The end of summer?!?!?

The end of summer is upon us, and I was not a good blogger. I would like to say it was because we were so busy having fun that I simply didn't have the time, but that wouldn't be entirely true. Yes, we had a blast, but my darling son goes to bed between 7 and 8 every night, so technically I had loads of time. However, I don't think I had the mental wherewithal. We went to Portland during the month of June where we took lots of pictures, and then when we arrived home we had a new nephew waiting for us so we took lots of pictures there. One of my best friends and Auntie to Jameson, Alison, came and visited us, and we took a few pics, but other than that the cameras have stayed on the shelves. Kevin leaves for Vienna in two days to begin a new program with a whole new group of ducklings. Jameson and I will be staying in Denver. I am torn about this, because I hate being left out of the start of a new program, this is only the 2nd group I haven't begun out of 11 programs, being pregnant with Jameson was the other, but I know this is the best choice for us. On top of all that, I am uber-jealous that Kevin will be eating schnitzel and drinking beer with Reiner and Martin in three or four short days! So, as our summer draws to a close here are a few highlights

Portland Trip 2009

Hanging out with my fam at Eagle Crest for a week. How many rounds of golf did Kevin play?

Jameson had so much fun with his cousins.

Ten Year High School Reunion

Friendship. I have been friends with these girls for nearly 20 years(give or take a year) and they are the best! Even though the 10 year reunion was a bust I am so glad I went. I wish I could be there for the birth of Katie and Heather's little boys ANY day now! Jameson is waiting.


The Caggle of Cavaliers

Being reunited with our puppies has been fun. Jameson and the dogs get along really well most of the time, except when he tries his hand at "disciplining them. He also likes to cuddle with them, and they are not fans.

Up the Mountain

Getting a chance to hang out up the mountain with our new nephew Soren, our darling nieces, Elia and Eden, Mom and Dad Archer and Scott and Erika. The cousins all get along so well, its so fun to watch.

Auntie Al's trip

Auntie Alison and Jameson cuddling on the couch. He loved her SO much he wouldn't go into her room when he woke up in the middle of the night!

Reconnecting with Old Friends and making new ones

I don't have a picture of his mom and dad, but recently we have reconnected with some old friends. Their little guy, Ethan is 8.5 months younger than Jameson. Here are the boys working on Jameson's motorcycle, I can almost imagine them in 16 years doing the same thing.





Jameson's new Motorcyle

The Sandboat
The first thing Jameson wants to do in the morning: "ootshide."

The patio
We can finally enjoy our outside space! And trust me, we do!

The Death of UTA
A massive hailstorm ripped through our area and took with it my car, UTA. Not literally, but the hail did damage her beyond her value, so they totaled her. She was a good car until the end, and I have lots of good memories from college and beyond so it was a sad day when they towed her away. Lucky us! Now we just have to find a new car.

Bring on the New School Year!

My favorite Boys

On the Road with Kevin, Aimee and Jameson

We got on the road around 10 am on June 6th. We knew we didn't have far to go as we wanted to stop in Vail for lunch. Unfortunately, when we arrived in Vail there was some sort of biking/kayaking competition going on, so we continued our trip and decided to lunch in Glenwood Springs. We found a darling deli that had one of the best reuben sandwiches I have ever eaten!

I wish I had a better picture of Jameson's "set-up" but trust me, he was one happy kid. Endless Backyardigans and Little Einsteins, the one problem with the DVD mount was when Jameson got bored he tried to rest his feet on it. Needless to say, it wasn't built to have a little kid kicking it around, so the DVD player ended up sitting on the console anyway.

We stopped for the night in Provo, UT, since we had already booked reservations it was no biggie, but in hind-sight we could have made it all the way to Twin Falls. Which is where we stopped on Sunday to visit our friends David and Lisa Heida. They graciously hosted us at their beautiful home, showed us Shoshone Falls and then cooked an amazing dinner. David can mix a very good drink and Jameson loved Lisa! She brought out all her toys she uses as a speech therapist, and Jameson was so happy to play. Good times were had by the Archer clan! It was great for Kevin and David to catch up over the past few years and reminisce a bit about the "old days." They even offered to host the Archer clan + our three cavaliers on our way back. Ha ha, we told them they didn't know what they were getting into, but their Basset hounds, Abby and Beau would make Leopold, Lulu and Lexi feel very welcome we are certain! Thanks again guys for such a fun day!

Jameson's set-up

The Shoshone Falls, the Niagara of the West.

Our amazing hosts: David, Lisa and their Bassets Abby and Beau

On Monday we headed towards Kennewick, WA to visit my sister, Tracy, BIL, Jeff and our two nephews Zach and Jake, who were really excited to see "baby" Jameson.

Jameson fell in love with their cat Macy

...and their dog Emma, the toys, the balls

...and their awesome backyard

They had a big waterslide that Jake slid down

and Zach slid down

Jameson felt it was a good time to mow the lawn.

I convinced him to give it a try

He tried

Then went back to mowing the lawn in his speedo, which reminds me of Kevin's back tenant from San Diego who also used to garden in a speedo. Hee hee.

The boy cousins: Jameson, Zach and Jake

Gardening

Jameson is all about helping whether its cleaning, folding laundry or gardening.


The boy loves dirt, he was covered from head to toe when he was finished. If you look closely at this pic you can see his tongue sticking out in concentration as he digs. I love it.


Where did the baby in him go?

Mother's Day

Kevin, Jameson and I were really lucky on mother's day because Kev's mom was staying with us. I was lucky, because that meant I got to sleep in and Nana Carol watched, wait, chased after Jameson while Kevin made my favorite breakfast to bring to me. I got to wake up to my darling little man opening my door, and my adorable big man bringing me a tray of breakfast. Jameson wasn't exactly sure why I didn't get out of bed and apparently he was trying to make a break for it. He climbed up on the bed and put his arm around me for my whole breakfast. It made me ever so thankful that I have these incredible guys in my life. To be uber-cheesy, they complete me and I love 'em for it!


Later on we headed up to Longmont to have an early dinner with Scott, Erika, Elia, Eden and yet-to-be-baby # 3, Erika's mom, Momma Carol, and Grandpa Bailey. It was so much fun to see the cousins together again. Elia of course was wonderful with Jameson and he was in awe of everything she did. Eden wasn't too sure of another kid her size running around, and she sure wasn't happy about sharing her toys! (she's nearly 2, so of course this is perfectly normal!)

The best cousins picture I could manage

Grandpa Bailey (Kevin's grandpa) is very special to us and Grandpa loves Franklin Jefferson Jameson. Jameo thought Grandpa was so fun, and really loved sitting in his lap. I am so happy that Grandpa decided to come celebrate the day with us!



Auntie Erika (cute baby belly!!) and Jameson played trains for a long time, and when she walked to the other side of the room for something, he was following her handing her pieces of the track. It made me laugh. If you play with Jameson he remembers what it is you played with and that is your designated play thing, be it stuffed animals, books, or a ball.
Jameson got to have another birthday party since the fam missed his first birthday. He enjoyed hearing "Happy Birthday" this time around much more so than the last.

My little guy doesn't like to get his face and hands dirty when he eats.

He loved the chocolate and sprinkles!

Jameson even got to open presents! Nana and Papa got him an awesome slide that he has mastered and a lawnmower to push around after his daddy. Erika made him an awesome blanket that has quickly become his snuggle blanket when we come downstairs in the mornings.

His new slide

My daredevil prefers going face first!

Picture day

One of our last weekends in Europe we took a trip to Amsterdam with our student Siobhan. It was an incredibly beautiful city, I completely fell in love with the row houses on the canals. Everyone rode bikes everywhere, and those bikes had the coolest baby seats attached, I really wanted to buy one. It is a completely picturesque little city and I highly recommend it.

I bought Jameson some maracas to keep him occupied, and he sure loved them!

Our hotel was SO great. The hotel Estherea if anyone is interested. There was free coffee and hot chocolate around the clock, and it was awesome. Siobhan and I definitely indulged in that!

I love my boy!

These two photos we were just hanging out at the apartment.

Back Stateside

I feel so out of touch. My computer stopped charging sometime in early to mid-April, and it was the longest time I have gone without home internet since my fam got AOL back in the early 90's! Luckily, I had an awesome student who would lug her computer over every few days and watch Jameson while I caught up with emails (and everyone else's blogs). I learned a really good lesson though, and it was how time sucking the computer is for me. I knew that in theory, but to get it proven to me so bluntly was an eye-opener. Needless to say it was a blessing in disguise as I got so much accomplished I was almost composed getting out the door the morning of our flight.
Jameson and I managed to make lemonade out of lemons.

I will be attempting to catch everyone up to speed over the course of the week, but I gotta post this or else it will take me another two weeks to write something else.