Dec 27, 2009

Getting Caught Up

Phew! December was a busy month! 6 new posts below!

Christmas Church Outfits

Alli and Nick got new church outfits from grandma and grandpa Kershaw for Christmas. They wore the outfits today and they looked so cute (and they knew it). They usually don't cooperate too well for pictures, but today they were happy to pose (more than 2 inches from the camera even!) I wanted to get one of them together, but that was asking too much. Maybe next time...

Merry Christmas

We stayed in Colorado with my family for Christmas this year. For Christmas Eve, we had everyone over at our house. We fed the kids pizza for dinner, watched The Grinch (my personal favorite), had the kids open their Christmas pajamas (thanks mom and dad), and then put the kids to bed. After they were asleep we had an "adults-only" dinner of spaghetti and meatballs. Italian on Christmas Eve is a Plowman/Kershaw tradition. It was so nice to be able to enjoy a meal without all the interruptions!

On Christmas morning we went to Courtney and Russ's house for breakfast and opening presents. It was a long process since most of the presents were for the kids and they were perfectly content to play with the toys they had already opened. Nick was the worst, though. He has had this thing with carrying around 2 matchbox cars at all times, which makes it very hard for him to do anything else (I think the cars have turned into his comfort item since we took the pacifiers away a few weeks ago). Everyone was happy to relax and enjoy the day. We did have one very funny full-out tantrum courtesy of Lindsey. In her defense, Alli did steal a ride on her new rocking horse.

David and Natalie - we missed you and hope you can come to visit soon!


New Hair / Basketball Belly

As promised...a belly shot. No, I didn't stuff a basketball up my shirt. Yes, I really am carrying that low (thanks twins for stretching my skin out). I am feeling pretty good overall. I do have some aches and pains and I'm usually exhausted by the time Alli and Nick go to bed. Our little girl is still kicking away. When I go to the doctor, they are amazed how much she moves and how they can feel almost every body part. It's kind of neat, but kind of creepy (I think) when I look down and see my whole belly shifting and then have a knee or elbow or foot sticking out. I can' t believe that I have less than two months left (my due date is February 21st). Now that Christmas is over, I really need to start getting ready! I think that we will move the office to the basement and set her room up when she is about 3 months old. For the first few months she can camp out in our room. We have narrowed down our list of names to about 3 - just not quite ready to share yet...

Also, on a whim (sort-of) I got my hair chopped off. I have had the same hair (more or less) for a while now and decided it was time for a change. It was a little shocking at first, but I really like it.

Snow Fun

We had a white Christmas in Colorado this year. Brian took the kids out sledding a couple of times and they loved it so much they didn't even want to come home for hot chocolate (or "ot chockit" as Alli would say)!

I Passed!

If you've been reading our blog this year, you probably know that I've spent lots of time studying for the Fundamentals of Engineering exam in April and then the Principles & Practice exam in October. I found out that I passed the October exam about a week ago, so I am now officially a "Professional Engineer"! This is a major accomplishment for me and I am SO glad that I will never have to take either test again!

Visits with Santa

We went to 4 Christmas parties in one weekend - 3 with the kids! It was busy, but fun! Alli and Nick were very excited about seeing Santa and didn't seem too scared this year. However, neither of them would actually talk to Santa until they were off his lap and leaving...then they could safely say "bye Santa". We only got decent pictures from the Santa visit at my work's children's party. I posted the picture from the twins club party just for fun (yes, Nick is actually picking his nose).

Nov 22, 2009

Happy Birthday Nick and Alli!

We just celebrated Nick and Alli's 2nd birthday! We had a swimming party at the Broomfield Rec Center and then came back to our house for pizza and cupcakes. Alli and Nick love swimming and one of their most favorite foods is pizza. I think they had fun at their party - not to mention the presents! I took pictures at the pool, but they didn't turn out so well - so no swimming pictures (sorry Courtney - I know you wanted everyone to see you in your swimsuit, ha ha). I decorated the house before we left for the pool and they pulled the streamers down at least 3 or 4 times. It was a little frustrating, but since it was their birthday I tried not to get too mad.

The funny thing about 2 year-olds is that they are content to open one gift and play with it. It took a little coaxing to get them to open all of their presents, but eventually they did it. Nick is so excited to have a truck full of blocks, a wagon, puzzles, and a books. Alli loves the wagon too, and her coloring toys, farm animals, puzzles, and books. Thanks everyone! Nick and Alli have been very well entertained all week!



We had cupcakes with sprinkles and fish candies for dessert. This was my first attempt at trying to decorate cupcakes and it didn't turn out so bad. It was kind of fun actually and I think I'll have to try it again. The most important thing was that Nick and Alli liked them!

Nov 1, 2009

It's a girl!

I'm posting this news a month late, but we found out we're having a girl! She looks perfect and is kicking around like crazy. Maybe I won't be getting the calm and relaxed baby I was hoping for! I look huge (still have 3 1/2 months left)! The cashier at the store was even convinced that I was either about ready to deliver or was having twins again. I'll try to get a belly shot to post sometime soon so that you can all feel sorry for me.

In the meantime, here's an ultrasound picture of our baby girl (still working on her name)...

Halloween Fun!

Trick or Treat! This was Nick and Alli's first year trick or treating. I wasn't sure if they would catch on to the concept, but when candy is involved, they learn fast! Alli dressed up like a dalmatian (like her cousin Lindsey) and Nick was a tiger. They love their costumes and they keep bringing them to me to put on again. We went to about 10 houses in Lindsey's neighborhood. Nick was always the first to the doorbell. He practically ran from house to house.


The dalmations were a little slower but they stuck together.
When we got back to Lindsey's house, Alli dumped out all her candy to see what she got. She is acting like such a big kid. When she woke up this morning she asked for her "purse" (candy bag) and when I gave it to her she looked in her bag and then looked back at me very concerned and said "Go?" She wanted to know where her candy went (I dumped it into the family candy bowl - mean mom!)
About a week ago we went to a pumpkin patch and picked out pumpkins. Nick loved pushing around the wheel barrel and Alli tried very hard (without much success) to pick up the pumpkins.

Aug 31, 2009

Steamboat

We had so much fun on our weekend trip. Brian and I went on our honeymoon to Steamboat 8 years ago and we have been wanting to go back ever since. Things were a little different this time...kids change things, but I still wish we could have stayed a week.

Nick in the car. The 3 1/2 hour drive went fast on the way there and not so fast on the way back. Its always harder to come back from a trip and by then the kids were bored with their car toys.
In the gondola. Nick sat perfectly still on the seat the entire ride. He was a little freaked out by it. His more adventurous sister wasn't afraid at all.Chillin' at the top of the mountain after our hike/walk (note: two toddlers + pregnant wife with baby backpack = very short hike).We went out to dinner at a yummy mexican restaurant called Rio Grande. I guess there's one downtown. We'll have to go try it out. Nick ate at least half of adult sized steak burrito. And Alli loved the salsa so much that she was dipping her sippy cup in it after we ate all the chips.
Hanging out at the hotel. We didn't spend too much time in our room. The hotel we stayed at (Steamboat Grand) has an awesome heated pool. We went swimming 3 times!