Night Out & Nathan's New Booster!

Our Encompass Home Heath branch in Colorado Springs was awarded by the company for its outstanding year. So all staff was invited to Phantom Canyon (a local restaurant) for appetizers to celebrate. This was a few Friday nights ago and we had Brittney (from our small group) watch Nathan. It was fun for Matt and I to have a night out and Nathan and Brittney did great!

Here's a picture of Lisa (marketing) and I really taking it to Maciej (another Physical therapist) & Matt in Fusbol. Ha ha. Not really. They kicked our tail.


This is Jim, our Administrator, and Karla his wife shooting some pool!


Me with Chuck, Lisa & Andrea! This was the marketing team when I first was hired on with Encompass!


We decided to get Nathan a booster seat last week. We looked at several high chair options...especially ones that fold up small. But we decided the booster made more sense with the space we have. And my sister 'n law, Age, used a booster with Colin and she thought it worked great. So we went that route!

So far, it works great. And, he likes the toys on it :)




Mama feeding him squash. Yum. His Grandma Liz got him started on this. She thought he should like it since she likes it :)

Kelty Carrier

So, I'm a little behind on the blog. I still need to post pictures of Nathan's booster seat, our Encompass party, our trip to Focus on the Family with Jen and Jamin, and our trip to the zoo with them as well! But, I'm going to skip ahead and post pictures of our hike last night at Ute Valley Park so I can show off my birthday present from Dad and Mom Witt!

But first some pictures from Wednesday night when we got the carrier.

He loves it.

Checking out the sunshade.


And pulling on mama's ponytail!


Now to Friday. Here's some pictures of Nathan earlier in the day just playin'. He's emptying out his toy bin!






Then we decided to meet daddy at the office at the end of his day with clothes for him and gear for a hike! We were planning on going over the weekend but the weather report was looking bleak. So we decided to take advantage of Friday's 65 degree weather since we had a few hours of light left. It ended up being perfect weather! And it was a nice bonus to get to see everyone in the office, too. They were all happy to get to see our growing boy :)

The reason we wanted to go so badly was to try out our new trail carrier for Nathan to ride in! Dad and Mom Witt got it for me as an early birthday present and it came on Wednesday. I have been so excited to start hiking again and now we can with Nathan in tow! He was getting way to heavy for our Bjorn carrier. Here is daddy getting him ready to go!

See how nice it is. You can put him in it before putting it on with the handy kickstand. It has a lot of nice pockets too for diapers, snacks, toys, sunsreen, etc! And isn't the sunshade great?

And we're off! Check out the video here.


Our family


The sunshade is really great. His eyes are very sensitive to light, like his mom's, so it's really nice that he can look around without being bothered by the sun. Not to mention, he is shaded from the harmful UV rays.




And he's looking! It was hard to get him to look he was so intent on playing with the carrier. And trying to scratch Daddy's hair through the shade!


Mama's turn!

It's fairly simple to switch the carrier because the lumbar support adjusts easily and the the rest of the adjustment is in tightening the straps. However, I think I need to strengthen my back in order to carry him for a length of time. He didn't feel overly heavy, the pack does a great job of placing the weight well. However, my upper back feels the tension quite a bit.



A shot so you cans see the back of the pack






Back to daddy. I think Nathan likes being that high, anyway. Looking DOWN on his mama! :)


So glad Matt was wearing him for the uphill climb! We're getting close to the top here and looking down on the trail.

Can you see Nathan sleeping in the carrier here?

Isn't awesome that he will fall asleep in it? I love that! He does seem totally comfortable in it. He didn't seem to mind it the whole time. We hiked for a little over an hour. But I'm sure he could have made it longer no problem. When he started to nod off I just slid my jacket in there to give him cushioning under his little face and so his head wasn't bouncing so much. Worked great! What a doll, right?


Chillin' at home with daddy after the hike.


After eating some squash. I just took his shirt off for it. He is getting to be one messy eater!

I hope you enjoyed the pictures! Thanks again, Dad and Mom Witt! We love my birthday present. I am pumped to be able to hike with my boys now. Love you!

Videos

Back on the PA post, we added a video. You can find it under the picture of Nathan in the crib in his monkey PJ's. We thought it was really funny that night. But maybe you had to be there!

Also, we have another video to share. I mentioned in an earlier post that Nathan was having some trouble falling asleep in his crib since we came back from PA. The first few days he would cry when we left the room. From my friend, Jen's suggestion, I actually climbed in the crib with him so he wouldn't be scared. It worked for Jamin, but not Nathan. He continued to cry! I don't think he appreciated me hogging his bed :) We had some funny pictures of this, but we accidentally deleted them! Anyway, every day it got a little better and after a week he his back on his game and is completely happy to be in his crib alone. While Courtney was still here, I was trying to get him to take a nap. For some reason I thought I would just sit on the recliner and read a book quietly while he fell asleep. I don't think he even realized I was still in his room because his crib bumper blocked me from his view. So he is just playing in his crib and then he rolls over onto his stomach and gets up on his hands. He glances over at the recliner and peers at me over his bumper. When he sees me, he just starts laughing out loud! He thought it was so funny! He would then start rolling in his crib and then pop up again to look at me. He got right up against the crib bars and stuck his nose through and giggled again. It was SO cute!

So anyway, last night I put him in his crib to see if he would do it for Matt. He still found it funny, although he wasn't quite as hysterical as the first time. You can see that video here. Enjoy!

Courtney's Visit

Nathan and I picked Courtney up from the airport last Friday. When we got home it was time for Nathan to eat! As you see it went well for Courtney :) See the video here.


That night we went to the Air Force Academy and later out to eat at Giuseppe's with Kyle and Jen and Jamin!




The boys on the AF basketball court


With their Mama's!


Kyle coming out of his mini-room with Jamin. (Actually, it was a raquetball court!)


Nathan beating his daddy and aunt in a race!






Saturday we visited the Olympic Training Center


Putting Nathan up here scared me a bit. And a random passerby. I think I probably made his arm red from holding on to him so tight.


Training


Nathan was a good tourist


Matt and I simulating the Olympians. My husband is hilarious. But he is blocking the woman he is mocking. Rest assured he looks just like her!


Courtney joins in on the fun.


Dinner: Courtney with sushi, Matt with a burger. I had cereal. Do these choices say something about each of us?


Before bed


Shopping Sunday afternoon in Denver

Courtney bought me an awesome pair of jeans for my early birthday present!

We went to Colorado Mountain Brewery for dinner to celebrate Courtney being DEBT FREE in 2 weeks!!! Since we wouldn't be around for that glorious day of freedom, we wanted to celebrate with her here in Colorado. Matt and I are so proud of her for this accomplishment. We know it can be tough to delay gratification to pay off debt but it is so worth it. Way to go, Courtney! Less than a year from graduation and you don't owe anyone a thing! Isn't it nice to have that nursing degree paid for already? :)


Courtney, why on earth is your other hand nonchalantly resting under your head? He can't stand THAT well! And a better question...why am I taking a picture of this?!


Outside the restaurant


Nathan chillin' at Agia Sophia's (Coffee shop) on Monday. His Aunt Nicole's favorite place!




Get her, Nathan!


Having fun before bed. We have a video of his high-pitched squealing here.


Courtney, Nathan and I visited the Broadmoor on Tuesday


There was a huge conference going on. Men and women in suits everywhere. We fit in perfectly. It was a good time.




Again with the no hands! I'm revoking her nannying license!


Sitting on a bench with mama


Kisses for Nathan


Kisses for Mama


Having fun with Aunt Court






Yes, we did have a whole photo shoot. you wouldn't believe how many I DIDN'T post. You can thank me later.




Mmmm. Hair.




There was a playground there. Going down the slide.


And swinging.


Wednesday morning at Courtney's hotel. Trying to get a quick family picture in. We don't get these much. Not great, but you can't blame us for trying.


Saying goodbye before Matt goes to see his first patient.


Checking out the view.


Saying goodbyes at the airport!

Glad you had a safe trip home Courtney. Thanks for visiting. I hope you make it through your five, 12 hour days! Nathan got his full 12 hours of sleep last night :) Just as long as one of your shifts!