Chihuly

This week we went to The Denver Botanic Gardens to experience their special blown glass art, Chihuly, throughout the gardens.  The blown glass was full of breath taken beauty and there was still some beautiful flowers (considering it is the end of October).  Eva was very curious about touching what she could.  She would feel some of the plants and flowers in her hand for a bit and then try everything she could to get them in her mouth!  Ahh, the joys of a 5 1/2 month old!

It was a beautiful Colorado day and a great family adventure!

Pumpkin Patch

This past weekend we ventured to Ft. Collins.  We met our friends at Bartels Farm pumpkin patch.  It was a great time.  Eva was quite quiet and reserved. And she was spitting-up A LOT (good thing I brought her a change of clothes, bad thing I didn't bring a change for myself!).  I look forward to next year when she is walking and can be a bit more excited about the pumpkin patch.  I can imagine her running around, stumbling trying to pick the perfect pumpkin. It was also great to see my friend Jessica.  It just hasn't been the same since she made the move from Denver to Ft. Collins.  Last year I really missed seeing and talking to her everyday at school.  It was definitely an adjustment.  But, when we do get together it feels right.  After a bit of catching up we pick up right where we left off.  The time seems to go by so fast that before we know it, it is time to say goodbye again.  We are only an hour apart, but with kiddos that hour is a bigger deal than if it was just us.  I hope to make our little trip to the pumpkin patch a yearly tradition, this way we always have something to look forward to!

*some pics courtesy Jessica Wolfe!

Adjustments

Well, I have now been back at work for a couple of weeks.  The adjustments have seemed to fall into place.  Chris and Eva seem closer than ever.  In fact, I think she prefers Chris feeding her!  She grabs her bottle and holds on for dear life!  When I feed her she can become frustrated that my milk doesn't flow like the bottle, she actually has to put some effort in!

It is not that I thought Chris couldn't handle staying at home with our baby, but rather my desire to be home that made the transition a bit tougher for me.  I am now really enjoying my new position and learning so much.  It is a great transition to be out of the classroom and see what goes on behind the scenes, it is so much different than I imagined!

I am so proud of my husband for taking on his new role.  He is an amazing daddy and caregiver

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five months

Little Miss Eva Joyce is 5 months old!  Wow, what changes have happened.  I think over night she learned 10 new things!

Miss Eva,
You are a growing machine!  Everyday you brighten our day more and more.  Your smile is precious and your giggle just delightful.  You are so aware of your surroundings and try to put everything in your mouth.  The past five months have flown by, it is hard to remember you as an itty bitty baby that slept all the time.  Now, you look towards every sound, any new object goes to your mouth, and you give the best hugs!

Eva's five month milestones

• loves peek-a-boo
• will reach for mommy
• loves putting EVERYTHING in her mouth
• getting better at trying to sit up
• trying really hard to get moving
• can spin in a circle on the floor trying to reach for toys
• spent the night at grandma's (again), but this time was happier
• milk guzzling machine
• has the most precious giggle
• fight naps (doesn't want to miss a thing)

Chris and Marlena's five month milestones

• made a big life decision for Marlena to go back to work
• Chris and Eva are getting acclimated spending time together while mommy is at work

It all happens at once

Remember my last post?  About life throwing a curve ball?  Well, as I started getting my mind ready to return to work (or should I say trying) it seemed to get more difficult to accept.  Because of this I decided to look into other options.  I decided to see what was out there in the education world.  To my surprise there were many postings I was interested in (specifically part timeout of the classroom). Taking my chances I decided to apply. Considering my time crunch (we found out Chris lost his job on Sept 24th and I was to report back on Oct 3rd) I wasn't sure where things would lead, but I had to try.  I quickly revised my resume, collected letters of rec (thank you!), brushed up on my literacy knowledge, and sent in my applications.  I was a bit shocked when a couple days later I started receiving phone calls for interviews.  Oh yeah, if I wanted a new job I would have to interview.  I didn't completely comprehend this until the first one was set up.  All the feelings of beginning my teaching career flooded back.  During an interview you have 15 minutes to show you are the best candidate for such a complex job.  What a feat! So, now I had a choice...see if something happened before the 3rd or put in my leave and hope one of these opportunities worked out.  With a little hesitation I decided to put in my leave.  I will know more by tomorrow afternoon.  Until then, it is interesting how the world keeps you on your toes.

Life throws a curve ball

So...how do I begin?  Life is really great at keeping you on your toes.  Just when things seem like they are going just as planned and life throws a giant curve ball your way.  Chris lost his job the other day.  What a big blow to all our current plans. Prior to this Chris and I had planned on me staying home with our sweet baby girl.  Now, our roles will have to reverse.  It looks as though I will have to return to work.  As tough as this is I have to put all my emotions and feelings aside because I now have a daughter that relies on me to provide for her.  It is no longer about just me or just Chris.  My saving grace is our daughter will still have a parent at home with her.  It makes sense that if I can't stay home at least Chris can.  Plus, I have gotten so much more maternity time compared to other moms. I have had nearly 5 months with my baby girl.  Chris on the other hand has grasped at the minutes he gets to spend with Eva.  Now, he will get to know our little girl a little better.  And, we will actually have more family time.  With my schedule we have built in time together (with fall break, Thanksgiving, winter break, etc...).  I think we are on our way to catching this curve ball and throwing it back in the opposite direction.

A 30th Birthday Surprise

Surprise!

My family threw me a 30th birthday surprise...they are very sneaky, I didn't even see it coming! Chris  had 2 jobs, getting me there and getting Eva to my mom's house.  Let's just say he was able to pull of 1 of those 2 (hence why I am draped in baby gear upon my arrival).  It just so happened Chris had my actual birthday off of work and therefore we had my mom watch Eva so we could go out.  Chris knew it would be suspicious if we were to ask my mom to watch Eva two nights in a row!  My mom then came to pick Eva up so I could enjoy the party without a tired baby.

There was delicious food, lots of dancing, 1 yummy Gin and Tonic, and a room full of great family and friends!

My dad, sisters, and step-mom put together an amazing video with pictures throughout my first 30 years of life matched up with some of my favorite songs.  There was laughter (seriously, why were my first pair of glasses the size of half my face?), and tears (pictures with grandparents who are no longer with us), but mostly just pure joy as I watched the slide show!