The Basement: part 2

So begins a secondary plot in our blog- the ongoing adventure of refinishing the basement!

Tile came in early- luckily- because the boxes were soggy and the mosasic tiles were all coming apart.  Back to Home Depot!

Plumbing demolition and rough in begin!

 Xander is absolutely fascinated by all the tools and construction.

Zoo Lights

The Denver Zoo puts on an annual light show at the zoo that is really amazing- and popular!  You don't get to see much of the actual animals, but the light displays are creative, often animated, and absolutely wonderful.  I'd been looking forward to this for months, and we finally got our chance to go this week- and it was worth it.  I was like a little girl at Christmas... oh wait!  It IS still Christmas! (Going on the 12 days of Christmas theory, and I don't see why not.)

Christmas Cutie

 Christmas is so much more fun with a little kid around!

Christmas Pancakes for all! (And scraps for the dogs)

Jake's favorite part of Christmas might have been putting the toys together with Xander- who now knows where all the screws are.  We learned that Jake tends to follow the instructions, while I tend to look at the picture and wing it.  Maybe that's why he's a better engineer?

We were able to Skype with Gran and Rod while opening up their presents, and even fed the image to the TV, which made it seem much more real to Xander!

What kid doesn't love new toys?  This is one of two similar but very different car/ramp sets that Xander got for Christmas- and he's already figuring out how to combine them into new games.  I do wonder though, what does it say about us that our toy drivers have cell phones?  Luckily, this one is using his phone to call the awesome tow truck.

Athletically inclined? Yes. Inclined to follow the rules? No.  Xander has a talent for "Calvin ball."  He also surprised us this week by taking his balance bike over a ramp- just like the older kids (and dad) in the cul de sac!

Xander got his very first laptop from Grandma and Grandpa McParland. It makes music, teaches animals, and letters, and even has pretend email!

Can anyone answer, without looking back at the photos, how many sets of pajamas (plus eventually a "real" outfit) Xander went through on Christmas day? 

Begin the Basement

Well, we have started preparing to finish the basement.  Erin has been hard at work coming up with the design, picking out bathroom fixtures and interviewing contractors.  Aside from all those things, we also have to consolidate all our STUFF out of the area to be finished, into a space one third the size.  When we first moved into this house, we built a huge set of shelves and a work bench.  Both needed to be moved out of what will be the finished area into the area that will remain storage.  The shelves of course had to be completely unloaded, moved and then refilled much more efficiently.  You can see me packing the top shelf tight with stuff, and Xander wondering, "What's daddy doing up there??".  The work bench had to be shortened to fit in the new space and in order to make up for the smaller bench, it needed more shelves.  Xander as always was excited to help.

Meg and Morgan visit!

You may remember several weeks back that we were afraid that by now I might be on bedrest- not a likelihood, mind you, but the pelvis was so problematic (painful) we were nervous.  Since then the chiropractor (specializing in pregnant ladies and this particular condition) has put me back on track (a little like snapping a dislocated joint back into place) and while I still get sore by the end of the day or if I walk to far etc., I am feeling just about as good as most women who are in their 7th month of pregnancy... as long as I see her at least once a week to maintain the "fix."  It is supposed to magically resolve itself a few weeks after Xander is born, and I won't have to continue seeing her forever.

So, back when I was first talking about the issue with my family, they decided that I really needed folks to plan on coming out even before Maya was born to help out.  My mother made a reservation for late January, and my sister Meg made a reservation to come out with her son, Morgan, who was born only a month after Xander in December.  Because I was feeling so much better by time they arrived, we were able to enjoy a few fun days together.  Mind you, Meg still helped out a ton by providing moral support, babysitting for us so we could attend Jake's corporate holiday party, playing with Xander while I studied for finals, and generally cleaning parts of my house for me that I haven't had time or ability to do in awhile.

Morgan and Xander quickly bonded like cousins, or maybe even brothers- meaning the fought, played, hugged, shared, failed to share, figured out how to cause lots of mischief together and huge messes, and made us laugh out loud a lot. 

One thing the did *not* do well- hold still for the camera!  We did get this one photo though- a keeper!

One of our best times was visiting the Denver zoo- both kiddos really enjoyed the different animals. 

We also had to visit Monkey Business before taking Meg and Morgan back to the airport- a great way (we hoped) to burn off some energy!  Morgan is a natural climber and showed Xander a thing or two!

NOT seeing Santa Clause

Paul and Jack Fossum and Xander and I went into Lafayette last week to see Santa Clause and his reindeer.  We headed over to see the reindeer and Xander though they were pretty interesting.  He spent quite some time trying to figure them out.  We had a long talk about the fact that they were not dogs, he initially thinks that all animals on 4 legs are dogs.  The line to see Santa was long, so the boys ran around and played for a little while.  There was a great porch that was incredibly fun to climb up and down, and up and down, and up and down, and up....  There were even christmas lights on the porch rail which were fascinating.  You could see the wheels turning in the kids heads, "If I could only unwrap this, boy could I have fun...".   After some play time, the santa line had shortened quite a bit and we tried to get the kids to wait in line to sit with Santa.  Not happening.  They were interested in running around and playing, not standing in line to sit in some scary guys lap.  Oh well, they had a great time, which is the important part.  Maybe Santa will be cool next year.

Maya's Room is Done!

Erin and I both pulled some late nights painting, but Maya's room is now complete, along with most of the furniture and decorations.  We are absolutely thrilled with how it turned out.  Erin did a marvelous job painting the tree.  I hope that our little girl will feel safe and secure sleeping in the "shade" of its branches.

Now that our guest room is now our little girl's room, we are starting to wonder if we need to finish part of the basement to have a guest room again.  Oh, how the projects never end.

The art of doing nothing

As I sit and write this,  I am watching my incredibly energetic toddler explore, open, close, tunnel under and through every piece of furniture in the CB house while toting, tossing, pushing buttons on, fixing and stacking every toy we either brought or was left here- the house is an utter mess.  And he is happy, and therefore so am I.  Earlier today we took him out to play in the snow, but he didn't like getting his hands covered in snow, didn't like his ill-fitting boots, and vacillated between loving and hating sledding.  He did, however, really enjoy pulling the sled behind him while walking on the mostly snow-cleared road, and visiting with the neighbor's dog.  Oh yes, and the "hot" chocolate milk was a hit.

Jake, meanwhile, is out for a "short run" straight up the mountain.   Earlier today he spent a little time online figuring out "what to do" on this Thanksgiving weekend in CB if we're not skiing.  We've made plans for tomorrow to go up to the children's play area/museum with Xander, and maybe a stroll around town to get me some "exercise."

Me? I'm the only one in the family who is embracing the art of doing nothing- which is what we agreed was the goal of these vacation days.  It's just that I'm much better at it than Jake, a thing for which I am feeling pretty proud!  I am still in my pajamas.  I have refused to do homework yesterday or today. (I will probably do some tomorrow).  I have cooked, but only easy stuff.  Lunch today was crackers and cheese.  I am 7 chapters into a NOVEL and I'm listening to country music. 

And now that I've shared these few amused paragraphs, it is time to discover chapter 8.

-Erin

Turkey Day!

Xander, ready to take on this turkey single forked!    Xander, enjoying the "fruits" of his apple-pie labors. 

Xander, well, just being Xander!!

Happy Thanksgiving!

We have so many blessings in our lives it is hard to know where to begin listing them, but here is a picture worth a thousand words.  Xander helping me bake the apple pie for thanksgiving in Crested Butte, with Jake looking and laughing on.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!