Magical Mr. Bear

First, read this post to catch up. Since that day at the Pink Shop, Mr. Bear has had many wonderful adventures.  He comes to the grocery store, preschool, church, and the library.  One night as we were going through the bed time routine we discovered Mr. Bear was missing.  After retracing our steps we were confident he had been left at the library.  So, as soon as the library opened the next day, we zoomed over to get him.  Josh and Halle had a blast making up stories about Mr. Bear's sleep over at the library. 

Sometime in Sept, the same thing happened.  Bed time came, and no Mr. Bear could be found.  We racked our brains, and hunted the house top to bottom.  But no luck, he was lost.  There were many sad nights, and days spent turning the toyroom upside down. 

About 1 week ago Halle comes charging through the door and shouts, "I have the most WONDERFUL news!"  (She had been on her first kindergarten field trip that day and I was sure she was bursting at the seams to talk about it). I said, "Tell me about your day!" She said, "No Mom, even BETTER NEWS.  I FOUND MR. BEAR."  What??? Had Mr. Bear magically made his way to the Children's Museum in Denver?  No, but he had ended up in the school's lost and found.  On her way to the bus, Halle had seen him sitting on the top shelf. As soon as Josh woke up from his nap we raced to the school to rescue him.  And there was much rejoicing. 

Blake's Surgery

On Dec 1st Blake had a little same day surgery.  He was born with something called Chordee, which basically means his little man part was crooked. And we all know crooked man parts are not a good thing ;).
The worst part was that I couldn't feed him before the surgery.  So we had to wake up at 5am, drive to Denver, and then sit around until 7:30.  But he was such a good boy--he was chewing on my fingers like crazy, but never got too upset.  They have a toy room for the little kids to play in, and it had a wagon. So I set him in the wagon and was pulling him around.  I look back at him, and he was totally zonked out, and had fallen flat on his face. I would have given anything for my camera at that moment.  Him in his little hospital gown, face planted asleep in a wagon.  So I picked him up and he just rested his little head on my shoulder until the nurse came to get him.  He was delirious, and when he saw the nurse in her funny scrub hat he just started to giggle.  And the anesthesiologist told me that in true Blake fashion, they put the mask on him to fall asleep and he conked out in mid giggle.  The surgery was a success, and the recovery not nearly as bad as one might imagine. 

The Nutcracker

The day of the Nutcracker was the self-proclaimed "best day" of Halle's life.  Here's why:

She was the Star of the Day in Kindergarten (very big deal)
We went to 7 Eleven after school for a treat (as is our Friday tradition)
She got to wear her new dress, get her hair curled, and wear a little bit of makeup.
We went out to dinner (Halle and I are alike in that way--we love to go out!)
We saw the Nutcracker and she heard the song she is performing in her ballet recital this weekend
We had "backstage passes" and got to go see the dancers warming up for the second 1/2, and even say "hi" to THE NUTCRACKER.  (swoon)
She got her picture taken with Clara
I bought her a Nutcracker of her very own.

Thanks to my friend Amber, we got FREE tickets to the Colorado Ballet and took our girls for a fun night out.  I'm so glad I have a little girl to do stuff like this with!  We had a blast and hope to make it an annual tradition!

Trim the Tree

This year I bought a little Christmas tree for the kids to put in their bedroom.  They LOVE it!  They got to pick out their own decorations, and as they make new little ornaments throughout the season they get to add them to their tree.  Thanks Anglea for the idea!

We also had the missionaries over to decorate the "Big" tree.  Everyone had fun, and we all ended up with scalded tongues from hot chocolate that was WAY TOO HOT.  Although you all must try making hot chocolate with Hershey's Special Dark Cocoa.  YUMMY. 

Half a year old

Blake turned 6 months on Thanksgiving day. He continues to be a little ray of sunshine, smiling and giggling at anyone who might glance in his general direction.  Halle was our screamer, Josh was our snuggler, and Blake is our giggler. He weighs a whopping 18 lbs 13 oz. All that weight must be in his cheeks, because in true male fashion, he has no bum.  Not even with a full diaper.  His nicknames included: Blakers, Blakey Boy, and Blake the Snake.  Sometimes shortened to just Snake.

Isn't it amazing that this:

turned into this:

Love you buddy!

Thanksgiving

Wow--I have about 100 things to post. I've been thinking about doing it for days, but I'm a little overwhelmed!  One step at a time Tara....

Let's start with Thanksgiving.  My parents were unexpectedly able to come out for Thanksgiving this year, and we were all so excited!  The day before they got there Halle said, "Mom, aren't you glad we don't have to spend Thankgiving all alone?"  And yes, I was indeed glad.  And Rusty was glad because I had been threatening Mimi's instead of a home cooked meal.

We did lots of fun things, but the highlight for the kids was that they got to stay in the hotel with Grandma and Grandpa.  They swam, made candy turkey's, watched movies, and ate delicious buffet breakfasts every morning. My kids LOVE LOVE hotels and there is nothing that makes them happier than a good bed bouncing.  We also got to go visit Santa at Macy's, see two reindeer, and go for a horse drawn carriage ride.  We are so glad Grandma and Grandpa made the trip!

 

 

Couldn't be Happier

I couldn't be happier, He couldn't be handsomer, I couldn't be prouder....name that tune anyone?  (I changed a few words to fit my own agenda!)

I am pleased as punch to announce that BlogFrog is now a funded company. Rusty closed his first investment round on Nov. 30. This entrepreneurial ride just gets more exciting everyday.  BlogFrog is now an INC. Although I am sad to say that the worldwide headquarters of BlogFrog is no longer in my bedroom. Holly and Rusty are currently looking for an office in Boulder, and are temporarily working out of Confio.

I never thought I'd say this, but I am so sad to not have Rusty here everyday. I miss him, and the kids miss him!  No more lunches with Dad, no more leaving sleeping boys while I run an errand, no more adult conversation throughout the day...SIGH.  But even as sad as I am, I am way more excited and proud. Rusty works so hard, and I COULDN'T BE HAPPIER that he is really starting to see the payoff. 

Blake's First Haircut

I may or may not be shedding a few tears while writing this post. Rusty cut off Blake's adorable baby hair last night. Rusty thinks it was hair only a mother could love. Sure, it looked a little like a hair piece plopped down on his baby head, and he was almost bald underneath the long top locks, but I just loved it! It was his stand out feature. Rusty's been wanting to cut it almost since birth, and I finally conceded that it was time. So Rusty got out the clippers and went to work. Blake cried a tiny bit, in contrast to Josh who cried a LOT (not while we cut Blake's hair, but when we cut his hair). I have to admit Blake looks pretty cute (sorry my pics are not the best, he was very subdued after the  trauma :) but it makes him look so grown up. WHY DO BABIES GROW SO FAST????

Then this morning I came down to scoop up the little pile of hair and tie a little ribbon around it for his baby folder (I don't do books) and Rusty had thrown it in the garbage!  Luckily, it was a new liner and the hair was the only thing in it.  You better believe I pulled it out and saved it.  Was that going too far? 

BEFORE:

AFTER:

Halle's 6th Birthday

Our little Halle girl turned 6. Wow--6 seems like such a big kid. We had a fun day with presents, playtime, wearing the school Birthday Glasses, and going to Chic-fil-a for dinner. For our Quarterly Relief Society Enrichment last month we did a Service Aution (SO FUN--if you want details, email me). I won a custom cake from my friend Reina. So, I used it for Halle's birthday and it turned out so so so cute, not to mention delicious! The next time you see Reina, tell her how awesome it was! She even custom made a dolphin out of chocolate because Halle loves dolphins.

For her birthday she got: Hello Kitty Slippers, Jump Start computer game, Barbie Clothes, Barbie with two dogs, and a tea set.

Here's some fun Halle Facts:
1. She NEVER gets tired. Like Never Ever. She goes to bed in the same state as she wakes up in the morning. It doesn't matter if she went to bed late the night before or had a long crazy day, she never acts tired. I'd steal that trait from her in a heartbeat!
2. She loves to be a helper. She loves to help me with the baby, or do certain household chores. She is so good to run and grab things for me, buckle Josh into his carseat, or play with Blake when he is fussy. I really, really appreciate that about her.
3. She is HAPPY. Many, many people comment to me on what a happy little girl she is, and I couldn't agree more. She just lights up every room she is in.
4. She loves stuffed animals. About 10 live in her bed at all times and she tucks them in every night. She also loves to play the computer and play barbies.
5. She loves to laugh. Most of the time this is cute and funny, but every now and again she has a "giggle fit" which can drive us up the wall.

We love you sweet Halle! Happy Birthday to our firstborn!