Our Litte Addition!

We are proud to announce that Clark Isaac Roberts arrived on April 10, 2012 at 12:50 pm weighing in at 7 lbs 6 oz and a perfect 19.75 inches long.  We're thrilled to have him in our home!

He's a pro at being a baby.   He likes to eat, be held, snuggle, sleep (sometimes he doesn't like to sleep), poop, listen to static noise (his favorite radio station is the one that makes a constant shushing sound), and ride in the car. 

 

Girls' Night in Denver

When Ben goes out of town, I try to find something interesting to do or check out.  With baby approaching (any day now, seriously), he's been home bound now for about six weeks so this post is way overdue. 

The last time he was gone, a few girlfriends and I got together and headed to downtown Denver to check out a super cool and crafty shop that I've been dying to visit since moving to the area.  The Fancy Tiger. 

Fancy Tiger Facebook photo

I had a great evening with Jenny and Tiffany.  We topped it off by eating a feast at a Thai restaurant. Mmmm!

Springtime, Bridges, and Friendship

I love springtime, especially in DC.  In fact, I've been checking the National Parks Services' Cherry Blossoms webcam on a daily basis.  This is the time of year when the city comes alive and everything feels new again.  I miss it.  Springtime in Denver is beautiful, as it should be, but not quite as vibrant.  I love it regardless.

One of my favorite ways to enjoy the outdoors while I lived in the DC area was by running the "Bridges." The route starts at Roosevelt Island, crosses Key Bridge, drops down along the canal in Georgetown, passes diners on the waterfront, goes past the Kennedy Center and Lincoln Memorial, then crosses the Memorial Bridge (here's where you push yourself - one step per square).  Then it crosses the GW Parkway (yikes!), and the final sprint is done along the Potamac under the trees where the path turns into a wooden one just before Roosevelt Island.  

I've put hundreds of miles in on that route, most of which were enjoyed with my dearest friend, Amber J (a co-founder of the traditional "Bridges"route), and other friends.  I am ever grateful for the times I had on that trail where problems were pounded out, secrets were shared, goals were accomplished, excitements were celebrated, and where, no matter what, life simply felt good for 45 minutes.

The other day, I vicariously enjoyed the Bridges with Amber - she ran it  while we chatted on the phone (heavens knows this prego baby-mama couldn't run a half block right now).  Considering the distance, it was almost like old times.  She sent me a few pics along the way so that I could enjoy the scenery as much as I did the conversation.  I loved every minute of it!

We're Almost There!

When this baby journey started, nine months sounded like FOREVER!  I'm at 36 weeks now and I can't believe how fast it's gone.  This little man is a mover and a shaker!  He loves to stick his feet right under my ribs.  I try to push him out of there, but it only takes a few minutes for him to get back into his favorite position.  At this point, he can come any time and we are SO excited!  Except that he needs to wait until I finish my final reports for my job, which ends this coming Friday.  Wahoo!

 Here's a little picture show of my growing belly.  I should have taken more pics along the way...

36 Weeks (Basketball Season)

32 Weeks (Soccer Ball)

23 Weeks (Still a Little Bump)

 22 Weeks (Little Bump)

 

Ben's Business

I just have to show off a little bit...

Ben started his own business with a couple buddies a year ago, and his software products are now being used in schools!

The company is called Nutrislice and they provide school districts with technology solutions for improving their Nutrition Services. This includes interactive nutrition education and communications tools that allow districts to more effectively work with their customer base (students and parents).  Ultimately, their goal is to help districts improve the image of school lunch and to be in the 21st century when it comes to marketing techniques and publishing menus.

Check out this Fox 31 news story that features students doing a taste testing session at a school in the district that I work for.  Ben's the genius behind the iPod app - watch for it. Kids play role in making school lunches more healthy

I'm so proud!!!

Hair Tie Trick

By far, the best pregnancy advice given to me is the hair tie to button your jeans trick.  It has extended the wear of my regular pants by months.  But now that our little man is coming in about 9 weeks, I just can't pull it off like I used to.  Unless my shirt is long enough, there's no making my favorite pants work anymore.  I finally started using the Boppy maternity belt my mom sent me months ago (I had no idea what it was for or why anyone would possibly want something that tight around them until now) and bought a pair of maternity pants at H&M last week.  I am getting used to the 10 inches of blue elastic fabric around my whole belly.  Good thing we're almost there.

New Skills

I had no idea that when I was done with school that I'd take on learning a new skill right away.  Chillaxing for a while was my main plan.  But that only lasted a couple weeks and now I'm learning how to do graphic design work.  I bought Photoshop CS5 about two years ago, but finally installed it on my computer about 6 months ago.  I haven't touched it since then until recently.  Thank heavens for YouTube and online tutorials because PS is nothing like good ol' Paint.

Here are the projects that have motivated me to learn this new skill:

1. I designed an outdoor banner for the school district I work for.  I don't know what got into me, but I offered to design the project even though I've never done anything like this before.  I'm pleased with how it turned out.

2.  I'm building a website using Wordpress for a friend.  No, I don't know how to build a website, but I'm learning with the help of my computer genius husband.  Here's the logo I designed for her. You can check out the website at www.1000healthyschools.com.
 

Although it's not without moments of frustration, learning to use Photoshop is very rewarding and motivating.