Life Lately

Posted on December 2, 2018 by jlcleve

These pictures don’t really fit into a category but were taken over the past month. They give a glimpse into every day life around here.

Some of us were really hoping that a Packer picnic would help revitalize the Packer’s season this year. One of us just likes to be contrary…

Micah wanted to try split pea soup in honor of one of his favorite book series, George and Martha. He asked to take a picture for Grandma since she read some many of those stories to him the last time she was here.

Sometimes when we FaceTime with Daddio while he’s away, things get a little bit silly…

Random November Updates

Posted on November 29, 2018 by jlcleve

Two quick pictures of family to begin the month – 1) we sent our beloved Packers helmet onward and got a picture of Abe enjoying it! and 2) we celebrated Caleb’s 2nd birthday!

Mike was in India for work for a good chunk of November. He had a great trip and really enjoyed being there. We were so thankful that, while he came back feeling exhausted, he did not get sick! He and one of the founders of phData had a layover in Paris for a day while waiting for their Visas to come through, so they enjoyed walking the city a bit! Also, Mike bowled really well at their team-building activity and everyone was pretty proud of him for getting on the leader board for the month. =)

Meanwhile, at home…I did get sick for a couple days while he was gone. The boys handled things incredibly well. We had a little church service at home and even had Chipotle delivered to the house for the boys. Ha! Ethan still was able to go to see cousin Matthew’s play that day, but Micah wanted to stay home to make sure I’d be okay.

Thankfully whatever that sickness was didn’t last long! We had a play date, went out for dinner with Reggie, and I did some painting. We also re-instituted rest time for weeks when Mike is out of town and that really saved my sanity. I just need little breaks so that I can be patient and joyful and not irritable and annoyed. The boys have been rocking these rest times with paint by stickers, listening to story of the world, doing sudoku, etc..

Other updates for the month include both boys still enjoying their instruments:

Sometimes the boys want to “play school” and I always find it very humorous. Micah loves to be the teacher and Ethan absolutely LOVES spelling tests and asks for lots of words.

Hanson’s new CD came out and it’s great. 😉 And we continue to enjoy family night at church – Ethan does Cadets and I teach the kids club for the younger kiddos. Micah has opted to stay in there with me and is my little helper. And the guys love doing battles.

When Daddio comes back home from a trip, we often put pictures from our weeks up on the TV and tell stories to each other.

One-on-One Weekend

Posted on November 12, 2018 by jlcleve

Mike had high hopes of taking Micah away to San Fransisco for his one-on-one weekend, but he ended up needing to fly to Minnesota the day before their trip and Micah ended up feeling more comfortable staying in the state. SO, after hours of flight delays, Mike arrived home after ten pm and the trip was postponed until the following morning. Mike took Micah south about an hour to Great Wolf Lodge for the remainder of the weekend. We were pretty sure this would be just the thing for Micah. Sadly, Micah ended up not feeling well for much of their time and even threw up a few times. Regardless, Micah would tell you that he had a great time!

Here are some pictures from their special time together on the first day:

The following day Micah was feeling much better, but he was still not quite up to his usual cheerful self.

Needless to say, they are going to need a re-do on this whole trip sometime when schedules allow again. =)

Meanwhile…back at home…We had pretty cold all weekend, but I tried to be excited about all of the outdoor activities Ethan had in mind. Ethan and I biked to the tennis courts two days in a row to play some tennis. We played football for a long time, too! We also kept ourselves busy playing lots of games, playing the piano and looking for birds!

We were definitely glad to be together as a family after all of that. Micah requested that only people dressed as wolves/animals play with play dough. =) Quick side note – the play dough was a prize from Sunday School, which I am incredibly happy to report, Micah was SO sad to miss while on his weekend away. Previously, he didn’t even want to go to Sunday School and now he was feeling really bummed to miss even one week of it! Such an answer to prayer.

Grandpa and Grandma here (part 2)

Posted on November 9, 2018 by jlcleve

I flew to Phoenix on Friday morning and came back home again on Sunday with Mikey. I’ll include a few pictures we took from our time there at the end of this one, but I’ll keep the focus on the fun the boys had with Grandpa and Grandma in town. And they really did have a whole lotta fun together!

The boys taught them a new game and played a whole tournament of it:

They also worked on Halloween costumes for CC. I had ordered some things for the book characters they were going to dress up as, but the box didn’t arrive until I was already gone. So I tasked my parents with making sure everything fit and making the necessary additions – like a red feather for Reepicheep’s ear. Thank you!! Parts of Micah’s costume (King Peter) came in handy for playing “Queen” with Grandma. I understand this may have been my mom’s favorite game to play – she got to order people around and get served by the knights/servants. =D

Ethan and Grandpa spent some time making a bird feeder (more pictures to come in the next post).

38 Bird feeder, 6911

And they also went down to the park a couple times to rake the leaves and jump in them, sometimes while catching the football.

Meanwhile, in Phoenix…we were eating lots of good food, playing pickle ball, and hiking. Mike spent a whole lotta time playing PIG and I enjoyed reading my book. We were SO glad to get to spend much of Sunday with Grandma Cleve, with quick little visits with both grandparents, as well!

Next up…a couple final days all together in Denver.

Grandma Cleve / Breckenridge

Posted on October 18, 2018 by jlcleve

Grandma Cleve came for another visit at the beginning of this month. She had never stayed in the mountains before, so we wanted to spoil her with some family time in Breckenridge. She spent the night and morning with us before heading west where we met up with Ashley, Zach and Caleb! Highlights of our time with her in Denver included teaching Ethan how to play sudoku and eating identical breakfast/lunch at the French Press. Micah and I slipped out for a matching walk around the park before loading up the car.

We rented a lovely mountain house for the whole family to enjoy. We had a great mix of time inside with snowy views, time outside with beautiful weather and lots of time just being together.

Highlights included the playhouse and playground in the backyard:

S’mores at the fire pit:

Playing pool:

Time in the hot tub:

And dozens of games played, books read, and lots of yummy food to eat:

Before we went our separate ways, we enjoyed breakfast in Breckenridge and snapped a couple group shots!

Loved spending time with our family in the mountains!!

Retreat

Posted on October 7, 2018 by jlcleve

My dear friend, Amy, and I snuck away for another retreat; this time we headed to Glenwood Springs. Micah was feeling a little concerned about it, so he made me promise to take a lot of pictures. He did not hold up his end of the bargain – these are the only three pictures I saw from the guys’ weekend:

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They had a lovely weekend together and I am SO thankful that Mike gives me these weekends away. They are a time of refreshment for me and it’s so great to know that the boys are enjoying special time with Daddio.

Meanwhile. because I told Micah I would take a lot of pictures, Amy and I took a few extra pics this retreat. =) (Please observe with me how often we had people walking in the background…it’s cracking me up!!) Thus, we took pictures at Whole Foods where we stopped on the way out for dinner:

We loved the location and all of the fall colors and beautiful weather. It took a bit over 3 hours to get there, but the views and all of the fun was definitely worth it! On Saturday, we rode our bikes (from the hotel) through Glenwood Canyon all the way to the Hanging Lake trail. Hanging Lake was beautiful! We loved the hike, although it was definitely a challenge for me! It was a pretty epic day – a good 6 hours of biking, hiking, and biking again. SO thankful that we enjoy so many of the same things!

The ride out:

Hanging Lake Trail:

Our ride back / my final picture from our trip:

There is probably more to be said about our time, but let’s just suffice it to say that I am SO thankful for this bi-annual retreat!!

One-on-One Weekend, Part 1

Posted on September 18, 2018 by jlcleve

Not long ago, Ethan and Mike went on their first weekend trip away for some special bonding. (Micah has been invited to go on a trip with his Daddio in November and thus far seems super excited for it, too!) They opted for San Diego and spent Friday-Sunday together. From all the stories, it sounds like it was an excellent trip! Highlights included touring the USS Midway, playing on the beach, seeing seals, riding around in a convertible, and playing a piano in public. They also apparently had “the best burgers ever” while there. I love all of the pictures Mike captured over the weekend!!