Random Update

Just some random pics from the last week, nothing too exciting to report. We are getting settled in and trying to find a routine. Alec started gymnastics last week and it's a riot - he is of course about 100 times wilder and more fearless than the rest of his classmates. At the beginning of class every kid sat in their parents laps for some stretching while Alec ran circles around the group - he's my maniac, but he loved it and asked for more "nastics" as soon as we left. I also joined a new gym today, so hopefully we can get back into the routine of going to the gym everyday. Alec also got a haircut (or should I say buzz) this morning. His hair was really long, so I told her she could cut it short for the summer, and she did. It's shorter than it has ever been, and a little too short for my liking, but it grows fast so I'm sure it will be cute in a few weeks. The weather has been nice so we have been spending a lot of time outside and we met a bunch of our neighbors at a neighborhood bonfire on Sat - they are all nice, but none of the moms stay home, which is a bummer for me. With all our visitors gone, and Matt super busy at work, I'm a little lonely and homesick, but life is good other than that. Hugs!

Checking out the visitors - the ducks above - we had in the yard Friday night. There were actually three to start with, and a mating scene that was so aggressive and violent I almost couldn't let Alec watch. He just kept saying, "look mama - those ducks fighting." Finally one of the males flew away and then there was peace.

A tree in our backyard that started blooming this week - our yard is an endless mystery.

Playing outside - it is startling for us to see how big Alec looks this summer in shorts - he is literally a block - his legs and lower body are so thick that he can hardly fit into 4T shorts. Matt says he has Papa Gene's build.

Brode got a haircut too

Pre-haircut

During haircut - he loved smiling at himself in the mirror and the hairdresser said he was the best behaved kid she had ever cut - she couldn't get over how still he sat. Yep, she was really talking about Alec.

The aftermath - Daddy's gonna flip when he comes home.

Sleeping Beauties

This was Brody's position for much of the drive from CO to IL.

and our little man loving his big bed.

Visitors and Easter

We have been busy here in Chicago! About 10 days ago I flew home to Denver and the next morning my mom and I hit the road to drive out here with Brody and my car. We ended up driving straight through and arrived a little sleepy eyed 16 1/2 hours later. Brody was awesome in the car - he slept the entire way, and aside from crazy winds in all of Nebraska, we had a nice and uneventful trip. The next day we headed to the airport and picked up my Aunt Barbie who flew in for the weekend to help us get organized. My mom and aunt are work horses and amazing helpers, so we got a ton of stuff done and my house looks so much better thanks to them. We did even manage to fit in a few fun things - like walking Alec in his new wagon, shopping around downtown Wheaton, and of course - eating! Barbie left on Monday night and my mom and I continued to work on the house until Thursday, when we went back to the airport to pick up Abby. She is the smart one of the bunch and arrived after pretty much everything in the house was done, so we had a great weekend. We even got to take the train into the city to meet up with a friend of Abby and I's from high school for drinks and dinner. We also did PLENTY of eating and had a wonderful Easter yesterday. We made breakfast and dinner, and managed to squeeze in an egg hunt and a trip to Trader Joe's (a first for all three of us - we were literally like kids in a candy shop). As you can see in the pics, little Alec loved having his family around and was pretty hilarious with his egg hunt and the sugar high he had basically all day yesterday. I was so sad to drop my mom and Abby off today -while the house looks great, it seems strangely quiet and lonely. Thank you guys so much for coming and for all of your help - we love you more than you can imagine.

After watching my mom, aunt and I arrange and rearrange things for three days, Alec decided to try some organizing of his own - pretty good huh?

Rediscovering his piano - the face doesn't show it, but he loves it

My mom also spent hours helping us weed the mess that is my yard - good thing Alec thinks yard work is about the most fun thing ever b/c I will be doing lots of it.

My little gardener

I love this one

Some yoga with Abby

Getting ready to dye eggs

very hard at work

showing off his work

the finished products

Easter morning

Alec would open and dump out every egg after he found it - I actually think he enjoyed sorting his loot more than actually looking for eggs

figuring out the hunting process

Easter dinner - and a shot of my new dining room

some pre-dinner sugar high antics

Enjoying some of Aunt Abby's pumpkin cupcakes - they were a hit!

Dancing

A pretty funny video of Alec and Reid busting a move with their grandparents. Note Alec's artistic dance style in the beginning :)

The move

Here are a bunch of pics from the last 10 days. We are starting to get settled in to our new house, and are loving the fact that we are no longer surrounded by boxes and moving paper. The neighborhood seems really nice - Alec and I have walked to Starbucks and sat outside watching the trains go by, and we also all walked into town for dinner at a cute little Thai place on Friday night. Alec and I have also taken several jogs on a prairie path that is just a few blocks from the house. Plus, we have met several of our neighbors who all seem nice and rave about the neighborhood. Yesterday we actually got cookies and cupcakes from two different sets of neighbors - a nice treat for a sweet tooth like myself. We have also made the transition from Alec's crib to his big boy bed, with the exception of naps. He is sleeping through the night perfectly, but at nap time he gets out and plays with his toys, so we are still using the crib in the room next door a little. And - b/c we are nuts and didn't think we already had enough to deal with, we decided to start the potty training process. Alec has seemed ready for quite awhile and Matt and I are very ready to be done with diapers. So - the first day was a disaster, but we have had a tremendous amount of progress since then and seem to be headed in the right direction. What helps is that Alec has Thomas underwear and he thinks Thomas cries when he gets peed on, so he is doing his best not to have any accidents.....works for us! Anyway - hugs and kisses!

Morning of the move

just a small glimpse of the boxes

Keeping busy while the movers load up

At the new house before the furniture arrived - note our new fave rug!

Alec approves

Dishwasher installation - and the new floor we had put in in the kitchen

Dresser assembly

Taking advantage of his new bookshelf that is built for climbing on. It was actually mine when I was little and my mom saved it, so we painted it to match Alec's new bed.

Alec's bedroom/play paradise

We Made it!

We successfully made it to Illinois and finally have our Internet up and running. It's been an insane week filled with movers, contractors, service-workers, unpacking and a TON of boxes. We are starting to get the house in order though and all love being together again. We have also got to enjoy 65 degree weather all week, which has been a treat for Alec, who has continued to be a total trooper through this whole crazy process. Anyway - I have many pics to upload, but I thought I would add this video for now. This is the debut of Alec's new big boy train bed - he got it from Grammy and Papa for his b-day, but we decided to wait and make it a new house surprise. Looks like he likes it!!

Goodbye Colorado

We made it home last night after an insane week long trip to Chicago. We did successfully close on our house on Monday, and we are all very relieved about that! The rest of the week was spent trying to organize all the work that needs to get done before our stuff arrives next week. As seems to be the case with all contractor work - nothing has gone as smoothly as it was supposed to, and nothing has been done in the timely way we were hoping for. However, the house is super cute and we are all so looking forward to living together again. The movers show up here tomorrow to get our stuff on this house ready, and baring another total mess, Alec and I fly into Chicago for good on Friday night. It's been a really rough 6+ months for us, and it is nice to know there is an end in sight. Even with all that in mind, it doesn't make leaving this house, or Colorado, or our families any easier. I'm not sure if I have ever felt so sad about having to do something in all of my life. We LOVE it here and wish more than anything that we weren't having to make this move. We will have each other though, and hopefully a lot of company, and I hope I can look back on this point at some time in the future with fond memories. So - here are some pics of the last week, and a sign off until we are in IL with a computer that is up and running so I can post. Hugs and kisses to everyone - we love you Colorado!

Posing for pics and then checking them out on the camera

Where did my baby go?

Helping clean up the new house - Alec LOVED mopping!

Matt has to stay in the empty house, among the plethora of workers and mess that are everywhere, for the next week. We tried to make him a little living space in the study and bedroom.

His room

Approved by Alec

Alec's new cheese face

For good measure

Alec has nearly earned his own free frequent flier flight with all the miles he has racked up over the past 6 months!