Cozy Cow Dairy Farm

Today I had the opportunity to take Adriana to the Dairy Farm! I had never been, nor was i aware it existed! So i was really glad to get the opportunity to do this. We were able to go with my Brother-in-law Doug and the kids as well as a big group of moms and kids. Some Adriana and I knew.
This is the room where you can come any day for free and watch them milk the cows until you dont want to watch anymore!

The amount of milk and how fast they produced it impressed me! All the information they were giving sounded very similar to nursing! All 5 cows that were being milked at that time were also pregnant! Adriana and most of the kids didnt care much about this part.

Adriana with her new friend Jake in the dark coat and her cousin Ayden in the red coat. Jake's mom and i met on a website Moms Like Me. We live close to each other and have gotten together a few times for playdates. Adriana and Jake are like PB and J!! They see each other and are just the best of friends so far!

At the end of the tour the kids were able to feed some calves and goats and a couple of steers. This was Adriana's very favorite part! She would have stood there and fed the cows all day! She just loved it. Some kids were timid about these animals. Not my adventurous one! She walked right up and started petting them. At one point i thought she was going to kiss the goats!

Ayden feeding the goats

Doug and Ayden feeding the steers

Ryleigh and Masyn were not big into touching the animals. They were content to just hang back and watch.

All in all this was a good morning. The tour itself didnt interest Adriana that much until she was able to get up close and personal with the animals. Interaction is always her favorite part. There was a tractor and trailor the kids climbed on and played with and chased around. At the farm they also have a store that you can go in at any time and buy milk, cheese, meat and ice cream! We did bring home some cookies and cream ice cream to try! Adriana was able to try some fresh milk from the cows and some cheese curds. She drank two cups of milk and ate the cheese pretty fast! I would say...success!

4th of July

For the 4th of July we try to head up to the cabin. It is relaxing and Idaho Springs is not that crowded for watching fireworks! So we were lucky enough to head up again this year for 2 days.
Chris and his Dad on the Georgetown Loop Railroad

Adriana snuggling with Grumpy after nap

This is the steam engine for the Georgetown Loop

Us on the train, Chris took the picture

Adriana enjoying one of the cupcakes her and i made while sitting on the car watching fireworks :). She really just licked all the frosting off and i ended up eating the rest!

Adriana and her Nana watching fireworks

The Georgetown Loop Railroad was a very exciting venture for us. I have never been on a train before and neither had Adriana! The only thing Adriana didnt like was the whistle on the train. She covered her ears every time but it was loud and we were right behind it! It was such a beautiful trip. I am so happy we live in such a mountainous state! Gorgeous scenery!

Preschool!

Today was Adriana's first day in a preschool class. This is only a 2 week session and she will start the real preschool in August. It was her first class without Mom or Dad there! We have been telling her about this for a while and talking it up and letting her know she will be making new friends, and doing crafts etc. Last night as i was driving home from work it really hit ME (the mom) what was going to happen. I was not going to have my little sidekick with me for 2 1/2 hours! For 3 1/2 years she has been by my side (mostly) daily. I sucked it up and this morning we did it.
This is her eating her breakfast all dressed and ready

Sitting in the circle listening to Miss Leslie

She looked a little pouty then saw that i was still there. I didnt get her picture fast enough, but that tells you how fast she recovered.

Lining up to go out to the playground. I took this as i was leaving.

So all in all she did great! When they stood up to go outside i kissed her, said i love you and i will be back in a bit. That was all. I was ok until i pulled out of the parking lot, WITHOUT her! I shed a few tears then was on my way to run a few errands. When they opened the class door and she saw me she ran over and gave me the biggest hug. She had a good time and is looking forward to going again on Thursday. When we got home she said, "Thanks for picking me up Mom!"
All in all a success! I missed her but i know that i can't keep her by my side for the rest of her life. I did snuggle her extra close before nap tho!

New Bike!

Adriana has outgrown her little trike that we bought her last year. So we decided now that it is summer time we should buy her a big girl bike to ride. Last week i took Adriana with me to look at bikes so she could pick one out and let me know what she liked. I went to work early one day and bought the bike. Monday night Chris and i put it together... Well to be honest he put it together while i talked to him and ate ice cream :).
I planned to give it to her on Tuesday when she got back from preschool but as it turns out she started running a fever Monday night and was sick all last week. She has missed her first week or so of preschool due to being sick as well.
Today we decided she was much better and to give her the bike.

This is her checking out the bell and how it all works.

Just starting at the top of the driveway

Made it down the driveway and off we go!!!

A little tired already since she is still sick.

On the street behind our house. Happy little girl! :)



We only made it around the block once before she was tired and wanted to snuggle again, but a success nonetheless!

We are still here!

Well, every time i come to our blog i sigh and think i should update it. Then i think there is too much to write and i am always at work where i dont have pictures. So today i told myself to suck it up and do it anyway, then i can add pictures later!

Well let's see where to start...Adriana is getting big as usual! she is growing tall but not actually gaining a whole lot of weight. She is still wearing shorts that are 24 mos! Over the past few months she has taken some fun classes and really enjoyed them. She will be starting just a one month preschool class this week. It's Tuesday and Thursday 9-1130. She is excited but i know that she is nervous too. All of the classes she has taken i have sat in the back of the room. This time she will be going all by her little self. She keeps telling me she wants me to go with her and then she gets a nervous little look on her face. She will be fine after a few mins of this i am sure. Me on the other hand... I dont know what to do with out her there! She has been my little sidekick for 3 1/2 years! i talk big and say i am going to clean the house or mop the floors, and i probably will eventually but this first class i just dont know! I will update and definitely take pictures after the first couple of days! In August she starts the fall preschool program. This is the same two days a week but only 2 hrs each time. Adriana and i are keeping busy swimming, going to the park, playing in the sprinklers, painting and whatever else we can find to do! When Chris and i first told her about the new baby we told her that she could pick which of the bedrooms she wanted and the new baby would use the other. Adriana decided she wanted to switch rooms and take the office. We went and picked out some paint for it. The walls are purple with white trim. We bought some butterfly stickers and put those up, some pink curtains and a cute little ceiling fan for it. I will take pictures as soon as the fan gets put in and the room is complete. It looks really cute and she seems pretty happy with it. Adriana has been going to most of my dr appts with me and she has been able to help the dr find the baby's heartbeat and squirt the gel on my stomach. she loves it! i think the most fascinating for her is that i have to pee in a cup each time. So a little more than a week ago we had the ultrasound. She had been very excited about this but when it came to it she didnt like it much. she didnt get to sit on the table next to me like she usually does and that was not ok with her! Also, we seem to have caught our new little one during nap time. Not too much activity. Other than that Adriana is good. We have started a chore chart for her and make sure we do our chores every day before we leave the house. She gets to put stickers up for every chore she does. She really loves it and i am thankful! Our house has stayed a lot cleaner lately!

Chris continues to be really busy at work and home. The business at the store has really picked up and it keeps him hopping all day. Then he gets home and chases Adriana and does some projects around the house as well. He went to the ultrasound appt with me and it was really nice. I love when we get some time together. He just finished extending the fence on one side of our house. it looks really nice and we gained a lot of space in the backyard. He is continually changing the pond and making the waterfall different. I love it. He is super creative and for that i am thankful since i am severely lacking in that area!

As for me, i am keeping busy with Adriana all day, working 6 nights a week and all the other stuff that comes with life! It seems we have been running since we got back from Cancun!

We all went to Cancun for Julie and Tara's wedding. It was a beautiful week there and we had a great time. Adriana was a wonderful little traveler and she had such a great time while there. Being in water all day is ideal for her! Chris officiated the wedding and he did a great job. The wedding itself was nice and in a hut on the beach due to the rain. We all had a great time!

SO...we went to the dr for our 20 week ultrasound. All of us went in expecting to hear we were having a boy and come to find out it's a GIRL!!! Chris was very surprised and thrilled. He wanted another girl all along. I think Adriana took it the hardest but after a day or two she adjusted and now is helping us pick names and will help us paint the new little one's room. We are absolutely thrilled! We are past the half way point! The due date is October 15th but we have to do a scheduled c-section around 39 weeks so our little girl will be here probably around the 8th. I am excited to start getting her room together, washing and folding little clothes for her and get it all put in it's place! maybe then it will seem real!

Well that is all for now! i will do a post this week with nothing but pictures!

Behind!

Yikes! Chris looked at our blog today and we both realized it's not been updated since November! Ok... WOW where do i start. I have been working full time with Sorenson, still loving my job. Well... still isnt the right word, AGAIN is more appropriate. I did switch to days while Chris' store was closed in the winter. This year i did not enjoy it. the days were long and the callers were not very nice. I DID however love, love, LOVE the time i got with Chris and Adriana this winter. I am so lucky that Chris and i can work our schedules the way we do so we can be home with Adriana. She is such a fun kid to be around and just has a zest for life i havent seen before. Chris is just opening his shop again this week and getting back into the swing of things. He enjoyed his time off and started framing and finishing our basement. This winter he was inundated with internet orders so that put the basement on the back burner a little bit. Hopefully he can get some more done as the months go by. Adriana is doing great. She is getting so big and just amazes me. She uses reasoning and logic to get her way sometimes. She is still 3 however and can throw a doozy of a tantrum! All in all she is such a joy in our lives and i am thrilled to be working nights and home with her during the day again. I truly love my job and like going to work, but i am glad to do that at night so i can be with Adriana. The zoo, the park, mountains...wherever it may be, we have a great time. Adriana is now taking some classes at the rec center in Loveland. She has started Dinosaur Discovery and this week will start a gymnastics class called Kangaroo Kids where they get to pretend to be a different animal every week. There are a few others she will do also this spring. These are classes she can do by her big self, and she is thrilled by! She is so ready to be independant sometimes. i think she will be anxious but she sure isnt! The first day of Dinosaur class i told her i would go with her or she could do it all by herself if she wanted. She said she wanted me to go with her. We got in the class and Mommy was almost forgotten about. She glanced over once to see if i was still there, but i was in the back of the room and didnt speak once or anything. I was SO proud and sad at the same time! She did awesome and didnt even hesitate. That made me feel great as a Mom that she was just ready to jump in and not worry about it, but made me feel un-needed a little. She is still a great little snuggler and very affectionate. I love to hold her little hand when we walk in the store, or to the park.

One piece of news we do have to share is we are expecting baby number 2! We are due October 15th. The baby will actually be born the first part of October since i have to have a scheduled c-section, so really about the 8th or 10th. We are all super excited. Adriana has said from the beginning it is a BOY! she will not waiver from it and will argue if you tell her it's a girl. She is always asking what the baby is doing and when he is going to come out. That's why i added the baby countdown so she can SEE a picture of what the baby looks like now and hopefully know, that he/she is not fully ready yet. This could be a very long pregnancy !
Our computer that has our pictures is down so i can't add any right now. Hopefully soon and at least after we get back from Cancun! i know my updates get few and far between sometimes. I will try to be better!

Update

Whew! i have a lot to catch up on! i realize i haven't blogged since mid July. I have had pictures uploaded on here but not published anything. OOPS!
All of these pictures are from when we went to the Pumpkin Patch. We didnt go to a great one but we know which one NOT to go to next year. Adriana got to do the hay maze and pick out a tiny pumpkin to take home. We did carve pumpkins at home a week before. I sure wasnt going to pay those prices.
So now it is mid November and life is slowing a little bit. October is crazy busy for us! Adriana was Spiderwoman for Halloween. She is obsessed with Spiderman. She has shoes, toothbrush and Mac and Cheese! We went trick or treating with my brother Dan and his fiancee Stacy and their family. Everyone came down and we had a big group go together. We all had a good time. The kids were all dressed up so cute! Adriana had fun with trick or treating but it was more overwhelming for her i think. The neighborhood we went to was nothing like i had ever seen on Halloween before! SO many houses were decorated and had haunted houses in the front yard! Adriana would walk up to the door, knock and say "Trick or Treat!" Then she would just stand there in a daze until we came to get her. She didnt really show alot of excitement other than her costume which she loved!
For her birthday I took her to Bounce. She has been asking me to go again for a while now and i have promised we would go for her birthday. I held true to my word and she was nothing less than thrilled.
Now it is mid November and Chris has closed up shop for the winter time and is home til March! I am so thrilled! He has started to frame and finish the basement. He is builiding a very cool little house under the stairs for Adriana! it will be like her own little apartment. We will put her kitchen and Dora couch there. He is installing lights and a door! I can't wait to see how it turns out. I am letting him have free reign as to how he designs the basement. i will give input in color and fixtures but that is about it. I am excited!

I have started working full time with Sorenson and loving it. It is only an extra 8 hours a week but it's great to have sick time, and vacay etc. I am still on nights right now with the exception of Sundays and Thursdays. Those are my 2 all day jobs. Dec 1st i will switch to working mostly days. i will only be working one evening a week. I have a pretty spoiled schedule Dec-Feb. i am really looking forward to good quality family time. Chris is really happy to be home and Adriana is happy but adjusting too. She is used to us working but now with Chris home all the time and Mom still going to work... she doesnt get it. She thinks that since chris isnt working right now that I shouldn't be either. She is doing really well. She is such a joy to have around. Always making us laugh and smile so big. She has memorized numerous books and "reads" them to us all the time! We have gotten alot of games lately and that is a big hit with her. Go Fish with letters and animals, Chutes and Ladders, Hi-Ho Cherry O and several others. She loves it all :)

Well that's about it for now. my hands are cramping up! I will update again when we get back from Dallas for Thanksgiving!

Birthday Girl!

Miss Adriana had her 3rd birthday! Geez i can't believe how fast she is growing up. 3!? Are you kiiding!?
Anyway... here is a kitchen we ordered for her and Chris put together. She was so jazzed and she loves it!

This is Adriana's response to her kitchen. First look and she was jumping up and down.

This is on her actual birthday. Just the three of us. We have A LOT of birthdays in October so it was a little hard for her to have to wait all month to get her turn at blowing out candles!

She got to do it twice! once for her big family party then just the three of us.

This is at the big family party.

Aunt Jenny bought her a bunch of outfits and shoes to play dress up! The trunk of dresses also came with earrings and rings. Fancy!


A tiara too!

Way Behind!

This is the gorgeous pond Chris built in our backyard! Pictures don't do it justice by any means. We have fish in here and also a frog that showed up one day and stayed with us!

Adriana once again got ahold of some scissors and cut herself some bangs. I had to take her to a stylist since i couldnt fix it. This is the result. I LOVE her hair with bangs now and it's so much more manageable for us. She likes that Mom wont force her to have it done in ponytails every day.

The end of October we were at Chris' store for lunch almost every day. Adriana loves to run, run and hide and be chased. She likes to feed the fish and drive the forklift :)

We took a morning to go and visit my Grandma and Great Grandma. This is Adriana and her Great Great Grandma.

Adriana and her Great Grandma

Playing in the sandbox Daddy built

On the carousel at the zoo


Being silly one night while the two of them were hangin out

Hot tubbing at the cabin! FUN

A surprise 60th birthday party for Aunt Tricia!

Adriana and her Nana at the party