2007 Christmas Letter

Here is our Christmas letter for this year - enjoy!

Greetings family and friends! Another year has passed, and as always there is so much to tell you about. Many of you have shared some of these exciting adventures with us, but for those of you who we don’t get to see as much as we would like, know that you are often in our thoughts, and we wish the very best for you this holiday season.

When we left off with last years letter we were preparing to head to Florida for Christmas. A December Blizzard threatened to impact our travel plans, but fortune smiled on us and the weather cleared just in time. We escaped the snow and spent Christmas playing in “Florida Grandma and Grandpa’s” new swimming pool!

The new year started off with Lily becoming a “real soccer player” (as she says), when she began taking classes at Soccer Buddies, an indoor soccer program here for kids. It was her first “extra-curricular activity”, and Jaime says she is now a Soccer Mom. Later in the year we would add Dancing class to our weekly schedule – that one was a hit too!

In March, our church (High Plains Unitarian Universalist) began the exciting but arduous task of converting the Mountasia Family Fun Center into our new church home. There was painting to be done, carpet and tile to be laid, and many other tasks beyond our comprehension. We spent many weekends laboring away, but it would all be worth it to not be a “church in a box” anymore, as we had been meeting in a school cafeteria. In March we also took a weekend getaway to Breckenridge, where we met up with Jaime’s parents and sister Ashley from Florida. Lily spent a day at Kids Ski School, and we also enjoyed some time on the slopes, as well as trying out cross-country skiing and snow-mobiling.

In April our family grew by two when we took on two new pets – the Guinea Pigs “Heffalump” and “Woozle”. Yes, someone has been reading too much Winnie the Pooh! They are a pretty skittish little pair, but do enjoy attention and are very vocal when they don’t get what they want. As the weather warmed up, we were able to get out more often to go hiking at some of our favorite places, such as Garden of the Gods and North Cheyenne Canyon. In May, it was time to plant the garden. Last year Nala ate most of the vegetables we grew, so this year (with the help of Brian’s Dad), we managed to put up a short fence around that part of the yard.

June is Summer Vacation time – and this year’s destination was Puerto Vallarta, Mexico! We spent 5 days relaxing in the pool or on the beach, and generally enjoying the benefits of an All-Inclusive Resort. (i.e. – lots of food!) We even went on a Pirate Ship adventure, which took us to a secret, uncivilized beach, where the kids got to dig for buried treasure! It was awesome to get the chance to expose Lily to the different culture and language – and I don’t think we will ever see her with such a tan again!

But the month wasn’t even over yet – we also went hiking at the Cheyenne Mountain State Park – where we saw a rattlesnake in our path! And later in the month we made a trip down to Naples, Fl to visit Jaime’s family for Father’s Day. Lily was very glad to see that Grandma and Grandpa’s swimming pool was still there ☺

We have made it a tradition now to camp out in our back yard the night before the 4th of July, so this was our “3rd Annual 3rd of July Campout in the Backyard”. Brian’s parent’s joined us again, and we went on the traditional morning after hike. Later in July we joined many others from our church in the Annual Pride Fest Parade downtown. Marching in the parade was very exciting, and there was lots of fun to be had afterwards. Near the end of the month we explored Castlewood Canyon State Park (near Castle Rock.) Brian and Lily even waded in the creek to cool off.
August brought the start of school for Jaime (and of course with it the end of much free time!) We did sneak up to Green Mountain Falls one weekend though – even with as many times as we had been there before, we had never taken the hike to see the actual Falls. It was a pretty strenuous walk up a very steep hill just to get to the trailhead, but Lily seemed to have a will of steel and was practically leaving us in the dust most of the time! We couldn’t do the whole trail (got a little too treacherous for our comfort) but it is a very pretty area.

Also in August, the long awaited Sunday arrived - our new church building was finally ready! There was a major delay with the installation of the portable buildings for the children’s classes though, so the excitement over the move was mixed with a bit of nervous anticipation over how we would accommodate the kids for the next few months. It took some creativity and persistence, but week by week we would plunge ahead as best we could, with kids in the kitchen, in the office, in the nursery, and even at nearby buildings! We hadn’t managed to make our summer hiking trip to Rocky Mountain National Park yet, so we went on a Saturday at the end of the month, just in time to collect water for the church’s water ceremony. It is always such a breathtaking adventure – a place we could never tire of for sure!

In September we went to the Colorado Springs Balloon Classic, another beautiful and successful launch! September also brings Lily’s Birthday, and this year she had her party at the park, along with 12 of her friends! All 4 of her grandparents and Aunt Ashley were there for the event as well. Any outdoor party brings some nervous moments worrying if the weather will cooperate, but we were fortunate to have a beautiful day, and everyone seemed to have a good time. Lily was also very excited at getting promoted at school to “4K”, where she even gets to wear a uniform! She thinks she is so big now…

In October we continued another recently started tradition with our trip to Albuquerque for the Balloon Fiesta. We stayed at the same campground as last year, and also went to the Zoo and Botanical Gardens while we were there. The weather forecast did not look promising before the weekend, but again we lucked out and had two wonderful sunny days and a beautiful balloon launch! Once home, we set about redoing Lily’s room. She decided to paint her walls light blue and light green to match her new rug, and got her long wanted “ladder bed”, which she decided to have painted yellow. It actually came out really cute, and now she has a cozy little “library” underneath her bed. And she hasn’t fallen out yet ☺.

At the end of the month we went on a Night Hike (guided of course) at the Bear Creek Nature Center. It is amazing the things you don’t notice when your sight has taken over. In the dark we could hear and smell so much more! Definitely do one of these sometime if you get the chance. The slightly spooky night hike was just in time for Halloween – Lily was torn between a costume that would scare her friends, and her “true identity” as a fairy, so she compromised with a Spider Fairy costume.

We spent Thanksgiving in Florida with Jaime’s Family, and Lily got over her fear of swimming in the ocean! Once she was out there she thought it was very cool. We also went to the Cole Brothers Circus that was in town – a memorable experience for sure!

We will be home for Christmas this year. Two years ago we commented on how the next time we had Christmas at home, Lily would be FOUR!!! We couldn’t even imagine her being that old – it seemed so far away. And now, after what seems like only a few blinks of the eye, here we are. Time sure does fly when you are having fun! And we certainly have a year filled with fun and adventure.

Well this brings us to the end of our letter, we hope your year has been filled with as many memories as ours has been. Who knows what next year will bring, but we will be sending warm thoughts and lots of love all the way through! Have a wonderful Christmas and a great New Year!

P.S Don’t forget to check out our website http://www.delaneyweb.com for Photos and Updates!

This little bug...

We can't seem to all get well - we have been passing a stomach bug back and forth to each other for almost 2 weeks now. I am taking Lily to the DR this afternoon to see if there is anything we can do - I imagine they will say it just has to run its course... again and again :)

Other than that, things have just been busy. The church auction was last Saturday, we handle all of the computer stuff for it so it was a busy weekend.

I am trying to get the finishing touches put on the website, I am adding a link to the Belief-o-matic quiz and my own results from it - of course every time I take it I get slightly different results, depends on what mood I'm in I suppose! Unitarian Universalism always comes out number 1 though, I guess that's a good sign that I at least go to the right church!

Let's see- since my last post we got Lily's bed all set up and room done - it turned out really cute. You can see the photos on our Photo site. We also went on a night hike at Bear Creek Nature Center. That was a cool experience. The weather was perfect - had that crisp autumn feel to it but not a biting cold. There was a pretty full moon so there was just enough light to see where we were going, but we had to rely heavily on our other senses as well. Its amazing the things you don't notice when you can see - we use our vision so much that we tend to shut out the other senses. I can still smell the dirt and fresh tree leaves, I can hear the rustling of our feet on the ground and the almost imperceptible running of water from a nearby creek, I can feel the slight brush of the tree limbs as I walk past them... all things I had never even noticed before! If you ever get a chance to go on one of these, I highly recommend it! If not, at least close your eyes sometimes when you are outside and take in all the other sensations around you.

It has been very warm so far this fall - it is the middle of November, and I am still wearing short sleaves and having to turn on the fans and open all the windows at home at least twice a week! Our high's have been in the 60s and even 70s some days. Remember that by this time last year we had survived a major blizzard already, and had racked up 4 snow days at school. So far this year - nothing! I know they say we shouldn't feel the effects of global warming at a local level yet, but its making me wonder...this is just plain odd. I hope the mountains are getting some snow at least - I want to go skiing this winter! Sigh. Maybe at least for a change we will have decent outside holiday decorations...how much time we spend outside every year decorating is directly proportional to the temperature!

Back in the Swing of things....

As expected, Fall Break passed as quickly as ever - didn't get much done except to paint Lily's room - two walls greeen and two walls blue. Both are sort of a "bright pastel", don't know much other way to describe it :) And we ordered her bed - it arrived yesterday, but it is unfinished so we have to stain it, then put it together. Unfortunately, I noticed tonight that one of the end panels is damaged a bit - I will call tomorrow and see if they will do anything about it :(

School has started back, and is busy but uneventful. This Friday we are going on a guided "Night Hike" at Bear Creek Park, so we are looking forward to that. I also have to get a flu shot Friday :( because of the Arthritis injections I take. Speaking of which, had to get that shot tonight. Brian gives it to me beacuse I am such a wimp...part of me wishes it didn't work so darn well so I'd have an excuse to stop doing it :)

Well not much else to report - maybe something exciting will happen soon - until then, take care everyone!

love,
jaime

Back from New Mexico!

We are back from Albuquerque, and what an exciting weekend we have - so much to tell you about. But first, let me update from last week...

Lily's parent-teacher conference went well - the teacher said she is very smart - which of course we already suspected :) And apparently her behavior at school is considerably better than at her behavior at home. Oh well... She also had a Doctor's appt last week - her 4 year old check-up. Doctor said she is just about perfect - so good reports from all over. We were a little concerned that she had some trouble with the vision test though - will have to keep an eye on her sight.

So, now for our trip... We left Friday morning, got to the campsite a little before dark and got the tent set up with no problem. (Same campground we stayed at last year - the KOA in Bernalillo) On the way down, we had realized that we didn't pack any pull-ups for Lily so we knew we would have to get some before bedtime. Planning ahead, we asked the nice lady at the check-in desk where a close grocery store was (hoping to avoid a repeat of last years wild goose chase to find dinner). She told us where one was, but I didn't notice that she mentioned "At this time of day...So we drove down into Albuquerque for dinner at Carrabas, a little drive but at least we already knew where it was (we ate there last year too), thinking we would go by the grocery store on the way back. Well, of course we get there and it was closed. Not having a clue what to do next, we started driving back towards Albuquerque. Finally landed at a convience store about 20 minutes later, which didn't have pull-ups but the nice man there told us where there was a Walgreens in Bernalillo, about 5 mintues from our campground. So the traditional Friday night goose chase was not to be avoided, but we finally got those ever so important pull-ups!

Part of the excitement of the Balloon Fiesta is getting up at 4am, well okay not really but it is part of it anyway! We quickly dressed in the tent and went to catch a train which would take us to a bus which would take us to the Balloon Fiesta Park. It is always still very dark and quite cold when we arrive, but it wasn't too long before the Dawn Patrol show started. It is pretty cool to see the balloons taking off in the dim dawn sky. Once they were off, the real action started and soon the sky was filled with hundreds of balloons. The weather was perfect, which of course meant it was also very crowded. Sometimes it felt like being in an endless sea of people, and there were so many balloons it was impossible to see even a small fraction of them - the launch field is the size of 54 football fields! The sky just kept getting fuller and fuller.

After leaving the park, we fetched the car and went to the Rio Grande Zoo - always a favorite in Albuquerque! We saw Polar Bears, Hippos, Sea Lions, and many others. The zoo also has a large Chimpanzee exhibit - it is fascinating to watch them, but as Brian pointed out - also a little unsettling. They are SO much like us, it is almost like watching humans held in captivity, so people can come by and gawk at them. But at least exhibits like these help make people aware of these familiar creatures, and care about them when otherwise they might not even know they existed.

That evening we went to the Hinkle Family Fun center, where Lily rode in Bumper Boats (and got quite wet), played on the indoor playground which included a kid size zip line, and rode the go-carts. Then it was time for much earned sleep back at the tent.

The next day we went to the RIo Grande Aquarium and Botanical Gardens. The gardens had a "Children's Fantasy Garden" which was a castle with various large sized things in it - like a humongous pumpkin you could go inside, a giant vegetable garden you could walk in, and a maze inside a giant tree stump. There was also a rather elaborate model train set up in a different part of the garden.

After all our adventures it was time to head home - what a fun-packed weekend! We can't wait until next year...

So the rest of ny week looks to be busy as well - going to Denver tomorrow for my Rheumy appt, and also plan to check out some furniture stores while there - still looking for a "ladder bed" for Lily. I have another dr's appt Wed, and Lily has soccer on Friday (make-up session from yesterday). And somewhere I am supposed to finish my to-do list... yeah right :)

Albuquerque pictures are uploading as we speak, and will probably beat this message getting posted. So be sure to stop by the Photo album page and check them out.

Will update later this week -
love,
jaime

Fall Break Is Underway!

It is now Tuesday, second official day of Fall Break. It always amazes me how fast this break comes, this year was no exception. Already 1/4 of the way throgh the school year. It will be June before I know it...Well as usual my Break To-Do list is way longer than realistically feasable. But high on the list is getting this blog, as well as updated photo albums, online. I have enlised the aid of some 3rd party sites (this one, blogger.com, as well as smugmug.com) to make the updating easier - in the hopes that I will keep things updated more regularly. As clever as I like to think I am, complex computer scripting to do simple things like upload photos really isn't my day job, and I am finally at a point where I am not ashamed to be using more idiot-proof sites to help me.

We are also trying to find a suitable loft bed for Lily. She has long wanted a "ladder bed" and now the search is on in earnest. I have found a few online, but would prefer not to have to order that way if I can avoid it. So I will be checking out some stores in Denver, probably when I go up there next week for my rheumatologist checkup.

This last weekend we went swimming (at the indoor wave pool - Cottonwood Creek), and cooked a faboulous dinner Sunday night, using mostly the fresh veggies we bought at the Produce Stand on Powers. What a difference fresh, untreated food makes! If only we could cook like this every night - will I ever have that much time in my life??? I wonder if back in the day, when all people (well the women anyway) did was cook they had meals like this? If you were used to such things, most of the food we eat today would taste so bland and artificial...

Today, we have Lily's first ever parent-teacher conference. So of course we are anxious to see how that goes. It feels like she is at the brink of such a transition right now, in so many ways. She is really trying hard to do the right thing, but she does have a major temper, and learning to control it is going to be a long (perhaps life-long!) process. And she is so sensitive right now - she wants to be successful and make everyone proud - she gets very stressed when she doesn't. And that doesn't help with the temper...but all in all she is turning into a wonderful human being! Now we'll see what her teachers have to say :)

Well that's all for now - if you are reading this then at least one of my to-do list items has been accomplished! Don't forget to check out the new photo gallery - there should be a link on the main page somewhere... or at least there will be soon!

Lots of love to everyone,
jaime

Welcome to my blog!

HI! Glad you have found my blog - this is where I will occasionally post about events in our lives, as well as random thoughts!