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!

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.

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!

I'm Sure I'll Be Famous...

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.

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!

Rocky Mountain Air

This week, I am on fall break and loving every second of it. We have really been wanting to get out of town lately and last Friday all the stars aligned...

Chris was asked to attend a conference for work in Vail and my teammate, Dan and his wife invited us to their cabin in Buena Vista. Chris is taking Thursday off so that we can head to the cabin and then we will drive over several of the Rocky Mountain passes to get to Vail. We are so excited and looking forward to the breathtaking views that I'm sure we will get to take in.

We'll be sure to update when we get back!

Watch Out World!

Sofia had her 1-year well-baby check-up yesterday and whoa Nelly has she grown! Here are her Super Sofia Stats:

• Height: 29.75 inches (65th percentile)


• Weight: 21 lbs 10.9 oz (53rd percentile)


• Head: 17 in (23rd percentile)

I was so proud to see that our little bug had grown. She is such a joy and was such a trooper while she had to get 5 (YES 5!) shots. The doctor said that she is nothing short of perfect. She really didn't have to tell me that...I already knew. :)

You can see where 4 of her vaccines were. The 5th is under her sleeve. Poor baby!

An afternoon at the park

Not much to write about today, but I had some really cute and funny pictures to share. We went to Central Park with Matt, Stacey, and Jake for a little swimmin' and playin'. Layla doesn't get swimming all that well so I had to toss her in. The swimming area has steps going in and a dock for the dogs to jump off of. This is a great way to tire out the dogs for a good afternoon nap.
This big field will sooner than later be the home of "beehive" soccer where all the kids chase the ball in a big swarm.
Sofia loved crunching the leaves in her hands
Here's Matt doing his best Brady Quinn impersonation.
Stacey is such a trooper! Elli and Piper will be here before we know it!
Sofia has discovered the refrigerator as well as her climbing abilities. "Dad...bottle or can?"

Way to go Mrs. Daniel

Yesterday Mrs. Daniel got a tremendous letter from her District Superintendent saying that he heard through the grape-vine(aka her Principal Tony) that she has been excelling in the district motto of dedication to excellence and inspiring the students, and that she was a highly respected teacher though out the district and a valuable staff member to her school. He also gave her thanks for her work in training the entire staff on a Teacher-Web-Page program called Blackboard. He also noted that he heard that she was invited to meet with other district teachers that have been working above and beyond the call of duty in an invite only after work meeting in which he was looking forward to personally thanking her. Only one other person (an administrator) in her school got this letter! Way to go Meg! We are so proud of all your hard work! Sometimes we all need a pat on the back...