On another sleepless night of waiting for this baby to born, I figured that there is no time like the present to make a much needed blog update (2 1/2 weeks and counting!) At the beginning of September, Trevin and Mason (a good high school friend) raced on a 2-man relay team in the infamous LOTOJA (Logan, Utah to Jackson, WY) race. It's just over 200 miles and they finished 4th in their division. Way to go Team MT! I drove the support vehicle and had a lot of fun meeting them and refueling them at each transition. They are thinking of riding the individual relay next year. We'll see! It's not the race day support that is difficult, it's the race season "training" support. And I know it's not difficult, especially in my current state, but with all of his extreme exercise, I now out-weigh Trevin :(
My parents met us with the kids at the finish line in Jackson, Wyoming. During the next couple of days, we drove through Yellowstone. We stayed on Jackson Lake the first night in a cabin at Colter Bay and canoed the next morning. Avery was disappointed that she couldn't ride a bear with Papa. Dex was elated that we didn't even see a bear. My dad, the avid outdoorsman, found it necessary to stop and look at all the animals. This makes traveling in a car with an anxious 2 year old, 6 year old, and hungry pregnant lady an interesting combination. All in all, we had a great time and look forward to more car trips with Gramma and Papa Bleggi!?! If they are up to it.
Dex continues to miss Avery while she is at school each morning. After a quick lunch, she's out the door again to find some neighborhood kids. He's getting big enough to tag along a little bit, but needs some supervision. He loves to watch Little Einsteins and Mickey Mouse Clubhouse a couple times a week while Avery is away. Since those are his favorites, I finally ordered a DVR and will probably need it in the very near future so he can stay entertained while I attended to a new baby.
Next update to likely include some, all, or none of the following...
Fall Break (Oct 16-17)
Dex's birthday (Oct 18)
My birthday (Oct 24)
Trevin's final step of the board exam in San Francisco (Oct 25-26)
Avery's 1st piano recital (Oct 28)
New baby (Oct 28?)
Halloween (Oct 31)
Thursday, October 9, 2008
Thursday, August 28, 2008
The Birthday Girl Starts School
In August 2002, Trevin and I went to the temple to decide on the name of our first daughter. She was born the very next day. Six years ago to the day, it was Avery who went to bed very excited and a little anxious because she was excited to begin her school career at the new Mountain Green Elementary. She was bound and determined to ride the bus on her first day with no help from mom. At her Kindergarten assessment she succeeded at all the teacher asked of her. Counting, reading, hopping, throwing. She is ready for a great year with Mrs. Hoffman and many of her close friends from the neighborhood.
Avery is a very vibrant child. She has a wild imagination and is bursting with creativity. She has more friends than anyone I know and kids of all ages love to be around her. Dexter loves her with all his heart and I’m sure she’ll take a little piece of it with her as she leaves for school everyday. She is a very caring, thoughtful, intelligent little girl. I love her more everyday. Just the other day I was telling her how Trevin and I met in a math class and we would study together. Although Trevin didn’t really need a study partner he humored me anyway. Avery said, “I think I’m going to be smart like dad.”
Avery had a very fun birthday party the weekend before school began. All of the Bleggi and Wallin families came. All of her cousins were there. Since it was during the Summer Olympics, it was an Olympic-theme. Everyone decorated a flag and competed in an obstacle course, tumbling event, relay race, and water balloon toss/fight. After the games we had a Gold Medal Ceremony and a BBQ. Later than night, Avery and Dex went swimming at the Searle’s Pool.
Avery is a very vibrant child. She has a wild imagination and is bursting with creativity. She has more friends than anyone I know and kids of all ages love to be around her. Dexter loves her with all his heart and I’m sure she’ll take a little piece of it with her as she leaves for school everyday. She is a very caring, thoughtful, intelligent little girl. I love her more everyday. Just the other day I was telling her how Trevin and I met in a math class and we would study together. Although Trevin didn’t really need a study partner he humored me anyway. Avery said, “I think I’m going to be smart like dad.”
Avery had a very fun birthday party the weekend before school began. All of the Bleggi and Wallin families came. All of her cousins were there. Since it was during the Summer Olympics, it was an Olympic-theme. Everyone decorated a flag and competed in an obstacle course, tumbling event, relay race, and water balloon toss/fight. After the games we had a Gold Medal Ceremony and a BBQ. Later than night, Avery and Dex went swimming at the Searle’s Pool.
Thursday, August 21, 2008
Bob Villa Super Summer
Here is a little peek at some projects that we've been working on this spring/summer. When I say "we" I mean I started them or was the mastermind behind them and then lacked the skill/knowledge to complete them. As you can see though, Trevin did an awesome job and is relieved to be concentrating his efforts elsewhere. He is competing in LOTOJA in a few weeks and takes his oral board exam at the end of October (in San Francisco 2 days before the baby is due. Very convenient!)
Sunday, August 3, 2008
NYC
It has been a short-lived tradition for Trevin and I to go on a vacation together before each child has been born. Looking back, we were on a permanent vacation until Avery was born. Before Dex came along we visited Aruba. With this one, we wanted Hawaii, but decided on New York City. We are also celebrating our 10th anniversary this month. So, we traded in our frequent flyer miles and headed for the Big Apple on Thursday, July 24th until Monday, July 28th. To save a little on money we took the air train from JFK to our hotel. We stayed at the Helmsley Park Lane (bid on Hotwire.) It was literally between the Plaza Hotel and the Ritz Carlton across the street from Central Park in Midtown. There was a subway station less than a half of a block down so we bought a subway card and did most of our travel by foot or train.
Soon after we checked into our hotel, we head straight for Time Square where we bought tickets for a Broadway play. It was “39 Step”s by Alfred Hitchcock. It was a pretty good play, but more for the experience. I had my heart set on Wicked, but there were only premium seat left. My neighbor said, but you’re a “Doctor’s wife!” Well, a doctor’s budget doesn’t travel as far as it used to!
Prior to arriving in NYC, we had several travel advisors (Nicky, Kelly, Mason, Sam.) Nicky hooked us up on the eating establishments. Before the play, we ate pizza from a small shop near the Little Mermaid Theater. As luck would have it, hot, fresh mozzarella and basil came straight from the oven. Best pizza we had in NYC.
The next day we slept until 11 am. Remember we were on Mountain Standard Time. We had brunch at Sarabeth’s. We had lots of recommendations for this place but were disappointed. As Zagat had pointed out, the service is inattentive and it was SLOW! Our food lacked flavor. I think we took the fabulous central park location for granted since it was literally one door down from our hotel. From there we headed for the Statue of Liberty or Empire State building. We toured neither. It was Friday afternoon and the lines were hours long. So, Trevin promised me to get up early the next morning. Instead of the lines, we walked around the World Trade Center site. We also walked around Little Italy where we had lunch at a Cuba sandwich place. Sooooo delicious.
Friday night we saw a Mets/Cardinals game at Shea Stadium. I guess the $20 for 2 hot dogs and a coke and the experience of watching a game during the last season in the current stadium was…priceless.
On Saturday, we woke up 5 hours earlier that the day before and were the ultimate tourists at the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. We even indulged in the walking audio tour of Liberty Island. We did get their early enough to tour the inside of the statue. It was worth the early morning. We had a late lunch at the seaport and on our way back to the hotel we did a hop on, hop off bus tour of Downtown. We went to Little Italy again that evening. It was much better this time around because the streets were closed to traffic, restaurants had table and gelato freezers in on the streets.
Sunday morning we walked around Central Park and took another bus tour of Uptown and Harlem on top of the double decker bus in the pouring rain. That helped with the heat. That night we went to Bob Flay’s Mesa Grill. My pork chops were very good. Trevin’s steak was okay. It was fairly pricey and the $8 pasta in Little Italy the night before was equally as flavorful.
On Monday morning, Trevin surprised me with breakfast in bed and then we headed to Greenwich Village. We took a walking food and cultural tour. I could have done more food and less culture because the food was sooo delicious. My one regret is that we did the tour on our last day instead of our first so we would have known of more diverse places to eat. Here are some links to some of the places we ate. Some, but not all were on the food tour.
tour.
http://www.milkandcookiesbakery.com/
Best chocolate chip cookies I’ve ever had.
http://www.famousjoespizza.com/
I liked this pizzeria the best. Thin, crispy crust.
http://bleeckerstreetpizza.com/
This was Trevin’s favorite. Thicker, softer crust.
http://www.roccospastry.com/
Yummy cannoli.
http://www.oliviersandco.com/FO/
Expensive olive oil.
http://www.foodieview.com/restaurant/lime-thai-bistro-and-lounge/new-york-ny/111383/147353
Savory Thai food
http://www.murrayscheese.com/
Cheese made right on site. Very good.
http://www.lartedelgelato.com/
http://www.ciaobellagelato.com/about/cbgelato_news-detail.php?id=18
Being pregnant, I definitely had much less energy than I would have otherwise. Trevin was thankful for this as he was looking forward to a “relaxing” vacation. Nonetheless, we had a great time on vacation, but as always we missed Avery and Dex terribly. We are lucky to have friends and family nearby who took such great care of them. I think it might be a little harder to get away in the future with three little monkeys.
Soon after we checked into our hotel, we head straight for Time Square where we bought tickets for a Broadway play. It was “39 Step”s by Alfred Hitchcock. It was a pretty good play, but more for the experience. I had my heart set on Wicked, but there were only premium seat left. My neighbor said, but you’re a “Doctor’s wife!” Well, a doctor’s budget doesn’t travel as far as it used to!
Prior to arriving in NYC, we had several travel advisors (Nicky, Kelly, Mason, Sam.) Nicky hooked us up on the eating establishments. Before the play, we ate pizza from a small shop near the Little Mermaid Theater. As luck would have it, hot, fresh mozzarella and basil came straight from the oven. Best pizza we had in NYC.
The next day we slept until 11 am. Remember we were on Mountain Standard Time. We had brunch at Sarabeth’s. We had lots of recommendations for this place but were disappointed. As Zagat had pointed out, the service is inattentive and it was SLOW! Our food lacked flavor. I think we took the fabulous central park location for granted since it was literally one door down from our hotel. From there we headed for the Statue of Liberty or Empire State building. We toured neither. It was Friday afternoon and the lines were hours long. So, Trevin promised me to get up early the next morning. Instead of the lines, we walked around the World Trade Center site. We also walked around Little Italy where we had lunch at a Cuba sandwich place. Sooooo delicious.
Friday night we saw a Mets/Cardinals game at Shea Stadium. I guess the $20 for 2 hot dogs and a coke and the experience of watching a game during the last season in the current stadium was…priceless.
On Saturday, we woke up 5 hours earlier that the day before and were the ultimate tourists at the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. We even indulged in the walking audio tour of Liberty Island. We did get their early enough to tour the inside of the statue. It was worth the early morning. We had a late lunch at the seaport and on our way back to the hotel we did a hop on, hop off bus tour of Downtown. We went to Little Italy again that evening. It was much better this time around because the streets were closed to traffic, restaurants had table and gelato freezers in on the streets.
Sunday morning we walked around Central Park and took another bus tour of Uptown and Harlem on top of the double decker bus in the pouring rain. That helped with the heat. That night we went to Bob Flay’s Mesa Grill. My pork chops were very good. Trevin’s steak was okay. It was fairly pricey and the $8 pasta in Little Italy the night before was equally as flavorful.
On Monday morning, Trevin surprised me with breakfast in bed and then we headed to Greenwich Village. We took a walking food and cultural tour. I could have done more food and less culture because the food was sooo delicious. My one regret is that we did the tour on our last day instead of our first so we would have known of more diverse places to eat. Here are some links to some of the places we ate. Some, but not all were on the food tour.
tour.
http://www.milkandcookiesbakery.com/
Best chocolate chip cookies I’ve ever had.
http://www.famousjoespizza.com/
I liked this pizzeria the best. Thin, crispy crust.
http://bleeckerstreetpizza.com/
This was Trevin’s favorite. Thicker, softer crust.
http://www.roccospastry.com/
Yummy cannoli.
http://www.oliviersandco.com/FO/
Expensive olive oil.
http://www.foodieview.com/restaurant/lime-thai-bistro-and-lounge/new-york-ny/111383/147353
Savory Thai food
http://www.murrayscheese.com/
Cheese made right on site. Very good.
http://www.lartedelgelato.com/
http://www.ciaobellagelato.com/about/cbgelato_news-detail.php?id=18
Being pregnant, I definitely had much less energy than I would have otherwise. Trevin was thankful for this as he was looking forward to a “relaxing” vacation. Nonetheless, we had a great time on vacation, but as always we missed Avery and Dex terribly. We are lucky to have friends and family nearby who took such great care of them. I think it might be a little harder to get away in the future with three little monkeys.
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Wow! Almost two months have gone by since my last post so I’ll keep this brief. In fact, here are the last couple of months in list form
Sometime in May
Trevin begins work on our deck that’s ALMOST finished. A project he will be glad to complete. It’s his first really big house project and he has done an excellent job. It cost half as much as our neighbors that they hired out, but theirs was finished in two days.
June 3
Megan’s Bridal Shower
June 4
Avery begins weekly playgroup with 8 other neighborhood kids who will start Kindergarten with her.
June 4
Avery begins piano lesson every Wednesday. Trevin and I worked all winter and into the spring finishing an antique piano that our neighbors gave to us. It’s the first piano we’ve had since we’ve been married!
June 9-18
Swim class for Avery. Mom and Tot swim class for Dex. Avery learns during 1st lesson to jump off diving board and swim to the side of the pool.
June 19
Megan (Courtney’s baby sister) and Derek get married in the Salt Lake Temple. Reception at Thanksgiving Point that same night.
June 23
First Trip to Ogden Dinosaur Park
June 27
Day at Tracy Aviary and Liberty Park
June 28-July 1
Trip to Sun Valley, Idaho with the entire Bleggi Family. Swimming, ice skating, paddle boats, a carnival, bike rides, and a late movie on the lawn. At a Chinese restaurant, Dex insisted on his own take-out box. It was fun to watch him carry it back to the condo all by himself.
Everything Dex does these days is all by himself. In and out of car, opening doors, getting a drink, using the potty, getting dressed and undressed. He is very independent and very responsible. He even makes is own, new big boy bed. It has a ladder and a slide.
July 3
Neighborhood children’s parade and picnic and Winegar Family Party and Bountiful City Fireworks
July 4th
Bleggi Cabin
July 5th
Grandpa Craig’s Treehouse for the day
July 11th
Our first (and only) trip to LAGOON this summer (amusement park). We went with our neighbors the Winegars (distant relatives through Trevin’s mom. Small world!)
July 18-19
Bear Lake with our friends the Stanbridges. (We forgot the camera and the plugs for the tube to pull around with the boat. But, we had fun in the sun, on the beach, and camping at the KOA!)
July 21
Thanksgiving Point Dinosaur park with our friends from Colorado
July 23
Spanish Fork Fiesta Days Rodeo
July 24-28
New York City (adults only!) This was our 10th anniversary trip and my first time to NYC. I’ll dedicate a separate post to this in the very near future.
All the while, I’ve been working for the local school district summer school program, getting to know my new camera, learning the guitar, and growing a baby! I’m 27 weeks today. Now, you can see why I haven’t had a chance to post in a while. Trevin has also been training for a 200 mile race from Logan, UT to Jackson, WY in September.
Hopefully, we can relax a little on our new deck before school starts and the baby is born. Here are a few pictures that we've taken along the way. Don't forget to click on the photos to enlarge the slideshow.
Sometime in May
Trevin begins work on our deck that’s ALMOST finished. A project he will be glad to complete. It’s his first really big house project and he has done an excellent job. It cost half as much as our neighbors that they hired out, but theirs was finished in two days.
June 3
Megan’s Bridal Shower
June 4
Avery begins weekly playgroup with 8 other neighborhood kids who will start Kindergarten with her.
June 4
Avery begins piano lesson every Wednesday. Trevin and I worked all winter and into the spring finishing an antique piano that our neighbors gave to us. It’s the first piano we’ve had since we’ve been married!
June 9-18
Swim class for Avery. Mom and Tot swim class for Dex. Avery learns during 1st lesson to jump off diving board and swim to the side of the pool.
June 19
Megan (Courtney’s baby sister) and Derek get married in the Salt Lake Temple. Reception at Thanksgiving Point that same night.
June 23
First Trip to Ogden Dinosaur Park
June 27
Day at Tracy Aviary and Liberty Park
June 28-July 1
Trip to Sun Valley, Idaho with the entire Bleggi Family. Swimming, ice skating, paddle boats, a carnival, bike rides, and a late movie on the lawn. At a Chinese restaurant, Dex insisted on his own take-out box. It was fun to watch him carry it back to the condo all by himself.
Everything Dex does these days is all by himself. In and out of car, opening doors, getting a drink, using the potty, getting dressed and undressed. He is very independent and very responsible. He even makes is own, new big boy bed. It has a ladder and a slide.
July 3
Neighborhood children’s parade and picnic and Winegar Family Party and Bountiful City Fireworks
July 4th
Bleggi Cabin
July 5th
Grandpa Craig’s Treehouse for the day
July 11th
Our first (and only) trip to LAGOON this summer (amusement park). We went with our neighbors the Winegars (distant relatives through Trevin’s mom. Small world!)
July 18-19
Bear Lake with our friends the Stanbridges. (We forgot the camera and the plugs for the tube to pull around with the boat. But, we had fun in the sun, on the beach, and camping at the KOA!)
July 21
Thanksgiving Point Dinosaur park with our friends from Colorado
July 23
Spanish Fork Fiesta Days Rodeo
July 24-28
New York City (adults only!) This was our 10th anniversary trip and my first time to NYC. I’ll dedicate a separate post to this in the very near future.
All the while, I’ve been working for the local school district summer school program, getting to know my new camera, learning the guitar, and growing a baby! I’m 27 weeks today. Now, you can see why I haven’t had a chance to post in a while. Trevin has also been training for a 200 mile race from Logan, UT to Jackson, WY in September.
Hopefully, we can relax a little on our new deck before school starts and the baby is born. Here are a few pictures that we've taken along the way. Don't forget to click on the photos to enlarge the slideshow.
Saturday, June 21, 2008
Thursday, May 22, 2008
Spring is here
It has been fun watching spring SLOWLY approach. It’s 5-7 degrees cooler for us up here in Mountain Green compared to the valley. We installed a play structure that has already paid for itself in entertainment value! Avery and Dex LOVE it as well as all of the other neighbor kids. It’s like a party everyday around here.
Trevin finished filling our vegetable boxes with top soil. So hopefully we can plant next weekend. And veggies won’t be the only thing growing around here! We signed up for round 3 and our 3rd baby will debut at the end of October.
We had a nice Easter although there was still quite a bit of snow on the ground. It was a pretty warm day. However, the Neighborhood egg hunt from the week before was in full snow gear ☺
We made another trip to St. George during the first of April with all of the Bleggis. The guys rode motorcycles, golfed, and biked. The girls just hung out! And, believe it or not, I forgot my camera AGAIN!
I’m saving up for a new camera so I haven’t been quite as motivated at capturing the moments with the old camera. Here are some fun photos as of recent. Dex seems to be at the age of Kodak moments, so you’ll see several of him. Trevin might not think that Avery’s dress-up tea party with Dex counts as a Kodak moment.
Avery claims that she’s “all about fashion.” I’m so excited about that especially since she’s only 5! Ha, ha! Everyday is a struggle to find the perfect outfit and hair. She just finished preschool and should probably be transferring into 8th grade!
I’m finished with work in 3 weeks and counting, hopefully I can pursue my digital hobbies more then. I did run a 5K last Saturday am. (not very competitively) I’ve been following a very inspiring blog. A baby with meningitis and his family’s journey through a huge trial. Check it out only if you have emotions of steel or a tissue near.
www.charliecooperjackjack.blogspot.com (sorry, I couldn't make link work, just cut and paste)
The first photo was taken of Trevin and me in Lake Powell 12 years ago this month!
Trevin finished filling our vegetable boxes with top soil. So hopefully we can plant next weekend. And veggies won’t be the only thing growing around here! We signed up for round 3 and our 3rd baby will debut at the end of October.
We had a nice Easter although there was still quite a bit of snow on the ground. It was a pretty warm day. However, the Neighborhood egg hunt from the week before was in full snow gear ☺
We made another trip to St. George during the first of April with all of the Bleggis. The guys rode motorcycles, golfed, and biked. The girls just hung out! And, believe it or not, I forgot my camera AGAIN!
I’m saving up for a new camera so I haven’t been quite as motivated at capturing the moments with the old camera. Here are some fun photos as of recent. Dex seems to be at the age of Kodak moments, so you’ll see several of him. Trevin might not think that Avery’s dress-up tea party with Dex counts as a Kodak moment.
Avery claims that she’s “all about fashion.” I’m so excited about that especially since she’s only 5! Ha, ha! Everyday is a struggle to find the perfect outfit and hair. She just finished preschool and should probably be transferring into 8th grade!
I’m finished with work in 3 weeks and counting, hopefully I can pursue my digital hobbies more then. I did run a 5K last Saturday am. (not very competitively) I’ve been following a very inspiring blog. A baby with meningitis and his family’s journey through a huge trial. Check it out only if you have emotions of steel or a tissue near.
www.charliecooperjackjack.blogspot.com (sorry, I couldn't make link work, just cut and paste)
The first photo was taken of Trevin and me in Lake Powell 12 years ago this month!
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