Colorado, Snow, Best Friends, and Baby Snuggles

Colleen and I in the snowiness with Pikes Peak in the back ground.

Last weekend I got to return a favor to one of my very best friends. Colleen had baby boy number 5 a month ago and I was able to go spend the weekend snuggling Tommy, cooking, and hanging out with Colleen and the family. Colleen came out a couple of weeks after I had Max and helped me out as I recovered so it was great to be able to return the favor. Colleen came into my life about 4 1/2 years ago when I looked out the window of our current house. She walked up to the rental house next store with her then baby Josh, I remember being excited to see a young mom with kids moving in. The day the moving van pulled up I walked over and plunked myself down in the middle of their lunch break and said hi. Hannah was so excited to meet Zach and Ben. Ben especially because he was her age. We all became fast friends. Colleen has helped me through some of the hardest days of my life and some of the happiest in the past four years. I feel like I have known her forever. No matter how long we are apart we can always start back up where we left off and just be together.

Anyway. I flew in on Friday to the start of a snowy and cold weekend. After some grocery shopping Saturday morning we pretty much holed up in the house just snuggling, talking, and watching TV. I made some of my favorite recipes including Ratatouille form the movie Ratatouille. It was yummy. I really love all of Colleen's boys but I really have a special connection with 2 1/2 year old Luke. This tiny little bundle of energy has such a passion for life and he just melts my heart. Tommy the newest member of the family is a sweet sweet baby. Doesn't like to be put down but otherwise a great, sweet, mellow, boy. Good thing I like to snuggle with babies. I got to enjoy many naps with this sweet little boy

Don't you love it when they are so out their mouths hang open.

watching Monsters vs Aliens with Luke in my lap

Luke in his safety googles.

On Monday it was time to leave again. After hanging out in the day we headed to Denver with Tommy. We had a chance to stop at Children's hospital in Aurora near the airport. One of Colleen's friends Shaina is currently living in the cardiac ICU with her newborn son Kimble. I mentioned Kimble and his heart defect a few weeks ago and added Shaina's cookbook to my sidebar. I have kept up with Shaina's blog and the progress of her precious baby boy. Not only did I get to meet Shaina, but I got to go back and see Kimble and her husband. He is an amazing little baby. Doing great so strong and pink. So far things are going better then expected getting his heart to beat more normal. They are still in a waiting place and there is still a long road to go but it was so amazing to meet this family that I have been following from afar for so long. Thank you Shaina for opening up your life to me. Our thoughts and prayers are always with you.

Sweet Tommy

So Monday night I flew back home to my amazing family who let take off on this adventure. Hannah was bummed she couldn't come along but before we know it it will be July again and the whole Chaos clan will be bursting at the seems in our house once again. I can't wait.

Sometimes she can be all sugar and spice.

Wednesday morning Hannah didn't have school for Veterans Day. While Dave and I were still asleep She snuck down and made a surprise breakfast for me. She told Dave when he got up but she needed help redoing a few things because Lucky ate my toast when she left the kitchen. I guess she made me chocolate mile and "toast" bread with butter. Dave made a few improvements by actually toasting the bread and adding some carnation instant breakfast to the milk. Hannah even wrote me a note. It was so incredibly sweet and she was so proud for doing something nice for me. I guess all the lectures about doing nice things for other people and not having everything be about her is finally sinking in.

My lovely breakfast

Cheers!!

Dance for a boy and a girl

It is visiting week at the Creative Dance Center. Simply the best dance classes anywhere. Yes I am a bit biased since I used to teach there but my kids wouldn't go there if it wasn't the best. Yes I am a dance snob. Dave was able to come to both of the kids classes which makes him very popular and the kids just love it.

Hannah is in Pre-ballet again this year with my friend and former PNB colleague Terry. She is now on the older side of the class rather then being the baby. Hannah has a great passion for movement and dance. Unfortunately her body isn't always so cooperative. She was "blessed" with very tight hamstrings and calves and has to work really hard to keep her heels down. So while she loves to move and express herself it's not always with straight knees and pointed toes. Still she gives her whole heart and its really good for her.

In her twisty shape. The concept this weeks is Shapes. straight, angular, curved, and twisty.

All the little girls as "seeds"

After being watered they grew into different shapes. It was so much fun to see their creativity.

Max is in the nurturing baby class also with teacher Terry. He LOVES it. We start waltzing together and he wiggles and giggles and just has the best time. He really love flying around the room and then playing on the floor with the props like instruments and scarves. He loves to interact with the other babies and it totally wears him out for good nap after wards and you know how much he needs that.

Playing on the floor before class

Waltzing with Daddy
Brain Dance with Teacher Terry
Ball time.
Twisty shapes with momInstrument time. The red and blue clackers are my favorite.

Working on that eye tracking.scarf play

Sheet ride. I don't love it as much as Hannah did but if I am on my tummy it is pretty fun.

2 weeks of Halloween

Little Lady Bug

Halloween has never been one of my favorite holidays at least where dressing up is concerned. I do love dressing up the kids and the whole candy thing is awesome of course. Last year we did a Halloween party at the dojo and I just couldn't bring myself to do it all over again this year. Well one of our Mom's who trains with her whole family decided to take over the party and with a little planning help from me she ran it and it was a huge success. There was much fun to be had for kids of all ages. Games, crafts, pumpkin carving, a movie, costume contest, and food, food, food. Once the party got going Max and I headed home for bed and left Hannah and Dave to party.

Dave in one of the kids wigs. So not a blond anymore.

Hannah and Ale. Her mom was in charge of the party

Max and Lucah who loves to play with him

Halloween weekend was full of celebration too. On Friday I took the kids down to Microsoft to celebrate. We had lunch and then done into the festivities. Pumpkin painting, and trick or treating. Hannah made quite the haul going down all the endless corridors of Dave's building.

Max in his hand me down Cow snuggly. He got ohs and ahs from all the girls.

Pumpkin Painting

Saturday Hannah and I went off to the fall festival at her school. Games, cotton candy, bouncy house, and a cake walk. Hannah won a cake on her second go round. I was amazed. She picked a colossal cupcake. Last year when Dave took her they both came home with spray painted hair. This year I was already spraying Hannah's hair for trick or treating and didn't want to wash it twice so instead she had the guy spray mine and ever so lovely shade of blue.

The prize cake

My blue hair

Cotton Candy yumminess

Halloween night was rainy for the first time in a few years. We headed off with the Brown's to their friends house for trick or treating. Max and Dave stayed home to man the door and enjoy the warmth and dryness. Hannah along with about 9 -10 other kids swarmed the local neighborhood. Hannah even went through a haunted house and had a great time. We went back to the house and enjoyed hot cocoa and as much candy as her tummy could hold. Then it was home, a shower to wash out the red hairspray and off to bed. I am very much happy to get back to few weeks of normal. While we love Hannah more than anything in the world the gimme, gimme attitude of late needs a bit of readjustment.

Pre-trick or treat

Umbrella in hand.

swarming the door

Checking out the haul

"Puckin" Carving

That's Pumpkin Carving for those who don't speak first grader. Tonight was had our annual family pumpkin carving night. Dave was in charge of Max's, Hannah did most of hers, Max watched from his saucer so he couldn't get to the knives and I was the photographer. Hannah even wanted to save and roast the seeds. We have been so busy with Halloween celebrations. I think we will be partied and sugared out by Sunday morning.

This is where we found Max after dinner. He is constantly climbing onto things. At least he cant get more then a few inches off the floor yet.

gettin the guts out!
Did someone say pumpkin seeds
carving a scary face
finished pumpkins along with anothr craft project Hannah and I did this week.

10 Months Old

Happy baby in his crib. Dave and I are starting to see the toddler he is going to become.

Max is 10 months old today. He is really growing fast and has such a great little personality. This month we discovered mobility, grunting, drama, and belly laughing. Max is so curious about the world and loves to explore everything. He certainly is fighting to keep up with Hannah and his worship of her grows daily.
1. I am mobile. I love to belly crawl and mommy says it is so good for my brain. My favorite thing to do is high tail it out of my room and go either in the bathroom to play with the shower curtain or into Hannah's room to play with her beaded curtain. Last week I even unplugged the carbon monoxide detector. I get so mad at momma when she won't let me play with the cords and plugs.

I got the mouse for mommies computer. She took it away and I got very mad.

2. I am a drama king. Mom says learned from the queen herself. I say my life is just tragic when I don't get my way. If they think its bad now just wait until I am three.

Mommies iPhone case is the best toy ever.

3. I like to feed myself and I make my mouth more often then not now. We still play the how much food is under my butt game but its getting to be less and less. And I get to eat chunks of food now which is awesome. This month I discovered I like turkey lunch meat.

4. I love to dance and giggle. Baby class is so much fun. I giggle while we waltz and daddy does this wiggle dance with me which is a lot of fun. I learned how to laugh with my whole body especially when I am tickled or someone does something funny like Hannah or the doggies.

The aquarium in my crib is so entertaining even at 5 AM.

5. I like to throw things. Food off the high chair (hey the dogs need snacks) and toys out of my car seat(Hannah needs something to do in the car and she thinks its funny). Mommy says no and I look at her think about it really hard and then do it anyway. Usually she takes my sippy cup away from me which is fine since I don't really like it anyway.

I know Hannah is out there somewhere and I can't wait to go out and play too.

6. I have learned lots of new tricks this month. Waving bye bye, signing all done, more, trying to say ma ma, bye bye, and even I love you, and clapping. And I can blow raspberries so good my entire chin ends up soaked.

Hangin with my buddy Carson

Mommy took this video at lunch last week. She was trying to get me to dance but i wasn't in the mood. I did do a few of my other tricks for her though.

7. I love the dojo. The mat is so big and fun to play on. I keep crawling onto the mat when daddy is teaching. It makes all the students chuckle but I get mad when mommy pulls me off.

Crawling on the mat with mommies car keys.

Hanging with Hannah at Aikido.

8. I am already developing a love of all things with wheels. Waiting at the bus stop is so fun because I get to watch all the cars, trucks, and buses go by. I also love balls. Knocking them across the floor and chasing them and trying to eat them.

Daddy took this wonderfully embarrassing video of me crawling naked. I was going from my room to take a bath. I seem to be somewhat obsessed with what going on behind the laundry room door. This video is a bit long but you can really see me crawl in the second half. Don't mind my little bum.

Recipe to fix a broken heart.

All you know my friend Colleen who lives in Colorado Springs keeps a blog that I read daily to keep up with the goings on in her life since she is so far away. I also from there read a few of her other friends blogs. It has allowed me to understand her life in Colorado and see all the wonderful people she has met there and to also have window into the lives of other families with kids my kids age and see the fun things these families do. Yes I am a blog stalker. I fully admit it.

One of Colleen's dear friends out there is due any time now with her 5th child. A baby boy. The family recently found out that he has a genetic heart defect that will require major surgery a few days after birth coupled with a few other health problems this little boy will likely spend a lot of time in the hospital in the next few months. Shaina his mom is a wonderfully crafty woman who also loves to cook. She has put together an awesome looking cookbook with almost a hundred recipes. What I really like about it is that it has options for freezing meals for later use. All of the proceeds from sales of the book are going to help pay the medical bills for the baby. I certainly plan on buying one and hope that others will jump on board to and help spread the word.

Below is the link(you will need to copy and paste it into your browser) for the site where she is selling the book. I am also going to try and add the HTML button to my sidebar directly. I may need Dave's help for this.

http://www.blurb.com/bookstore/detail/914843

Shaina If you happen to stalk me back your family is in our thoughts and prayers in the next months. Best of luck to you and your precious baby boy.