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.

Fall Break and Four Months.

This last week marked the end of Matt's first session of his MBA program and that meant lots of studying for, and taking of, finals.  However, it also meant a much deserved Fall Break!!  It's been great to have Matt home for a couple days without having to worry about school.  We drove into Boulder on Thursday to hike at Chautauqua Park which is a national landmark and quite beautiful (you can click the link if you'd like to know more about it).  I love hiking out here in the fall and seeing all the colors and breathing in the crisp, fresh air.  Unfortunately, I'm a bit slower than I used to be and seem to get out of breath much quicker than I used to which is incredibly frustrating...I was told to expect that with pregnancy but it doesn't make it any less irritating.

The Flatirons.

Looking out a CU's campus from our hike.

Stumbled across some unexpected red in a field.

We planned to hike on the McClintock trail but had Cooper
with us and well, we're kind of fond of our dog and didn't
want him to possibly become bear food.

I mentioned in my previous post that we planned to spend a day and night up in Ft. Collins but plans changed and we ended up driving down to Golden instead yesterday for a nice day-trip.  Matt had been to Golden a few times but it was my first.  It only took us about 20 or 25 minutes to get there and it's a beautiful little town.  It reminded me a lot of Old Colorado City where we used to live in the Springs.  The leaves on the trees were nice and colorful and there's an awesome creek that runs through the middle of the town.  We had lunch and then walked around the shops downtown and along the creek.  If we did end up staying out here after Matt's graduation I could see us living in Golden as it just has such a better feel to it than where we are now and what I've gathered from Boulder as well.

I just loved this creek!!

There were a number of old building from the Pioneer days and the "M"
on the mountain is for Colorado School of Mines.

Another view of the creek.

There were statues all along the creek...Matt really enjoyed this one.

Today marks week 16 of my pregnancy, or four months.  I'm still feeling great, just tired sometimes but it's hard to tell if that's from the pregnancy or just the fact that I work nights.  Baby J is definitely growing and is approximately the size of an avocado and weighs about 3.5 ounces.  While Baby J is doing plenty of growing, I still don't feel like I look very pregnant...more like I've eaten a bit too much lately and have a food baby going on.  I've noticed that my waist and hips have gotten wider and my middle looks softer, but I'm looking forward to the day where the bump just "pops" and people will be able to tell that I'm actually pregnant.

Not much of a bump...and please excuse the fact that the
flash illuminated my undergarments! Opps!

Hope everyone has had as great a weekend as we have...now it's time to settle in on the couch for some football! Xoxo!

Weekend in St. Louis.

We're back home safe and sound after a quick trip back to St. Louis for our good friends' wedding.  We landed a little later than expected Friday but made it to the rehearsal dinner just in time for the actual dinner.  It was wonderful to see all of our friends again and to celebrate Tim and Megan together.  We were able to watch that intense Cards-Nationals game as well...there's nothing like cheering for your team with your friends with the Arch in the background.  I have to admit, it made us miss St. Louis even more.

Matt was one of the groomsmen in the wedding Saturday and he looked quite dapper in his suit...he cleans up very well. :)  I was able to squeeze into a dress I already owned--I'm really trying to avoid having to purchase too many maternity items so I'm putting it off as long as I can.  The wedding itself was simply lovely, as I knew it would be, and the weather was perfect for a fall wedding.  We danced the night away with our friends and just had an amazing time.

We clean up pretty well. ;)

Not the greatest picture of us, but the bride and groom look lovely
and you can see the baby bump (it grows after meals, haha). :)

We took a little time on Sunday to enjoy the weather and the beautiful colors of the changing trees.  There is just something wonderful about fall in St. Louis: the smell, the crispness in the air, and the colors.  As amazing as Colorado is, you just don't experience fall like you do in the Midwest.

Prime example of amazing fall colors!

In other news, we're into week 15 of the pregnancy with Baby J roughly the size of naval orange.  It's hard to believe we're less than a week away from the four month mark.  I'm still feeling great which is wonderful.  Our next Dr. appointment is the 24th so we'll get to see the baby and hear the heartbeat again on the ultrasound.  Pretty exciting stuff!!

Matt has finals this week so most of his time will be devoted to studying.  He has Thursday and Friday off after finals as part of a Fall Break so we're hoping to head up to Ft. Collins for a day and night or so.

Hope all is well with everyone!! Xoxo!

And We're Back!!

Apologies for the absence of posting in the last month or so...we were busy packing up our life in Colorado Springs while avoiding the wildfire, took a much needed trip to St. Louis for the month of July, and have spent the last four days unpacking here at our new apartment.  I can't believe that we're already almost a week into August and that we're living in our new apartment!  It's going to be a bit of an adjustment and while we miss our old place, friends, and neighbors in the Springs, I think this place will work just fine for the next two years.  So, here's a quick rundown of what we've been up to this summer:

First, as I mentioned, we spent the end of June getting ready to move and taking in the whole wildfire situation.  It was a brand new experience for both of us and I started to write a post dedicated to it at that time, but I was interrupted mid-post and never really found the time to finish and post it.  Needless to say, it was horribly sad to watch on the news as the city that had become our home seemed to be hopelessly burning.  We've all seen the images on the news: the trees engulfed in flames, the C-130s making drops on the fire, the exhausted firefighters.  They're moving images for sure, but it's a whole different experience when the images are coming from your town.  The term "wildfire" seems to be misleading in itself--it makes you think of a fire out in the woods, in the wild.  However, that's not really the case.  These fires were in our cities, our home, and they burned people's home and lives to the ground.  It was hard to look at the images on the news and see these burning structures knowing that was once someone's home.  Some of the physicians and nurses from my old hospital lost their homes and I just cannot imagine how daunting a task it would be to have to essentially start over and rebuild one's life.  We are just so grateful that we never had to evacuate and that more lives weren't lost.

The Army packed our home up and we headed to St. Louis July 1st.  It was SO nice to be in town for more than just a weekend.  It seems like so many of our trips have been just a whirlwind of trying to squeeze so much into a short time.  We had a mental list of everything we wanted to do while we were in town this summer and I believe we checked all but two things off the list.  We weren't able to make it to a Cardinals game or down to my family's farm but we still had a wonderful trip.  While we absolutely love the state of Colorado, the people in St. Louis are pretty awesome and we miss all of you already!!  We were lucky enough to be able to make it up to Michigan for a week as well and it was such a relaxing week.  Matt even found time to compete in the Tour de Kirkwood triathlon before we drove back to CO and I was able to attend my friend Megan's bridal shower.  It was great to see all our family and friends and we can't wait for our next trip back.

We arrived back in CO late Wednesday night and have been settling into our new apartment since then.  As I mentioned, it's going to take a bit of adjusting as we're used to living in a larger space but it's starting to feel more like a home.  We've meet our neighbors and it just so happens that they're a young couple like us with a dog whose energy rivals Cooper's so he's already made a best friend. :)  I started orientation at work this week and it's so nice to only have a 10 minute commute.  This hospital is smaller than the one I was at previously, but I think it'll be a good fit.  Matt starts orientation for school in a week and then classes begin on the 27th.  We've got a wedding on the 17th as well--our good friends Johnny and Gina are getting married and both Matt and I are in the wedding party--so it's certainly going to be a busy month.

Here are a few pictures from our trip to Michigan (if you've looked at the pictures on Facebook then these are nothing new) as that's really the only time we took any photos.

Quite possibly the best place to watch the sunset.

Typical beach day.

The hammock debacle 2012.

An evening stroll on the beach.

Enjoying a good book and the water on our toes.

Goofing off.

Big Red though it looks more like Big Pink.

A sunkissed couple. :)

Me and my dad.

How every evening was spent.

It's not a proper trip to Michigan without numerous sunset pictures.

I'll be sure to post some pictures of our apartment once it's a bit more put together.  Hope all is well with everyone back home, we miss you all!! Xoxo!

Old Friends, Good Times

Last weekend we had some good friends from home, Tim and Megan, in town for a whirlwind weekend visit.  They landed on Thursday night and were off again Sunday morning so it was a quick trip but we managed to make the most of it.  We started the weekend off in Denver--it had been awhile since we've gone out in Denver--and then drove up to Ft. Collins Friday for an afternoon of beer tasting at the breweries. Matt has been to Ft. Collins before but this was my first time so I was pretty excited.  I'm not the most adventurous when it comes to beer, in fact I generally stick to Bud Light, but I've branched out some since moving out here and I'm willing to at least try all kinds.

Tasting at Odell Brewery, one of Matt's favorites.

Quite the spread at New Belgium Brewery.

We only visited three breweries and there were plenty more to try, but we had to cut the afternoon short in order to make it to Red Rocks Amphitheater in Morrison for the Michael Franti concert that night.  If you recall, Matt and I saw a concert there in May in less than desirable conditions.  This time thankfully the weather was much better and I was able to really enjoy the experience.

Even up at the top, it's still a great experience.

Took a few tries but we got a decent group picture.

Saturday we drove up Pikes Peak and spent some time at Garden of the Gods.  I can honestly say I don't think I will ever get sick of the mountains or the gorgeous views we have out here.  It's so nice to have visitors come out and be able to share all of it with them...I loved Megan's excitement about the mountains because it reminded me of my first couple trips out here. :)

My favorite spot on the way up Pikes Peak.

The sky is so blue!

Just climbing around on top of a mountain.

Garden of the Gods--one of my favorite places out here.

Joseph family photo!

Best dog ever. :)

It was a fast weekend, but a great one.  We loved getting to spend time out here with some good friends and showing them what Colorado is all about: gorgeous views, mountains, and good beer. :)  Can't wait to see you guys again in just a couple weeks!!

Telluriiiiide!!

Well hello there.  This is Matt.  I figure I would create a post about my trip to Telluride, CO.  I went with 2 of my good Army friends.  We will be parting ways here in the next couple months so we wanted this to be "last CO hurrah" type trip.  Telluride is right in the middle of a box canyon and surrounded by snow-capped 13 and 14ers.  It's also know for excellent hike-to terrain.  The scenery is truly unmatched.

Now my friend Andrew and I are a little crazy when it comes to skiing, mountain biking, etc.  I've been skiing regularly for about 4 years and I would say I'm pretty good.,but we try some runs that about halfway down, we look at each other and and say "This was a mistake".  That being said, the challenge is what makes skiing fun!  And it's the only way to get better!  

We had an absolute blast and got 2 whole days of skiing some of the coolest runs!  We stayed at the Hotel Madeline, a super classy joint.  We were definitely like gypsies in the palace.  It was a gorgeous hotel that was right in the village.  Below are some pictures from the trip.  If anyone is interested in getting more information about the trip let me know and I'll shoot you some more details.