A week with Busia!

Busia came out and spent a week with us. We were so thankful she was here because Jackie came down with a respiratory infection during her stay. She was A LOT of help to us. We did get to go to the pool and "Bike In" Movie under the Stars - Caddy Shack. This was before sickness set in, so it wasn't all moaning and groaning.

We drank our fair share of wine and cooked some good food during the week. Busia got to meet the infamous Dr. Ross, our pediatrician. He calls every few days and gives us the Swine Flu update. I've started to call him Dr. Death. He says he thinks we appreciate this information because we're "academic" types. I don't think he knows us real well. :)

We know you want more!

If the little highlights of my children are not enough for you, and you'd like to see every stinkin' photo Paul and I take, feel free to check our gallery page at:

http://decrette.no-ip.info/gallery2/main.php

Little Toots Park - napping

Also, a quick Blogger tip~ you can "subscribe" to this blog so that anytime we have a new post, it will automatically go to your email. Just go to the bottom of the main page and select "subscribe to". You have to use a FEED service, so if you're not already hooked up just sign up for one that is supported and it is a snap! One downside to the direct feed is that videos I post will not show up in your email.

Off to the Fair!

Sunday we went to the 95th Annual Routt County Fair. Unfortunately, we missed the "big" events. I guess the best day to go was Friday or so some fair-goers told us. We kept telling Jackie how she was going to see all kinds of animals and then we arrive and... there is a petting zoo? Well, thank God for that because otherwise this would have gone down as one of those promises your parents make that can't be kept. I kept thinking about Charlotte's Web and the prize pigs. We really thought we'd see lots of livestock. Not this year. Five bucks later and about 15 minutes in the pen and that was enough for a two-year old. Jackie said her famous, "I'm done. Let's go home." After a few hot dogs and lasso events we did.

Goofy Smurf

5 1/2 Weeks Old

A few thoughts on our little boy as the weeks have gone by... he is very easy going and pleasant. He only cries bloody murder when he is hungry - 60 seconds. He does not like being wet, that bothers him too. He likes movement in the car or stroller. He grunts and snorts - a lot. He is starting to smile! He is not photogenic.

Yesterday he was just so cute in this outfit his Aunt Tia gave him. I had to take about 50 photos, but the kid just looks a bit goofy in pictures. I'm his mom and I can say that he is super cute in person, but this may not come across in images, maybe not ever. We'll see as time goes on. Tia noted this on the last post where he was in the car seat with the white hat on.

The other thing I'd like to take a moment to clarify... LJ didn't stick. Many people totally misunderstood Paul's very first email and have written us cards to El-J. We've laughed about this, saying he has a Spanish secret identity. Or we've called him THE J because of it. We will remember this nicknaming attempt fondly, but it didn't work out. He is Elliot, two Ls, one T.

Goodbye Dear Friend

Shelley DeCrette
1997 - 2009


It was heartbreaking, but we had to put Shelley cat to sleep this past week. She was suffering with kidney failure. Many family and friends remember our kitty. She was unusually small, quite playful, and a good travel companion. She has lived in many homes with us, two different states, and also had some extended stays at both Grandma and Grandpa Northway's and Yvette's house over the years. She used to play fetch with her toy "kitty bird". She loved to log roll on us in our sleep, and you could often find her keeping the laptop computer safe while curling up on top. Paul reminds me of the day I took him to the shelter in Chicago when I told him I had chosen a kitty to adopt. He said, "you want to adopt that?". Shelley was bouncing off the walls in her cage and nipping at us. She wasn't allowed out of her cage to play with the others because she didn't do well in group settings. She seemed like the perfect cat!

She did like being the only pet and she was the only one for us.

Jacqueline - 11 Days Old

Elliot - 1 Month Old (same hat)

Is homemade pasta really worth the cost? Our vote, yes. I should clarify, we did not make our own, but have recently been buying Pappardelle's from our farmer's market and have been cooking at home. The last two recipes we made were better than what I've had in restaurants! Delicious. Hands down. We are reigning it in and cooking at home more since all our guests have gone. They make really interesting flavors of pasta too! Next week we're going to try their Dark Chocolate Linguine.

It has been a relaxing weekend after putting our house back together and caring for the kids on our own for a few days. We miss those extra helping hands, but we are enjoying the quiet too. We managed to get up to Rabbit Ears Pass on Saturday for a leisurely hike. Much to my delight, the wildflowers were still in full bloom. Jackie chatted the whole way while taking a ride on dad's back.

A busy month comes to a close

Jacqueline and Elliot August 2009

Nana, Grandpa, G.G., and Aunt Tia all have gone home. Now it is truly four in the mountains.
Here are some highlights...

Oh, technology

It is supposed to make our lives simpler right? Not so. Our router died mid-week LAST week so needless to say we haven't had phone or internet. We "borrowing" the wireless connection from the market across the street. Stay tuned...I plan to post a real post later tonight.