NORTH POLE!!!!!

One of my favorite places on this earth is the North Pole amusement park in Cascade, Colorado.

We went on the worlds highest Ferris Wheel, ate snow cones, rode the train and Aspen went on several of the smaller rides by herself. The funniest part was how much she wanted to be independent! We would pass really fast rides that I would never consider going on with her right now and she would reach out to them and go "oooo, oooo Mama OOOOO" it was pretty cute! I did let her do a few of the spinning ones that looked secure enough and like they wouldn't rattle her little brain... the boats and a caterpillar ride were her favorites. She also rode a car with Daddy, and I got a pretty cute shot of her "steering". We received several comments about how little and pretty she was- I don't think she's THAT small, but most people place her at 8 months! I just tell people she doesn't have a very big Momma so it stands to reason she wont be very big ;). She had so much fun and we can't wait to go back, enjoy the pictures!!!

Wee Sale CHAOS!

Ah, the time of year has come for the disaster known as a "wee sale". I love to dread and dread loving this extravaganza. I'll admit, I look forward to the amazing deals on children items... also I think it's great to be recycling instead of spending outrageous funds on overpriced plastic. This year was the second I've ever attended, and actually purchased a few cute outfits and a bike trailer for Aspen to ride around in. I was pleased at keeping a very realistic budget and stocking the little lady with essentials for the winter. Kids are expensive, but honestly some of the Mothers there went completely insane! Is a brand name really worth fighting for?! I will surrender as a failure right now if Aspen grows up to be one of those women who "must" have the Jimbories and blabity blahs... Nice things are nice, but a few Mothers I saw today were so obsessed with setting their "princesses" up with the best clothes and spending hundreds of dollars it really made me look forward to explaining to Aspen later that the snobs in her class have more invested on what goes ON their heads than what goes in them... AND then she'll hate me for a while or something else daughters do. Haha. It would be nice to be able to purchase all of her essentials through fair trade organizations... maybe one day.
Anyway, the "disaster" part I refer to is the standing in line with 100's of hormonal pregnant women for an hour to start... fighting your way through the crowd of frenzied Mom's looking for the best of the best... then waiting in another line for nearly 2 hours to finish and pay. In that final waiting line of Moms was a group of women who were obviously trying to outdo each other... I seriously wanted to fabricate gold stars and hand them each one for being more shallow than the last. Bravo ladies, can't wait for your daughters to belittle mine for not looking nearly as expensive. (Maybe those are my 7th grade issues?)
Again, I really enjoy a fantastic bargain- and understand that some groups of women really get into that kind of thing. In general I HATE to shop so my view was skewed from the beginning so the "Wee Sale" is a good place to find one, but all in all I am glad it only comes around once a year... sigh.

Dogs

• Bruce
• Cheyenne
• Piper
• Boston
  
• Fezick
• Duke
• Buddy
• Sadie

And now Toby have all been dogs we have tried to have in our 4 years together.
We love them and care for them like a good dog owner is supposed to do... it just doesn't seem to matter. I'm positive we could go on more walks or have more treats around etc, but there is no reason for all of these dogs to have not worked out for us!


Toby is our little love-pup who we found out has parvo today. Parvo is a very fatal puppy disease and also what Cheyenne (above) died of. Fingers crossed and prayers said he can pull through, because we love him and don't want to see him suffer. Stay tuned.

Advice?

Dear Anyone,

At the risk of sounding like a rambling-crazy Mom... I need advice on how to prepare myself for leaving Aspen for a weekend. We are going to Vegas (yay) in about a week and as much as I look forward to the needed "break" it's also hard for me to think about driving so very far from my baby. It actually makes my stomach ache in a way that I'd imagine another Mom out there could relate to... The kind of empty-feeling I had in my body after she was born, I knew there was something missing and it felt panicky and confused. I know that sounds extreme, but it's the best I can explain. I KNOW she will be 1,000% safe and completely happy at home with my parents, and I am grateful to have them be so willing to be with her all weekend. I wouldn't even consider EVER leaving her with anyone else, at least until she is completely self-reliant... maybe 10 or 12?I just feel like it's against the laws of nature to go so far away without her right now.

From November 22nd (ish) of 2008 until now, almost 2 years later I have not been more than a night apart from her. It's surreal to think about how we were once a single being, 2 hearts in one body... and then she was seperate. A tiny person that I had to share with other people, that could be farther from me than I had ever known... Is the rest of my life going to be a series of detachments from the person who is so much a part of me that I don't believe I could breathe without her?! That doesn't seem fair. On many levels I'm sure it would be said it's "healthy" to leave her here for the weekend, but on a deep ME level it is freaking me out. When it comes down to it I think I might just have to suck it up and go, or I never will... and being the insane Mom at the college dorm refusing to leave would be amazingly UNcool. So, that's the plan; however, I can't promise not to cry a little.

Jes

Sneaky Vegetables

I was losing my MIND trying to convince my Daughter that vegetables aren't pure evil. She would eat one or two of something, and then pitch a fit whenever she saw something healthy on her plate. We are talking full-scale meltdowns.

SO, I called in for backup advice and got some that has been amazingly helpful. I've been using this amazing cook book, Deceptively Delicious, to sneak veggies into Aspens meals. I've made chicken nuggets with broccoli, muffins with carrot and cauliflower, pancakes with beets and a delicious turkey chili. One day I'm sure I'll have to teach her to see vegetables AND eat them; however, right now I really can't keep beating my brains out trying to force her into something she's so set against! Most of the recipes involve pureed vegetables- which is exactly how I was making all of her baby food. I've been told what an "earth muffin" Mom I am... and that's a great compliment! To have used cloth diapers (despite ALL of the negative feedback) and make all of her food, breastfeed for almost a year and now see she get's the recommended serving of vegetables makes me feel like maybe I can do this Mom thing after all!

Best part? This is the smile she has after a full belly of nutritious food... what mom wouldn't feel like a winner?!

Toddler Bed... Almost.

We got Aspen a toddler bed, then painted and decoupaged it to match her room :) SO exciting! I decided that we should put it in her room and let her choose when it's right to make the transition. She loves climbing in it and pretending to put her dolls to sleep, she even "reads" them stories! She has taken 2 naps in her new bed, and last night she fell asleep in it!

Then, around 10pm we heard some crying. She was sitting up and looking around the room like "where am I?!" and she was so cute I had to scoop her up. We went out to the living room to snuggle for a min. with Daddy and then both my babies fell asleep.

First Haircut :)

Although Aspen doesn't have very much hair, she received her very first haircut from her Great Grandma Dot this last weekend! I had heard horror stories about kids freaking out at their first haircut, so I prepared myself for some tears... and nada! Not that I'm complaining, it was a very welcome surprise! I think a lot had to do with the environment... if you put me in a strange chair with a strange lady holding my head down and taking the scissors to it---- Sweeny Todd much?
Haha. Here are some pictures of the fun first!

730 days of Marriage

This anniversary was by far my favorite to date. Our courtship and wedding was all very hectic, then for our first anniversary we had to find a sitter for our 6 week old and bring along a breast-pump! Life has been so good to us. Yes, like everyone we have had speed bumps, but what makes us special is the ability to come together and grow from those hard times.
This year we went to an amazing steak house and ate the best prime rib I have ever had! I really enjoyed just being laid back and in love. Aspen spent the night with Grandma and Grandpa, so we actually just went home and to bed early... it was perfect! I think if this year was even better than the last, I can really look forward to the next 48+ (really excited about our 50th) and I couldn't be more in love with my husband and baby girl... funny how this year felt more like a "family anniversary" than just us. Maybe I'll reflect more on that later haha!

Crafty Beast

"Pink-N-Pokey" Quilt (not finished quilting yet)

Sweet Apron Sundress

"Marriage" Quilt

Antique Machine

"Pinkguins" Winter Coat
"Belly-Bugs" Ceramic Kit
Some Afghans
Quilted Tag Blankets
"BAG BAG" *Very useful for toting cloth diapers home*
Pink and Brown Hearts outfit
Sporty Sleepsack
"Patchwork" Sleeper


Mikey's Kilt for Burningman


Just thought I would share the latest of the crafts! I have gotten very into quilting, but haven't pursued selling anything because I think it would take the joy out of making it... most of my crafts get given to friends and family as holiday gifts :)

While you were napping...

Mommy made you some dresses!

I was cleaning out our closets and had a Goodwill bag ready to go, when I was hit by inspiration... some of the clothes were used to make these dresses! The tie on the side is super useful for getting my very active baby dressed, and I was pleased with the way it all came together!

Add some cute tights... and a baby!

Friendship

Friendship is the only cement that will ever hold the world together.

~Woodrow Wilson

20 years ago I was learning how to make friends, so everyone who showed any interest in Nina-Turtles, My Little Ponies, climbing pine trees or hopscotch was instantly a BEST friend for life! As a 5 year old, that worked.

15 years ago things got more complicated... crushes on silly boys and not wanting to dress the exact same as each other on the first Wednesday of the month were enough to tear apart those "lifelong alliances". As a 10 year old, that worked.

10 years ago high school threw a curve ball and I started to realize not just what I wanted in a friend, but what kind of friend I wanted to be. My circle got smaller, much smaller... but still consisted of some stereo-types "is this person COOL enough to be my friend?" or some other petty nonsense, but as a 15 year old, that worked.

5 years ago high school and many of the friendships made had all ended. I was 20 and focused on school, paying bills, dating etc. and didn't actually put much effort into friendships at all. I had one or two friends that were very close and then a whole bunch of friendly acquaintances. As a 20 year old, THAT worked.

NOW, I'm 25 and have recently started seeing the importance of having a close group of real friends. Paying closer attention to being the kind of friends I want to have. Aspen has really made me revaluate what kind of influences I would like to have in our lives, and look at the long-term effects those relationships may have. In short... if someone doesn't seem like a genuinely good person, they might still be a "friend", just not in the inner circle. It's been a fun transformation to go through, and I'm hoping in 5 years from now I can say "As a 25 year old, that worked" haha.

I have noticed how much I really look forward to play-dates with other Moms I know, and how important for my sanity and general health it is to get out to have tea (or wine) with a girl-friend here and there. As human beings I believe as the quote states above that friendship is the only cement that will hold this world together! It gets a little overwhelming when I stop to think about the general UGLINESS there is on a daily basis everywhere you turn. If we can all have (and BE) amazing friends, that is a great way to start the ripple effect of changing the world to a happier place for our children. Pay it Forward is an amazing movie if anyone is looking for a good film- and it's true. Without getting too preachy, I think we are going to start going to church more regularly because there are foundations in a spiritual community I would love to see Aspen grow up in. There really isn't an excuse for our lack of attendance... just finding motivation on Sundays is rough.

I don't have any wise ending thoughts here, and I'm tired of typing... so to wrap it up- I really love all of our friends and hope that Aspen can figure out sooner than I did that quality over quantity is important. Surround yourself with honest, true friends that hold you to a higher standard and make you push to be a great friend too... and it's always a bonus if those friends have a healthy appreciation for My Little Ponies too ;-)

Sandmania!

Aspen got a sandbox from her Grandma and Grandpa for her birthday this year... and we FINALLY bought some sand for it..... BIG HIT!

She first got her face very close to the sand (I was afraid she would eat it) and then sat up to look at me like, "Really Ma? Why are you so excited about dirt?". Then she got it, big time! She started raking the sand toward her like a dog, burrying her feet and shrieking with delight when she "found them". She spent a good 15 min. trying to fill the bucket and then was delighted that sand is just as much fun falling OUT of the bucket!

I am positive we know babies who have encountered sand before they are almost 13 months old... but this was HUGE for us and I had to laugh about all the babies who actually go to the ocean and see "real sand"! I hope you enjoy the pictures of this milstone (haha) and I even included one of her ANGRY face from when we had to come inside and clean up.

*Mommy sucks*

!THANK YOU AMAW AND PAPA!