First family vacation (kind of)

This past weekend we got to take a last-minute trip to Taos, New Mexico. We were supposed to have friends in town, but when they had to cancel, we were facing a weekend with no plans. We had heard great things about Taos, and since it was only five hours away, we thought it would be the perfect chance to check it out. As we were driving down there, we realized that although we've taken trips with Jack before, this was the first one we took that wasn't home to Iowa or to another destination where we were meeting other family members. Hence this post's title: our first family vacation (sort of).

We left Denver around 4 on Friday and after hitting some afternoon traffic, we got to Taos around 9:30 or 10. We rented a 1-bedroom vacation home, which was great for lounging around. And that's how we started Saturday morning:

Our rental was within walking distance of Taos Plaza, where we found lots of shops and galleries. We had a good morning of exploring. It wasn't quite as relaxing as Jeff and I had hoped. Jack was good and patient, but it's kind of hard to leisurely walk around an artsy-crafty store with a 2-year-old!

We did find a special treat for Jack though: a toy store with a very big playground out back!

On our way out of town on Sunday we stopped at the Rio Grande Gorge bridge, which was well worth the 20 minutes out of the way. The pictures don't do it justice, of course, but it was pretty cool.

We finished the trip with a five-hour drive home, during which Jack napped for exactly 0 minutes! Needless to say, it was a long drive. We're really glad we went, and we had a great time--if not as carefree as we had hoped for. Jack is really good, but he's testing his two-year-old limits. It's funny because in some ways we're so proud of him for learning to explore, expanding his language, and really learning to be his own person, but it can also make for some challenging parenting moments. Next up: a visit from Steve, Janet, James, and Teagan! Happy Memorial Day!

Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day weekend to me!! I am celebrating this weekend with lots of Jack and Mama time. Jeff made a trip home to Iowa to visit his parents and to drive Kacie home for the summer. I took yesterday afternoon off to go shopping and pick Jack up early from day care. This morning we went to the rec center where I got a long run in while Jack played with the other kids at the drop-in day care, and then we went swimming! It's been a pretty fantastic weekend so far, if I do say so myself. I wish we were at home with Jeff, but it's easier to be away knowing that we'll be home to visit in just a few weeks. Not much exciting to report around here--Jeff and I have spent the last few weekends working on lots of projects around the house: we finished painting and redecorating our bedroom, doing some spring cleaning, planting flowers, a Rockies game, and several trips to the zoo. Here are some pictures of Jack helping out with the planting:

He insisted on wearing gardening gloves, even though he lost all dexterity by doing so.

We've been working on "faces" the past week or two. This is his "happy" face. Can you tell?

While we were cleaning off the front porch last weekend, Jack found his snow boots. So obviously, he put them on. They were the perfect match for his Hawkeye basketball outfit that he also insisted on wearing. I'm sure they improved his shot.

Next up for the Flemings: a visit from the Burgarts (Jason, Melissa, and Emma) and Katie! I went to law school with Melissa and Katie, and we're trying to make more regular trips to see each other every six months or so. Emma will be about 11 months old, and it's the first time she and Jack have met. It will be fun to watch the babies play together and, of course, spend lots of time catching up. Happy Mother's Day weekend to my mom Janet, Jeff's mom Jane, my grandma Sophia, Jeff's grandma Shirley, and all of our other mom friends and family. Sending you all lots of loves and hugs!