January 2018
January 2
Benjamin got these really cool walking wheels for Christmas, and the kids use them all sorts of different ways, including as a platform for stuffies.
January 4
Benjamin’s pediatrician recommended that he do a three-hour pediatric development assessment. It was really interesting! He was assessed for an hour by a physical therapist; for another hour by an occupational therapist, speech therapist, and psychologist; and for a final hour by a pediatrician. I’ve never seen so many details about a person amassed in one place before. Through it all, he was focused and friendly. It was really a valuable experience.
January 6
Fritz came over to play, so the kids rode bikes over to Peak to Peak. I came along on foot.
January 13
The kids and I love to run the Oatmeal Festival race in January, followed by eating Oatmeal at Pioneer Elementary and stopping by what used to be a health fair. (This year it was a ninja warrior course, but we got there too late to participate, probably due to all the whining and walking during the run.) Fritz came along, and we met my friend Karen Maye there, as we’ve done for a few years now. Dave doesn’t like running or oatmeal, so he sits this one out.
January 15
January 19
We were delighted to have my parents fly out from Ohio to accompany us on our annual trek to the Ouray Ice Festival. We rented a condo and made a vacation out of it, visiting the hot springs twice, Mouse’s Chocolates several times, and the Outlaw Steakhouse once. The kids got to spend some quality time with Grandma and Grandpa (not least in the rental car; it’s a 7–8 hour drive with a big group), and Dave and I got to climb on one perfect sunny day. Phoebe tried climbing for the first time, too; we were so proud of her for being brave! They didn’t have any boots and crampons available, so she climbed a snow slope in her snow boots, using ice axes to steady herself. Pretty cool!
January 24
I’ve been patiently watering this pink orchid at work, wondering why it wasn’t happy enough to bloom, when my other orchid blooms almost continually. I idly wondered this for months before one day looking up and noticing that it had several blooms! Somehow it had grown a new shoot and budded without me noticing.
January 24
January 28
Phoebe and I went to see Annie at the Boulder Dinner Theater with her friend Julia Philpott, Julia’s mom Kate and sister Audrey, and their girl scout troop. It was very fun to go to a show together!
