Our sweet little cherub

Good-bye mountain house!

As of tomorrow, our 2 year mountain adventure is coming to and end and Jen, Harper, Oscar and I are moving back on the grid and closer to Denver where I work. Our new address is 4760 S. Bannock Street, Englewood, CO 80110. I wanted to share a few of the things we will miss (as well as some things we will not miss…I will let you guess between the two) about the first house we owned:

- Jen and I each sliding cars off of our snowy mountain road within the first week after we moved (me in a U-Haul truck…good times that thankfully resulted in no injuries…at least not to people; I am sure the truck and a few trees were not the same afterwards)

- Some wonderful neighbors who have become friends we will take with us, including those whom you meet when they volunteer to spend 2 hours helping you dig out a U-Haul truck you just got stuck in a snow bank

- Waking up most mornings to the most amazing sunrise I could imagine

- Somehow not thinking in advance that it MIGHT snow a bit more than we were used to since our house sat at an elevation of 9,000 feet

- Snowfall every single time Jen’s family came to visit (including once in June)

- Being able to go on a good mountain hike just by walking around the neighborhood

- The many brazen foxes who taunted Oscar, including my personal favorite who sat 3 feet away from our back door, picked up Oscar’s ball in his mouth, and then dropped it and urinated on it, all while Oscar is jumping 5 feet in the air and begging to be let out to chase the fox

- Learning how to deal with frozen well lines

- Hearing and seeing bobcats and coyotes on our property

- Learning during our sales process about all the things we should have had tested or inspected when we bought the house…not one of my prouder moments

Four months old today!

Today Harper turns four months! It has flown by. I will give a thorough four-month update, with some pictures, at the end of this week. She has a doctor's appointment today so we'll get the update on her weight and height. She weighed 10 pounds, 14 ounces at her last appointment. My guess is that she now weighs around 14 pounds.

This is also moving week. We can officially be in our new home today. Harper and I going to bring a few things down after the appointment. The movers come on Friday and that is when we will spend our first night there. Luckily the weather has been unseasonably warm here - 50s & 60s and not a flake of snow ~ so the moving trucks should have no problem getting up here.

Yes, that's a barrette holding my 4 pieces of hair

Playing in her new favorite toy

Back at home -- and it finally snowed! (though only an inch)

Enjoying a ride in Anna's swing

Reading with Luca

In addition to her hands, her tongue is another new discovery

Papa's birthday party

Cousin Noah, age 3

Helping papa with his recovery

Harper and I took an unexpected trip to Connecticut because my father had a sudden double heart bypass on January 26. The recovery from that kind of surgery is rather arduous, but I know that my dad was cheered up by having his grandchildren all around.

No, she's not waving, she just discovered her hand.

This is what happens when mommy lets a 3 year old hold me.

With Anna in Connecticut

Helping daddy with his work

Why I shouldn't put clean laundry on the couch

Playdate with Branwen!

Our neighbors had a daughter, Branwen, three weeks after Harper was born. Branwen's mom and I occasionally 'exchange' babies and get the girls together. Their playdates have progressed from sleeping the entire time to actually looking at each other. It has been such a gift to have a fellow first-time mom live so close. Although we are moving soon, we will continue to get the girls together.

In her party hat for Papa's birthday