We've flown the coop!

Well, once again it has taken me a while to get back to blogging - sorry, Missy!

Our family has has a wild and crazy ride the past few months and it's not about to calm down anytime soon. We closed up shop (literally on Boulder CrossFit) and packed up our home into an ABF trailer. Spent a few days with our good friends, the McIntosh's and then jammed our mini van full of necessities before heading out on the open road.

2800 miles later, we can say that we that we saw the Teton's, Yellowstone, Mt. Rushmore, and TONS of pavement. We also discovered, at 12:30 a.m., that camping with a teething one year old and a four year old with night terrors may not be a good idea. So noted. The van was never packed the same again. Driving through Yellowstone in the dead of night isn't really the best way to see the park, either. BUT it was kinda cool seeing the steam come up from the side of the road and wonder what was "over there" in the mist... a little eerie though when everyone else in the car is sound asleep.

We finally landed here in Rochester and have made Casa Sadler our home for the time being. There's been a few spreading out and growing pains for us all, but it's coming together. Now we just need to find a home we love and move in... and oh yeah... jobs would be nice too!

Ok, I'll switch back from Facebook!

I don't get to see my friend Missy too much these days. Yes, we live only a few miles apart. Yes, we work in the same building. Yes, there's no real reason that we don't see each other very often other than we're busy. That's it. Plain and simple. And her life is going to be getting doubly busy in the next few months as their family goes from two children to four with the arrival of surprise baby boy and their adopted Korean girl. Man, poor Brynn isn't going to know what hit her. Tanner, we'll he'll manage... he kinda gets it all. But poor little Brynn's going to have her world rocked. Anyway, the reason I started talking about Missy is that today we actually sat next to each other for the better part of a full day. Still didn't really get to socialize all too much, but we were physically near each other and she said something to the effect of,"Man, you're a little behind on your blogging." Yeah, I do Facebook these days. Join the rest of us on there and catch a glimpse into my crazy life that way. I don't think Missy will ever get on board with Facebook... so here's to you, my friend. I am back to blogging and will TRY to do a better job keeping up with posts. And for the pictures... well someday I will figure out a good way to download and organize them so I can post them easily and quickly. Not today, though. It just isn't in the cards, baby.

Waiting for baby girl to arrive....part 2

Big Brother Class!

Tonight Wyatt and Momma went to Longmont United Hospital for the Care Kids Class ~ a.k.a. the "Big Brother Class". Our teacher was Miss Darcie and she was very nice. Wyatt had a baby sister to practice holding, changing a diaper, and swaddling the baby!
We went up to the labor and delivery floor and got dressed up as dr.'s...

Too cute!

Then we went into the very same room that Momma was in when Wyatt was born! There was a momma doll in there and she was getting ready to have a baby. The kids practiced grunting and then...

out came the baby, umbilical cord, and placenta! Wyatt said, "But Momma, the doctor didn't cut her belly open like Dr. Amy will!" This was a great class and there were only 4 kids, so they got LOTS of attention and cool "big brother" stuff!

Getting ready for baby girl....

Bee Movie....You're Gonna Be a Stirrer!

Exploring Kanemoto Wading Pool

Wyatt and I were alone for the day so we went to Kanemoto Wading Pool. Being less than two weeks away from the arrival of baby girl, I wanted a low-key trip for the day. A wading pool sounded just right...

Hippity Hoppity

Wyatt had great fun Easter morning! Grandma was here for the festivities as too! We're very into "hide n seek" lately so searching for the basket and eggs were a great time.

singing Wyatt

Tanya and I love this, and I figured we should share. Turn off music player at bottom to hear our little singer!

While the cat's away...

Wyatt and I have been having a great time while Tanya is back in NY. It started with some dusk sledding on Fri, and he was great walking the sled back up by himself. We also learned not to let go of the sled at the top of the hill.

Yesterday we went to Wyatt's favorite restaurant, and ended with snow camping in the back yard.

Left to his own devices...

I RARELY leave Wyatt alone in the backyard, but Jeff and I needed to get dinner started. The windows were open because it was in the 70's...well, the next thing I hear is plastic clunking together. Then I looked out to see what Wyatt was doing. This is what happens when our little devil is left to his own devices...

I want to go to Oma and Opa's today!

This morning Wyatt informed me that he didn't want to go to Ms. Lori's house. Instead, he wanted to go to Opa and Oma's house. I tried to explain to him that we would have to drive in the car for two whole days to get there and that we would go to Opa an Oma's house this summer. That of course, was not what our little dictator wanted hear so a meltdown ensued. I then said, "Well, let's give Opa and Oma a call while we're driving." Opa has been sick, so Wyatt wanted to check and make sure he was feeling better too. That worked for a while, but then we were back to Wyatt's request to go to Opa and Opa's house after Ms. Lori's house today...ah the joys of cross country family and a little boy with a one track mind!

The Great Debate ends...we found out!

Today we had our 20 week ultrasound. Jeff and I had been bantering back and forth as to whether or not we should find out the gender of our impending arrival. I really wanted to know. Jeff feels like it's the last opportunityto feel like a kid with a Christmas surprise....well, I won this round.

The ultrasound tech looked three separate time to make sure there were no extra parts hanging out between the legs...and well, there were just the girly parts there!

We definately have another active little munchkin. She was moving constantly! She's even amazing us with her flexibility and making us laugh... she kept grabbing her foot with her hands! It definately made us crack up. She is a little camera shy though...we had a tough time getting a good shot of her face on the 3D. Oh well...it's just a matter of time until we get to meet her in person.

Big Brother Wyatt was very excited to have a "baby gril" in mama's belly.

Sweet Dreams Not So Sweet Lately

Tanya's been having some sleep issues lately so the dr. sent her for a sleep study overnight at Longmont Hospital. Now NORMALLY, she can sleep anywhere, anytime. But for some reason, when there was a ton of money involved, a bazillion wires, and someone watching your every move, the brain did not slow down for deep sleep.

Basically, the brain was in over-drive all night and when there was sleeping involved, it was never a deep sleep. So the results are basically inconclusive. Wes, the tech, said that there were some breathing issues, but really the dr. will need to interpret and decide next steps as most issues are measured during the "deep sleep" phase. Ugh. So another visit to the sleep study lab may be in Tanya's future. We'll see.

Next time, a camera will be brought for personal photos of the journey - here's a photo of the set-up of wires. Obviously, this is not Tanya, but you get the gist. This is what it looked like for every bathroom visit during the night....normally the big hunk of wires lays on the bed next to you while it's hooked to all the equipment. The worst parts were the noxious adhesive smells when they put the wires on your scalp and then the acetone when they took them off. Gotta love sending those chemicals through the skin to my unborn child!

It's the Holiday Season

Grandma Sadler came for Christmas this year. She was a life saver for Mom and Dad as we were all sick when she arrived. It was nice to have a healthy person cooking and playing with Wyatt.

We spent a lot of time at home since we were mostly sick over the holidays. Grandma and Wyatt tried making marshmallows one day - Wyatt currently calls them "Frenchmalllows". It was a fun project, but it didn't turn out quite as expected. The crew also brought out the homemade donut recipe that was Jim's great-grandmother's recipe. It was YUMMY!

Turkey Time!

Oma and Opa came for Thanksgiving this year. It was great to see them, since we hadn't seen eachother since July! Wyatt had a blast on his adventures out hiking with Oma and Opa. Baking and making "green mold" was also a fun activity with Oma! He helped by pouring ingredients and tast-testing!

Wyatt also loved all the cool movies they brought (Wall-E and Kung Fu Panda) and playing A LOT with them!

Opa also got to experience Wyatt's first ever day of down-hill skiing at Eldora! This is the image from the third run of the day! Wyatt said his legs were small and so he was tired and needed to be carried. Good thing Daddy is such a great skiier!

another donut adventure

Wyatt got up at 5:30 this morning, and was trying to lay in bed quiet with us until it was light out. Jeff lasted until 6am, and then decided to get up and take Wyatt on an adventure.

We watched the donuts being made by their automated line, then stepped up to the counter to order ours. We also learned that if the donuts are hot off the press, you can each have one free, even if one of you is only 3 years old.

Needless to say, it was a great start to the morning, and Tanya got to sleep in to a quite house (almost never happens around here).

Grab your knives and polish those carving skills.... it's the annual pumpkin carving at the Sadler household! Daddy came home tonight as quickly as possible so we could carve our pumpkins ahead of time. The past couple years we were desperately trying to carve on Halloween afternoon! That tradition has been laid to rest!

We started our pumpkin carving festivities with a cleaning of the pumpkins. Wyatt was very into this part. He made sure we didn't have any dirt on the pumpkins!

Wyatt had great fun playing with the "dull" knife and requested that it stay in the pumpkin as a sword.... ah is he a BOY or what!? Mommy tried to get a little creative this year and carved a ghost, moon, and the word Boo in her pumpkin. Daddy stayed a bit trad and went with a face... so did Wyatt. Of course, he wanted his pumpkin like Daddy's! The roasted pumpkin seeds turned out fabulous this year. Mmmm good!

Pumpkin Time!

Grab your knives and polish those carving skills.... it's the annual pumpkin carving at the Sadler household! Daddy came home tonight as quickly as possible so we could carve our pumpkins ahead of time. The past couple years we were desperately trying to carve on Halloween afternoon! That tradition has been laid to rest!

Wyatt had great fun playing with the "dull" knife and requested that it stay in the pumpkin as a sword.... ah is he a BOY or what!?

Mommy tried to get a little creative this year and carved a ghost, moon, and the word Boo in her pumpkin. Daddy stayed a bit trad and went with a face... so did Wyatt. Of course, he wanted his pumpkin like Daddy's!

The roasted pumpkin seeds turned out fabulous this year. Mmmm good!

Saturday afternoon fights

We had Tanner come over for the morning while Missy and Don prepared for the school Halloween party at their house. Jeff was left in charge of the boys for a while.

Donuts part 2

Last week we were between daycares, and Trina was kind enough to take care of boy for the week. This was the perfect opportunity to visit Daylight Donuts in Dacono. A nice family owned place instead of a chain, Wyatt likes it best. Of course, he ended up with both donuts, but was still sharing (a little).

Don't confuse a good boy with an easy boy...

Daddy has been bribing Wyatt at gymnastics. If he stays with the group for the whole class, he get's stamps on his hands (or feet), and then they will let him into the special donut stores! So far we've visited two.

Winchells was first. It is right on Main St in Longmont, conviently located on the way to both the old and new daycare.

A Wonderful Weekend...

Saturday Wyatt helped me to re-do his room. We took out the day bed and used the pop-up part– that way his Thomas bed could fit around it nicely. We put the bed where his bookshelf and rocking chair were. The white dresser from baby room is where the head of his bed used to be and the train table is along the wall where the bed was too…bookshelf, nightstand are at the foot of his bed – where the tall book shelf was. We now have a light that works on the wall switch as well! He loved helping me and telling me where to put different furniture. He also helped Daddy take apart the day bed and move it to the baby room – then put it all back together again. Quite the helper.

Lynne came over Saturday night for dinner and scrapping. Nice to chat while I was cleaning the srap room.

Sunday Jeff and I went to the gym and worked on making it a bit more… well, less like everything was just dropped there. A little more of a woman / decorating touch. We had Kaitlyn babysit for us (a former student) and then after we dropped her off, we all went to Red Robin for my free birthday burger. Yum! Wyatt was EXCEPTIONALLY well behaved – and we all got to eat our meals without asking for to-go packages. It was so nice.

We had a low key afternoon and evening. Jeff and I got to spend some time together since Wyatt headed to bed early due to no nap. It was nice to just watch a tv show together and head off to sleep without a little boy in the bed with us.

Oh Happy Day

It's Friday. TGIF! What a looong week it has been around here. Combine looking for new child care, conferences, paying bills, opening the gym in a new location, and just general fatigue and you've got the mixture for a much needed weekend break!

Another Year Older...Maybe Even A Little Wiser...

34 years have come and gone... on to #35. Crazy how fast time flies. As a gift to myself, I went on a scrapbook retreat in Evergreen, CO with my friend Lynne. They had a BOGO special for the weekend and I took full advantage of it - I even treated myself to a massage and a jacuzzi bath! It was a great weekend and I am so thankful that I am taking time for myself these days. Life just doesn't seem quite as rough.

My actual birthday consisted of a wake-up call from my parents to wish me a happy birthday, followed by Jeff and Wyatt singing "Happy Birthday" many times - probably out of guilt because they forgot about my birthday until my parents called. That's why I just take matters into my own hands and buy what I want. I must admit it's not quite as much fun since there's no suspense of opening a gift -or a homemade card from Wyatt. But, oh well... birthdays just aren't quite what they once were. I miss the days of family gathered around the big table at my grandparents house - having a yummy meal of lasagne - opening up the gifts of Strawberry Shortcake cereal, Barbies, music, and eating pies and ice cream cake from Carvel - you know, the crunchy chocolate filled stuff with vanilla and chocolate ice cream. YUMMY!

Those days are gone. New traditions must begin - and I'm setting up one of those birthday reminder thingys on Jeff's email!!!!!

Ahh...a great weekend!

We had a fantastic weekend. Saturday we went to a picnic at a park near the South Boulder Rec Center. It was an engagement picnic for two Jeff's clients at Crossfit. Wyatt had a great time on the playground while the Crossfitter's played a game called HooverBall. Wyatt and Mommy went to Sam's Club for a major shopping trip too. Wyatt spent some of his birthday money on a huge set of Lincoln Logs - which of course, had a train with track in it!

Sunday we spent the day pretty much around the house -but boy was it fruitful! Daddy and Wyatt picked a TON of grapes and raspberries from our ever flourishing fruit vines. Yum!

Celebrate Good Times!

Wyatt had his third birthday celebration on Septemeber 7th. We had a few friends and family over for BlackJack Pizza and "Thomas the Tank Engine Happy Birthday Cake". Wyatt loves to call all cake "Happy Birthday Cake" so that's the Official term we must use for now, otherwise we get corrected!

The birthday festivities went really well. The kids had fun with water balloons, the pool, play equipment, and their supervisors - Allison Searls and Jessica Onstot. Thank goodness for middle school aged girls who enjoy playing with little kids. I was one of those once upon a time! As the party coordinator, I must say ordering pizza and having little helpers truly allowed me the opportunity to sit back a bit, relax, and enjoy the celebration even more. It was nice to have time to talk with friends and simply take in the scenes of Wyatt's ever growing maturity and sense of humor.

Our friend, Fremont showed up a day early to the party - it was a bit humorous at first. Thank goodness we were actually home when he rolled in on his motorcycle. Joni was home sick in bed, so Fremont was riding solo. Anyway, we were able to spend some time with Fre. Wyatt even got his first motorcycle ride. Honestly, I think that was more of a present to Wyatt than the Playdough and tools from Fre and Joni. He loves the actual present, but seeing his face while riding and "steering" the motorcycle up and down the street was purely magical.

Of course, given Wyatt's long-standing facination with trains, we had a Thomas themed cake and I made little trains on tracks for the kids out of various candies. It was a fun way for me to excercise my creativity. I did appologize to all the parents for sugar-filling their children! The gifts also included many Thomas themed items - clothing, balls, books, etc... It was wonderful - and mostly because everyone kept everything so simple. Wyatt didn't get too overwhelmed with the gifts and he has been enjoying them all so much these days.

Cue Gloria Gaynor...I will survive!

Ahhh.... Friday! The joy of the first week of school is here. August is always super crazy for me since its time to head back to school. I must say, I did well this year. I managed to spend less than a week getting my classroom and stuff ready this year - and I waited until right before school started to go in! Thank goodness for my middle school helpers and my teaching partner - they helped me with the last minute dash to completion before meet n greet night.

I have 24 kids this year - a great class all in all. BUT I do have a kiddo with autism and no support. He's a bit of a handful - and is really forcing me back into my special ed days. The days are long and tiring, but I feel like I am already making more progress than I have in a while. Rarely do I have a chance to sit down - hopefully that will help me lose some more weight too! We made it all the way through the week with no major outbursts - up until the last minute of school when I told this child that he could not have something someone had given him.... ah the joy of hearing someone wail so that everyone can hear it for miles around...I LOVE my job!

Wyatt has transitioned well into going to Miss Julie full time. Although he is not taking naps and is causing others not to nap either. NOT good. He's also been spitting and hitting. So...we have some definate skills to hammer home. This is why he's not in preschool yet. I can't even imagine that!

Jeff is searching for a new Boulder CrossFit home. His current rental space has been sold so we're on to bigger, better pastures...um warehouses for the new and improved full time BCF. Good things are coming...I can feel it. The gym has also been steadily increasing its membership the past few weeks. Always a good thing!

Guess that's about. Wyatt's new phrase is, "Knock it off!" I guess that's better than, "STUPID"!

Here we go again....

This year I have vowed to relax a bit and not over-do anything. I haven't even worked on my classroom yet - that's a first for me. Usually I am school by the end of July getting organized, decorated, papers copied, helping around the school. Not this year. Nope. I'm chillin' like a villin' at home.

But wait...that's not entirely true. I have to go to trainings this week for newly adopted materials - yucko! So reality has finally sunk in. I have to leave the lazy days of summer behind - get my life organized and pull together the classroom in about a week. Ugh...

My biggest purchase this year for the classroom was about $5 worth of border and decor. That's it - another first for me. Of course, our current budget doesn't even allow for that, but hey - I bought it before the budget crisis brought on by the Trango powers that be. No bitterness here. Nope. Nada.

Well...off to get my stuff organized for an early start to the day. Here's to everyone out there who gets up early and heads out the door before 7:30 a.m. - I don't know how you do it!

All Together Now

Wyatt, Tanya, and Jeff are all back together in Colorado! We have had some good times these past few days together, just catching up and playing. The weather here has been HOT - in the 100's. Ok, so when does the air conditioner and furnace decide to start acting up? Yup, on the hottest day of the year...on a Friday...with no hope of low temperatures in the future. I'm hoping all the sweating will help with weight loss! Ha. We'll see about that one. I see a couple trips to Union Reservoir in our future - we bought a season pass this spring so now we need to really take advantage of the water and beach!

Wyatt had his first slip and slide experience today over at the neighbor's house. It was a little surprising to him! We're really focusing now on Wyatt sleeping in his own bed again. It's tough as we travel since we tend to bend the rules and let him sleep with us - or grandma. Last night he knew not try and get in bed with us - so he quietly tip toed in to our room with a pillow and sheet - and made himself comfy on the floor. Oh well, it's a stepping stone!

I went to school for the first time today - I haven't been in my classroom all summer! I haven't thought about school or anything - no classes, nada. It's taken 14 years, but I am finally learning to relax a bit and go with the flow a bit more. Everything will get done - and what doesn't get done, oh well. That's a HUGE step for me!

Wyatt's First Triathlon and Old Fashioned Swirls

After a picnic outside for dinner, we went for a drive to Lima and had some old fashioned chocolate / vanilla swirl soft serve. George Francis drive-in restaurant has been around forever. When I was little, we lived in the mobile home park across the street. Well, the mobile home has been replaced, but George Francis Restaurant is still there! Mmm... mmmm... good!

Sunday we went to Uncle Spud's (a.k.a. Greg) and Rae's triathlon at Hamlin Beach State Park. Wyatt had lots of fun ringing the cow bell and cheering for his uncle and future aunt. They did a great job and they finished very close to each other time-wise.

Boulder Crossfit in full force!

Well.... it's official! Boulder Crossfit is Jeff's full time job. We've been talking about it for quite some time and now it's a reality. Be sure to check out the Boulder Crossfit website and join in the exercise fun. Jeff is talking about adding morning, mid-day, and afternoon classes to the schedule. There may even be a Boulder Crossfit Kids class coming too! So many exciting possibilities...

www.bouldercrossfit.com

Grandma to the Rescue!

Wyatt has been spending a lot of time with Grandma Sadler this trip to Rochester. They went to Caboose Day at the Railroad Museum in Rush, riding the carousel at Charlotte Pier, swimming at the beach at Durand Eastman Park, the Strong Children's Museum, and to Seneca Park Zoo. Along with these adventures, they've visited Aunt Marilyn, Ruth, and the MacDonald clan. Wow! And Grandma even had adventures (and less sleep) by having Wyatt over to spend the night. Not once -but twice!

During my Wyatt-free time, I have been helping my mom going through clothing and determining what is garage sale worthy, donation worthy, garbage, and keepers at my grandparent's house. It's a long and difficult process, but it will help everyone in the long run. It's truly amazing how much stuff can be collected over fifty years in a home! I seem to get inspired to clean out at my own house after working here - so there's benefit on our end as well!

Golfing and Fire Trucks and Marching Bands Oh My!!

Opa tried his best to teach Wyatt how to golf on Friday. Wyatt actually enjoyed chasing after the balls more than hitting them, so it ended up being a driving range situation with Wyatt as the ball collector!



This weekend is the 48th annual Rush Fireman's Carnival. We went down to town to watch the parade. More than 60 Fire and Rescue units were represented! It was quite a light show. The marching bands were fantastic and it was a lot of fun watching them in their glory. We saw Uncle Royer marching with the Rush Fire Department and Aunt Diana was driving the ambulance. Cousin Amy was marching with the Pultneyville Fire Department too.



Here's a few photos of some old fire trucks - and a shout out to Wyatt's buddy, Tanner! We were thinking about how much Tanner would have LOVED this parade with so many cool firetrucks. It was a full hour of lights and loud sirens.