Home Sweet Home

I'm sorry it has taken so long to tell you about our new home town and how things are going! So, sit down, I'm going to give you the low down.

Rick and I are super happy with our decision to move here. We're really enjoying it. There is something about a college town! Rick did a great job picking our current home and we are loving all the extra space! There are a lot of really awesome parks nearby and people are incredibly nice. Plus, I like the speed limits around here! It's 40MPH almost everywhere locally. It's nice.

There are bike lanes EVERYWHERE and everyone rides bikes. We plan to get a bike trailer next spring and start biking around with the kids in tow!

I've gotten involved in a couple of "mom's" groups and am having a blast meeting new people and going to fun activities. People are so friendly. I've met other moms at parks and restaurants and we've actually gotten together with the kids for play dates. It has been awesome!

Rick has started his lawn care biz and has a couple of new clients, new equipment and his sparkly new trailer. He's really enjoying it. We all enjoy the flexibility we currently have. It has been so nice.

There is a mountain here called, "Horsetooth" that is just west of our house. Mcayden points at it and says, "Horsetoof". (The picture in this post is of Horsetooth.)It's so cute. There are a lot of lakes and a big reservoir close to where we live. Mcayden loves the parks and we go to the park or a play date almost every day now! It is a lot of fun.

The weather has been really nice too. The only thing missing is our friends in WA.

We have a guest room (hint, hint). Mi casa e su casa!

"Mcky-Doodle"

I was talking to some new friends at a "girls night out" the other night, when the subject jumped to preschool. I was surprised to learn that Mcayden will be old enough to start preschool next year. What?! I still remember preschool very well. I remember snack day on Fridays, eating honey from a fresh honeycomb, my sweet teacher, Mrs. Snow, her living room (our class room), walking through her flower garden , and eating black licorice. It's really strange to think my little boy will be the same age I clearly remember being. It makes me a tad bit sad, I have to admit. I love having my little guy home with me each day, it's just that every day I realize more and more that he is growing up and isn't going to be my little "Mcky-Doodle" forever.

A Witch in the Candy Isle

We were at the grocery store tonight and Mcayden was being a little terror! He was touching and picking up everything in the produce section, running from us and being really, really L-O-U-D. Rick started carrying him around on his shoulders, but after only a couple of seconds, Mcayden started being even louder and tugging on Rick's hair. We began walking towards the checkout, by way of the Halloween candy isle, when Rick saw a life-sized witch. He said, "Mcayden, I'm going to sic the witch on you... Let's go see the witch." At first, Mcayden wanted to see the witch, but as they stepped in front of it, it suddenly moved, the eyes lit up and it started cackling! Mcayden screamed and then started crying--he wanted mommy! Rick was laughing so hard, he was in tears. He had no idea it was animated. Even as I read this to him, he starts laughing. In his defense, Rick said, he wouldn't have been laughing so hard if Mcayden hadn't been such a little terror seconds before.
We love our little guy, but man he can be a handful when he wants to be.
After the witch-encounter he was a little angel. Rick said the next time Mcayden starts acting up, we are going to take him to the store to see the witch.

If You Don't Have a Smile...

I'll give you one of mine.

Addison is such a wonderful, happy little baby. We can hardly believe she is already almost five months old! Time has passed so quickly. I am trying to enjoy every minute with her at this stage. She and Mcayden are such awesome kids. I feel extremely blessed to be their mommy.

Addison's Grammy B made this cute headband for her. I put it on and she started striking poses! So, we had a little photo shoot. Ha. Ha.

Honestly, how can you see that little face and not smile?!

We Knew This Day Would Come

When we moved to our new place, Mcayden got a new room and a new, twin bed. We bought really a cute car/truck comforter and wall decals, excited to surprise our little guy. We were thrilled to see that he loves his room and his new bed. It's a great jumping bed, you know.
Our night time "routine" has gone a little astray since he moved into his big bed. He is no longer trapped in and has no problem getting out of bed again and again, every night. We miss his jail... I mean his crib.
Thank goodness Addison can't climb out of her crib yet.
We're trying to apply "Super Nanny" techniques and return Mcayden to his bed without any real interaction, but he asks for hugs and kisses and gives you his little puppy dog eyes. How can you say no to that face?! So, he gets a couple extra hugs and kisses, but he still has to go to bed. Does anyone have suggestions on how to keep him in his bed? He has gotten out at least five times tonight!

Tour de Fat---Fort Collins

"Grab your bike and slip into your alter-ego because New Belgium’s Tour de Fat will once again be meandering and pandering through 11 western cities spreading the good word about the positive societal offerings of the bicycle."

Today was the Tour de Fat in Fort Collins and talk about fun! Tour de Fat is a family-friendly bike parade where people dress up in costumes and decorate their bikes, etc. It's a fundraiser for local non-profits. I was amused by the creative costumes and bike decorations people came up with! I hope that we're able to participate next year with the kids. It was so fun. They said there were over 8,000 participants in the parade this year!
Here are some pictures...

Moving Day

We have moved! I haven't taken any pictures at our new place, so I posted this picture of Mcayden standing by some boxes we had piled up in our kitchen. We didn't have enough room in our Penske truck, so we had to rent a small U-Haul and pull it behind the Penske truck. Thanks to our great friend Alex and my mom, we were able to get the house packed up nice and neat and had only a few minor casualties. The big casualties were actually caused by the black/grey Penske moving blankets. They rubbed on our furniture and RUINED our kitchen table, three chairs, a dresser....etc. So, if you ever move, we'd recommend not to use the black/grey moving blankets, unless your furniture is already black.

We have been busy unpacking and putting things away. Our new house is great and I love the kitchen. There is cupboard space to spare--which is a first for us! Abby (our cat) also is very happy here and hasn't walked around "crying" like she has after other moves.

My mom is taking care of our kids and my dad came down to help us move in. We are so thankful for them and all of their help! It has made everything go so much smoother.

We drove by the resevoir tonight--it was really pretty and has a great "make out point" nearby. We also found a drive-in movie theater. We are so excited about that!

Fort Collins is beautiful and we like our neighborhood and our house! We were joking that I will need to get a PT job just to pay for eating out---there are soooo many restaurants here we want to try out! It has a small city feel, but isn't really that small. We are so happy.

I will post pictures and updates later!