Still Rockin'

Hello everyone! Yes, we know it has been several weeks since our last post. Thinking about it, I am not even sure that I know where all of that time has gone...

I know we have spent some of our time at the doctor's office. Collin had his "asthma re-check" earlier this month and the news was positive...at the time. Since he had no more symptoms, we were going to be able to decrease the nebulizer use to once per day and then reassess again in a few weeks. Unfortunately that very day Collin came down with a cold, which is his asthma trigger. And, sure enough, he had some symptoms and we not only need to continue the twice a day treatments, but had to go back on an oral medication for the last few days as well. The good news is that despite having symptoms, the medicine we have available at home does control it and he tolerates it all very well. He is not nearly as bothered about this as Doug and I are, and in the end I guess that is really what matters.

We also spent some time on more exciting endeavors...dare I say we were even brave? We moved Collin from his crib to a "big boy bed" this month. With the help of Grandma Nola, his bedroom has been converted from a Noah's Ark nursery to a bonafide big boy room. Pictures to come in future posts. Although bedtime and nap times are somewhat more of a challenge, overall he is doing well and he loves his "new" room.

Early in the month we also celebrated Christmas with the Bartsch Family. Collin and Zack enjoyed playing together...it turns out that Zack is also quite the musician, although the toy vacuum was predictably his favorite...Little Miss Kiley enjoyed the show!

And, yes, we are still rocking out with our guitar, drums and keyboard! In this video, Collin was inspired by the country song "Start a Band" by Brad Paisley and Keith Urban. He was watching the video intently, then grabbed his own guitar. Apparently he decided to join their band...Please excuse my sideways video perspective...Collin may have talent, but he will have to find a better video crew than mom and dad if he's going to be a big star...

Countdown to Doug's Birthday

Doug's birthday is at the end of this month. If I can find an appropriate ticker or countdown clock, I will add one to the blog. Until then, I have decided to change our background to blue and orange and to add the above quote from Lincoln. Both are in honor of Doug, a man making his wife and son proud with the way he lives his life...and a big fan of blue and orange!

A story from today can also be an early birthday gift. I had taken Collin to church myself since Doug was working. A little boy had a Vikings jersey on. Collin saw it, pointed and loudly said: "Football shirt. Go Broncos!"...

Happy New Year

We welcomed 2009 by celebrating with the Hammill family. This has become somewhat of a tradition over the years, although the style of our celebration has certainly changed as we have grown older and our families have expanded.


"Back in the day" we used to easily greet the dawn, and New Years Day late morning was normally spent by someone driving home after sacking out on a couch or futon.

This year Collin and JJ partied hard,

channeling Baby New Year

in their diapers and New Years top hats.

Collin decided he wanted to ring in the new year and fought going to bed, lasting all the way until about 11:00 when he finally gave in....actually, I think he enjoyed watching the adults pretend to be Guitar Heroes and showing us all up on his own guitar.

We hope you all enjoyed welcoming 2009 and wish you a year of happiness and peace in your lives.