Stories from the Front Range...

Some holiday sightings

2011-12-31T22:46:00.001-07:00

Christmas 2011 was a great one. We had all the immediate family except the popsicles in AK here at our house, and the kids all seemed to have a great time reveling in their abundant gifts and time playing with everyone. A few pics from the days...

Jill and Cooper built up a gingerbread house

From sleeping in bouncer

Grandpa Jim and Cooper decorated some outstanding sugar cookies

From sleeping in bouncer

And Cooper made extra sure they had ample sprinkles

From sleeping in bouncer

A quick family picture...and note how I got into the holiday spirit by doing my best to look like Santa. No white beard but I've got the belly dialed.

From sleeping in bouncer

There is a reason actors say never work with "kids or animals"

From sleeping in bouncer

Lauren got her first iteration of Grandma Judy's Christmas grab bags

From sleeping in bouncer

She appears amused by it all

From sleeping in bouncer

Some dinner at everyone's favorite Pasta Jay's

From sleeping in bouncer

Everyone is looking in the same general direction. Its a Christmas miracle!

From sleeping in bouncer

The presents begin to roll in

From sleeping in bouncer

Which of these two looks more ornery? That is a trick question as since one is a clone of the other, they are equally ornery.

From sleeping in bouncer

Lauren loves all the attention

From sleeping in bouncer

Cuteness...and those two kids

From sleeping in bouncer

The holidays make everyone hit the bottle from time to time

From sleeping in bouncer

It wouldn't be traveling without stress

2011-12-31T22:31:00.001-07:00

December has been a cruel joke for me. I was supposed to be primarily on vacation from the 15th to the end of year, but that didn't come to fruition and so you just adjust and move on. Despite being on the go all the time, a night out with Jill is something that is too infrequent so we'll go to great lengths to get that.

This time it involved flying to Houston with an overnight layover in Little Rock, AR to drop off Cooper and Lauren with Jim and Judy so Jill and I could attend my second company Christmas party in a 7 day span. We got into Little Rock with few issues, Cooper is a seasoned traveler these days and Lauren is the world's easiest kid.

Jill and I had an early flight out of Little Rock, which felt really early considering we live an hour behind Central time. We made it into Houston on time, saw a couple of friends then headed off to grab lunch with my cousin Brandon and his wife Amy, a fellow Bartian and classmate of Jill's at Lupe Tortillas.

After that, I ambled over to the company meeting and snuck in the back door to little fan fare. After a couple hours of the meeting and some socializing with coworkers, we headed to our hotel to relax for a few hours before heading to River Oaks Country Club, the creme de la creme for Houston high society life.

The party was a good time, nice food and everyone was having a great time. The company gifts never fail to please, an iPad2 for me and a really nice pair of diamond earrings for Jill. You could say it was a very good year...

It all started getting a little messy at that point, not for Jill and I but for others. After getting some coworkers in bad shape loaded up and headed home, we were missing our gift bag. After some looking and a incoherent exchange with a coworker that had two iPads in his bag we headed to the hotel sans gifts. We've since recovered both gifts, as we knew we would but it made things more interesting.

A few hours sleep at the JW Marriott across from the Galleria, then a quick breakfast and another flight back to Little Rock. We'd be stopping through just long enough to grab a meal, get the kids and head back to the airport to fly back to CO some 48 hours after we left....or so we thought.

On our way to the airport, I started getting text messages from United. Flight delayed. First 30 minutes, then an hour, then two hours. So our 7:30 flight was now 9:30. We opted to grab some dessert and drinks at a restaurant rather than try to entertain the kids at the small airport for three hours. Around 8, we had grown tired of the restaurant so we drove the mile to the airport, said our goodbyes to Jim and Judy and headed to check our bags.

The United attendent behind the desk says to me "Are you checking in for a flight tomorrow morning?"

I am puzzled, but reply "No I have a flight at 9:30 tonight".
He replies "Well TSA goes home at 8pm, you aren't going anywhere tonight"

My reply should not be repeated, although Cooper did repeat it immediately after I said it and it was along the lines of "My good sir, this cannot be correct" or something similar to that. Knowing there was no wiggle room on this, my attention diverted to getting a rental as we watched Jim drive away and couldn't get them on their cell phone. Rental car acquired, 45 minutes later we were back at their house and kids in bed we were going to make the best of the situation. United couldn't get us all on a single flight on Saturday, so we booked the earliest flight out on Sunday morning and decided to enjoy the extra time with the family on Saturday.

Sunday morning the alarm starts ringing at 5am and we start loading the car up. The last thing we load are the two kiddos and off we go to the airport. There is a 18 mile, curvy stretch of road from the edge of the Village to the interstate. We made it about 14 of those miles and then everything came to a stop. Police cars lights flashing, cars backed up...what is going on?

I get out, walk up to see an enormous tree fallen across the road. With a car smashed into it. On a bridge. Seriously, this state refuses to let us leave. I talk to a few people to get an assessment of our options. Its going to be a "long time" before the tree is out. There are few other roads to get us to the airport and none of them are close. One person gives us the recommendation of "the dirt road across from the boarded up convenience store back up the road". Good enough, lets roll.

Now I could have just followed her up the road and she would have lead me to said dirt road, but she was about 70 and I had a feeling she would be driving 40mph in the 45mph zone so I took the lead and never saw her again. Of course, I never saw the dirt road either but Jill did find me an acceptable, albeit tiny, road that eventually dumped us out at the Interstate.

To make a long, and incredibly stressful, story much shorter. We screeched into the airport, checked in with 3 minutes to spare, dumped the rental car and ran through security while they are calling for us on the loudspeaker. Nerves shot, incredibly tired but so thankful to have the wheels touch down on some higher elevation tarmac...

Quick trip across the pond

2011-12-31T21:47:00.000-07:00

Being on the road all the time and desperately looking for some time off, I was looking to spend several weeks relaxing at or close to home in December. Well so much for best laid plans... I got an offer that was too good to be true, a trip to London under the cover of business that had the payoff of getting to see my favorite band on their home turf. While I have a hard time complaining about traveling too much and then taking an elective trip, I still thought it was too good to pass up so off I went...

The trip over is a 9 hour flight from Denver, but I was able to fly direct on British Airways which was nice. Even nicer was that I flew club class on the way over, meaning I had the full on royal treatment and a fold out bed to sleep in.

Things were looking up already as I scrolled through my in-flight entertainment options, one of my favorite mountain biking videos.

Then the food parade started to roll out. A four course meal on the plane, unheard of, and tasty as well.

Once arriving it was a bit of a blur. I left Denver about 6pm and landed in London around 9am. After a taxi ride to the hotel, quick shower I donned a sportcoat and tie and headed to the office. After putting in a pretty good day on no sleep, I then headed over to the train station to wait for two coworkers to arrive to grab some late dinner.

At the train station, checking out the Lego Christmas tree.

A company meeting the next day, some sightseeing and then the London office Christmas party. Some good food, good wine and then off to the concert. I've seen Coldplay live at least five or six times, and this would be my third country (US, Canada and now the UK) and they have never disappointed.

Checking out Tower Bridge, which is much more impressive than the rather bland London Bridge

Concert time at the O2 arena.

Floor seats always make for a better experience. Early on the balloons drop on the crowd.

Then the confetti canons get started

After the concert I had a full day to do whatever I pleased. Despite no sleep, I got up early and headed out. I wanted to see as much as I could so I took as much advice from my European coworkers and all the people that offered it. My hotel was in a great location and I was getting to be a pro on navigating the tubes, so off I went.

First stop, from my hotel to Big Ben and Parliament was a simple walk across the bridge, a walk that I did at least 10 times in my few days.

From London Trip

My hotel and the London Eye

From London Trip

Hey look, Big Ben...

From London Trip

First stop was Westminster Abbey. No pics allowed inside, but what an amazing place. Sitting inside was pretty overwhelming to think about all the greats you were laid to rest or had passed through this building over the years.

From London Trip

The over to see the Queen's digs

From London Trip

After walking around town, I decided to do the double decker bus tour bit. I opted for the version with a live narator, it was nice as I could hop on / off the bus whenever I pleased and had a day pass on the tubes. I covered a tremendous amount of territory in my one day, history at every turn in this city.

St. Paul's Cathedral. Turns out this wasn't for Paul McCartney, but I'd argue maybe it should be.

From London Trip

In Tralfalgar Square there was a gathering of Santa Clauses, attempting to break to world record for most Santas. Crazy to see thousands of St. Nick's hanging out at a monument.

From London Trip

Then I was treated to an amazing London sunset, here looking out over Big Ben / Parliament from the hotel

From London Trip

Then my favorite shot from the trip...The London Eye and County Hall all lit up at night

From London Trip

After that it was a long flight back home, unpack a suitcase and load another up. In the next 10 days I'd be in Colorado, Arkansas, Texas and Arizona.

Buying speed

2011-11-27T22:00:00.001-07:00

Its been a humbling experience moving to Colorado. Even when you're dialed on your riding and fitness, you are just rabbits for the pros and "faster than you" guys who seem to have endless amounts of time to ride. At 6" and somewhere between 185 and 200, I'll never be a fast climber but you still gotta get yourself up before you can get down.

Since I've moved here my bikes have gotten more and more travel and fatter and fatter. My current "all mountain" bike is in the 31.5 pound range, coil rear shock and tires that look like they are off a motocross bike. Needless to say, I don't enter many cross country races on it, but when the trails turn down or I get a chance to do lift service at a resort it shines.

Enter my latest favorite bike....

From New Niner Jet9 RDO

I built this bike up to be light(ish) and fast. I wanted a bike that I could ride on the road or bike path to the trail, then rip the trails then ride back home. Hand selected parts that are reasonably light, decent price but durable were picked and assembled. I built it up a couple weeks ago and then headed out to Hall Ranch, a ride that I've done tons of times for a shake down ride. I didn't ride overly hard, although I will admit to a nice dose of new bike adrenaline. I have no fitness, maybe negative fitness, at the moment but was quite surprised to see the results when I got home and dumped my GPS data.

4 personal records and another 2nd best time. Hmmm....Gotta just be the new bike excitement and gorgeous weather. Encouraging, but I must have been going harder than I thought.

On to the next ride...a revisit to the ride above, but this time with the intention of riding at a reasonable, conversational type pace. And the results...

Even faster on the way up. I was actually faster on the loop as well, but I used both my iPhone and my Garmin Edge 500 so it says "2nd best time", but its really 3 more personal records on this trail that I've ridden a lot. Also of note is that I've had a terrible head cold that I've just barely started recovering from. I think with a determined effort with lungs that are cooperating, I could smash these marks. These marks are beating my previous really hard efforts without any real fitness and without really going hard.

And then today, I did a different ride just for further comparison. This is a trail that has a 4.5 - 5 mile climb that is a mix of smooth and fast and rocky chunk. I did this climb a lot the last couple of seasons getting ready for my bigger events, so I've had a lot of results tracked on this climb.

Again today's ride was at a reasonable pace. Sure I went into the pain cave a couple of times, but I was never going deep into the red. The trail today was busy, but on the way up just about everyone yielded pretty well. There were a few times that I did have to come to a complete stop as descenders skidded towards me but overall I just kept powering up. The bigger shock was that I posted my 2nd fastest descent on record despite yielding an estimated 30+ times on the way down. Still puzzled at how that happened. I shaved almost 4 full minutes off my previous best time.

So what is the big difference? Is it the 29" wheels versus the 26" wheels? Is it a Horst Link suspension versus a CVA suspension? Is it aggressive 2.3 tires versus lighter, faster rolling 2.2s? Is it strictly a 6 pound weight savings advantage?

I honestly don't know, but there is obviously a large quantifiable difference between my two bikes. As I get more and more rides in on the new bike the differences may become more clear, but I'm quite pleased with how big an impact this new bike has made.

Who says you can't buy fitness? Not me anymore. Now how do I buy more hours in the day....

Thankful to be in Colorado

2011-11-25T22:52:00.001-07:00

Won't ever get enough of this great weather we are having, the last several days have been picture perfect. In an attempt to burn off a few calories before intaking several thousand, we got the whole family out for a hike at Hall Ranch just down the road from us in Lyons. Nice morning to be out, few people on the trails.

Cooper wanted to see where we were and where we were going on the map before getting started

From Hall Ranch Hike

Now that we have that figured out, off we go

From Hall Ranch Hike

Lauren didn't seem to care about the map much, but was cozy and warm in her Teletubby outfit

From Hall Ranch Hike

Cooper had his trusty walking stick (we've had this one for at least a year) and his trusty binoculars

From Hall Ranch Hike

Up we go

From Hall Ranch Hike

Cooper hitting his stride on the Stryder

2011-11-23T17:00:00.000-07:00

Jill sent me this video the other day of Cooper showing off his skills at the skate park near our house. Just a few days ago he couldn't ride up or down these, now we flies around them.

Halloween Treats

2011-11-22T21:35:00.001-07:00

Halloween is such a fun time for us these days. Its an event (do you really call it a holiday? I don't) that I never cared for much until we had kids. Now its a big event for our whole family. In the last couple years, we've been blessed with some gorgeous weather, including temps in the 60s this year.

We decided this year to head south to Sarah's place to trick or treat with her and Reese as well as Tressa and her daughter Riley, who is just a bit older than Cooper. We had a wide range of costumes, but I think each kid's costume properly represented them. On to some pics...

Cooper was a Dragonosaurus, here demonstrating his "ROAR!"

From Halloween 2011

Princess Riley joined in to help

From Halloween 2011

Pieces and Riley hug it out

From Halloween 2011

Then it was time to play before tricking and treating

From Halloween 2011

Lauren went as an elephant. Jill went as a supermodel.

From Halloween 2011

Trying to get all the kids to pose at one time is not the easiest thing to do

From Halloween 2011

My family.

From Halloween 2011

And off we went...

From Halloween 2011

Cooper and Riley just stormed into people's houses at first, one track mind to the candy.

From Halloween 2011

Riley is ready to smile at a moments notice

From Halloween 2011

Pieces hauled in a ton of candy

From Halloween 2011

Lauren smiling back at me

From Halloween 2011

Strangely well organized for our bunch

From Halloween 2011

Lauren is quite tall and started to blow out her costume by the end of the night

From Halloween 2011

Then back to the house to hand out candy

From Halloween 2011

Baths, books and night time

From Halloween 2011

Feed Me!

2011-11-01T08:00:00.000-06:00

Lauren has yet to get any teeth, but that has not stopped her from being voracious about getting some real food. When shown any type of real food, she attacks it. When this kid gets some teeth, she is going to be dangerous around.

Here are some pics from a recent feeding and the carnage that ensued...

From Pumpkin Patch Visit

Cooper poses with his pumpkin he got at the pumpkin patch.

From Pumpkin Patch Visit

Mondays should always be like this...

2011-10-28T15:00:00.000-06:00

We've been blessed with one of the most magnificent late Summer / early Fall periods that I can remember. Like all good things, this too was coming to an end and the writing was on the wall. With 70s for the weekend and me scheduled to head back to Casper, I caught a glimpse of the weather forecast which showed an 80 degree Monday followed by 8 - 10 inches of snow on Wednesday. Having stockpiled some vacation, I decided to take a day off and enjoy what could be the last fling for Summer temps.

We started the morning off with a trip to the local pumpkin patch, hoping to catch small crowds. Here are some pics from our adventure to the Rocky Mountain Pumpkin Patch on the west side of Longmont.

Cooper posing

From Pumpkin Patch Visit

Jill smiles while the kids obviously see something more interesting to the left

From Pumpkin Patch Visit

Lauren still not convinced she is happy to be here

From Pumpkin Patch Visit

On to the petting zoo where Cooper got to feed some sheep and goats

From Pumpkin Patch Visit

Still not so pleased...

From Pumpkin Patch Visit

The its time to go ring some bells and make loud noises

From Pumpkin Patch Visit

Blue skies and big smiles

From Pumpkin Patch Visit

Even found a tractor to drive

From Pumpkin Patch Visit

Then time to measure up on the pumpkin height meter

From Pumpkin Patch Visit

Jill helps Lauren measure up

From Pumpkin Patch Visit

Then the whole gang hangs out together

From Pumpkin Patch Visit

All aboard!

From Pumpkin Patch Visit

Then into the hay bale maze

From Pumpkin Patch Visit

Next to pumpkin painting

From Pumpkin Patch Visit

Then we grabbed a wagon and headed out to load up a few pumpkins

From Pumpkin Patch Visit

Plenty of pumpkins to choose from

From Pumpkin Patch Visit

Back to the tractor

From Pumpkin Patch Visit

And of course the bouncy house

From Pumpkin Patch Visit

And finally Lauren decides she is happy to be here after all

From Pumpkin Patch Visit

My baby girl

2011-10-27T15:08:00.000-06:00

Having a girl and a boy are two uniquely separate experiences. While Cooper was all about moving and action and never much of a cuddly kid, Lauren is cuddly and still not quite crawling while approaching 8 months. She rolls around and coos at us a lot, which just makes me smile thinking about it. When you walk into the room, she just grins.

From October 16, 2011

Pumpkin patching

2011-10-26T15:00:00.000-06:00

I'll admit, before kids I just didn't get the pumpkin patch business. And to be honest, I'm not sure I personally get it but the kids sure seem to love it. Cooper talks about "pumpkin patches" for about 3 months a year. Located about between Sarah and our house is a massive "pick from the field" pumpkin patch. This time of year it can be a traffic jam but while I snuck away for an early morning mountain bike ride, Sarah and Reese met up with Jill, Cooper and Lauren for some pumpkin patching.

No pumpkin patch would be complete without an inflatable slide. Reese leads Cooper down

From October 16, 2011

And then some time in the bouncy house

From October 16, 2011

Posing for pics

From October 16, 2011

The scarecrow and the pumpkin

From October 16, 2011

Lauren not real thrilled to be a pumpkin

From October 16, 2011

Quick Trip to Casper

2011-10-25T21:49:00.001-06:00

Winter is coming to Wyoming quickly, wait I think its already here as of today, so a couple weeks back we made an impromptu decision to all load up and go to Casper for work for me and some exploration for the family. I tried to temper expectations as Casper doesn't have tons of activities, but it was a chance for everyone to get out of the house and see another one of my work stops.

Some sights from the adventures around town...

A brief stop at the "mall"

From October 16, 2011

Casper did have some really cool playgrounds that Cooper was excited to check out

From October 16, 2011

Cooper showing off his gymnastics skills

From October 16, 2011

Lauren was enthralled with the wood chips

From October 16, 2011

Cooper checking out the falls. Evidently this is raging in the Spring, but late in the year it was but a trickle

From October 16, 2011

An attempt at a family picture (minus poor Joel who was busy working)

From October 16, 2011

Checking out some trails

From October 16, 2011

Lots of history of the early Western settlers happened in these parts. Its pretty mind blowing to think about the struggles and the enormous task of getting West in the early days. I guess I can't complain about my 3 hour drive each week. Jill took the kiddos to a museum with lots of history and exhibits about the Oregon Trail.

Cooper checking out a wagon

From October 16, 2011

Playing with an exhibit

From October 16, 2011

A first class wagon

From October 16, 2011

Cooper does photo duty to get a picture of Jill

From October 16, 2011

No battling crowds on a Wednesday afternoon in Casper

From October 16, 2011

Few random pics

2011-10-13T15:00:00.000-06:00

Here are a few random pictures of Cooper out doing various activities around.

Here he collects himself after one of his dramatic bike crashes

From Overalls and Cooper Photography

Here he sets his sites on the park

From Overalls and Cooper Photography

We stopped by Valmont Bike Park in Boulder for the inaugural cyclocross race. Imagine riding as hard as you can and then having to dismount and run your bike up this staircase at 5300 feet every lap. Ouch.

We went to Lowes to buy a new storm door and stumbled upon their "Build and Grow" projects. The sound of 30+ kids hammering their wood projects was too much to resist. Here he poses with Jill and his newly created "Monster Box".

Lauren's own blog post

2011-10-12T12:00:00.000-06:00

Last weekend when I was up talking with Mr. and Mrs. Punisher, I told them how hard it is to get pictures of the second kid when you've got a (hyper) active first child. I typically take Cooper and play ball or go to the park or ride bikes while Jill keeps Lauren fed and happy. Its quite difficult to get Lauren, clean and posed and a picture taken before Cooper has gotten into something.

BUT there are a few occasions when we've gotten Cooper down to bed or in a semi-controlled state and we can snap a few pics of our baby girl, who is getting big in a hurry.

She has an amazing smile

From Overalls and Cooper Photography

And got a kiss from Cooper

From Overalls and Cooper Photography

Lauren started "eating" real foods some too. Here she was torn on if she should ingest the graham cracker or use it for a facial, which she choose isn't immediately clear.

From Overalls and Cooper Photography

Squeezing what's left out of the good weather

2011-10-11T15:00:00.000-06:00

The weather is still glorious, but this time of year you know you are on borrowed time. It won't be long before the beautiful golden leaves fall and go brown, the days get short and the snow inevitably will fall. We decided to meet up in Boulder with Sarah & Pieces to try out a new hiking trail. We've hiked the small loop at Hall Ranch a number of times, the NCAR area hiking is a bit tough for the kiddos, so we opted to try the Boy Scout Trail up Flagstaff Mountain in Boulder.

A new area for us, but online reports showed a manageable amount of elevation gain and some good views. The loop was a bit over a mile with a couple of add-ons that we could tack on if everyone was enjoying the day. After a false start at the wrong parking lot, we all got unloaded and headed out to explore a new trail.

Cooper hits the ground running. Literally, he just runs in a direction, sometimes its the right direction.

From Boy Scout Trail in Boulder Hike

We hit the first "add-on", which was May's overlook. Cooper posed near the rock field.

From Boy Scout Trail in Boulder Hike

Then started scrambling up the rocks.

From Boy Scout Trail in Boulder Hike

and Pieces decided to follow suit

From Boy Scout Trail in Boulder Hike

When Jill finally caught up to Coop, he obliged us with a pose

From Boy Scout Trail in Boulder Hike

Sarah and Pieces made their way up too

From Boy Scout Trail in Boulder Hike

Jill channels her inner-Dr. LK for the mandatory big arms photo overlooking Boulder

From Boy Scout Trail in Boulder Hike

And Cooper took off down the trail again. This is the view most of us get of Cooper.

From Boy Scout Trail in Boulder Hike

I was on Lauren duty for the day, as always she was just happy to be along with the group

From Boy Scout Trail in Boulder Hike

Cooper making his way up the final climb of the day

From Boy Scout Trail in Boulder Hike

Despite her cries of "Want to go to Tahoe", we convinced Pieces to hike out the last bit.

From Boy Scout Trail in Boulder Hike

Overall a pretty decent hiking trail. The one issue is that we ended up paying $5 / car (2 cars) to park as we were in my work rental car and Sarah in the Tahoe, neither of which have Boulder County tags. The area got pretty busy by the time we left, but we only saw one other group out on the trail. The trail definitely gave some great views looking north and east over the Boulder bubble, could make for some amazing sunrises there I'm sure.

Jaxson's Birthday Party

2011-10-10T22:06:00.000-06:00

Cooper has the distinct advantage to be the cousin of Reece, who runs in the elite socialite circles for toddlers, and he gets to be her "plus one" at times. Reece and Cooper shared a 2 / 3 year old birthday party at Sarah's house in August, and Jaxson who is one of Reece's classmates came to the party. When he turned 2, Reece and Cooper scored invites. This was especially nice given that his party was at a gymnastics studio, and Cooper loves gymnastics class.

Some pics from the chaos that ensues when you put 10 or so 2 - 3 year olds in a gymnastics studio...

Cooper hangs from the high bar

From Jackson Bday party

Then works on his flips on the low bar

From Jackson Bday party

The birthday boy follows suit

From Jackson Bday party

Then it was time to play with the parachute, which was amazing enough to captivate all the kids.

From Jackson Bday party

Cooper's new bike

2011-10-03T18:00:00.000-06:00

After discussing getting Cooper a stride bike for his birthday but ultimately opting for a marble run (which continues to be a bit hit), I was having a hard time letting the gorgeous Fall weather go by with Cooper not being able to enjoy a new bike. So I emailed Dave at Redstone Cyclery to inquire about a Strider bike for Cooper. In stock color choices were green and pink. Green was workable, but orange was preferable so Dave got one ordered and delivered in 3 days.

So Friday evening the whole family loaded up to go pick up Cooper's new ride. He was quite excited about it, so after picking it up we went straight to a park for him to try it out.

Friday morning waiting to pick up his bike, he decided to climb his first tree

From Cooper's New Bike

Pure style

On the bike and ready to roll

From Cooper's New Bike

Wasting no time finding some dirt

From Cooper's New Bike

And picking up speed over the bridge

From Cooper's New Bike

"I was born to ride..."

From Cooper's New Bike

Video of Super kicking along

From Cooper's New Bike

The next morning Cooper and I set out around the neighborhood on the bike. I was on foot, but Cooper was already getting faster and more confident on his bike. So much so that he started having dramatic crashes, meaning that he would pick out a soft spot to fall and then crash on purpose.

From Cooper's New Bike

Arriving at our destination, the park near our house, he was picking up speed and rocketing down the path. A few speed wobbles to let him know his comfort level, but he kept it upright.

From Cooper's New Bike

A ride on Thomas the Train

2011-10-02T22:32:00.001-06:00

and no I'm not going to call it "Thomas the Tank Engine", its a train. Cooper's personal social director, Aunt Sarah, had sifted through the available entertainment possibilities on the the Front Range for the weekend and determined the best fit for Super Cooper would be to go ride the real Thomas the Train.

After some hectic shuffling and a missed 4:45 departure by mere seconds, we regrouped and saw some sights while we waited for our now 5:30 departure time. Good thing was there was quite a bit to see and do while we waited.

Cooper was brave enough to give Sir Topemhat a high five, but didn't stick around long enough to get a picture

From thomas the train

We checked out the elaborate series of model trains that were running

From thomas the train

Then some time in the petting zoo

From thomas the train

And then it was time for the main event, a ride on the real life Thomas the Train. Super and Pieces all aboard and ready for departure.

From thomas the train

Cooper wanting quiet so he can hear the Thomas speech

From thomas the train

And a Cooper smile

From thomas the train

The parents and Lauren, who was less than impressed but agreeable as always

From thomas the train

Pieces styles as we depart

From thomas the train

Cooper checks out the sites

From thomas the train

Then after the ride a quick picture in front of Thomas

From thomas the train

Cooper the Photographer

2011-09-24T12:33:00.000-06:00

Cooper is interested in EVERYTHING. The latest thing he decided he wanted to play with was Jill's camera. We didn't think he could do much harm to it, so we gave it to him and then he proceeded to snap enough pictures over a 2 hour span to drain the battery completely. He was having a big time telling us to say "Cheese Please!" over and over and then remarking "Oh that was a good one...." or "Got It!".

Here are a few of Cooper's first photos, prints available for purchase for very reasonable prices....

I call this one "Obstructed Ghetto"

From September 18, 2011

"Through the window"

From September 18, 2011

"Pay attention to the road Dad!"

From September 18, 2011

"Stoic cuteness"

From September 18, 2011

"Dad dresses me"

From September 18, 2011

Cooper's Overalls

2011-09-23T12:00:00.000-06:00

Jill decked Cooper out in his super cute overalls for church the other morning. I thought he looked so cute that we had to take a few pictures before heading out.

A boy and his pooch

From September 18, 2011

And then on to some sandbox time

From September 18, 2011

My boy is getting big in a hurry

From September 18, 2011

Cooper's smirk. No idea where he gets that, likely from his mother.

From September 18, 2011

Jill and the kiddos on a blue sky day

Random fun

2011-09-22T12:23:00.000-06:00

Some random photos from the glorious end of Summer / beginning of Fall we've been having in Colorado.

Cooper gets to play on the playground over Labor Day

From September 18, 2011

And back to the top

From September 18, 2011

Lauren looks exhausted with the whole thing, which isn't surprising considering this kid NEVER naps.

From September 18, 2011

But when she is awake, she has started to get around pretty quickly.

From September 18, 2011

Football Time

2011-09-21T12:00:00.000-06:00

Got the whole crew decked out in the OState gear to watch the game and snapped a couple of pics.

From September 18, 2011

Quick visit to Arkansas

2011-09-20T21:18:00.001-06:00

Jill, Cooper and Lauren made a quick trip over to Arkansas to see the whole Lovejoy gang. Justin, Dr. LK and Katherine made the trip down from Alaska, and Grandma Vi and Jerry came over from OK. Poor Joel had to go to Wyoming and work....

A few pics

Grandma Vi and her great granddaughter Lauren

From September 18, 2011

Justin, Judy and Jill

From September 18, 2011

Judy with her grandkids

From September 18, 2011

The original Lovejoy clan

From September 18, 2011

And the chaos that goes along with trying to photograph 3 children, a Grandma and two "adults"

From September 18, 2011

Cooper plays putt putt or hockey or some variation of the two

2011-08-30T12:00:00.015-06:00

Every since the July 4th weekend we spent up in Winter Park, Cooper has been in love with putt putt. I bet he played at least 200 holes in the week we were up there with his rapid style of barely letting the ball stop before hitting it again. One weekend morning I asked him what he wanted to do and he told me he wanted to play mini-golf, so off we went to Boulder to check out the Gateway Fun Center on the north side of town.

Pleasant temps and light crowds let us kind of play the game at our own speed, replaying holes when we wanted and get in somewhere between 36 and 50 holes in a short period of time. The course was nice and shady which made it great as we've been "hot" (apologies to the Okies) lately.

Grandpa Jim will cry a bit at Cooper's upside down putter technique

From Putt Putt in Boulder

And he's off

From Putt Putt in Boulder

The gallery looks on

From Putt Putt in Boulder

Tee off then sprint after it

From Putt Putt in Boulder

The precursor...

From Putt Putt in Boulder

to the celebration. Cooper got his first hole in one on this hole, so we celebrated with a pic and some fist pumping.

From Putt Putt in Boulder

Cooper took his golfing too serious to pay attention to the enormous purple gorilla

From Putt Putt in Boulder

I however, did not. How long do you slow dance with a purple gorilla? As long as he wants...

From Putt Putt in Boulder

Lauren at 6 months

2011-08-29T15:00:00.002-06:00

Crazy to think that Lauren is already 6 months old, but she is getting tall (notice I said tall and not big, I'm learning how to speak to girls) and into a really fun stage now. She is the smilingest baby I've ever been around. She'll be sitting in her bouncer and just look across the room and start grinning when someone makes eye contact with her. She literally cackles when Cooper starts playing with or near her.

At her 6 month checkup last Friday, she jumped up to 85th percentile in height and 15th percentile in weight. She measured out to be 27 inches long and 13 pounds 14 ounces. She is happy and healthy and that is what the most important thing.

Starting to sit up and thinking about crawling

From Putt Putt in Boulder

What a great smile

From Putt Putt in Boulder

Hiking in the Indian Peaks

2011-08-28T21:52:00.000-06:00

Due west of us, and just south of Rocky Mountain National Park, lies the Indian Peaks Wilderness area. Equally as beautiful and less trafficked than RMNP, we often overlook it as a destination as we either stay low or hit up RMNP. We decided to take advantage of the beautiful Friday weather and hit up Lake Isabelle again, as the last time we went there was when Cooper was less than a week old.

Plans quickly changed when we found out the parking lot at Long Lake was already full at 9am, but we found another suitable destination of Mitchell Lake. 2 miles up would be a fine hike for our family of 4 now.

Cooper had his hiking sticks and was on the go

From Putt Putt in Boulder

Jill and Lauren making their way up

From Putt Putt in Boulder

Snow pack is down, but not out. Blue skies for everyone

From Putt Putt in Boulder

And our destination for the day, Mitchell Lake

From Putt Putt in Boulder

Jill and Lauren relaxing at 10k feet above sea level

From Putt Putt in Boulder

Gymnastics Class

2011-08-09T22:43:00.000-06:00

As Cooper approached 3, Jill had the great idea to get Cooper enrolled in gymnastics classes. Cooper is such a social creature and loves getting to interact with other kids. On the playgrounds he will go up to other kids and say "Hi my name is Cooper", which makes me laugh but also very proud at how well he talks to other kids.

The big benefit of gymnastics class is to get to burn off some energy, but it also provides a nice opportunity for Cooper to have to listen to another person and do as he is told. Cooper has a bit of Curious George in him, where he doesn't really mean to get in trouble but sometimes curiosity gets the better of him. Here are a few pics of Cooper doing his gymnastics activities and Lauren being the sweet angel she typically is.

Sitting very still, an unusual thing

From Gymnastics

Getting to swing

From Gymnastics

All smiles

From Gymnastics

Couple of pics from a pool day outing too.

Lauren gone wild

From Gymnastics

And passed out...

From Gymnastics

Cooper splashing about

From Gymnastics

Family Photos

2011-07-21T22:51:00.000-06:00

Lauren got a cute new dress the other day, and when I got back from a shortened bike ride (I somehow rode off with only my cycling cap and not my helmet) we thought she looked so cute that we needed some pics before we headed off to church.

Lauren doesn't look overly pleased here, but it was really because we just woke her up. She got happier.

From Lauren's New Dress

And all the sudden my boy is not so little any more

From Lauren's New Dress

Good looking group

From Lauren's New Dress

Quick timer shot of all of us. Lauren discovered she had toes about the time the shutter clicked

From Lauren's New Dress

Like Father, Like Son

2011-07-20T14:24:00.000-06:00

My name is Joel and I have a problem buying bikes.

(Now is when you say to yourself, "Hi Joel")

While at Winter Park, we noticed they had a collection of Strider bikes available for rent. Even before Cooper was born, I have wanted to buy him a bike. I thought that if we could tear the kid away from miniature golf for an hour, I could get him on the Strider bike to try it out and see if he enjoyed it like I thought he might. With Cooper's 3rd birthday coming up quickly, this seemed like a great present for both kid and slightly older kid.

The rentals were an absolute bargain at $5 / hour with a helmet. Cooper quickly decided on his color preference and the shop attendant got the bike setup for Cooper and away we went.

Cooper getting his helmet on and ready to go

From 4th of July in Winter Park

Matching helmet and bike, guaranteed to be fast

From 4th of July in Winter Park

Bikes are good for both big and small

From 4th of July in Winter Park

Straight to the dirt and ramps for us

From 4th of July in Winter Park

Cooper was a natural and wanted no help to hit the wooden ramps

From 4th of July in Winter Park

After mastering the wooden ramps, it was time for the dirt

From 4th of July in Winter Park

A little help to get up one of the bumps

From 4th of July in Winter Park

And then a crash.....

While going up one of the steep embankments, he lost his footing and crashed. I quickly ran over to him and got him up and going again, and Cooper was quick to get back on and go. Even after the crash when we would ask him if he wanted help he would reply "I can do it myself".

Some post crash reflection

From 4th of July in Winter Park

And a couple of videos of Cooper in action

From 4th of July in Winter Park

Lauren's first hike in Rocky Mountain National Park

2011-07-17T21:12:00.000-06:00

Being so close to Rocky Mountain Nat'l Park, we wanted to get up to the park for a hike during our stay in Grand County. The good is the West side of the park is less traveled and we haven't explored as much of it. The bad is the West side is rugged. Where the East side has 3 foot wide crusher gravel paths to start most trails, the West side is rocky and typically steep terrain. We picked a repeat location for Jill and I, but it would be new to both Cooper and Lauren.

We hit the trail early to avoid the typical Summer afternoon storms as well as get the kiddos back to the house for nap time too. After a short drive, we were ready to head up the trail to Cascade Falls, a huge waterfall that should be raging given the high snowpack and late melt this year.

Jill and Lauren ready to head up

From 4th of July in Winter Park

Cooper made it a mile or two before opting for a ride. Here we stop to throw rocks in the stream

From 4th of July in Winter Park

We trudged up the climb with a pretty steady pace, all the time laughing at how slow we moved this trip compared to our last time up 5 years ago sans kiddos. Slow pace and all we enjoyed it. We saw a big bull moose on our way up, and another on the way down.

After 3.5 miles, we hit our destination and the waters were raging. Sitting next to the falls it was very loud, making talking to each other difficult at times. Also made for very nervous parents as we had to keep an arm on Cooper at all times as the current would have swept him away to never be seen again had he fallen in.

Me and the kiddos at Cascade Falls

From 4th of July in Winter Park

When asked if she was impressed, Lauren had no comment.

From 4th of July in Winter Park

Jill is all smiles, Lauren is still rather stoic

From 4th of July in Winter Park

The whole family at Cascade Falls

From 4th of July in Winter Park

For contrast, here is the picture of Jill and I at Cascade Falls back in 2006 when we were bright eyed, young people...

On the way back, Cooper decided to walk if he could use the "sticks"

From 4th of July in Winter Park

Jill does the traditional "big arms", Lauren does "these are as big as my arms can be"

From 4th of July in Winter Park

More from the 4th

2011-07-16T14:34:00.000-06:00

It was nice being up in the high country for the 4th of July. It seems there are less of the pyro fueled idiots shooting high powered fireworks off all night long, plus there was a big fireworks show put on in Fraser to watch. We weren't sure any of the kiddos would like the fireworks and the noises associated with them, but we kept talking them up and explaining the noises so we were optimistic.

The crowds were huge, and we quickly decided to just put a blanket down by the car and watch instead of hiking up to the epicenter of the events. We wanted to be able to throw the kids in the car and head out in case of melt downs.

From 4th of July in Winter Park

To our surprise and despite what had to be at least an hour wait, all the kids did really well watching the fireworks. No crying and lots of oohs and aaahs.

The next day we hit up the resort early to try and get a few runs on the alpine slide under our belts before the big crowds showed up. Again, we weren't real sure the two little kids would be keen on the slide, but the big kids were anxious to try it. Jill stayed with Lauren, and Cooper, Reese, Sarah and I headed up the lift to the top for our run down. The alpine slide is basically a cement bobsled run that you do on a small little sled that has rollerblade wheels on it with a brake that slows you down.

From 4th of July in Winter Park

Ready to go

From 4th of July in Winter Park

Sarah & Reese coming down with Cooper and I hot on their tale

From 4th of July in Winter Park

After the alpine slide, we found the bouncy house. Cooper is now big enough to love it and catapulted himself into everything inside. Reese wasn't quite as keen on it and spent most of her time outside with the adults.

From 4th of July in Winter Park

And of course, we played at least 75 holes of miniature golf with Cooper too. We just tried to find other activities like the alpine slide, bouncy house and riding the gondola to break up the nonstop rounds of rapid fire golf. Every night Cooper would say "We can play some more miniature golf tomorrow..." before going to bed and then again first thing in the morning he'd already be talking about golf again.

Still more to come from the mountains....

A much needed week off...

2011-07-10T21:05:00.000-06:00

Our whole family has been in need of a vacation. Since Lauren was born, its been go go go for the whole family. I've been trying working and family and other activities, and Jill has been dealing with being outnumbered by kids 4 days a week. After years of talking about it, we finally decided to get tile put into our house. This need was necessitated by Cooper's splashing in the tub on the carpet, but we wanted to get the cheap looking linoleum replaced downstairs as well.

To get the tile done in a timely manner, we decided it would be best just to get out of the house so that two dogs and two kids and two adults wouldn't interrupt the work. So we found a house to rent for a week in Winter Park and off we went. We love Winter Park, so getting a place there was a nice getaway. While the Front Range was having high 90s and raucous thunderstorms seemingly daily, we were enjoying 70s in the high country.

We headed up on Friday afternoon and Sarah and Reece would join us soon after. A late addition would be Frumpy & Grumpy, who with some help from their travel agent Sarah, were able to get away for a couple of days of Grand County bliss. Here are a couple photos from the first few days with many more to come....

The doughnut bandit strikes!

From 4th of July in Winter Park

Pieces enjoying the deck and a perfectly sized chair

From 4th of July in Winter Park

Lauren found the high country tiring

From 4th of July in Winter Park

Cooper found lots of playgrounds to play on

From 4th of July in Winter Park

Cooper and I posing

From 4th of July in Winter Park

The kids love riding the gondola from the parking area to the base

From 4th of July in Winter Park

And every time we went past this polar bear, we had to climb on it and get pictures

From 4th of July in Winter Park

Lots of fun and adventures all week long. We weren't ready to come back down to the low elevations, but high country living isn't free so we'll come down at least temporarily....More to come.

Lauren Laughing

2011-06-29T07:55:00.002-06:00

Jill is evidently really funny to people in the 4 month age group, and she had Lauren cracking up the other night. I managed to get a quick video with my phone while she was carrying on.

This kid has it made...

2011-06-28T22:52:00.002-06:00

Relaxing in the back seat with an ice cream cone...

From Lauren's 4 month checkup

Lauren turns 4 months

2011-06-27T22:30:00.000-06:00

We took Lauren in for her 4 month check this morning, and the good news is she is a healthy and very happy little girl. We thought she had really taken off and was starting to put on some weight, but she still only hit the scales in the 15th percentile for weight. Cooper was always in the 25th percentile, so she isn't too far off.

She was 60% on height and 40% on head, both a little less than Cooper typically measured out but I'm sure she is about to take off. No signs of any heart issues that had us scared for the first couple months, she just seems to be doing really well. She is making it from 10pm to 6am most nights and is quite happy unless she has a dirty diaper or she is hungry, which evidently she is hungry a lot since the poor thing is only 15th percentile on weight.

Some pics from the appointment...

She sure seems happy for someone who is starving.

From Lauren's 4 month checkup

Cooper and I read books while Lauren got her checkup

From Lauren's 4 month checkup

Then Jill took the kids to the park to play on a gorgeous 75 degree day, where Cooper demonstrated yet again his "super" smile...

From Lauren's 4 month checkup

First podium

2011-06-27T20:35:00.001-06:00

Cooper posing on the podium at Valmont Bike Park, the first of many podiums I am sure.

Milestones

2011-06-24T19:49:00.000-06:00

My baby girl started rolling over in the last few days, won't be long and she'll be mobile. She is approaching the fun stage where everything is giggles and new experiences. Cooper continues to amaze us with what he picks up on and how much he knows. I think I continue to amaze Jill at how much I can forget....

Cooper borrowed a zebra scooter from Reese last week and he has been loving it. He rides it around the house, around the neighborhood and we even to it to the park last week. It is his pride and joy these days, so I grabbed a few pics as Jill was heading out for a run.

From Chariot ride and zebra scooter

Jill continues to do great on running with the whole crew sans Joel. I don't know how she does it, but she does.

From Chariot ride and zebra scooter

And a couple of pics from a month or so back that had gotten lost but now are found.

From Chariot ride and zebra scooter

Hitting Summer in full stride

2011-06-17T17:44:00.000-06:00

Always seem to be on the move with this bunch, Wyoming, Colorado, Texas, Oklahoma and places in between. Lauren is getting close to rolling over, and Cooper just never stops moving. Jill and I just try to keep one a piece in sight, implementing a man to man defense to keep either of them from getting into trouble, or at least minimize the trouble that they do get into.

Some pics from the last few weeks...
Lauren working on tummy time

From Spring 2011

Their Mom must be good looking

From Spring 2011

Cooper got to ride the big carousel at the mall

From Spring 2011

And then Summer hit and it was time to break out the pool. This kid is already infinitely cooler than me.

From Spring 2011

Now that we've got Lauren off and running, we are looking at getting some fun for the parents soon. Ray LaMontagne concert at Red Rocks tonight, some biking and getting out of the Front Range and heading to the high country for some rest & recoup (or ReCoop) time soon.

Working...

2011-05-14T08:29:00.000-06:00

Life of the traveling consultent means lots of days away from home, but I've been able to arrange a week at home after 2 - 3 weeks of being out on the road. While its great to be home, it can create some challenges on accomplishing things. I typically have to isolate myself up in Jill & I's bedroom with the door shut to get anything done. Admittedly I am a bit weak when it comes to telling Cooper that I can't shoot baskets with him because I have to work, but he presents some pretty compelling arguments at times.

A couple weeks ago on one of my remote weeks, I had been working up stairs when Jill gave Cooper the OK to come upstairs and get me for lunch with the whole family. After eating lunch, I was hanging out with the family for a bit when Cooper went quiet. Always a sign of trouble when you don't hear the kid...

Look in the playroom....no Cooper.
Look in the living room...no Cooper.

Upstairs I go.

Not in his room, not at the computer. Walked down the hall towards our bedroom and open the door to see Cooper in our bed, all tucked in and watching Spongebob Squarepants. I hold back a smile and ask him "What are you doing up here?"

He looks at me in a matter of fact manner and says "I'm working!"

Wink and a smile

2011-05-04T16:23:00.000-06:00

Lauren hits two months

2011-05-04T15:12:00.000-06:00

Hard to believe its already been two months, but the whirlwind tour stopped long enough to take her to her two month appointment. Unfortunately with the two month checkup and the good news that comes with finding out your baby is growing and developing, 3 shots come with it. Good for us that our daughter is apparently a super hero...She got 3 shots, looked a bit fussy for a bit then cried for about 5 seconds before just going back to hanging out.

Just like Cooper, she measured long and lean but unlike Cooper she has a tiny head. So one kid with Dad's huge melon and one with Mom's petite head, lets hope we are 50% on the skin coloring too as it doesn't look like Cooper got his Mom's olive skin.

Couple quick pics of Lauren...

From Lauren at 6 weeks

Overdue

2011-05-04T15:03:00.000-06:00

Both our kids were 2 weeks late, and I think you can point squarely at their father for that. I'm working 3 projects in 2 different countries and 3 states / provinces so time has been short lately, especially when you add in the wife, 2 kiddos and puppies (plus I tend to have a hobby or two)...

Here is a big pic dump from when Dr. LK and Judy came to visit.

From Grammie LK, Kate Visit

Springing

2011-04-17T20:18:00.000-06:00

Getting about that time. Time for great weather, longer days and gorgeous weather on the Front Range. We're adjusting to life with two kids and two dogs and of course the two tired parents. I've been on the road to Fruita, CO for some fun, Casper, Wyoming to start a new project and then a quick trip up to Calgary to help finalize a few lingering items.

Getting caught up on a few random pics. We stopped in Boulder after some playground time to grab a sandwich at "Firehouse Subs", and Cooper got his own hat to wear.

From Firehat

Then we met up with Sarah & Pieces for a bit and controlled chaos ensued. After baths and much frolicking, the kiddos settled down to read some books.

From Firehat

And now for the rest...

2011-03-20T22:41:00.000-06:00

His rather shy look from the previous photo didn't last too long....

From Cooper at Loveland Playground

We got up Saturday and headed north to Loveland to get some playground time in and run some errands. We found an empty playground on the edge of town to frolic about on while Jill and Lauren watched the boys play.

From Cooper at Loveland Playground

Lauren wanted to play on the rocking horses too...

From Cooper at Loveland Playground

On to the slide

From Cooper at Loveland Playground

A brief stop to point out the "Choo Choo" that was passing by

From Cooper at Loveland Playground

Cooper has less fumbles (and moronic quotes) than Adrian Peterson this year

From Cooper at Loveland Playground

Lauren soaking up the gorgeous day and working on growing into her hat

From Cooper at Loveland Playground

Proposing that Daddy comes down the slide too (of course I obliged)

From Cooper at Loveland Playground

Quick feeding of Lauren before the other three of us went to our feeding

From Cooper at Loveland Playground

Later in the day, an aerial photo of Cooper helping Lauren play on her activity mat

From Cooper at Loveland Playground

The two admiring their view in the mirror

From Cooper at Loveland Playground

Just an easy going kid

From Cooper at Loveland Playground

Working on her "surprised" look

From Cooper at Loveland Playground

Then once we got Cooper down for the night, we got Lauren and gave her a bath. She wasn't overly thrilled about the process, but kids seem to learn to love them eventually.

From Cooper at Loveland Playground

To be a kid again.

2011-03-19T21:44:00.000-06:00

Lots of other pics and video coming, but when I stumbled across this photo I felt it deserved a post of its own. Cooper loves playing baseball in the house, and is quite adamant that you do everything correctly (like have the glove on, his batting stance, etc). The other day he told Jill he wanted a catcher's mask, then promptly went and found something that would do for the time being....

This picture just symbolizes so much about Cooper to me when I look at it, instantly one of my favorites.

Lauren's First Hike

2011-03-12T21:33:00.000-07:00

We've had a nice run of outstanding weather lately, so today we decided to take advantage of it and get the whole family out for a bit this morning. Cooper is a bit like a working dog, he needs to be run every now and then to get out his excess energy. With a wild fire burning very near Heil Ranch our normal family hiking spot, we went a little further north today to Hall Ranch.

Setting off on our hike

From Lauren's First Hike

Lauren bundled up and ready for the trail

From Lauren's First Hike

Cooper and his trusty stick. The stick resides in the back of our CR-V and Cooper takes it with him every time we go hiking

From Lauren's First Hike

Today he tried to use his magical stick as binoculars

From Lauren's First Hike

We got about to our turnaround spot and Cooper had gone far enough on his own power, so he hitched a ride. We were on the hiking only trail and he kept spotting the bikes on the shared use trail.

From Lauren's First Hike

As we made our way back to the car, we happened upon a pack of 6 - 8 mule deer, some tiny babies in the bunch. We stood quietly (yes even Cooper) and watched them for a couple minutes before letting them continue their Saturday morning meal.

From Lauren's First Hike

More pics of the two kiddos

2011-03-10T20:59:00.001-07:00

This week I've gone back to work, so Jill has been on dual kid duty most of the week. We took Lauren to her two week checkup, and she is doing real well. Still measured 21" but weighed 7lbs 13oz, and was 75% in head size, 80% in height and 30% for weight.

Here are some random pics over the last week of the family

Big arms

From Cooper & Lauren

Playing with the OSU football that plays the fight song

From Cooper & Lauren

Aunt Sarah takes a turn

From Cooper & Lauren

The ham

From Cooper & Lauren

Sleeping baby

From Cooper & Lauren

Tuckered out

From Cooper & Lauren

Cooper came over to give Lauren a kiss. Terrible photo, but wonderful moment

From Cooper & Lauren

Mrs. The Punisher brought us a wonderful meal the other night. Stuffed pork chops, even better than they look. They also brought us a bundle of breakfast burritos and a big dessert too. I'd post some pics up of those, but they didn't last long....

From Cooper & Lauren

Bringing Lauren Home

2011-03-07T21:00:00.000-07:00

When we brought Lauren home, we were able to capture a bit of Cooper's reaction and his um...energy. He is just bursting with enthusiasm, he gets so excited that his mouth can't keep up with his mind. Glad we were able to get some video of him yelling "We mad a baby!"..

Quality Time

2011-03-06T20:44:00.000-07:00

The week after getting released from the hospital with Lauren has been all about just spending lots of time interacting with both kids. While Cooper never seems to stop, Lauren tends to sleep all day most days. She has been an incredible kid so far. We ventured out of the house a couple of times, and she has been a champ every time we've been out.

Sleeping on the bed...

From Lauren Sleeping

More sleeping

From Lauren Sleeping

And now we're awake and taking in some playtime at the park

From Lauren Sleeping

Cooper made it up the spiraling staircase on the playground by himself many times today (a first), but I still wanted to spot him just to be sure

From Lauren Sleeping

And down the big twirly slide

From Lauren Sleeping

Cooper has been really interested in Lauren. He is very helpful and always inquisitive about her. He kept asking to hold her, so with some assistance from Jill we let him hold Lauren and snapped a few pics. You can just see his excitement about her in these photos, something we are so thankful for.

From Lauren Sleeping

Settling in to our new "normal"

2011-03-04T13:24:00.000-07:00

We got Lauren home from the hospital on Sunday and started our new "normal" lives with the six of us (yes the two dogs count). Lauren was cranky for the first couple of days and basically couldn't be put down without crying, but since we've gotten her home she has settled in to a ridiculously easy kid. She is either a) asleep b) eating c) just hanging out looking around.

Her first night at home, after feeding around 2am she wasn't happy being put down in the crib. I picked her up, swaddled her up and was walking around the room. She started to get sleepy, but so was I. I laid down in bed with her on my chest. 4.5 hours later I woke up with her still sleeping peacefully. She has continued to just be an awesome baby since, usually only crying when she is hungry.

While Jill has been busy with keeping baby Lauren fed and happy, Cooper and I have been doing lots and lots of playing. We've spent several afternoons at the parks and playgrounds around, gone on walks and bike rides and even bought a new video game (Wii Sports Resort) to play together.

Cooper wanted to take his new caterpillar (from the Eric Carle book "The Hungry Caterpillar") along to the playground

Then the whole family made our first public outing together, to pick up some stuff at Target. Cooper and I then went to the toys / sporting goods where Cooper got himself outfitted with some baseball gear.

Cooper has been an incredible big brother so far, always wanting to help out. We put Lauren in the swing, and Cooper decided to go get her bouncer chair and sit with her. Cooper seems little to us until you see him next to tiny little Lauren.

The dogs were much more agreeable to Lauren arriving than they were Cooper. Baloo didn't ignore me for a week like he did when I brought Cooper home. Baloo has really grown to like Cooper, probably because Cooper supplements Baloo's diet with a variety of food items every day.

All in all our family has settled in really well. We're a complete unit now and are just enjoying our new baby girl. Jill can revel in the fact that she'll never have to be pregnant again too, and can enjoy some of Colorado's finest microbrews again....

Announcing Lauren Elizabeth White

2011-02-28T23:04:00.001-07:00

What a long and winding road to get there, but what a great outcome. On Friday February 25, 2011 at 7:55pm Jill, Cooper, Baloo, Molly and I welcomed Lauren Elizabeth White into our family. She was 21 inches long just like her older brother, but a bit skinnier at 7lbs 8oz.

The whole process was a bit surreal, but Jill and Lauren both are doing great. Jill and I headed to the hospital early on Friday morning, with Jill being a bit over 41 weeks. The inducement process started off slow, but things got seeming ramped up in a hurry and when it was go time, it didn't take long. Jill was a champion, and the doctors and nurses all commented about her toughness.

Lauren arrived and as the doctors and nurses were getting Lauren cleaned up, we could hear Cooper running up and down the hall outside yelling "We made a baby! We made a baby!" I was so happy that he was this excited.

Here are a few of the early pictures of Lauren, with lots and lots more to come...

Jill, Cooper and I just before heading to the hospital.

From Lauren's Birth

Our first 4 member family picture

From Lauren's Birth

Proud papa gets his first chance to sit and hold his baby girl

From Lauren's Birth

Lauren and I sitting holding hands waiting to get sent home from the hospital.

Sled heads

2011-02-07T22:21:00.000-07:00

We got a nice, fluffy snow overnight Sunday with some warmer temps and blue skies the following morning, so we decided to go introduce Cooper to sledding. He took a run on his own, but our sled likes to spin around a bit and he seemed to prefer going down with me. We had a big time, made 15 - 20 runs and then headed home. Jill captured some video for us while we were out.

Still waiting for baby girl...

2011-01-31T20:25:00.000-07:00

Had another checkup today, we are on a weekly schedule now, to see about when are going to get our baby girl to show up. The good part about today's checkup is that we got to have an ultrasound, our first since we found out we were having a baby girl at week 20.

As always, its king of tough to see what is what but she is sitting sideways in the picture with the top of her head on the upper right, chin pointed towards the lower left side. Everything looks good on vitals, fluids, etc so its now just the waiting game. Jill thinks Jens is coming early, but things still look like they could be a bit away. Due date is still on track for Feb 17th, today they were estimating her at 6 3/4 pounds so far.

Cooper seems to have mixed emotions about getting a sister, some days he is excited and other days (like today) he told Jill "Baby sister can't come home with us". It will be a big change for him, but I'm sure in a couple years they'll be big buddies like he and Reese are now.

Its only funny if you survive

2011-01-22T15:33:00.005-07:00

I should have known better. In fact, I did know better. The Punisher hosts night rides in the winter months, that range between the simple (too much snow lets go grab a beer) and death marches like we had last Thursday night. Thursday morning I get the text...."U Riding?"

With so much travel from M-Th, I don't get to make many of the night rides so I always try to make them when possible. This week's ride was scheduled for South Boulder, a great network of trails that I always like riding. Quick check of the weather.....Hmmmm.

20 degree temps. Cold but I've got good riding gear for cold.
25 mph winds. Uh oh. The area of the trails is notoriously windy, so much so that the national center for wind research is at the southern edge of the trail system.
Combined with the wind, NOAA says single digit wind chill values.

Send email to The Punisher explaining how my ovaries tend to ache in the wind showing link to National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration weather report (NOAA.com who happens to also be located in Boulder on the northern edge of the trail system). NOAA isn't usually wrong, especially within 24 hours.

The Punisher rebuts with "No wind in Boulder right now, see you there"

Crap.

So I load up and head to South Boulder to meet up with the crew. 6pm comes and the crew of 6 rolls out on the bike paths for a mile or two to get to the trailhead. I had ridden with 2 of the 6 before, The Punisher whose exploits are well documented and the other guy (on a Singlespeed which is the first warning sign) who I know is Breck100 finisher. Two others are big time cyclocross racers, who are just slightly removed from cross season which means they are rested and carrying some fitness.

The first uphill of the night was on the paved portion to the trailhead, and I was careful not to chase the group too hard. I rode my pace which was just slightly off the back. I was on my 5.5 inch travel Turner with big 2.4 tires from and rear, coil shock and platform pedals (probably 31 pounds at least, maybe 32).

We hit the trail and things were much better. A ribbon of 4 inches of fresh, powder dry snow that was untouched was in front of us. We zipped east on the trail starting out on what is affectionately referred to as the "Dirty Bismark" (dirt version of the Morgul-Bismark road race). The snow was perfect and my Turner with the big, meaty tires was railing the corners and clawing up the climbs.

The group of six took turns off the front to give each of us our own turn at freshies (for you Okies - being the first to put tracks down on a snowy trail). The temps were great, the trail fun and the wind just as The Punisher had promised was negligible. We made good time, and before long we were getting to the short section of pavement we had to hit to connect the trails (new connector coming this Spring to avoid all pavement).

As we headed south, so did the weather. Without warning, as we crested the climb and started downhill on McCaslin Blvd the weather unleashed. Looking ahead at the roundabout intersection, we could see tumbleweed, plastic sacks and snow blowing sideways across the street in the glow of the street lights. We were now at the furthest point from our cars and we were in the middle of it now. We had a decision to make, with neither of our choices being favorable. We could either turn around, climb back up the hill we just descended and trace our way back to the car or keep going in out clockwise fashion and ride directly into the wind which was now blowing at 25 - 30 mph constant speeds with gusts that had to be approaching 50 at times. We chose to keep going forward rather than back track, which I still don't know if it was the right choice or not. I think both choices would have sucked equally.

As we turned back west, the snow was blowing so hard that without clear glasses on (which I had) you would not have been able to look up at all. Out of necessity, we formed a pace line to try and conserve energy. We were 10 miles from the car, climbing a steady grade of 6% straight into the teeth of the 30mph winds. Unfortunately for me, the other 5 were stronger riders, weighed less and were all smaller bodies that were much more effective at getting aero than I was. I didn't take long before I got popped off the back.

I'm off the back, solo and wondering "How did I get myself into this spot?" I just kept trying to focus on keeping moving forward, although it was very hard to not get demoralized when you are in a 22x32 gear spinning as hard as you can in your easiest gear and at times feel like you are literally going backwards. Every couple of minutes, I'd look up ahead to make sure I could still see the remnants of the group. Trying to speak was useless, the wind was whipping so loudly even if someone was 3 feet from you and you were screaming directly at them you could hardly hear them. If I had a mechanical problem, there would be no yelling at the group to wait up, I was on my own (at least till they noticed that I was stopped).

We kept trudging along, sections that normally go quickly were seemingly endless. We turned from straight west to a southwestern direction, but things only got more interesting with the crosswinds. Numerous times I was blown completely off the trail, having to grab both brakes to keep from hitting the dirt. Twice I got absolutely blasted by huge tumbleweeds that just exploded when they hit me.

Slowly but surely we knocked mile markers off and we were nearing the intersection of the two major highways (128 & 93). I could see the traffic light at the intersection in the distance and just kept that as my goal. It would still be another 4 or 5 miles to the parking lot from that point, but we would finally get the wind at our backs for a bit.

When we turned back north, we stopped to regroup a bit. One guy picked up his bike and the wind literally blew it at a 45 degree angle away from him. We all just laughed and started our push up the final climb. The winds were now swirling a bit, and as we started the climb the gusts were at our backs. We were now ascending a steady climb with minimal effort at a quick pace, at least until the winds decided to switch direction again. This quick change in direction pushed people off the doubletrack trail and another rider directly into me (he had been 3 or 4 feet to my left), causing us both to stick a foot down to avoid another pile up.

photo by Sue Prieto

We eventually did find our way back to our cars, 20 miles and 3.5 hours after we started. What should have been a relatively easy ride, and that had started as a glorious snow ride had turned into an epic death march that left me totally destroyed with absolutely nothing left in the tank.

A quick look at the AVERAGE wind speed (not gusts, but average) shows you how it was out there. When the average gets over 30, you know its a rough time.

I've done some big rides and I've been very deep in the pain cave many times. Last summer, I did 70 miles and 7k feet of climbing in the 90+ degree heat in Laramie with no conditioning and fighting cramps. I suffered immensely on the Tulsa Tough 100 (which we turned into 112 miles accidentally) with Jason Brandt a few years back. I have slogged myself up and over Kenosha and Georgia passes (at 12,000 feet), but the difference between these sufferfest rides and the night ride was the unintended epicness of the night ride. This is not an epic ride, its a 20 mile loop with only around 1500 feet of elevation gain. However, on this night the ride was epic. What normally could be done in 1.5 hours was a 3.5 slog for us on this night. There were several times when I seriously considered calling Jill or Sarah to come pick me up.

When I got back to the house, I was so utterly spent that I literally sat down in the shower while I tried to get my core warmed back up. I had spent so much time over my threshold level that the thought of food was making me nauseous despite having not had any solid food since 11am that day.

I crawled into bed, utterly spent, still chilly and just happy to still have 10 fingers, 10 toes and to have not had to call search and rescue to come pick me up. When you live to talk about it, then you can look back and laugh...

Cooper's visit from Santa

2011-01-17T22:26:00.001-07:00

A little late to the game here, but here is a video we shot on Christmas morning as Cooper woke up and got to see what Santa brought him.

Here is the link to it on YoutTube if it isn't working for you...
http://youtu.be/8oSMe1rEko4

I'd like to point out that he knocks down two of his first couple of attempts on his new basketball goal. Scouts across the country should take notice.

Trip to the stock show

2011-01-15T20:50:00.000-07:00

Growing up, I spent quite a bit of time at the stock shows. We never showed at the National Western here in Denver, but we went to the state shows in Oklahoma every year. Last night we met up with Reese and Sarah to go check out the mutton busting and see some animals. I'm pretty sure (and I think Sarah & Martha would agree) that I did about as much work at the stock show last night corralling Cooper then I did in all my years on the sheep showing circuit...

Some pics...

Two kiddos anxiously awaiting the start of the Mutton Bustin'

From Mutton Busting 2011

Wide-eyed when he saw what was happening

From Mutton Busting 2011

Out they go

From Mutton Busting 2011

Some holding on longer than others

From Mutton Busting 2011

And then to the petting zoo....Pieces makes some friends

From Mutton Busting 2011

Cooper finding a goat to pet

From Mutton Busting 2011

Jill helps Cooper give some food to the goat

From Mutton Busting 2011

Coop had a good time meandering around and greeting the goats

From Mutton Busting 2011

Pieces hugs all the animals

From Mutton Busting 2011

Jill picks Cooper up to get an eye to eye exchange with a llama

From Mutton Busting 2011

Pieces and another buddy

From Mutton Busting 2011

Cooper trying to convince a goat to jump into the bucket of water

From Mutton Busting 2011

Cooper chatting up BaBa Blacksheep

From Mutton Busting 2011

As it got to be 7pm, the crowds showed up and we headed out. We grabbed some food and then back home. Both troops did remarkably well (last year Cooper screamed uncontrollably at the mutton bustin') despite being out past their bedtimes. Always nice to get 55 degree temps for the National Western too, it can often be brutal temps.

35 weeks and counting

2011-01-14T22:32:00.000-07:00

From 35 Weeks with Jens

Jill is starting to get to the miserable stage of pregnancy, but still remains in pretty good spirits. She groans and moans a lot, but she still goes and does pretty much everything. We got the 35 week checkup this week and everything is looking good, Jens still appears to be on target for mid-February (unless she decides to be two weeks late like Cooper).

Here are a couple of pics we snapped today of Jill and her expanding belly...

Cooper gets a good look at the belly, anxiously awaiting his baby sister.

From 35 Weeks with Jens

Still pretty happy at this point

From 35 Weeks with Jens

Big hug for Super Mom

From 35 Weeks with Jens

I smell Oscar....

2010-12-25T19:36:00.001-07:00

Here is a movie trailer that I put together in iMovie after a ride at Picture Rock a couple days ago.

Riding Dirty - the movie trailer

I can see this being comparable to "Good Will Hunting" in how Afflek and Damon got their start, I think people will be referring to this as my big break.

The making of a Christmas card...

2010-12-20T21:19:00.000-07:00

Hollywood actors often say "Don't ever work with kids or animals", which I think we can all understand if you've ever tried to get a picture of a kid or a pet doing what you wanted them to do. Jill wanted to get a picture of Cooper posing by our tree to put on our annual Christmas card.

This is the first year that Cooper really understands the Santa theory. One day when we were asking him what he wanted Santa to bring him for Christmas, he went and got this porcelain Santa decoration we had out and showed him the pages in the catalog of things he wanted for Christmas. So Jill asked him to take some pictures with Santa in front of the tree, so he went and got Santa to pose with.

From Cooper and the Tree

And of course no posing without our beloved blankie

From Cooper and the Tree

Then showing some love for Santa

From Cooper and the Tree

Jill then decided to take a little break from the photos. Cooper then told her he wanted to take some more pictures with "friends", so he went and assembled his favorite buddies.

From Cooper and the Tree

Then he started assembling other "friends"

From Cooper and the Tree

And then Tigger got tossed...

From Cooper and the Tree

And Cooper got a timeout.

From Cooper and the Tree

But after that, he was back to happily playing with his trains

From Cooper and the Tree

Cooper doing his Winnie the Pooh Exercises

2010-12-14T19:02:00.000-07:00

Cooper is in the middle of his potty training, and his reward for successful deposits is a video. He loves the Winnie the Pooh videos, and one night Jill heard him talking it up as she was cleaning up the bath when he was watching his video.

The next day we got the video camera out to catch it....

Cooper and Bo at the Zoo

2010-12-12T22:00:00.000-07:00

When Jill headed north to Alaska to see Kate, the newest Lovejoy member, Cooper and I spent a week on the farm in Oklahoma with Frumpy & Grumpy. It worked out that his cousin Bo was up visiting from Houston, so the two got to hang out together at the zoo. Roughly 6 weeks in age difference between the two, and they got along real well for their first interaction.

Some pics from the event...

Introductions over, now time to gaze at the animals

From Cooper and Bo at OKC Zoo

They quickly decided they were buddies and had our first hug

From Cooper and Bo at OKC Zoo

Myself, Cooper, Bo, Becky and the giraffe stopped for a pose

From Cooper and Bo at OKC Zoo

They wanted their picture taken by this leftover ghost that was up for Halloween

From Cooper and Bo at OKC Zoo

Cooper gave Bo a stiff-arm when he tried to get in the statue with him, but Bo is too big to be deterred

From Cooper and Bo at OKC Zoo

Then they decided they could play together on the next statue

From Cooper and Bo at OKC Zoo

Uncle (to me) Bob pushes the kiddos around

From Cooper and Bo at OKC Zoo

Starting to run out of juice

From Cooper and Bo at OKC Zoo

And some more statues to pose with

From Cooper and Bo at OKC Zoo

Bo posing it up

From Cooper and Bo at OKC Zoo

Then well all headed out to the farm to feed the two bottle calves, Halle and Henry. Cooper was busy checking out the tractors, but Bo was quite interested in helping feed.

From Cooper and Bo at OKC Zoo

Happy cows come from MJ & Yack's farm...

From Cooper and Bo at OKC Zoo

Its been a whirlwind couple months for me, working 60 - 80 weeks (plus travel time) and being constantly on the go when not working. More posts to come in the next couple weeks as I start to ease back the throttle for 2010 and hope to recharge my batteries a bit. I need to get some rest and reCooperation in now as we'll be back to having a newborn in about 2 months. Yikes!

Tricking and Treating

2010-11-11T20:19:00.000-07:00

From Cooper the Cow - Halloween

Cooper worked on his "Trick or Treat" quite a bit in preparation for his big night. The kids were out early on our street (even before dusk), so Jill and I got Cooper dressed and ready to hand out candy on the porch. Much to Cooper's dismay, the kids were strangely all on the opposite of the road working the south side of the street houses first. Cooper called out "Hey Kids, you want some candy?" over and over again but he didn't have any takers.

Sensing his growing frustration, we just decided to shut off the porch light and take him to a few houses to trick or treat first then come back and hand out candy. We hit up 5 - 10 houses, took lots of pictures and videos and then headed back to our house. We gave Cooper the choice to do some more trick or treating or hand out candy at our house, and he opted for more trick or treating. So Cooper and I paraded up and down the street while Jill did candy duty on our porch. Cooper and I got back and he took over duty of giving out candy to all the spooks and goblins that come up in search of sweets. I was shocked that Cooper didn't seem to be phased by any of the scary masks and costumes at all. He was all business about handing out his candy.

Now some pics...

Waiting for kids to show up

From Cooper the Cow - Halloween

These two were anxious too

From Cooper the Cow - Halloween

What a glorious night for Halloween

From Cooper the Cow - Halloween

On the prowl for some candy

From Cooper the Cow - Halloween

Hitting up the known neighbors first

From Cooper the Cow - Halloween

Having a big time

From Cooper the Cow - Halloween

Jill has given Cooper a complex about his feet...He wore sandals most of the Summer, and at the end of the day Jill and her super sensitive pregnancy sense of smell would say "Stinky Feet!" to him. That evidently stuck with him, as now anytime he sees someone's feet he says "Stinky Feet!". Luckily, not that many people understand him. So here is Cooper doing some trick or treating at the neighbor's house and encountering a girl with no shoes....and stinky feet.

Halloween Fun

2010-10-31T22:31:00.000-06:00

I've never been a fan of Halloween. I was either scared of all the spooks or not into the mischief that typically occurs in small town Oklahoma on Halloween. Since having Cooper, things have certainly changed. Cooper loved Halloween last year, and it is one of my most fond memories of him all dressed up in his puppy costume and standing eagerly on the porch waiting for trick or treaters to stop by.

We had a weekend of Halloween activities this year. The Punisher and Mrs. Punisher were headed to the Longmont Halloween parade and gave us the heads up of the huge turn out. After a terrible week, we had thought we'd just take it easy but when I asked Cooper if he wanted to put his costume on to go get some candy he emphatically said "Yes". We quickly got him dressed and headed off to Main St. Longmont for the parade.

The parade featured all sorts of kiddos in costumes, adults dressed up, dogs dressed up and lots of marching bands. Anyone who wanted to parade could do so, and we took our opportunity and paraded up and down the street a bit.

Some sights along the way:

Cooper walking along the way to the parade

From Cooper the Cow - Halloween

Jill and Super Cooper posing as we neared

From Cooper the Cow - Halloween

We found the parade, Cooper had the best view in the house

From Cooper the Cow - Halloween

Even the goats got dressed up

From Cooper the Cow - Halloween

Pooches dressed up too

From Cooper the Cow - Halloween

Kissing my cow

From Cooper the Cow - Halloween

Parading is hard work

From Cooper the Cow - Halloween

Cooper was interested in his haul

From Cooper the Cow - Halloween

Madeline looking super cute in her sheep costume

From Cooper the Cow - Halloween

And even a Great Pyrenees all dressed up.

From Cooper the Cow - Halloween

We had a great night of trick or treating and handing out candy tonight too, but that is for another post. Happy Halloween to all.

Breakfast time.

2010-10-22T09:02:00.000-06:00

We emailed this to my Mom (Frumpy of the infamous Frumpy & Grumpy duo) as forewarning of mine and Cooper's impending Oklahoma visit. Thought I'd post it up on the blog too...

Paying respects to the Great Pumpkin with our Linus...

2010-10-21T22:41:00.000-06:00

The pumpkin patch frenzy is in full effect in Boulder County. The pumpkin growing business must be good around here, as the patches are constantly full of people. It has surely helped the turnout that we've had a tremendous run of impeccable weather lately. 70 degrees, blue skies and no wind have been the norm for us in the last several weeks, and it has not been lost on me.

While my work travel is tiring and grueling at times, it does have its benefits. One such benefit being that I don't tend to work much on Friday afternoons, plus the remote weeks I get I can dictate my schedule quite a bit. This allowed us to get to the pumpkin patch down the road from us during non-peak hours.

Here are some assorted pics from our last visit to the pumpkin patch.

Cooper went straight to the posing spot to get his picture taken

From Cooper at Pumpkin Patch

Then off to the hay maze with his two chosen pumpkins

From Cooper at Pumpkin Patch

The to visit the goats

From Cooper at Pumpkin Patch

And promptly gave this one a kiss

From Cooper at Pumpkin Patch

Some more posing

From Cooper at Pumpkin Patch

Her Highness upon her throne

From Cooper at Pumpkin Patch

Then some time in the jump around

From Cooper at Pumpkin Patch

Picking up Pooker

2010-10-20T20:39:00.000-06:00

For some reason, when Cooper refers to himself it comes out as "Pooker". The funny thing is that he has gotten in the habit of announcing himself after he gets up in the morning or from naps, exclaiming "Super Cooper" and he says Cooper fine when prefaced by "Super".

Last Friday, Jill and I dropped Super Cooper off with Aunt Sarah and Reese for a sleepover so Jill and I could go to dinner and a movie. Well the dinner got off to a slow start as I spent the first 15 minutes standing outside on the phone with a client who was having emergency issues. I hate working at night and loathe working on the weekends, but I'm a sucker for a client waving the white flag and can't seem to ignore my phone. After the call, I got to the table just in time to see our dinner delivered to our table. I promptly switched off the phone to enjoy the rest of the evening with my wife. It felt strange to eat a meal without having various items of food smeared on my shirt...

We headed to the theater to catch "The Town", which would be our 2nd movie in the theater since Cooper was born. After that we headed home to a quiet house.

The next morning we decided to meet up with Sarah and the two kiddos in Boulder to go hike and to pick our offspring. A nice Fall day meant lots and lots of hikers out, so we opted to the less traveled NCAR parking lot for some hiking. We got in a nice out and back hike on a tough trail.

Pictures from said hike....

Cooper with his custom walking stick

From Mesa Trail Hike with Sarah & Reese

Which he quickly decided was a bat.

From Mesa Trail Hike with Sarah & Reese

There is a fair skinned baby somewhere in there

From Mesa Trail Hike with Sarah & Reese

Quick stop to ride the log

From Mesa Trail Hike with Sarah & Reese

Cooper loved this old tree, crying when we made him leave.

From Mesa Trail Hike with Sarah & Reese

The sky is just a different shade of blue in CO

From Mesa Trail Hike with Sarah & Reese

Up we go

From Mesa Trail Hike with Sarah & Reese

Third time is the charm...

2010-10-17T21:46:00.000-06:00

From Baby Girl

The big news from our house is we're going to have a baby girl sometime around Valentine's Day. We had a 20 week checkup about a week ago, and got the good news and determination of the baby's sex. Cooper doesn't really seem to understand totally yet, but I think he'll be excited and surely a little jealous when #2 (code name Jens - as in Jens Voigt the hardest man in pro cycling) arrives.

And now the story behind the story....
This isn't a story we've really talked about much, only telling a few immediate family matters, but we've had some bumps along the way getting Cooper a sibling. It all started well, we are an apparently overly fertile couple, but then it went bad. We were off for a Labor Day weekend vacation in Portland to see our friends Chris & Molly get married. Jill got real sick after a hike in Mt. Rainier National Park and a couple days later told me she didn't feel pregnant anymore. A couple days later the doctor confirmed our fears and we had lost the baby.

It was a tough time for us, but I deferred to Jill on how / when to talk about it and we got through it. After some time to let everything get normal again, we started trying again and immediately Jill was pregnant again. We took it very easy, although we knew it was nothing we did that caused the first loss, but right about the same time we lost the first baby, Jill once again told me she just didn't feel pregnant anymore.

One was tough, but the second was even tougher. Now doubt had started creeping in that we would be able to have another baby at all. How many more times could we put ourselves through this? To make it even more of a trying situation, we had a major scare with Jill. In an attempt to avoid a surgery, she was given medication to help her pass the lost baby. She was lightheaded and hardly coherent late one night (it was the lightheaded symptom that made me realize this wasn't normal), and I quickly got Cooper up out of bed and loaded everyone into the car to go to the ER.

At the ER, they wouldn't let me take Cooper back with me so I had no choice but to get Jill admitted and then go back home. Its after midnight, Cooper and I headed back home and I put him back to bed. I stirred around the house doing anything I could to keep from chewing my nails down to my knuckles. Finally after 3 or 4 excruciating hours, Jill called and was ready to come home. That ordeal took years off my life...

Despite this setup, we had Cooper, so we were optimistic about the chances so we decided we'd give it another go and you guessed it....instantaneously pregnant. Our 3rd try since Cooper we were quite cautious with everything, including telling anyone that Jill was pregnant. As we passed weeks 12 & 13 our fears started to subside and now at 20 weeks things are looking really promising. We're thrilled to have Jens on the way, and be able to get Cooper a sister.

I have completely deferred to Jill on this topic, remaining silent on the matter for the most part. Now Jill has decided it was time to share our great joy with Jens as well as give the back story as to why we've maintained such radio silence on Jens.

Kids say the darnedest things...

2010-10-02T21:44:00.000-06:00

Jill was getting some video of Cooper saying "Go Pokes" when she also caught some great video, warms a Daddy's heart...