Meg's (Ad)Ventures

Tuesday, November 27, 2007

Thanksgiving Picture Grab Bag!

I hope you all had a great Thanksgiving. We sure did! We drove to Redwood Falls, MN to visit the Weltches (my Mom's side of the family, introductions to follow). We decided to leave Monday night after the Bronco's game and drive the twelve hours through the night while Sofia slept . It was a long but successful drive and great to see my family. My grandma is working hard to fight another round with cancer, so needless to say it was an important visit.

We got to meet my cousin Anna's boyfriend, Aaron, and their new 4-week old baby, Addison Elizabeth. She is such a small sleepy bundle of joy. We had a great time catching up with my cousin Ryan who has always been tons of fun. My mom's little brother Dick and wife, Joyce, are so excited to be grandparents and it was impossible to hide the glow in their faces. They also live in town and we spent nights over there hangin' out at their bar and in their huge hot tub.
Lindsey's squeeze, Jaffer, even surprised us by flying into the Twin Cities and then renting a car for the two hour drive to Redwood Falls. Mom's older brother Tom and his significant other, Donna, also stopped by on Thursday from "the cities" for a short visit.

Thanksgiving morning was spent traveling the 2 miles between the two Weltsch households maximizing ovens for dinner for 15-1/2 people (one just had milk) . Sofia had a tough day of teething and it really maxed us out. She had four teeth coming in and chewing food was NOT on the menu.

It was really tough chasing around a 1-yr old when there was something she shouldn't get into every 15 feet, whether it was a stone coaster, a nice collection of DVD's , or someone's beverage from my uncle's almost poetic bar. Thanks to everyone for their help and understanding.
Meg, Sofia, and I stayed in at my grandparents house along with Lindsey and Jaffer. This house is magical to me because while we moved around a lot growing up, this house was the vacation house and the root of most of my extended family memories. It was really great to share this with Sofia and Jaffer. Sofia may not ever grasp the sentimental value of this house and town, but I will always share my memories and stories with her.

We left Saturday around noon and drove the 5hr leg to Omaha to stay the night with Meg's friend and ex-co-teacher Angie. She moved back home to open a business and relocate with her husband, Aaron. She was an unbelievable host. Her husband had plans to meet some old friends, so she gave me the remote and some college football while she and Meg talked about school and friends. They have a 10mo son named Caden who is a happy big baby (at one lb bigger than Sofia). We stayed up late chatting and left somewhat early on Sunday and made the last 8hr leg back to Denver.

We had a great visit and added to the growing memory scrap book I hold so dear inside me. Here are a few of these memories I want to share with you. Please send your thoughts and prayers along to my grandparents for improvements in their health and for strength for all of our family to provide the support they need. P.S. Everyone say hello to My cousin Ryan who has been secretly been reading all of our blogs...Hi Ryan!

Just the three of us...
Here is the entire Weltsch Family except for my Dad who is still in food coma and Aunt Joyce who is taking the picture.
Grandmary and Sofia, what a special picture this one is.
Grandpa (or G-Pa) always the loving helper, working with the Sweetness and her Thanksgiving dinner, Friday night.

My lovely sis, Aunt Lindsey, and her littler pookie bear reading, Peak-a-boo Zoo.

Daddio doing the same. This is her favorite book. I have to keep repairing the action pages with tape and staples!
Here is Anna, my grandpa, Clint, and little Addison
Grandma Joyce or Aunt Joyce?
Lindsey and Jaffer were amazed with the small size of this little one. She was born 5lb-5oz and 18in long. She cried once that we heard all week.
Here are the boys downstair at my grandparents' house. It goes Ryan, Aaron, Dick, David, Jaffer, and me. I am giving Jaffer a lesson in a game he has never seen or heard of, bumper pool!
Sofia, my little ringer, tossing a ball into the pocket. Brings a whole new meaning to the billiard term, ball in hand.

My Grandpa and I always find time for a game of Cribbage. One day when I was younger I saw Ryan and Grandpa playing. I wanted to learn so bad and we haven't stopped playing every visit since.
Even Sofia wanted to get in on the card action. Do you like her shirt with printed on pearls?
This is a high-chair I beleive that was even used by my Grandma when she was a little one. The tray is even screwed on because her sister used to toss it! How's that for vintage...
Yes, we did bring Sofia's pack-n-play to sleep in, and no this was not it. But it was a convenient place to keep her while we all went to over to Dick's. (Just kidding everyone)
This is right before we left for Redwood but is so darn cute so I had to include it. This is actually a 3-6 month snow suit, but maybe it was mis-labled?
This is one of those moments where we just let her play and took like 20 pictures!
Rub-a-dub-dub, what cute chubby babbies splashin' in the tub.

This picture pretty much sums up the car ride, WE WISH!!! Actually, she was pretty good with only a few fusses that were easily diffused with food or juice. She is her father's daughter. Hehehe.

Monday, November 26, 2007

We're Back

After a short hiatus from cyber world, we are back. Unfortunately, I don't have much time to write, so, no worries...we'll update with plenty of stories and pictures very soon. Happy Monday!

Sunday, November 11, 2007

It's all about the accessories...

"So I read this script yesterday at Starbucks and it has just the part I was looking for..."
"You've got the keys, now go park it around back..."


"Honestly, what does a girl have to do around here to get a diaper changed?"
"Dad, do you have any ties a little smaller and with a clip?"

"John Rambo, you got nothing on me!"



Here is a little video of Sofia watching Daddio do his football touchdown celebration dance. You all can thank Meg for not shooting me doing my dance. You'll have to take from Sofia's smile that it was mildly amusing.

Thursday, November 08, 2007

Bug's Update

Our little bug has an ear infection and may be on the verge of croup. Please send all your positive energy and thoughts her way!

Tuesday, November 06, 2007

Random Thoughts and Moments

Last night I took some NyQuil to help with my cold and slept through Chris getting ready, him leaving AND THEN my alarm clock! This got my day off to a rockin' start when I finally woke up 5 minutes AFTER I was supposed to leave!

My sister is grown up. Tonight she had her first night of Parent-Teacher Conferences for her first grade class. She is a fantastic teacher, so I'm sure that all the parents loved her. :)

Lightrail maps are TOTALLY confusing! It took me nearly 30 minutes to figure out what route to take on Thursday when I need a quick way to make it downtown during rush hour. Seriously...I have a Master's Degree!

Sofia has lost her voice! She and I have been trading a cold back and forth for nearly 4 weeks and today, her sweet little voice gave out. We feel so bad. :(

I was asked to pose for a science poster today. Yes, I am THAT dorky. Wearing a tie-dyed lab coat, I had a picture taken of me to be made into a life-size poster which will be displayed at the National Science Teachers Association National Conference in Denver this week. A bubble will be placed above my head saying, "Need help? Ask me!" (incinuating the obnoxious lab coat.)

Some of my students happened to be nearby when I was asked to have the picture taken. They told me to remove my glasses because I looked just a little TOO dorky with both the lab coat and the glasses. Gosh, I love my students.

Did I mention there will be THOUSANDS of people at this conference? So dorky... so dorky. Maybe I should take a picture with my picture??

Teenagers have a hard time listening. Yesterday, I had my students chose a number between 1 and 7 for a project they are doing. As I walked around the room, overwhelming, the number the kids chose was 13. What? Since when did 13 fall in between 1 and 7?

Jack is insanely flexible. Right now, he is sitting on the floor with one leg behind his ear, just hangin' out. Man, that would be cool.

My husband is so sweet with our daughter. Watching him put Sofia down to sleep tonight made my heart melt....


Alrighty, that's about it for now. I'm sure I provided a much larger window into my brain than was necessary, but my fingers sometimes type faster than I can control.

More soon. No NyQuil for me tonight.

Sunday, November 04, 2007

Ahhhhhhh

It's late Sunday night. Chris, Sofia and I returned yesterday afternoon after an incredible whirlwind tour of the Rockies. We began our trip with a scenic drive to the southwest through several passes to the collegiate peaks. Nestled between the peaks is a small town called Buena Vista (BV) where our friends, Dan, Lauren and their two boys have an amazing cabin. BV is your classic mountain town with a stereotypical Main Street and one stop light. We arrived on Thursday afternoon just in time for Sofia to go down for her afternoon nap. Once she was sound asleep, Dan, Chris, Owen and I headed out for a hike around their mountain neighborhood. At 8600 feet above sea level, I was a bit nervous about huffing and puffing as we hiked around. To my surprise, it turned out to be okay...a great indicator that I am ready for the snowboarding season to begin!
That night, we had a fantastic dinner of homemade tomalies with Lauren's parents (who live in BV full time) and rested up for the remainder of our trip.

Friday morning, we had cinnamon french toast, packed up and headed for another hike near the Arkansas River. Sofia did great riding in her carrier on Chris's chest. Once we reached the top of the trail, we let her down on the ground and she had tons of fun playing with the dirt and stones. :) The hike was the perfect way to end our "family trip" portion of the long weekend. Next, we were off to Vail for Chris's conference.

The drive to Vail was equally as beautiful as it was to BV. Chris and I couldn't help but find ourselves in awe passed over one peak to the next. Those mountains have been there for a loooonnnggg time!

Our hotel was beyond decadant -- fully equipped with a granite-topped kitchenette and a fireplace! We checked out our digs and then Chris was off to his conference. (On a side note: I am so proud of Chris! He did such a wonderful job representing his company and making contacts with architects. Hopefully he gets asked to go to these types of events again!) Sofia and I drove around Vail for a while and then went back to our room for a nap and dinner. Dinner was hilarious as it was the first time that just she and I went out to eat where BOTH of us ordered from the menu! I felt like she was such a big girl!

Saturday, Chris was off bright and early so Sofia and I had another day to hang as mamma and daughter. :) We checked out of the hotel and headed for an amazing little park at the base of the western slopes in Vail. We swung, threw woodchips, went down slides and had lunch under the sun. It was a great afternoon and one that I will long remember.

So here we are, it's late Sunday night and we are going through the routine of preparing for our weeks to come at work. It was nice to get out of town...to have time as a family...to breath fresh, Rocky Mountain air.
The Collegiate Peaks
The trail along the Arkansas River
Sofia is a happy hiker!
We survived the high altitude hike (~9000 ft)!
Sofia, relaxin' in style in our ginormous bed at the hotel!