Tuesday

Just yesterday, I was introduced to a new blog that nearly broke my heart. After toady's post I felt inclined to share their story. I have no idea who these people are, but my heart goes out to them. Click on the image to see the blog and read about Tuesday.

Their story makes me appreciate the little things that mean more than anything else. Little things like the pure joy on Oliver's face tonight when he walked with the help of only one hand from the house, to the mailbox and back. All this, without hardly stopping or stumbling. The hill of the driveway stumped him at first, but he took it on with determination. Once he discovered the ice patch from the snow run off, he showed off his boy genes by slipping and sliding all over it instead of taking the dry and safe route. The best part was to listen to him giggle uncontrollably when I would stomp my noisy shoes on the sidewalk. All this time I couldn't help but think about Tuesday, whom I've never met.

Give your children an extra snuggle, for Tuesday.

No Play and All Work, Can Make a Girl Go Bazurk!

So, have I read too many Dr Suess books, or is Bazurk the only word that seems to rhyme with Work?

The postings have been a little behind lately, but we haven't had much to report. Last week Oliver had his 15 month check-up and he was healthy as a horse. He got two vaccines, the MMR and Chicken Pox. I didn't realize that he would get a fever for A WEEK!!! By the next day he was home with a fever and we spent the next week with him in and out of school. It would spike high and then he would be fine. It was quite bazaar. On top of it, he caught a cold with a nasty cough. Poor little guy. He seems to be over it now, so hopefully we'll have happy days ahead.

On top of this, Keith went out of town for work on Wednesday and I have been busy at work with several deadlines of Jan 31. I can't wait for Feb 1!!! The good news is most of my deadlines are coming and going and I'm feeling a sense of relief and room to breathe.

Do you ever wonder if we ever stay home? The neighbors do! We are quickly approaching weekend #2 at home. Hopefully we'll get out to do some fun stuff so that we have something more exiting to write about than Oliver's fever and my insanity at work.

The best news of the day today is that Coors Light took the #3 position in domestic beer in the US right behind Budweiser and Bud Light. For as long as I can remember we have been #4 behind Miller Lite. It's great to see the beer that we pour our heart and soul into climb in the market. I'm sure we'll be working to do the same with Miller Lite also now that we are one family as MillerCoors.

When Opportunity Knocks...

Sometime before Thanksgiving we received a phone call from a guy who said that I entered a drawing at the Home Show and I was selected to stay in Breckenridge for a weekend. The only catch was that I had to attend a two-hour property presentation with my husband. AKA... Time Share Presentation. Sounded like a great excuse to go to the mountains for a weekend. We aren't big fans of skiing Breckenridge, but when Opportunity Knocks, you jump at it! Little did we know what kind of opportunity we were in for.

We drove up to Breckenridge (fondly referred to as Breck by locals) on Friday after work. After a later arrival than planned (typical for us on a Friday night) we finally got Oliver to bed later than usual and then hit the hay ourselves. None of us slept well that night and Oliver had us up at 6 AM sharp! We hired a resort sitter to arrive at 9 AM so that we could spend the day skiing. We were exited to be out in the sunshine and fresh, crisp mountain air.

Here is a shot from the farthest South mountain, Peak 10, facing north toward Peak 9, 8 and 7.

It was SO bright and sunny that the sun made our eyes water when we took this photo. I know... what a rough life.
Looking down at the valley and town of Breck below.

Last year for Christmas Keith bought me some new ski boots. My old boots were BRIGHT orange and I had worn them for 10 years. I think I was way over due for some new boots, but I could never bring myself to buying new ones. I only got to ski in these twice last year and now twice this year. I am THRILLED to say that they are finally breaking in and I'm loving them.

Jen and Craig.. these next few shots are for you!

Jen and Craig were married in Breck in '07 and the ceremony was at Ten Mile Station, the lodge somewhere between Peak 10 and 9. We had lunch right on the deck where their ceremony was. It was a beautiful day, both their wedding AND this past Saturday.

(must be read while sining)

Happy, Togetherrrrrrrr!!!!

So, how is the Weatherrrrr????

(SO SUNNY!!!!)

Ok.. So I don't know if that's really how the song goes, but that is how it goes in my head!

Keith looking at the map, trying to find some good runs. We will be the first to admit that Breck is one of our least favorite resorts to ski at in Colorado and we had a hard time finding runs that we wanted to hit. Never the less, it was a beautiful day so we had no complaints.

Last Thursday I received an email that we had an option to upgrade our accommodations. We could rent a 1 bedroom condo that was right in town and we could ski to for $25 per night. Once again... I heard an opportunity knocking!

Here is Keith lounging after skiing all day.

Then.... we went to the Time Share presentation.

Our appointment was at 3:30. Our master plan was to go to the presentation and skirt out of there at 5:30 thanks to Oliver's growling belly and increasing crankiness. Oliver definitely got the message, but his cranky side came out at the beginning instead of the end. Shortly after we started, the sales woman noticed that Oliver was a bit cranky and offered him some gold fish crackers. We accepted, sine he LOVES snacks. As he was shoveling these into his mouth he seemed happy a a clam. All this time we were looking at the drawings of the property and the tiny models. I was carrying Oliver and as we went to sit at the woman's desk, Oliver began to gag. Before I knew it, he vomited all over himself and I and began crying. I went to the restroom to clean us up, but this didn't make either one of us feel better. The lady insisted on continuing but after another 10-15 minutes we decided that it was a waste of time. However, we didn't get out of this, we had to reschedule to go back Sunday morning. We could have cancelled all together but we would have had to pay for the 1 bedroom condo at full price. Ugh!

Needless to say, Oliver was fine. We left, went and changed and went to dinner. (story to be continued)

Does this kid look sick to you? Lesson learned, don't put too many gold fish in a pond made for one.

Oliver and Mama at the Motherloaded for dinner.

"We Are The Champions, My Friend"

"We Keep On Fighting, Till the End"

"We Are the Champions!"

"We Are the Champions!'

Did you sing along?

I just had to post this photo. I made it Black and White to protect the "innocent"

This is Oliver on his way to the bath tub last night. Does it get any cuter than this? I just want to reach out and pinch his little buns!

Sunday morning... time to go home. We didn't sleep well either night, Oliver threw up on his mother AND we still had to go to the presentation. Ugh!

Keith wheeled in the luggage cart and Oliver jumped right on it for inspection. Was he done with Breck and ready to Roll Out to Denver?

"Suitcase, Check"

"Booster Seat, Check"

"Ok, Mom and Dad, let's hit the road!"

Sunday morning we were welcomed with crisp, cold air and blue bird skies. Does it get any better than this? I am convinced that the skies are more blue in Colorado than anyplace I've ever been.

Dad snuggling Oliver in his jacket nice and tight.

We headed down to Starbucks to start the day right with a cup of hot Chai and a pastry. Here are a few photos of the ski area from town. The big blocks of snow are for the snow sculpting contest next weekend.

It was less than a five minute walk from Starbucks to the presentation and Oliver fell asleep.

Back to the presentation story...

This morning, Oliver was up at 6 AM, once again. What is the deal with kids and their internal alarm clocks? Don't they know that it is Ok to sleep in on vacation? I know, someday he'll be a teenager and we'll be dragging him out of bed. I'll be sure to remind him of all of the early mornings when he was a baby.

Anyway.... We went back Sunday morning for the presentation. Oliver was in a much better mood and we let him play in the play room with the other kids. They had a girl with the kids to watch over them and Oliver seemed quite happy. We made it through the presentation and even though it seemed like a decent deal for someone, we declined the offer to purchase. Yes, this story is much less dramatic, but that is a good thing. I'm also sparing you the details of how we pull so much information out of the people, including quesitoning the insanely high interest rate that the sales woman literally told us that we were not in the market for a time share. Sweet! I think she was tired of us asking so many questions.

We trucked out of town and had lunch in Frisco. We found a perfect place that was very yummy and kid friendly. I love these next few photos.

Keith is offering Oliver a lemon. Will he fall for it?

"OOOOOO EEEEEEEE!!!"

Lemon Pucker!!!

" WATER... Must, Have, WATER!!!"

"Dad, You're a nut.

What are you doing with THAT in your mouth?"

"Ya, right, Pops. I don't believe it. You're the same guy that convinced me to taste that lemon."

Oliver shows affection with fore head touches. I caught this great video clip of him and Keith today. It also shows how Keith and Oliver bond over loud noises. Have we really evolved from the cave man days? HA HA!!

When we got home it was 65 degrees and we decided that we must go to the park.

"Mush, Dad, Mush!

We must conquer the playground."

King of the castle...

...looking out over the land.... uh... twirly slide.

then... he wore pants!

Does this look a little bit like mini me?

No, these outfits weren't coordinated. It is just all they both had left in the suitcase to wear today. So Cute!

By the way... Oliver is not yet walking on his own. However, we did witness his first steps on Saturday. As we were paying the sitter Keith put Oliver down and we noticed him take 2-3 steps completely on his own and unpromted. YAY, Oliver!!!

We had a great weekend, in spite of some unforseen opportunity. When it knocks, you never know what you'll get. At the very least, some memorable moments and photos.

For the record... Oliver has vomitted twice, both times on his mother. The last time was on our flight home from Jacksonville. That in itself is a whole drama. Should I be concerned or happy that he is comfortable around me. I hope the latter.

Bed Time or Play Time

The other night Keith was putting Oliver to bed and this is what I found them doing. Was it bed time or play time? Either way, I thought it was too funny and cute!

Sunday Afternoon

Sunday we were hanging out, watching football... of course. We took a few fun photos of Oliver that I thought were cute.

Mexican Rodeo

On Saturday, Keith's parents stopped by on their way from Wyoming to Oklahoma. The National Western Stock Show had just started up so we thought it would be fun to go to the rodeo. The show that evening was the Mexican Rodeo. We had never been to the Mexican Rodeo but we went and had a great time. It was interesting to learn about what the traditions are at the Mexican Rodeo versus the rodeo here in the U.S. Oliver LOVED it and we are thinking about taking him back again before it is over.

Here is Oliver showing Nana his balloon. Yes, he may be slightly spoiled since I bought him a balloon when I went to the party store the other day. Hey, you're only a kid once. Someday he'll want something that costs more than $3, so I'll enjoy the simple pleasures while they last and we can afford them. HA!

Nana and Papa at the Mexican Rodeo
Family Self Portrait

Here is a demonstration when the show first started.

Oliver was quite serious through most of the rodeo and very intrigued by all of the action. Since it was a Mexican Rodeo they even had a mariachi band and dancers at the other end of the arena. He loved the music and all of the activity.

For a while, Oliver took a rest to snuggle with Nana.

... and then he snuggled with Mom.

Downtown Aquarium

Last weekend it was cold, windy and snowing so we headed to the Downtown Aquarium. It was a great way to spend a chilly winter day.

When you first enter the aquarium there is an old scuba suit for photos. Of course, Keith volunteered to take the picture if I jumped inside and I gladly agreed. Oliver was enthralled and amazed through the whole aquarium. I think his brain was going a mile a minute so he didn't have time to crack many smiles. He was in serious concentration mode. Keith and I had plenty of smiles to go around though. Well, Oliver was also working on cutting two bottom molars so maybe he wasn't quite in the mood for toothy grins.

There was a lot of finger pointing by Oliver through the aquarium. Even if he wasn't looking at what he was pointing at. There was also a lot of "WHOA!" with exitement. This is a new phrase that Oliver uses frequenty. It is very cute to hear. I haven't caught it on video yet but I'll work on that.

Mama and Oliver with the Sting Ring on approach.

Oliver loving the fish that were at a one-year old eye level.

We found this BIG fish just lounging around and Oliver thought he was quite interesting. He pointed and talked up a storm. I'm not sure if he was telling us about the fish or telling the fish about us.

Then the fish began to move....

This made Oliver a little nervous and he turned right around to have Dad rescue him.

I think Oliver is probably in deep concentration here. Such concentration that he is wringing his hands! He is WAY to young to have so much concern already.

The aquarium has some HUGE fish tanks that even go over your head. It was tough to get decent photos but here is one of Keith and Oliver enjoying the view.

These were potbelly sea horses. Keith was comparing the sea horse belly with Oliver's.

This was a big shark that was swimming above us in one of the overhead tanks.

I just like this photo of Oliver staring up at the big tanks.

Here he was talking to some other kid that was standing next to me, probably telling him all about the fish in the tank. He has read all about them in "One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish, ya know.

Another big tank with a really BIG shark!

At the end of the exhibit there was a balloon stand.

We should have guessed that Oliver would have been all smiles for his balloon sword.

Good thing the balloon wasn't at the beginning of the exhibit or he would have never noticed the fish.

Family Self Portrait!

We had a great day and look forward to going back to see the fish again soon.