Los Lowcos

Anniversary #2

2009-12-14T20:42:00.004-07:00

Steve and I were able to go to Keystone Reosrt for the weekend to celebrate our 2nd Anniversary 9.22.09. It was an interesting trip involving a vacuuming neighbor at 4 am, a crappy murphy bed, and bad night's sleep. Even though the accomodations were poor, we did get to see some beautiful fall foliage in the area and spend lots of QT together.

Random Pics

2009-12-14T20:35:00.006-07:00

Okay...so I KNOW it has been quite some time since my last blog. No excuses...just haven't blogged lately. So I thought I would put up some photos that were taken since my last blog.

Until next time...here are some snap shots.

Proud Papa

2009-08-27T19:37:00.005-06:00

Well, as many of you know from the wedding reception at our house...we did not have air conditioning when we purchased our home two years ago. So, we decided after last July's extreme heat wave that we definitely had to install it this year.

Steve did his research and purchased and installed for us the most primo set-up ever. He got us the largest residential unit I have ever seen in my life...it looks like a commercial unit. Steve is super proud of his new 'baby'. :)

The AC unit stats:
Installed June 15th, 2009
Two stage
3 tons
18 seer
super energy efficient
All of this equals = AC bliss

The Proud Papa with his Babies

We have received two utility bills since installation. Even with our air conditioning our utility bill has been super low this summer...i.e. it has decreased since we installed the AC. I guess it is cheaper to run the AC rather than fans.

The Latest in Lower Colorado

2009-08-14T11:53:00.007-06:00

Okay...for those of you following this blog...I obviously haven't blogged in awhile...SORRY!! I have no idea where the time goes...especially the summer - time just seems to fly by these days.

So the latest around these parts is as follows:

*Aly is SIX months old now...YIKES...I know I am beating a dead horse...but seriously folks...where does the time go?
*Aly got her first tooth in July and started sitting up and rolling over.

*Riana started high school yesterday...yes...she is officially a freshman. She is tryng her hand at golf this year and is on the JV team.
*Steve attended his 20th high school reunion on the Queen Mary in Long Beach California at the end of July...He also camped with his fam in Carp for a week while in Cali...sadly he brought back ZERO pictures to share. :(
*I just took up playing tennis with some girls in the CSprings area...which is weird since the last time I really played was 20 years ago...when I was a Freshman in High School! Well...I have 'played' Steve (my beloved husband who happens to be good at EVERYTHING!) but I don't think Steve would call it 'playing' since he basically slaughtered me everytime...he could have gone pro...I am not kidding. :)
*We fit in a family camping trip at Lathrop State Park in Colorado at the end of June...nice weather...and it was fun to see Steve jump in the lake after his fishing pole.

*The weather has been great! Afternoon thunderstorms are frequent and it is about a bazillion degrees cooler this year than last year.
*Alyson is looking more and more like her daddy everyday. :)

That about sums it up! Until next time.

Road Trip

2009-06-09T22:17:00.008-06:00

I asked my family last November if they were interested in meeting us in South Dakota for a little mini family reunion this year...and they said yes! So we booked a family rental cabin in Lead, South Dakota for a week and all met up. My older brother and his family drove down from North Dakota, my parents and my younger brother and his family drove up from Missouri and we drove in from Colorado of course.

We were supposed to have the shortest trip and I think would have had I been a good navigator. Sorry Steve! :) I wasn't paying attention on the way up so we missed our turn off and ended up seeing a bit more of Wyoming than we had originally planned. We obviously didn't learn our lesson as we ALMOST made the same mistake on the way back to Colorado but luckily we stopped and checked the map.

This was Aly's first road trip so it was an interesting adventure driving 8 hours on the way to SoDak and 7.5 on the way back. She did fairly well but did get really sick of the driving and being in her car seat so much.

It was great to see my family, as Steve hadn't met everyone yet...and everyone else we hadn't seen since our wedding. We also celebrated Riana's 14th birthday while we were there...dinner at a Mexican Restaurant and ice cream cake! Yummy! Happy B-Day Ria Pia! :)

We had quite a whirlwind tour of the Black Hills and the surrounding area in just a matter of days. We saw Devil's Tower, Mt. Rushmore, Crazy Horse Memorial, Deadwood, Homestake Mine (most productive gold mine in the Western Hemisphere), and other cool places including Spearfish Canyon which was 'sick' according to Steve. Our cabin was great! The weather didn't cooperate the entire time, but we still had an awesome time! We made plans for another reunion in four years...however it was requested that we meet in a more sunny locale. Woo Hoo!

Aly's first BIG GIRL food

2009-06-09T22:10:00.003-06:00

Aly has been really looking at Big Girl food for some time now and she always acts hungry...even though she nurses every 1.5 hours. SO...I decided to try her out with some real food to see how she did. We tried oat cereal to begin with. She actually didn't really like it very well. So we waited a week and half and tried again with the cereal mixed with breast milk...the second go around was a HUGE hit...she opens her mouth and tries to grab the spoon...very cute! She is already a healthy 12 and half pounds so I am thinking she is going to be a bit chubbier in the next few months rather than her sleek thin current self.

Riana's 8th Grade Graduation

2009-06-09T21:33:00.004-06:00

High School is next??? What the heck?? Where has the time gone? Yes!!...Riana will be a freshman next year since she successfully graduated the 8th grade on May 28th. I really don't know how she grew up so fast but it happened. YIKES! :)

Riana had her commencement ceremony during lunch at the high school she will be attending - Coronado - she sang in the choir at the beginning of the ceremony. The ceremony was nice except for the overcrowded auditorium in which we could not find seats. After the ceremony, I took Riana and two of her friends to lunch and then they had a two day sleepover to celebrate graduation. A good time was had by all!!
Riana & Mikayla
Riana & Mr. Kriedel (Tech Teacher)

80's Flashback!!

Newest pics of Baby Girl

2009-05-01T20:50:00.005-06:00

Here are the latest pics of our little Baby Girl...she is growing like a weed and is up to 11 lbs. now. She is so very thin and very long. The little one just turned 3 months old yesterday and is already into some 6 month clothes as some of the 3 month clothing she has won't snap at the bottom because of her length...they might look huge on her but just barely go over the diaper. Hmmm...wonder where whe gets the whole height thing. :) She is very funny and loves to smile and play on her jungle mat. OH...and almost forgot to mention that Aly got her ears pierced! She did awesome by only crying for about 2 minutes and then was totally over it. :)

Caching in Colorado

2009-05-01T20:13:00.004-06:00

My friend, Susan, visited Colorado last weekend and of course we hit the town caching. Susan moved to Indiana 1.5 years ago and Riana and I really haven't cached since she moved. I have missed having Susan live nearby and caching every weekend like we used to. Riana and I have logged just over 200 found caches since Susan introduced us to caching in July 2006...but Susan just hit cache number 2000 while here! Woo Hoo! Way to go chica!

For those of you who don't know what geocaching is it is simply going out into nature (or the city) and finding hidden caches (i.e. logs hidden in various shaped containers). You find caches on the geocaching website and then put their coordinates into your GPS and go out and find them and then log your find on the website. Very fun!

I am planning on taking Steve out caching this summer as he has yet to go! :( How did that happen?

My Man with a Stache

2009-04-01T13:38:00.006-06:00

Today being April Fool's Day, I surprised my man with a package of mustaches that I found at a cool little store in Old Colorado City. He then surprised me by going to work with one of them on!! Very fun! If only he had been able to take Riana to school this morning and had walked her in with it on! ;) Good stuff!

Happy April Fool's Day everyone!

Aly Kat @ Two Whole Months

2009-03-30T13:10:00.005-06:00

Wow does time fly or what!?! Our little Aly Kat is now two months old! We here in the Jessop household can barely believe it. Here is the latest on our little girl...

Current weight: 10 lbs. 10.5 ozs. 50th percentile compared to other babies her age
Current height: 23.5 inches 75th percentile

She is sleeping very well at night and is on a schedule. She goes to bed between 9 & 10 pm every night and gets up only once or twice. She gets up for the day at around 8 am and just does some Aly Kat napping during the day. She LOVES to eat and eats every 1.5 - 2 hours. She hates bottles and prefers to get her milk from the source...i.e. Mommy. She did vomit last week and it just so happened that she was chilling with her big sister while I was cooking dinner. Riana didn't like the whole episode one bit. She is now scared to hold the little girl for fear of a repeat incident. The funny thing is that Aly wasn't acting ill or anything...it just happened. Weird.

Aly continues to have gas problems even with me cutting out a bunch of stuff from my diet...so it looks like she is just a super gasey baby and she hopefully will grow out of it as she gets older. :)

Daddy continues to love on his little girl at all times and loves to play bicylces with her. She smiles all of the time as you can see from the pics.

Found Money Jar

2009-03-17T20:17:00.006-06:00

When Steve and I first started dating we decided to start a little challenge between us (I guess we are both competitive at heart). We decided to see who could find the most 'found money' over the next year...2007. My friend, Susan (Thank you Susan! Woo Hoo!) turned me on to 'finding money' since her and her hubbie have been doing it for many years. It is actually pretty interesting seeing just how much money you find laying around in parking lots, on restaraunt floors or outside fast food drive thru windows. It really can add up quickly if you keep track of it.

Our found money thus far adds up to a nice little total...maybe if we keep it up we will be able to retire earlier than expected. ;)

2007 - $48.11
2008 - $44.66
2009 - so far $2.81

Obviously we will need to step it up a bit more this year as we seem to be slacking.

P.S. Steve won the competition in 2007 by finding $4.11 more than me...his money was all change while I found $9 in paper moolah plus my change...2008 was a joint effort.

My Girls

2009-03-05T11:56:00.007-07:00

My mom...aka the girls' Nena...sent me Riana's first picture taking outfit from 13.5 years ago...so I decided to snap a few pics of Aly in the same outfit.

These are my girls...Am I a lucky mom or what?

Riana Elizabeth @ One Month

Alyson Kathleen @ One Month

One Month and Growing

2009-02-27T17:08:00.004-07:00

Well, as of today we have had our little cupcake for one month. She is growing like a weed and has officially outgrown the first newborn outfit I purchased for her. At her doctor's appt. last Wednesday she weighed in at a healthy 8 lbs. 13 ozs. Her doctor said she was perfect which of course her daddy and I already knew but it is always good to get a professional to tell you these things...it seems that much more official. :) The gas issue is still around at times but she seems to be getting over it...she is starting to smile now and grunt. She is sleeping during the night and only gets up to eat usually twice. Everyone here in Lower Colorado is doing well and adjusting nicely to the baby girl being a part of the family.

Here are the latest pics...we especially like the one we call 'goth girl'. We tried some gripe water (homeopathic remedy) which was supposed to help with her gas...we aren't sure it actually did...but it did make for a great picture.

Alyson @ 2 weeks

2009-02-12T15:23:00.004-07:00

Alyson will be with us for 2 weeks tomorrow. It has been both delightful and at times challenging having a newborn in the house. Usually things are calm and Aly does well...even with sleeping...but the last few days we have had some gas issues that are not easy to get through. We also had her second PKU test today and her blood was not flowing very well so the nurse had to squeeze it out of her tiny foot...ugghh...not easy to watch. When the gas isn't active, the little girl is delightful and such a good little girl. As you can tell from the pics...she is daddy's little girl.

Here are the latest pics...

Delivery Day

2009-02-02T16:32:00.007-07:00

Well...well...well...the big day actually came on January 30th...and Alyson Kathleen Jessop joined our little family.

Aly Kat's Stats:
Born: Friday, January 30, 2009
Time: 2:53 am
Weight: 8 lbs. 3 ozs.
Length: 19 3/4 inches
Healthy, beautiful, and quiet.

Leading up to the actual birth didn't go too badly...pretty quick in fact. My water broke at 9 pm on Thursday night as I was printing an assignment on the computer for Riana for school the following day. We rounded everything up for the hospital and arrived at the hospital at 10:30 pm and I was admitted into delivery as I was dialated to 3 cm. I decided to go ahead and have an epidural and had that done at 5 cm which was at midnight. After the epidural things were of course much better and Steve and Riana each took naps until around 2ish...Riana woke up first. The nurse came in around 2 am and told me I was fully dialated and that my doctor was on the way into the hospital. When my doctor arrived Steve woke up from his nap and Riana left for the waiting room as she gets quesy from blood and such. I started pushing and about 15 mintues later, Aly was born. She is a healthy 'little' girl and is pretty quiet at this point. We arrived home from the hospital around mid-day on Saturday and the little bundle of joy is truly a joy to us. She likes her daddy and even appears to be smiling at him. She even sits quietly in her swing for her big sister. Breastfeeding wasn't hugely successful at the hospital, but since we have been home it has gone pretty well...I think the little girl will be gaining weight in no time as she loves to eat.

Steve is a VERY proud new daddy and is very good with his little one. Aly likes to be held by her daddy. It is the cutest thing to see my adorable husband with his baby girl. I can tell he is truly happy to finally be a daddy. I know he will be a truly phenomenal papa.

Go Steelers!!!

2009-01-12T17:01:00.003-07:00

The Steelers crushed the Chargers this past weekend and have only two more wins this year until they take back the championship! GO STEELERS!!! Little Aly is due on Super Bowl Sunday and luckliy my delivery room has a tv for Steve. :)

Snowboarding - Season 2009

2009-01-04T18:07:00.003-07:00

Steve and Riana went snowboarding on January 2nd to kickoff the season this year. Riana took a friend, Becca. Everyone had fun as the snow was good and the weather was perfect.

9 months preggo!

2009-01-04T18:04:00.002-07:00

Here I am at 9 months pregnant....less than 28 days to go until the big arrival day...which happens to be Super Bowl Sunday. :)

Super Yummy Broccoli Soup Recipe

2008-12-15T11:36:00.005-07:00

I found this recipe last month on one of my favorite recipe sites...allrecipes.com. You can really rely on this site if you stick to highly rated recipes. This recipe was rated 5 out of 5 stars by over 220 people so I figured it had to be good...and it did not disappoint. Great for cold winter nights with sliced sourdough bread and butter. YUM!

INGREDIENTS
•3 (10 ounce) packages frozen chopped broccoli
•3 (14.5 ounce) cans chicken broth
•6 tablespoons margarine
•1 onion, chopped
•1/2 cup all-purpose flour
•2 cups milk
•Half a block of Velveeta (about 3/4 lbs.), cubed
•1/2 lbs. mild cheddar, cubed
•1 pinch ground white pepper (tastes fine with black pepper as well)

DIRECTIONS
1.In a large pot over medium heat, simmer the broccoli in the broth for 15 minutes. In a separate skillet over medium heat, melt the butter or margarine, add the onions and sauté for 5 minutes, or to desired tenderness.

2.Add the flour to the onions and stir well, forming a pasty substance. Gradually add the milk and stir until thick. Add this mixture to the broccoli mixture in the pot and stir well. Then add the cheese, stirring until melted. Finally, add the pepper.

Note: Be careful not to let the soup boil, or the cheese will break down.

Record Low in Colorado Springs

2008-12-15T10:57:00.006-07:00

Well, we had a blast of arctic air this weekend and ended up waking up to a new RECORD LOW in Colorado Springs for this day in history. We hit -8 degrees this morning. Woo Hoo! When Riana went to school this morning at 8:45 am (no delays for Colorado schools - EVER!) it was still -4 degrees outside. Just a bit chilly. Not much snow associated with this storm but the cold temps are supposed to hold out for several more days. Hopefully our wonderful Colorado sun will be able to warm us by Thursday and clear the roadways. The dramatic drop in temp was especially obvious since we enjoyed a mild 54 degrees on Saturday. Steve was VERY cold this morning shoveling the walkways.

Baby Potluck

2008-12-11T11:19:00.004-07:00

Steve and I were fortunate enough to be showered with baby gifts this past weekend. One of our friends, Heather, hosted a co-ed baby potluck to celebrate Alyson's pending arrival. The food and company were outstanding! We had a great time and really racked up the baby booty. Thank you to all who came and shared their favorite dish with us. I am hoping there will be opportunities in the near future for more potlucks as they are seriously the best!

Bishop's Castle Trip

2008-11-25T16:48:00.005-07:00

Last weekend Steve took the fam on a little adventure in the San Isabel National Forest. The destination was Bishop's Castle...a castle in the middle of the forest (i.e. in the middle of nowhere) built by one man for the past 40 years. It was both a very unique and cool site as well as super scary. Riana evidently is fearless, as she was cruising around the castle and climbing to the very top of the towers to the round cage and all over the balconies. Steve went with her to the tower but stayed away from the cage which moved while someone was in it. Steve did brave one of the balconies for a pic opportunity. Me on the other hand...I was the one taking the photos...from the ground level...where nothing moved under my feet. I think I would have done much better if the castle had passed a building inspection.

Here is some history on the castle and it's creator:

For 40 years, Jim Bishop has been building a castle on a mountainside in central Colorado. "Did it all myself, don't want any help," he says mechanically as he unloads a pile of rocks that he's hoisted to the 70-foot level on one of the castle towers.

Every year since 1969, Bishop has single-handedly gathered and set over 1000 tons of rock to create this stone and iron fortress in the middle of nowhere. Bishop calls it "a monument to hardworking people" and "America's biggest, one-man, physical project." "I always wanted a castle. Every man wants a castle," Bishop continues, his voice a broken record, answering the same questions he's obviously been asked thousands of times before.

All in all it was a very fun family adventure!

Preggo Update

2008-11-20T15:02:00.006-07:00

Steve took this photo to document the growth of my belly. Little Alyson Kathleen is at 6 months in the womb in this photo.

Our first post...

2008-11-20T14:43:00.003-07:00

Well, Steve and I are finally participating in this whole blogging phenomenon. We were feeling like slackers for not having done it sooner...but I guess it is better late than never. Do we get brownie points for finally wising up?

Welcome to all of our friends and family! We will try to keep you updated regularly as we get the hang of blogging. We look forward to the adventure!

Love to all -
Tracy

Labels: The Adventure Begins - November 2008