The Sweet Pleasures of Motherhood

My boys spoiled me today...well, most days they do, but especially today. I don't remember what it was like to wake up and not be a mom. I can't imagine life without this little stinker in it. We had some quality fam time today and then went to Oma B's house with the Denver family for a cook-out. It was 75 and sunny and the mountains were as clear and beautiful as I've ever seen. There were many gentle reminders today...chocolate pancakes, fellowship at church, a one year old's constant giggling, time with friends, good food, pampering from a phenomenal husband, etc. etc. of just how good God is.

The Simple Things

No reason in particular for this post, other than sharing a couple videos that made us laugh. Dude has learned how to brush his teeth, as evidenced above. We also put water in our new table from Grandpa V & Grandma Di....this is now our most favoritest thing to do! By a long shot. Screaming at nothing and spending hours walking around the house behind push toys (as evidenced below) are also highlights in this one year old's life. More to come later!

A Few of Dude's Favorite Things

The first video is evidence that we're ALMOST there with the concept of walking. Dude does laps around the house behind his Tonka truck, trying to push walls out of the way when he gets stuck. The second video is from a couple weeks ago, but this "chasing the balls around the wood floor game" continues to live on. Daily. In fact, the word "ball" is said approximately 2,356 times per day. Anything that starts with the letter "b" has become a "ball." He's becoming quite the little vocal child. Jabbering all day in a language only he can understand, but is starting to understand what we say...it's really quite scary.

Dude also point with vigor at nearly everything that could be remotely interesting. The pointing is typically accompanied with a loud grunt to make sure that you're seeing whatever it is that he's pointing at...a leaf, a fan, a light, a tree, a bird, a spec of dust. Life is pretty fun with a 13 month old. He has us laughing more and more each day.

Our Favorite "D" & Henry Dog

We got this video from my brother and sis-in-law and need to share it with the world. Our nephew dog Henry is about the coolest and best trained canine on earth. And our darling nephew "D" and Henry make quite the tag team. Check them out.

Sunny Days

Part of the reason we moved cross country like 17 times and ended up in the Mile High City is the glorious sunshine and balmy temps. For the past couple weeks we've had the kind of days that when you step outside you catch yourself breathing deep, closing your eyes and humming the tune to Sound of Music (mile high dad has yet to see the flick). The Dude loves the outdoors as well, but is starting to wear holes in his knees from bustling around the patio on all fours. The walking thing is something inside his little head...not yet a reality. Big news though...tooth #3 has showed it's face!

We went to a park to top all parks on Sunday night with Uncle L & Aunt K and had a rip roarin' time. Dude giggled loud enough for the whole park to hear him when he went down the slide and soared through the air on the swings. Dad and Uncle L might have had the best time out of all of us though. Boys will be boys...not matter how many years they have under their belts.

A Little Croup, A Few Teeth...Good Times

I've been a stranger to this blog for what seems like an eternity. The reason? Dude has been cursed with croup and 3 new teeth all mixed into one splendid week. Good times for all! No one really warned us that there would be days where you'd lay in bed and pray that your child would miraculously be at someone elses house when you got up. God answers a lot of our prayers, but not that one in particular.

The good news...we got through it. One of us far better than the other (translation - I was a mess, my better half was a solid rock). Mile High Dad and I are now both sick, but we figure we can handle that as long as Dude is back to his happy go lucky self.

Before the blessed week began, Dude rode around our cul-du-sac on his favorite Tonka. I took pictures. Surprising, I know. Enjoy and may you have a week free of croup, teething, barfing, Baby Einstein & the Wiggles.

A Good Excuse For a Pedicure

We have a fabulous small group out here that meets every Thursday. For about a year now, we've gotten acquainted with 4 other couples between Thursday night gatherings and other social happenings. We love the fact that God directed our paths together. Two of the girlies in our group are prego and are expected to deliver within 2 weeks of each other. To celebrate the fact that soon we will no longer be the only couple in the group with a tyke, the five of us girls went to a cutesy nail salon and did lunch and gifts over here at Mile High Vogel's abode.

The dude went with dad and the other dudes in the group to a gym to play hoops. Little Dude actually rolled a ball around the gym and chased it pretty much the entire time. He's pretty content hangin' by himself! We're proud to announce that at almost 13 months, he has finally learned how to crawl like a real boy. Army crawling is becoming a thing of the past! Now we're just aiming for enough teeth to be able to chew a raisin. The two that he has just don't cut it.

Slip Slidin' Away

With each visit to the park at the end of our cul-de-sac, the Dude discovers new exhilarating activities. We sat him at the top of the slide where he clapped and squealed with glee. It took a few minutes, but he eventually scooted toward the plastic downward slope and found that his glee level nearly tripled. This confirms our suspicion that he will ADORE roller coasters and possibly illegal substances that give him the feeling of being on a roller coaster (just kidding...our angel will most definitely pass on grass).

The photo sequence above takes you through the mind of the Dude as he flies down the giant slide which, when Dad sits on top, his feet practically touch the wood chips. I also included a photo below of Dude and Papa at the Auto Show (his first of hundreds to come). Dude was quite impressed...by the lights of course. We had a GREAT time with Papa!

2 Peas in a Dramatically Different Pod

Having friends with a son 5 days older than Dude can be a real "hoot" as my Grandma would say. It also proves that kids have minds and schedules of development of their very own! Valociraptor and Little Dude are best friends...that's what we, as their parents, have decided. But we nervously await the day when one or the other tells us that he doesn't WANT to go play with his designated best friend. We can predict Valociraptor not wanting to read non-fiction novels with Dude and Dude not wanting to wrestle in the mud. We can envision Dude asking what Valociraptor's infatuation is with mesh clothing and Valociraptor asking why Dude wears so many stuffy collared shirts. Until that day comes, we will force them to love each other (in a manly way of course).

The photo ops are numerous and irresistible and Cara and I take full advantage of this. I just asked her Friday if our kids are going to resent us for constantly having cameras down their throats and she replied with a very quick, "yes." At least we can admit our flaws.

An Extra Dose of Cuteness

Before we even knew about the Little Dude's existence, we got word that my bro and sis-in-law were expecting. We ended up with child (literally) before Dylan was born, so the two boys are only 4 months apart. And their names are only one letter different. We actually stole their middle name, causing them to choose Mitchell instead.

My parents now have two lights of their life (you lose your "light" status as their children when you start reproducing cuter and more lovable family members) and our family is gaining in momentum. Uncle Ky does his fair share of spoiling the nephews with Adidas, Cubs and Bears wear. I recently opened my email to find these irresistible pictures of "D" and had to do a posting to show him off to all my blog stalkers.

Mile High Dad's nieces and nephew share equal cuteness in our hearts...we keep up to speed with them through their internationally re known blog http://www.diplofam.blogspot.com/. They reside in Armenia but are moving to Toronto this summer. We'll be pumped to have them back in the general area!