Hello Again!

This blog has taken a bit of a back seat to life lately so prepare yourself for a massive update on what we have been up to--complete with a large number of pictures of our super cute babe.  You have been warned. :)

Will is now 14 weeks old which is just crazy.  I cannot believe our little baby is over three months old.  That's 0.25 years!!  The kid is going to be walking and talking before we know it, I'm just sure of it.  He is absolutely the cutest little boy I've ever seen and is a very happy baby.  He has the sweetest smile and will even smile at strangers.  He's going to be a charmer, that's for sure.  We have also managed to create some sort of schedule which is fantastic and he is now sleeping in roughly seven hour stretches at night--even more fantastic!

We moved from our old one bedroom apartment to a two bedroom unit in the same complex.  With Will we just needed more space and it has been great to have the extra space.  He has been sleeping in his own room for the last month, an adjustment that was much harder on me than it was on him.

I have been back to work for about a month now and it gets easier with each shift.  I don't get much sleep before and after a shift but I'm making it work.  Matt is over halfway done with his internship and has been enjoying working for Ball Corp.  I must admit, it's nice that his evenings and weekends are free from school work and we can enjoy the time together as a family.

We have been enjoying the summer and trying to take advantage of the outdoors as much as possible.  Thankfully we have not been affected by the wildfires that have been rampant in the state.  I have started running again using a running stroller (a great way to get Will to nap in the morning) and am starting to train for the Denver Rock n' Roll half marathon this October.  It's been great to be able to get out on the trails and run again, even if I do feel horribly out of shape.

We drove down to Colorado Springs back in May with a group of friends and it was so good to visit our old stomping grounds.  The Springs was the first place other than St. Louis that felt like home and we had an absolutely fantastic year living there.  We stopped by our old house to introduce Will to our old neighbors and it was nice to catch up.

Our two year wedding anniversary was June 11th.  It's hard to believe that it has already been two years since we said "I do" but they've been a busy two years!  We celebrated our anniversary racing high speed go-karts before enjoying a delicious dinner at one of Denver's best restaurants.

We took a quick weekend trip up to Copper Mountain a few weeks ago and it was wonderful.  It was great to escape the heat (the mountains were a good 20 degrees cooler, so we're talking upper 70s as opposed to upper 90s) and enjoy the area in the summer.  We did lots of hiking and Cooper had a blast.  I will never get sick of the beauty that this state has to offer and simply love spending time up in the mountains.

I have been making some new mom friends thanks to a new moms group that the hospital sponsors.  It really is so reassuring and helpful to have other moms to get together with and chat or ask questions.  Plus, it will be great for Will to have other babies to socialize with once he's actually aware of them.

We are planning a trip back to St. Louis in August and plan to be there the 8th through the 20th or so.  We are incredibly excited to see all our family and friends back there and cannot wait to introduce everyone to Will!!

I'm sure that I've forgotten things that I meant to include, but if you are friends with me or Matt on Facebook I'm sure you have an idea of what we've been up to these last few months.  So, here's plenty of pictures to enjoy:

Daddy and Will napping.

Little man loves baths.

The start of a smile...he smiles much bigger now.

Grandpa came to visit!

Showing Will around Garden of the Gods in the Springs.

Happy two years to the love of my life!!

Ready to head up to Copper!

Hiking Mayflower Gulch near Copper.

Happy pup in the snow.

Mayflower Gulch.

Our little family...minus Cooper.

He is currently in the phase of putting his hands and toys in his mouth.

My sweet little man.

Family hike in Boulder.

Still growing into his hat...and still chewing on everything.

Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day to all the mommas out there!!  Clearly this is my first Mother's Day as a mom myself and I think that gives the day a whole new meaning.  I have a new appreciation for motherhood now having a child myself.  There is nothing quite like the love you have for your child.  It is an amazing feeling to look at this adorable little boy and know that he is mine, a part of me.  It is equally amazing to watch him grow, develop, and begin to turn into a tiny little person all his own.  I am so very grateful to my mother for her unconditional love and guidance and I feel blessed to have such a lovely mother-in-law as well.

Matt surprised me with a morning at the spa last week as an early gift and it was simply amazing--a massage, facial, manicure, and pedicure made me feel like a new woman!  Today, we had a delicious brunch at a restaurant in nearby Louisville, spent the afternoon having a picnic in the park, and Matt prepared a tasty dinner.  The weather was absolutely perfect and it was wonderful to spend the day with my sweet boys.  I don't think my first Mother's Day could have been any better!

Two Weeks.

It's hard to believe that our little man is already over two weeks old.  He has grown immensely in such a short time, it's unbelievable.  He's up to 9 lbs now and 21 1/4 inches long.  He eats like a champ (and has therefore earned himself the nickname "Milk Monster") and is one strong little boy--he can almost hold his head up completely on his own!  He is not a fan of being manipulated into the car seat, having his diaper changed, or having his clothes changed.  This is unfortunate because he spits up constantly and thus ends up with multiple outfit changes during the day.  He can go about three to three and a half hours between feedings which means I'm able to get some sleep throughout the night.  I don't yet feel like a sleep deprived new parent (knock on wood) and I attribute that to the fact that I work nights and am used to functioning on small amounts of sleep.

It has been amazing to watch this little being we created start to turn into a little person.  Will makes some of the cutest little faces, though I doubt he has much control over his facial muscles.  Sometimes he coincidentally smiles at just the right time and it absolutely melts my heart.  He has the most adorable little nose (which I think he got from Matt) and precious little lips.  Overall I'd say he is a pretty easy going and sweet little babe and I hope his temperament continues like this.

I haven't been the greatest about taking pictures of him, though I do snap some with my phone and put a few on Facebook.  Here are few pictures from my phone so pardon the quality:

Wide awake at night...still working on figuring out night and day. :)

Milk drunk Will.

Loves his swing!

In Loving Memory.

Matt's grandfather passed away Monday morning after a decline in health.  He was a loving husband, father, grandfather, and great-grandfather.  He lived an amazing life and had quite a knack for storytelling.  I wish that I personally would have had more time to spend with him as he truly was an incredible man full of warmth and love; I feel that the few years I did know him were a gift and am very grateful for them.  I think the whole family takes comfort in the fact that he has gone to a better place and is reunited with his beloved wife Rosemary.  Below is a photo from our wedding, it's not the greatest picture, but Grandpa looks so very happy.  May he rest in peace.

Leo Higgins, Jr., July 24 1924 - January 14, 2013.

November Recap

It's been quite a while since I've updated this as life out here has been quite busy!!  I'll give a quick update of what we've been up to the last couple weeks.  Two weekends ago we caught our first Colorado College hockey game...they were playing Wisconsin and it was supposed to be a good game.  Obviously we were rooting for CC since they were the home team and they also are the Tigers...though their mascot logo has nothing on the Mizzou Tigers. ;) We won the game 3-2 and it was a lot of fun!

A little scuffle :)

Taking in the game...go CC!

That Saturday we did a little Christmas decoration shopping...I am SO excited to decorate our home for the holiday!  Christmas is absolutely my favorite time of year and I've been planning how to decorate since I moved in back in June.  We'll be putting lights up outside this coming weekend and then cutting down a tree and decorating inside the following weekend...and I will definitely be putting up pictures once we do!  We also went to a birthday party for once of Matt's soldier's sons.  It was pretty funny to watch him with all the kids, putting toys together and having them climb over him like a jungle gym.

Last week was my last week on orientation and training at work so starting this week I am officially on my own, a full-fledged nurse!  I'm both nervous and excited but I have confidence that I will be great on my own.  I worked Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday night and then we flew back to St. Louis Wednesday to spend the Thanksgiving holiday with our family and friends.  It really was wonderful to see everyone again.  From Matt's side we had Grandpa, Mimi, Aunt Rosemary, and his brother Dan in town while most of my family already lives in the St. Louis area.  We enjoyed the annual Kirkwood-Webster Groves Turkey Day game even though Kirkwood lost rather badly.  Neither of us had been back to the high school in years and it was crazy to see all that had changed.  We headed over to my mom's side after the game and enjoyed delicious food and then then headed to my dad's side and repeated it again!  Friday afternoon we had our third dinner with Matt's side of the family.  We were able to meet up with many of our fabulous friends Friday night and catch up before heading back to Colorado Saturday evening.  It was a whirlwind trip but we loved getting the chance to see so many of our friends and family.  Unfortunately, we didn't take many pictures at all to document the weekend...still working on that. :)

The sole picture from the weekend: Turkey Day Game!!

We made it safely back home to Colorado Saturday night without too much trouble or delay and Cooper dog was incredibly excited to see us!  It really gives us an ego boost every time we come home from a trip and he is just bursting at the seams with excitement at seeing us. :)  Now, we're just going to enjoy being back in Colorado and get ready for Christmas...lots of decorating, shopping, baking, and gift wrapping to do!!

Tuckered out Cooper :)

Hello!

 This is my first ever blog post but it certainly won't be the last!  We decided starting a blog could be a great way to keep our friends and family across the country up to date on our little life out here in Colorado.  While Matt has been living here for the last three years, I just joined him at the end of June after the wedding, along with our dog Cooper.  We absolutely love our life out here though we do miss our amazing family and friends back in St. Louis!  Adjusting to married life hasn't been too difficult and it's great to be able to live with your best friend. :)  We spend a lot of our time enjoying all the great outdoors that Colorado has to offer, which is a lot!  I've started a new job as a nurse which keeps me busy and Matt continues to serve in the Army...he's got about five months left and then we'll be onto the next adventure that life hands us.  We'll keep you updated on our life and everyday adventures!

Our first dance as husband and wife, photo copyright Jodi Schlosser

Our new home!

Family photo after Matt finished the Warrior Dash this past September.