Christmas in MN

We'll be heading back to MN for Christmas tomorrow. We are excited to see friends and family!!!

Updates

Sorry it has been awhile. I finally finished up my semester! Just one more to go!

We had a fun relaxing Thanksgiving weekend here in Denver. Nick celebrated his birthday by taking the day off of work. We went to the aquarium and out for sushi.
We also went to the zoo over the long weekend, so we worked in lots of fun.

Next came my birthday. We went out for an awesome Greek dinner. Tate has become a very picky eater. About the only thing I can always count on him eating lately is raisins. He rarely eats meat. Now we discovered why. Apparently we haven't been offering the right kinds of meat. He much prefers calamari and lamb! Nick couldn't cut up the calamari for him fast enough.

This past weekend we went to Winterfest which was an outdoor festival. We all danced in the street after visiting Santa Claus. Tate wasn't so sure about him, but he did love the candy cane that Santa gave him.
Tate has been attempting new words lately. Here are some of the words he uses regularly: Dada, oosh (shoes), Mama (only when he wants something), moh (more), and uh-oh. He also has started to wear accessories. He found a couple bibs in his drawer and had to wear both of them around the house all day. He loves to wear lanyards, preferably more than one at a time. And he will not leave the house without a hat. If you try, he makes noises and points at his head.


We will be heading back to MN soon for the holidays! It will be great to see everyone again!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Halloween!

We had a wonderful Halloween weekend filled with activities! Tate had a Halloween party at his preschool on Monday. He walked around the school yard and got his first taste of trick-or-treating. Thursday, he was supposed to go trick-or-treating at daycare, but due to the snowfall (we got 18 inches!!!), daycare closed at noon, so that didn't happen. He wore his costume to daycare anyway. The other parents thought it was hilarious that the little cow spilled his milk all over his costume.

Saturday we went to Arvada to our friends', the Maki's, house. We met a lot of new people and hung out with some very cute little kids. The Makis made a delicious orange dinner for everyone. Then Tate and Magnolia went trick-or-treating in their neighborhood. It was a great place to go with lots of little kids running around. Tate and Magnolia quickly learned how fun it can be! Tate knocked on all the doors and peered in windows until someone came to the door. He then helped himself to as much candy in the bowl as he pleased. He often tried to walk right into the homes he visited. In between houses he loved to make snowballs and throw them at people.
Today our friends Nick and Melissa invited us over for the Vikings/Packers game. Since they are from Wisconsin they are huge Packers fans, as were most of the others at the party, so we were the outcast Vikings fans. We all had fun watching the game and snacking at their house. Tate wore his costume again today and had more fun than anyone.

Last Two Weeks

It has been awhile since we posted. That is because we have been so busy! A couple weeks ago I made a quick weekend trip to Minnesota for my friend Megan's wedding. I had a lot of fun! Congratulations to Megan and Brad!!!
Unfortunately while I was gone Nick and Tate both got the stomach flu. It's the first time Tate has ever been sick. Luckily we have the best babysitter ever who came over in the middle of the night to help Nick out with Tate. They quickly recovered. It was only a 24-hour bug.

Last weekend my parents came to visit. We went to the zoo and drove up to Estes Park for a hike. We had to stop on the highway on the way home for an elk to pass in front of our car. It was very cool!
We were happy to get a phone call last week that there was an opening at a preschool we were on the waitlist for. Tate started going last Monday. He goes once a week for a couple hours. It's a parent-tot class, so I'm there with him most of the class, then the parents and toddlers split up the last half hour or so. Tate loves it, so I'm very glad he got in.

Halloween this weekend! Tate will be a cow. Pictures to come....

Vote for Tate!

Tate entered a Gap contest...help him win! You can vote every day, so keep on coming back to vote for him.
Click here to vote.

TV

Tate LOVES to watch TV! He knows that the remote has something to do with turning it on. Luckily he hasn't found the magic button yet. He likes to take the remote and sit down in his chair. He tries to turn on the TV for awhile, then looks at me with pleading eyes. When I deny him, he usually tries to get his little hand inside the entertainment system because he knows the DVD player is in there and that also has something to do with it. We go through this routine a few times a day.

Parents' Nights Out

Last weekend, Nick and I each went out for a night of fun and beer drinking. Friday night, I went to the Great American Beer Festival. It was a lot of fun. It is a trade show for beer drinkers. I walked around sampling beers from various breweries throughout the U.S. Who knew one ounce of beer at a time could add up so quickly?

Saturday night, Nick went to Oktoberfest in downtown Denver. He bought a stein and tells me he only had five beers. That is a lot when in such gigantic portions!

Another Tooth

Tate cut another molar last night. That makes two this week!

New Tooth

Tate popped through his first molar today (tooth #9)! We knew he had been teething pretty bad for awhile, but he did really well with it by not allowing it to affect his sleep at night. He got his first tooth very early; he was only about 4 months old. Then the next seven came fast. But he got his eighth tooth when he was about 8 months old, so this is the first tooth in about seven months!

15-Month Appointment

Tate went in for his 15-month appointment yesterday. It was a rough day for him since he had to have SEVEN shots! Poor little guy! But he is tough. He cried really hard when they did it, but then he just wanted to cuddle, go home, and take a nap.

Labor Day Weekend

The Lukkonens (Gordy, Sara, and John) came to visit over Labor Day weekend.
We did a lot while they were here. We visited the Buffalo Bill Museum and Red Rocks and went to the Taste of Colorado.



We ate at a fun restaurant we heard about on the Food Network called the Buckthorn Exchange where we tried elk, alligator, quail, buffalo, and yak.

Tate was very confused and sad when he woke up on Monday and Uncle John wasn't sleeping in the living room.

Brushin'

There are two things that Tate LOVES! Brushing his teeth...

and brushing his hair.

If you take the toothbrush or hairbrush away, you have one upset little boy!

Back to School and Work

I started school and work last Monday, so there will be a lot of adjustments around here. I am taking two classes this semester, plus working part-time for my school from home. Tate started daycare last week too, so I could get some things done. He's not so sure about it yet, but it is just one day a week, so I'm sure he'll be fine. He already brought home his first art project!

Pool

We went to the Congress Park pool on Saturday since it was the last day they were open for the year. We no more than paid and showered before the thunder started. So, everyone had to get out of the pool for 20 minutes. It kept thundering, so they kept pushing the time back 20 more minutes. Finally after about an hour we got to go swimming! Tate didn't mind though, I don't know if he had more fun running around the pool, flirting with all the lifeguards, or actually swimming. The sun came out and we all had a good time in the pool!

Another Great Weekend...

Saturday we all headed out to the Brewgrass Festival. We met up with a couple friends, Melissa and Nick. They brought a few other friends, so we met some more people. Tate loved the people watching and music. He ran around a little bit and found another little boy to play with in the water/beer/sewage runoff. Good beers and good times were had by all.

My godparents' son, David, and his family moved to the Denver area right when we did. They invited us over for dinner on Sunday. David and his wife, Kristin, made us a wonderful fajita dinner. Tate loved playing with their daughter Magnolia, who is only three days younger than him. They enjoyed stealing each others' sippy cups and chasing each other around the house.

Hiking and Biking

We had a wonderful weekend! Saturday we drove out to Copper Mountain. Nick and I will be getting a ski pass there this winter, so we were excited to check out the area. There was a huge bike festival going on, so we didn't stay there too long. We drove back to Frisco to find a hiking trail. We hiked around for a couple hours. Tate loved riding in his new pack Grandma L. bought him. We are lucky to live in this beautiful area!
Sunday, we got on our bikes and rode over to City Park. It is about two miles from our apartment. It is a huge park similar to Como Park with a zoo, a golf course, a lake, the Nature & Science Museum, and lots of open land and trails. Right out the back door of the Nature & Science Museum is a large fountain, where water shoots right out of the flat concrete. Many children were running through it, so when we let Tate out of his Burley, he ran right in. The water startled him, so he ran right out. But then he decided it was a good time, so he played in the fountain for at least a half hour. He was soaked, but he loved it.
Next we rode by the zoo, so we decided to go in for a little while. We heard the lions roaring, and we finally saw the rhinoceros. The last time we were there the rhinoceros had his back to us with his head hidden. Tate really liked watching the lemurs and the tapir.

Tate had such a fun, busy weekend that on our bike ride home, he actually fell asleep in his Burley! I never thought that would happen. The boy will not sleep except for in his crib and occasionally in his car seat on long car rides. All that running around really wore him out!

First Visitor

Nick's mom came to visit last weekend on her way to Pasadena for a show. We had lots of fun showing her around town. Tate loved having her over. We should get to see her again sometime this week on her drive back to MN.

The Climber

Tate's new favorite thing is to climb up onto things, onto anything. He climbs on his step stool, his lawnmower, his wipes container...anything that will make him that much taller to reach those things we thought were out of his reach. With his growing and now his climbing, we may have to start hanging things on the ceiling.

Zoo

We visited the Denver Zoo today. I went about a week ago with a college hockey teammate and her three boys, and Tate had so much fun that we bought a membership. So today Tate wanted to show Nick around. Tate loved the leopards, lemurs, and tigers best today. It is a really great zoo, so I am sure we will get our money's worth.

Our Stuff Arrived

We finally got our stuff today and Nick's car arrived last night. Unfortunately, there were some problems. Our bed got chipped up, Tate's bookshelf is broken, and Tate's highchair is definitely not up to safety standards anymore (the legs don't lock)...hopefully we won't find more problems as we unpack. Also, Nick's car showed up with a flat. Now onto the fun of trying to get reimbursed for this stuff.

On a happier note, we got out and had a lot of fun over the weekend. Nick had work off on Friday, so we drove to the Coors Brewery. It was a decent tour, though the plant was shut down so we didn't get to see the process in motion. The three free beers at the end were definitely nice. We then checked out the Cherry Creek Mall which is walking distance from our new apartment. Saturday we went back to our new neighborhood which was hosting an art fair. We walked around, saw some cool art, and ate a lot of fair food. Sunday, we drove up to Boulder for lunch and to visit our friends Matt and Conner.

Now back to unpacking...

Back to Denver

Tate and I made it back to Denver safely. We were in Minnesota for about 5 days supervising the move. Thursday they came to pack up our stuff and Friday they moved it all onto the truck. Saturday I spent the day cleaning the house and getting it ready for the renters to move in. We received the signed lease today, so it is a done deal. Hopefully our stuff arrives sooner rather than later and without anything broken or missing. Keep your fingers crossed for us.

New Home

We put a deposit down on an apartment yesterday. We move in on July 1. We'll be living in the Cherry Creek area of Denver. We wanted to be closer to the capitol, but it is a really nice neighborhood close to lots of shops and restaurants and really close to the Cherry Creek bike trail.

In the meantime, our hotel is awesome. We eat a free hot breakfast buffet every morning and enjoy free cocktails and dinner every weeknight. We are staying downtown, so now that we are done apartment searching, we will have time to explore. We are a block away from the 16th Street Mall, which is similar to the Nicollet Mall in Minneapolis. We are also close to the capitol, Coors Field, and the art museum.

One Year Pictures

We had some one-year pictures taken of Tate in Minneapolis before we moved. They turned out awesome. So cute. Check it out.

http://sbhphotography.com/tlukkonen09/

Denver

We made it to Denver on Friday. We have been looking at apartments ever since. We plan to make a decision tonight.

Rented!

We are so happy our house just got rented! That is a huge relief. Now we can move to Denver without worrying about double payments.

New 'Do

Tate got his first haircut last week. We took him to Nick's usual stylist, Victoria. Tate sat there well, but he wanted to watch the scissors while Victoria worked, so that made it difficult for her. He still looks pretty cute if you ask me!

Yard Sale

We had a successful yard sale a couple weeks ago. Gotta get rid of all our junk before the big move! Here is the before pile, all loaded up in our porch:
Luckily most of it sold, and the rest was graciously picked up by the Arc truck.

Baby Fern

Fern Charlotte Boss Zacherl was born yesterday, April 29 around 10 am. Tate is so excited to meet his new niece! Congrats Jane and John!