It's a healthy baby!

We went in for the "review of systems" ultrasound today. Even without reason for worry, I had "normal" mommy fears that something could be wrong. During the 40+ minute ultrasound, the tech showed us all the baby's parts (with the exception of the gender-revealing ones!) and it was truly amazing to see everything in place and functional.
Later, during my doctor visit, Dr. Bergstrom asked if I was scared by pregnancy. I knew what he meant and admitted my fears.
He added that it's amazing that as many pregnancies are uncomplicated as they are, given all the potential things that could go wrong. What a blessing it is to have our friend and brother, Dr. Roy, alongside us again during this miraculous process.
I'm still in awe of the miracle of it all! We are so blessed with a healthy 3-year-old (who just had his first bout of strep this week), and now a healthy baby! Although I'm really hoping for a girl, I'm delighted already in having a "normal" child. God is so good!
Technology is so amazing too. We got a disc of the exam with selected pics and videos. The baby is very active and in this clip "waves" for the "camera". We're excited to meet baby "EBS" (Eli's baby sibling) around the end of March/early April (hopefully not a Fool)!

Leaves!

Unlike at our old house, we actually have leaves to rake this fall. Of course, one can't rake a pile of leaves without inviting a kid to jump into them! Eli loved it, and even got his "girlfriend" next door, Chloe, in on the action.

Fall fun

Fall has always been my favorite time of year, even if it is so short. Fall in Colorado finds me missing the amazing colors of the midwest, but loving the unique Aspen features in our mountains.
Last weekend we took advantage of the great weather to visit the Colorado Railroad Museum for a "Day Out with Thomas". Eli and his buddies Caleb and Micah and their families had a blast riding the train and exploring the sights.
This weekend we ventured west to the gorgeous mountains of Glenwood Springs and Aspen. We stayed at the Hot Springs Lodge in Glenwood, which is conveniently across from the world's largest hot springs pool. It was fun swimming in late Sept. in a 90+ degree pool! It was the highlight of Eli's weekend.
The highlight of the trip for me was visitng the beautiful Maroon Bells outside of Aspen. My pics just don't do it justice! Jon had to work at the college fair all day, so Eli and I enjoyed the chance to explore the outdoor "playground" (he kept asking where the swings and slides were). I told him that the playgrounds that God makes don't need those things. (I did end up appeasing his desire for a playground with a slide when we ventured back into Aspen).
On Saturday we rode the gondola up Aspen (Ajax) mountain to an elevation of over 11,000 feet. Although it was cloudy and drizzly at times, the views were still amazing.
After such an amazing weekend, it's hard to get back to work. But stay tuned for more fall fun as I'm hoping to get us to a corn maze/pumpkin patch soon.

Birthday Celebrations!

Wow, it's been over a month since our last entry. Guess we've been busy with life...and I've been exhausted with the first trimester of pregnancy. But at twelve weeks now, I'm finally getting some energy back!
September has been a fun month of birthday celebrations for the Mires "men". Jon celebrated his 30-something on Labor Day and his folks were in town for the holiday weekend as well. Grandma/MJ made him a "cake" (sourdough loaves, as Jon's been on a strict low-carb diet and didn't even enjoy his bday loaves) complete with 30+ candles!
On Labor Day we took in a Rockies/Giants game and Eli enjoyed posing in the player scenes, as well as the ice cream cone!
This afternoon we turned our back yard into a sports-themed toddler mayhem for Eli's 3rd birthday party. 20 of his closest friends, neighbors, church buddies, and daycare pals turned out, along with their families. It was quite a crazy time, but the kids really enjoyed the bounce house we rented. Fortunately, no one got hurt too seriously so we won't have to call Grandpa Cross for legal help.
Eli wore a "Big Brother" shirt for the occasion, as it's become nearly impossible to hide the "evidence" of my pregnancy at this point! He's still not sure what being a big brother is all about, but he knows there is a baby in mommy's tummy. Friday we will take him with us to the doc to hear the heartbeat, so hopefully that will help things sink in for him. We'll keep you posted on the excitement on our end!

(End of Summer) Fun!

It's been another long time since the last post, and since I (Whitney) go back to school tomorow (GASP!), thought I'd better get some pics up here! We enjoyed a family camping trip last weekend, our first two-nighter. It was complete with Kip and "Uncle" Kevin. Eli loved checking out the campground's amenities, like the playground and miniature golf course.(Quote of the experience: "I did better than Tiger!" proclaimed Eli after his round!) He also ventured into the delicious world of s'more making.
After over three weeks of 90+ degree days, we are finally getting some relief. The heatwave stretch broke an over 100-year old record. We tried to beat the heat with Eli's backyard pool (compliments of the Mires grandparents), which Jon found himself in after a hot mowing session. Later, the same pool was a great bathtub for Kip.
Now that we're finally settled into our house, we'd love to have some visitors. Guess I still need to post some pics of this house, but they're not as fun as people pics! Now it's off to bed for some needed rest before a big "first" day of school!

AHH Alaska!

Wow! It's been over a month since our last post. Guess we've been busy packing up, moving and going on vacation. Our Alaskan cruise was AMAZING, too wonderful for words. So for now here are a few pics of our vacation of a lifetime!

Indiana/Ohio Trip

We took off the day after Whitney finished with work to visit family in Indiana and Ohio. The primary purpose of our trip was Tasha's high school graduation, but we were also able to visit lots of other family members. On Thursday we drove to Cincinnati to our cousin Rhonda's house. There we got to spend time with Whitney's Mom,Stepdad, Aunt, Uncle, and several cousins. It was a beautiful day and Eli loved jumping on the trampoline. It was too short of a visit, but very nice to see family who live too far away :-(
There is never enough time when we are in town to see everyone, but we did enjoy seeing the Cross family (Grandma and Papa and Melanie's family) as well as our friends the Arndts (Grady is 3 1/2 and Macy is 18 months). Some highlights included Eli's exploring of the pool, fishing (he caught "fwee fish" with hot dogs!) in the backyard pond, and celebrating Tasha's graduation. Even though it was a long commencement ceremony, Eli was a trooper and on the way home announced that he was "Very patient!". What a talker! (This was after he pointed to his play watch and said it was getting dark soon).
Now that we are home it's time to start some serious packing! Yes! We FINALLY got a good offer on our house, so we're closing on June 26 and moving about 3.5 miles away to a larger home. Pics to follow!

May Day!

Happy May Day! Although around here it felt more like Christmas! It was snowing most of the day (after 80 degrees yesterday) so it left a nice covering on the grass and slush in the road. But most of it is gone already!
I don't have any pics to post, but thought I'd blog about our crazy Colorado weather.
I also had an interesting professional day. I took the afternoon off to go to a "Multiple Pathways to Graduation" (dropout prevention)seminar downtown. After enjoying a lunch at Olive Garden with Jon, I was dropped off at the Light Rail station to take the train (cheaper than driving given the cost of gas and parking!). I was pleasantly surprised upon arriving at the seminar to see the opening speech being given by Colorado's Governor Bill Ritter. I'm not a Democrat but voted for him anyway since he is a champion for public education and pro-life! After several engaging and though-provoking speeches by various professionals in the community, the session closed with a speech by Denver's Mayor Hickenlooper. So I heard two politicians in one afternoon, all in a small conference area. And all free! With no political agendas being pushed! Unheard of these days!
The train ride home was also interesting, as it was packed with commuters but was virtually silent as they sat and read, did business on laptops, etc.
Our family squeezed in a quick dinner together before I dashed back to school to attend 8th grade parent night. So today I accrued 8 more hours towards my 100 hours of practicum...I'm well on the way on my path to graduation.
Tomorrow I will accompany our senior class to Dave and Buster's and the Zoo, which will hopefully be warmer than it was today. Then I get the pleasure of chaperoning prom from 10-12 Saturday night, so it's a working weekend. I'm sure I'll have some good pics to post of those soon. Stay tuned...

When Daddy's Away...

...Mom and Eli Play!
This weekend while Jon was in Arizona and Vegas for work, Eli and I kept busy. Friday night we went to our friends' the Durbins for a home group dinner. Saturday morning began with a bike ride to the park, where we met with Key Club kids from Vista to help with Battle of the Bands. After a good time there, we headed back UPHILL (causing me to realize how out of shape I am!) to go to Caleb's birthday party. There we had a great time with lots of friends from Church, but unfortunately I forgot my camera.
After a nap, we headed to DU to take in the Sesame Street Live show: Elmo Grows Up! Eli really enjoyed his first (hopefully of many)stage show.
As if that were not enough to exhaust us, we started again Sunday after church with Taylor's 4th birthday party. It was held at the House of Bounce, so kids young and old loved the exercise and had plenty of "floor burns" to prove it!
After a quick nap, we were off again, this time to celebrate a Passover Seder at our neighbor's mother's home in Denver. It was so kind of them to invite us, and we learned some more about the Jewish culture while enjoying a delicious meal.
After all that, we were ready for Dad to come home! Thankfully he returned safely late Sunday night after a long drive. Good thing we don't have weekends like this every week!

Sacramental Weekend

No, I didn't write "Sacramento" weekend...never been to California aside from a layover in LA once. But I hope to visit that fine state some day.
This weekend was a joyous one, filled with the celebrations of a dear friend's wedding and another beloved's baptism and birthday party.
Friday night we enjoyed a lovely rehearsal and luau-themed meal at church. Following the festivities, I (Whitney) joined Jon and Eli for the basketball coach/family end-of-season party. I hear that Eli was quite the "groom" for the girls, so I'm excited to see those pics.
Saturday was devoted to fulfilling my duties as the bride's "personal attendant", which was rewarding but exhausting! Laura looked so radiant and had a beautiful wedding. I'm so delighted that the former "Miss Cross" (me) was able to be a part of the new "Mrs. Cross" (Laura). I'm convinced we're related, we just need to find it officially in our family trees.
On Sunday we were blessed to be a part of our friends' the Brookfields celebration of their daughter Kylie's baptism. Jon was honored to serve as Kylie's Godfather. The beautiful ceremony was in the family's UM church, which is the same denomination to which Whitney still technically belongs. After the service, we joined others at Kylie's house to enjoy brunch in honor of her baptism and first birthday!
Now we are exhausted after an eventful weekend (which also included Jon's attending the Rockies 2nd home game) but grateful for this beautiful life with such amazing friends!

Happy Easter!

We were blessed with another beautiful Easter celebration! Although the weather was a bit chilly in the morning (25 and about an inch of snow!) it was almost 60 by the time we returned from a glorious resurrection worship service. This morning, Eli awoke to find that the Easter bunny left him a basket of toys. His favorite was the red ball he'd requested. After his nap, he went outside to find that the "Grandparents" Easter Bunny had also visited, and had hidden lots of eggs, candy, and toys in our yard. His favorite (besides the bubbles) is the giant Tonka dump truck.
We had a great time coloring eggs yesterday, Eli is becoming a pro at naming the colors (even in Spanish like Dora, Diego, and Mommy!).
The grandparent bunnies are also dental-hygiene-conscious, so Eli also received a new toothbrush and toothpaste to make sure he doesn't get any "tooth owies" from all the candy!
What a delightful day. Off to work tomorrow after a productive Spring break for Whitney! Soon we will have summer adventures to report.

Family Fun

Since we've entered the world of blogging, not much has changed with us. We still have our house on the market, which means lots of cleaning and leaving for showings (and no-shows who leave us quite frustrated!). Eli likes to "help" with our efforts with his own pint-sized vacuum.
We recently found a new hobby after a friend gave us a Play Station: Guitar Hero.(Even though Jon got kicked out of band for lacking rhythm, he's still pretty good at the game!). Therefore, Eli needed his own "tar", so we found him a Backyardigans one which he absolutely loves. Mommy also found him a cute t-shirt to remind everyone of what a cool Daddy Jon is!
Dining out with a kiddo is always an adventure, but more fun with other kids around. So we spend a lot of time with our friends Max and Zoe and their parents. This weekend we ate at CiCi's pizza (one of Mommy's all time favorites) and got to play in their game room for a while after dinner.
Eli is looking forward to the Easter Bunny's visit, and dropped several hints about his favorite candy and toys today at the grocery. Hopefully Peter Cottontail will not be coming in snow again this year, although we are expecting up to a foot of snow tonight and tomorrow...perhaps some snow pics will follow!

Entering the world of blogs

Here we are!
First it was Myspace, then Facebook...now BLOGSPOT!
We have arrived...that calls for celebration. Right after I get done watching Bob the Builder, that is! TTFN!
Don't have any recent pics uploaded...this was a few months ago.
Caption it "Eli is tickled pink to be in the blogging world"!