Boulder, CO

For spring break this year, my family rented a mountain chalet in Boulder, CO. We had a fantastic time hiking, sightseeing, and visiting with one another. The chalet was perfect.

Downtown was fun with plenty of shopping, food, and clubs (Yes, Sarah and Alicia dragged me out dancing one night:)

The views were breathtaking. This is Chautauqua Park where we hiked, and later, where Marley played at the playground.


We had mixed weather, ranging from snow when we first arrived to 70+ degrees later in the week. We chose a nice day to drive through Rocky Mountain National Park.

We saw herds of elk all over the place there. Some even crossed the road right in front of our car!

We hiked on a path along the river in Boulder and couldn't resist climbing up these rocks.

We took a tour of the New Belgian Brewing Company and the Celestial Seasonings Tea Company (Sorry, I didn't get any pictures of CS) - both with plenty of free samples. Yum!


Mars loved the Butterfly Pavilion. He was a little young to fully appreciate the butterflies, but he sure enjoyed running around the play area.


Marley dyed his first egg. I think the whole thing was very confusing for him. You have to check out my mom's video of him "enjoying" his egg. Pay special attention towards the end after he's destroyed the egg, he does the sign for again.

The trip ended on a sad note when we got word that my grandma (my dad's mom) had passed away Saturday morning. I was glad that I was able to be with my dad as he got the news and that we were all together. I'll probably be traveling to Michigan later this week for the funeral. I'm not yet sure if Mars and Jeff will come along. Although I'm sure Marley would love to see his "Ba-Ma" and "Ba-Pa" again so soon!

15, going on 16

This week Marley had his 15 month well-baby check up, and his follow-up with the OT at Swedish. It was a busy and exhausting day, but we're happy to report that Mars is perfect! As if we didn't know that already:)

The OT says that his gross motor, fine motor, and cognitive development are all within the normal range. He did a great job showing off his skills by picking up small objects, climbing stairs, and of course - walking all over the place!

At his well-baby check up he got weighed on the grown up scale, fully clothed for the first time. He now tips the scales at 25 lbs, the 55th percentile! And he is 32.5 inches tall - the 83rd percentile! (No, that's not a typo.)

He did great with his vaccinations, only crying for a minute, and even smiling at the nurse and waving "bye-bye" to her afterward. We couldn't be more proud!

Just Act Natural

Boy. Not only am I getting lazy with posting on the blog, I'm also getting lazy with taking pictures. These videos, taken last Sunday, were the most recent things I could come up with. Not to make excuses for myself, but part of the problem (as you will see) is that Mars is very interested in the camera. What usually ends up happening is that he is doing something incredibly cute, I run to get the camera, he sees me with the camera, stops what's he's doing, and comes over to have a closer look.

In this case, Marley and I were playing a lively game of chase. He was laughing hysterically as he tried to "run" away from me. In the first video attempt, he sees the camera right away. The second time I got smart and started recording when his back was to me. But, I think he sensed something was amiss and turned to investigate. In the last video see a bit more action, mainly from behind. Perhaps this is the only way you'll be seeing Mars from now on. Good thing his little tushy is so cute!

Two Weeks Later: Walking Update

I can't believe Marley has only been walking for a couple of weeks! While there's still a great deal of falling down (he currently has a black and blue knot on his forehead from a run in with the coffee table) we've also seen some definite improvements. The weather today was perfect for playing at the park. This is Marley's second playground of the day. Walking is fun!

Future Star Pupil

Future Trouble Maker

Future Star Teacher

Future Trouble Maker

It's official!

Well, it's not yet the preferred mode of transport (as witnessed by the second video), and it doesn't happen across large (> 3 feet) distances. It's still pretty shaky with lots of falling down, BUT it's official: MARLEY'S WALKING!

Without You

Without You by Sarah Weeks is the touching tale of a baby emperor penguin who huddles in the cold with his father waiting for his mother to return from sea. I ordered it, along with several other books, from Scholastic this month (you know it's becoming a problem when I buy more books than my students do...altogether).

I flipped through the book during my planning time when the order arrived at school the other day, and found myself sobbing uncontrollably by the end. Throughout the book the following refrain is repeated:


Where would I be,
What would I do,
Who in the world would see me through?
Where would I be,
What would I do,
Without you?



This part, in particular, really got me:

I know that she's somewhere out there without us.
But I've got to believe she's thinking about us.
She'll come back to you and me soon,
You'll see...

*sniff*

Of course when I shared the book with Jeff, tears welling up in my eyes, he replied, "Jeez, it's not like you're out there being chased by whales or anything."

Thanks, Dear.