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.

Something about Family

Well, tonight I am missing my sister and my sweet, sweet nephew Grant (who never cried and slept very well during his visit - Marshall will say that he never actually saw Grant awake).



Jaima and I just enjoyed catching up and spending time together. We went for coffee, downtown for a sushi lunch, and got a little walk in with the kiddos (Drake got to show off his biking skills for Aunt Jaima). Jaima also got to sleep in a bit both days and was able to just relax (hopefully).

The boys were SO sweet with little Grant. Drake especially wanted to help feed Grant, make his bottle, and ensure that he was doing ok. Drake was tickled when Grant and Jaima were able to pick him up from school both days - simple pleasures.

Visits like these make me even more thankful for the wonderful relationship I have with my sisters. What wonderful women they both are and I am so happy to be able to call them my best friends. It is true that there is no relationship quite like that you have with your sisters. I miss ya already sis.........

Broncomania

ok - maybe the word "Broncomania" may be a bit strong....... but, we kicked off the Bronco's 2009 season over at the Torling-Johnson residence. They were nice enough to share their leftover Mexican birthday party food and the boys enjoyed attending the "party" and having cake (Drake has been complaining that Marshall and I are always going places and he and Tanner don't get to go). So, he was very excited to be invited over to Nadja and Ryan's for the football game.

We enjoyed watching the game (although not very exciting until the end), watching Drake and Marshall play football during halftime and just catching up with good friends. Drake was VERY excited when the Broncos won and I actually got him to wear his Cutler jersey (whew). Guess we'll be on the lookout for a some Bronco apparel this season. And in the meantime, we'll bask in the glory of a 12-7 victory.....

Oh and Tanner had fun playing in the dog kennel, playing with the dog toys, and playing with the actual dog sometimes too.

Weekend with the Boys

Labor Day weekend was spent hanging with a couple of my favorite guys. Marshall took off to spend a weekend with his brother in Laramie taking in some college football and floating down the North Platte - so I got the boys all to myself.

We enjoyed a trip to the Children's Museum on Saturday morning. There was a construction play area that both boys really enjoyed. Drake also the building station - which he hadn't done before. He loved using the tools - especially the saw. A really fun trip for us.

On Sunday, we hung out at home, did a bunch of puzzles, and went to the $1 theater (although the $1 theater is now $2.50) to see "Up". A cute movie, popcorn, and a fun time for all of us.

Monday brought a trip to the grocery store (with a bribe of doughnuts for breakfast). Yup, I'm not above a bribe to get some things checked off my "to do" list. The boys enjoyed their doughnuts and I enjoyed a coffee - a good way to break up the grocery shopping.

I'm a lucky lady to have a great couple of boys and enjoy some great time with them.

Time with Dad

Marshall and the boys spent had a "guys' weekend" while I was in Pender meeting my nephew and helping the Geiserts for a few days. Looks like they got along pretty well - biking, hiking, and hanging out.

Range of Emotions

What a roller coaster of emotions it seems to have been the past couple of weeks.

1. Oh - this newborn baby is so cute and wonderful- I could do that again....to...... thinking that I am slightly crazy to consider a third child. (What a wonderful time I had in Pender last week helping Jaima and Cam with their kids and having some precious time with my nephew Grant. And hanging with mom and dad wasn't too bad either.)
   
2. Life as I know it at Sun will be over shortly after Sept 3rd......to....... "business as usual" for the foreseeable future.......I have been so fortunate to work at Sun these past 8 years. What a wonderful company for working moms - and I work with some pretty great people too. And I can't say enough about how lucky I am to be have been able to work from home the past 5 years. The balance it has brought to ours lives is priceless. Although I'm ready for the next chapter of my working life - whether at Oracle or elsewhere - working a few more months at Sun is truly a gift.
   
3. I'm ok with this whole kindergarten thing......to......endless worrying about Drake being bored all year....and back again......

At least college football started this week and there's one thing that is for certain:

GO BIG RED!

And we wait......

It looks like I'll be working for Sun for a bit longer......

The Facts of Life

Now that we are getting into a regular routine at our house, we're getting to bed earlier - and getting up earlier. For the first time ever, Drake actually asked to go to bed! School must be wearing him out. One night last week, both kids were in bed by 8:15 - I think that is a record. It reminded me of my own bedtime as a kid. I had to be in bed at 8:30 and I was devastated that I couldn't stay up to watch "The Facts of Life" which was on at 8:30. I'm sure those days of the boys begging to stay up to watch a show are not that far away.......



We're still trying to figure out what he does all day - he keeps it pretty much to himself. We do get a daily update on PE, recess, and lunch. And every now and then, we'll find out which kids had to take cards (not a good thing) and Drake is quick to tell us that he does not have any cards taken.

Today he told us that he likes school - we were both very happy to hear it. He's also established a couple of routines - he rotates his shirt color (blue, yellow, white) and does the same with his milk choices for the day (strawberry, chocolate, regular). Anything to spice up the day I guess :)

The New Reality

The Peavy's have survived their first week of Drake's kindergarten. We're working to figure out the schedule for our new reality and adjust to it accordingly.

Of course, most of my thoughts have been around the loss of our flexibility. We now need to be to school on time, in uniform, with no peanut products. We also now need to plan our vacations around school vacations - for the next 21 years! Obviously, I'm still adjusting......

The first week of kindergarten also brought about Tanner trying out underwear at school (unsuccessfully) for the first time. Let's just say - I washed a lot of clothes this week - both from Tanner and Drake. We've ordered some more clothes for his school uniform to help alleviate the laundry problem.

We've been getting Drake to bed earlier this week and he did wake up on his own every day. However, he got more tired as the week wore on - not a huge surprise - but he also started complaining of a sore throat. When I picked him up on Friday, he was laying down and I knew that wasn't good news. He did indeed had a fever and we took him to the doctor on Saturday morning - strep throat. Poor guy - fighting an illness while starting a new school. Talk about draining! Fortunately, he was a great trooper and in good spirits all weekend - and ready to tackle week 2 of his new school. Watch out - Drake Peavy is firing on all cylinders now!