Hikes

There is a little nature area right next to Stapleton that we went to a couple of weeks ago.  It has a nice little lake that wasn't much of a lake and a one mile loop around said lake.  Leland walked 3/4 of a mile that day, I was quite impressed.  There were many stops of course, it took nearly 2 hours but he did it.  It makes me get excited about going on hikes with him this year.  I went and got him some hiking boots so he has some good ankle support.  As long as the weather cooperates and the cold weather eventually stops, we can get our nature on. 

It takes a village

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It takes a village...

For everyone this takes on a different meaning.  For some it means to be close to grandparents and family members, for me it means to make my own family with friends.  I feel that I am really starting to  have my village.  I was already feeling this way but after the miscarriage I knew it was true.  That I had people there to support me and love me and love Leland.  People that would watch him during last minute emergencies and I would do the same for them.

I have never been one to have a lot of girlfriends.  I have always had girls as friends, but often my close friends were guys.  This has changed for the most part since becoming a mother and joining a playgroup. While guys can come to the playgroup they don't.  And some of my venting is about things only women can understand, like breastfeeding.  So now I am in a stage of my life where most of my closest friends are women and while it is different it is really good.

I really enjoy those friendships and glad I have found my village.

Jeff will most likely go elsewhere for his PhD, and it will be very sad to move away from the people I love in Denver.  I will be glad to move to a different town, because I am tired of Denver itself.  But not the people, I will miss the people.

Children's Museum

Last week we visited the Children's Museum.  Everyone enjoyed themselves of course.  It is a great place to spend a few hours.  There are so many things to do there.  

(my favorite of the day)

Climbing like a big kid

Causing trouble in the dairy aisle- I need yogurt!!

Trying to help Lucy with the shopping cart.

Move out of the way Ella!

Hugs for the bears.

Omg, this kid is becoming so sweet.  He gives hugs all the time, and is now starting to give kisses.  I woke up the other morning with him clapping his hands in my face and then proceeded to give me a high five.  Cutest thing ever.  I think asked if we could change his diaper, so he went into his room and laid on the floor.  Time for potty training?

I will say it again- I love this age.  I look back at his baby pictures and it seems like a completely different person.  I am glad to say I don't miss his newborn days, they were wonderful and I loved them.  But I love, love, love this little person I have now.   

Nature and Science Museum

Last week we went to the Denver Nature and Science Museum.  The kids had a blast.  Ella was very upset when we had to go home for lunch, so I am sure we will be heading there again before the summer is over.  Three kids may be totally doable, it is also completely exhausting.  Keeping them all within my sight is challenging and causes me to need a nice break aka nap time in the afternoon. 

 Dressing up

 Playing with moon rocks

 Future space controllers

 Ella is soo tall!

 Making music

My favorite photo from the day.

Garden Update v.2

 Bean sprouts coming up.

 Peas!  Peas are very challenging to pick.  I have the hardest time finding them, they blend in very well.  I will stare in one area and finally find one a few minutes later.

 Lots of lettuce

 Soon to be broccoli.

 Collards with tomato plants in the background.

 Our grass patch.  To the back left are beans, back center will be summer squash and back right are the ever growing peas.  The very back is the pile of dirt that has been taken off to allow for planting areas. 

 We have a rose or two that pop up. 

 In front of the peas are winter squash.  In the very front are carrots- they are doing very well. 

This years garden is so far a success.  I cannot believe how well it is doing.  I think we are just learning more and being able to learn from past mistakes.  This year the biggest mistake was where kale was planted.  It isn't getting enough sun, so it is not really growing.  It is tiny, but with how well everything else is doing, I am okay with that minor fail.  I am already thinking about next year's garden and what we will do.  Not so many collards, good lord that is a lot of collards, and I don't even like them.  Kiwi bins will become play areas for Leland, since he is always getting into them.  Probably will just have snow peas next year, since those are doing better thus far.  And of course more tomato plants!  Maybe even add in some peppers.

But it is a lot of work.  It was a lot of work for Jeff in the beginning, with the digging up the yard and planting all the seeds.  Now the work isn't so bad, some weeding and watering.  Neeming some plants to help get rid of pests.  It is starting to pay off though, and hopefully there will be a little less work next year since he won't have to re-dig up the yard.

Back to normal?

I am finally back home.  We have been gone the past two weeks.  First we were in KC visiting family, then we went to the Western slope for a long weekend.  The last part was a much needed vacation from being a single parent for 10 days.
Leland has been going through a heavy mommy phase.  I can't leave the room without him freaking out and crying.  I think all the traveling is making it worse.  He could also be teething.
Then once we got back from KC Leland came down with a fever.  This made him extra fussy but it also meant he took three naps a day for a few days (awesome).  But I think he his better now.

And now we are back to normal?  Not with our old routine, since tomorrow I start nannying.  I think Leland will really enjoy it but, it will be a new schedule for sure.  Hopefully he will keep with two naps a day.  

Camping

So on Wednesday night we randomly decided to go camping with some friends, so on Friday we all packed up and drove to Guanella Pass, which is near Georgetown. We found a perfect place to camp near the river and set up camp. The men folk (including Macaroni) proceeded to find some fire word, while the women and baby kept the fire going. There were mushrooms that were found and just lots of absorbing the surroundings. It is so nice to escape the city every so often and hide in the mountains, even if it is just for a night. And the coolness of the mountain air was so refreshing. There was even still snow on the mountains once we got to the pass. It has been so hot in Denver this summer, so a night when a sleeping bag is a must, was wonderful. Leo snuggled with me all night in my sleeping bag, and he really seemed to enjoy the trip. I think we wore him out though, he has been rather tired that past couple of days since our return. Here are some pics of the trip, more can be found on Shutterfly.

Toddle Along Tuesday/ School Update

Welcome if you are new reader from the Follow Along Tuesday blog hop! Hope you enjoy your stay!



So school... I feel like it has been years since I was in class and thinking academically. But really it was just three months ago. I use to not be able to remember times before I was pregnant and now I am struggling to remember times pre-baby.

Summer is slowly ending and I am needing to get into the school mind set, I mean I only have two semester left and I have this measly thesis to write. And I am terrified. And the fear of actually having to write it is making me not think about it at all. Which is bad, really bad.

So this past week I have forced myself to actually think about it, remember how I said I can't remember anything pre-baby. I struggled to remember the last meeting I had with my adviser and what my thesis was going to focus on (not only could I not remember I couldn't even find my notes about it). Umm, that's not good, but finally I did remember. So now I need to actually start some basic research that I should have been doing these past three months. But how am I suppose to do that when I have a cute baby to cuddle with? This is why I am terrified of writing this thing, I am already doubting myself. And I don't believe I can finish it, when I can, I will, I must, but this voice in my head is really not helping the situation.

So the thesis, what is it actually going to be about? It has taken a year to whittle down to a tangible subject, that I can actually research and address. I have these lofty ideas and plans and then realize they are so much more than a thesis. And all these ideas stem back to the food system and food politics. I am a little obsessed with the current food system and all its wrong doings. And there is so much I could talk about and rant about. I am too passionate about too many topics within this broad subject which is why I was having such a hard time deciding on a thesis topic. Really I just had to get over it and decide on something and stick with it, so that I can finish this thing by next April.

So... I am going to research food deserts in Denver. "A food desert is any area in the industrialised world where healthy, affordable food is difficult to obtain. It is prevalent in rural as well as urban areas and is most prevalent in low-socioeconomic minority communities, and is associated with a variety of diet-related health problems.[1] Food deserts are also linked with supermarket shortage."

To do this I plan to use some GIS (a thing I somewhat loath) and show land use changes over time in Denver, in hopes that it will show how markets have become less accessible over time. Meaning, most of the population in Denver does not have a market, grocery store, etc they can easily walk to. Because lets face it, not everyone has a car or easy access to public transportation.

So, there is my long and wordy update about school, I will try and post more about it as I continue to research more.

Haircut

We recently invested in a hair clipper for Jeff and for future Leo haircuts. Jeff said he would not pay for another haircut, so if I wanted him to get rid of the long hair we would have to buy some clippers.
So yesterday was the big day for Jeff. And it was my first time giving a haircut, I was a bit nervous but I knew if it turned out too bad I could just do a buzz cut.

Here is the before picture:

And here is the after:

I am so glad that hair is gone! It was really starting to drive me crazy. And I don't think I did too bad of job. It was a learning experience for sure but I am sure I will get better with the many haircuts to come.

School Update

So school in in full swing now.  Busy with tests, projects, readings, etc.  I am getting to know some of my fellow classmates which is always nice.  There are not a ton of people in my program which is also nice, so most of my classes have the same people.
In seminar, professors are making their way through letting us know their research projects and what they are interested in.  I have found a couple of professors that have similar ideas as I do, which is exciting.  I think I am going to focus on environmental education.  So now I have to start thinking about a thesis idea, so that at the beginning of next semester I can lock down an adviser and begin the thesis and its many components. 
Other exciting news is there is a funding opportunity for next year that I have found already.  It deals with education and I would get a very good stipend on top of funding for my actual school costs.  I am pretty excited about it and will soon start the application process, since the application is due at the beginning of next year.  It is somewhat competitive, but hopefully I can still have a chance.  So we will see what happens.

No Impact Experiment Week: Day 3

Day three in the No Impact Week is all about transportation. 

Out of all the steps in being more green or sustainable this is the hardest for me to reform my actions.  I would be willing to take the bus but I get motion sickness so easily that it is not very feasible.  I would have to take Dramamine all day if I took the bus to work or class.  I did try to take the bus to class a couple of times and I thought I was going to puke everywhere by the end.

Life

Sorry for the lack of posting lately, life has gotten a bit busy.  Since being back from Breckenridge I have felt a little overwhelemed.  I was covering for my boss that was gone for a week and a half right when I returned to work.  It wasn't that the job itself is hard but we have been short staffed with many people on vacations and I have a certain co-worker that makes every job difficult.  But he is back now so I don't have to really deal with her anymore, thank goodness. 

Mt. Evans

My parents visited us this past weekend.  One day while they were here we went to Eldorado Canyon State Park and walked around.  The next day we decided to drive up Mt. Evans, which happens to be the highest highway in US.  It was awesome.  If you ever have the chance to drive up Mt. Evans you should.  At the top you can walk up a little ways to the actual peak.  One the way up there were many mountain goats.

Green Follow Friday

Another blog hop!

Fry Day

Since we have inherited a very large turkey fryer from my dad, we decided to put it to use and fry everything.  Seriously, and it was awesome.

We fried : jalapeno peppers stuffed with cream cheese, mozzarella cheese, zucchini, pickles, potatoes, sweet potatoes, kabocha squash, beets, mushrooms, green tomatoes, olives, corn fritters, macaroni and cheese, shrimp, chicken , bacon wrapped figs, bacon wrapped chicken, a meatball man, apricot fritters, pineapple, red banana, and oreos.

We also had many batters invovled and lots of beer.  There was also homemade ketchup, ranch and icing to dip items in.   It was a lot of fun, the food, company and beer were all great.  But the best was the fried oreos, if you ever have a chance to eat one, do it!  Seriously they were amazing, we dipped ours in cake batter.

The whole day was entirely unhealthy but it was worth it.  I won't be eating fried food for a while that is for sure.