National Western Stock Show

The post-holiday blues are short-lived for us Denver residents because January brings the National Western Stock Show! It's the biggest stock show in the country--think state fair, but with lots more cowboys. We love going every year, and it was even more fun with Jack being a little older this year. Here's a picture of Jack and Jeff at last year's show:

 

This year he was big enough to go in the petting zoo. He wasn't sure what to think--and it was pretty crowded--but we think he got a kick out of it.

He really liked watching the horses ride around the stadium but wasn't really a fan when we tried to get him to sit on a saddle of his own.

In other news, we're getting settled back into a routine again. Nike's cousin Kacie has come to live with us. She started classes at University of Colorado Denver and staying with us while she learns her way around town. It's been great to have a live-in baby-sitter, and she loves spending time with Jack. We're looking forward to many more date nights in the months to come!

Happy New Year!

Hello friends and family! Our apologies for the lack of posts in the last couple of months. As many of you know by now, we had some rough news this holiday season: Jeff's mom was diagnosed with ovarian cancer the second week of December. You can follow her progress at janefleming.blogspot.com. The short story is that it's stage 3, which is scary news, but since the original diagnosis we've had nothing but positive news. She had surgery on December 28 and has recovered well. Her follow-up appointment with the oncologist is tomorrow, and we'll know more about her chemo schedule then. Feel free to follow her blog and leave comments for her. She's had an amazing outpouring of support so far, and she's going to need it to continue for the new few months. Even if you don't know her, but you know us, don't hesitate to leave her a note. She loves hearing from everyone.

As for us, we're back in Denver, trying to get settled into a routine again. Nike was home in Iowa with Jack for almost three weeks over the holidays, so it was nice to get back to work and get Jack back in day care. Although the holidays were tough, they were also really wonderful at the same time. We are so thankful for the time we got to spend with our families. Jack is doing great. He is learning new words every day and is starting to repeat what we say (yikes!). He is so much fun to be around these days. Below are some pictures and videos from the past couple of months.

This was Jack with his cousin Connor, reading a book with Aunt Ann Marie:

This is Jack doing "cartwheels" with Uncle Jimmy. He wanted to do them after he saw Teagan doing them. His version is a bit different than hers.

Finally, this is Jack with his new toolbox. We didn't open his presents from us until we got home after New Year's, but this is definitely his new favorite.

And here's a few of our favorite pictures:

Happy Halloween (just in time for Thanksgiving)!

So better late than never, here are pictures from Halloween. Jack wore his costume to day care, and he was the only one who stayed in costume all day! I couldn't believe he still had it on when I went to pick him up. It was really just a fleece sweatsuit, so I can't blame him for wanting to wear it all day.

After work we threw Jack in the wagon and took him to a few friends' houses within our neighborhood. He didn't want to go up to any doors, but by the end he started to get the hang of letting people put candy in his pumpkin. We let him try his first candy bar, but all he did was lick the chocolate off without taking a bite, and he wasn't that interested in it. So Jeff and I figured we better just eat his candy so he didn't have to!

Other than Halloween, not much new around here. Jack continues to learn new words every day. He is also starting to show some hints of what he'll be like as a 2-year-old. He is testing his limits with Jeff and I. Sometimes it's adorable and other times, not so much. Overall though, it's really amazing to watch him learn new things each day. As the Christmas season begins, we're really looking forward to teaching him Christmas songs and watching him open presents on Christmas morning!

Splish splash

Bath time! Jack was very happy in the bath last night, so I grabbed a couple of pictures while he was cooperating with the camera.

Helper Jack

We have a third set of hands around the house now! Jack is our own little helper. He's been getting that way for a while, but this weekend he wanted to do everything we were doing--brushing our teeth, raking leaves, mowing the lawn, switching laundry, and cleaning vegetables. It is so fun to watch him watch us and try to copy what we're doing and what we're saying. He's learning new words all the time. This week his new word is "pumpkin." He's kind of afraid of the pumpkin on our front porch, and now that squirrels have eaten the front of the pumpkin, he says, "pumpkin, uh-oh" when he walks by.

I think I may have mentioned this in the last post, but it is getting very hard to get pictures of Jack these days. He either runs toward the camera so he can see what I'm taking a picture of or purposefully ignores me when I try to get his attention. Most of my pictures are turning out like this:

Or like this, where we bribe him with some food:

Jack has also gotten very good at riding his tricycle. After a week at home with Grandma and lots of practice on the riding toys at day care, he seems to have gotten the hang of it. Jeff and I can't believe how much better he is even in the last few weeks.

Speaking of a week at home with Grandma . . . Jack had a whole week of being spoiled by both Grandmas (who switched off halfway through our trip) when Jeff and I took a vacation a couple of weeks ago. Jeff presented at a conference for the American Society of Shoulder and Elbow Therapists, and I got to tag along (click on the link to go to his abstract). The conference was at the Greenbrier Resort in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia (fancy, fancy!). We flew into Washington, D.C. and made a beautiful drive to the resort. The leaves were at the peak of changing colors. Then we had about 24 hours to spend in D.C. before flying home. We rented bikes and crammed in as much sight-seeing as possible. It would have been nice to have a bit more time, but we had a blast riding our bikes along the Mall, and we were antsy to get home and see Mr. Jack. Thank you Grandma Jane and Grandma Janet for taking such good care of our little man. It was a great trip for Jeff and I, and we are so glad we took the opportunity to get away!

Up next, Halloween! Stay tuned to see what costume Jack will be wearing this year.

Our little wordsmith

It's October already, although you wouldn't know it by the weather here in Denver. We've had a few cool days, but it's stayed pretty warm lately. We should enjoy the warm weather while it's here, I suppose, but I'm ready for some cooler temperatures. September went by in a flash, mostly trying to settle into a new routine with my new job. We started the month getting ready for football season. Jack helps Jeff hang our Hawkeye flag every week.

My cousin Bridgette and her husband Matt stayed with us while they went to a wedding in town, and we got to baby-sit Cooper, their black lab. Jack was in heaven!! I didn't get any pictures of them because they both moved too fast, but it was love at first sight for Jack. I have to admit it was fun to have a dog around, but we're not quite ready to add to the Fleming family.

Since I'm no longer working much on the weekends--okay, not working at all--we've been taking lots of trips to the park and the zoo. It's been fantastic and I feel like I have the chance to watch Jack grow up. Jack had his 18-month appointment and is in the 50th percentile for height and 30th percentile for weight. He learns a new word every few days it seems, and he loves to repeat words back (even if his pronunciation is totally wrong!). Right now he'll touch something or hold something up and say, "hot." When we say, "It's not hot. It's okay," he'll say, "cold!" It's pretty adorable. He continues to be our serious little man, especially around others. He watches and thinks, and then when he's ready he'll let others see what a happy guy he is.

This last weekend we drove up to Estes Park to go for a nice drive and to see if we could spot any elk. There were quite a few out, and we even got pretty close to a couple of them. It was neat, but also a reminder that we're the ones invading their land, so we should let them have their space.

Next week both Grandmas are taking overlapping trips out here to baby-sit Jack while Jeff and I take a trip. We'll be gone five days, which is the longest either of us has been away from him. Neither of us is looking forward to leaving him behind, but a vacation for just the two of us will be worth it, and Jack will get nice and spoiled while we're gone.

Happy October to all!

USA Pro Cycling Challenge

Last week the USA Pro Cycling Challenge came to Colorado. The top three finishers from the Tour de France were in it, as were most of the other top cyclists in the world. The final stage started in Golden and came into downtown Denver, where they did six laps. We braved the heat and were able to find a spot that wasn't too crowded. The best part was that the riders came by our spot twice in each lap, so we got to see them 12 times! Even if you know nothing about cycling, it was pretty cool to watch the cyclists fly by, as well as all of the support cars and the cameramen on the backs of motorcycles. The videos we took didn't really turn out since they fly past so fast, so instead here are a couple of pictures of Jack. He was a total trooper in the hot weather and had more fun with this dog than he did looking at the cyclists.