Jesse, Stacey & Maximus

Maximus' 4th Birthday

2012-02-06T17:05:00.001-06:00

The housewarming/birthday party we had Saturday was a hit! We had over 20 old friends come that we haven't seen in years, some Jesse hasn't even met. The warmth and love from everyone was exactly why it feels so good to be here. This is our home.

Maximus had many, many new friends to play with. It was just such a great party. I smile just thinking about it.

2012-01-09T14:29:00.001-06:00

I'm eating lunch with Maximus today and I look over and think, "oh my, he's so handsome."

Christmas!

2012-01-09T10:05:00.003-06:00

Sorry I'm writing this so late- things are pretty hectic and crazy for us right now. Christmas this year was great! Jesse finally had a few days off to enjoy with us. He took Maximus snowboarding and helped me around the house. I have adapted my mothers Christmas Eve enchilada tradition and we ate those that evening. They were delicious!

Here's Maximus stoked about snowboarding.

It was Elf's last visit with us. We really enjoyed having him around. See you next year, Elf!

This is after Santa visited while Maximus was asleep.

He was so excited!

Maximus fell down the basement stairs that night. His nightly chore is to go down to the basement for me and turn off all the lights, and he loves doing it, but on Christmas Eve he was excited and slipped down all the stairs. Poor little buddy!

I made some cookies for Santa that I've never made before. Maximus was taking a nap and as I started to make them, I realized I was out of some ingredients. I substituted a few things and these turned out delicious! I wrote down the recipe and will definitely be making them again!

Santa was at Keystone Resort this year. With his reindeer. This guy was SO cool.

All Things Homemade

2011-12-11T15:20:00.004-06:00

Lately I've been obsessed with making little unborn Ingrid things. Jesse knit her a hat, I've crocheted her one and crocheted a soft blanket. I have to rest a lot and since we don't watch much tv, I crochet or knit instead. Today I made this in just a couple hours! I'm really not a fan of those oversized bows or flowers people attach to their daughter's head, so I might take this gigantic flower off.

Best Buds

2011-12-06T19:34:00.001-06:00

Maximus and Parker. They met in speech therapy at preschool and thrive together. They are each others first true friend, are highly competitive, absolutely nuts, somehow work wonders in therapy together and hug whenever they see each other- at school, the gym, around town. They are adorable!

We've been spending more time with Parker as his mom, my friend, goes through chemotherapy and tests. It's a hard time for all of us, Parker the most, but we love seeing him act crazy with his bud. I love picking him up for school and seeing how stoked he is to see Maximus. If we do move from this wonderful place up here in the Rocky Mountains back to Salt Lake City, leaving his close buddy will be hard for them both. Sort of breaks my heart...but at least I know we won't move our son again.

Chef Maximus

2011-12-02T18:13:00.001-06:00

The chef is in charge of making dinner tonight!

Thanksgiving and the Elf on the Shelf

2011-12-02T12:09:00.004-06:00

We were thrilled to have my parents visit us during Thanksgiving. The weather was great, they saw Maximus snowboard at his best, my dad and Jesse went into the woods to cut down a Christmas tree, my mom and I shopped, my parents and I made a meal that was amazing and it was a great time.

Here's Maximus scarfing down breakfast at Amazing Grace Eatery in Breckenridge. That tiny restuarant might be my favorite place to eat. Two women own it and make everything from scratch. Most of the food is grown locally in Colorado in organic farms. You can literally taste the difference. Jesse had the best breakfast burrito of his life there! My parents, Maximus and I ate there before heading to the gondola for Breckenridge resort.

Now when I say that Maximus likes to read, that doesn't express how much he loves to read. Jesse and I read to him every single night as he falls asleep. It might be our favorite part of the day! Since it's been really cold, Jackie joins us in Maximus' bed to snuggle in. Here's my mom reading to him one night.

After Thanksgiving, The Elf on the Shelf appeared. (Google it) Maximus first named him Santa, but now he calls him Elf. Elf returns to Santa each night after we go to bed to tell him if Maximus was a good boy or not. Then, he flies back (maybe through the chimney or doggie door?) and finds a new place to sit for the day. Today he's sitting on a loaf of bread on top of the fridge. Yesterday is was about 13 ft off the ground in a window. Some days he sits on the fireplace, the hanging lamps, hanging fruit basket, even the Christmas tree. The above picture is my dad and Maximus searching for Elf the first day of his arrival.

Found him!

Elf!

2011-11-27T09:10:00.001-06:00

The Elf on the Shelf has been moving! Yesterday my dad and I saw him above the fireplace and this morning he was spotted in the tree!

FOOD

2011-11-19T12:37:00.002-06:00

Okay, I know I've posted blogs about how much this kid eats, but I'm pregnant and HE OUT EATS ME! He ate a large bowl of Cheerios this morning. He went to swimming lessons. I brought him home and make him a breakfast sandwich- 3 eggs, 2 slices of black forest ham on a whole wheat English muffin. He polished that off and said, "I'm still hungwy". He then ate a large banana dipped in Grape Nuts cereal and a gigantic cup of milk! He's a quarter of Jesse's size and eats almost as much! I've known this kid for three and a half years and I still can't get used to this.

On a different note...guess what?! I FEEL GREAT! I've had three days with minimal morning sickness and a bit of increased energy. I still don't feel 100%, but at least I'm not trying to get through the day feeling 15%. I can function better as a mom and a partner. I don't know if I'm out of the woods yet, but if I can have 3 days of feeling better, I would be sick the rest of the pregnancy because it's worth it. I don't think anyone besides Jesse truly understands how sick I've been. Some days I couldn't even stand. I suffered stroke symptoms. I have hyperemesis gravidarum- a form of extreme morning sickness that 2% of pregnant women suffer from. It's been hell. I can't describe how elating it is to feel somewhat normal again.

"Drinking"

2011-11-14T17:27:00.001-06:00

Maximus got me out of the kitchen today and told me he had a nice surprise in his room. He was so proud of all his animals drinking! He loves doing things like this.

Rawr!

2011-11-06T10:21:00.000-06:00

I was enjoying my morning coffee alone upstairs when this jumped out and scared me!

Halloween Parties for Maximus!

2011-10-28T18:22:00.001-05:00

Last night Maximus' friend Bryon had a Halloween party, so he and his buddies got dressed up and played games. Today, he had a class party st school and all the kids dressed up. So cute and fun! And tomorrow we are having an adult and kid friendly party at our home for our friends and their kids. Fun times!

Sad Shape

2011-10-17T16:20:00.001-05:00

Okay, I've been sick. So sick. Sicker than I've ever been in my life. Last night I vomited countless times and today I have been to hell and back. It took me an hour and a half just to stand in the shower, get dressed and pull my hair back. Pathetic, I know.

I had to go to the doctors office because they were worried about my hydration levels. (And I drink almost 2 gallons of water a day.) I got an IV put in my arm for over and hour and on my way home, I stopped at our health food store for miso soup. While I shopped, Maximus fell asleep in the cart. Suddenly, I had to barf. Uh oh. I pulled him out of the cart and put him on the changing table in the restroom (because I wasn't going to leave him in the cart out in the store or lay him on the bathroom floor, and I always obey the signs that say not to bring carts into the bathroom). I did my business and he slept, like a poor ghetto child, on the dirty changing table. I could have left him there for hours.

Lily Pad Lake

2011-10-14T12:16:00.001-05:00

Another Friday hike in the woods with my borrowed buddy, Deni.

I'm my Father

2011-10-04T18:02:00.002-05:00

When I was growing up, I used to roll my eyes when my father would plan his hiking trips. He would meticulously plan and lay everything out- from his maps, to his gear, to his food, to his hydration. He would take me along but I never appreciated it as much as him and would end up complaining most of the way.

Today, I spent the entire afternoon planning for a hike of my own. Since Fridays are Maximus' only full day in school, I have the time to spend hiking alone. And it's something I want to do! This Friday I'm going on a hike that will take me between 5 and 6 hours and I'm going to a couple of falls that are located between the 2 mountains we see from all our windows in our home. I mean, we are fortunate to live on the Gore Range in the Rocky Mountains...I'd be stupid NOT to do this. It's also an emotional weekend for me- the marathon I trained so hard for is Sunday and I can't run it. Most people reading this are like, "shut up, be happy you're pregnant and quit being selfish" unless they have trained for something themselves. When I found out I could no longer train, my dad called me and truly understood how I felt. He's run several himself. Being told I couldn't run was more depressing than I expected. Jesse didn't even know how much of an impact it would be. And it took me months to accept it. I made this little hike a goal to do while I was pregnant and around the time of the marathon, just to prove something to myself. I have to have a goal to work toward. I feel like I'm just going through life unless I'm working for a personal goal.

Today I drove to a few trail heads, researched maps and talked to the Dillon Ranger Station about my plans. I've spoken to a few experienced hikers who are my friends as well. My plan is to drop Maximus off at school Friday morning, drive to the Willow Creek trail head and head up the mountain. I will of course, carry my phone, a camera, first aid, food, water, flashlight, rain gear, matches, ID, my glucose shot, maps and a gun for protection. I decided to bring my dog because I know she would enjoy it. I am SO excited for this. It took me 30 years, but I truly understand and appreciate my father's ways. Thanks dad.

Week 15

2011-10-04T11:51:00.002-05:00

I thought I'd give an update about my pregnancy. I'm in my 15th week, still very sick, but enjoying life. Since I can't run, I enjoy this crisp fall by riding my bike, hiking and being in the woods. Getting out is just so peaceful. I have to do it. (My hikes alone in the woods freak my mother out, but I have to for my sanity)

Last Friday I had a doctor's appointment. I had lost 2 pounds, my electrolytes are pretty imbalanced and my doctor discovered I'm hypoglycemic. But, everything else looked good and the heartbeat was strong! I've been given a syringe to carry with me at all times and to eat every hour. EVERY HOUR. That's much harder than you'd think. I carry the syringe because it'll help me if I am about to pass out from low blood sugar. My level was 24, and my doctor said she has never seen anyone with a level below 52 who was conscious. Her words were, "I can't imagine how sick you must feel". Oh I can! Anyway, I'm glad that was settled and I hope I feel better soon.

This pregnancy is SO different than the one with Maximus. With him, I ate and ate and ate. I was sick like, twice. I never exercised either. This pregnancy I am so sick, but I feel better emotionally. I'm excited for Maximus to be a big brother and he is too! I'm excited to meet this child who has made me emotional, sick, increased my love for the outdoors and drives me to walk alone in the woods and appreciate what's around me. Of course I was paranoid with everything with my first pregnancy, but this one I feel less controlling. We definitely live a healthy lifestyle and of course, that will continue with any children we have, but I've learned with my dear Maximus that head bumps, falls and swallowing buttons happens! I am SO excited to meet this little one in March. Maximus still has wonderfully creative names picked out...

October 21st at 11am is when we will find out if this is a boy or girl. Yeah!

2011-10-01T19:38:00.004-05:00

Maximus and I went for another hike today. We hiked to a lake, had a picnic lunch, hiked and explored in the woods and enjoyed our afternoon. Look at the beauty that surrounds us here!

Epic Names

2011-09-19T14:55:00.002-05:00

Me: Hey, what should we name your brother or sister?

Maximus: Um..Thor Maximus. Thor a good brubber (brother) name.

Me: Cool. What about Thor Odin? What about a sister?

Maximus: Um...Truck.

Me: I don't know about that one. What about Ingrid Gladys or Adelyn Gladys?

Maximus: No, Truck Poopface.

Cuddly Spot

2011-09-16T22:04:00.001-05:00

Friday night. Jesse is in the basement teaching me how to build my beautiful mountain bike that I've waited for all summer. Maximus has been busy filling tires, spinning wheels, having fun. He suddenly gets tired and lays on Jesse's legs as he knelt. Sweetest thing.

Last Race of the Season

2011-09-10T23:05:00.001-05:00

Jesse's last mountain race was today. It was a beautiful, crisp, cool fall feeling day and we spent it in Breckenridge cheering him on.

Next is the most entertaining racing of all- cross! (Cyclocross) Hopefully my doctor will give me the okay to do a couple races this fall.

Maximus and I went to a tiny cafe after Jesse started his race this morning. I was feeling sick like usual and together Maximus and I had the best breakfast ever! I found a place in Breckenridge that is little, specialized and extremely cozy. Maximus had a whole wheat blueberry scone with a blueberry flax smoothie and shared my eggs with tomatoes and spinach, homemade whole wheat toast and chicken sausage. Our entire breakfast was not only organic, but everything was made from scratch. We sat at a small table with the sun coming in and warming us up, with views of the mountains. What a great little date.

We spent the rest of the time laying in the grass waiting for Jesse to come across the finish line. It was a really enjoyable day.

Handsome New Cut

2011-09-08T15:39:00.001-05:00

Yesterday Maximus had his hair cut...three inches! He's so handsome!

Kayaking in Lake Dillon

2011-09-07T14:49:00.005-05:00

I must say that I'm grateful to be in a relationship with a guy who loves getting out and doing things, like me. Luckily, Maximus isn't the type of kid to stay home either. We went kayaking in our beautiful Lake Dillon on Monday. We had planned to Sunday, but all the kayaks were booked, so we went to the Vail Farmer's Market and also enjoyed the "Gourmet on Gore" in Vail that day. What a busy, perfect weekend!

I had been kayaking before with my dad in Huntington Beach and Newport back bay. Such a fun thing to do with your kids, fyi. I'll never forget those memories. We rented a kayak for myself, and a double for Maximus and Jesse.

Lake Dillon has dozens of little forest islands in it. We stopped at a few and ate lunch on one. We told Maximus it was our new home, the kayaks were our new cars and the bathrooms were bushes. He took it so...seriously.

I mean, come on...look at our view. And it's not like we have to drive anywhere for a good view, all the views from our house are this great!

See that little speck to the left of the above picture? That's Jesse and Maximus in their boat.

I love my little family.

Warrior Dash!

2011-08-31T17:55:00.015-05:00

Last week Jesse and I ran in "Warrior Dash". It's a crazy mud run that involves lots of mud, obstacles, climbing and fire jumping. IT WAS SO FUN! Our friends Jason and Sarah from Nebraska were in town visiting, so they hung out with Maximus and Jason took the pictures. I thought I would be able to finish in the front of our group, but of course, my morning sickness kicked in and I ran the race gagging. Jesse helped me over a couple of the hurdles and even offered his hand as I climbed out of the mud pit. I wore daisy duke shorts, soccer socks and my Viking hat. Jesse wore just his cycling bibs. No top. One guy called it a "onesie". Our tight clothes helped when we were weighed down with several pounds of mud!

Jason snapped this on the sofa before we left our house for the race. This is my mean warrior face.

Right when we arrived at Copper Mountain, where the race was held. So excited!

Strolling with Maximus and Sarah in the cute little village.

This is Copper Mountain. It's always this busy. There's still snow on the ski runs!

We found some granola to eat and posed for a picture.

Maximus waiting for us to start. The start line exploded with fire as each racing wave started. It freaked him out.

I'm in the pink shirt about to jump in the mud. Jesse is the dude on his hands and knees already in the mud.

A couple of the fire lines we jumped over.

Finish! Aren't we beautiful?!

This was taken after we showered in the outdoor "Warrior Wash" they provided for everyone. We were freezing. I was numb.

Jesse in very little clothing and me freezing once again. See what quinoa does for a body?!

Look at this picture Jason got of Maximus. Look at that perfect face and hair. We just love him!

USA Pro Cycling Challenge

2011-08-28T10:17:00.001-05:00

http://vimeo.com/28246559
Click on that for the video.

Shark Attack!

2011-08-27T12:33:00.001-05:00

Maximus ran in the laundry room and notified me that "Sharkimus Poop Face" was eating my latest crochet project.

Here we go...

2011-08-23T17:46:00.001-05:00

My friend Sarah (who is also pregnant) taught me a trick for an expanding waist. Ah ha! A rubber band! When my jeans are freshly washed, they fit more snug in the waist and this makes them comfortable. I'm not gaining anywhere else, so this trick will get me by for a while! Thanks Sah!

Relax Stacey, Relax

2011-08-22T12:47:00.003-05:00

I don't know if it's this pregnancy or what, but I have been stressed out of my mind lately. I can't cope with things like I used to, Maximus is in a tough and trying phase in his life, I am sick, I am exhausted and this stay-at-home mom who has a near perfect life needs a break. With all the visitors we've had over the summer, they've enjoyed their vacations spent here, but we need one for ourselves. Our last visitors just left this morning and their stay was great. Don't get me wrong- all of our family and friends who visited had a great time and we did too.

My life is wonderful and we're fortunate I don't have to work so I can stay home to raise our children. I am able to devote my days to giving Maximus the best possible childhood we can provide. We don't have to worry financially, we have a strong relationship, we are an independent family who is happy and we do whatever we want as long as it's fun, healthy and benefits us individually and as a whole.

Judge me as a bad mom, but I can't wait until Maximus goes back to school. Two more days.

I don't typically use my blog as a venting ground, but hopefully other moms who read this can relate. Maximus is at an age where he wants to be independent and challenges us. He talks back and tells me "no", so he gets in trouble. I feel like the last four days all I have been doing is disciplining him because that battle is constant and I'm NOT a mom who will be walked on by her toddler.

He needs to know he can't get away with certain things:

He screams in a restaurant and disturbs others- he gets taken from the restaurant and receives a good hearty threat from Jesse.
He kicks me- he gets put in his room until he's ready to apologize.
He calls us a bad name- he gets a time out until he says sorry.
He has drama over dinner- it sits there until he's hungry enough to eat, since I'm not a short order cook.
He doesn't clean up his toys when I ask him to (before leaving the house, before dinner, before bedtime)- he doesn't get a treat.

Now, don't think that I'm a Nazi who whips him into shape, because I'm not and I DO know how to choose my battles, but this age is frustrating. He's such a loving and perfect child 98% of the time, but that small 2% is very difficult. Maybe it's because I'm so sick? Maybe it's because I'm tired? Maybe it's because I'm depressed about not being able to run? Maybe it's all of it?

I don't know why I'm writing this for everyone to read and certain people to judge me, but I've been down lately. I'm human. Anyone who can't recognize their own faults is kidding themselves. I'm thrilled about our little baby on the way, but the day to day is sometimes difficult. Hopefully my next blog entry is all roses and happiness filled with puppies and meadows of daisys.

So Much

2011-08-18T11:13:00.004-05:00

I'm sorry I haven't had the time to blog much lately. We are expecting our second child, due March 19th. We are so excited! This was completely unexpected, as I was in the middle of marathon training, but we are thrilled with this surprise.

This pregnancy has been difficult. Thankfully, it's nothing serious and I don't have to be on bed rest (I admire my sister for that one), I've been really sick. I haven't had more than two days pass without morning/all day sickness. Dear Maximus sits in the bathroom and reads to me when I'm sick. I love him. I have low grade cervical dysplasia and we are thankful it's not high grade which can lead to more cancer. My doctor is wonderful! I couldn't have found a better match for us. At the beginning, she encouraged my marathon training and said I could run it at 4 months pregnant.

I went in yesterday because of the sickness and I lost quite a bit of weight in 5 days. Her words to me were, "now, don't hit me when I tell you this, but I strongly advise you to stop running..." STOP RUNNING?! That's like telling a smoker they can't have anymore. Or like telling Jesse he can't ride his bike. The impact and my dehydration are doing more harm than good. I can't tell you how depressed I am after hearing that. Yeah, I sound like an ungrateful snob for saying that and do understand that I am grateful it's not worse (like bed rest), but running is my life. I need it to be a better person, partner and mother. It's hard to understand what I mean unless you're an avid runner yourself or have a healthy vice that you depend on. I will do that marathon though. I will walk most of it if I have to.

My doctor wants me to keep active and fit, just with lower impact activities: cross country skiing, snow shoeing, walking, swimming, water running, bike riding, etc. No snowboarding, running (I still can at a much slower pace, no more than one hour), skiing, mountain bike riding after week 16 or ice skating. I can still visit the gym daily and lift weights.

Really, don't think I'm a snob. I realize it could be worse and more restrictive. Jesse and I are both down in the dumps about the running thing. He saw how it made me feel and loved it.

I will keep active because it benefits the baby, the pregnancy and me. When I was pregnant with Maximus, I gained 80 pounds because I craved junky fast food and sat on my butt the entire time. After he was born, I had a bunch of excess weight and felt like crap. I didn't feel like the person I knew I could be.

We want this child to of course, be healthy and happy. I was just told this news yesterday, so it needs a bit to sink in. Of course I will do what's best for this kiddo, no matter what. I can't wait to meet this one and have Maximus hold him/her.

I so need a calm weekend. Our friends from Lincoln will be here this weekend and I am looking forward to time spent with them. Jesse and I are running Warrior Dash Sunday. Don't fret, it's a 5k and my doctor knows it isn't a serious race and encourages me to do it. Pictures will follow...

Pure Awesomeness

2011-08-11T09:06:00.002-05:00

http://vimeo.com/27552523
Here's the link to the video of Maximus and 9 of his cousins having a blast!

Barch Family Week Reunion!!!

2011-08-09T10:42:00.007-05:00

Last Tuesday my ENTIRE family came to visit. It was a big deal to us because I haven't seen them all in a long time. Maximus hadn't met my sister and her family, so I was excited beyond words. It was the best week of my life! Oh how I've missed my family!

They all got in Tuesday afternoon/evening and we met at my house. We just hung out and caught up. Maximus was thrilled to be with 9 cousins! Here's a picture of me with Simon, Bryn and Maximus.

My health nut sister showed up with a bag of goodies from Trader Joe's! She knows the way to my heart!

Maximus and Jared in the woods.

This is Emma. She's the oldest. I loved that she wanted to learn about quinoa and went for a run early every morning.

My brother with his son Simon. They are twins.

A few of the cousins on a log bridge during our hike. The girl in the white shirt is Addie, and she is only 14. She's the size of a junior in high school, just like I was. She's taking after her Aunt Stace!

Maximus and my sister's oldest, Eliza.

Grandpa Barch with most of his grand kids.

I love this picture! Cousins Maximus and Simon in the woods. These two played all the time.

Maximus and cousin Bryn.

Most of us during our hike one morning. Jesse was at work, my sister's husband Jason had work to catch up on in the hotel room and dad was taking the picture.

Emma, Addie, Eliza and Jared.

Jason, my brother's wife Holly, me, Maximus and Emma before boarding the roller coaster in Breckenridge.

My brother and his family: Addie, my bro, Holly, Simon, Emma, Bryn and Eli.

My sister and her family: Mary, Nathan, my sis, Jason, Jared and Eliza.

Maximus and his buddy Eli.

All the cousins! I love this!

Our little family.

We had a catered dinner one evening at the beautiful Silverthorne Pavilion. We had a private room and patio. It was the perfect evening!

Chimayo did the catering. Us Barch's LOVE our Mexican food!

Chimayo supplied us with barbacoa, grilled chicken, beans, guac, lettuce, cilantro, rice, 3 salsas, sour cream, tortillas, cheese, lime, and TONS of leftovers! It was delicious!

I watched my sister's youngest Jared one morning as his family went white water rafting. He and Maximus cuddled in bed watching a show about sharks!

Most of my family is Mormon, so they went to church as my brother went to his Catholic church Sunday morning. I wanted to make them all lunch after services, so I made sandwiches and a late of quinoa with roasted vegetables.

This is what was left after my brother's kids attacked the quinoa. I love that they loved it! Success!

It was such a fun week. The memories were wonderful and we even got to celebrate my parent's 44th wedding anniversary! We did so much when they were here. The four oldest girls stayed in our basement- Emma, Eliza, Addie and Mary. I have never had such wonderful house guests before and these were teenagers! Each day they made their beds, they never left stuff laying around and they even watched Maximus as I ran one morning. They were polite, they did their breakfast dishes and they were up early and ready to go! Jesse and I were both impressed with those young women. We agreed that it's obvious they and their siblings are raised well and will be delightful women. They even left me 'thank you' notes!

All my family has left and now I miss them. It's sad. But what a wonderful week. This summer has been great with all of our family visiting from both sides.

Before I Blog About My Family's Visit...

2011-08-06T21:28:00.003-05:00

I just had to type in a quote by Jesse that melted my heart. We had a big family dinner at the Dillon Dam Brewery (one of our favorite places to eat) and as we left, Jesse smiled and said, "your family is so pleasant."

It's true!

I will blog about the visit in a few days. Jesse speaks the truth!

Have I mentioned I'm 7 weeks pregnant?

BOOKS!

2011-07-30T09:57:00.003-05:00

Lately Maximus has been all about books. He has books in 3 different places in his room, on a shelf in our room, in the basement, in the livingroom, even in the car. Our televisions aren't on and I rarely let him sit and watch it during the day, and I've found that he is consumed by books! The kid reads constantly! In this picture, I found him at 4 in the afternoon, just crashed out on our bed. He was there for an hour!

Our Neighborhood

2011-07-19T16:30:00.006-05:00

This morning Maximus and I (and Googoo too) went for a little hike in the woods. In our own neighborhood! I love living here.

Visit From Val

2011-07-19T16:09:00.003-05:00

My friend Valerie visited us last week. I met her 5 years ago, when I hired her at Hilton. I remember how fun it was to interview her. We laughed the whole time! Since meeting her, spent a lot of time together. She is the one who dragged me to the bar the night that I met Jesse! She's responsible for us meeting and hey, even little Maximus! After she got married, she moved to England with her British husband. In the last few months, he was transferred to Dubai, where they currently live. She came back to the states to see her family and friends. Her family lives in Denver, so we were able to spend a few days together at our house. WHAT FUN. I introduced her to a few of my friends here and they loved her! I think my friends like her more than they like me! Hahaha! She has got to be one of the warmest and funny people I know. Jesse and I laughed with her the entire time.

Jesse and Valerie with their insanely LARGE toes. Freaks.

Earlier in the day, Maximus called both Valerie and myself "mommy", so here is our little polygamist family! (Kidding to those who don't get it)

We went and toured some old cabins in Frisco. They've been restored and are actually really cool to see. We are both a couple of kitchen china freaks! We saw this old set and died. Look how adorable it is! We were in heaven.

During her visit, there would be times where we were walking around and we would stop to hug and tell each other how happy we were to see each other. I love her. She's such a strong, intelligent and kind gal. And totally crazy. Maximus calls her "super cool Balawie".

Handsome

2011-07-12T21:56:00.001-05:00

Firecracker 50 and a Visit From Grandma Vicki and Papa Sherwood

2011-07-08T17:40:00.005-05:00

Over the 4th of July, Jesse's parents and his brother and fiance visited us. It's been over a year since his parents saw Maximus, so it was enjoyable to catch up and have fun for six days. On July 4th, Jesse had his biggest race yet- The Firecracker 50 in Breckenridge, CO. 50 miles in the mountains with over 9,000 of climbing. The route was changed because there was still 4 feet of snow in some spots of the race, so it ended up being 54 miles total. It's funny, because we never thought we'd be endurance athletes. Notice how clean and pretty his bike is in the picture above.

Jesse before taking off for the start line. He was so nervous!

Look how cool our team kits (kits are cycling uniforms) from the shop are. "Powered by Beefies" is from Maximus. He calls his legs his "beefies" and that's what powers the team. Makes me smile as his mom.

Maximus and I were going to hang out for the 6 hours it would take him to race. Jesse's parents met up with us later that morning.

How they have the race set up, is the racers lead the 4th of July parade down Main Street. The racers don't start off sprinting, they are lead by someone keeping them slow, so everyone could wave and cheer. After Main Street, they killed it and started racing.

The parade itself was so fun! It was very traditional, with horses and fire trucks and all that. Maximus had lots of fun standing at the line watching.

Here's Maximus and Papa Sherwood walking around in Breckenridge. Isn't it sickeningly beautiful?! Seriously, all the views we have here are epic!

Here's a shot of the finish line. It was a huge race. The announcer was really good too. The crowd was amazing. Man, Jesse's mom can whistle. And I thought I was a good cheer leader! His parents had never been to a race, so seeing their son cross the finish line was emotional. It's a huge accomplishment!

I like this picture because it shows how casual all these races are. It's all about families, little and dogs kids running around, people just chilling out and having a good time.

...and after 6 hours, we saw Jesse come down the mountain switchbacks. He crossed the finish line and when he races, I give him time before approaching him. He's so exhausted and need a few minutes to well, not die. After a bit, he came over and sat. Look at my love. He's covered in dirt from his head to his toes and utterly beat. He didn't say too much.

Here's what a really expensive bike looks like after you take it to hell and back. We later learned that his legs cramped at mile 25, leaving him to do the rest in pain. My legs cramp on my long runs, but they cramp at the last mile. I will never complain about the pain after knowing what Jesse went through. What a machine.

Group shot after he could smile.

Jesse's dad loves to fish. He took Maximus to the pond and fished a bit. Hey, I even caught a fishing pole! And it's nice! Thanks to Maximus, we ate fish last night!

Half Marathon

2011-06-28T13:27:00.003-05:00

Half Marathon from Stacey Barch on Vimeo.

I'm sorry I swear in this video, I was running up hill with strong wind at my face and it sucked. You can see the guy on a bike behind me struggling up the hill too.

I ran my first half marathon last Friday. It was a goal I had when I started to get serious about running, 3 months ago. I've trained and trained, and running it wasn't difficult. It made me realize that I can run a full marathon in October.

I ran from Frisco to Copper Mountain and back and ended up running 14.1 miles. Jesse was on his bike and pulled Maximus behind him. They supplied me with water along the way and spent time fishing in the ponds that were along the path I ran. Maximus caught a fish too!

My run was beyond entertaining- when I reached Copper Mountain, a dude on a bike came up next to me and started talking. We chatted and when I mentioned Jesse, he said, "oh nevermind" and I was dumb to not realize that he was hitting on me! Ha! I also watched the long boarders- there were a bunch of guys on long board skateboards just flying down the mountain on the paved trail. No helmets, no protection. I even ran through a flood! We've had something like 200% more snow this past winter, so with all of it melting, there's a lot of flooding. The path had a couple inches of water on it and I had to run through it, so I ended up with freezing cold, wet feet for more than half my run. When I got closer to the finish of my run, I witnessed a mountain rescue for a missing person who had flipped over in their kayak. That was freaky and sad.

But I finished and my legs hurt. I did it. I have permanent damage to my left foot from arthritis, so I'm taking a week off before I begin training for my full marathon. It feels amazing to reach a goal and I am so thankful for the love and support I have from Jesse and my family. I think after I finish my marathon, I'm going to spend all my fitness time on my bikes. I have 3 really nice bikes that are in the garage all sad because all I do is run and ignore them.

New Crib and Pillows

2011-06-28T12:20:00.003-05:00

We got an order from QBP (Quality Bicycle Products) today and Maximus told me the box is his new crib and the inflatable packaging are his new pillows. Totally safe, I know.

Now, he is upstairs, naked, piling the inflatable squares and jumping into them. I really wish I could post a video of him doing it, but I'm not since he's naked. It's hilarious. Little naked Maximus with his huge billowy hair jumping through the air landing in a pile of plastic with loud "pops" when he steps on them. I can't stop laughing!

Go Jesse Pops!

2011-06-23T11:23:00.001-05:00

Jesse after his race yesterday. It was in Breckenridge and I thought he died when he finished. He crossed the finish line covered in dirt and blood, got off his bike and laid in the road. He didn't get up. His poor legs were done and so was he. He got up, swore, laughed, kissed Maximus and me, got a beer (actually a decent recovery beverage) and ate a peanut butter and jelly on whole wheat sandwich. He was so happy. I love seeing him like that. What a fun race to be at. Maximus threw rocks into the river with other kids as I socialized. I love it here!

So Cool

2011-06-16T15:44:00.001-05:00

Jesse's WIN

2011-06-12T23:15:00.003-05:00

Jesse is first on the race result. Go Jesse!

Racing here in Colorado is very different than racing in Nebraska. We have actual mountains, we live at over 9,000ft and the competition here is rough. Everyone here is great at racing- it's not just a hobby.

Jesse raced today in a large race with mega competition and WON!!! He is now a cat (category) 2 racer- last year he was a 3. We knew him racing with more competition would mean a bigger challenge, but he won! I started to cry. I love nothing more than seeing Jesse so happy that he's nearly moved to tears. However, we didn't know he won...

He started his race and within the first 1/2 mile, he was away from the pack (because he sprinted when he started- he left the others in the dust quite a way back) and saw a dude in front of him riding fast. He followed him and ended up in a parking lot! The dude he followed turned around and yelled, "I'm not racing! Go back! Go back!" After swearing for a bit, Jesse turned and got back to the path. He was convinced he had fallen to the rear of his category. He finished and I noticed no one finished before him. I really didn't think much of it since there are so many categories racing at the same time and different cat's finish at different times. The race announcer only said Jesse's name as he came through the finish line, not that he won. So, I stood there cheering him on and said "good job honey".

We sat on the grass with other racers eating our catered fish taco burrito thing (that was healthy and amazing!) and beer and when the results were posted, Jesse went to look. I saw him walking back to me and he was saying, "I won! I won! I won!" I stood and nearly tackled him with hugs. I AM SO PROUD OF HIM. What a stud. Go Jesse! To all of you who don't know much about bike racing, this is a big deal. Not many people actually win races and this is Jesse's second. What a guy.

Jesse and his teammate from Nebraska, Ryan Cech, before the race.

Maximus and Pops after the race enjoying oranges.

Jesse proudly holding Maximus on the first place step of the podium after the race. We don't know what happened to the dude who got second.

I am so proud of my honey!

Facing the Fear

2011-06-11T23:14:00.002-05:00

Every night my dog barks at something in the darkness in the backyard. She freaks- there's definitely something out there that makes her furious. Jesse always tells me to look out there with a flashlight, but that seems freaky to me.

During my mom's visit (that was far too emotional when we said goodbye at the airport- Maximus crying hysterically and calling for Gamma Barth even 20 minutes after she left, thus making me cry like a baby...yeah, my parents are pretty addicting when they visit because we have withdrawals when they depart)...back to what I was saying: During my mom's visit, she was in the livingroom at night and heard something right next to the open window she was near. She was terrified. So terrified that she bent down to reach up and close the window above her. She didn't want whatever it was to see her and you know, attack her through the window. (Sorry mom, that was a hilarious one and I would have done the SAME thing). The next morning I saw a moose on my run. He was the Ptarmigan Moose, not the Willowbrook one though. (Each neighborhood here has a family of moose)

Tonight I heard Jackie barking at "the thing" at 10pm, like usual. I was upstairs in our bedroom and I walked to the upper patio and turned the light off. I stepped out and leaned over the hot tub and waited for my eyes to adjust to the darkness. After several minutes, I heard the moose noise. They just exhale loudly, no grunt, nothing. Just a weird breath. Then I saw "it" (not sure if it was a female or male) and you know, I guess I never realized how big a moose is until I saw it standing on one side of the fence and my 14lb Jack Russell Terrier on the other side. I only saw the ridge of it's back as it walked along the back side of our backyard.

It's funny to me. It's also so fascinating. My neighbor told me she saw "the big guy" near the freeway eating some grass today. Our landlord stopped by today (he is the BEST landlord ever. So nice, chill and loves that we love his house) and said the mother moose, "teenager" moose and father moose stop by his yard a few times a week. They're cool yet ugly creatures. I'm still amazed that I live in their territory and they feel so comfortable roaming around.

Nick Jr.

2011-06-09T21:19:00.003-05:00

I know my opinion on this isn't mainstream, because Nick Jr is one of the biggest channels for little kids. Nearly every parent has it on for their 2-7 year old. "Nick Junior- it's like preschool on tv" is their slogan.

Maximus would watch the channel Nick Jr once in a while. He really likes "Dora the Explorer" and "The Upside Down Show". I will no longer allow him to watch the insanely popular show "Yo Gabba Gabba" because it's SO stimulating! What 3 year old (or even younger) needs that much stimulation?! It makes me antsy.

I was talking to Maximus' teacher about tv in general. She said that young children are often over stimulated by television and can benefit the MOST from age appropriate toys or being outside. Now, when she mentioned being outside- she said not some little plastic playground that lacks natural grass, trees, etc., she means outside in the yard making up things to play with what's available. It not only helps a child problem solve, it's soothing, nurturing, healthy, his imagine and sense of wonder will thrive, and simple "outdoor play" reduces struggle, conflict and worry with little ones. She said simple wooden blocks can inspire creativity much better than any show can.

I really feel that Maximus needs to only watch an hour or less a day. We live in a house where the tv is NOT on during the day. Don't get me wrong, Maximus used to watch Nick Jr frequently, but the last few times I watched it, I was unimpressed. It's nothing like "preschool on tv". Nick Jr and mindless cartoons aren't needed for a little one. It's weird watching Maximus so zoned out when he watches cartoons. Lately, if he does watch tv, he watches National Geographic or the Science Channel. Turn off the tv and go outside!

Ice Bath

2011-06-08T18:04:00.001-05:00

Maximus thought it was cool to fill his dump truck with ice and water and have Grandma Barch hold his feet in it. This has been such a fun time having her! I want her to stay.

Fishing!

2011-06-07T23:10:00.007-05:00

I love our neighborhood. It's beautiful, the people are beyond friendly, everyone keeps their yard nice, the dogs and kids run free, there's a creek, wild animals, beautiful homes, beautiful scenery AND a kid fishing pond! Winning!

The pond is stocked with trout each June. Maximus has a fishing pole. His parents both like to fish. We were all over that in a heartbeat. Jesse came home from work so he, Maximus, my mother (who is visiting...yeah!) and I went to the sporting goods store and got him his first little fishing tackle box. And the excitement begins.

Jesse showed Maximus what he was doing. Maximus was excited.
Jesse cast the line out into the pond. Maximus can cast accurately and we were impressed that he was only 3 and casting better than kids twice his age. But although Jesse and I encourage Maximus to do extreme sports, we agreed him casting a real hook wasn't an option. He's three, dude. Jesse threw it out and we all...waited. And waited. And waited.

Jesse and Maximus moved to a different part of the pond and WHAM! Maximus caught a fish. Me saying 'he was so excited' is an understatement. Then another. And another. AND ANOTHER.

By the end of the evening, Maximus had caught four trout and two additional fish got away. Not bad for his first time fishing. Maximus said the ones that swam away were the "sneaky fish". I'm glad we live less than a block away from the pond so this little boy can go fishing whenever he wants. I'm so glad my mom was able to see the excitement and joy of her grandson's first catch. What a great evening. I love family.

Link to the cute video of him catching his fish:
http://vimeo.com/24809530

Have I Mentioned I LOVE Living here?!

2011-06-02T23:44:00.006-05:00

The snow has melted (and caused Denver mega flooding issues), the biking trails are clear and dry, everyone is out riding or running. Everyone is happy to live up here. I demand that each night after dinner, we ride on trails. So much fun.

Maximus and one of his teachers, Miss Kathy. He loves her, Miss Candace and his speech pathologist- Miss Kirsten. So sad today was his last day. The other parents and I had a big healthy breakfast and I met with his speech pathologist about his improvement. He needs to be tested for his IQ because she believes (and us too) that he is incredibly intelligent. Go Maximus!
We went riding last night. We found a trail that is cleared of snow and tackled it. Such fun living in a place with so much mountain biking!

Hahahahahahahaha! This photo was posted on Bolder Boulder's website. I can't believe how exhausted I look. It was only 6 miles! Tomorrow I do TWELVE! I must mention Maximus' other teacher, Miss Candace, who has offered to hang out with and watch Maximus during my long run tomorrow. What a gal. SO many sweet people up here! Can't wait for the family who will be visiting us this summer to meet them. And stoked to see Grandma Barch THIS Sunday!!!

2011-05-31T15:51:00.001-05:00

Although he's on the go, is potty trained, goes to school, can snowboard and ride a bike...my Maximus still reminds me of when he was a baby when he sleeps. I love the sound of him breathing.

Yeah! Family!

2011-05-30T23:12:00.004-05:00

Me: Um, do you think you could shave Goog (dog, Jackie) before my mom visits? She's so cute when she's trimmed.

Jesse: Yep, sure thing.

Me: Thanks. You're a really good Googoo shaver.

Phone rings. My mother! She says she's flying in THIS Sunday. I laughed, cheered and nearly threw the phone. Maximus spoke to her and when she said she was coming to see him, his face softened, he smiled and said, "okay gamma Barth (Barch)". The smiles spread across my face, Jesse's and Maximus'.

Yeah! I love the fact that she can't wait until August to see him and wants to come now. Just like my father. I love when both sides of our little family visit! We're excited to see Jesse's brother, Fletcher and his hot gal, Laura, over the 4th of July. We love when they visit us. Hopefully Jesse and Fletch can teach Maximus to fish. (Maybe Laura and I will go shopping?) We were excited to have his other brother, DJ, visit us a couple weeks ago. And we're excited to have my entire family in August- my brother's side, my sister's side and my parents. Tons of cousins and epic family. Let the grilling and good times begin! I love living in a place where almost everyone wants to visit us! Yeah! Feeling the family love! We are SO excited!

Bolder Boulder!

2011-05-30T19:39:00.004-05:00

I ran my race today! It was SO MUCH FUN! I'm so hooked and I cannot wait for my marathon. I seriously want to run a 10K every weekend, it was insanely fun. The crowd was nuts. Some of the other runners were nuts. I ran with 4 dudes dressed head to toe in Teletubby costumes. The course went through downtown and through residential streets. It seemed that nearly all the homes I passed had people on the front lawn cheering us on. They didn't stop there- some had slip and slides, one was throwing marshmallows at us, many had their hose out and sprayed us, one had about 10 people with bowls of Doritios shoving them at us. I passed a frat house and they handed me water, so I thought, and it was beer! I flew on this run. It was at 4,000 feet lower than what I train at, so I felt great. I remember sprinting down a hill with the intent of passing these other tall and thin girls (yeah, I'm THAT vain) and as I flew past them, some dude in the crowd screams, "go tattooed girl! GOOOO!" When we came up the hill into the stadium, we could hear the crowd going nuts. When you enter the stadium...I'm not gonna lie...it felt GREAT. People were leaning over the guard rails with their hands out cheering and telling you to run. Passing the finish line was even better. I know it was just a 10K, but Bolder Boulder is one of the biggest 10K's in the country and man, it was SO MUCH FUN!!!

Check out my fly shoes...I love these things. They might just be the only shoe on the planet that will work for me.

Maximus and me in the lot before taking off. Geez, it took us forever to find parking.

Me getting amped for the race. I ended up throwing those gloves in the trash about halfway.

A cow decided it wanted to stretch with me.

I'm at the very front of the start line, to the very far right. There were over 200 people in my wave. We heard there were over 50,000 people running in the race. I was slow, but I DID manage to score within the top third of all women and my age group!

Jesse snapped this moments after finishing when I was talking to Maximus.

Birthday Party and Boulder

2011-05-29T20:40:00.002-05:00

Yesterday Maximus' buddy, Kohl, had a birthday party. All his little friends went to the pool and swam and had a good time.

Maximus and his little girlfriend (depending on the day), Sarah. They climbed to the very top of the big slide and went down all by themselves!

Maximus is so close with his buddies. It will be hard for him next year when a few move onto kindergarten. All the parents of his classmates are so friendly too! I love chatting with them and I'm looking forward to spending time with them during the summer. Have I mentioned we love it here?!

After the party, we went to Boulder to pick up my race packet and check out the city. We got there and we both said, "this is so us." Wow, Boulder is not only beautiful, it's a great size, it's filled with bikes, the people were super nice and chill and there was so much to do. We walked through the sport expo, went to lunch, played, chatted with people, it was fun.

Check out my name under the numbers on my race number. Stacor! I race tomorrow. When I first heard about the 10k, I thought running over 6 miles seemed terrifying. Now, I'm not even worried about it. I do 10 and 12 mile runs twice a week and they'll increase over the summer, so I know it's not hard. While we were in Boulder, Jesse suggested I register for my marathon in October in a booth. We'd get a huge discount if I did, so I did! When I hit "confirm", I cried. I'm going to do something I never thought I could and it feels liberating to work toward a goal! And thank you to my family, friends and my wonderful man for all the love and support.

Preschool Scholar

2011-05-27T19:20:00.003-05:00

Today Maximus had a little graduation ceremony for his classmates in preschool. Although he's only three and isn't going to kindergarten next year, he and the other young ones were included. It was cute- the class stood and sang songs and then went one by one to receive their diploma. Maximus got nervous and totally refused to stand in front of the room, so he sat on my lap the entire time. Hopefully next year he'll do it. (I was prepared with the camcorder too!)

This was the closest he got to the front. I don't get it- he's the class clown and is so close with his buddies. He must have gotten stage fright. But you can see Marcello, Yaretsky, Javy, Marilyn, Kohl, Christian and Jeremiah. I can't believe how quickly he's growing up!

Catching Up

2011-05-22T19:45:00.004-05:00

Since this blog isn't JUST about Maximus, I decided to write a little about what's been going on with the rest of us lately. Pretty much we live boring lives of training athletes, but we do have somewhat of a life.

Jesse raced both Saturday and Sunday of this weekend in Salida, CO- about an hour and a half away. I've been battling a nasty cold, so Maximus and I stayed home. I hate missing Jesse's races. I'm his biggest cheerleader! He did better today but hurt his leg. He's glad he raced and it looks like this year will be similar to last- doing well in the races at the beginning of the season and then rocking them and winning them toward the end. I love that he races. Besides racing, he's doing great. He has his little personal bike mechanic shop set up in the basement and has been working on people's bikes, including that of a pro snowboarder! (He even beat Shawn White!) Here's Maximus checking out pops' racing wound.

I made some delightful and nutritious homemade chicken and whole wheat noodle soup for my cold and a worn out Jesse today. It hit the spot.

While Jesse was in Salida, Maximus and I hung out. Yesterday was a bit hard until we both took a 3 hour nap. Today I took Maximus and our bikes and went out. We rode the paved trail and I also took him on some single track through the woods. For a 3 year old, he did incredibly well!

I always tell my mom about the herd of 20 or so elk that live in our neighborhood. They are often out in the main field grazing. Many afternoons when I drive past, I notice them just laying down soaking up the sun. Jesse thinks I'm lame for thinking they are so cool, but they are! Click on the picture below to see them better.

Our dog, Jackie, is still doing okay. She's old and losing her mind. I found her Friday night at 11:30pm in the dark kitchen staring into the darkness. I called her name and after a moment, she snapped out of it and looked at me. I carried her upstairs and put her to bed. However, this evening I was able to get her out on a nice walk and she acted as herself again. We even ran into moose poop!

My Aunt Alice recently passed at age 90 and it hit me pretty hard. She was my grandmothers sister and the only one of the siblings left. She lived such a wonderful life and left comfortably. I'll never forget the fun I used to have shopping with her and my grandmother when I was a kid. I've learned that the memories are truly what you clutch to.

I'm spending most of my time marathon training. I train while Maximus is in school and the other day I ran 8.17 miles without stopping. My weeks are filled with shorter 3, 4, 6 mile runs and I do a 10 miler this next weekend. The miles increase at the weekends until I run 20 miles 2 times before my marathon in October. I know I can do it, even with the damage to my bones from rheumatoid arthritis. I want to run this before I start harsh treatment that will make me feel sick. I am so grateful that Jesse is as supportive as he is. I love that we have a relationship where we encourage each other. I'm excited to have my parents be present at the marathon. I pretty much run, make and sell the burritos/sack lunches, do housework, make nutritious meals for my family and pass out at bedtime. It's fun and I love it.

Other than that, we love living up here. We're excited to have family and friends always visiting and we love that we've made friends so quickly. We miss Lincoln and the wonderful relationships we have there and we miss Salt Lake City as well. The plan is still to return to Salt Lake and it's looking more and more like it as time goes on. We love our dear little family and we're comfortable and happy. I know we're not old, but as we grow older together, we have established ethics and a lifestyle that are great for us. It just works!

Dacing in Underpants

2011-05-20T08:27:00.002-05:00

Jesse has part of our basement as his personal bike mechanic shop and he works on people's bikes. Maximus and I love hanging out down there with him and here's Maximus the other night.

Our Neighborhood

2011-05-18T19:35:00.003-05:00

Yesterday afternoon Maximus and I cruised around our neighborhood. I realized how cool it is. I love that there are ponds, streams, trails, the woods and wild animals in it...until all the bears wake up and eat us. We found this trail that cuts behind some homes about 50 yards away from our house. He thinks it's cool to ride his bike on it and go over the rocks like a "big mountain bike racer guy like pops". Our neighborhood is seriously the best place to raise a 3 year old boy. We love it.

He stopped to throw rocks in a stream. He also grabbed a large stick and told me to go home because he was too busy fishing.

Here's the fishing pond that sits next to a play ground and a couple tennis courts. It will be stocked with fish in the middle of June. Look at the view!

He went out into the bushes to find bears. It's hard to tell when he's using his imagination or if he's being serious.

And there's a baseball field here too! He ran around the bases with Jackie for a long time.

EAT

2011-05-18T12:00:00.002-05:00

Large bowl of plain oatmeal
2 scrambled eggs
granola
milk
banana
2 cups green juice
half of my protein shake
peanut butter on 2 slices of super heavy 9 grain bread
whole wheat crackers
apple
1 slice of bacon
veggie burger
black olives
large bowl of cereal

...this was ALL consumed by Maximus yesterday. He's three. He ate more than me, and I'm consuming more food because I'm training for a marathon. Dude. When we got to school this morning, he went into the bathroom and sat for 15 minutes, pooping. His poor buddy, Jeremiah, sat outside the bathroom doing his "pee pee dance" because he had to go so bad. I'm constantly shocked at how much a little person can consume.

Sun Spot

2011-05-16T12:00:00.003-05:00

I grabbed my coffee this morning and walked into the living room and noticed Maximus and Goog, lounging in the sun spot. The nice and calm moment quickly turned sour when Maximus moved closer to Jackie as she slept. No one messes with her when she's asleep. That old lady will snap. (She's missing most of her teeth anyway)

Goog

2011-05-13T23:53:00.003-05:00

My dog has a million names: Jacqueline Margo, Jackie, Yack, Old Lady, Googoo, Goog, Idiot, etc. The name we use most for her is Googoo or goog.

I don't know her age. When I rescued her seven years ago, the veterinarian thought she was seven...making her fourteen now. Who knows. All I know is she was beat in the face from her previous owners. She hasn't slowed down much, she just sleeps a little longer after a long walk or short run. She still does her ridiculous "sprints" when Jesse gets home and when I get her going. I have noticed she can't run with me very much anymore...it could be that she's aging or that I'm training for a marathon.

Lately, Goog has been...off. When I look at her, her eyes are a bit lost. I walked her this morning, stopped at the pond to talk to her and when she looked at me, she looked right through me. She's so active and healthy, but she sometimes will walk into a corner of a room and not know what to do. Lately she'll forget to use her doggy door. Sometimes she stands outside in the snow or rain and bark to come in...as she stands next to her doggy door. She won't get up to greet me when I come in, but she still sleeps in my dirty running clothes as I shower in the bathroom- the bond we've always had.

My dear friend Sarah emailed me an article about dogs with dementia. Goog falls into 8 out of 10 signs. Yeah, I should take her to a doctor, but it's sad to see. As I type this, she sleeps under her favorite blanket next to me. When I go upstairs to bed, she will stay on the couch, come upstairs in an hour and sleep in her pillow box next to Jesse, sleep the night, wake when Jesse wakes, come back upstairs until I wake, then spend the rest of her day between the sofa and the deck outside.

I love my dog. She's my first born. I honestly expect her to live forever. She's Maximus' sibling. They play their weird games every evening. Seeing her behave differently is sad. At least she knows I love her.

Mothers Day

2011-05-09T11:24:00.005-05:00

I am so glad I'm Maximus' mom! And Jesse's partner! I have the best little family ever and I couldn't be happier. My kid is super cool, my man is dreamy, life's good.

The weather we've had here for the last week has been unreal. I mean, I wouldn't want to be anywhere else in the world. It is PERFECT. It only gets to about 70, but there isn't a cloud in the sky, so the sun at 9,000ft makes it feel like 90. I got sunburned pretty bad and it hurt for one day, and now I'm all tan and happy. Saturday morning I went for a 6 mile run (and broke my time record!) and I realized I CAN run a marathon. My training has been such an emotional boost.

Anyway, on Mothers Day, all I wanted to do was be with my guys. Jesse brought me coffee in bed and I sat there with a sleeping Maximus for over an hour. Loved it! Jesse went for a long bike ride and I know this sounds lame, but I wanted to get laundry and housework done alone while he was gone and Maximus slept in late. Doing housework and getting my house clean for us actually makes me happy. I feel gross when it's dirty and cluttered with stuff. So, I was honestly delighted to do a few things alone, but when Jesse found out, he was like, "you're not supposed to do anything like that today! Let me!" No, sorry. Then I secretly swept the kitchen floor as he showered!

After we got ready, I wanted to go for a hike. We found a great 2 mile trail and took off. Jesse even taught Maximus how to pee in the woods! Maximus exclaimed, "ik (it) bubbles!" After the hike I was dying for my favorite restaurant- The Boathouse- for a hummus plate and eating out on the patio with a view of all the mountains. We enjoyed that, strolled around Main Street, did a little shopping, I rode my bike around the neighborhood jumping curbs alone, chilled with my guys, LOVED MY DAY.

Horrible view, eh?

Maximus is happiest running through the woods.

I got the hummus I wanted!

Jesse raced Saturday and here's Maximus winning.

Cute little video of Maximus:

Sous Chef Maximus

2011-05-03T10:57:00.001-05:00

Sous Chef Maximus from Stacey Barch on Vimeo.

Our Easter

2011-04-29T18:51:00.005-05:00

What a great day! We woke up to this:

The day prior, Maximus colored some eggs and made a little hanging circle Easter craft.

The Easter bunny enjoyed hiding eggs in the snow!

I found out my dear friend, Heather, was going to be in Denver during Easter weekend. I was SO excited to see her. The last time I saw her was when Maximus was 13 weeks old. She's one of my closest friends- we met as roommates in college and have been best buds ever since. We've been through a lot together and once we saw each other, we were back to our gutter humor, tears and hugs within seconds. She was in love with Maximus. She couldn't believe a 3 year old could be so personable and friendly. She held him close, told him she loved him and kept kissing him. He was in love with her too.

And he loved Heather's husband, Cleon. Oh man, they even danced in the restaurant!
He also loved Heather's niece!

As I hung out with Heather, Jesse went and rode his bike. He rode a great mountain singletrack trail, then I forgot to pick him up so he ended up riding 47 miles around Denver. In the rain. Then got lost because there are two Wadsworth Streets and we couldn't find him. 47 miles later, I located a tired and wet Jesse.

The drive back up the mountain to our home.

It actually was a great Easter. Maximus really enjoyed finding coins, raisins, dinosaurs and finger puppets in plastic eggs hidden in the snow. Jesse got a great ride and I saw my dear. We all slept like rocks that night.

Strider Model

2011-04-26T12:03:00.003-05:00

Click on the picture to see it up close. That's my kid, Maximus as the Strider poster child at the bike shop- Bike Pedalers. When our business partner sent me the picture, it brought tears to my eyes. What a stud. And oh, how I miss Lincoln sometimes...

Working with Kirsten

2011-04-23T00:02:00.002-05:00

This video may not seem particularly interesting to most people, but it is to parents of children who have speech delays. Maximus LOVES his speech pathologist, Kirsten, and he excels when working with her. His buddy, Parker, doesn't speak very much at all and has never combined two words together, but can say single words very clear. They work well together because Maximus talks non stop and most people can't understand him, and Parker rarely speaks but is usually understood with single syllable words. In the video you can see Maximus saying things that are a HUGE improvement and Parker sounding out the first sound. "Bike" was "gike" until a couple weeks ago and we have yet to say the word "dog". I cannot express how much I adore Kirsten. She's full of energy, loves the outdoors, buys Maximus healthy crackers out of her own pocket and is a great match with him and us.

Hair and Goggles

2011-04-22T15:12:00.002-05:00

Look at this hair! No wonder women come up and pet him at the store.

We got him some goggles. He thinks they're the coolest things on the planet. A much needed accessory for the Sharkimus.

Niner Jet 9

2011-04-20T11:35:00.001-05:00

How to impress your woman:
Come home from work and tell her you ordered her the Niner Jet 9 full suspension frame and Rockshox Reba XX fork.

I can't wait. What a guy.

Fits

2011-04-19T14:08:00.003-05:00

This morning I woke up to this:
I think it's beautiful! Anyway, Maximus and I had a great morning together before I took him to school. He giggled as I got him dressed, ate his oatmeal with his Scentsy monkey "Molly", drank a protein shake with me and we sang on the way to school. He was such a buddy. Look at his beautiful hair, I cut the bangs out of his eyes. Jesse wants the entire thing trimmed and frankly, I think he's daft.
When I picked up Maximus from school, he had that "look". I knew he was about to be a total butt face. His teacher told me he was good, but he was a little feisty. He ran out of his classroom and into the boys' restroom and screamed. Like, that super loud scream that makes your ears pop off your head. I bolted straight in and picked him up and all hell broke loose. I carried him out of the school screaming, kicking and slapping. I felt so bad that he disturbed the other classes! He threw his fit nonstop during the drive and for 45 minutes at home. I don't let him throw fits around the house, so he has to stay in his room until he's calm, says he's sorry and can tell me why he was put in his room in the first place. Dude, that took forever. He screamed in his room, threw books, kicked the door, even tried to pick up his bed to tip it over. Seriously, kid? He held onto the train conductor hat my parents brought to him when we lived in Lincoln. I made him clean up his mess and told him to lay down with the hat and he did. He fell asleep within seconds holding the hat. Geez...I was seriously beginning to think he was possessed. Worst fit ever!

Ants!

2011-04-18T11:30:00.002-05:00

Maximus (left) eating pineapple because he didn't want birthday cake. Success!

Maximus went to his buddy Bryon's 4th birthday party yesterday. It was fun! All his buddies from school were there and he had a blast playing with them. One of the funniest things I've heard from Maximus came out at the party. One of the games they played was to eat a pudding pie thing as fast as they could only using their face. Maximus didn't want to play because he thought the chocolate sprinkles on the pies were ANTS! Everyone thought it was a hoot.

During the party, Jesse and I couldn't believe how much candy and sugar was around. Like, each reward was sugar. Don't think we were there telling him "no" and taking candy out of his hands. Not at all. We were impressed with our 3 year old for making decisions on his own! He didn't want any pudding, he didn't eat any candy because he was too busy with balloons and he refused birthday cake when he was asked if he wanted any. We were so proud of him! They did play a game with marshmallows and he ate a few before we left and became a total spaz after. I know I sound like a broken record, but each time we allow him to eat junk sugar like that, he acts out! It's like we poured him a Pepsi and handed him a Pixi Stick and white bread. Once we got home and gave him some real food, he was Maximus again.

When he plays with his friends from school, it's adorable. I can't wait for his birthday to have them all over.

26.2 Miles

2011-04-16T14:55:00.002-05:00

I've been running a lot lately. I love it. I'm training for a half marathon in June. It's not a huge event, I'm going to run from Copper Mountain to our town on the paved trails. Jesse will pull Maximus behind his bike and supply me with support and water.

After the half marathon, I'll be training for...do I dare say it? A marathon. Like, a full one. It's October 9th in Denver and with my weekly trainings, I should be ready for it. My only goal is to finish the thing. I don't care if I'm fast and I'll probably cross the finish line like this guy:
I figured I should do something cool during my 30th year of life. Here's to the next 6 months of intense training!

Easter Goodies

2011-04-16T13:23:00.006-05:00

Since candy and junk isn't a part of our lifestyle, I have found little creative cool things to put in plastic Easter eggs for Maximus. Plus, I took him to the dentist last week and I can proudly say NO CAVITIES FOR MAXIMUS! Anyway, finger puppets are a total hit! I'm also using coins (Maximus is a money junkie), marbles, sidewalk chalk, Micro Machine cars, Legos and this one might sound lame...little rocks. Rocks...aye...every time I do a load of Maximus' clothes in the wash, I ALWAYS find a load of rocks in his pockets. Annoys me, but he loves his rocks.

We're going to hide hard boiled eggs and plastic ones all over our yard. We might have the best yard for it- we still have a snow drift in the front (perfect!), a large rock planter with landscaping that lines the backyard, about 20 trees, 2 decks with stairs and just a ton of space. I love this place. Pictures of Easter will follow!

Googoo the Warrior

2011-04-08T11:56:00.003-05:00

I took Goog running this morning and she amazes me. We ran over 4 miles and the terrain was very steep for the first half. She kept up the entire time. She even fell in a creek over her head and was able to climb out. For an old dog, she does well.

Spring!

2011-04-07T16:43:00.002-05:00

Look what's coming up in the yard! The aspen trees are sprouting little furry things too. What a relief after a harsh winter.

3 Year Old Boys

2011-04-03T13:31:00.002-05:00

These two had a blast playing the other day. They are insane. Once, they were really quiet upstairs and when I checked on them, they had found 2 dodos that Maximus hid and were sitting on the bed together sucking on them and watching cartoons. So cute.

Mountain Boy

2011-04-02T19:16:00.002-05:00

First off, I just took Maximus to the Spring Carnival. I told him about all the fun things to do, all his friends would be there, he'd win prizes and it'd be epic fun. We got there, I bought a boatload of tickets, he saw a clown and wigged out. We left in less than 20 minutes. I selfishly was looking forward to socializing! Boo. Now we're going swimming instead.

I took this picture today. Maximus and I rode our bikes to the Blue River that runs through our town and played. He told all the fishermen "nice fishing guy!" and he threw rocks into the water. We have these beautiful trails that run alongside the river and all through town. This is one of the prettiest places I've even been to and I get to live here! Look at this stud:

We stopped on a bridge and I tried to get a good picture of us, but Maximus is three:

Jesse's mom sent Maximus a care package with cool little things inside of it, so I put them all on the bed and waited for him to wake up. They sat there for a while!

Potty trained champion!

Just Maximus and Mama

2011-04-02T09:50:00.003-05:00

This weekend Jesse is in Nebraska doing bike stuff, so it's just Maximus and Mama. We have a lot of fun things planned to keep us busy. The weather is gorgeous too! We're starting things off right with some whole wheat pancakes and a greenish smoothie!

Pooping in the Potty is EPIC!

2011-03-30T17:07:00.003-05:00

We did it. Maximus is about 90% potty trained and yes, HE POOPS IN THE POTTY. We can't believe it.

The poop thing was really hard. One night during dinner, he got up and pooped in the toilet. We were like, "did that just happen?" For the next couple of days, he'd wait until the last minute and go. He was holding a lot of it in.

Today. Oh boy. Today when I picked him up from school, he told me his tummy hurt. We got home and he went 3 times in 15 minutes. Then...he sat on the toilet for a half hour getting 3 days worth out. Oh geez. Hopefully he's totally comfortable and won't hold it.

Poop is a really big deal to us now. I had no idea it could nearly consume your day, your conversations, even your thoughts. Part of being a parent. But hooray! Now he won't be the only snowboarder on the mountain wearing a diaper.

Potty Training an Epic Child

2011-03-28T11:47:00.002-05:00

A few days ago, Jesse and I had it with diapers. We decided no more, except at night. Maximus can snowboard, so HE HAS TO LEARN TO PEE AND POOP IN THE POTTY.

He can pee in the potty. He's got that down for the most part. If he's busy having fun, he'll forget and go in his pants and we expected that. No biggie. One of the biggest challenges I've ever faced in my freaking life is getting through to him that he needs to poop in the potty. He's totally fine with going in his underpants!

Saturday was awful. Maximus and I stayed home when Jesse went snowboarding and my plan was to follow him around and ask him every 20 minutes to go potty. He did great with the pee. Only one accident. However, the poop thing was insane. The first time he stood by the fireplace and had that "look" on his face. I asked him if I could look in his underpants and he freaked. I looked and he said, "me poop mom". I'm using patience that I never knew I had, so I calmly walked him into the bathroom, dumped his poop in the potty and flushed it. Seriously, 20 minutes later we were upstairs and he ran out of the room yelling, "no me need uh (to) poop". He ran down stairs, stood in the corner and dropped a softball sized duke in his underpants.

I'm like, COME ON DUDE!!!

Yesterday he peed at home and after we got to the Levi outlet store, he hid in a rack of clothes and pooped.

How do I get him over the comfort of pooping in his underpants?! I bribe him, nothing. I tell him it makes me sad, nothing. He sees me gag and tells me not to gag, nothing. I literally sat on the bathroom floor crying Saturday, nothing.

He can snowboard, swim, ride a bike, catch and kick a ball better than any of the other kids in his class, hit a ball right out of the air, play hockey accurately, but why can't he poop in the potty?! Can you tell I'm frustrated? I need suggestions. Please deal with my frustrated blog posts because it's my only outlet as I'm remaining calm in front of Maximus as I'm freaking out inside.

Covered

2011-03-28T10:05:00.001-05:00

Remember last week when I was so excited to see our backyard? We got 14 inches last night.

Smoking

2011-03-28T00:13:00.004-05:00

I smoked for a few years. I started during chemotherapy as a coping mechanism...pathetic, I know. When I found out I was pregnant, I quit cold turkey because it was one simple selfless thing I could do for the health of my Maximus. After he was born and I smelled cigarette smoke, I wanted to try it again...just a little bit. And I did, just a few a year, every now and then.

I started working out and made it a HUGE part of my life for the last couple of years. I no longer have a desire for it and frankly, it disgusts me. I don't even want my child to see anyone smoking. Our guests this weekend smoke a bit. They are polite and respectful and keep it primarily hidden from Maximus, which I am so thankful for. They hide in the backyard and respect our lifestyle. Tonight I walked by the kitchen table and noticed a pack of Camel's on it and was very proud that I was kind of grossed out. I used to think they smelled good, but no...not anymore. Yeah, I'm patting myself on my back that I no longer have that addiction.

I'm writing this because I'm proud of myself! I used to LOVE smoking, especially with alcohol, and now...now I rarely drink and I think cig's are GROSS! I know of the damage they can cause and I'm glad Jesse and I have removed them from our life.

Like with many of my opinionated blog posts, I'm going to get some nasty remarks and comments behind my back. I don't care. I've been on both sides of the fence and I have a valid reason.

Avalanche!

2011-03-26T18:31:00.001-05:00

See the sections on the mountain where it's just snow and very little trees? That's avalanche damage. Pretty cool, eh?

"Sumies"

2011-03-23T22:42:00.001-05:00

When Maximus wakes up from his nap, he asks for a "sumie" (smoothie). I'm always happy to put a bunch of healthy green stuff in a blender for him. The picture is when he got a brain freeze from drinking it too fast.

More Yard!

2011-03-20T14:39:00.001-05:00

Here's more of our yard I've never seen before! Look how weird the snow is melting...

Mountain Goat

2011-03-18T11:50:00.001-05:00

I walked past the kitchen door and saw Goog standing on her hill like the mountain goats here.

Our Yard!

2011-03-16T16:27:00.001-05:00

We moved here in December and I've never seen our yard without five feet of snow. Look what I discovered today- another patio and a walkway!

Altered Kid

2011-03-16T11:13:00.004-05:00

Yesterday Maximus had a hard time leaving my side to stay at preschool. 95% of the time he's like, "gye mom!" (bye mom) and runs off. But for some reason, he didn't want to stay at school. His speech pathologist, Kirsten, walked into the room and he perked up. Maximus, Kirsten and I went into her office and he noticed some stickers and a bag of Cheez It Duos on her desk. He asked if he could have some and since he was having a hard time, I was to the point where anything would help. Anyway, when I picked up my suddenly happy Maximus later that day, I found out he ate the entire bag of the crackers. Typically when we eat a little off like that, I'll make sure we eat very healthy for the rest of the day.

Now, you're like, what's the big deal? They're crackers...sort of: ENRICHED FLOUR (WHEAT FLOUR, NIACIN, REDUCED IRON, THIAMIN MONONITRATE [VITAMIN B1], RIBOFLAVIN [VITAMIN B2], FOLIC ACID), SOYBEAN AND PALM OIL WITH TBHQ FOR FRESHNESS, SKIM MILK CHEESE (SKIM MILK, WHEY PROTEIN, CHEESE CULTURES, SALT, ENZYMES, ANNATTO COLOR), WHITE CHEDDAR CHEESE (MILK, CHEESE CULTURES, SALT, ENZYMES), CONTAINS TWO PERCENT OR LESS OF SALT, WHEY, BUTTERMILK, PAPRIKA, CHEDDAR AND MONTEREY JACK CHEESE (MILK, CHEESE CULTURES, SALT, ENZYMES), MONOSODIUM GLUTAMATE, PARMESAN CHEESE (PART-SKIM MILK, CHEESE CULTURES, SALT, ENZYMES), CULTURED NONFAT MILK, LEAVENING (YEAST, BAKING SODA), GARLIC, TOMATO, SUGAR, NATURAL AND ARTIFICIAL FLAVORS, ONION, CORN SYRUP SOLIDS, SPICES, MALIC ACID, ANNATTO COLOR, SODIUM CASEINATE, AUTOLYZED YEAST EXTRACT, PAPRIKA OLEORESIN, DISODIUM INOSINATE, DISODIUM GUANYLATE, CITRIC ACID, SODIUM PHOSPHATE, PARSLEY, TURMERIC EXTRACT FOR COLOR, YELLOW #6, YELLOW #5, SODIUM STEAROYL LACTYLATE, POLYSORBATE 80, SOY LECITHIN.

When you don't have certain things in your diet and you consume a load of crap crackers like that, it's going to affect your mood. Maximus spent the rest of the day as, well...a total butt hole. He refused to eat ANYTHING else and begged for more of the florescent orange crackers. I would have allowed him to have a few more if he ate other things, but he refused. I stuck to my guns and didn't give in. Holy cow, the fits that Jesse and I witnessed last night were something I've never seen. We talked about how easily affected our kid is when a wrench is thrown into his routine. This is the second time where he's gone off the deep end when his diet was changed.

Typically I only write about food and health on my food blog because it really irritates certain people. But yesterday was a total "ah ha!" moment as a mom. Today he woke up, ate a large bowl of slow cooked plain oatmeal and drank his healthy green juice and went to school as a saint.

Coffee and a View

2011-03-15T08:23:00.001-05:00

Enjoying my coffee and the epic views from my house this morning...

Look What my Phone Can Do!

2011-03-13T12:29:00.001-05:00

Better

2011-03-13T12:04:00.001-05:00

Poor Maximus was super, duper sick over the last week. So sick toat he was literally passing out in the doctor's office. He's about 90% better today and man, it's good to have him back!

A lesson to parents: do NOT send your kids to school sick!

I'm blogging from my new phone!

2011-03-12T22:42:00.001-06:00

Yes...I am. Welcome to a new world of blogging!
More to come...

Little Athlete

2011-03-07T11:09:00.002-06:00

When Maximus was a baby, I used to dress him in those onesies that had little basketballs on them that read, "Little MVP" or "Future All Star". They must have worked- our kid is all about sports and being active.

The other day in preschool, Maximus and a buddy were playing catch. Maximus kept throwing the ball to his friend, who wasn't able to catch it very well. Finally Maximus goes, "Caak uh ball!" (Catch the ball) and his teacher had to explain to him that most kids his age aren't the best at catching the ball. Maximus' gross and fine motor skills are off the chart. I loved saying that I could swim, play catch and ride bikes with my 2 year old.

Yesterday as I worked out, Jesse and Maximus played basketball in the gym. Maximus was all excited- he put his basketball in Jesse's gym bag, wore his new Air Jordan basketball shoes and his Air Jordan sweatband. Each time I ran a lap, I could see them down below on the court shooting hoops. Maximus literally sprinted and dribbled the ball the entire time. He was one happy kid. As my mom says, "he's such a jock."

"Pops Guck in Kaffic"

2011-03-07T11:01:00.002-06:00

The other evening, it was snowing pretty hard. Vail pass shut down and there was a ton of traffic from Copper Mountain to our house and Jesse was stuck in the middle of it. Jesse could never live in Los Angeles- he absolutely wigs out in traffic.

Maximus decided to paint a picture of Jesse stuck in traffic. He calls it "Pops guck in kaffic."

Visit From Papa Barch

2011-03-01T21:08:00.002-06:00

Thank you, dad for visiting. It honestly was one of the best times of my life.

I love and miss my parents very much. I delight when they visit and this last weekend my father came up to see the snow, us and his 3 year old grandson. Let me start off with publicly thanking him for taking over my role during his visit. I never once gave Maximus a bath or put him to bed. My dad politely pushed me aside and enjoyed the routine things I do as a mom. Maximus was all about Papa Barch this weekend and was his little redheaded Velcro. At night he clung to my dad and my dad slept and got kicked in the face by traveling Maximus.

When we dropped off my dad at the airport yesterday, Maximus lost it in a way I've never seen. It's like he was hurt when he realized Papa Barch was leaving. He screamed and threw a giant fit, which made me cry. We shopped around for a bit until we both felt a little better. All day today Maximus asked, "when Papa Barch come my house?" He pointed out the snow mounds that he and Papa Barch climbed and sat on. He frequently said out of the blue, "me wuv Papa Barch".

Maximus loves all 3 sets of his grandparents and visits like these are very special. I was so touched this past weekend. Jesse said this evening, "your dad really gets around great for a man his age" and it's true. Don't ever try and keep up with him at the gym. The man's cardio routine is insane.

Thanks for visiting, Papa Barch. You and mom are my inspiration.

Snowboard Park

2011-03-01T21:05:00.002-06:00

Today Maximus is 3 years, 1 month. Here he is shredding the hill. We'll be working on toe turns next. Watch for when he jumps off a snow ramp and eats it pretty hard.

Moose Size

2011-02-23T11:51:00.003-06:00

This is for my mother. We always talk about the moose that are in my neighborhood and I wanted to show her the real size of these creatures. These are just photos from the internet, but one was taken where I live. The above picture...wow, what an idiot.

Although moose are mean, how on earth could you hunt and kill one? And then be proud of it?!

This is the picture that was taken in our town.

Big Hair, Big Air

2011-02-23T10:11:00.004-06:00

"Big hair, big air" is something Ben (Maximus' idol at the bike shop) used to say. His hair is big and beautiful, and when he jumps on his snowboard, he gets a few inches of air. He's just so cute!

Typical Day

2011-02-21T17:01:00.000-06:00

Maximus just being cute after school. He's so grown up.

School and a Warm Day

2011-02-18T14:27:00.003-06:00

One day last week it hit 45 degrees! Everyone was outside, in T shirts! At home I had all the window open and Maximus played on the deck while I made dinner. The sun...oh the sun...up here the sun is HOT. Even when it's 45 degrees and there's snow on the ground, the sun hits you and makes you so warm. I love it.
Maximus laying in the sun enjoying every minute of it. He told me he was going to take his "night nights" out there.

Look how gigantic Jesse's bike is compared to Maximus. And Maximus is a really tall kid!

When you walk in the doors of Maximus' elementary school, you meet "Paws". He's a bear that was living in the area. I don't know the full story, but if he was caught by a trash can he was killed immediately. That's like, some law here. If a bear is seen sniffing a trash can, he'll become territorial and defensive over it, so you're screwed if you try to take out your trash one day. Poor Paws. But, he does catch me off guard every single time I walk in the front door. I mean, it's a bear.

Here's my Valentine from the sweetest boy in the world. It's perfect because he loves to play basketball in the school gym and he LOVES "puzz games" (puzzles).

10 minutes after leaving school.

Caterpillar

2011-02-15T20:03:00.002-06:00

I made Maximus a caterpillar out of an egg carton to keep him out of the kitchen as I made dinner. He thought it was the coolest thing.

Snowboarding at 3

2011-02-12T14:01:00.001-06:00

Here's Maximus at Keystone yesterday morning. He's getting better- he's finally able to control the board by turning and stopping it. I'm amazed.

Snowshoes and Icicles

2011-02-12T12:00:00.001-06:00

What a great 3rd birthday Maximus had. Gifts from family and friends across the country. I think I'll get some snowshoes and we can go snowshoeing as a family in the woods. Fun, fun, fun!

Scentsy

2011-02-11T12:04:00.002-06:00

My mom got Maximus this "Scentsy" stuffed monkey. It has a zipper in the back and holds a pouch of fresh lavender and smells WONDERFUL. It even puts me to sleep! Look at this sweet boy all cuddled in last night.

Yes, he still sleeps with a dodo in his mouth at night. It's the only time he's allowed to have it and hey, that's a huge step forward for us!

Hardcore Kid & 2HaffEpic

2011-02-10T15:00:00.000-06:00