Alps Hopping

Michael is home! I don't like to publicize that he is away but now that he's back I can tell you all about his recent adventures abroad. Well, actually, he'd do a better job of telling you. I'll just post the pictures.

Once a year Michael's company does a big group trip to Europe, usually to Switzerland, Italy or France, doing site tours, elaborate dinners and of course skiing the Alps. This year their trip included Germany (briefly), Austria and Italy. For 12 days. Needless to say we are very happy he is finally home!

Here's a look at his "grueling" business trip!

They flew into Munich and took a transfer to their first stop, Zurs, Austria. They spent some time skiing here.

And here, in Lech, Austria. This picture really reminds me of Zermatt, Switzerland where we went on our honeymoon.

They also skiied St. Anton, Austria.

Here's what Apres-Ski should look like. Apres-Ski refers to going out, having drinks, and socializing after skiing. It is hugely popular in ski towns. Consider it the happy hour after skiing.

Then it was on to Innsbruck. I think I need to go here. Michael says it is a large city with 130,000 people and it is very accessible for quick trips to Germany, Italy and Switzerland. It's an historic village but also a college town.

Their last stop in Austria was Kitzbuhel, where they skiied and had dinner from a mountain top. What a view.

Then it was on to Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy for another stamp in the passport.          

This is also where the 90s movie Cliffhanger was filmed.

Lastly a night in Venice (another Honeymoon destination of ours), but I think by this point he was just really anxious to be home.

And he thought of me with a picture of my favorite Venetian landmark, the Santa Maria della Salute.

Like I said, we are so happy to have him home. 

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Michael said he definitely noticed big changes in Adam after almost 2 weeks away, notably that he is much more vocal, his pronunciation is much improved and he is much more confident and steady in climbing. A few new phrases he's learned now are "All better", "Right there", "Kiss it", "Find it", "Whatcha doing?", "Sit on Mommy" (on my lap -- he's very Mommycentric these days) and the other day, "Why?" followed by "Why not?" I'm not sure I'm ready for the Whys! And he sometimes now calls me "Mom." Not Mommy. Certainly not ready for that either!

Blog on the Side

My super talented and craft buddy Laura recommended I put some of my projects on my blog. Craft blogging is hugely popular, and most {meaning 99%} of my craft ideas come from other very talented crafters who generously share their know-how with the rest of us.

I didn't want to mix business with pleasure, so to speak, so I started a separate blog for my projects here at A Redhead Thread for those of you who are interested. I'm not sure how often I'll be posting, but fortunately I have quite a few back projects I can share that will be new to you.

Happy crafting!

http://aredheadthread.blogspot.com/

March Madness!

I've always considered myself more of a football fan than a basketball fan, but I must admit, March Madness is addicting!

When I lived in Lexington after college, my boss would roll in a tv so we could keep up with games and watch live. There were office pools and prize money. Then I moved to Florida, and I'm not even sure anyone knew there was basketball. With such a strong Latin community, basketball didn't seem to get much attention and there definitely seemed to lack any collegiate loyalty (aside from UM or UF).  All the time in Florida it seemed most people didn't even pay attention to who was playing, what their brackets were, or even the outcome.

Boy, it's good to be back in basketball country! At work, everyone has submitted a bracket to the office pool, and our neighbors have another pool going, too. After each night of games there's morning chatter about who won, who was upset, and who's brackets took a hit. {How's your bracket look these days??}

And while the brackets alone are fun to follow, this year is even more exciting and fun because my alma mater Kentucky Wildcats are in the Final Four! We play in-state rival Louisville (and former UK coach Rick Pitino) on Saturday, and we'll be in Lexington for the game. If we win, someone will be calling in sick on Monday so we can stay in Lex for the final game. {I think I already feel a "cold" coming on, cough cough}

UK ALL THE WAY! GO BIG BLUE!

SOLD!

I can't believe it's SOLD!

As I type this the packers are inside this house boxing up all my parents' worldly possessions and soon our family homestead for the last 12 years will be in the hands of a different family. It's really bittersweet.

The whole process has taken a long time, in a sense, but in the end it was So Fast. My parents have tossed around the idea of moving to Kentucky to be near the grandkids for, what, years? They looked at houses online and when in town even visited a few with a realtor, but it always kind of seemed like a never-actually-going-to-happen thing.

Then Michael and I moved to Ohio and my sister Kim and Josh moved to Lexington, and before they knew it, all their kids and grandkids were living less than 2 hours from each other. And they were all the way down in Florida.

Don't get me wrong, Florida is great. To visit. And their house there is this beautiful oasis in a busy, over-crowded city.

I was with them when they first saw it with a realtor. We walked in the front door and were immediately drawn out the back door. We stood at the patio rail, looking out on the lake and agreed: "This is it." We hadn't even seen the rest of the house.

They took that house and made it their own. They expanded the back patio and upgraded the screened porch,

remodeled the center portion of the house, repositioning the kitchen and dining room and making it their taste.

They improved the master bedroom, put new flooring in the whole house, replaced all the windows and sliders, and upgraded all three bathrooms beautifully. They resurfaced the patio and driveway, painted the house, upgraded fixtures, built in storage in the garage, and added a garden. Whew.

It really is a gorgeous house.

But... I guess what good is a gorgeous house in a tourist state if you only get to share it with loved ones a couple times a year. So they got to thinking: Kentucky.

Before I knew it, they were listing the house on the market, and a week later they had an offer. So fast! I didn't even have time to publicize it to all my FL friends so we could keep it in the "family"! I must admit, I am sad to see that house go to a stranger, even though the buyers seem to Love it. I lived there for several years before I was married, and Michael, Adam and I spent many many weekends there, even though our own condo was only 3 miles away. (To the point that we even left extra clothes, pajamas, diapers and toothbrushes there.) It's surreal that I'll never be back to see it.

BUT.... we are Super-Duper Excited that our parents will be local again! While they haven't found a house yet, they're looking in Kentucky near my sisters. {It's clear where I stand in the rankings, haha!} They'll be able to be involved with us girls and the grandkids on a daily basis (if they want) and when we come to Lexington (which seems to be every other weekend anyway), we'll get to see everyone all together at once.

Find a big enough house for all of us, Mom and Dad. The Morelands are planning on moving back in!

Happy Birthday, Jake!

Last weekend Adam and I were in Lexington to celebrate one of our favorite little guys, Jake! 

Adam's cousin turned 2 and we of course had to be there for the party. He and Adam are so much fun to watch together, and they had a blast on the bounce house slide and with the bubbles.

While I could do my own blog post on the day, my sister Kim already posted a thorough description and used all my pictures anyway, so I'll just refer you to her page.

Visit HERE for all the pictures and commentary.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JAKE!

PS. The bubble machine was from us.

From Giraffes to Tigers

Adam is now a Tiger!

Adam has "graduated" from the Giraffe room (18-24 months) to the Tiger room (24-30? months), and the transition couldn't have been easier. Many of his little buddies had already moved to the Tiger room before him and most afternoons they combined the classrooms as kids were picked up, so he was already familiar with the room and some of his new classmates.

They transitioned him over the course of a week, allowing him to spend a few hours each morning and afternoon with the Tigers before making The Switch. Last week was his first full week in his new room, and already his new teachers are complementing us on his intelligence. He's already a favorite in the new room. He is constantly chatting now, especially in the car where he tells us everything he sees. He sings songs and recites books from memory, most of them unfamiliar to me that I now have to ask his teachers which song/book/activity it is so I can share it with him at home. Yesterday we went to the bookstore and bought "Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?" because that is his latest favorite book to recite.

He still misses his Giraffe room, especially his teachers Ms Helen and Ms Kelsey, and he asks about them each morning when we are getting ready. The biggest differences in this classroom are a more expanded curriculum, introduction to the potty, and learning boundaries. A few of the other Tigers are potty trained, and I can tell he is already benefiting from observing other kids and is starting to make the connection. Each time we change his diaper he asks to sit on the potty at home. It's a start.

I wish you all could see him at 2! He's growing up so wonderfully. He is now in a toddler bed instead of his crib, goes up and down stairs like a big boy (his legs are finally long enough, haha) and has become quite a parrot, repeating everything he hears. His favorite expressions these days are "Careful, Adam", "Good job, Adam", "Oo-ba-daisy" (Oops-a-daisy), and occasionally a humorous "Oh, man!" He now gives us directions, or rather, grabs our shirt/pant/hand and brings us to where he wants us. If he's swinging, he requests you swing beside him. If he's on the double-slide at the playground, he wants you to slide beside him.

He is extremely social, and it's fun to watch him observe other children when we're out or at the playground, especially kids that are playing together. You can tell he really wants to join in and often will start running around with the rest of them.

He has quite the memory, too. Yesterday at the bookstore he started asking for "Trains" as soon as we walked in the door. He wanted to play with the train table in the children's section... and I don't think we'd been to the store in months! He remembers where the train tracks are and the firetrucks are on our route to school. We'll pull into the Williams' neighborhood and he'll recognize where we are and start asking for cousin Carter. After school he will ask to "Play" at the park as we make the familiar drive home, and if you turn left instead of right (toward the park) he notices.

I can't get over how much he talks and observes and how many words he knows. Like "Binoculars." Did he just say binoculars? He is the cutest thing on the planet, and I am not biased at all!

Biggest Loser: Week 8

Ok, I admit it. I've fallen off the wagon. The last 2 weeks have been gains (minimal, but the wrong direction regardless), and I have a feeling this week is not going to be any different. I hit the 10 lb mark (and I'm still at or under it) but at one point I was down 14 lbs!! And then I rewarded myself, and kept rewarding myself. I stopped counting my calories and enjoyed an extra piece of cake for my birthday. The other night we made brownies. I even grabbed a double cheeseburger the other day on the run, and I have to admit, it didn't even taste good. (which is good, right?! if not disappointing -- it should at least be worth the calories!) 

In all this I have learned that I prefer convenience (hence the McDonald's). In the beginning of this challenge I made a giant pot of soup in the crockpot and took a cup in every day for lunch. It was easy, healthy and yummy, and it took away any decision making when noon rolled around. I think I need to make another pot of soup just to keep me on the right track.

Last week was birthday week, and we had Angie and her family come in town for the weekend. I knew there would be cake and game food and chicken wings (yum!). I just didn't prepare for it enough, despite running the 10k, a 5-mi run, and a 2-mi run last week, and ended up 1.5 lbs up for last week's weigh in (imagine if I hadn't run so much!). And, shamefully, I was the smallest loser for the week (or, rather, the biggest gainer!). Ahhh, feels different on the bottom.

This week, as I mentioned, hasn't been really great. I enjoyed this fabulous weather and did a 2-mile run/walk while pushing Adam, took Adam on a quick bike ride on The Tank (mountain bike), and had a family walk last night. I ran a mile on the treadmill, too, before spending some time on the elliptical. If sounds more impressive than it feels. My sweet tooth has returned, and I have been unable to resist the chocolate chip cookies at work, the hershey kisses in my desk and the brownies on the kitchen counter, begging to be eaten. I need to get back on track for these last two weigh-ins, especially since my sister Angie and I are exactly tied for the title of Biggest Loser girl. (Michael seems to have a good handle on the overall competition... and he's looking awesome!)

I just need to be conscientious of my food intake, emphasizing quality of calories and moderation. I still feel full if I eat a big lunch (yesterday I was stuffed with a cup of soup and half a sandwich), and I know that it's my body telling me my portion was a little too large.

Listen to your bodies, ignore the cravings, make time for the cardio... The last weigh in is on the horizon!