Holla Updates

Whewey, we've been busy this summer! But also relaxed having Tim home after work instead of having to study for school. We love daddy!

Avery knows where daddy works!

Avery is 22 months, potty trained most days, and a singing maniac. She loooves singing to herself and picks up new songs and words so easily. Here are a few snippets:

("Hosanna, hosanna, shout unto God with the voice of triumph, Praise Him, Praise Him, shout unto God with the voice of praise!")

(This is what I get for asking her to sing during breakfast).

And here's a final medley of several combined (these all tend to trail off incompletely...).

She's into copying phrases that we say (as opposed to answering questions), playing kitchen, cleaning/sweeping anything, saying "P.U." to us, and "Oh NO!", dressing herself, runningrunningrunning, and saying "Silly [enter name]!"

She spends a lot lot lot of time with her super aunts and Yoyo and PopPop so I can help schools expand their breakfast programs. Again, so nice to work from home part time, whatever hours I can muster! Thank you Jesus!

We've had a good share of outdoor adventures as well. Tim and I celebrated our 7 year anniversary by going to Grand Lake and Rocky Mountain National Park, a favorite! We even left Avery with the g-parents.

I love my man!

This where we got lost. Not bad.

mooooooose!

Continental Divide trail to Mt Ida

Then we spent a wonderful week in the great Northwest!! ahh, how we have missed you! Highlights were simply seeing good friends and family, and meeting our nephew Griffin and new buddy Henry! And weather that was 20-degrees cooler than Colorado! See all the photos here.

 

Tim and I also spent the summer training for my first half marathon. I'm proud to have finished under 2 hours, (and to have been running mostly downhill through the mountains)! Part of my training, I claim, was running the Survivor Mud Run with a couple of friends in 95 degree heat, during a drought. Needless to say, not sure I need to do either of those ever again, though we had fun!

The next weekend I joined a couple of friends for a 4-day backpacking trip to the Crestones in the Sangre de Cristo mountains, again leaving Avery, and this time Tim, behind. We climbed 2 fourteeners (and almost summited both). Enough exercise for me, for the rest of the year! :) See all pics here.

One more camping trip before Tim heads back to classes. Besides beating the heat, we've been getting involved a little more at our Vineyard church and enjoying our typical zoo, library, park and grocery store adventures. Next time posting won't take so long, and I'll have more exciting details to share!

Clicking?

Hey, I think she might be getting it!

At least, days 11 and 12 are drastically different than the others of our potty training experiment. No accidents (and 7 pees in the potty) until 5pm yesterday, and today so far she took herself again to the potty 5 times PLUS her first poop in the potty!! So exciting to be sharing on the www. This gives me hope that we might not need to quit. You "go girl, go potty!" (a book we have about it all).  We'll see how this translates in public places or friends' houses...

In other news, recent trips to a water park and various creeks to cool down have been saving us from the heat a bit. Luckily temps are predicted to dip by 20 degrees into the 70s. crazy! sounds so refreshing! And we had a lovely 4th of July at a parade with Avery's first tricycle, then bbq with family. This summer is ALL about taking it easy, and working hard growing up.

It's Getting Hot

Wow I sure don't remember this kind of heat growing up. Never lived in Denver either, which is about 2,000 lower in elevation than what I was used to, which makes a difference! It's only June and we've had weeks straight of 95-105 tempts: TOO HOT! Our apartment is on the first level and our fans help, so not overwhelming, but hot!

And trapped - too hot to really go out (no pools nearby that I've found yet, I need to get on that!), plus we decided to try potty training while I have the summer off from work. No big trips planned for a good month window. However, I'm skeptical!

looking at "pictures" (herself included) is a favorite past time

smoothie treat on the potty!

 Day 4 so far, and I suppose we're making SLOW progress, but not so sure she's going to get this thing within a few weeks. She's got the concept and understands what is supposed to happen, but physically is not making it to the potty in time. And not quite sure when she has the feeling to go, I don't think. We'll keep at it, but accidents are pretty much guaranteed unless I deprive her of liquids - not a good idea on this heat! Reassessing as we go. Hey, progress either way toward the ultimate goal whenever if happens, right? Even if we stop and try in months, hopefully it will all contribute positively...anyway lots of learning happening around here!

shopping after she put on her own skirt by herself (inside out)

popsicle!

Lamies for a weekend!

Yaaaaaaaaaay! We got to visit Nathanael and Roxie again in New Mexico! They live in Lamy, which is totally awesome because you can call yourself a lamy/lamo with no problemos:)

 It was so good to see our friends. Nathanael certainly has a long way to go, but he looks much much better to us and is going on walks! What!?? The dogs keep us all entertained, and Roxie's cooking keeps us all begging. We even got to bbq with their golf tourny friends (and ours now too!) who are getting married this summer. And the drive is gorgeous.  There really is almost nothing in New Mexico. But the cows - I'd eat beef there no problem! Oh and the crazy weather and rain/wind/hail storms. yikes.  We put Avery straight to work.

Go water the garden, girl!

Roxie took us to Bandelier, a cool National Park with all these pueblo ruins up in cave walls. We hiked around and loved it! 

check out the petroglyphs if you can look close enough

kinda creepy

and awesome!

our archeological tourguide

Avery chasing Auntie Rockie

and taking her for a hike

yeah I climbed up there, and 3 more

up yonder!!

 Avery was sooo good the whole time (minus just a couple breakdowns, but much fewer than those at home!). She slept better, and she (sadly) mastered a new life skill: bossing.  When Roco's adorable little doggies got in her way, instead of being afraid and crying (only happened the first time), she learned to just tell them "GO AWAY!" "No, doggies!" "Bed, doggies!" This became yelling very firmly by the end of the weekend. Bossing them left and right. Tracking them down when they are sleeping peacefully IN their beds to tell them to get in their beds, doggies! Can't believe I didn't get any pics of them, that was super silly. Because she wants to look at pictures of them now that we're home and boss them around. We think this may be a sad foreshadowing if what life would look like with a sibling...

sitting in the dog's seat, waiting to say...

GO AWAY DOGGIES!! Satisfied.