Sunday, December 23, 2007

Jack and Emmett

This is a video of Jack and Emmett playing.  
The picture is a little dark but the sound is cute.

Christmas in Loveland

Luke, Emmett and I began our journey on Friday, December 14th after Luke finished work.  We drove straight to Greeley to be there for Amy's Graduation on Saturday.  Congratulations to the new Grad!  It was really great to see all of the family and friends who joined in celebrating Amy's great achievement.  On Sunday we headed to Ft. Collins to have family haircut day with Jen.  She is really great!  I can't believe the wonderful job she did on a squiggly 9 month old(as you will see in pictures).  Then on to see Chrissy.  She made us a wonderful lunch and Emmett met his first kitty, Daisy.  Not sure he really liked that experience.  He cried and crawled as fast as he could in the other direction when Daisy sniffed him.  Chrissy recently lost her cat of 14 years, Norman. Chrissy really loved him even when no one else would.  We will miss Norman.  Then up to Grammy's for two days.  We baked cookies and relaxed a bit.  Then on to Denver.  We stopped in the Littleton house to touch up and clean up a few things.  It's going to sell for sure now!  I buried the Saint Joseph statue in the front yard for hopes of selling soon.  Everyone keep your fingers crossed.  Luke, Emmett and I enjoyed dinner with the Gieb's and Eric and then rested up at Bob and Donna's.  (can you tell we are on the move?!)  Then on to meet up with Julie, Carl and Jack Canales.  We had so much fun with the two boys.  They
 tried to pluck out each other's binkys and Jack
 tried to teach Emmett how to share toys.  Emmett does not know how to share toys as he doesn't have too many kids his age to play with currently.   Jack was very generous and patient when Emmett would take a toy out of his hands and take off with it.   The boys took their first bath together.  It took Emmett a bit to take in all the floaty to
ys and big tub but he eventually came around.  Emmett and Jack exchanged gifts and played with the bows, paper and maybe their new toys they each got.  The adults got to enjoy Chinese food one evening, a huge 
Italian dinner and trivial pursuit-Genius edition on another(not sure who's idea it was to play the genius edition after a few glasses
of wine?!).  Luke and I finally got to take Emmett out in the snow on Friday.  It snowed for a good part of the afternoon and into the evening.   Snow is so pretty when it is not blowing sideways!    

On Saturday, Luke, Emmett, Ken and I drove up to Loveland to enjoy christmas dinner with Chrissy and the parents.  Gre
at meal mom!  This morning we had Christmas.  Emmett had already partially 
ripped open one of his gifts with Grammy before anyone had even gotten up.  He sure loves the wrapping paper but you have to be on alert cause he loves to put it in his mouth.  He'll be pooping
 pretty paper by morning!  We had a wonderful time exchanging gifts and drinking Mimosas.   Luke gave Mom a strange moose bowl that is starting to grow on us all.  It might become the gift that gets passed on throughout the family.  Lookout for next year, Tarvin and Anderson Clans!
               

Thursday, December 13, 2007

Ready to travel

We are about to embark on our road trip back to Denver. Amy graduates from the University of Northern Colorado on Saturday. Huge Congrats to Amy! Then we start to make the rounds to all of our family and friends. Two weeks seems like a long time, but it actually feels like we are going to be running ragged! Hopefully we will get to see/visit everyone while we are back.

Not too much going on around here. Emmett is crackin' me up every day with his antics! He has discovered that he enjoys kicking things while laying on his side....I have tried to video this because it is very funny. It is so funny that he laughs hysterically the entire time. Otherwise, just a growing boy. Probably walking within the next month or so. We tried going up the carpeted basement stairs today. He made it up 2 stairs and then lost interest and wanted to be carried the rest of the way. Hope you all are ready for the "Terror" to come to your town! I have packed extra outlet plugs and ice packs for the bumps and bruises to come.

Merry Christmas to all and have a wonderful new year!

I will be back to blogging after we return home(with lots of pictures of course!)

Tuesday, December 4, 2007

Fun week

We had a great week seeing friends and holiday outings. Our friend Carl Canales was in Cody this past week for work and stayed two nights with us. It was really nice to see him and get to hear stories about his son, Jack. I was secretly hoping that Julie was going to show up with him....no such luck!! Can't wait to see you in December!!!!!!! It sounds like Jack and Emmett will be such good friends and will have a great time playing together.

Saturday began with a picture with Santa at Walmart. Emmett's first time meeting Santa and he was a little bit afraid(he wasn't a very good looking Santa so that could be our fault!!) Emmett started out looking startled and wary. Then came the tears. He takes after his Dad whom was terribly scared of Santa for a long time. We then moved on to the Holiday Open House at the Museum. It was a great time to take our first look at the Buffalo Bill Historical Museum. Lots of beautiful decorations and many things to do for young kids. Had I known that the real Santa was actually at the museum, Emmett's first experience may have been a better one. Hopefully he will forget and next year will be wonderful. Our next door neighbor, Kelly, and his a few of his 6th grade classmates had a jazz concert at the open house that we got to enjoy. There were many performances and even a Little Miss Snowflake pageant ongoing at the Holiday Open House. Little Miss Snowflake was really cute. She started belting out Yankee Doodle while we were walking by. It was hysterical and maybe what won her the tiara!

Later that Saturday evening our friends, Mike, Tammy and Caleb came over for a Parmesan Chicken cook off. It was a really to close to call. It was a fun night with some drinks and very tasty dinner.

Sunday was potato soup day!!! I love having the ham bone left after Thanksgiving because it means we get to have yummy potato soup. The neighbors came over to help us enjoy the enormous pot of soup on a really cold and never-ending windy day. The wind has been so terrible the last two days and it is predicted to continue for 1-2 more! Wind gusts up to 60 miles per hour.

Counting down the days in which we get to drive back to Denver and visit with all of our family and friends. 10 days til we leave. I have started my holiday baking and preparations for holiday get togethers when we get back!!! Love to all!!


Sunday, November 25, 2007

Holiday Whirlwind

Another holiday come and gone. I can't believe how quickly the days are passing. My parents and Chrissy came into town on Tuesday afternoon, after taking the scenic tour of Wyoming. They accidentally took a wrong turn and drove slightly out of their way. Not unusual, as we took many scenic tours as kids on family vacations. They eventually arrived and Emmett wasn't sure at first. It takes a few minutes these days for him to figure "new" people out. It was really great to see everyone, but my brother wasn't able to make the trip this time. We really missed him this past week(see you at Christmas!). Wednesday morning, Chrissy, Dad and I went to the rec center for some Pre-Thanksgiving calorie burning. Grammy got to have some one on one time with Emmett. Mom made her famous pumpkin and apple pies, while Chrissy and I drank Glog and watched. Thanksgiving was a feast, as we decided that one turkey was not enough and cooked a turkey breast as well. We have enough turkey left over to feed an army. I tend to go over board on side dishes. I think we ate green beans, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, stuffing and three types of homemade rolls. Not to mention the ham, corn, and potatoes that we had the night before! We literally ate all week and Luke and I will be eating left overs for days to come. Emmett got his first taste of the holidays with a few mouthfuls of mashed potatoes. He seemed to enjoy them more than his turkey dinner in a jar. Who could blame him?

Who knew that we would ever wind up in Montana for Black Friday shopping? Chrissy, Mom and I hopped in the car at 6 am on Friday morning and drove to Billings for some after Thanksgiving shopping. I think we managed to make it back home by 5:30pm. I started to get a little worried when the temp was -5 on our way to Billings, but it warmed up to around 34 and didn't seem to affect our shopping abilities. Luke, Emmett and Dad stayed behind to hold down the fort.
I decided to set up our small Christmas tree since we won't be home for Christmas this year. It was in attempt to get a great photo of Emmett for our Christmas cards. I haven't scanned the 50 or so picture attempts yet to see if we succeeded. I guess you'll find out in the next few weeks in your mailboxes!



Tuesday, November 20, 2007

Christensen/Anderson Family weekend

This past weekend, our friends the Christensens drove up to see us for the weekend. We had a wonderful time. The girls, Lily and Anna were great to have around to play with Emmett. They were so good with him. They watched movies, read stories, and investigated the case of the mysterious footprint(turned out to be a deer). On Saturday, we headed into town to enjoy the beautiful weather and all of the holiday open houses at the shops. Anna and Lily enjoyed tons of apple cider and cookies, while Ryan and Sarah couldn't get enough of the hot sauce and dips. Once again, we've made Sierra Trading Post enthusiasts out of our guests. Ryan and Lily both got nice winter boots to take home with them. The adults enjoyed wonderful meals, wine and card games that went on for hours. Who knew that Uno could be so vicious?! It was sad to see them leave on Sunday morning. We look forward to seeing them again in December!

Wednesday, November 14, 2007

Welcome Christensen's!

The Christensen family is going to make the drive up to see us this weekend. We are looking forward to spending time with Sarah and Ryan & Lily and Anna. I know Emmett is very excited to see the girls and show off his new abilities-chasing/crawling/standing. He won't be able to keep up with them, but I'm sure he'll make a valiant effort. We plan on having a nice dinner on Saturday to kick off the Holiday season(maybe some wine,who knows?). It also looks as if they will be missing the storm that moves in next week. That is the good news for them. Bad news for my family that are coming for Thanksgiving. It is supposed to snow and be in the 30's all next week. Goodbye Fall, Welcome winter!

Tuesday, November 13, 2007

Friendly Neighbors

I thought this was pretty cute. Our neighbors to the west of us have 3 young girls. They live with their uncle Monte. There was a knock at the door the other night, much to our surprise(living in the middle of nowhere, not knowing anyone). It was two of the neighbor girls wanting to mow our front yard. Now, we don't have any grass yet, nothing but weeds. So we told them to have at it. I guess they like to tool around on Monte's new tractor. On Sunday it was snowy and pretty cold, but that did not stop them. They had a blast. Monte mowed a circle for them to stay in and then let them loose. The girls took breaks to warm up but got the job done. Reminds me of back home in Illinois, we had an old tractor in the corncrib. My sister Chrissy and I used to play on and pretend to drive that thing for hours. The good ole days.

Monday, November 12, 2007

All good things must come to an end...

Grandma Debbie was here visiting this past weekend. It was a wonderful visit. She arrived in the Cody airport at 8pm on Wednesday. I guess Deb had the pleasure of a fairly small plane and a bit of Wyoming wind. All in all, she arrived safely. The next morning, she and Emmett reunited and boy was it exciting. Emmett shrieking and laughing, or was that Grandma!? They had so much fun. Deb and I meet Luke for lunch at the historic Irma Hotel and then we went around the town running a few errands.

On Friday, we drove Deb up to Red Lodge, Montana to see the beautiful scenery and the great shops there. I was a little surprised that the town was still in the process of setting up for Christmas. Doesn't anyone tell the smaller towns that you start setting up for Christmas before Halloween?! It looks like I will have to make another trip to see the great town of Red Lodge in it's Holiday splendor. I introduced Debbie to Sierra Trading Post when we got back to Cody that afternoon. Sierra is an awesome outdoor clothing/gear outlet here in Cody(they also have stores in Cheyenne and Reno, NV). I think we have another fan amongst us!

Deb also had the pleasure of meeting our friends, the Reedy's, at their son Caleb's 1st birthday party on Saturday morning. Who doesn't love a good party?! Caleb was wiped out before it even started. Emmett seemed to like the toys Caleb was getting, more like mom and dad now have Christmas ideas. Afterwards, it was a nice day so we took a walking tour of the downtown area and then stopped in at our fav Mexican restaurant for a late bite and a marg. We no longer have the pleasure of eating what we order at restaurants. Emmett is into the constant entertainment phase and it never allows everyone to eat at the same time. We have learned the pass-the-baby and shovel-your-food game that I'm sure all parents enjoy.

After hours, while Emmett was in dreamland, we taught Deb how to play a card game called SkipBo. Next time Luke or I try to teach a game, we must remember the cardinal rule- no wine first. It is too hard to teach/learn a new game when you've had a glass or three. We really enjoyed having Deb this past weekend and I think Emmett was worn out by all of Grandma's spoiling. We look forward to seeing the rest of our families in December.

Tuesday, November 6, 2007

Laundry Day

Catching up with laundry is so easy when you have good help.

Here comes Grandma Debbie!

Not too much going on around here. Luke and Emmett were/are sick since last Thursday. I have been doing my best to not get sick but I always feel like I am on the verge. Luke is feeling much better these days and poor little Emmett still has his runny nose and cough. Just in time for Grandma Debbie's visit! We are all very excited to see Deb, as I am sure she is to see Emmett. Now, I know she can't wait to see Luke and I, but let's be realistic. She bought a plane ticket to see Emmett bump his head into everything, scoot around in his car, jump in the jumperoo and laugh out loud at his daddy. No offense taken Grandma! I, too, enjoy these things on a daily basis. We can't wait to have you! (and we know you miss us too!)

His new trick is to move around in his walker, which we call his "car". He has always been in reverse, but yesterday morning he figured out forward. Life has once again changed at the Anderson home. We have installed a wall mounted gate to keep him from "driving" down the stairs. This morning I caught him with a few leaves of one of my plants in his hand. That plant has since been moved now that he realizes he can maneuver himself anywhere his little heart desires. To be honest, I am not sure what will come next on his agenda of growing up. Every day is an adventure...maybe teeth?!

Thursday, November 1, 2007

Laughing hysterically!

I have never heard Emmett laugh so hard! Luke and Emmett are in the guest room: Luke playing Madden on his X-box, Emmett playing in his walker-thingy. Luke starts "booo-ing" his opposing team, the Chargers, and Emmett erupts! Has anyone seen the "laughter adds 8 years to your life" commercials with the little kid who laughs at his dad playing golf on Wii, or the one where they tear paper and giggle? I swear we've added at least 8 years in the last week alone. I had to share this with everyone.

Halloween, here and gone

It is hard to believe Halloween is already over. This year is flying by! Our Halloween turned out to be pretty uneventful. We woke up to a light dusting of snow from the day before, not unlike any other year with cold weather, rain or snow. After work, Luke, Emmett and I went to the downtown area of Cody where the shops were handing out candy for Trick-or-Treaters. Mike, Tammy and Caleb at CB's(the bar) were handing out candy as well, so we went to hang out with them to celebrate Halloween and to see the kids in costume. Caleb is in the lion costume. Emmett was in his Halloween PJ's. He spit up all over his pumpkin outfit. PJs were good enough but I think the Halloween binky added a nice touch. It was nice to visit with friends and have a quick beer. Then we headed home and had dinner, a little tv and went to bed.


Please send me pictures of you and/or your little ones in their costumes so I can share them in my blog!

Monday, October 29, 2007

Go Broncos!


Here is a post for all of you Bronco fans out there. As you most of you know, Luke is a Kansas City Chiefs fan, so Broncos attire is not allowed in our home. That is unless the Chiefs are in their bye week. So here you go, Dayven and Emily, Emmett sporting his Bronco PJ's and binky. We'll have to enjoy this while we can, or at least until Luke gets home from work!

Sunday, October 28, 2007

Videos

Here are two videos demonstrating Emmett's new found talents. Don't worry, we're in the process of anchoring the bookcase as we speak! Enjoy!

Lots O Pictures

Emmett has been very busy these days. Sitting up on his own, pulling himself up on EVERYTHING- including the mama monkey gym and scooting around in a hurry. He loves to peek out his bedroom window, especially now that he can stand and hold on to the window sill. He has a golf club toy that is his new fav. It makes the craziest noises and sings. He loves it. Actually, I think he loves anything that Luke and I say "NO" to. He grins and looks back at you like, "you mean not to touch this?" He is pretty mischievous.

Feeding time is very messy these days. He is also starting to get the concept of putting cereal from his tray into his mouth. Cereal puffs all over, from his face to the floor. Sweet potatoes are then mixed in to the equation. He sure does love his veggies, but when it comes to eating fruit...not gonna happen right now. Emmett is very content sitting in his high chair gumming on his spoon. Sometimes when he gets fussy, I put him in his high chair and give him a spoon. Ahhhhh, 20 mins of anything I can get done in 20 mins.

We've discovered that Luke has a special power, you know, like the show Heros. He can put Emmett to sleep like no other. I am not sure how he does it. I have decided that Luke must have a magical sleeping powder that he emits from his pores. That is why he can make it happen and not me. The picture here shows just how he sleeps for Daddy- out like a light.

Wednesday, October 24, 2007

Good news!

I spoke with Vanessa Hobson this morning. I wanted to check in on her and her family with all of these tragic fires burning in their area. They are all ok and grateful that the winds are dying down. It seems that her parents in Orange County could see the flames over the hill behind them and Vanessa and Joel in Carlsbad were about 4 miles from homes that were evacuated. Fortunately, they are all safe and I will keep my fingers crossed that they stay that way! Take care Weighaus and Hobson families. The picture is from July when V was visiting us in Denver.

We will not be headed back to Denver for a visit this weekend. Luke has to work Friday and Monday. and of course there is the not-having-tickets issue. But we have Emmett's Rockies jersey clean for tonights game. We will be cherring from afar. It seemed to work for the Rockies so far....... Go Rockies!

Tuesday, October 23, 2007

Headed back to Colorado..?

Well, after the ticket debacle yesterday for the World Series, I still am not sure if we will be headed to Denver or not. I guess we will find out later today when they try the ticket sales again! Not too much else going on at the moment. We did not get nearly as much snow as our friends in Colorado this past weekend. We have been able to check out the pics from Bobby and Donna's blog, as well as the Canales' website. It looks like you all got a few inches in Highlands Ranch. It snowed all day here, but we had no accumulation. The surrounding mountains looks beautiful as a result of the storm. Due for more this weekend. The deer are starting to show up in droves. With Yellowstone getting pounded with snow, they are starting to head down the mountains. We have always had one or two deer in our yard almost everyday since we've moved. But not herds! Luke saw a large herd of 20 or so deer down the road in a pasture, and last night there were six in our neighbor's back yard. I had to get Luke to whistle really loud to try and make them all look at the same time. Maybe if my photography skills were better, I would have gotten them all in one shot!
We received a Halloween gift package from Emily, Charles and the gang(Thanks!). It was loaded with fun coasters, candy and spooktacular PJ's for Emmett. His first Halloween should be pretty uneventful--and cold.

Thursday, October 18, 2007

I love Fortball!

Tis the season for fortball--- I mean football?. No, fortball. Aunt Chrissy brought Emmett some wonderful long sleeved shirts when she came to visit. What she did not realize was that one of the shirts was misprinted. We had quite the laugh over this one. I finally was able to get some decent pictures of Emmett wearing his prized fortball t-shirt(before the drool set in). Thanks for the shirt Aunt Chrissy!
Emmett is now on the move more than ever. He can scoot from one side of the living room and be in the kitchen before I know it. Time for some more baby proofing!
I have been trying to video his new favorite toy. He will wade through is mound of toys to get to the floor grate. He will spend 20 mins. banging on the grate and laughing. Grandmas....no need to spend money on toys. I have a whole house full of floor grates! Hopefully I can catch him in the act and post this hysterical moment. I'm sure he will enjoy it in the future as well.
We are looking forward to Grandma Debbie coming out for a visit. She is coming at the beginning of November. Then we have Sarah, Ryan, Lily and Anna Christensen the weekend before Thanksgiving(Thanksgiving trial run). Emmett can't wait to show off his new room and toys/floor grate! Then my family is driving out for Thanksgiving. We should be home the weekend prior to Christmas for amost 10 days. Looking forward to seeing everyone in November and December!

Monday, October 15, 2007

Emmett meets Wyatt

Luke, Emmett and I took a road trip this past Saturday to Red Lodge, MT, a quaint ski town, a little over an hour away. They have the most beautiful trees this time of year. I can't wait to see it this winter, I'm sure the town lights up for the holidays. We had a delicious lunch at Red Lodge Pizza and then we walked around to check out the shops. It was wonderful fall weather, great for a drive and shopping. The alternate plans for the afternoon worked out and we drove into Billings and met up with Dayven, Chelsea and Wyatt Johnston. The Johnston's are on their way to Edmonton, Canada. They are moving there from Nashville for the next two years. We wish them well and hope to visit them early next year. Cody is on their way to Denver where Dayven's mom, Karen, lives. We hope to have them drop in when they make the trip! It was a great visit as we both got to meet each other's children. Wyatt is just over 1 year old and cute as can be. Of course it was wonderful to see Chelsea and Dayven again.


The Rockies sure are on a roll! It has been great watching the home team from a far. Go Rockies! Luke is wanting to attend a home game if they make it to the World Series...we may be home for a visit sooner than we expected, that is if Luke can find tickets.


Some of you may know that Luke and I participate in a Fantasy Football league with a few friends of ours. It is awfully fun and has been a communication line between us all--by communication, I mean smack talk. I just wanted to shout out to my buddy, Ryan, whom I matched up with this week. "What's up, Doc!" (Just so you all know...Ryan and I are tied, that is until tonight's game. I should defeat him pretty badly. I'll be sure to report back!)

Wednesday, October 10, 2007

Trip to the Big City

Yesterday, Emmett and I went for a day trip to the BIG city of Billings, Montana. We dropped Luke off at work and away we went. The plan was to do some much needed shopping and meet up with one of the moms that I met from swim class for lunch. Tammy and I made arrangements and then found ourselves too busy shopping to stop and eat lunch. Too many stores, such little time. Home Depot, Michaels, Old Navy, Toys R Us, Tuesday Morning, TJMaxx and Ross. There is nowhere to shop in Cody, so this was a real treat. We actually meet up at Tammy's husband Mike's bar, CB's, back in Cody(Luke just happened to be there after work). I think Emmett held up pretty well for an all day shopping trip with Mom.
Tammy and Mike are a very nice couple. They just moved to Cody from Orlando in May. Mike runs his bar/restaurant and Tammy is a stay at home mom with their 11 month old son, Caleb. We are planning to attend the fall festival this Saturday morning in the Albertson's parking lot. Not sure if Caleb and Emmett are old enough to enjoy the activities, but it will be nice to get out in the sunshine while there is still nice weather.

Sunday, October 7, 2007

Creeping, lurching, but not crawling.

Here is a video taken this morning of Emmett's attempts to be mobile. Julie, this is what I was trying to decribe to you. Not really crawling, but moving across the room.....Luke calls him Skoots McGee.

Saturday, October 6, 2007

New Beginnings

Here is the start of the rest of our lives...or at least the next few years! We moved to Cody on August 29th, 2007 and moved straight into our new home. It currently has three bedrooms and two baths. We still have some work to be done: major landscaping and finishing our basement. When all is said and done, we will enjoy a larger deck, some trees and grass, 2 more bedrooms and another bath, plus another area for all to enjoy-bar, TV and office. Otherwise we are all settled in. It has been a busy end of Summer/beginning of Fall....this is what we've been up to!
After we moved, we traveled back to Denver to be a part of the Geib/Koel wedding. We had a great time(lots! of wine and no kiddo-thanks Grandma Debbie. Sorry to the new Geib family.) Congrats to the newlyweds! When we came home, Luke started work at Wyoming Financial Insurance and I started my new career as a Domestic Engineer aka stay-at-home-mom. Luke and I joined the local rec center, where Emmett enjoyed his first time in the swimming pool. Emmett and I signed up for the Mom and Tot swim class. That was a blast (and I met a few other moms.) He is a water bug! We had our first visitors the last week of September. Chrissy and Ken flew up from Denver(yes, Cody has an airport). We all went for a drive to Yellowstone before it got to chilly. It was a nice fall day with the leaves beginning to change. We did not see a single moose, but plenty of other wildlife. We skipped the main attraction, Old Faithful, and opted for the aromatic Mud Volcanos. It is a different level of stinky. Then, my parents stopped by on their way home from their 10 week trip to Alaska. Talk about a full house...Joyce and Greg stayed in their trailer on the soon-to-be front lawn. Emmett was spoiled by Grammy who hadn't seen him in 2 months. He now enjoys every thing to be handed to him on a silver platter (and rocked to sleep). Now that they have all returned home, it's back to just the three of us. Emmett is trying to sit up, crawl, stand, walk, talk and sleep thru the night. He is a busy boy these days. His attempts to say DaDa are usually best when he is fussy or crying for Daddy at 3 am.
In that case, I think I can wait for Emmett to say MaMa for another few weeks.

The first snow has fallen on us this past weekend. The mountains on all sides of us have been covered in snow. The ground is bare but it made for beautiful scenery. This could be a long winter.