For the complete set of photos, click here.
At 14 months Robin’s playfulness has reached new heights and so has determination! She spent much of this past month with a stethoscope (from L’s ‘doctor set’) around her neck. Not really sure why she is so attached to the thing but it seems like every day she makes a point to find it and she throws a fit if it’s taken from her or doesn’t go on properly. When she puts it on she walks around making the sounds of a heart beat!
Now that Robin is playing more with her sister she’s also reacting more when things don’t go her way or when Lilly takes things from her or excludes her from activities (working on this). Robin throws brief but intense tantrums where she throws herself down on the ground and bangs her legs and arms and even her head against the floor. It’s sad to see her so upset but for now we just ignore the behavior and she’s easily distracted.
Robin has not picked up new words this month but she is extremely expressive and always babbling and yodeling (it genuinely sounds like she’s yodeling, hilarious). My favorite thing that she picked up is that she hums ‘Twinkle Twinkle Little Star’ when I’m putting her to sleep. I typically sing the song to her at nap time but she starts right up as soon as we’re in her room and the lights are off, even before I sing to her! And she’s good enough that most people would recognize the song from her humming.
Robin has an absolute love for climbing everything, especially stairs. When we enter or leave the house it’s always a process because she has to go up and down the stairs several times, only to be dragged away kicking and screaming after several minutes when we have to get out the door! There’s a play area we frequent at the 29th street mall where kids of all ages play on the sculptures like they’re ‘supposed’ to and Robin ignores the kids stuff and runs directly for the concrete staircase that’s hidden behind the vending machine in the back corner. I’ve almost given up going there because while all the other moms are sitting with their tea watching their kids play, I spend 98% of my time chasing after Robin, who’s making a run for the stairs over and over and over again. Fortunately she’s so darned cute that it’s worth it. Love you, R!
6/26 at 5pm
6/27 at 10am
Baby Deer
We had quite the scare on Tuesday when our house was under a pre-evacuation notice due to the Flagstaff Fire. Around 2pm a thunderstorm rolled through Boulder with a little bit of rain and a lot of lightening. It started a fire at the back of Bear Peak (the tallest peak of the Flatirons in the background of our neighborhood) and by the time it was reported it was bordering out of control. With the driest season in decades, the fire had a lot of fuel and as it reached the top of the peak our neighborhood was alerted to the danger.
The girls didn’t nap that afternoon so I had put them in the car and decided to drive to Little Monkey Business (an indoor play area for kids) in Westminster, 20 minutes away. When I walked outside I could smell the smoke but we get this on occasion from the ongoing fires in Ft. Collins so I didn’t think much of it. When I was pulling out of the neighborhood I could see smoke at the top of Bear Peak and people out on the street taking photos. Nobody was too alarmed so I did a quick check of the news and continued on to Westminster. Bill then texted me at 5pm saying I had to come home “now” because we were in pre-evacuation and it was so scary because I didn’t even know what that meant for us. Driving home to Boulder you could see thick clouds of smoke and occasional flames. People were pulling to the side of the freeway to watch and get photos.
We’ve never experienced anything like this before and packed several bags (photo albums, wedding dress, important documents, best crystal pieces and jewelry, necessities for the girls), made lists and walked through every room in the house to decide what items we would grab and what we would leave behind in the event of a mandatory evacuation. It was a tough night but fortunately the fire died down a bit overnight. There were several hot spots on the front side on Wednesday and concerns throughout the day but good news came at 5pm when we were taken off the pre-evac list. Boulder County Firefighters along with firefighters from surrounding areas and a Type 1 air team were very proactive in containing the fire and we are very thankful for all the work they did. There is still some danger of a fire because conditions are so dry, but we are hopeful. This was the first rolling fire in Boulder County in over 30 years – we need rain!
Meanwhile the Waldo Canyon Fire in CO Springs continues to burn and our thoughts are with our neighbors to the south!
“We have always been fortunate to be surrounded by beautiful ‘things’, but nothing so beautiful as the mountains and community that surround us today.”
**In the midst of all of this ‘excitement’, a mama deer gave birth to a fawn in our neighbor’s backyard! I spotted them Wednesday morning and spent much of the day spying on them with the girls. At one point the fawn came into our backyard and pushed some of Lilly’s toys around, and they spent the night in our yard as well. Just another thing that reminds us of how much we love to live here. So cute!
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