Out of all the things UPS brought....

You have new Picture Mail!
Originally uploaded by holmesinco.

This is our favorite......

The holidays are almost here.....

You have new Picture Mail!
Originally uploaded by holmesinco.

You're sure it'll melt by tomorrow?

IMG_1124
Originally uploaded by holmesinco.

You probably heard we got a little snow today. Only about 8 inches at the house but they called it a blizzard, and, the next 5 days are forecasted in the mid sixties. That's why we love Colorado.

Last winter Mack was a bit too fragile to go throw her in a snowbank, wait,,,,,, she still is.......... but we can go play with her new sled.

So we did, and she spent the time enjoying the downhill run on the driveway and looking at her goofy parents taking pictures. (see flickr link to the right)

Bailey finds the situation very entertaining

Have you "herd" what I've been up to lately?

Elk in Estes Park
Originally uploaded by holmesinco.

Sorry it took a while to download the images from the camera, but, the flikr link on the right will let you see many activities from the month of September. Starting the month Mack & M went to Omaha for a weekend to see Uma & Bompa. The pictures are from their visit to the Children's museum. Somewhere in the month Mack, M & I went to the Denver Zoo and M rode the carousel w/ Mack.

And Finally, yesterday we took the tot on the mother of all roadtrips for a 15 month old. We drove the peak to peak highway from Blackhawk to Estes park to see the aspen turning and saw the elk fest in Estes. A stop in Lyons on the way home for dinner and our trip ended 8 hours and 240 miles later.

Mack Went Fishing @ The Kids Museum

Mack Went Fishing @ The Kids Museum
Originally uploaded by holmesinco.

Mack @ The Bounce House

Mack @ The Bounce House
Originally uploaded by holmesinco.

We found one of our new winter activities last week. Bumble Bunce's bounce house is about 10 minutes from us and filled with bounce house toys. The best part is adults and children under two are free. So we just walk in, sign a waiver, and play... play... play.

She loves it. It's one of the few times she screeches with joy. It actually ends up as a good workout for dad too. Which is a good thing, because ski season's less than two months away. Let it snow!

Elmo Rocks!

You have new Picture Mail!
Originally uploaded by holmesinco.

Duck!!!

You have new Picture Mail!
Originally uploaded by holmesinco.

The word that's said around our house more than anything else but dad is.... duck. Everytime she sees one of her stuffed or rubber ducks Mack points at it and says "duck!".

So as the halloween flyers started showing up at the house last week Mack spotted the duck costume on the back and said......

"DUCK!!!!"

So of course yesterday we drove to children's place, found the costume rack, mack pointed and said "duck!" and the rest is history.

See my new kicks!!

See my new kicks!!
Originally uploaded by holmesinco.

It's been another week of milestones around here. Yesterday Macki got her first pair of walking shoes, she's given up her bedtime milk with mom, and today we found the signup day for preschool. Things happen sooooooo fast. Mom commented on this pic being an action shot..... that's the only kind you get w/ Mackenna.

How ya like my new do?

How ya like my new do?
Originally uploaded by holmesinco.

Today was a big day around our house. Mack got her first haircut (the mullett was reminding mom & dad of their youth wayyyy too much). We went to Lollilocks which is a salon for kids, don't worry, she didn't get the manicure.

Mack was amazing as usual. The stylist even asked if she was always this easy going. So far so good.

I put more pictures in the flickr link on the right.

Who's that beautiful girl in the mirror?

Who's that beautiful girl in the mirror?
Originally uploaded by holmesinco.

Just proving the next photo is on a horse..

IMG_1068
Originally uploaded by holmesinco.

Here's your horse pic....

IMG_1071
Originally uploaded by holmesinco.

Daddy says I look like a shriner......

mack & car at july 4th
Originally uploaded by holmesinco.

We've got much to catch up on...... but not tonight. So here's a picture of Mack in her car she got for her birthday from Uma & Bumpa. She rode in it for her first annual neighborhood july 4th parade. More to follow..... she rode her first horse today with grandpa.....check back tomorrow.

It's MY birthday?

It's MY birthday?
Originally uploaded by holmesinco.

Mack started her birthday celebration this morning with pancakes and an hour of watching the workmen in the front yard. She was amazed.

Last night and this morning M & I caught ourselves inadvertently imitating our parents as we kept reliving the timeline of one year earlier, I think I even caught Mack rolling her eyes....

The jpegs are in.....

Mack @ Zoo w/ Uma & Bompa
Originally uploaded by holmesinco.

We're home, unpacked, grocery shopping's done, laundry's done, and the digital pictures from our tour of the midwest are now up on flickr. Just click on the link to flickr on the right side of the page and see all you care to.

Chillin'

You have new Picture Mail!
Originally uploaded by holmesinco.

We went to lunch w/ Grandma & Grandpa H and Aunt Al today. On the way home Mack decided to model her yellow sunglasses....

We're home

You have new Picture Mail!
Originally uploaded by holmesinco.

I know the American pediatrics association says no tv before two years old buttttttttt......desperate times call for desperate measures.

A little Elmo a few times a month can't be that awful..

And look at her..... Doesn't she seem happy and balanced?

It's good to be back!

Be careful what you say........

So yesterday I finished the vacation post from Omaha with the phrase "It's HOTTT"......

I spoke way too soon...

This morning Mary & I made our daily am trip to 24 hr fitness and decided to spend most of the remainder of the day inside. Mack played in her baby pool around 10:00 and the afternoon was spent napping and watching movies.

I just dropped M off @ her reunion girl's happy hour, and, while driving along noticed the external temp on the dashboard read 105 degrees...... ( at least it's a humid heat)

So, I decided to find a local coffee shop w/ wifi, check email, and drink iced tea. I got two out of three right.... the tea ended up all over my shirt.

I must go now and find a clothing store to buy another shirt. M and I are headed out for date night as soon as happy hour's over.

Midnite in North Platte, Ne..... The night's a pup....

Midnite in North Platte, Ne..... The night's a pup....
Originally uploaded by holmesinco.

Greetings from Omaha. After a rough night in North platte on the way here (mack stayed up until 2:45 am), the trip has been smooth and uneventful.

We went to KC and St. Joe Tues. & Wed. and saw the Barty's and their new little one. Steve & Nancy, Norrie & Kris & Aunt Hilah at Steve & Nancy's. and Debbie, Jo, Ronnie & Mike in St. Joe. All went well and Mack had a blast playing with all the relatives.

One thing we've learned on our trip through the midwest...... Mack only sleeps an hour in the car and .......

IT'S HOTTTTTT.

Polar butt

Polar butt
Originally uploaded by holmesinco.

Today Mack & I went to the zoo with Aunt Al. She had a blast, and, got an up close experience with the polar bears. She fell asleep on the way home and is resting up as we speak for tomorrow's big trip to the midwest.

We'll leave tomorrow evening for 9 days in NE with a day in KC. The finale of the trip will be M's high school reunion. I'm not allowed to say which year's buttttt...... it's more than 15 and less than 25. We'll try to update pics from the road.

The Zoo wears me out....

The Zoo wears me out....
Originally uploaded by holmesinco.

Mack & Cos @ playdate

Mack & Cos @ playdate
Originally uploaded by holmesinco.

Mack had another play date with cos today. A good time was had by all and we got a jpeg for the blog.

Gotta love the swings!

Gotta love the swings!
Originally uploaded by holmesinco.

I know you've already seen swing pix's, but that seems to be her happiest place these days.

Today she did another first..... climbed the flight of stairs from the family room to the bedroom floor. (supervised of course)

It's getting a little scary

She's growing up....

Mack's first love.... spuds!
Originally uploaded by holmesinco.

First the photo....
We had the families over for mother's day and Mack got her first chance with spuds. ( aunt allie's of course) She loved them, shoveled two fists at a time in her mouth. A mess was made, but a good time was had by Mack.

Next....
Today was Mack's first playdate outside the family and it was a success. I found a stay at home dad near our old neighborhood with a son 1 day younger than mack and we tried a playdate. It worked out well and we're meeting @ the zoo next week.
It was kind of funny..... Whenever Macks around other babies her happiness and height tends to come out as being over aggressive. She just loves everybody, but, sometimes her attempt to hug or touch seems borderline aggressive. With her new friend she got a taste of her own medicine. At one point I think he had her in a half nelson... and she loved it.

Faster Daddy!!

Faster Daddy!!
Originally uploaded by holmesinco.

So we all went to the park by our house for a quick picnic over lunch. The park got a new playground over the winter including baby swings. I think she had fun.....

Things to do in North Platte NE????

So I'm sitting at the computer tonight after putting Mack down, M calls and lets me know her flight was delayed but landed and she's on her way home.... woohooo.

Then I got this email.....

Ya see, we're heading to Omaha for M's (?) year high school reunion next month. And earlier in the week I booked a hotel room for the halfway point on the way out in order to make Mack's/our lives easier.

So tonight.... Expedia offered to help me book activities in lovely North Platte, Ne to make our trip even more memorable. And this is what I got back.... I couldn't believe it.

Activities

1 Pick a location: Anaheim Cancun Honolulu (Oahu) Jamaica Kauai Las Vegas London Los Angeles Los Cabos Maui Miami/Ft. Lauderdale Nassau (Bahamas) New York Orlando Paris Rome San Diego San Francisco Other City: We don't offer any activities in 'North Platte'. Please enter a nearby city or region--or any other location--and try again.

Mack @ Grandma H's

Mack @ Grandma H's
Originally uploaded by holmesinco.

We went over to Grandma & Grandpa H's today. Hit the neighborhood storytime and hung out with Grandma. (Grandpa had an all day meeting)

M called this afternoon and I put the cell up to Mack's ear so she could talk. Now everytime she sees my phone she tries to get mommy out of it.

Cute Kid.... Not too bright.... yet.

We miss you Mom!

So M's checking the blog for Mack update photo's and getting a little miffed right now...... sorry lovely wife but there's schmudge(?) on my cameraphone lens and the quality today was rather poor (see flickr link to the side). We'll try to fix it by tomorrow.

From the previous paragraph, (and the post title, and white house jpeg), most of you have probably surmised that M's in DC for a meeting. Just a few days away and back for her first Mom's day Barbeque on Sunday. The menu will consist of KC style brisket and ribs on the smoker and beer can chicken on the grill. (along with many sides and desserts)

Looking forward to seeing everybody Sunday.

* No Whitehouse jpeg files were harmed in the production of this blog post

Mack's test ride in the Burley!

Mack's test ride in the Burley!
Originally uploaded by holmesinco.

I know it's been a week since our last update..... but we do have excuses. Mack & I were both sick last week, not bad, but enough to slow us down and speed M's life up. They always said I acted like a child when I was sick,,,,, now Mack's making me look bad.

All's well now. Back to the old routine. And,,,,, we got our first test ride in the new Burley today. For those of you who haven't had a child in Colorado in the last five years, a Burley is a trailer/chariot that hooks to the back of a grownups bike so they can safely enjoy the ride.

So our first ride around the neighborhood goes like this:
1. Mack hesitates as I try to put the helmet on.... a helmet for her head can get a little heavy.

2. Ride starts and she is giddy with joy.

3. Pull into the garage and she's asleep within 12 minutes of ride starting.

If we'd only tried this during her sleepless nights.

Mack disturbing stinky B's siesta...

Mack disturbing stinky B's siesta...
Originally uploaded by holmesinco.

I'd almost feel sorry for the dog if it weren't for the fact he spends his days in M's office napping in my leather club chair.

M & Mack @ midweek picnic

M & Mack @ midweek picnic
Originally uploaded by holmesinco.

So I finally cleaned up all the pictures in my phone and found a few that never made it to flickr. This was taken last week at a great park by our house. When Mom & Dad both do work from home sometimes it's good to leave for lunch and get some fresh air. There are a few more new shots if you click on the flickr link to the right. Everybody's good here. I'm doing spring yardwork tomorrow and m & mack are going to cousin emma's dance practice.

Instead of apologies.... I give you fresh jpgs.

mack @ easter egg hunt closeup
Originally uploaded by holmesinco.

I know the posts have been a little sparse lately. The blog world seems to have many hills and valleys. I didn't realize the impact of the valleys on the few people that follow a blog until I started following http://chorewheel.blogspot.com/ . My friend's son is doing a fellowship in Rio for a few months, and documenting it via his blog. It makes my day when a new post hits...... granted.... it doesn't take much to make my day.

I promise I'll try harder to keep Mack's blog fresh.

Anyway, M, Mack, & I met up with the cousins Sunday for the annual easter egg hunt @ cousins W & C's house.

Everyone had a great time and we look forward to Easter this weekend.

mack @ easter egg hunt

mack @ easter egg hunt
Originally uploaded by holmesinco.

Aunt J was kind enough to send us a bunch of pictures.

Born to Ride!

You have new Picture Mail!
Originally uploaded by holmesinco.

Well, It's been a while since a new post and Mack's at G&G H's tonight for a sleepover so we're going to the flickr vault. This was Mack waking from a nap this week in her Harley Davidson pajamas(gift from Uncle Chuck). If daddy ever catches her on a bike there'll be trouble

How could this head be >97th percentile???

You have new Picture Mail!
Originally uploaded by holmesinco.

Mack had her 9 month appointment with the Doc today and everything went great. She didn't even cry after 2 shots and a blood sample (better than her dad would've done).
Now let's go to the numbers....
Length: 29" 90th %
Weight: 20# 14 oz 80th %
Head circumference: >97th %????

I wonder were that came from?

Anyway, I'm leaving tomorrow for my end of ski season weekend at Steamboat so you won't see any post's until mid week.

Have a great weekend!

Dada!

IMG_0966
Originally uploaded by holmesinco.

Well, this weekend Mack said her first word..... Dada! In the last 48 hours she's said that word about 4200 times. I'm Dada. M's Dada. Stinky B's Dada. The waitress at brunch today was even Dada. Never the less, it almost brought a tear to my eye waking up to those words this morning. Now we need to work on Mama.

Happy Birthday Grandpa!

Grandpa H came over for dinner
Originally uploaded by holmesinco.

Hope you're having a great time in California!

Laundry day!

Laundry day!
Originally uploaded by holmesinco.

Happy Birthday Uma!

Mack in the playroom
Originally uploaded by holmesinco.

We hope you had a good birthday weekend.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!!!

Mack's Willie Nelson impression w/ a napkin
Originally uploaded by holmesinco.

This was the only picture of Mack in green that I had available. Grandpa H and Aunt Al came over for dinner and a Mack fix the other night and at the end of the meal she decided to show us her Willie Nelson impersonation using her green table napkin.... I kid you not.

We hope everyone has a great St. Pat's.

The lengths people will go to for dinner with mack.....

cc

Dear Mackenna,
Shashee and I were wondering if you would like to join us for dinner this evening. We could bring pizza to your house and wash it down with a delicious bottle of formula before you go to bed. If you want to, we could invite your parents too.

Love,
Super Aunt Baysa

I'm cuter than Bode! And I don't DQ.

I'm cuter than Bode! And I don't DQ.
Originally uploaded by holmesinco.

Much like the U.S. ski team Mack's Torino beret was a little late in showing up. Oh well, it'll get plenty of use next year.

Look, I've got hair....

Look, I've got hair....
Originally uploaded by holmesinco.

We apologize for the absence of posts.....

Diane & Mackenna in hospital
Originally uploaded by holmesinco.

Mack's Great Aunt & Uncle Nancy & Steve came by for a visit today on the way to the mountains and I was reminded of the fact that Grandpa is a bigger ham for the cameras than Grandma H. So in the spirit of equal time, here's a pick of Mack & G H at the hospital apx. 2 hours into the life thing. They both seem happy as always. Our life is getting duller..... crawling is on the way.

Say what you will, but we love the jumper!

A Picture Share!
Originally uploaded by holmesinco.

After much research and debate in the house we finally agreed to feed Mack's insatiable appetite for jumping with a jumper. I read all the reasons why we shouldn't and none of them seemed to apply. It's in a double doorway with strong trim to support her and she's only using it while being supervised. So if she still finds a way to hurt herself it's my arse..... Anyway, she loves it and can't stop jumping.

We can't take much more vacation fun....

All week I kept planning on hitting the powder the last few days of vacation when it snowed. Well... Thursday morning I awoke to find all that powder I'd hoped for. I headed to the mountain early for first tracks and on my second run headed back to the bowls I hit the powder.... with my head. Yes I caught an edge going 45mph and did my best impersonation of Lindsey Kildow's training mishap in Torino. After 5 minutes on my back in the middle of Mozart I got up and made it to the bottom. Needless to say that ended my skiing for the week. Praise the man above for aleve and muscle relaxers. We made it home Friday afternoon after picking up B @ the farm, unpacked and watched more olympics. Then this morning we awoke to -8 deg temps and our involuntary participation in xcel energy's rolling blackout program. After 2 hours without power, a cooling interior, and hugry baby, we headed to G&G H's. Now we're home. We have power (at least for now). And everyones happy. In spite of all the little mishaps we know how blessed we are and enjoy laughing at the hiccups of life.

I hoped for snow, but something else came.

Today we will have our first guest blog from M as she is more entertaining than I'll ever be...

The Griswold adventures continue...
We were awakened at 4:30 this morning to a blaring, shrill alarm. BAD THING
Mack's hearing is excellent. GOOD THING
So now we have blaring alarm AND baby. BAD THING
J and I peel ourselves off the ceiling and J in his infinite "I just woke up" wisdom, tries to muffle the fire alarm. BAD THING
Seconds later we realize we need to evacuate instead of muffle. GOOD THING
We bundle up ourselves and Mack and dash outdoors, remembering car keys AND door key. GOOD THING
Mack and I stay warm in the car while J makes friends with the Scottish man next door. GOOD THING
Keystone security and fire truck arrive (this is where Walker would be jealous...) GOOD THING
Firemen do their thing and we are allowed back in the building. GOOD THING
Determined that someone PULLED the @#&$)*&#$(*!&# fire alarm. VERY BAD THING
But that means no danger to anyone. VERY GOOD THING
So why does the fire dept hang out and keep pounding on things while we were trying to go back to sleep? BAD THING
Mack did go back to sleep. GOOD THING
We did not. BAD THING

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow.... Happy Valentine's!

So far so good on the vacation front. Mack had a great time playing with all her cousins over the weekend. The skiing has been okay, but the powder should get here tomorrow. Mack, M & I went out this afternoon for Mack's first movie! Curious George is highly recommended. Mack behaved perfectly with a 30 minute nap in the middle.