The North Pole!

In May, Seth was selected to attend the Democratic State Convention in Colorado Springs as a delegate, so the kids and I decided to go with him. Well, really, Seth and I decided we should all go - the kids didn't really have a say in the matter.


Anyway, the kids and I went to the North Pole. It wasn't as cool as it probably is in the winter, but it was still fun. I have to say - this is built on some wicked hills, and I was pushing 2 kids in a double stroller up and down these hills for a couple of hours. I felt pretty tough afterward...and exhausted.


Here are the kids outside the entrance:


Outside Santa's House (there was a Santa inside, but neither kid was really interested in talking to him).

On the train:

Here's a couple of Seth's photos, just for fun:

Three Doctor Visits in a Week

Poor Alex had a rough start to December.

On Thanksgiving night, we had to take Alex to the ER because he slipped on a 2-step stool and split open his chin. The ER folks were awesome - we were on our way home one hour after we arrived. The docs ended up gluing the gash shut, and it's healing very nicely.

A few days later, he started refusing to take naps and waking up in the middle of the night, screaming bloody murder. We couldn't figure out what was wrong with him, since he's a great sleeper. Finally, I had to take him to the doctor - I was worried there was something we missed from his fall on Turkey Day. Turns out, he had his first double ear infection. The doctor perscribed him Amoxicillian, and we gave it to him that night.

The next morning, he slept a little later than usual, which I thought was probably because he hadn't slept well in days. When I went in to get him, he raised his head from the bed...and looked like this:

So, I pretty much freaked out, called the pediatrician and got the first appointment I could. Obviously, this is an allergic reaction to the antibiotic, right? The only thing we've done differently with him in 24 hours, he's never had an antibiotic before, I'm allergic to amoxicillian...cut and dried, right?

Now, keep in mind, I have both kids with me, we've had a rough week with Alex, Seth is so crazy-busy at work he can't get away no matter how much he wants to, and it's freezing outside. We get to the doctor's office, and back into the exam room...and the kids go nuts. Running around, yelling, crying, being totally out of control. Then the doc walks in.

This isn't our normal doctor - it's one of the ones we usually choose not to see because she doesn't have a great bedside manner with the parents or the kids, and she always acts like she's got no idea what's going on. Not comforting in the least, and not really someone I'd prefer to take my sick kids to when I'm really worried.

Anyway, she announces that it is not an allergic reaction to the meds, it's probably a reaction from a virus being affected by the meds. Huh?! Now he has a virus and a double ear infection? What kind of virus could do that? Well, she mentions mono. Mono?!! Is she going to test for that, I wonder. Nope, he doesn't have any of the other symptoms; she just mentioned that for example's sake. Okaaaaay....

Needless to say, she did give me prescription for a different antibiotic, we gave it to Alex, and his face was better within a couple of days. And, we're changing pediatrician offices - we love his normal doc, but only see him when the kids are in the office for their well checks.

Silverthorne

It's become a tradition for our family to head to the mountains at this time of year, to spend time together and celebrate my mom's birthday. This year, we stayed in a great house in Silverthorne, with a ton of room for us all to spread out and 5 minutes away from the outlet malls.

This was the same weekend of Alex's allergic reaction, and a big snowstorm, so we were afraid we wouldn't be able to make it up. We thought about going up the next day, but the weather reports sounded like the next day would be worse, so we just decided to head up on Thursday night. We also decided not to call my parents to let them know we had changed our minds, because we didn't want them to stress about us driving. When we arrived (in pretty good time, actually), everyone was shocked but (hopefully) happy to see us.

My mom with Baby Joel:
My dad with Baby Joel:

Coley with Baby Joel:

Baby Joel:

Jake, Julie and Baby Joel:

Me and Coley:

Jake and Julie:

Mom and Zach:

Coley and Alex:

Jake, Julie, Seth, Dad and I played a marathon game of Settlers of Cattan the first night, staying up until almost 2:00 am. The next morning, Mom let Dad sleep in a little. When she went in to wake him up, she told him it was 10:00...it was actually 8:30. When he looked at the clock, he grumbled a lot, and laid down on the couch to "rest his eyes." Cider, Jake and Julie's dog, found a comfy place to snuggle up.

We each had meal duty, where we were responsible for making food for everyone. Jake and Julie, making breakfast - they made "World Arenas," a scrambled egg sandwich (really good):

Zach, being cheesy:

Dad, getting ready to jump into the hot tub outside. I told him I was taking the picture, because I loved the combination of coffee cup, swimsuit, socks and slippers. Seriously, you can take the engineer out of geekville...

The manly men - it was seriously freezing out there:

Setting up for another marathon Cattan stretch:

Zach didn't want his picture taken. Actually, neither one looks that happy about it:

A different story a few minutes later:

Focus, people! Wait, is this when I was getting ready to whoop all their butts? 'Cause, I did that a couple of times. Not that I'm one to brag...

Baby Joel again - he's soooo snuggly!

Zach and Alex were feeling left out with all the game-playing that was going on, so Seth "played" Carcassone with them. Alex actually jumped up into the chair at the table, waiting for someone to play with him.

Attacking Coley:

Zach discovered icicles:

Playing outside for a bit:

Babi, Grandpa and their boys:

Group shot - in my defense, no one told me we were doing pictures or I would have done something fabulous with my hair.

Original Sippys. Yes, Jake's butt is in my face and I'm trying to push it away.

Pickett Family:

Alex, being cute:

This is where we stayed:

I highly recommend that anyone looking for a vacation rental visit http://www.brinkmanpartners.com/mountain/vacation_rentals.php. Ryan Sondrup does an amazing job.

Welcome, Baby Joel!

My brother and his wife welcomed their 1st baby, Joel Robert Sippy. He was born on Friday, October 17, 2008 at 11:32 pm. Weighed 8.7 pounds and was 20.5 inches long...big baby! He's darling. Zach immediately warmed to him, and spends a majority of the time trying to make him laugh. Alex has taken a little while to warm up, but he likes to pat him and say "Baby" now.

Halloween

Zach had a field trip to a pumpkin patch, and was allowed to pick out a pumpkin for Halloween. Of course, he picked a huge one. And, of course, we had to go to the store and get a somewhat-equally huge one for Alex. Seth carved Zach's, and I carved Alex's - I was under a lot less pressure, since Alex ran around and occasionally came to check my progress, while Seth had a slightly more involved art commissioner. Zach required a drawing on paper before he would approve the design, and breathed down Seth's neck during the entire process. In the end, both kids were happy with the results.


We went to Treatsylvania this year with some friends and their daughters. They have a little girl who's a bit older than Zach, and they've become best friends. She was a "pumpkin pie" and he was a cow.
"Why a cow?" you might ask. Honestly, what 3 year old wants to be a cow for Halloween? Well, cows and horses are Zach's favorite animals. One day, I asked Zach what he wanted to be when he grew up. He said, "A cow." He proceeded to tell me that he wanted to be a cow for Halloween. I wasn't sure where I was going to find a cow costume in his size, and was thinking I might have to beg Seth's mom to make one, when my mom and I decided to take a quick trip to Costco. Walked in the door, saw a rounder of costumes, and what do you know - a cow costume, just his size. Unfortunately, that was at the beginning of September; over the next 6 weeks, he had a growth spurt, and the costume was pretty short by the time Halloween actually arrived. He still wore the costume, by his choice.


After putting that in the cart, Zach announced that Alex needed the elephant costume. Alex didn't seem to mind having the decision made for him, so we went with it. This is the cutest costume I have ever seen on a kid - the hood was a little elephant face with a trunk, and the tummy and booty were padded.

We also took a trip to the Harvest Farm again this year.

Zach checking out a baby goat:

Alex running through the mini-corn maze:

Zach doing the same:

Photo-op with a tractor cut-out:

Picking out pumpkins together:

Zach Starts (Pre)School

Zach is in preschool!

He has a Go, Diego, Go! backpack that is slightly too big for him, but he loves to wear it anyway.

While learning about colors, the class did all kinds of art projects and learned about different things in the world that are those colors. For example:

He made this sunflower (with yellow petals and real sunflower seeds glued to the center) during yellow week, and it was so cute, we "planted" it in the backyard. The kids also wore shirts of the corresponding color for each week.

The class went on a field trip to a pumpkin patch. They got to go on a hayride, and pick out their own pumpkins. See our "Halloween" blog for details on Zach's pumpkin.

Zach's teacher, Mrs. Melby, is amazing – her seemingly limitless patience, genuine affection for the kids, and wonderful projects have endeared her to our hearts. Zach is particularly taken with her, which is cute – anything new he learns, Mrs. Melby taught him…regardless of whether it was introduced to him by someone else.