Showers & Bachelorette Fun

The main reason for coming home this August was to partake in my cousin, Stephenie's, weekend of bachelorette fun & wedding shower.  We started our weekend with everyone getting acquainted in Columbia on Friday night.  What better of an activity than to strip down and try on our bridesmaid dresses for alterations? (Mine actually fit great & should be fine for October 1! HUGE sigh of relief!) 

Mom thankfully met us in Columbia and babysat Kaden for the rest of the weekend.

Steph (center) with friends, bridesmaids, mom, and mother-in-law

On Saturday morning we moved the party down to the Lake of the Ozarks & had lunch/tastings at Seven Springs Winery and then moved onto the Lodge of Four Seasons to relax all afternoon.  That night we had dinner at the resort and as I looked around our table it was really neat to see everyone there. All 8 bridesmaids were able to come, along with her mom and mother-in-law. 

Most impressive was that the majority of the table had to make a concerted effort to attend; my mere 12 hour drive seemed like an average distance as Stephenie's in-laws made a 24 hour drive from Connecticut, Anna flew in from Maryland, and Steph,  Lindsey & Skye drove from Nebraska.

 

the 3 girl Cook cousins

Since everyone was already in town for the weekend, we gathered at Aunt Linda's house on Sunday afternoon to throw a wedding shower for Stephenie.  I thought this went just as well as we had over 30 people in attendance to relax, visit, and offer gifts and marriage advice for

Jason & Stephenie.

food table

Long Drives

Kaden and I put another 1,700 miles on the Prius over the past week on our way to/from Missouri. Luckily we were able to spend the night and visit with Jessica & Shannon (and McKenna & Shay)

½ way through to add some excitement and make the drive a little more desirable.

 This summer has been brutal as far as heat has been concerned, and I though that maybe I was becoming more sensitive to it with being pregnant and all... 

but this particular day seemed beyond ridiculous.

 I had to snap a picture of my dashboard as proof that it was 113° as I was driving through Kansas.  As if I didn't quite believe the thermometer, I stuck my hand out the window and it literally felt as if my flesh were burning.  I'm so ready for fall and cooler temperatures! 

 I think Kaden had as much fun with McKenna (and Shay) as I did catching up with Jessica.  They braved the outdoor heat, McKenna shared all of her fun toys and movies and they even took a bath together. As usual, I wish I had taken more/better pictures...

Driving through Kansas the next morning.

I keep waiting for the easy traveling to end, but Kaden did an amazing job of entertaining himself.  He  read his picture books, played with the magnetic puzzle book, put stickers in a brand new

Puzzle Buzz magazine (his absolute favorite thing to do), took a long nap.  And when things finally started getting too tense, I pulled out my ace in the hole... the ole trusty iPhone as a last resort.

I sincerely hope young mister Dow quickly learns from his older brother so we can continue our

long road trips! 

Oh Boy, Oh BOY!

Today was the day we have been anctipating for some time now; the 20-week sonogram. 

Three months ago I had somehow convinced myself that we were having a little girl this time around.  After all, the 1^st trimester of this pregnancy felt completely different than the 1^st trimester with Kaden.  Although I only threw up once, I had absolutely NO energy and felt dizzy

(due to very low blood pressure) and nauseated much of the time.  I even had days where it was a struggle to get off the couch, let alone be a good wife/ mommy to Kaden.  (Don't even ask what the house looked like or what we ate for dinner in May & June)  Since I felt so incredibly different than I did with a boy,

then surely this time we were having a girl... right? 

Nope.



We're having another BOY!

It took me a minute to take in this information from the sonogram technician. 

Maybe it was just hard for me to swallow that my intuitition was so completely off this time.  Regardless, we are thrilled to have a healthy, strong, mover & shaker of a boy.  AND if this little guy is so different in utero, I'm anxious to see what his personality on the outside.

Taos, New Mexico

The only other time that Ben & I have been in Taos together was for a ski trip several years ago with Dan & Heather Richard. Fast forward 3 ½ years, we made the same trip only during the summer AND with two 2-year-olds. Dan had a mountain bike race on Saturday morning so they thought it would be fun to invite us  along for the weekend.

Weekend Highlights

 •   Experiencing rain & feeling a 30° temperature drop as we approached the mountains.

• Driving through Cimarron Canyon & Carson National Forest.  Landscape pictures never come close to what it looks like in real life.

• Taos Pizza Outback.  Their house vinaigrette (basil-pesto… wonderfulness!) was the BEST salad dressing I’ve EVER had!  Pizza you can order by the slice (also great for Ben & my opposing pizza palates), and just one slice was more than I could handle… for 2 meals! AND we could sit outside, which was totally kid-friendly.

• Taos Plaza. Fun/unique shopping and restaurants…

Very dog friendly place with a definite artsy “hippie vibe” as you’re walking around.

Dan & Ben both agreed to watch the kids (hang out at the hotel while they napped) as Heather & I seized our opportunity head downtown for a few hours. There are normally a lot of different events going on around Taos, and this weekend was no exception… There was some type of festival going on around the plaza with live music, street vendors and tons of people walking around. We had a leisurely lunch and poked around the shops. I watched a guy making pottery and I bought myself a new, handmade coffee mug to remember the weekend.

Danni "getting cozy" while Kaden bounced

• Rio Grande Gorge Bridge. Mixed feelings on this one. It was definitely beautiful and worth the 10-minute drive outside of town, but I was in such a complete panic about Kaden being too close to the rail of the gorge and the fact that there wasn’t a guard-rail separating the edge from passing traffic that I couldn’t fully enjoy it. (This type of neuroticism truly must come with the territory of motherhood/ being completely responsible for someone else’s life.) Three minutes was about all I could handle.

 Rio Grande Gorge

 Heather, Danni and Dan Richard

 looking toward Taos

Dan with Danni & Ben with Kaden... and Heather & I trying not to completely freak out

There’s just something about going to the mountains that makes us happy.

The beach is great, but Ben & I both decided that if we HAD to choose one destination over the other, the mountains would slightly come out on top (no pun intended).



Farmers Market

Since I don't have a real garden of my own, I always enjoy going to the Farmers Market during the summer.  This may sound silly to some, but I LOVE going!  Maybe I can teach Kaden to love... like... or maybe just appreciate his vegetables... fingers crossed!

 Kaden helping me shuck corn on the back porch

My big 18-week pregnant belly

Nap Time Nest

We are counting our blessings that Kaden has transitioned so smoothly to his new big boy bed.  I am also amazed at how we will stay in his room & entertain himself until he is ready to fall asleep.

The other day I heard him playing with his "popper" and the books on his shelf for over an hour, but he never tried to leave his room.  I knew he was tired (so was I) so I just left him alone...

 ...THIS is how I found him when I poked my head back in to check on him.  Safe & secure with ALL of his stuffed animals, books and toys nearby.

Barber Shop

And the milestones just keep coming this week...

Kaden FINALLY got a real haircut with Sonia at the Wolflin barber shop with Ben.

Sonia sure knew what to do too.  She cut Ben's hair first and had Kaden sit in his lap. 

Then she preoccupied Kaden with a sucker and quickly went to town on his fine blonde hair.

Within 3 minutes, she was finished.

BIG Boy Bed

With all of Kaden's constant climbing I've been waiting for him to scale his crib for the past 6 months, secretly hoping he'd never figure it out.  Just after I snuck out of the house this morning for my Saturday morning class, Kaden greeted Ben at the side of the bed, ready to take on the day. 

Ben had somewhat assumed that I had gotten him up but after some talking when I came home, we realized that he indeed got himself up. Our conversation went something like this:

“Kaden, did you climb out of your crib this morning?”

Blank stare.

“Kaden, show me how you got out of bed this morning.”

I placed him inside.

About the time his feet hit the matress, he had already swung a leg over, found some footing on his little rocking chair, and slid down the slats.  All in less than 5 seconds.

Damn.

This afternoon Ben went to work at disassembling the crib (for a few months) and retrieving his old twin bed from the garage.  With all of the recent napping on our bed, my fingers are crossed that it will be an easy transition to his own bed.  For the time being, we left the box springs off and laid down a small pillow fortress for when he rolls off.

Kaden getting settled with "monkey" in his new BIG boy bed.

The great news is that the old crib is ready for the other bedroom, whenever we decide to tackle it. We should find out at the end of the month whether we will be painting shades of pink or blue.

Gran Melia Resort • Cancún, Mexico

With the exception of the ~30 minutes we were at Wilmington Beach, NC last summer,

this was the first time Ben & I had been to a beach since our honeymoon when we stayed at the Sandals Royal Bahamian Resort—exactly 6 years ago.

After hours/days of searching & deliberating various vacation destinations this spring,

Shanny & I (mostly Shanny) planned a whole-family trip to Cancún, Mexico to stay at the

Gran Melia Resort.  Although there were so many places to choose from, this particular hotel seemed to cater more towards families instead of couples.

Our first glimpse of the ocean after our long day of travel.

testing the "lobster floatie" in the ocean... not sure what to think of the saltwater rinse

playing catch with auntie D

Ben & Dorothy taking the game to the water

climbing the stairs

Ben & Kaden unwinding on our hotel bed

Day 2-3: More swimming, napping, reading, eating, floating and body surfing in the waves. 

Even on the 2nd day we had a hard time getting over how clear and blue the water was, how pretty the white sand looked in addition to the green grass, palm trees and pretty flowers. 

It was truly a sight to behold.

waffles:  breakfast of champions

view of the larger pool and ocean, walking out the door from breakfast

I particularly liked this picture of me (above), as Kaden has completely blocked out my 16-week pregnant belly.  Here is what I actually looked like on the beach in my new "mom" swimsuit that was worn for 3-days straight.  Both pictures have a great view of the Cancún strip.

Kaden & papa Dow making sea stars and other sand creations

Kaden has BONDED with his daddy this summer!

3 Dow  men with a view of our hotel

Shanny & Dorothy

nonnie Shanny

Kaden's favorite spot: the pool; floating and playing near the "STAIRS!"

drying off

Family pictures on the beach on our last night.

Ben, Kristin and Kaden Dow • July 4, 2011

Shanny & David

"the kids"

you can tell Kaden is getting tired as he pulls on Ben's ear

Ben, Kristin, Kaden, Dorothy, Shanny and David Dow

Kaden & mommy

... and then we ran into Kaden's new friend, Sofia

I think everyone had a good time during our short stay in Mexico. 

I was glad that we could ALL get together for our first real FAMILY vacation.  I am optimistic that this can become more routine in years to come... 

Hasta luego Yucatán!