Crazy Daze

We had a terrific time last weekend at Wray Daze. It was so nice to spend time with family, especially Curt and Kadra. We did our best to squeeze in every Wray Daze activity that we could. We started early with Friday sidewalk sales, sopapillas at La Familia, swimming and Fun Night. Saturday parade, duck race, BBQ, keg fights (Curt and Kadra were the family reps at this event since Jace needed a nap), we watched Patrick and Lea Ann compete in a tennis tournament and ended the day with homemade ice cream. Sunday didn't go as planned because Joel was out of commission for the day and couldn't do the bike race. We did make it to Sunday dinner at Grandma and Grandpa Courtney's house (yummy chicken and noodles and the first sweet corn of the season). Then we went out to the golf course for a full afternoon in the sun.Jace and Toby were quite the pair. Both of them have grown a lot since Christmas. Toby was so patient with Jace letting him be rowdy and loud without getting upset. A favorite toy for both of them was the turtle pull toy. Jace pulled it all around the kitchen and living room with Toby chasing behind nipping at the turtle's little moving feet. It was a noisy game. Jace was laughing and squealing while the little turtle sped along DING.....DING.....DING.....and Toby raced after.

Curt (2nd from L all in dark clothes) along with Eric Oestman participated in the keg fights Saturday afternoon. They went 2 and 2.

Sunday afternoon Curt, Kadra, Jace, Dad and I had a golfing adventure. It was not too hot and not busy on the course so Jace could wander around. Dad tried out his new driver (his birthday gift).

It was a full weekend.

bath time with Emma

Jace and Emma have a crazy relationship. They get each other very excited and usually end up both in trouble but they continue to seek each other out.
Jace will scream and laugh at Emma. Emma starts jumping and nipping at Jace. They chase each other around. Jace's most recent bonk on the forehead was a result of their rowdy play. We are not sure if Emma bumped Jace over or if Jace just got so excited that he fell over without any help from the puppy.
No matter what happens they love to play together.

a week in Angel Fire

It has been a very busy, full week for us. Jace and I traveled with Joel again to Angel Fire, NM. It was difficult to get a decent Internet connection while we were there so here are some of the photos from our trip.

In the weeks since we were there last, all the flowers have started blooming. Jace loved stomping through them and picking them. I tried to show him how to smell the flowers. He didn't quite understand. He would blow his nose on the flowers.

One afternoon, Jace and I went with Joel and Tim while they tried to locate survey points on the side of a slope above the ski resort.

I was amazed at the view and at how much steep hiking the guys do every day. Joel carried Jace in the backpack and I just tried to keep up. Friday afternoon the guys finished work early so Joel, Jace and I drove over to Red River, NM. Joel and I had been there before with Grant Marsik on a Jeep Jamboree camping trip. It was fun to explore the town a little and go hiking on the trails above the river.

Jace did his first "rock climbing". We all got some sun and were very tired at the end of the day.
Saturday we made the long drive home. It looks like the work in Angel Fire is finished. We have no idea what Joel will be doing now or where he will be traveling. For now, we will just enjoy a week at home. Joel will work in town early this week and then we will head to Wray for the big Wray Daze celebration. It will be extra special this year because Curt and Kadra will be visiting.

when Daddy is home

When Joel is home we stay extra busy. We take advantage of all the time that we can.

Yesterday we spent the afternoon at the Denver Zoo. It was hot out so we spent most of our time exploring indoor exhibits. Jace liked the aquariums because he could get up close to the fish and didn't have to worry that they would make any scary noises. Jace pointed at the Zebra, chased the peacocks and growled at the polar bear. It was a good time. We bought a Zoo membership for the year so we look forward to exploring some more on a cooler day.

Today Jace spent the afternoon with Palmers while Joel and I enjoyed a movie. We saw Public Enemies. It was cool. After the movie we went for a walk with Elaine and the puppy, Emma. Jace rode in the stroller and Emma ran all over the place. She would dart from one side of the path to the other stringing the leash under our feet. The walk was 2 miles so it got to be a little much for both Jace and Emma. Jace started crying so he ended up being carried on Joel's shoulders. Emma started lagging behind so she ended up riding in the stroller. I'm sure people passing us were pointing and laughing (I would have been).

Don and Jessica joined us for dinner at Red Robin. Jace was so tired that he fell asleep on the way to the restaurant. He stayed asleep on Joel's shoulder for a good 20 minutes. Joel loved it. He rarely gets to hold the sweet, sleeping Jace. Once Jace woke up he immediately noticed the balloons that the restaurant gives away. Uncle Don brought him one and tied it to the highchair. He ate most of his dinner with the balloon string in one hand while he fed himself with the other hand. The down side was that Jace was very scarred by the squealing sound of the balloons being filled. He cried a couple of different times (Joel even asked the staff if they could hold off on filling any more for a little while). Our tired little guy suffered one more balloon incident when we got home. Joel was carrying Jace and his 2 blue balloons in to the house when one popped. Jace had one of those long moments. Most people know what I'm talking about. The long moments when the kid's face is already crying, eyes squinting, face turning red, mouth wide open but no sound in coming out. You can actually count the seconds of silence before the wailing starts and you know the more time passes the louder that first scream will be.

Poor little man. I'm not sure if he will be so excited about balloons next time.

This photo is from Yesterday. Joel was playing Hide-and-Seek with Jace. It was funny to see him "hide" on the couch in plain sight. It still took Jace a while to find him.

a disagreement

I realized today that the change from baby to toddler is marked not only by those adorable wobbly first steps but also by the first cry until I get what I want tantrums.

This afternoon Jace decided that he wanted to play with my cell phone again. First he came over to me and climbed up on my lap. Foolish me, my first thought was that he might just want to be closer to his Mom. Then the reaching and grunting started. Then, when I didn't end my call and immediately hand over the requested item, the tears started to roll. Amazingly, this was not the disturbing part of the story. I was most worried when I did hand the phone over to him and the crying stopped instantly. He smiled and made this adorable happy sighing sound. Yikes.

Overall our day was a very enjoyable one. We had lunch with Aaron and dropped him off at the airport. He was off to Chicago to visit family. We went to the bookstore and the health food store and went swimming before dinner. In the bath tonight Jace discovered how to fill an empty bottle under the running faucet. It was hilarious because the water kept splashing off the bottle into his face. He would try to turn away and still hold the bottle under the water. We were both soaked and laughing.

Photo 1: The tears still hang on his cheeks. Evidence of three seconds ago when he thought his world was ending.

Photo 2: Running away with his prize.

Photo 3: Returning to tell me something. I assume he said, "Don't ever even think of not giving me what I want or, so help me, you will rue the day!".

travel - day 2

Jace and I had a crazy full day.

He was awake at 6:30 at Palmer's house this morning. We started our morning routine a little earlier than normal. He enjoyed oatmeal for breakfast (Quakers maple and brown sugar). It was a change from the bland baby cereal that he refuses to eat anymore.

After breakfast I put Jace in the stroller, still in his PJs, and went for a quick walk. I'm glad we took advantage of the nice morning it warmed up really fast. Jace got a morning nap while I showered and wrapped our gift.

Lunch was goofy because Emma was there. It was a big distraction. It didn't take Jace very long to figure out that the puppy would eat anything that he dropped from the high chair. Poor Emma had to go in her crate while Jace finished his meal. They played together for a little bit before we went to the baby shower.

The shower was for Mary Alice, the special ed teacher at Meadow Point. It was fun to see everyone from the school. Donna was there with her grandson, Cade, who is only a few days older than Jace. Amanda was there with her 3 month old, Henry. Jace stayed very busy exploring the house and backyard. He was worn out after the party and fell asleep in the car.

Tonight he ate a huge dinner of chicken, edemambe, pears, baby food spinach and angel food cake. All that food gave him a last burst of energy tonight. He moved utensils from the kitchen to the living room, tackled me several times and tried on his Dad's ball cap.

He plays with phones all the time. Tonight was the first time (that I know of) that he made a call. He was playing with my cell phone when the home phone rang. I answered it and heard him pushing buttons on the other end.

If anyone else has received a call like this, sorry.

travel - day 1

Joel took Sarah to the airport very early today. Then he came home and packed for yet another trip to NM. This time the trip is just a week so hopefully it will go fast.

Jace and I did a little shopping this afternoon for a baby shower gift. Tomorrow is the shower for one of the ladies I worked with at the preschool. I am looking forward to seeing everyone.

Tonight at Palmer's house Jace bonked his head yet again. It seems to be a daily occurrence now. He just loves testing the limits of his walking skills. He went faster and faster around the island in the kitchen until he finally fell against it. It looked like a pretty impressive bruise but he recovered quickly and went right back to fast walking. At dinner he scarfed down the stuffing that Elaine made for stuffed peppers. I couldn't believe how much he ate of the hamburger, onion, tomato and rice mixture. He got very excited when Uncle Don and Aunt Jessica arrived with the puppy, Emma.

He was exhausted again tonight. So am I.

Sarah visiting

Sunday, July 5

The goal of the day was to get back to Denver but we were not in any hurry. We enjoyed a yummy breakfast then spent some time touring Wray. We took some photos of familiar spots (the view from Flirt and the Cliff theatre). Jace played with Grandma Joy and Grandpa Doug.

We finally got on the road around noon. We stopped for a bite to eat in Brush again. Then we stopped in Wiggins to visit Becky and Justin. We spent a couple hours talking and playing.

When we got home Jace was exhausted even though he did nap in the car.

Joel had some fun with him before bedtime. They were making faces in the mirror. Jace thought it was the funniest thing to bump his forehead into the mirror.

Little guy 4th of July

Saturday, July 4

Sarah, Jace, Joel & I packed up the Explorer and drove to Wray. Jace enjoyed McDonald's sausage for breakfast in Brush. Jace rode with his car seat facing forward for the first time. He did not nap during the drive. We made it to Wray before lunchtime. It is a new record for us. We never get there that early.

Sarah spent the afternoon with her family in Haigler. Jace cried and cried when I tried to put him down for an afternoon nap. Grandpa Doug found ways to entertain Jace. They checked the weather on the computer, flew stuffed eagles around the bedroom, drove a red pick-up truck in the living room and made a sand bucket outside.

Grandma and Papa Courtney and Des and Mary Lou Brophy all came over for a huge holiday dinner. Jace did pretty well for being super tired. After a quick bath, he went to bed and the rest of us enjoyed the Wray fireworks display from my parent's front yard.

Jace, Art & Eggs

Friday, July 3

Sarah flew in for the holiday weekend. We headed into town for the Cherry Creek Arts Festival. We walked all around enjoying the booths. We shared sorbet and kettle corn. We decided to get inside the mall before the downpour started.

While the rain came down in sheets Jace played on the giant food playground. It was packed. It's always packed. There are so many babies in that play area! Jace almost got flattened by a chubby baby in a superman cape sliding down the slice of bacon. It sounds weird. It was weird.

Jace snacked on his toes while Joel navigated us home on the flooded streets.