Christmas in Colorado!

Ok, last of three posts for the day-- HOORAY! So, to finish off our recap of 2010-- we can't leave out Christmas! In AZ, it's pretty hardcore to really get into the Christmas spirit (considering it's still about 85-90 degrees outside), so I really try to decorate as much as I can in the house and listen to Christmas music non-stop to try to get into the right spirit. It worked pretty well this year! Here's our little Christmas tree and the front room. We had to give back our 4 ft. tree this year because we knew that the Bubs would just be pulling it on top of himself the whole time. So we got a mini Christmas tree that could go on the top of entertainment center. Baby-proofing: CHECK!

We had the chance to go to the Mesa, AZ temple to see the lights before we left for Colorado. It was certainly a different experience from Temple Square. We weren't bundled and there was no snow!!!!

Now fast forward a few days. We got to go to Colorado for Christmas! It was a rough start getting there-- the transportation took a bit longer than we had planned, and the Bubs didn't sleep (for the whole two weeks), but other than that we had a FABULOUS time! The theme for this year's Christmas was a Medieval Christmas! We all became either knights or damsels in distress and it was AMAZING! We started out the festivities with (of course) Gingerbread Houses:

The Bubs is pretty excited about making Gingerbread Houses!

Sar's beautiful Cathedral.

Mom's outhouse... oh, I mean, Tower. Lord Albert's?? Prince Alfred?? Something similar to that....

Jonathan's impressive first go-around with gingerbread houses-- yep, it's a catapault!

My Dad not looking too happy with his efforts this year. He made the Round Table.

Me with our Christmas Coat of Arms... so clever!

Brett and his Sword in the Stone.

Dinner was AWESOME!! Mom and I made our first attempt at Cornish Game Hens (which turned out SUPER yummy), we found some amazing hearty bread, we made up our own

broth-y soup, and had our ale (of the ginger variety, of course!) We also had some dried fruit and nuts to round out the evening. Perhaps my favorite thing about this dinner was the gusto that the men-folk had about being medieval! Ripping into the Cornish Game Hens, burping quite loudly, and my favorite: my dad shouting "MORE GROG, WENCH!!!" It was quite the evening!

We, of course, ate by candlelight :)

The whole evening was SUPERB, and one of the best Christmases I've experienced! The activities included Jousting, Juggling, Castle Building, Catapaulting, a Search for the Holy Grail, and to finish up the evening: a Knight's Quest (which was an AMAZING obstacle course, which I will have lovely memories from for forever [thank you Sara for the falling pants, Mom for the bow and arrow shooting, and Dad-- just overall awesomeness.] Ahh-- what good times!

So yeah, Christmas was awesome. We got to have a fantastic Happy Duke Year with some pretty fantastic Balderdash-ness. (ZOOPS!) It was super hard to leave Fort Collins (since I don't know when I'll be back) but it was a wonderful 2 weeks!!!

A BIG Moment in Nik's Life

That big moment happened on December 11, 2010. I competed in a Sprint Triathlon, and guess what... I FINISHED! That was the goal from the start, so I was pretty excited to accomplish it. It was the craziest/hardest thing I've ever done in my life. I think it's comparable to child birth. I hated it while I was in the midst of it because it was SO hard and I was SO tired-- but man, crossing that finish line... there's not much that can compare! So, here's the story:

The race was up in Anthem, AZ-- so we had to drive about 25 minutes to get there. Luckily, my best friend, Sarah, took Bubsy for the day so we didn't have to worry about him. The race started at 11:00, but we got up there at 9:00 so I had plenty of time to rack my bike, get my timing chip, and get body marked. By the time the race started, I was so nervous, I thought I was going to be sick.

The first event was the swim. It was a 1/4 mile (which doesn't sound like a very long swim-- but try it-- and you'll feel how difficult it really is!) We were in lap lanes and doing a serpentine up and down the lanes. They were letting racers in the water every ten seconds. So picture this: you've got new swimmers coming in every ten seconds. You've got people swimming up the lane and people swimming down the same lane. Then you've also got people trying to pass other people in the same lane that people are going up and down in. Translation: CHAOS!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It was so scary and Brett said he counted 12 people in one lane at one time. So, needless to say, I couldn't get into a decent rhythm (which is the only way I survive swimming), therefore by the 4th lap (of 8)... I was DONE. I have never felt so tired in my life, and I still had 4 laps left. By the time I crawled (almost literally) out of the pool, I was devestated. It was only the first event and I could barely breathe-- or walk. So, as I'm almost in tears, I walk to the transition area to get ready for the bike. The whole time I was thinking, there is NO FREAKING WAY I can do the rest of this race. Luckily, Husband came to the rescue. He showed up and started stuffing Power Bar and Gatorade in my mouth and just kept saying, "Just get on the bike! Find a rhythm and go! You're going to do great!" Seriously, if it hadn't been for Brett pushing me, I STILL might be sitting in the transition area just crying.

But, I got on my bike and started to go. The bike was definitely my favorite event (and I discovered a serious LOVE for biking training for this beast) even though it was hard too. It was almost 13 miles and the first mile was straight uphill. WOW. On a mountain bike right after getting my toosh kicked in the swim-- it was a hard first mile. But then the 2 and 3rd miles were straight downhill, which was AWESOME! The bike went in a 4 mile loop that we did 3 times. By the third time doing the massive mile hill, I thought I was going to die. I figured I could get off of my bike and walk it up the hill faster than I was going. Not knowing if that were legal or not, I stayed on my bike :)

After the bike was the 5k. A 3.2 mile run that started out pretty well for me. Until I hit the first mile marker and got an intense cramp in my right quad. NOT FUN. So, I'm walking it out, when I realize that the next HUGE part of the route (it turned out to be a mile and a half) was straight uphill. Uhhh... yeah right. I was so tired, the thought of running uphill for a mile and half made me want to fall over. So, I walked. By the time I crested the hill, I decided I could start running again, and ran until I crossed the finish line!! WOW. What a crazy awesome experience!

I've decided that Triathlon's are a really good thing for me to be involved in. My goal is to do at least 2 a year (depending on where we live, and what races we can find) and another great thing about this experience is my love of biking. For Christmas, Brett got me a new bike that I LOVE. I just wish I could have had it for the Tri! It's blue, it's pretty, and it's as quick as lightning!

Ok, here are some pictures from the exciting event!

My number for the race!

Me and the Bubs before we left for the Tri.

Me and my training partner Linsey right before the race! How happy and naive we were!

Me running to the pool to start the race!!!!

How fast was that?? Here I am crossing the finish line!

Husband greeting me at the finish line!

Brett and me with the awesome sign he made for me!

Lins and I showing off our awesome numbers.

THE END.

Time to Catch Up-- November

Well, once again, the time has flown and I've found that I'm once again WAY behind in my blogging. So, this will be the first of 2-3 posts to catch you up with our lives once again. Rewind to November-- we got our family pictures done! It works out really nicely to get family pictures taken in November because Michael just turned one and we needed pictures for our Christmas Card. So, kill two birds with one stone :) We asked my best friend, Sarah, to take the pictures for us and we ADORE how they turned out! She's a genius!

Had to get a silly Brett and Nik shot in there :)

Our not so little boy!! I still can't believe that he's almost 15 months already!

Chasing the chickens. We took the pictures at this awesome park in Glendale that has chickens, roosters, and a peacock. How cool is that??

This picture of Michael fits him perfectly. He's pretty goofy!

Another part of November that was awesome was Thanksgiving! Brett's family was coming and we were SO excited! Unfortunately, the biggest snow storm in the entire UNIVERSE hit Utah the day that they were supposed to start their trek down to AZ. Brett and I were thinking that they weren't going to be able to make it-- boy, were we wrong! They braved the elements the day before Thanksgiving and drove ALL day. They finally got to Scottsdale at about 1 pm on Thanksgiving day! We were SOOOOO excited that they were able to make it. Our time with them was shortenend quite a bit because of the storm, but we loved the time that we did have!

HAPPY FIRST BIRTHDAY!

Well, for what started out as a pretty crummy day... I think the Bubster had a pretty awesome first birthday! It's crazy to me that a year has come and gone already. It seems like yesterday I was worrying about taking care of a brand new baby, and now I'm worrying about a crazy, mobile kid.

The day started out with some serious tummy issues for the Bubs. There was throw up, there was nasty other end grossness, and lots and lots of screaming. After fixing the problems, things got a little bit better. But then we had to go to the doctor. 5 shots, and some Tylenol later, I had a pretty cranky little man on my hands. But, we got through the rest of the afternoon, and got ready for the party! Oh, here are his stats for his 12 month check:

Height: 31 inches (90%)

Weight: 21.12 lbs (25%)

Head: 18.5 inches (75%)

So, basically, we have a very tall, very skinny boy. Luckily, his head didn't grow any more, and he's gone from 90% to 75% :)

Now for the good stuff! The party was a blast! We had several of our friends over to celebrate with us (and it was nice and crowded in our tiny little apartment) and it was a blast! We sang to Bubsy and then got him a nice, big piece of cake to jump right into. I should have figured that this kid would pull something we weren't expecting--- because that's what he usually does. To our great dissappointment, he was INCREDIBLY dainty with his cake. I mean, there wasn't a mess. He didn't get it all over his face, tummy, and hair. Instead, he daintily picked at his cake, putting it into his mouth one pinch at a time. This is so like him though... anytime we want him to be clean, he makes a HUGE mess, and the time we allow him to be a total mess, he's a complete lady :)

I think my favorite part of the evening was when everyone else was eating the cake. Bubsy was sitting in his seat (kind of isolated) and all of a sudden he would just start laughing. No one was paying any attention to him, or making faces, or anything and he would just start cracking himself up! It was hilarious!

We also opened presents and THANK YOU for all of the wonderful gifts! We are so excited that he actually has some clothes to wear in a few months, and we love the books! Thanks for all of the phone calls, texts, etc. It was a really fun day for us and we can't wait to share the video/pictures with all of you!

Here are some fun pics from the BIG day!

Hangin' with his girl, Macy :)
They are the best of friends, and I love it!

The table with all of the loot!

My little Rubber Ducky centerpiece...

The Cake! I was pretty proud of it-- it was my first cake (well, besides the practice cake I made) that I decorated! I think it turned out pretty cute!

The Bubs seeing his cake for the first time!

After eating some of the cake. Do you see any mess on him?? Yeah, he really was very dainty!

Happy Birthday, Bubs!

Cracking himself up!

He is one happy, happy boy :)

Happy Halloween!

Well, my least favorite holiday of the year has finally come and gone! I think it probably comes from my mom (the let's hide in the basement and pretend we're not home philosophy) but Halloween and I have never really gotten along before. It was DEFINITELY my least favorite holiday when I was teaching (kids and loads of candy... or even the thought of loads of candy makes them mental) and it's continued to stick. I do think it's fun to dress up, especially now that I have a cute little munchkin to get ready, but I still think it's just kind of a waste of money to spend on one night. Anyway-- enough of my soap box on Halloween. It was fun, the Bubs didn't overheat in his costume, AND he kept the hood on for WAY longer than I thought he would. So, really, it was a win-win-win night!

Brett's mom found and sent us Brett's first Halloween outfit for the Bubs to try on. As you can see, it didn't fit quite right-- Bubsy is tall and skinny. He has super narrow shoulders, so the outfit wasn't long enough in length and was too wide in the shoulders-- but it was still fun to get him into it and get this cute shot!

Sportin' the cute outfit from Brett's mom! That hat was torn off about .2 seconds after I got this picture. He just really is not digging hats right now....but it's totally my favorite part of the outfit! So Cute!

Here's our little Dragon Boy. How cute is this outfit?

I love how the stomach area is puffy-- so fun!

Brett and I resorted to our usual costumes for Halloween-- being Nerds. We find it to be the most fitting costumes for us, since we are total nerds anyway!

My nerdy self and the Dragon Boy

Ok, so enough of Halloween. Here are just a couple of random shots that I need to share. I had to get the traditional bath shot-- so here it is. I love his hair and his little face in this picture. Priceless.

Last, but not least... I got the Bubs a "big boy" tie when I went shopping a few weeks ago. So, we got him all dressed up this Sunday and here is our little missionary man. Dang- he cleans up nice, huh?

Welp, that's it until tomorrow! The BIG one. Our little man will be turning ONE! So, look forward to some amazing pictures from that event!!

Me and My Crafty Self!

So, today was one of my favorite days of the year... that's right... SUPER SATURDAY! For those of you who are unaware, or sadly, don't DO a Super Saturday-- here's what you're missing....

A glorious day filled with different crafts, where people hand you all the materials and you just have to assemble it! I made some AWESOME stuff last year, and this year might have topped it! I was actually on the Super Saturday committee this year and was in charge of a project! It went really well, and it was a great day! This year I made a Note/To Do board (this was the project I came up with and did), a Temple Block, and a Growth Chart! Get ready to be dazzled:

So, here's the project I was in charge of. It's in a frame, and you write with the dry erase marker on the glass of the frame. Pretty fancy, eh?

My awesome Temple Block. I love doing anything where I get to showcase the Manti Temple! I had to tie the bow about 5 thousand different times... where is my mom when I need her???

Ok, the QUEEN of projects this year! How stinking cute is this?? We did all of the painting and everything... it took me all day, but I'm quite pleased with the result :) I almost don't want to mark heights on it... it's so pretty the way it is!

So, hooray for another successful Super Saturday... I hope my next ward is as awesome.

Hair Cuts, Canned Peaches, and Baby Monk...

Well, October has started with a bang! We LOVED Conference and the Bubs was really good so we both got to see/hear almost all of it! Don't worry, we were savoring every moment... we have a feeling that in April, we're not going to be so lucky!

Here are some happenings of the month:

*Brett finished his Derm. Surgery rotation. We're bummed that it's over. He had great hours, liked what he was doing, and wasn't very stressed. Next up is his Surgery rotation... YIKES! He's going to be in Ortho. and is excited to feel like an idiot everday :) The plus to this rotation is that he's going to be working at the two hospitals that are closest to our house. HOORAY! No more 45 minute commute!!

*We had a MASSIVE storm on Wednesday. Literally GOLF ball sized hail and all while Brett was driving home. Lovely, huh? Luckily, the only damage was to our cars. The Saturn has a little denting on the hood and the Mazda got it pretty bad on the roof. Oh well, not like the Mazda was much of a looker anyway :)

*I'm kicking it into high gear since we're down to only 2 months until the Tri. I went to a spin class that our fearless Tri leader held today and am POOPED. It's great to have people in the ward to train with and to keep me motivated!

*The Bubs has officially learned how to wave and it's STINKING cute. He just does an open palm and waves back and forth. We're constantly working on his ASL skills, and he definitely understands a few signs. Funny enough the signs he gets are: Milk, Eat, and Stop. Teehee... he continues to make me giggle everyday. I love this crazy kid! Now for some pictures!

His famous pucker face... he pulls this constantly!

Yep, we had to cut his hair for the 9th time! Luckily, this time he let me use the clippers... HOORAY! We thought this was hilarious, he looks like he has a sweater back :)

I canned 21 jars of peaches with my best bud, Sarah, and this is Bubsy taking his first taste of them. Um... what can I say? I think the peaches are divine, but obviously the Bubs has other opinions. He finally spit it out...

We tried one more time, only to get the same reaction... shoot!

We love the show, Monk. OCD detective with a crazy awesome gift (or curse... as the case may be) The onesy that Bubsy was wearing yesterday has really weird snaps. If you didn't do all the snaps up, he was totally showing off his chest, but if we did the snaps all the way up, he totally looks like Monk. So, we deemed him Baby Monk yesterday and took some sweet shots!

My little OCD Baby Monk

He also decided to pull out of all my pans and play with them while I was cooking dinner. Whatever keeps him happy, right?

Posing with the pans... I love his obsession with raising his arm.

A happy little Bubsy! (Do you see his top two teeth???)

Mid-applause.... for himself :)

Hope this month is going well for the rest of you. We're not sure what's going down for Halloween yet... but don't you worry, there will be many pictures to see!