Every Boy's Dream

Day 3: On Monday, it was as if I had climbed the beanstalk into the world of giants. Chad took us on a tour of the Cripple Creek and Victor Mining Co. gold mine where he works. He drives a big truck. It was basically the awesomest tour ever. We got to climb into gigantic Tonka trucks. We also got to drive all over the mine. We went down into the pit and saw the shovels load up the trucks with rocks. We watched the rocks being crushed to tiny pieces by the crusher. We even got to see some blasting. It was every boy's dream come true.

 This is the truck Chad drives.

It's gigantic.

Me in the driver's seat.

Mark fulfilling his lifelong dream.

Diana!

Every thing is unbelievably big.

Even the tires.

Mark on a Euclid

I even look good in a hard hat.

Down in the pit.

The shovel up close and personal.

There be gold here.

On to Cripple Creek

Day 2: We proceeded on to Diana's with another 5 hour drive. Diana and Chad live in Cripple Creek, Colorado, a mining boomtown on the opposite side of Pike's Peak from Colorado Springs. I thought I grew up in a small town, but Cripple Creek has it beat. Imagine dirt roads, very few houses (mostly log cabin style) and free range cattle. All at 9,500 feet in elevation. Mark and I got a little lost on the way there. We missed our last turn, and the dirt road we were on suddenly narrowed and became more of a trail than a road. To make matters worse, we didn't get cell phone reception. I'm impressed that Mark's car survived our bit of off-roading. We eventually did make it to Diana's. Just in time to watch the replay of the World Cup Final where the US women choked.

For those of you who don't know, Diana and I grew up together in Ohio. We been best friends since age 12 or 13. Diana and I met Chad at a rock climbing activity where his rope came undone and he fell off the cliff (while teaching me to repel). Now they are married, with a darling 7 month old son Cameron. They live in Cripple Creek with Chad's parents Doc and Victoria ... and with 2 dogs, 4 cats, and 9 ferrets. Matthew has never seen so many animals.

 

Is this a road?

Another puppy dog (Bear)

Cameron

Cameron and Matthew

"I wish we had cable."

Grand Junction, Colorado

Day 1: We visited my brother Jacob. It's only a 5 hour drive to Grand Junction, and, luckily for us, Matthew slept most of the way there. We had a pretty relaxed afternoon with Jacob. We took his roommate's dog, Meeko, to the park. As Mark describes her, "Meeko is the wussiest pit bull you've ever seen." In my book, that's a good thing because I am definitely not a dog person. Here's an example: Meeko was in the living room staring out the window and spotted a cat. So what does she do? She doesn't bark; she doesn't growl. She whines.

We also took a tour of Grand Junction. We saw Jacob's school, downtown, and the multimillion dollar homes around the famous golf course. How to describe Grand Junction? An oasis in the middle of nowhere. First thing you should know -  it has the craziest grid system. Apparently, downtown it's a regular grid system with 4th St. and 5th Street, etc. But then it switches (for no apparent reason) to a different numbering system with 26 1/2 St and 28 1/4 St - where 26 1/2 Street is 26 1/2 miles from the Utah border. Though 28th St is not equivalent to Exit 28 on the highway. Every time we go to Jacob's we get lost, but somehow manage to find our way to Jacob's house. Beware the mapquest directions.

Check out Jacob's beard.

Playing frisbee with Meeko

Jacob's classroom

Hanging out on Jacob's bed.

My favorite things

Matthew has decided that his new favorite things are to stand and to sit up (obviously with assistance.) He just reached a point where lying down is just not cutting it. Sitting up and standing have opened a whole new vistas to his imagination. Tomorrow, we leave for Colorado to visit my brother Jacob and my friend Diana. Wish us luck. It's Matthew's first big trip. Hopefully he does okay with the long car ride.

A few of my favorite things ...

Standing

Sitting up

Sleeping

Cuddling with Mommy

Ra Ra! Ra Ra Ra!

Charming the ladies

2 months old

Matthew turned 2 months old on Saturday. Today was his 2 month checkup, and he now weighs 12 pounds 3 ounces and is 23 inches tall. He loves to smile at everyone and is starting to make more and more noises. Most importantly, he goes a good 5 hour stretch every night. A milestone for me: I get to start running again. Hopefully, I can get back in shape so I can play soccer again.

Strangely, he was most happy when he was upside down.

A rather unsuccessful photo shoot with Mommy.

The frog prince after his bath.

Sleeping with Mommy.

Head Bobbing

Just so you know, I don't expect everyone to be crazy about every little thing I post. I mainly do it for my Mom, because I know she will go crazy about every little thing. Mom, here is a video for you. Matthew is really learning to hold up his head. He might even be finished bobbing by August. We will see.

Tummy Time

So I try to give Matthew "Tummy Time" every day, because I would like him to learn to crawl and not just go straight to walking. However, a complication seems to always arise. Matthew finds his fist and "Tummy Time" turns into "Fist Eating" time. Though I did get a video of him lifting his head up. He's getting pretty strong. He's getting close to being able to support his head when upright. He bobs around a lot, but he's learning to hold his head steady.

A delicious fist.

He's a bit of a narcissist.

With Aunt Melissa

Sleeping with Mr. Giraffe in the swing.