It's been awhile since I've blogged. This is just a quick note to say that the Newells are still alive and well, just a little busy.
I was away at a Java conference (Uberconf - put on by No Fluff Just Stuff - in Westminster, CO) for a week earlier in the month. A fantastic conference if any Java developers are interested in the technologies applicable to Java development favored by industry leaders. That was an exhausting week - long days, highly technical material, and Paul was left with both drop off and pick up duties, which is always hard to juggle with work.
Every day after that, leading up to June 23rd was, was crafting and preparing for Abby's joint-5th birthday party with her very best friend, Olivia. We had the party at a beautiful Equestrian Ranch nestled in the Ken Caryl canyons in Littleton. I'll blog more about the party in a separate post, but below are some teaser photos.
Kayleigh has bulldozed through a few milestones recently: 1)Being able to get through drop-off at daycare without crying her eyes out. She now confidently walks in, puts her tote bag on her hook, and goes off to see one of her teachers. 2) Tonight she went to bed without a fuss in a toddler bed. For the last couple of months she has refused to give up her crib, yet she is able to climb out of it, having us worried about her safety. But every time we would just touch her crib she would shout, "Leave it!"3) She has used the potty successfully several times at school and tonight she was so proud of herself for doing so at home. Our plans to wait until 2 and a half to potty train may be accelerated, due to no desire of our own! 4) Still stubborn as ever and prone to temper tantrums, at least now we're starting to be able to reason with her and redirect her focus. BIG step in the right direction!
We have caved in to our commuting demands and will be purchasing a very economical vehicle. After test driving several vehicles, including my much beloved Mini Cooper Countryman, we have actually settled on the Toyota Prius-C. I still haven't recovered from the shock as I've never been a fan of the original Prius. But after test driving this tiny vehicle, I'm hooked. Its 53 MPG highway rating is going to be a huge bonus. We have ordered a red one with just about all the bells and whistles. A phone call today from the USAA rep at AutoNation tells us that the vehicle has been built and will be loaded onto a boat in Japan, headed for Los Angeles, on Sunday. From there, it will ride on a train (and probably truck) to its Colorado destination by the end of July/beginning of August.
Gizmo, Tigger, and Belle are all doing great. Belle is doing so well on her medication that the vet is going to have her cut back even more from getting a dose 3 times a week to 2. Gizmo has some arthritis in left leg/shoulder and so we have been giving all three cats glucosamine treats, which they love. Over the past year we have been trying a new product that the vet has given us. Since all of our cats have had serious dental issues, resulting in a lot of teeth being pulled, the vet wanted to see if this product called Clenz-A-Dent would have any affect. At their last dental checkup, all three cats shocked the veterinary staff and us by having no problems with their teeth and barely any plaque at all. So, we highly recommend this product that performs miracles!
I was away at a Java conference (Uberconf - put on by No Fluff Just Stuff - in Westminster, CO) for a week earlier in the month. A fantastic conference if any Java developers are interested in the technologies applicable to Java development favored by industry leaders. That was an exhausting week - long days, highly technical material, and Paul was left with both drop off and pick up duties, which is always hard to juggle with work.
Every day after that, leading up to June 23rd was, was crafting and preparing for Abby's joint-5th birthday party with her very best friend, Olivia. We had the party at a beautiful Equestrian Ranch nestled in the Ken Caryl canyons in Littleton. I'll blog more about the party in a separate post, but below are some teaser photos.
Kayleigh has bulldozed through a few milestones recently: 1)Being able to get through drop-off at daycare without crying her eyes out. She now confidently walks in, puts her tote bag on her hook, and goes off to see one of her teachers. 2) Tonight she went to bed without a fuss in a toddler bed. For the last couple of months she has refused to give up her crib, yet she is able to climb out of it, having us worried about her safety. But every time we would just touch her crib she would shout, "Leave it!"3) She has used the potty successfully several times at school and tonight she was so proud of herself for doing so at home. Our plans to wait until 2 and a half to potty train may be accelerated, due to no desire of our own! 4) Still stubborn as ever and prone to temper tantrums, at least now we're starting to be able to reason with her and redirect her focus. BIG step in the right direction!
We have caved in to our commuting demands and will be purchasing a very economical vehicle. After test driving several vehicles, including my much beloved Mini Cooper Countryman, we have actually settled on the Toyota Prius-C. I still haven't recovered from the shock as I've never been a fan of the original Prius. But after test driving this tiny vehicle, I'm hooked. Its 53 MPG highway rating is going to be a huge bonus. We have ordered a red one with just about all the bells and whistles. A phone call today from the USAA rep at AutoNation tells us that the vehicle has been built and will be loaded onto a boat in Japan, headed for Los Angeles, on Sunday. From there, it will ride on a train (and probably truck) to its Colorado destination by the end of July/beginning of August.
Gizmo, Tigger, and Belle are all doing great. Belle is doing so well on her medication that the vet is going to have her cut back even more from getting a dose 3 times a week to 2. Gizmo has some arthritis in left leg/shoulder and so we have been giving all three cats glucosamine treats, which they love. Over the past year we have been trying a new product that the vet has given us. Since all of our cats have had serious dental issues, resulting in a lot of teeth being pulled, the vet wanted to see if this product called Clenz-A-Dent would have any affect. At their last dental checkup, all three cats shocked the veterinary staff and us by having no problems with their teeth and barely any plaque at all. So, we highly recommend this product that performs miracles!
Friday, June 29, 2012 |
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