Botanical Gardens

I didn't have President's Day completely off, but I did work a half day, which left the afternoon free for a trip to Denver's Botanical Gardens. I went with my moms group friend, Amy, and her daughter, Hanna, who's just 3 1/2 mo younger than Ashleigh. Hanna also just had her first birthday party a week ago, complete with cupcakes, games, and feeding their two horses. Someday, they'll be old enough to ride them - crazy!

Here are some pictures from the indoor gardens that Amy took. We walked around outside, but most of the plants were dormant, which doesn't make for pretty backgrounds like these do. They keep the temperature really hot and humid inside for the rainforest plants and flowers.




Also, you can't tell from this last picture, but Ashleigh has been having brief temper tantrums (already...) and she had just sat down in the mud along the path prior to this picture being taken because she didn't want to hold my hand.

Eating with a Spoon

Since it's been a month since my last post, you get two-for-one tonight. These were actually taken tonight at dinner. We had clam chowder soup and this is one of the first successful uses of a spoon. Some of it actually made it into her mouth, but much of it also made it onto her face. She also knows how to slurp it out of the bowl now too, which is funny!





As an update, Ashleigh started daycare two days a week a few weeks ago. Rob is still working M-Th nights, I'm in the office on Tuesdays and Thursdays instead of Monday/Wednesday, so we do get a really long weekend together from early Friday afternoon through Monday afternoon. The daycare/peer-pressure effect has taken hold and Ashleigh went from barely walking a month ago to nearly running now. The bruise on her left cheek in the pictures isn't crayon or marker, but from doing a fast walk and falling right into the corner of the coffee table. She's also talking a lot more now and can say 65 words! She's got 11 teeth with her fourth molar on the way now, so she's chewing well at this point and interested in and eating everything we are.

Stock Show

We went to the stock show in mid-January with some family and friends and had a great time. Usually stock show weather in Denver means cold and snowy, but the weather was great! This was a first for Ashleigh, being around all the animals that she reads about in her books. The petting zoo was definitely a hit, and she also loved the small animals (rabbits, chickens, ducks). She was quite scared of the larger animals as you can walk right behind unfenced in cows and bulls (she doesn't know it yet, but their nose rings are attached to the posts in an inhumane way, so no worries about them getting loose either). She got to use a lot of her new words - horse, moo, duck, and bunny - and made the connection between animals in the books and animals in real life. It's fun to see them grow and learn.

We also took Ashleigh to her first rodeo in the afternoon, which made her pretty restless by the end of a busy day without a nap, but she stayed awake through it all and enjoyed it. They had all the traditional cattle roping and wrestling, as well as the bucking broncos and bulls. Those bull-rider guys are crazy! One even got gored by the bull in the head and taken away in a stretcher as the bull even hooked his helmet off.

These are my good friends Laurie and Zach who also went with us. I've known Laurie about 16 years now - definitely the longest friendship I've ever had, through various boyfriends and life's ups and downs... thanks for being such a great friend!

Happy New Year 2006!

We decided to venture out on New Year's Eve to the Downtown Denver fireworks show (there were 2 shows, one at 9 pm, and another at midnight - bet you can guess which one we went to...). Ashleigh really enjoyed the fireworks and wasn't scared by the loud bangs. It was a warm 50 degrees in downtown Denver, so you could say we were definitely overdressed for the weather, but that's better than the freezing cold weather we usually get on New Years.

After the fireworks, we went back home and had some cheese, crackers, and summer sausage and played some games too. We also had Alaskan king crab legs on New Year's Day, to start our own traditions, which came out really good. As for my own resolutions, I'd say #1 is to worry less. It's impossible to stop worrying, but when worry creeps in, I think of Phillipians 4:6-7 that says:

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."

I also like Matthew 6:25 - Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes?

Our First Christmas...in our house

Christmas was wonderful this year. Went to Christmas Eve services with Rob's family and dressed Ashleigh up in the Christmas dress my mother-in-law made for her. We had my family over for brunch on Christmas Day and went out to Rob's family later for Christmas Dinner. Ashleigh definitely had fun too, and is starting to understand opening presents. She even got into opening the presents that weren't to her. We never got around to sending out Christmas cards this year as we've both been so busy and one of us seemed to always be sick (me, especially with around 4 times in two months). This past week has been nice as both Rob and I had vacation during the week between Christmas and New Years and all are healthy, so a break is just what we needed, I think!