The weather here in Denver is as good as it gets right now, cool enough at night to turn the AC off, warm enough during the day that you can still wear your summer clothes and leave the windows open. The trees are starting to turn a bit, though, and we have some pumpkins on the mantle, so I guess it won't be too long until I'll be scraping that damn snow off my car! It melts so fast here that it's usually not too big of a deal, but winter weather can be a huge pain when your kids are too little to get dressed on their own--summer is so nice because getting dressed is a breeze--sundress, flip flops, done. In winter we have to worry about socks and coats and gloves and hats and layers, and then once you're in the car and the heat is on they get hot. So even though the Denver winters are really so mild, I still dread them.
We've had a good summer and truly it does seem like the weather has been so warm for so long--we landscaped our front yard while I was barely into maternity leave, and since we did the backyard in June we really have been outside a ton. Maddie likes to roll around in the grass with Luke, playing some wierd game where they "run into each other," fall over in the grass, and then Maddie says "I'm ok Dad! I'm ok!" She's been saying "Mom and Dad" rather than "Mommy and Daddy" a lot more lately, but it still has the feel that she is kind of playing around with it and experimenting--like, she'll pause before she calls us mom or dad. Still it is sad for us! So without further rambling from me (except of course the rambling I'll be doing in the captions), here are some photos of our last weeks of a very good, if very exhausting, summer...
I keep meaning to get around to a post dedicated to Maddie's newfound love of "doing some cookin'". She's such a good little helper, albeit a MESSY one! Here she is making Gaki Mike's favorite, edamame with parmesan cheese. FYI this is the easiest and yummiest recipe ever. Thaw a bag of frozen shelled edamame, toss with olive oil, garlic, salt, pepper, onion powder, top with parmesan cheese and bake at 400 for about 20 minutes. See dad, now you can make your favorite snack whenever you want! You're welcome!
This summer we split a CSA share at Grant Family Farms with our friends Alissa and Mitch and their son Oden. It has been so fun to see what is in our bag every week. We usually have the veggies on Friday nights when we cook out. Last week we got the yummiest peaches ever. Maddie ate two in one sitting, as soon as she saw them on the counter she wasn't interested in anything else!
We have gotten a TON of yellow squash and zucchini, and last week we got some tomatoes. Anyone who knows me knows that I have gone through life hating these 3 vegetables more than anything. I decided mid-summer that it was just silly to not like them (excluding tomatoes. I just. Can't. Eat tomatoes.), they look very harmless now that I'm a grownup. Alissa brought them over grilled one night and I loved them. Also I've made grilled stuffed zucchini this summer a few times and really liked it. And I made a summer squash and corn chowder that I tried really, really hard to like, before realizing that squash chowder smells just like squash casserole, and everyone knows that squash casserole is disgusting. The second time we made the grilled zucchini and squash I was just not a fan, no matter how hard I tried to be, which made me realize that if I have to try this hard to like something, then I really just don't like it. So zucchini is ok with me if it is crisp and not soggy, butyellow squash is still disgusting. And I still won't go near a tomato with a ten foot pole. Sorry mom and dad. I tried.
I worked so hard to make this squash and zucchini palatable. It just didn't work out. But look how pretty our dinner looks on the grill!
Lucy went to the doctor this week for her 6 month check up (only 2 weeks late! Go me!). She's HUGE! She's just over 19 pounds and 29 inches long. To give you a frame of reference, I saw a patient the next day for a one year well child check at my clinic who had the same measurements! She's at the 90th percentile for weight and not even on the chart for height. She's even taller than Maddie was (and Maddie is SO tall), and she for sure weighs more, but she has the tiniest feet you ever saw. I tried to put a pair of Maddie's 6 mo shoes on her today and the would barely stay on!
Moosy continues to have tummy troubles and this week we had to try a formula change and a daily dose of Miralax (sorry to share all of these details, Moose, but this is a complete record of your childhood, not just the pretty parts. You'll thank me later, I just know it.). She had a rough first few days but today actually seems better! She ate almost a whole container of peaches last night for dinner and went to town on some baby peas today at lunch, so I think her tummy is not hurting like it was. She had gotten to the point where she just would not eat, and had started throwing up again a bit, so we were really worried. Luckily we have a great pediatrician at Luke's awesome hospital, Denver Health, and she was so helpful and understanding at our visit. Although the Moose would like me to point out that she did not find her 4 shots to be particularly helpful, and the nurse who gave them was not very understanding.
I have to get more photos of Lucy in these overalls because she looks so cute in them! She is best buds with Luke lately, he won her over with his ability to turn her upside down and swing her by her ankles. Both girls start wiggling and acting crazy as soon as they see him. The other night after a particularly long wrestling session on the couch with Maddie, I could not get her back into control. After about 5 minutes of trying to get her to sit on the potty without trying to simultaneously try a backbend, I told him, "You know what, you did this. You put her to bed." This resulted in sheepish looks from both Maddie and Luke, just before they rolled their eyes at my back in unison.
Luke took the girls to the Denver Aquarium last week (Maddie's favorite place). Imagine my surprise when I turned on the camera today and saw he took pictures of the trip! Here is Maddie with Bruce.
"Let's go, Bruce. You're comin' with me."
Let us all take a moment to applaud Lukie, for his efforts to get a photo of himself with both girls while juggling them outside of the Aquarium. Also Luke's looking pretty handsome here. I didn't even have to use the "facial touch up" function, like I do on myself. I call it "putting my make-up on."
Lucy would really just like to get this show on the road.
Judging by the amount of beer Luke drank that night when he got home from the Aquarium, I'm going to guess that this was as good as things got. When I asked him how Lucy was on the trip I believe his response was "challenging."
A 5am jumping session. Lucy has actually "slept in" all week until between 5:30 and 6am. Since I've been silly enough to actually put this in the blog, tomorrow morning she will of course wake up at 4:30 again.
When Lucy wakes up early we try to hang out in the kitchen so we don't wake Maddie up. Maddie used to hang out on this Gymini mat thing until she was like 9 mos old. Lucy hasn't been interested for at least a month, but I keep trying!
"No I will not lay on this effing mat for one more minute. Pick. Me. Up."
Lucy last night after she ate all those peaches. She was feeling pretty good, playing with one of Maddie's train blocks.
Maddie realizes Lucy is getting her photo taken and holding one of her toys. She immediately demanded some camera time for herself and her mermaid.
"You know what, why don't you just go ahead and put me up there on the table with her."
Lucy trying to keep Maddie in line after her spotlight was stolen once again.
I don't know why Lucy always looks so serious! She was actually enormously amused to find Maddie next to her on the table.
Maddie has been finding "school" at Ms. Dee Dee's to be pretty stressful during the week, and has taken to drinking Miller Lite with Luke on Saturday evenings. I tried to ask her if everything was ok and she told me she was "just trying to relax." Pre-preschool is more stressful than you would think, I guess.
So yeah, Lucy seems to have a bit of a milk protein sensitivity. YOU try keeping an ice cream cone away from her. She's tough.
As soon as we get to the ice cream shop she gets this expectant look on her face and she looks for Luke everywhere (Luke being the parent who was responsible for giving ice cream to a 5 month old). She reaches out with the cone for both hands, like she's going to tackle it.
She's a big fan of pistacio.
We took the girls to the playground last Saturday, not realizing that it was FREEZING outside! Luke was dying in his shorts and tee-shirt, but we couldn't leave because we had promised Maddie we could go. And we're scared of her.
Maddie swings on the big kid swings now! But you have to be right next to her so you can say "Don't let go, Maddie. Both hands Maddie!" the whole time. She still let go like 6 times.
"I dwive da big wed twuck!"
We hope everyone has a good week! We'll have lots of good stuff to post next time since we are having visitors. I'll be sure and post some really length descriptions of things for Scott. He told Jeni he really likes to "lose himself" in the blog and read it for hours and hours, so I don't want to disappoint!
