Colorado Crazy

We recently returned from our trip to Colorado with mixed emotions; mixed because, while there is no place like home, Colorado was awesome and a beautiful place to visit and we really didn't want to leave. This was an important milestone for our little Sophia too because not only was this her first official vacation but it was also her first official road trip. We originally planned to fly to Colorado but decided against it after the horrific thoughts of Sophia having a "Sophia" tantrum and disturbing a plan full of folks who want nothing more but a safe and QUIET plan ride to their destination.

We, of course, thought the perfect solution would be to drive because that way if Sophia decided to take one of her special tantrum trips, no one would have to experience it but us. What a wonderful surprise to find that our daughter is the ultimate road dawggg; she embraced the 16 hour ride there (with an overnighter in party town, North Platte, Nebraska...that's me being really sarcastic). Of course with a little help from a few of her favorite toys and a mobile DVD player that was constantly playing some of her cartoon favorites, Sophia was a joy throughout the duration of the trip. The drive was somewhat tortuous but doable. We drove I-80 all the way into Colorado, passing through Iowa and Nebraska. Not the most scenic of states but Iowa was somewhat fascinating with its abundance of wind farms. Giant wind turbines engulfed us as we drove through Iowa...ominous but fascinating. We did not encounter many in Illinois and none in Nebraska but Iowa was crawling with these massive structures; it was like something right off of the Sci-Fi network...very surreal.

We stayed overnight in North Platte, Nebraska (yawnnnnn), I wish we'd stayed in Omaha; driving through Omaha was like driving through Chicago, very lively. We stayed in a Quality Inn right off of the interstate and shared a room with a bunch of these huge beetles that just happened to infest North Platte during the time of our visit.

Once we got into Colorado, the view slowly changed and we desperately anticipated a glimpse of the glorious mountains that we'd heard so much about. Suddenly, far away in the distance, they slowly came into view and the closer we got to Denver, the larger they became...the view was breathtaking. As we drove into the Denver area, we instantly noticed the differences in this city compared to that of Chicago. The first thing we noticed was, of course, the elevation but something else that hit us pretty quickly was the cleanliness of the city...everything was soooo clean. Tom and I found ourselves looking for imperfections just so we could say "see...they have nasty folks living here too." Our hotel was located just outside of Denver in the suburb of Littleton and what a beautiful suburb it was...beautiful land, beautiful homes, booming businesses and lots of new construction...commercial and residential. Denver may have a smaller real estate market than Chicago but it is definitely is working to change that fast.

We had a wonderful time spending time with family (considering we were there primarily for my family reunion) and a great time sightseeing, driving into the awww-inspiring mountains and visiting Rocky Mountain National Park and Estes Park. We took Sophia to visit Denver's Zoo which was beautiful. We stayed at a wonderful hotel ***** (Denver Marriott South at Park Meadows) that offered excellent service and fulfilled all of our needs.

So, Colorado was definitely a great vacation spot and one which I hope to return to again one day. We did not see half of the state and look forward to visiting those areas we missed. This state has such a rich history and you need more than a week to visit all of its historic landmarks and embrace its natural beauty. We can't wait to go back.

The Little Monster

The Twinkie Frenzy

Sophie got her first taste of a yummy twinkie today and I can honestly say that it went well...a little too well. Her first bite, she slowly nibbled at the outer cake part of the twinkie and then it happened....she got a tiny taste of the creamy filling. She looked up at me and then back down at the twinkie as if to say..."could this be....heaven mommy?"In a blink of an eye the frenzy began. The next thing we knew she had the white filling surrounding her mouth with it slowly encroaching upon her nose like huge waves coming ashore. Sophie looked like one of the "got milk?" commercials except it would have been called "got twinkie?" I turned my back for a nanosecond and when I turned back to look at her again, the twinkie was gone and there stood my little-one with two humongous cheeks, slowly trying to chew through the entire twinkie which she had stuffed in her mouth.

She could not speak...she could not smile and she could barely chew. With her eyes closed, she courageously and with sheer perseverance, continued her quest to devour the entire twinkie in one big swoop as her father and I watched in horror. With an occasional peek to see if we had noticed her sequester of the entire twinkie from its now shredded package (how could we not), she continued to fight the good fight until she reached her final swallow. Slowly she opened her eyes and quickly surveyed around the mouth with her tongue for any remnants of the twinkie's delight before lifting her big bright smiling brown eyes and exclaiming "hmmmmmmm....more!"

Fun in the Sun

Sophia is having a wonderful summer with LOTS of swimming (we can't keep her out of the pool) and play dates at the park. We'll be leaving for Denver in a few weeks for my family reunion and Tom and I are excited about taking Sophia on her first trip out of state. We decided to make it a road trip instead of flying and we're just praying we made the right decision. Although we plan to make the trip over the course of two days...car trips and 1-year old doesn't always mix well. We'll see and at least it will give more interesting stuff to post on my blog.

Here's some more Stinky McDinky (Tom came up with this name for Sophia when he had to change her first really stinky diaper and unfortunately for her...it stuck).

Drunk off the Sun - 4th of July 2010

Our 4th of July weekend was packed full of family and fun. My sister held her annual 4th of July BBQ Bonanza at the South Shore Cultural Center right off the lake. As usual a ton of great food, live DJ for those who love to "shake the booty" and plenty of space for the kiddies to move around. My sister always makes sure there are plenty of toys and interesting things present to keep the kiddies occupied. Sophia had a ball running around. It was pretty much the perfect day with the warm temperatures and low humidity. Sophie was completely drunk off the sun; she was so excited about being out, Tom and I could hardly keep up with her.



I've seen kids who are pretty shy when meeting new people. They have a tendency to cling to their parents when put in a unfamiliar environment. Sophia is just the opposite, she is pretty outgoing and loves to meet and interact with people and what a flirt! A little worrisome for her dad and I that Sophia loves to bat her big brown eyes and smile at the boys. Little girls will try to talk to her and she will have nothing to do with them but a little boy or a man (like her doctor who she loves) and she turns into little miss cheesy. I tell Tom all the time that his daughter is going to age him quickly with her flirtatious nature....he agrees.

So, Monday is our recover day; luckily I have the day off. We had a great weekend thanks to our family and friends. Thanks also to Lisa and Dennis for the swim and Joanie and Tony for the great eats and fun in the sun.