We are THRILLED to announce…that we are moving to Boulder, CO!!! Bill has accepted a job as Director, Corporate Strategy with Level 3 Communications in Broomfield, which is half way between Denver and Boulder. We went out there for the interview earlier in the month and flew back last weekend to look at houses while Nana Judy stayed home with the girls. We are so excited about this move and everything it means for our family. Bill will have little to no travel (!!!) and the Denver area was #1 on our ‘places to live’ list because of the weather and outdoor activities. This job seems like a great fit for him and he has been very impressed with everyone he has met at the company. We are leaving Michigan on Feb. 9th and will be staying in temporary housing for 30-60 days while we find a house. My parents will be there the first week we are there to help out with the girls and Bill’s first day of work will be Feb. 21st. So much to do, very sad to leave and excited about this opportunity all at the same time!
We are targeting Boulder and Louisville/Superior area for housing. We love Boulder, which is basically an exact cross between our two favorite US cities of Ann Arbor and Charlottesville with mountains in the background, but housing is extremely expensive as compared to the suburbs so we have some decisions to make. Let us know if you know anyone in the area! More information to follow!
Happy 9 months birthday to Ro Ro! Robin is quickly leaving all things ‘baby’ behind and appears ready to take over the world at any moment. She is clapping and cruising on everything and is starting to show more signs of separation anxiety, spending every moment from 5 o’clock on in the ergo with me. She is similar to Lilly in many ways but also completely different. Robin is loud and outspoken and throws the most dramatic fits if you take anything away from her or do something she doesn’t like (it honestly sounds like she is cursing you out when she gets mad, hard not to laugh but of course we don’t). She’s a fighter and will take Lilly on to wrestle for a toy any day. Can’t wait to see what she is like as we approach her 1st birthday. May the party planning begin!
22 pounds, 29″
We recently attended a Love and Logic session that was arranged by one of the moms in our parenting group. Love and Logic trainers teach parents practical techniques to help raise responsible kids of all ages. I was familiar with them when I taught high school and am glad that Bill and I were able to take an introductory class together. Most of the techniques fall directly in line with our parenting style and they certainly provided new things for us to try that are easy to implement. Lilly has always been very reasonable and doesn’t cause trouble but she certainly has her moments like any two year old does. I would definitely recommend looking into this program if you want a discipline refresher course or support group!
We can officially say that Lilly is Two and a HALF! We celebrated her half birthday with Jason, who turns 36 this week (Jason got the bigger cake 🙂 ). Lilly has changed so much these past months. She has the same sweetness she has always had (the first thing most people say about her is that she is ‘so sweet’) and is becoming more independent each day. She has a strong vocabulary, is part of all conversations now, and is starting to ask ‘Why?’ questions all the time. She is very creative and sings or makes up new songs all the time. Lilly also continues to be highly opinionated – it will be interesting to see what her opinions are on her 3rd birthday party!
27.5 pounds, 36″
We just got back from our 2 week Christmas vacation in Arizona. It was so fun to see family and do some relaxing and exercising in the sun. We met up with good friends from Darden and their babies, who are all the same age as Robin. Most of my family (except for my parents, of course) left after New Years and we spent the last week going to the pool, taking Lilly on golf cart rides (her favorite), and hiking in the White Tank Mountains (along with a trip to Denver, see below). Lilly did great on the plane both ways and Robin was a real handful (slept very briefly, never stopped moving) but was never overly fussy. We used Bill’s abundance of points to buy first class tickets and handed Robin back and forth across the aisle repeatedly :). Sad for this vacation to be over but already looking forward to our trip back next Christmas!
Bill and I went on our 3rd annual January getaway while the girls stayed back in Arizona with Grandma and Grandpa. We visited North Denver/Broomfield/Boulder area for two days and spent time catching up with our friends Patty & Todd and their daughter Sylvie (Robin’s age), and Tim & Jen and their daugher’s Rory and Rylen. It was sunny the entire time and we enjoyed our time in Boulder, especially our visit to the Avery Brewing Company. We hope to be back soon!
Today we took Lilly to see her very first movie: The Muppets! Uncle Mark, Leela, Jason, and Grandma joined us while Bill stayed home with Robin. Lilly enjoyed her popcorn and seemed fairly interested in the movie – she was quiet until the very end when she got upset because she dropped her last Skittle on the floor (her kids combo came with a small bag of Skittles) and I took her home a few minutes early. On the way out she told me that she prefers Mickey Mouse Clubhouse to The Muppet Movie (‘Mommy, that movie wasn’t good. I like Mickey Mouse Clubhouse much better.’). Big surprise. 🙂
We celebrated Robin’s 8 month ‘birthday’ in Arizona. Even when she’s not feeling well (has had a bit of a cold the past few days) she has a smile on her face. We are so blessed!
Sometimes it’s okay for adults to have a little bit of fun, too. Yesterday we had our third annual ‘siblings night out’ with Todd, Mark & Pinata, Jason, and Billy. In the afternoon we went to the Musical Instrument Museum in Scottsdale. My parents highly recommended this place and we were a bit skeptical but it turned out to be a lot of fun. Each person is given a set of headphones and the museum is broken into regions geographically so when you step in front of an exhibit music of the region starts playing along with a video of musicians, etc. Downstairs was a gallery where you can play various instruments and an exhibit on more popular, current musicians. Afterwards we drove to an indoor trampoline park called SkyZone – so much fun. We had 30 minutes of free play including trampoline dodgeball and a large foam pit and we were all exhausted and sweaty when our time was up. From there we went to the Saddle Ranch Chophouse for some drinks and we all took turns riding the mechanical bull. What a great way to celebrate being together!
We arrived in Arizona Friday evening and have had a wonderful time celebrating Christmas with family. The entire Sessoms clan has been in town (including Uncle Bill, Billy, Jason, Aunt Terry, and Gary – Mary arrives Tuesday) since Saturday. Lilly was very excited about the visit from Santa Claus and had fun with her stocking and gifts on Christmas morning (she especially loved her kaleidoscope and Leela’s guitar). We had brunch with the family and a lengthy gift exchange – Lilly was easily distracted by her new toys and Robin was happy as can be crawling around in the discarded wrapping paper and ribbons. Lilly and Leela have been playing together really well – so fun to watch them. It was 70 degrees and sunny and we have been having so much fun catching up with everyone. We’re really looking forward to having two more weeks here. Merry Christmas!
For the entire set of photos, click here.
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