Good-bye January

Another busy week down for the Banuelos family! On Monday, I dropped Salem off at my parents’ house in order to take Piper to the doctor in peace.  She is a super healthy beast, but we already knew that. 

Check out her stats:

Weight: 19.5lbs (100^th Percentile)

Height: 27in (80^th Percentile)

Head Circ: 40cm (10^th Percentile)

Ha! If you happened to just read these and didn’t look at Piper, she would seem like a tall, chubby pinhead! The hardest part about these ‘well-baby’ visits is the vaccinations.  After careful consideration, lots of reading and a bunch of conversations, Miguel and I agreed that we are going to vaccinate.  I’m not judging those who don’t as I can understand the concerns and fears, however, we just feel that it is what is right and responsible for our family.  We do opt out of flu shots for all of us though, which again was a choice based on education and discussion.  Neither Miguel nor I have ever subjected ourselves to the flu shot but we have also never had the flu.  I realize this statement irks some people as we can be potential carriers of the virus and thus can get others sick. I could rant about this, but that would turn this post into something I don’t believe really warrants further discussion.

                     

After the nurse poked my child, we returned to the parents’ to pick up Salem (and Miguel who was just finishing up work).  Apparently Salem had convinced my Dad to play hide-and-seek (his new favorite game) and Dad couldn’t find him.  Eventually my Mom discovered Salem in her closet. Too funny! Salem loves visiting his grandparents.

Miguel was given Tuesday off, which was awesome because it snowed and he was home to enjoy family time.  Salem helped to shovel and the boys played outside for quite a while, which allowed for some freedom for me to care for a grumpy, post-shot, feverish Piper Jane.

Wednesday was full of baking in an attempt to use up some freezer items. First was some pumpkin puree that was taken out to give to Piper but there was two cups of the stuff and she wasn’t the biggest fan.  I decided to make pumpkin bread with that.  Then I decided to use some frozen peaches, blackberries and blueberries that were nearing their expiration to make the most amazing peach-berry pie bars ( I had originally planned on making a pie so I made pie dough then discovered I had loaned out my pie tin so opted for pie bars).  I really should have taken pictures and written down recipes!  Both items turned out perfect!

On Thursday we accompanied Miguel to the eye doctor where we were lucky to run into an old friend, Lachelle.  The last time Mig and I saw this sweet girl was just after she graduated high school some 6+ years ago.  She has grown into such a beautiful and lovely woman who has driven herself to success and I guarantee makes her daughter and family very proud every day.  We were especially fortunate to run into her on this day as it was her last day at this office and is relocating to Denver this weekend.  I hope we can see her again and meet her daughter in the near future.  After the appointment and Salem’s nap, the kids and I ventured to the store to gather supplies for a dessert I had been asked to make for Mig’s work.  Salem is such a good kid at the store and I am so grateful for a toddler who rarely throws fits in public! Salem really didn’t want to go home after the store, so I promised him I would take him somewhere the next day.  I think the poor kid has a serious case of cabin/spring fever.

Holding true to my promise, I took the kids over to my sister’s house on Friday morning for a change of scenery. Before we left though, I told Salem he needed to let me cut his hair as it was getting super shaggy.  I had been attempting to chop his locks all week but he kept telling me he wanted to grow his hair long like Daddy.  In the end, I won and his hair is now neatly trimmed. 

Salem loved being at Sara’s house and playing with the different toys she has over there.  I am so grateful to live close enough to my family that we can take advantage of using their houses as a free activity!  Sara was even able to sneak away from work and visit us.  Salem was so sad when she had to leave that he decided we should just go home.  He passed out in the car and stayed asleep once we got home, which gave me the peace I needed to create a few desserts (peanut butter cookies, chocolate chip walnut blondies and leftover pumpkin bread) for Mig to take to his workmates. 

And that brings us to today. Miguel’s coworkers must have liked the treats as everything came back empty this morning.  The kennel is slow this weekend so Miguel will be home with us rather than working job #2.  Looking forward to some quality family time and maybe we will have something more to share in a few days.  Cheers and Happy Groundhog Day and Super Bowl!

6 Months of Piper!

Ever feel like you're in a time warp? I'm still trying to wrap my head around how Piper could possibly be six months old already.  On Wednesday we got to see just how much our dear Pipes has grown in her short time on the planet when we met our friend Nikki's new baby, Xavier. Their short five month age difference seemed much larger as Piper's head is about the same size as Xavier's entire body. As predicted, Salem bored of our visit rather quickly so he and Miguel slipped away to enjoy a chilly morning at the City Park playground. 

Nikki shared her birth story, which was rather humbling for me.  I feel so blessed to have had relatively smooth pregnancies and deliveries.  The more tales of motherhood that I hear, the more I realize just how different our experiences can be.  I'm sure if it was just Piper and I visiting, we would have stayed all afternoon but my boys needed to sleep so our trip was short and sweet. 

Between swimming with our friends, Kylee (http://kyleeschwab.wordpress.com/), Cherylynn and their twins, Henry and JoJo on Sunday, fighting off potential illness on Monday, a wagon ride to the park on Tuesday, meeting Xavier on Wednesday and a trip to Fort Collins today, we have had a busy week! Thank you to our friends for sharing your time and families with us and cheers to Piper for making the last six months even brighter than I could have imagined!

Can you believe these adorable outfits are size 12 month?!

Photo Book Wedding Present

 

Click here to view this photo book larger

Click here to create your own Shutterfly photo book.

 Back in October, we took our first family trip and drove from Milliken, CO to North Adams, MA to see our good friends take the marriage plunge.  This is the wedding gift we made for them.  Hopefully Ann and Mitch see the actual book before this post :-)

Being the frugal gal I am, I made this book for free after cashing in Coke Rewards.  We don't drink soda but we sure do take advantage of the family members who choose to! Thanks Mom and Dad.  I did, however, fork over the funds for shipping; a whopping $8. 

Happy Marriage Ann and Mitch!!

A Crafty Christmas Past

Now that we have finally finished distributing all of our handmade Christmas gifts, I figured it was time to share our awesomeness! As a challenge to the consumer driven madness that engulfs Christmas, we decided to set a very small budget for the 30+ gifts we wanted to give.  So with $35 (now this number is out-of-pocket expenses and I realize this wouldn't have been possible without a decent craft goods stash already on hand) and some creativity, this is what we made:

4 different baby toys

5 drool bibs

1 super hero cape

3 super hero masks

2 bean bag games

8 scarfs + 3 accent flowers

2 framed family photos (printed at home and used old frames)

2 framed photo posters (made on shutterfly for free after redeeming Coke Rewards points, which my parents collect for us.  Yes, we take advantage of other peoples' bad habits.  We also used old frames that we already owned)

3 batches of frozen cookie dough balls

Hopefully everyone liked their handmade gems!

The After Party

After the bowling reception was over and we separated the party crowd from everybody else, we continued the insanity at The Vault in downtown Fort Collins. Our good buddy Dave is a bartender there and he opened the bar early just for us. Thanks Dave.

Needless to say, the party continued until pretty late and our guest let loose a bit. I was also surprised by a visit from an old school mate, Henry Gaona. What a great time we had, catching up and sharing wedding stories.



This part of our day also served as a going away shindig for Miguel and me. Thank you everyone who made it out, we are so fortunate to have such great friends!

Here are some pics of the madness:

The Reception

In the spirit of where we met (kinda), our wedding reception was held at the bowling alley. We decided to mix a bunch of things we like together: Day of the Dead, skulls, music, bowling, friends, family, beer, booze, cupcakes and Mexican food (among other things).

Miguel and I tapped into our frugal/ creative senses and decided to make most of the decorations: two-tiered records bowls- the top was for chips and the bottom for our M&M favors and hanging records with skull accents-made from 45s, fishing line and skull beads.

(My adorable parents and sister; you can kind of see the hanging records in the background)

I also asked the guests to send a piece of fabric so that I could make a quilt that represented our loved ones so we're never alone on our travels (from what I've heard, the quilt idea is becoming increasingly popular in the DIY wedding world).

We used bright fall-inspired colors for the tablecloths and frosting on the cupcakes. The music was a mix of 50's and 60's rock. Everything was very simple, yet fun.

The party began with everyone settling in and grabbing a bite to eat from our buffet of Qdoba snacks (Taco/Burrito/Nacho Bar). Then my friends Leslie and Jamie gave very sweet, funny toasts and we said our "thank-you(s)". Finally, the games started, as did the laughter and great conversations.

From the responses I have received, it seems everyone had a great time. I'm hoping to get more pictures of the decorations and reception, unfortunately we didn't get very many. After the reception some of us moved on to an after party, which is material for another post ;-)

The Nuptials

On October 3, 2009 I became Mrs. Cindy Banuelos when I married the love of my life Miguel. Many of my posts over the next few weeks will likely highlight this wonderful experience. Those who know me understand my quirkiness, and those who don't, soon will.

We said our vows in front of family and friends in my parents' front yard and we were blessed to have amazing weather. Here are some pictures of the ceremony.

My dress was ordered online through uniquevintage.com for an astounding $88. My sister found her dress at Dress Barn for a mere $30. Our crinoline slips were also purchased through uniquevintage.com. My mother and I did some simple tacking with thread to spruce up my dress and let the red show a little more.

Our bouquets were done at a small local shop and were vibrant with fall colors. The arch (rented) was decorated by me and Sara (my sister). The fellas wore snazzy bowling shirts and slacks (the shirts were ordered from daddyos.com and I will explain the bowling part in a later post).

At the last moment, I decided to have both my mother and father walk me out to the arch. Overall, I think everything turned out wonderful and I couldn't have asked for a more perfect day! Thanks to all who shared in the momentous occasion.

Moving towards the goal

This week has proved to be a wild one. It all started with my return from North Carolina on Monday. From there I was whisked right back into the hectic-ness that is my life: ate something, walked dogs, rode bike to bar for Nuggets game, returned home to find 2 missed calls from family (which is never a good sign), listened to messages about how my father was in an accident but is alive and fine- just a little bashed up, tried to return calls with no luck, tried to sleep. That's just Monday evening.

On Tuesday I had the great pleasure of reuniting with my best friend from college whom I haven't really spoken to in 7ish years. We shared laughs and stories over drinks with another friend of ours. I can honestly say the time has definitely allowed us both to grow. We parted ways and I headed over to another friend's house for a bbq and some business chat. Our logo is coming along nicely and I cannot wait to unveil it to the world!

Wednesday I spent every free moment loading old pictures onto flickr in the hopes that I will someday have my collection online (my way of backing up files). I read an email from my beautiful sister who has this amazing ability to lift your spirits just right (her emails are always filled with inspirational quotes, thoughts, pictures, etc). Amongst the quotes was a picture that I thought would be perfect for our wedding invites, except I needed to add a personal touch; I spent the afternoon painting my idea and came up with something great (which will have to wait to post until after the invites are sent). Ended the day listening to the Nuggets win the second round of playoffs and jumping around wildly. First time in 24 years that the Nuggs have made it this far. Woo!

Today I tried to mow the lawn but Mig had the gas can in his truck, so no go. Decided to weed-eat but failed due to mechanical difficulties. Wound up driving to Miguel's work and hung out there for a bit. Talked to my dad; he is doing just fine. Mig and I went to the grocery store for his lunch break and then I came home. We are headed out this evening to check out our possible new home and I am pumped. Here are some pics:

Here's to an even more productive weekend!

The Biltmore

Here I sit in the Asheville airport and I finally have a consistent enough internet connection to post this.

On Wednesday, my friend Kim and I went to the famous Biltmore Estate (Kim had 2 free passes, which is great because admission is around $45 otherwise). The Biltmore is promoted as the largest house in America. Although the entire house is utterly amazing there was one room that took our breath away: the library. Filled with over 10,000 books on two levels, this may be the most beautiful room I have ever seen. I highly recommend a visit to this estate which is also home to an amazing garden and fantastic views along the driveway to/from the house (about a 15 min drive in either direction).

North Carolina is beautiful in a way that Colorado cannot even compare. There are rolling hills covered with trees of green and blooming bursts of flowers everywhere. I suppose it helps that it is spring. My only complaint on this trip is that there has been rain everyday; which usually stops in the afternoon but leaves the air thick with humidity. In all honesty, I have been overly lazy on this visit (partially because I am alone while Kim is in Vegas for four days) and have been working on getting my mind in the right place.