Our Family & Our Life

Dear Diary, This past weekend was horrendous in terms of weather because it snowed for two days and when it wasn't snowing, it was sleet, then snow, then rain, then snow, etc. Today it was back up to 70 degrees and Wednesday it's up to 80 degrees. Go figure. Look at the snow today. It's gone!!!!! There is so much snow melting a constant "river" noise can be heard all day. For the first time since moving here, I've seen green grass. YAY! Progress Report: Isla is confidently walking behind her walker. FINALLY, she's making progress. Normally she would've just sat down if we put her behind it but yesterday the lady was marching all over the place..... It was a happy day yesterday!

Dear Diary, If you've watched CNN in the last 12 hours you know what I'm talking about. We're snowed under!!! In some places in the mountains they've recieved over 34 inches (almost 4 feet) of snow in the last 24 hours. The I-70 from Golden to Vail is closed and they don't know when it's going to be re-opened but honestly, I can't imagine going on that highway in this weather unless it was a medical emergency. Imagine a roller coaster without the loops, that's what that stretch of highway is like. This is Colin and Isla about an hour ago to go and collect the mail. He took our "4x4" and could hardly make it through the heavy wet snow. Anyways, if you ever wanted to do some Rocky Mountain skiing or snowshoeing, it's a good time to book your ticket. Chances are good it will be gone by Tuesday when the temperature will reach 70 degrees so you better be quick. Unrelated to the snow, check out Isla's hair. It's cr

Dear Diary, An update to my post of a couple of days ago. Our House We sold our house Friday. It's bittersweet. Bitter because we loved that house. Bitter because we put a load of work into it and the yard and cannot enjoy it. Sweet because we no longer have to pay a mortgage and rent. Our Visa We received notification from Homeland Security to have our biometrics taken on April 28. Biometrics is a fancy word for fingerprints, iris identification amongst other things. It's a way for the government to track us 24/7. In case you were wondering we have applied for a EB1 visa. It's another step closer to the visa being issued. Weather We have experienced summer in winter and winter in spring. This is crazy - look what fell Friday and apparently most of Saturday as well. It's suppose to be 70 degrees (21 C) on Monday. I think I posted just about every day this week, it's time for a break. Enjoy your weekend!

Dear Diary, top row - l - clapping! -r - pointing to her nose bottom row - l - showing off her toes -r- pointing to her mouth Over the last few days I've noticed that I think she may be bored with her toys so this morning while I made her breakfast I resorted to the "old fashioned" type. She loved them, it was a hit! Who thought you could have so much fun with a wooden spoon and plastic bowls!

Dear Diary, Our sweet, beautiful girl is 14 months today! The most common question we get is whether or not she is walking. In a word, NO. She did ONE step ONE time about a month ago. I’m sure it’s a matter of confidence and this past week I’ve already noticed an improvement. She has started what I call the Spiderman walk – walking along the walls . Despite her Spiderman impersonation she’s a master crawler and cruiser. I’m convinced I’m going to be carrying this child around FOREVER or at least that’s how it seems. She is a lightweight and that helps but still she gets heavy after a while. Here is a little update on the Monkey: ~ 21 lbs and 28.5 inches tall. ~ She is wearing size 9-12 month pants and 12 months shirts. A petite lady indeed! ~ Teeth count – 10 including two lower jaw molars that poked through last week. I caught a glimpse of swollen gums yesterday so I think there are more on the way - I would look but don’t want my fingers bitten off. ~Standing unaided (and d

Dear Diary, A while back I mentioned the lady was standing. She's getting better at it everyday but if I try to take photo of her standing, I have to be quick. Yes, she is quicker than me. The photo above is the best illustration of standing but it's a funny face. I measured her but couldn't mark it because I was by myself but I can confidently say that she has grown since her birthday when we last measured her. This is a good example of how most of her pants fit - they all fall of her non-existent bum!!! I also trimmed the ends of her hair just to even it out and help it grow thicker. Sorry, the photos are a bit fuzzy today but I'll do better on Friday for her 14 month birthday.

Dear Diary, I haven't been sleeping well lately because I have about 1000's running through my head and the worst bit is, I can't do anything about it. I just have to get it off my chest. First, the sale of our house. Our solicitor advised us it will probably complete on Friday. That's great but after two months it's about time. If we have to make another mortgage payment on an empty house I'll go over the edge. Second, the visas. We have confirmation of receipt. At least we know they got them and it's proceeding and when they do get issues, Isla can go to work too because she's also getting a work authorization. What bothers me most about the visas is the fact that all this could've been done last year and we would not have had to go through the periods of separation. Colin missed four months of the first six months of Isla's life and then some afterwards as well. Now we have to wait another couple of months and if they are not

Dear Diary, We pray that you may be granted another blessed and healthy year to come! Lots of love from Colin and your youngest girls