Quick 5

Happy New Year!

1.  Our trip home was much better than our trip out to KC.  The skies were blue, the sun was warm, and my mother-in-law and I did some hard core work to have some better things for the girls to do in the car.  Joya still whined quite a bit, but at least she had a few more things to keep her occupied.  I think the trips will only get better as they get older.  And never underestimate the power of a three-ring notebook, paper, and a whole passel of little stickers.  Also, we took a new route coming back into Colorado.  There is a spot where you can jump off of I-70 onto State Highway 86.  It takes you through Kiowa, Elizabeth and Franktown and spits you out in Castle Rock and it was beautiful.  And it took about the same amount of time as it would if we had taken I-70 around.  If the weather is nice, we'll be taking that way more often.

2.  It's been a delightful week.  Alaina has been off of school, obviously, but the real joy has been that Lee has been able to work from home all week.  It's always better to have him here.  And it's made these past two weeks feel like a real vacation.  It'll be hard to go back to our normal routine next week.

3.  I love New Years.  I know it's all in my head, but it always feels so fresh and promising.  Lee and I have even come up with a theme for this year: A Place for Everything.  Or, to be honest, Putting the Crap in Its Place.  We've lived her for a year and a half, and it's time to get a handle on all our stuff.  We plan to have a garage sale this year, which I'm dreading and completely intimidated by, but we have just a little too much to just cart down to the donation centers.  So I'm committed.  (Anyone love them and want to help?)  And I'm finally not pregnant and not dealing with a newborn and not moving, so it's time to settle in and make decisions and hopefully simplify.  (Side note: Did anyone read this article?  I'm seriously contemplating doing something like this.  Maybe not as extreme.  Or maybe just as extreme.  We'll see.  I'm still pondering.)

4.  The Crown Jewel of our week has been this gem:

Bria is ALL OVER THE PLACE.  Trying to get ready to go on our trip and then trying to unpack from our trip was so difficult.  She's just everywhere.  So we went and got one of these, and we love it.  It's a large space for her to play, and she's safe and contained.  And she seems to enjoy it too, especially if we are in there with her.  We feel like we are witnessing the joys of freedom within boundaries with her.  Plus I can cook dinner now.

5.  This one is dedicated to Mindy.  Lee says thanks for the sweatshirt!

Well, I'm a little late to the game, but thanks to Amazon Prime and my lovely Kindle Fire HD, I've finally discovered Downton Abbey.  I'm almost done with Season 1 (which is no real feat; their seasons are only about 7 episodes long.)  No spoilers if you can help it please.  :)