Go Lady Frogs!

My cousin, Jeff, coaches TCU Women's basketball team and they are currently in the Top 25. We decided to venture up to Fort Collins to watch them take on CSU. It only takes a little over an hour to get up there so headed out after their morning nap. We went to downtown Fort Collins for lunch and Avery and Ryan did great. They had both had their first bites of ice cream and Ryan wasn't a fan, but Avery loved it. After lunch, we drove over to Moby Arena to watch the game. We got to sit behind TCU's bench and root them on. Avery enjoyed dancing to the band and Ryan enjoyed the action on the court. They got a little fussy towards the end so we missed the last few minutes of the game, but they did win!
Andy and I got the kids fed and put to bed and had our neighbor babysit, while we headed downton to have dinner at The Palm for Denver Restaurant Week. They had a great deal and everything was delicious!

Avery snoozing in her new car seat and facing forward (Ryan is still backwards)
















Daddy and Avery















Ryan flirting



















Silly Avery
















Ryan enjoying his sippy cup with a straw
















TCU vs CSU

















Avery happy for TCU's win















February went by so fast - I guess it could have something to do with it being the shortest month of the year. Here are a few random pics.

Avery having fun



















Ryan focused on his toy




















Where's Avery?

Eat Eat Oh What a Treat!

Avery and Ryan have been watching Baby Signing Times for a few months now and they are now telling us when they are hungry. We had a cold and snowy weekend so decided to head out to Red Robin for lunch today. As I was getting Ryan's coat on, he signed eat just to make sure we knew that where ever we are going, there better be food involved! I don't think we have taken them to a restaurant since the end of December! We ordered off the kid's menu for them and got them a grilled cheese and cantaloupe. They haven't had either and couldn't get enough! We have been working on transitioning them to sippy cups and milk and are down to two bottles each per day and they are getting the hang of the sippy cups. Their appetites are definitely increasing and they eat all the finger foods we have given them so far. Ryan, however, has a preference for crunchy foods versus soft foods and picks around bananas, peaches, etc. if there is another option to choose from. They were so well behaved at lunch, it was great! It is so fun to see Avery and Ryan interact and make each other laugh - so cute!! Avery is getting better at taking steps every day and even will take steps from one toy to the next. We are looking forward to spring and getting outside!

Valentine's Day

We had a nice Valentine's Eve and Day. We were able to get out for a date night while a neighbor watched Avery and Ryan. We went to Jing in Landmark Village and had a great night out. Andy sent me a beautiful flower arrangement that arrived on Friday. We woke up to snow this morning, but the sun made it's way out later in the day and melted most of it. We had a productive day at home and were able to do a web call with Andy's parents. Since the grandparents don't get to see them nearly as much as they would like, the web cam is a nice supplement. I have President's Day off tomorrow and planning some much needed time at the spa. Hard to beleive it is already the middle of February!

Avery with her "Sweet" puppy










Ryan and his "Kiss" puppy

12 month well visit

We had our 12 month well visit today with Dr. Middlemist. We had the first appt of the day, which is always nice as you get a clean exam room and the Dr. isn't running behind yet. We were curious to see how Avery and Ryan would weigh in and thought there would be 2 or 3 pounds between Avery and Ryan. Ryan weighed in about what we expected and Avery weighed in less than what we expected. Since Ryan isn't 20 pounds yet, we will have to wait another month or so until we turn the car seats around. We did buy Brittax car seats, so will go ahead and get those installed to replace the buckets. Dr. Middlemist thought they are both doing great and right on track. Avery is taking a few steps by herself and will probably be walking everywhere soon. Ryan isn't as interested as he is a speedy crawler and can get where needed pretty quickly. He showed off his shuttle run crawls in the exam room - he does these all day. Avery has 6 teeth - 2 on the bottom and 4 on the top. We discovered the other night, that Ryan has a molar that has already poked through. And, the Dr. said the other 3 will be making an appearance soon. Other than the one in the back, he has 2 on top and 2 on the bottom. Poor guy!

Ryan was still in good spirits after all his shots!

Avery enjoying the Laugh & Learn house from Uncle Josh, Aunt Brandy, Bailey, and Emma

Super Bowl Sunday

After breakfast, Becky and Larry headed back to Colby so they wouldn't get stuck on I-70 heading back to Kansas. We had a quiet day hanging out at the house. We had hoped to do a webcast with Andy's parents, but their power was in and out after the big blizzard out East. My dad took Avery and Ryan for a couple of wagon rides around the house and they loved that! For the Super Bowl, we rooted for the Saints since Andy went to undergrad at Tulane and they were the underdogs. We decided to try takeout from a new bbq place, Big Papa's, for the game. It was okay, but we have had better! My parents liked that the kickoff was at 4:20pm versus the usual 6:20pm on the East coast. All we can say is "Who dat?"


Ryan and the "Ryan-size" football





















Avery showing the touchdown sign on Gramp's lap

Birthday Celebrations!

My parents came out to Denver to celebrate Avery and Ryan's first birthday and my mom's 65th birthday, which was the day before. My Aunt Becky (my mom's twin sister) and Uncle Larry were also able to make it out for the weekend from Colby, KS to celebrate all the birthdays. I picked up mom and dad from the airport on Thursday afternoon. Avery and Ryan were so excited to see them. I took off Friday to get organized for the kid's party on Saturday. Becky and Larry arrived on Friday afternoon. Friday night, the adults went to Maggiano's to celebrate my mom's and Becky's birthday. They think it has been since high school since they celebrated their birthday together and it has been 15 years since I celebrated with my mom. So, it was quite special to all be together. We had a delicious meal and lots of leftovers!
Saturday, was Avery and Ryan's big day. We rented the clubhouse in our neighborhood, which worked out quite well. The theme was cupcakes - we had cupcakes on the invitations, cupcakes on the plates and napkins, and a cupcake cake made up of cupcakes! Becky made lots of delicious hors d'oeuvres and for the kids, we put snacks in little dixie cups. We took over a bunch of toys and made a play area for all the kids. It was fun to celebrate with our friends and their kids. The kid's ages ranged from 9 months to 4 years. Avery and Ryan did great with their smash cakes and probably got more on their hands and faces, then in their mouths! It was so helpful to have my parents and aunt and uncle to help with the party as it would have been hard to pull off otherwise! We decided not to do gifts during the party as it would have been too chaotic. Avery and Ryan sat in their new wagon while we opened the gifts and enjoyed checking them all out. They got lots of new toys and books and we are working on creating another play area.


Grams reading a book to Avery & Ryan














Ryan having fun with his pop up bus














Gramps walking with Avery



















Favors for the kids














Cake and smash cakes















Birthday girl - so big!














Sweet Birthday boy















Avery & Ryan checking out their new chairs and reading their birthday cards from mommy and daddy















Daddy, Ryan, Avery, and Mommy















Avery



















Avery eyeing Ben's pacifer














Blowing out the candles















Avery and her smash cake















Happy Ryan














Aunt Becky and Grams with the kids

All the twins (Andy, Becky, Mom, Dad, Ryan, and Avery)

Party central

Ryan and Avery checking out their wagon from Uncle Greg, Aunt Shyloe, Taiten, and Tot (nickname for their new cousin who will arrive in a few weeks)

Ryan ready to open presents

Checking out some new books

Raleigh sniffing out the gifts

Avery and Ryan with a new toy and Seasme Street pillowcases

A tired one-year old

January!

January is my busiest month at work and November and December aren't far behind! We were able to get away for a quick weekend up to Breckenridge, thanks to Andy's parents. This is Avery and Ryan's 3rd mountain town stay. We went up Saturday and had a smooth drive until we got out of the tunnel. It was very blizzardy with lots of snow and wind and limited visibility. We stopped in Silverthorne for lunch. By the time we were done, the weather was much better and we made our way to Breck. We had a studio and brought up 2 pack n plays. This made it interesting at bed time as Avery didn't want to miss out on anything, so it took her awhile to fall asleep.
Sunday, I hit the slopes first while Andy stayed in with Avery and Ryan and after a few hours, I switched with Andy. It was great getting some runs in after being pregnant last winter. We met Andy for lunch and then took naps in the afternoon. We enjoyed a free drink at happy hour at the bar in the hotel and decided instead of going out we would pick some food up and eat in, which worked out well. We got up at our normal time and got the car packed and the babies fed and hit the road back to Littleton.


Their favorite place in the studio - underneath the table
















Ready to head out

Not wanting to take their naps

The first half of January has gone by quickly. Here are a few fun pictures.

Avery cruising along the back of the couch



















Ryan crawling towards me















One of the few pictures of them sitting together

Their new favorite activity - racing up the stairs

Ryan and Raleigh wishing they could go out and play















Avery having fun with the blankets