recent good-byes

In the last several months we've said good-bye to two more icons of baby/toddler-hood.   With Ben's room only steps from ours, the fact that we used the monitor for so long is laughable.  Now that he can be free and open his door, we just leave ours open and I usually hear him if he gets up for any reason.  Although I haven't used it in months, I can't bring myself to remove it from my bedside table. :)

"Purple-milky," has also gone the way of the recycle bin. This sippy-cup was the lone sippy survivor for a long time but still Ben's favorite.  We tried to keep it away from his sight but also kept it on hand for when he was sick or all other cups were dirty.  I kept it on the kitchen counter for a while because I wanted to take a pic of the last one and Ben always asked for it and repeated, "purple-milky broken."  I'm sure these moves into full on kid-ness are just beginning so hopefully they'll get easier.  I'll let you know when I actually pack away the monitor. :)

1st annual Jess's Josephine St. Block Party

This pic was after the first micro-burst when the awnings had been removed. We were actually all thankful for the cool weather.

In the final portion of what felt like the gazillionth non-stop weekend in a row, I organized a block party for our street on Sunday afternoon and evening.   A neighbor who has organized it in the past asked sometime in late May if I wanted to help with this year's.  I was very happy to help but when progress was slow, I took the ball and ran.  There was lots of talk and not much action going on and when you're a busy mama sometimes there's no time for talk.  Because we live in Denver on a city street we had to get a majority petition signed, buy insurance for the event, and give written notice of the street closure.  Now that I've been through the process I know next year can come together earlier and easier.  Other blocks in our neighborhood had their parties this weekend complete with bouncy castles and bike obstacle courses.  Our wonderful neighbors were all in agreement that next year can be bigger and better but were also SO thankful that I pulled it together.  We discovered there are more kiddos Ben's age on our block than we knew and lots of parents our age, too.  We choose this block because there were several updated and maintained older homes rather than re-builds and it was comforting to know there is a whole generation here who feels the same and wants to maintain the historic feel and appeal.
And, while other blocks might have had bouncy houses, we had a skid steer!! Quirky neighbor John who has built a large brick retaining wall and done lots of intricate brick work on his property brought out his skid steer for rides and climbing on. He actually grew up one block north and is a wealth of knowledge about the history of the neighborhood.
Of course it rained for the first time in weeks but thanks to our big old trees we could all seek shelter with relative ease.  Ben was tired early after the busy weekend so I headed in with him just after 8 and sent Ryan back out to socialize until the party ended at 9. 

There were points during the planning when I swore I'd never do it again but in the end it was fairly easy and SO much fun.  The blessings of our location are only furthered by our friendly, kind and generous neighbors and I've already noticed a difference in how people encounter one another.  Do we have to wait a whole entire year to get together again???

He could have climbed on the "tractor" all night.

The neighbors were in awe of Ben's watermelon eating prowess.  You can see the evidence on his shirt.

With neighbors Jackson (4) and Joe (3)

evening-camping

Colorful, smoky Colorado

 

I recently gave a girlfriend lots of grief about her blog post on "day-camping." I told her there was no such thing and that it was merely picnicking.  Well, now I eat my words because Saturday we joined some friends who were camping at nearby Chatfield reservoir for dinner and revelry but did not stay the night with them.  I guess I'll call it, "evening-camping."
We hadn't committed to camping because of Pratt going on the market and spent the morning there preparing for an open house.  The boys got haircuts and I, a bang trim, and we headed home to relax.  No sooner did we sit down to lunch than the wheels started turning that we could indeed just pop out to the lake and join them for dinner.  There were actually quite a few people there with only two families spending the night.  This group has done this annually for several years now and after some backyard camping this year, next year we might have to stay the night.  My parents were so hard-core in the camping department, backpacking with Molly only months old, but no part of baby+camping is appealing to me.  
Anyway, it might take a year for us to find our gear in the storage closet. :)
We took Tom Ohrt's famous layer dip to share, a simple fruit salad and hot dogs for the grill.  Of course the hot dogs were nitrate and antibiotic free but I'm happy to report that Ben is now eating meat with regularity.  I can say he's had burgers, hotdogs, and chicken all in the last week without much fight or fanfare.

Ben was entirely enamored with 9 yr old Zack and was inspired by Jay's truck in the background to say truck correctly for the first time.  Thankfully the F is back replacing the TR sound.  Ryan and I aren't quite done with giggling over that as parents.

sweet, messy Payton

 

  

proof that all nearly 3-yr-olds prepare to take off the same way. :)

happy baby Sacha

one TUCKERED Benjamin

Hailey turns 3 this week and is a delight!

You can tell this is CO camping and not MT because in MT there would ONLY be Subaru's and Chevy's circling the campground.

thirty-six

A few days after Father's Day as it does every year, Ryan's birthday came upon us.  Last year we had just lost the Prescott house and felt we might never find a home.  My how a year can change things!   I started Ryan's day much less healthily than Father's Day with ham and cheese croissants and croissant cinnamon rolls from the local french bakery.

Tante Mollusk and Papa Jim joined us for drinks and dinner after work.  The weather was perfect for lounging and eating on the deck and Ryan made it home in time for some quality baseball and basketball with Ben.  Papa was delighted when he hardly made it in the door before Ben was dragging him to the basketball court.

Since discovering Hendricks gin and that the tonic I usually drank had high-fructose corn syrup we've become quite the natural tonic taste-testers.

Oh this boy loves his pups and all doggies and puppies for that matter. :)

baseball with DaDa is the best kind.

We grilled steaks and had some other sides that Ryan requested.  Ryan was gifted with golf, Rockler gift cards and a Nest thermostat and wireless home temperature control system.  I'm confident he couldn't have asked for a better day or more perfect gifts.  Nana and MeeMee were both out of town and certainly missed. 

Bonnie Brae's triple death chocolate ice cream pie rounded out the evening just before Ben quickly showed us all that he was all done with this day.  Since naps have gone away some days end in break downs and the quicker he makes it into bed, the better for all involved.

Ben picked a robot card for his Dad.

Tante smirking as Ryan read her card.

waiting waiting waiting for ice cream

Ryan was definitely more excited than this pic lets on.

Tante showed off her food fotog skills.

"that's my piece. Ice cream right there Mama!"

 

Ryan couldn't help but install the Nest right away. 

This day also marks the start of my favorite time of year.....when Ryan is 3 whole years older than me!