Catching up with a busy end to summer

Well, I have been too busy and too unmotivated to update the blog lately. We really have been busy every week. Plus I have to have some creative juices flowing before I have the desire to sit down and write. So, her are some blurbs about the past few weeks events. There are more to come in the future weeks so look for more pics and stories.

We went camping for 2 night back on the 11th of August. It turned out to be a relaxing down time, but it didn't start out that way. It was a test for A and I for sure. It began rocky with me having to work the day we left and I worked ALL day. This meant to we had to hurry and pack and set up camp as it was getting dark. A and I spent most of the first day and 1/2 not really talking about anything but the necessary. We first camped at Golden State Park which is a very beautiful location but it was completely full and the sites are LITERALLY 10 ft apart. It wasn't really our idea of camping. So, we got there late and left really early (also partially because in our hurry to pack we didn't bring matches and therefore couldn't make coffee, AHHHH). Well, as we headed home we pulled our heads out of our *****(you know whats) and decided to start over. So, we headed up our favorite canyon, 285, and offroaded below Kenosha Pass to a beautiful, isolated, quiet site. A even had to drive through a good size creek to get back as far as we wanted. The next 24 hours were so relaxing and allowed us the unwind. We definitely came out better in the end!!! Sorry for no pics, our camera batteries are having problems so we are looking into getting a new camera.

I have a video of the following update but don't have the wire to transfer my videos onto the computer. I'll work on getting that and put up all of our videos......
Sam learned to climb DOWN the stairs all on her own. We were watching her climb up the stairs one afternoon and all of a sudden her right foot was feeling behind her and she slid down as soon as it hit the edge of the stair. We screamed with excitement and she spent the next few minutes going up and down the stairs. She was so proud of herself. Now she has even figured out (as of today) how to turn around at the top stair to get started. This makes me feel better about the safety around stairs, plus I'm sure it is great use of her sponge of a mind.

Early last week we spent a few days with a low grade fever.......and the winner is her TOP LEFT TOOTH!!!! It finally popped out. The good news, she made if through the rough times with a fever, taking her meds(yuck), and not wanting to eat well because the meds taste so gross. The bad news, now she grinds her teeth and make the most hideous sound.

We went and had a wonderful evening at Rio Grande, home to the 1 Margarita limit, you can guess why. We took this adventure with our friends the Castaldi's. Bob, Colleen, and Caroline were the perfect company for the evening out. Here are some pics.....

Dad home all week; camping fun; good fresh food

Sun - Rotisserie Chicken; Crashed Potatoes; Corn on the cob

Mon - Fish; green beans from the market; rice

Camping!!!
Tues - Taco Salad

Wed - Eastern Chicken Sandwich; pasta salad

Thurs - BLA (Turkey bacon, lettuce, avacado); Summer squash Gratin

Fri - Tai pasta w/ Peanut Sauce; cucumber and carrot salad

Sat - Something w/ the Castaldi family....Pizza or happy hour at Rio's!!!

Just mom and Sam.......
Sun - Zesty Vegetable Enchiladas

Check out other menus at Organized Junkie

Vote

Hey, check out my sister with another photo contest. She WON the last one using a picture she took of Samantha. This time a very nice grasshopper posed for her. Vote for #6 at Cat's Corner in the left side panel.

Our family had the pleasure of hanging out with some nice friends, the Iserts, on their boat Sunday. It was Sam's first boat ride and we had so much fun that we ended up hanging out on Chatfield lake for 7 hours straight. For those of you who don't know the 'lakes' in Colorado are really just small reservoir ponds. We hung out for a while then went tubing and wake boarding and the time just flew(no pun intended since Tim and AJ are both pilots). Sam was the best baby every and enjoyed herself all day. She didn't really like the life vest but the Margaritas helped ease her pain. Here are some pics from the day...

Menu's for the week

monday - homemade Mexican Pasta from the freezer; sauteed Market green beans

Tuesday - Red Beans and Rice; cucumbers from the garden

Wednesday - Easy Pasta because we will have been at the horse show ALL day!!!

Thursday - Quinoa w/ garden veggies

Friday - Zesty Vegetable Enchiladas

Saturday - Grilled Venison (hopefully Sadie the dog doesn't help herself to our Venison this time); Crash Hot Potatoes from the market; Grilled Corn

Sunday - Maybe eat out because we have the car show today and I'm tired of planning!!!!

Check out other meal plans this week at a guest host, The Happy Housewife.

New Theory on young babies and moods

Excuse me while a do a little mommy talking, so all of you not interested in the baby thing just come back another day. I have noticed that Sam grew about 2" taller in the last week. I swear she just needs to stop because it's all happening too fast. However, in observing this growth spurt it allowed me to really do some thinking.

Everyone always says things like "new teeth are coming in....that's why we are cranky" or "that new food really made her tummy upset." How come I've never really heard anyone say "She's going through a big growth spurt....she seems really sore and restless"? Well, the last week Sam's growth was noticeable and so was her reversion back to screaming more, sleeping a little less, and just being more clingy. At first I didn't really correlate the two and then I just got thinking....

If I think back to each time period where she was more "fussy" it most likely was a time of developmental growth. I distinctly remember (and so does AJ) not being able to fall asleep when I was younger because my knee joints hurt soooo badly. Plus, I don't remember my teeth ever hurting? I can't imagine what could possibly be going on in my daughter's little body as it has doubled in size the last 10 months. Is it possible that we hear something so many times that it becomes all we know even if it is illogical? such as, you're baby is spoiled if you don't let them cry. No, books and the Internet are always right. I also learned through having the pleasure of sleeping with Sam the other night when Dad was flying....we like to cuddle. Lately she is a bed hog and this week she was very restless. She would sit up, lay down, sit up, lay down, and whine the few times through the night. It just seemed like she had what we in college called "crazy legs" or the inability to get comfortable. Insight or what??

This new perspective has given me an entirely new appreciation and approach to whenever she cries out, especially at night. Both AJ and I always want to be there for our little one and want to protector her the best possible as I'm sure all parents do in their own way. We have never been parents who can let her cry and scream all alone, or as some call it Cry-It-Out. With my new theory on growing pains I'm even more confident and proud to selflessly heed my child's needs an time.

Lesson learned...parental intuition and Gods graces are what we should follow in our journey. Plus, is it possible that little babies have a lot going on and it doesn't make any sense to them.