Jonathan Michael Pennington

He is the man. Last August-ish sometime Penni and I bet which of our National Leauge MLB teams would go farther in the playoffs. I had the Rockies who were far far far out and Penni had the beloved but bumbling Cubbies. With a 21-22 run the Rockies won me the bet. Penni owed me a 6-pack of Kalamazoo's greatest micro brew (Bell's Oberon). Oddly enough, you can get this beer anywhere here in the micro brew capital of the world. After almost a year, the bet was finally paid off, with interest. Yes, he bought me Madden '09. The holy grail of video games. Thank you Penny for being the best man you always have been. So much for sleep tonight...Preppington Rocks!

So Sleepy

...but can't sleep. I hate that. It is almost 1 a.m. and my mind won't stop racing. I am so jealous of those people who can fall asleep whenever, wherever (eh hem, CHRIS!). Every night Chris and I get into bed, chit chat, laugh at something stupid the other person did during the day, get up to check on Sofia one last time, maybe watch a little tv and then hit the lights. Without fail, Chris is asleep in about 45 seconds FLAT. Me - not so much. Suddenly, when the lights go out around me, my brain decides it is time to begin solving the problems of the world. I'm hoping that a cure for cancer or how to obtain world peace will one day run its way across my little head.

It's never too late to hope...literally!

A New Olympic Event?

Sofia has become quite the master at puzzle putting-together. Just watch...

Game Time...almost

Today is preseason game #1 and we could not be more excited. Sofia's 18mo Bronco cheerleader outfit will last one more season. The last few weeks have been very, very busy for us so we are sorry for our blogging absence. My project's first phase of two is wrapping up as the teachers are back next week with the kido's coming back the following week. The last coats of paint are drying and and the classrooms look great. The teachers getting the four new classrooms sure are getting grief from the teachers without new furniture, new cabinets, new markerboards/tackboards, and large open ceilings. This soon will pass and all will be normal, fore sure (insert sarcasm).

Here are a few pictures of Sofia from her trip to MI last month. It was a hot and muggy typical July day in MI and Sofia's swimsuit just didn't quite make it on. The last picture is Maple's debut photo on Adventure's Out West. Maple is the McFalone's 7mo old golden retriever and is already as big as Layla.

Meghan has spent the last few weeks working furiously getting all the teacher's computers ready and updating software/hardware for the school. She has also been working with new contacts in the tech field that will be helping Meg with troubleshooting. Lastly, Meg has been updating and personalizing her new staff orientation and technology staff development for the upcoming year. She has the pre-semester jitters and stress related soreness, but is in good spirits for the new position. She has been brainstorming all summer on a video to open her first presentation to the entire staff. Here are the three videos she has created from a website which lets you subtitle "Bollywood" videos.

There She Blows!

Sofia has some kind of rockin' stomach virus that seems to be working its way through day care. We were up all night with Her Pukiness. She was such a champ through it all! Chris and I are splitting up the day today to take care of her because we are now both back at work. He's such a good dad! We'll keep you posted on how she does.

Engaged!

My sister, Kristen, is getting hitched! Her boyfriend, Jake, proposed on Monday night at sunset up in Traverse City. He is going to be an awesome addition to our family and we welcome him with open arms. I am so thankful that God has blessed my little sis with such a wonderful partnership. Many blessings on them both!

Boy, are my arms tired!

As I sit here and type, Sofia is wobbly wondering around the living room. In her princess pajamas from Yia Yia Rose, she holds on tight to her "bear bear" and smiles through her tired eyes. It's only 10:45 a.m., but we've almost put in a full day already. Though she whines here and there, she is in a general good mood...that is as long as "Little Einstein's" is in full action on TV.

***

A few weeks ago we were so lucky to have my sister, Kristen and my brother, Walker come out to visit for an entire week. I almost did a double-take when Walker came up the escalator at the airport. I hardly recognized him, he had gotten so tall! We had a great week filled with crafts, swimming, hot dogs, Manwich and bike rides. One of the greatest parts about the week was seeing how much my sister has turned into such an amazing woman. She has just finished her first year of teaching, is training for a marathon, has become an avid reader, is dating a great guy and has really grown in her faith with God. I still remember the days that she and I used to have "knee races" down our Aunt Miriam's double hallway. While those days seem like just yesterday, I am so pleased to see her becoming so successful. :)

On the same day that Walker and Kristen left, Chris, Sofia and I also jumped on a plane to head to Minnesota to be with his family. Chris did a lovely job of summing up our visit in the previous post. While we would have obviously loved to spend time with family under different circumstances, it was great to see everyone and enjoy some quality time together. Four days after arriving, we hopped back on the plane to Denver.

Our week home was jammed-packed. I worked a few days, went to the dentist and had to get ready for our next trip: Ohio and Michigan! For the third weekend in a row, Sofia and I were going to be on a plane. She, of course was a rock star and blew everyone away with how well-behaved she was on the plane.

The trip home was great -- relaxing and filled with lots of time with friends and family. It was great to be able to see everyone and have Sofia play with so many different people. :) Spending 10 days on the trip lent itself to TONS of great stories and moments that I will remember always. I think that my favorite thing about it all was watching Sofia warm up to everyone so quickly. It made family time even more special. (pictures coming soon)

On Monday, Mom, Sofia and I packed up and headed for Chicago so Sofia and I could catch our plane back to Denver (note: this was now the 4th week in a row of flying!). Again, Sofia did a great job on the flight...until the last 15 minutes. She had a HUGE meltdown. She was pulling at her ears like crazy and was visibly uncomfortable. I felt so bad for her. I knew, however, that the discomfort would be short and we landed quickly and were able to get off the plane to see Chris with ease.

Home. It felt good. We got in around 9 p.m. and settled in. Tuesday would be a busy day with work and Wednesday would bring Sofia's ear surgery. I was tired and gladly fell into bed.

And so, here we are today. Sofia's surgery went really well. She was such a trooper! The nurses were fantastic and even brought in a wagon for her to ride around in while we were waiting for her to go into the OR. The surgery lasted only about 15 minutes and we were back in the recovery room with her shortly thereafter. She woke up from the anesthesia upset and disoriented (common for young children) but as Chris and I traded holding her on and off, she managed to calm down enough that we were able to leave and come home. By the time we got home, she was all done crying and ready to be surrounded by all her favorite things. Today, she deserves it. :)

Here are some of the pics from our trip to Redwood Falls for my Grandfather's Funeral. Stories to follow.

What a cute aunt!
Tossin' rocks into Redwood Lake.

Take a break and smell the flowers...
Is this cute or what?
Nothing better than a little pollen in your nose.

Showing Sofia her Great Grandfather's love of bird watching and his collection of bird feaders.
Smoochie Smoochie
Sharing one of your favorite places in the world with your little one is an amazing feeling.
She loves tossing rocks! I had to hold onto her belt loop because the ground was so soft and uneven. Like a two year old needs a belt...
Dad, can I have another rock?

First time on the height wall. The only evidence Lindsey is taller than me.
Skippin' rocks. Sofia though this was so funny.I just tought her "knuckles" or as my cousion Ryan calls it "potato"
What a smirk on this kid!