Friday, May 29, 2009

A boy and his dog

Sam had a two week break between finishing school and starting work so we decided to spend part of that time in Utah visiting family. We don't really plan on making the drive again before the baby comes so it was good to get out and see everyone. We had a great time with lots of fun adventures, but this was the only day I remembered to take my camera.

In the morning we decided to take Oliver to Tibblefork Reservoir to throw rocks into the lake. As we were leaving the house Ollie noticed that Grandpa had a hat on and so he insisted on wearing one as well. Unfortunately the only hat his size was his winter hat that we accidentally left there over Christmas.

Of course Oliver loved throwing rocks. Is there a toddler boy out there who doesn't? Just check out that wind up!
Zip (Grandpa's dog) thought Oliver was throwing things for him to fetch and he jumped in after every rock. Oliver thought this was hilarious.

They just couldn't get enough.
Of course, anyone who knows Oliver could have predicted how this adventure would end - with a tumble into the lake.
Wet dogs and wet boys belong together in the back of the truck. (We did bring Oliver into the cab for the ride home. He is pretty accustomed to riding home wet after being stripped down to his diaper.)

Sunday, May 17, 2009

To lie or not to lie...

I know I have vented before about just how large I get when I am pregnant. I was hoping maybe it would be different this time around. It's not. The other day I had a dream/nightmare that I no longer had a neck because it had turned into a big, fatty double chin that hung half-way down my chest. I swear I have been feeling the fat under my chin increase ever since and it has been anything but pleasant.

Though I have now come to terms with the fact that I am just a big pregnant person, I still cannot reconcile myself to all of the double-takes that I get. It happens mostly in the check-out line at the grocery store. Someone next to me in line will start up conversation with me about my pregnancy. (Bulging bellies seem to be good conversations starters). Things usually progress congenially enough until I get asked about my due date. And then it comes, the inevitable double-take followed first by a look of surprise and then pity. I want to yell "Yes, I know I look nine and a half months pregnant but I am just now approaching the six month mark. I can see you adding it up on your fingers and you are right, I still have three months left. And, yes I will get a whole lot bigger!"

Of course, I never really say that. I just calmly walk away as they shake their heads. Several repeat performances of this same scenario this week have left me wondering whether or not I should just lie about my due date. I am seriously considering just saying "July" or maybe "the end of the summer" that doesn't sound as far away as September and it really isn't too much of a lie. What do you think?

(This is the most recent pregnant picture I could find, the camera angle really does make you think that my double chin nightmare really could become a possibility.)

Saturday, May 16, 2009

The end of our Golden Era....

No, the best days of our lives have not come to an end, in fact we are in hopes that they are just beginning. When I say that our Golden Era has ended I simply mean that we are no longer residents of Golden, Colorado. We have been comfortably installed in our new home for exactly one week now. And other than missing our friends, we are really loving it here. I intended to document our entire move, but it got a little busy so here are the pictures I remembered to take:

Oliver insisted on helping Dad with everything, here they are removing the banister in preparation for taking the furniture down the stairs. Oliver had a rough time with the move from the time his toys got packed until they were once again unpacked in his new room. I guess nothing is very tolerable unless you have your Thomas the Train and Lightning McQueen by your side. He is doing great now though and can't get enough of his new backyard.
The deal was, I pack it and Sam moves it. He was true to his word, I don't think I lifted a single box.
When Ollie saw Sam loading boxes into the trailer he decided he needed to get in on the fun as well. He immediately began collecting rocks and sticks and arranging them neatly in order next to the stacks of boxes.
Our last look at the barn. Our good friends, the Koyles, were kind enough not only to move us down, but to let us use their truck and trailer as well. Thank heaven for wonderful friends!
Sam and Ollie taking a little break from all the packing and the chaos (the desk is gone, but the computer was the last thing to go).

After one week of exploring our new town we have come to the conclusion that it is just right. It has everything we could ever need but doesn't feel too huge (like Denver). We are in an older residential neighborhood with wide, tree-lined streets and lots of gorgeous Victorian style homes. The strangest part has been getting used to having a house. It makes us feel so old and grown up to work out in the yard or stack things in the garage. Case in point: rather than an eat-in kitchen our house has a rather fancy dining room, I think it took us at least four days to actually eat a meal in there. We would sit on the couch with our plates and just look at the dining table instead. I guess after living in a barn we didn't quite feel we belonged in a dining room. No worries though, we are now enjoying all our meals around the table.

Wednesday, May 6, 2009

Three days more....


This afternoon Oliver and I reached our limits with packing and cleaning and decided to escape our box-strewn apartment and enjoy an afternoon at the zoo. It was a beautiful day and we had a good time just wandering around at our own pace. Oliver is getting pretty good at doing animal sounds and made the sound (his version anyway) of most of the animals that we saw. Here he is making a fishy face.


If you are wondering about the state of our packing, this picture of Oliver eating Little Ceasars Pizza off of a paper towel should give you some idea. I intentionally packed my pots and pans this morning so I would have a good excuse not to cook for a few days. And yes, Oliver did finish all three pieces of pizza and went back for fourths a little later on. He loves pizza and always insists on eating upside down so that all of the cheese and toppings can fall off into his lap :)