Good Times

You can tell I’m back in school as it’s been two months since  I last posted. Things are going well. MJ thoroughly enjoyed swimming  lessons and graduated to the next class, which she can start  at the age of 3. She didn’t like going under water much, but  she’s great at kicking, paddling and blowing bubbles. We go to  story time at the library nearly every Saturday, as well. She’s  becoming quite a book lover and has an amazing memory for  stories. MJ is really blossoming at preschool too. She’s  becoming much less shy, more willing to share, follow directions,  and looks forward to seeing her friends (almost) every day. She  also loves going to “Fun Bus” (a gymnastics type class) and to  Music and Me class at preschool. She’s also getting really close  to being potty trained (with the help of sticker brides, of course). MJ is very excited for Halloween and has had her costume  picked out for months. Ever since we went to the Museum of  Nature and Science in August, she’s insisted on dressing up at  as a pirate. She’s practicing saying “Argh! Give me some candy”  for trick-or-treating. In other news, school and jobs are going well. Both Jared and I  received raises at work after only 3 months, which came as a  pleasant surprise. Both of my grad classes haven’t been as  terrible as anticipated, though much of my time is still spent doing  homework. I am NOT a fan of night classes and can’t wait for the  next two years to fly by so I can recoup my lost sleep. We’re getting quite settled in Colorado and really enjoy owning a  home. We’ve repainted just about every room and, since IKEA  opened, spent most of our disposable income on furnishings.  Jared and I frequently have reoccurring conversations about  how much we love our life here and how glad we are to have  moved. By Thanksgiving we will have a guest room all set up,  so please feel welcome to come for a visit.

Now for a recap of the past couple months with some pictures.  Some of these are from several months ago. I finally relinquished them from Jared's phone. Hiking in Rocky Mountain National Park She's so strong! Helping remove rocks from our pathetic front yard. At a Kid's Fair. She's roaring like the dragon painted on her arm. At the Children's Museum- being a firefighter. Riding a cow on 16th Street Mall. At the Denver Zoo! She likes to make silly faces. Showing off the gigantic bump on her head after riding her toy pony down the stairs. This picture doesn't do it justice. First snow of the season and looking stylish!

Quick August Update

Despite the three of us trading illnesses throughout the month, we've managed to have a lot of fun on weekends. I'm posting this blog right before going to my Marketing Management class, so pictures will have to suffice for now.

At the Rockies Game

That's right... She has a bucket on her head.

We're butterflies!

A rare smile captured at the Butterfly Pavillion

No longer smiling

At Rocky Mountain National Park

Nymph Lake

This picture doesn't do Dream Lake justice. It was breathtaking.

And, here's my favorite part. On our hike in Rocky Mountain N.P., MJ was regaling us with songs. Jared captured one with his phone. (It's a bit shaky, but very adorable)

Things to look forward to in the next month... swimming lessons, grad school, and more adventures!

Too Much Fun

MJ and I started out Saturday by visiting the library to get some new books for the week. We arrived a few minutes before they opened and waited outside. MJ saw a bee and starting doing this...

Later that morning, we made a trip to the Denver Museum of Nature and Science. We went to see the Real Pirates exhibit before it closed, but ended up spending the whole day checking out all the other amazing things they have. The museum was very kid friendly and MJ especially loved dressing up as an astronaut, playing in the kids areas, petting a mastodon, and looking at the dinosaur fossils. 

It was a long fun-filled day. However, it turned out to be too much fun...

A little while after we got home, I was trying to coax MJ into eating her dinner and she just kept refusing. After a few minutes of power-struggling, MJ ran off into the living room and promptly puked on the couch. MJ has never really been sick before and so this came as a huge surprise.

MJ did start preschool this past week and probably just picked up something from the other kids (as to be expected). She has transitioned pretty well into preschool and looks forward to going most days. It's a huge change for her, so we expected more ups and downs. But, we didn't think she'd get sick so fast. 

In other news, Jared is now the Jr. Web Developer at Shompton, LLC in Denver. He started work this past Wednesday, and is really, really excited about the prospects and environment this new job has in store. 

All in all, things are starting to fall into place for us. Even the second half of our blinds finally arrived after being backordered for a month. I believe I heard our neighbors rejoicing when Jared installed the blinds in our bedroom. 

Feeling better and showing off her pirate hat from the museum.

Denver Adventures

I don't have time to write a lot, so here's some pictures of a few of our adventures.

Driving back from our 3rd trip to the hardware store...

Story Time at the Library

On of the many, many nearby parks

Climbing the tree in our backyard

Cheese!

Princess Lolly (from Candyland) at KidSpree

This weekend, we'll be headed to the Denver Museum of Nature and Science. 

MJ chose it. She wants to see the pirate exhibit. 

Incredibly Busy June

After several ups and downs with the financing for our house, we finally were able to close and move in on time! Jared and I are really excited to be home owners. It feels like a huge accomplishment. Our house is very nice, but far from perfect. Once we have the money, we'll be installing air conditioning, landscaping, ceiling fans, lighting in the bedrooms, and so on... But, it's ours!

Kitchen

Living Room

We've already taken on a simple project that turned out fairly well. In the kitchen there was a decorative backsplash of brown glass tile. We ripped it out and replaced it with pretty blue glass tiles and switched the cabinet hardware. That little change really made the house feel more like ours. I know it'll be a LONG process, but eventually the whole house will reflect some style and personality. We have a huge list of things we'd like to buy at IKEA when it opens July 27th (counting down the days).

Jared in heaven at the LEGO store

We've also kept busy doing a bit of exploring in our new surroundings. We've been to the Denver Arts Museum, the Cherry Creek Arts Festival, 16th Street Mall, tons of shops, parks and tours of the local hardware stores. Jared is especially excited about the nearby LEGO store. 


MJ has done pretty well with the move. It's obvious that she misses spending days with Grandma, but she's adjusting. We've found a really great Montessori preschool for her to attend once things get settled. She loves playing in the backyard of our house, seeing the turtles that live next door, watering our newly planted tree, and going out with us on adventures. 

At the Museum

I have also found a job! I interviewed at about 6 different places and received two job offers in one day. I will be working for ALPS Fund Services in Downtown Denver (directly across the street from the Denver Art Museum). They do mutual fund servicing and I will be an Accounts Payable Processor. While it isn't a job that will use my marketing skills, the pay is good, I'll receive benefits and the schedule is flexible. The company is also large and growing, so the possibility of transferring to a marketing related position or working my way up is likely. 

All in all, things are all falling into place. I'll be starting grad classes at the end of August. Right now I'm just enjoying having a bit of free time.

STRESS

It's been a whirlwind of activity since Jared & MJ's birthday (the last post).

First, I FINALLY graduated from SUU. It's amazing to be finished, even if it is only for a few months. I will be starting a Master's of Science in Marketing at the University of Colorado-Denver in late August. I have grand plans of how to enjoy my first summer off of school since 2007... they mostly include playing with my darling daughter, learning to play my guitar, and doing yoga. I do have more lofty goals, however, that includes buying a home (more about that later), potty training MJ, and getting her started in preschool.

Now, more about the move and our troubles finding a house.

Back in March, we traveled to Denver to search for a rental. Little did we know how incredibly intense the rental market is! We looked at about 20 rentals, applied for 3 and got turned down for each one. After crunching the numbers and looking at available homebuyer programs, we determined that it might be easier and cheaper to buy a home instead. We got pre-approved for a mortgage in early May and started searching for our future home. Jared and I spent two action-packed days looking at every available home (that wasn't a foreclosure) in the Denver area. We finally found the one we wanted and submitted our offer. After a little negotiation, we got an accepted contract and were eager to move forward.

Since then it's just been a nightmare trying to get our financing lined up correctly. We're scheduled to close on June 17th and we're just hoping beyond hope that we can get everything wrapped up in time (before the 17th would be even better). At one point, Jared's work attempted to, without any notice, switch him from salary to being compensated solely on commission. So, we were looking to move to Denver on Memorial Day to look for new jobs. Luckily, Jared was able to talk to his boss and push back the commission switch until after we can close on the house... That bought us a couple weeks, but if everything doesn't close on time, we'll be in trouble again. (The switch from salary to commission requires two-years worth of commission history for the mortgage application, which Jared doesn't have. That's where the complications stem from.)

Aside from all the financing challenges, we are beyond excited to be buying our first home. We just keep dreaming about all the things we can personalize and make our own. Jared is especially excited about putting in a putting green in the backyard. MJ is excited to paint her new room blue. And, I'm just excited to finally have a home to call our own.

The home is really cute. After looking at everything in our price range, we had to compromise on a few things that we wanted (our new home only has a 1 car garage, the kitchen is a bit small, and the home is pretty far south of downtown). But, we're really happy with our choice. The home was built in the early 80s, but everything inside has been recently remodeled. There's plenty of room for us, our stuff, plus room to grow. Oh, and, our monthly total housing expenses (including insurance and PMI) with buying a home will actually be about $400-$500 cheaper than any place we looked at renting.

At the end of May, I finished by job at the Volunteer Center of Iron County. I am still looking for a new job in Denver, but I'm pretty confident that I'll be able to find something soon. Hopefully in my next post, we'll have some good news...

The Big 3-0

Whether he will admit it or not, Jared turned thirty! While I had big plans of celebration, Jared decided to break his computer and use up all our available party funds replacing it. Instead we just had a simple party. I did manage to make a beautiful cake. I think it looked better than it tasted though. It was way way too rich for me.

Chocolate torte with strawberries, blackberries, blood oranges and whipped cream. Yum!

Happy birthday to my wonderful husband. I look forward to growing old with you.

The Most Beautiful Girl in the World Turns Two!

MJ turned two on Friday. The past two years have flown by so fast, it is beyond our comprehension. 

She is so grown up now and continually amazes us with new advancements. Jared and I just enjoy watching her play and discover. She makes some of the greatest faces when coloring! 

MJ is really started to assert herself, which is fun and also challenging. She refuses to sit in a booster seat at the kitchen table, insists on picking out her outfit for the day, and she WILL NOT be rushed to get anywhere.Above all, she is the cutest thing in the world. Even when she is screaming her head off, she is adorable and funny.

Months before MJ's birthday, she decided she wanted a dinosaur party and never changed her mind. So we had a dinosaur party. She was especially excited about the balloons, blowing out the candles on the cake, and wearing party hats. But, when it came time for cake, she didn't want to blow out the candles. She did enjoy eating the dinosaur's head though. She was also really excited about all the new toys she received.

Let's Party!

The Birthday Cake

One of the favorite presents of the day... Took us 10 minutes to convince her to open others.

She knew she had to wear the helmet, just couldn't figure out the peddles.

Mesmerized by the candles. Mommy had to help blow them out...

Mmmmm dinosaur.

Rock a Bye

I don't have much time to blog... which is too bad, because MJ is at the cutest age. Just about everything that she does is adorable and hilarious.
MJ likes to pretend to put everyone and everything to sleep. She'll lay out whatever blankets and towels she can find and then wrap up her stuffed animals, or me or Jared or the dog. The other day I was playing along with her and asked if she would sing me a lullaby. She told me she would sing "Rock a Bye Baby" and surprised me by singing the entire thing. Luckily, she repeated it a few time and Jared was able to capture her beautiful song on video.
Enjoy!

Goals for 2011

I'm jumping on the bandwagon and making my New Year's Resolutions. I've decided to post them just so that they don't get lost on my computer or in my desk (again).


Here's a short list of things I will accomplish this year:
1. Score at least a 650 on the GMAT. (and... completed! One down, fourteen to go)
2. Get accepted to grad school at either UCD or DU.
3. Land a fine job in marketing.
4. Make the Dean's List this semester.
5. Graduate in the Spring!!
6. Move to Denver.
7. Plan activities to do with my darling daughter more often.
8. Increase savings for our future home purchase.
9. Buy a road bike and use it.
10. Play my guitar at least once a month.
11. Tone up my mid section.
12. Read at least 20 books recreationally.
13. Be more affectionate.
14. Make a new friend.
15. Eat more fruits.