Sunday, January 22, 2012

Birthday shake


Kristen and BV enjoying a birthday shake together at Red Robin. It was about a week late for Kristen, but Banner did not mind in the least.

Thursday, January 5, 2012

Cousins in Breck!

We all got a chance to visit Tasha and Ryan friends in Breck over New Years. Banner and Ella were able to form a friendship as long as BV was not stealing Ella's Cheerios.




Saturday, October 29, 2011

Saturday, October 1, 2011

Take a Kid Mountain Biking Day!

BV had here first foray into biking today! She is still a tad short for her balance bike, but she loved it. We headed over to Valmont for Kristen to demo a bike and for Banner to see other kids riding. This is her getting distracted with the play area, but we took some other pics when Travis and Laura and Mrs. Ramos stopped to say hello right before we left. I will add them later. Anyway, before we know it she will be cruising around

Thursday, September 8, 2011

New balance bike!

This is a secret, so do not mention it to Banner, but I just found a new balance bike for BV online. She still might be a bit to little for it and it might actually be a Christmas gift, but I am excited. This is the type without pedals, so that kids can learn to balance and get the idea of riding. Kristen and I ride a lot, so I think she will like it. We will see.

Sunday, September 4, 2011

BV on train at Creek Fest

Banner got her first train ride at the Labor Day weekend Boulder Hometown festival. She loved steering and waving at her Dada. Now to listen and dance to some music!

Sunday, August 14, 2011

Beach BV

Kristen and BV are at Sunset Beach this week visiting Gma and Gpa Matthews. She seems to be loving it!

New shoes

Apparently, she had to leave Boulder to get her first pair of Crocs.

Wednesday, August 3, 2011

Wednesday, April 13, 2011

B & J & BV Free Cone Day!


BV braved the beautiful if not slightly cool evening to have a taste of Free Cone Day at Ben & Jerry's. Next up, May 10th Free Cone Day at Haagen Dazs!


She also learned that her Auntie B and Uncle A are coming for Easter!

Tuesday, March 15, 2011

Banner's First Birthday Party

BV had her first birthday (March 9th) and party. Here is a link to some photos that Amir and Kat took. Below are some of our own.
Studying the cake

Party favor fun

The two new one year olds, Banner and Emory.

The party people.

Wednesday, March 2, 2011

Welcome Rolo dog

Well, we added a new member to the family. Meet Rolo the dog. A 2 1/2 yr old German Shorthaired Pointer (at least partly) who is extremely, um, enthusiastic.


We had some chilly days here and Rolo needed a little extra insulation, so Jared was kind enough to let her borrow his vest.

Banner and Rolo have become accustomed to one another - Rolo especially appreciates Banner's high chair antics - there's sure to be something that ends up on the ground. Here Banner offers Rolo some hand sanitizer. A thoughtful gift.

Banner is moving all over these days! She loves to hold onto things and scoot around. No solo steps yet, though!

Relaxing in bed. Naps are the best.


Banner took advantage of a warm February day to play outside. She was very interested in the snowmelt coming down the drainpipe, but was dismayed to find that melting snow is pretty cold!

Fun with dad!
Banner's new friend Annika (6 wks). They decided to have a photo shoot in their matching pjs. Poor Annika - Banner was determined to have her pacifier for herself. And if the eye gets in the way, well...

Wednesday, January 5, 2011

Holiday catch up

After an extended absence from blogging here is my effort to capture the last two months in 10 photos or less:
Thanksgiving was spent in Ellijay with the Matthews, Tierneys, and DeYoungs. Here is Banner with cousin Lina. Sadly, Banner wasn't feeling so hot during this trip, so she wasn't her usual cheerful self. It was a good Thanksgiving though - lots of cousins, aunt, uncles, and grandparents and food!
We prepared for Banner's first Christmas with a Christmas tree (our best so far, I think) as well as the arrival of lots of packages, much to Banner's delight.

Banner shows great regard for boxes of all shapes and sizes but she was especially proud of this big one. Very helpful for her pulling-up skills which she is now very adept at!

Christmas in Chicago! At the last minute Jared and I decided to drive to Chicago to be with Jared's sisters and our nieces and nephews. A great trip! Banner was amazing in the car and it was fun to be with family and have them meet Banner.
Here we are wearing our matching mother-daughter hats.

Amazingly successful family photo!

The kids and Buddy-the-dog.

Once back in Colorado we had yet another Christmas celebration to open all the gifts we hadn't brought on our roadtrip. Banner tripled her toy cache and was pretty hyped up.


Practicing her new drum.New Years weekend we got our first big snow and Banner was subjected to snowsuits. The snowsuit below allowed for a little more flexibility then some other options, and so was fairly well received. Fur collars being all the rage, she was also very fashionable.

A New Years hike and snuggle time with dad.

Sometimes dad's back gets to be a boring sight and so Banner adopts this pose. While I worry about whiplash, she seems to enjoy the perspective.

And there you have it! As for Banner's latest accomplishments: she seems content with a modified crawl - more of an army version. She is pretty proficient at it and so I think she will stick with it and not bother herself with the more traditional hands and knees version. Maybe she thinks she is more stealth this way.
She is pulling up on everything and is very proud of herself. We are also proud.
She will occasionally stand by herself for a few seconds but we are just at the very beginning of that.
She is an excellent waver and clapper and we are working on blowing kisses.
Finally, she is really getting good at verbalizing (some might say yelling) her opinions. She seems to be saying mama and I think she has a version of bye bye. Wishful thinking? Nah, we know she is brilliant.


Saturday, November 6, 2010

Sad chili pepper

Well, Banner experienced her first Halloween. She enjoyed the pumpkins and the fallen leaves. She tolerated the costume and trick or treating. And Jared and I have enjoyed the candy.
She's also got a tooth! Middle, bottom. She seems to be handling it well - a little fussier than usual but still sleeping great. She has added clapping to her portfolio of hand skills which also include waving, face grabbing (ours) and thumb sucking (hers). Some photos:

As you may or may not be able to tell, Banner is a chili pepper. It was actually rather warm here on Halloween and I think the combination of the heat and the heavy costume made her lethargic. She didn't crack a smile the whole time!


Here we are waiting in line for candy at the Munchkin Masquerade in downtown Boulder. All the stores gave out candy and it was a mob scene. I guess we might as well get used to this stuff! However, Jared and I were motivated by Reeses.

Banner enjoying the leaf pile Jared worked very hard to rake. She is very fond of eating leaves. I think she prefers fall leaves for their delicate crunch.


It looked fun, so I joined in.


Another popular fall activity - football! Jared, Banner, Bryon, and I went to see Texas Tech beat the University of Colorado. On homecoming no less. Poor Buffs. Banner did great - she lasted the entire game, which is more than many people can say.


Banner taking on an apple during the game. Very ambitious.

No snow yet, but we'll keep you posted...

Saturday, October 16, 2010

Fall things


Banner has had an exciting few weeks! Jared and I went to San Francisco to celebrate our 5th anniversary (it's actually not until the 29th...) and Grandma Matthews came to take care of Banner during our absence. We were gone 4 days and Banner did great! -at least that's what my mom told us :) Grandma and Banner enjoyed their time together, and Jared and I enjoyed our time together - though we were all happy to reunite. Here are some photos of it all, as well as some of Banner helping pick out a pumpkin.

Banner and Grandma had a lot of reading time. Banner loves this peekaboo book!

Best buddies! Banner was a little suspicious of mom at first, but she warmed up and by the end of the trip they were old friends.


Banner is playing with her personal pumpkin. It has a good handle for holding on to. Also a hanger which is, apparently, also very fun. Other favorite toys include the newspaper, boxes, and our cell phones.



Meanwhile...
Me with Alcatraz in the background.


Driving down the Pacific Coast Highway. We had to stop and touch the Pacific Ocean (brrr!). Beautiful though.
Golden Gate Bridge
Jared doing the obligatory trolley photo. We actually loved riding the trolley. It was one of our favorite things. That and the food.

Banner wondering what she is sitting on.
Banner carefully surveying this year's pumpkin crop. We couldn't get her to look up for any of these: too bright.