The Holiday Hustle

This time of year is always a bit crazier than other parts of the year. I actually enjoy trying to figure out what I still need to get, what last minute things need to be done, and just getting out and about during the holiday season. I'm guessing I inherit this from my mother as she always saved her Christmas shopping for December 23rd after her finals were graded. I, of course, don't have that excuse, but it just seems more "Christmas-y" to me when you are running around the week of December 20th getting things done instead of October.

This week has been busy, but not stressful which is nice. Drake is enjoying 3 days at DU's School Days Off program. He has been doing the rock climbing wall, the Inflatable Obstacle Course in their pool, ice skating, basketball, parachute, soccer, and much more. So far, his favorite activity has been the ice skating. I'm so proud of him for getting out and trying new things with a group of kids he doesn't know.

Last night after I picked up Drake from DU, we ran some holiday errands. We dropped off some holiday treats that Drake and I made this weekend, had dinner out, and went to Target so Drake could do some shopping. He really wanted to buy gifts for me, Tanner, and Marshall. I gave him a budget of $10 a person and we brought a bag so he could hide the gifts. It took much longer than I would have liked, but I was so proud of him for wanting to be giving gifts this holiday season. He also asked for a pen and paper and he calculated how much he had already spent on each person and then asked "Mom can you spend (aka afford) $30?", after figuring out how much each person was getting. It was very cute and ended up being a great math lesson for him - i.e., if you have $3 left to spend, you can't buy something that is $3.99.

And to top it all off, when we left the store, it had started to snow and we sang "let it snow, let it snow" as we went to the car. This type of experience with my boys is truly the magic of Christmas for me.

Holiday Birthday

This month, our youngest turned 3 (sniff, sniff). Although I know a December birthday is not ideal, I really do remember what a magical Christmas it was with a new baby in 2006. It was 60 degrees when we brought him home, but soon after, we got over 2 feet of snow. Thanks to the trajectory of the storm, Marshall's parents did make it in for Christmas and we all enjoyed a very wonderful Christmas that year.

We were lucky enough to have Marshall's parents here to celebrate Tanner's 3rd birthday this year. Their visit was short, but we were able to enjoy Zoo Lights, breakfast with Santa, swimming, a family birthday party with hats and balloons, and opening Christmas presents. It was a great weekend and always special to have time with family.

The Tree! The Tree!

The Christmas tree is finally up thanks to some help from the boys. The bottom of the tree has all the "special" ornaments that boys really enjoyed putting up.

As I have been gone the past two weekends, we had to put the tree up in stages over the past week, but we got it up in time for Gramma and Granddad's visit - whew!

Christmas is in full swing at the Peavy house and I love it!

Minneapolis Weekend

Drake and I took a quick trip to Minneapolis to spend some time with my family. The adults enjoyed catching up, watching football, and tiny bit of shopping. The kids enjoying swimming, running around the hotel with their cousins, a slumber party at Aunt Jacki's, and of course the Nickelodeon amusement park at the MOA. The mall was crazy, but the lines for the rides were not (thankfully!).

Drake was a super traveler and we enjoyed spending time with the Karlens.

Free TV and a Wine Rack

The nice weather on Saturday aided in our efforts to clean out the garage. Drake helped with the cleaning and Tanner played in the yard, played with the garden hose, and helped "mop" up the leaves.

We set out a couple items on the curb and Drake decided that we should make some signs for them and put them up around the neighborhood. You can check out one of the signs. They must have worked - both the TV and the wine rack are gone! Although our organizational projects are taking awhile to complete, we are definitely making progress. Two cars in the garage and no scraping ice in the mornings - that is progress.

Speaking of progress, the Huskers beat Kansas State on Saturday night to wrap up the Big 12 North Championship. I'm already looking forward to watching the game in Minneapolis with my family.

The Wizard of Oz

It was quite ironic that after we got home from Wicked on Sunday afternoon, Marshall found The Wizard of Oz on TV. We were able to tape the show and Drake has been addicted to it all week (a huge incentive for getting homework done this week).

I've enjoyed watching it as well and "catching" some of the things I missed in Wicked. I'm also enjoying singing the songs with Drake. I hope the show generates as many good memories for Drake as it has for me.

You know it has been a big hit when he is choosing it over watching football. Then again, it was CU football - can't say those games are really worth watching these days..........

A "Wicked" Weekend

I'm not sure you can officially say that a weekend starts on a Thursday, but what the heck, I'll say it did. It was actually a pretty crazy week at the Peavy household - a busy work week for Marshall and training for me (plus "regular" life stuff). I started my weekend with dinner with my good friend at the Squeaky Bean in the Highlands. It works out perfectly - I don't have to drive through the central Denver rush hour traffic after training, and I get to have a night out for dinner and catch up with a friend.

The "weekend" continued on Friday when I met another friend and her sister for lunch downtown. She was visiting from Nebraska and we hadn't seen each other in several years. We met at "Fun camp" in Wayne, Nebraska back in 8th grade! Although we always were able to send yearly Christmas cards and have reconnected on Facebook, it is always great to catch up with someone in person. What a special treat for my Friday!

The festivities continued on Friday night with dinner on the town to celebrate the hubby's birthday. We enjoyed dinner and drinks in LoDo at Gumbo's (we even had a celebrity siting - Champ Bailey of the Denver Broncos. After dinner, we decided we had a enough time for a drink and headed across the street to the Wine Loft. I'm so glad I have cool friends that introduce me to new places :) What a great way to celebrate the birthday of my wonderful husband - having him all to myself.








Saturday was pretty lazy - hunkering down for the snow and cheering on the Huskers to victory with my boys. We also enjoyed cupcakes with the boys to celebrate Marshall's birthday.


Sunday morning brought lots of snow and an outing downtown for us without the kids (we believe this is the first time we have ever gotten a sitter for a "daytime" activity - wow). Anyway, we headed down to Jackson's Hole to watch some football with the women and friends from my fantasy football leagues. We grabbed some drinks and food and enjoyed catching up with some folks and taking in a little football. So far, this week is looking good for the Peavy household - we've got 2 victories wrapped up and one with a pretty good potential for a win....... Down with Todd Heap!

We then headed to see Wicked for the afternoon matinee. I had heard so many great things about the show and it definitely lived up to the hype. I didn't know the story line nor the music and thoroughly enjoyed all the twists and turns of the show. What a great, great way to wrap up the weekend. Definitely a wicked weekend.



Oh, and finding $20 floating in the gutter by the car downtown and coming home to the boys' snowman was pretty wicked too.

Football Saturdays (and Sundays and Mondays)

Fall is definitely football time at the Peavy household. College game day is on bright and early and Drake has really taken to watching the games and understanding the rules. And in the morning, he wakes right up and asks who won the game we were watching that night. Last weekend, it happened to be the Huskers on Saturday night and the Broncos on Monday night so he was very into the games (as was I - Dad was gone both nights).

I now get updates from Drake during the games - interception for a touchdown Mom, 4th and goal now, 7 to 3 now Mom. And it's pretty funny how Drake someone is always cheering for the winning team.

Here's a video of the boys this Saturday. We're gearing up for the Nebraska/Kansas today.

GO BIG RED!!!!

Crazy Hair Day

Friday was Crazy Hair Day at school for Drake. He requested blue and red color so I headed to Walmart after training on Thursday to try and find some. I rarely go to Walmart, but it was close to campus and I thought the chance of finding hair color at Walmart would be quite high. I was presently surprised during this trip: no one was there, I actually "shopped" around a bit and came away with a few things we needed (bleach, over cleaner, spaghetti sauce) in addition to the temporary hair color (which was NOT easy to find btw).

Both Marshall and I worked on Drake's hair on Friday morning. This is by far the most time we have spent on Drake's hair - we rarely even get a brush through it in the morning! Marshall "goo-ed" it all up with his gel into a mohawk and then I added red - and then blue with sparkles. It was actually a fun Friday morning and Drake was really enjoying himself.

When Marshall dropped him off at school, he said Drake was so proud and all smiles. It sounded like a nice day and according to Drake, he had the coolest hair.



Enjoying some breakfast while Mom took pictures



Our Crazy Boy

Seattle Vacation Part III

Sunday was a last day in Seattle. Drake and I took full advantage and enjoyed taking a ferry ride over to Vashon Island. We didn't have anything to do when we got there, but just enjoyed sitting by the water and chatting. I can hardly believe that Drake will be 6 in a couple months. I couldn't be prouder of him - doing so well in his school



Hanging on the dock




With my big boy

We met the rest of the family and family friends at the ferry dock and went to Lincoln Park for a little hike and the playground. Tanner fell down the slide and got a fat lip and bloody nose so we headed home. But, Drake was able to head to the beach and skip rocks with Michelle and Marshall.



Skipping Rocks

We headed for the airport on Sunday afternoon and were even able to catch a glipmse of Mt. Rainier from the airport and airplane. A truly perfect way to wrap up our wonderful trip to Seattle. I couldn't have scripted it any better.

Seattle Vacation Part II

Saturday morning started with a hike through Fauntleroy Park - which is within walking distance of Jim and Michelle's house. The boys enjoyed the exploring and almost everyone in the Peavy household took a spill during the hike (a little slippery after the rain the night before). But, we enjoyed our outing and came home to doughnuts (are you sensing a theme here?) from Bob and Claudia.



The morning hike (love this picture)



Exploring!

Saturday afternoon brought an outing at the Junction in West Seattle for their Trick or Treating. Tanner really didn't want to have anything to do with his Firefighter costume so fortunately, we could claim he was a Wayne State College Wildcat. Go cats! (of course, he was telling everyone he was a firefighter)......

The weather was great and the boys really pulled in some loot. It was a great activity and fun to see all the costumes on display.



Our Wildcat



Dr. Drake



Enjoying the Trick or Treating

Saturday night we enjoyed some trick or treating in Michelle and Jim's neighborhood and then had a wonderful salmon dinner prepared by Michelle and Jim - that's what I call a real "treat" (of course, we all had some Halloween treats as well).




We wrapped up the night with a Halloween party at the neighbors. Busy - and great - day.

Seattle Vacation Part I

In an effort to feel like Drake's start of Kindergarten hasn't taken away all of our "schedule freedom", we booked a trip in June to take advantage of Drake's October fall break. I'm discovering that not everyone is so fortunate to have a fall break as I think October is a great time to travel. We were able to find some great fares to Seattle and stayed with Marshall's sister and husband so free lodging as well. And Marshall's parents came over from the "east side" so we had a mini-family reunion as well. What a treat!!!

Of course, our travel ended up coinciding with an abnormal fall storm that brought 2 feet of snow to Denver. With that knowledge, we decided to try and fly stand by on Wednesday morning and take an extra day of vacation. Luckily, we had no trouble getting seats on that flight and made it out on Wednesday morning. We didn't do much on Wednesday - except relax, nap, and enjoy the fact that we did make it to Seattle.

Thursday morning was a bit rainy so we ventured out with our umbrellas to the doughnut shop down the hill. Marshall's sister and brother-in-law live in West Seattle in a great neighborhood - and with a view of the water (I enjoyed just sitting in their front room enjoying the view with a cup of coffee).



Trip for Doughnuts


When Marshall's parents arrived with the van (and car seats), we ventured over to the Seattle Center for our visit to the Space Needle and the Children's Museum. It was a great day and just enough activity for the boys. We ate lunch in the food court right above the Children's Museum - it was perfect. We then ventured back home for some naps, relaxing, and then out to dinner at Elliot Bay Brewpub in West Seattle. It was the perfect place to enjoy some beers, dinner, and baseball.




Space Needle




At the top of the Space Needle


Friday brought another outing to Seattle. We took the water taxi from West Seattle to the Seattle water front. The last day of the season for the taxi was Oct 31st, so we were fortunate to be able to ride the taxi. The boys enjoyed the ride on the boat and Marshall and I enjoyed the views of the Seattle skyline during the short trip. We then toured the famous Pike Place Market - the boys were not impressed (so we got them doughnuts) and Marshall and I were able to check things out for a bit - and get Marshall some of his Market Spice Tea.



Water Taxi Ride

After checking out the market, we headed back down to the water front and met our brother-in-law at the aquarium. The boys loved the tide pools (and touching the starfish and other creatures), the diver "show", and the river otters. What a great activity for the boys. We then rode the taxi back to West Seattle and took the scenic drive back along Alki Beach. It's so great to have locals to be our "tour guides".



At the Aquarium - Right on the Waterfront

We enjoyed some drinks when Michelle got home from work and the boys "helped" Uncle Jim with the firewood. A nice dinner in and family time wrapped up Friday night.



Friday Night Dinner

Nana and Pop Visit

Mom and Dad decided to make a last minute trip to see us in Denver this weekend. Yeah! They hadn't see the boys since the end of June so it was definitely time for a visit. We had grand plans of getting to a pumpkin patch over the weekend, but the weather had other ideas.

They arrived on Friday in the early afternoon; we took a walk around the neighborhood and they both enjoyed a little nap. After we picked up both the boys from school, we headed to happy hour at The Fresh Fish Company and Marshall met us after work. Mom and I took Drake to the Fall Festival at his school where he enjoyed decorating cookies, playing games, and going through a "spooky" house. Check out Dr. Drake....




Saturday brought a lazy day watching the debacle that was the Nebraska/Iowa State game, a walk in the park for Mom and Dad (with Drake leading the way on his bike), and haircuts for the boys at Sport Clips. We wrapped up the night with a nice dinner and a birthday cake to celebrate the October birthdays of Nana and Pop.



Nana and Pop with their birthday cake



The boys helping to blow out the birthday candles

Sunday, of course, went way too quickly. We enjoyed breakfast at New York Deli News - a trip back in time and a nice place to grab a casual breakfast with kids. We played some games in the afternoon and then said good-bye to our visitors. Like Dad said before they left, these visits mean even more than they did in the past. How true that is.







WE LOVE YOU NANA AND POP!

Nebraska Wesleyan Memory Lane

The Peavy sorting project is coming along slowly, but surely. This week I uncovered a box with some items from my days at Nebraska Wesleyan University in Lincoln, Nebraska - home of the Prairie Wolves (well, when I attended it was home of the Prairie Men and Women).....

My first find were my shoes for "Touch of Class" swing choir. I only had these on for 5 minutes and I'm not really sure how I danced in these shoes!!! What a great time I had in this group - such good friends I made.

Memories of road tripping across the country in a van, the always interesting home stays, the much anticipated "free night" in a hotel - on Colfax in Denver, in Amarillo, Texas on a Tuesday night (and heading out for the evening to find a 1/2 country music ; 1/2 hip hop dance club). And the enjoyment of singing and performing - I still miss it.

This actually reminds me that I still have my swing choir outfit up in the closet - if I get really brave, I'll post a picture of it.....




My second find of the night was my bright yellow "Ambassadors" jacket. The Ambassadors organization was a group of students that gave prospective students and their parents a tour of the Nebraska Wesleyan campus. I always enjoyed promoting my university - I have such good memories of this place and the life long friends I made there.

The two things I do remember about Ambassadors (neither of which have to do with giving tours).

1. Part of the process for becoming an Ambassador was a group interview. I remember answering the question about "what was the best quality in an Ambassador" with the answer of honesty (and I do have to say that I gave a pretty good answer); and then someone right after me didn't have a clue and completely copied my answer which I thought was pretty comical.
2. Trying (unsuccessfully) as President of the organization to have ramifications for Ambassadors that didn't show up to give tours. It's funny what memories stick with ya.
   

Losing Childhood Innocence

This week, we purchased Drake's Halloween costume. It was a bitter sweet moment for me. For the last 3 years, Drake has worn a firefighter costume for Halloween. Halloween would come; Drake would head downstairs to get his costume. He had no clue that he could get a new costume.

However, this year was different. I was of course happy to have him realize we could go shopping for a new costume - signally his big boy status - he's almost 6 of course. But, at the same time, I was a bit sad that he no was no longer heading down to the basement to pull out his firefighter costume one more time. Nope. It was Tanner's turn to head to the basement and pull out the firefighter costume - he didn't blink an eye when we walked out of the store with a costume for Drake and not him. I wonder if this will be the last year I'll have a firefighter or if I'll be able to celebrate Tanner's childhood innocence next year.

Red Sky at Night......

Yesterday morning when we woke up, the sun was just starting to rise. I opened Drake's shade and showed him the pretty red sky. I then told him the phrase:

Red sky at night,
Sailor's delight.
Red sky in morning,
Sailor's warning.

And proceeded to tell him the story behind this and that there was a storm moving in.

When I picked him up from school in the drizzle, he told me, "Daniel wore shorts and a short sleeve shirt. He must not have seen the red sky". Indeed Drake - Daniel must not have a cool mom like you that can "read the sky" (and watches the weather :)

Weather Extremes

Crazy Colorado weather........




FRIDAY



SATURDAY

Things I am Loving Right Now

Here are a few things I'm enjoying these days.

1. The fact that my almost 3 year old has not figured out how to crawl out of his crib yet.
   
2. Drake's bike riding skills.
3. Tanner's big, and sometimes mischievous, smile.
4. Hearing all the teachers say they enjoy having Drake in their classroom during our first parent teacher conference.
   
5. Drake doing so well in his first grade math and reading classes.
6. My wonderful husband and all he does.
7. The turning of the fall leaves.
   
8. College football - GO BIG RED!
   
9. Fantasy football - even though my teams leave something to be desired this year.
   
10. The new washer and dryer.
11. A nice glass of wine with dinner.

And a few things I am not.......

1. Tanner's complete lack of interest in potty training at home.
   
2. Boys with cabin fever on cold days.
   
3. Job uncertainty.
4. Sorting the basement. Sigh.

The good thing is the top list is much more robust than the latter list. And for that, I am very thankful.

Lobster Dinner aka Doing Our Part to Support Public Education

Marshall and I hosted our good friends for a lobster dinner on Saturday night. Drake's school held a fund raiser and we thought it would be a great opportunity to have some friends over in support of public education (ok, and have some good conversation, food, and wine).

The boys were great and now that bedtime is so early, we were able to put them to bed and enjoy a kid free dinner. What a great night!



The lobsters waiting for their fate.


Yummy dinner.



Doing our part to support public education.



Ready for dinner.



Enjoying a good night with friends.

Puddles 2009

I'll Never See You Again........(maybe)

This week I traveled to San Francisco for a business trip. How lucky that my business trips for the last 6 years take me to such a beautiful city. These meetings were actually held in the city - an extra bonus! Since I missed the last meeting due to vacation, I was very happy to be able to attend this one and see my Sun Microsystems co-workers one more time (which may indeed be the last as Sun Micro employees).

I don't know what the future holds, but I am very thankful for the people I have worked with for the past several years. It isn't often you work with folks that are talented, creative, and down right nice people. Being a remote worker might also give me a deeper appreciation for my co-workers. Since I only see them a few times a year, I am even more thankful to have meetings where we can hash things out face-to-face --- and just catch up on everything going on in their lives. I can't begin to list the benefits of working from home, but not seeing the great people you work with every day is definitely a draw back.

And who knows, I might never see these people again (this joke is becoming more and more of a reality), but I'm grateful for the opportunity to have worked with them all and hope it continues. And if not, I know I'll still be in touch in the online world - thank goodness for Facebook!

Oh, and no kids running around, a couple nights on the town in San Francisco with co-workers and friends, and a walk along the water trying to catch a glimpse of the Golden Gate bridge isn't too shabby either. Thanks to my wonderful husband for all he does to make these trips a reality for me.

The Cool Uncle

Backyard football with Uncle Matt


Matt hanging with under-the-weather Tanner



Hanging with Bro

Drake actually has four pretty cool uncles, but man, does he love Uncle Matt. You really can't get a word in edgewise when Drake is around Uncle Matt. Matt was able to read some Harry Potter to Drake, play some backyard football, and take a walk while Drake showed off his biking skills.

Matt stayed with us Friday night and hung out on Saturday before he flight back to Brussels on Saturday night. We enjoyed a couple of BBQ's and Marshall and Matt got in some quality "bro time" and the chiminea got quite a work out.

When the boys get older, I do hope that Drake and Tanner will be able to enjoy spending time together like Marshall and cool Uncle Matt do.