Christmas Tree, Oh Christmas Tree

This past weekend, we went with our good friends Kara and Cory to the mountains to cut down our Christmas Tree. We went with them a couple years ago and hope to make this an annual tradition. 

We got all bundled up for the 5 degree weather and headed to Woodland Park.

The boys were determined to find the perfect area to cut down our tree, which to them, meant going to the highest point of the mountain. With only a few minor scares of almost sliding off the road, we found THE spot!

This is the second year that Kara helped us find our tree. Thanks Kara!! 

Here is our Charlie Brown Christmas Tree... just the way we like it :)

30 Weeks

It is SO hard to believe that I only have 10 weeks to go. This baby is going to be here before I know it!! 

30 Weeks: Baby Gries is the size of a cucumber!

We (meaning Jeff) have been hard at work on the nursery. Here are a few teaser pics of the progress so far: 

First order of business... the flowers had to go!

The dresser/changing table mid redo

I want to give a big shout out to my sister who helped me envision the layout of the room.

 We still have a lot of work to do, but I'll post pictures when everything is finished. Hopefully sooner rather than later!

Baby Shower!

The weekend before Thanksgiving I went back to Wichita for my first baby shower. My mom's friends always through the most amazing events, and this was certainly one of them. I felt so blessed and loved to have all my friends and family there to celebrate our little guy!

The adorable shower invite.

 My amazing mother-in-law (Cathy) and sister-in-law (Heather) drove all the way from Denver for the shower!

My MIL and Mom

And... my sister (Melissa) flew in from Indiana to be there. So special!

Loved seeing these lifelong friends!

My cousin Kayla was kind enough to snap some professional pics of the event! 

26 Weeks

This bump update is also a few weeks delayed, but I thought I'd post regardless!

26 Weeks: Baby Gries is the size of a HEAD OF LETTUCE (or as my dad said "Cabbage Patch Baby")

With all the kicking, I am fairly certain we have a future Pee Wee Soccer All-Star on our hands!

Girls Weekend!

A few months ago one of my college friends/roommates Sarah (Snodgrass) planned a trip to come visit me in Denver. Then, a few weeks ago, Snodgrass and Alli (another college friend) called me to tell me Alli had booked a ticket to come out the same weekend. I was so surprised and so so thrilled to be having a mini reunion in Denver.

Welcome Basket for the girls :)

Snodgrass had never been to the mountains before, so I took her to Breckenridge for the day. We walked around the town, went shopping and ate at Mi Casa. Added bonus... it was snowing!

The Sarah's in Breck

 

 

On Saturday, we picked Alli up from the airport and headed straight for Snooze. I had to introduce the girls to the best breakfast ever. Plus... they have Knorks! 

 

While we were waiting for our table at Snooze, I got a call from Jeff. He told me to look under the floor mat in my car - where I found an envelop. He told me he had a surprise for us and to open the envelope with the girls. Here's what was inside...

Just when I thought he couldn't be sweeter/cuter/more thoughtful, Jeff went and booked us all mani/pedis! It was the best surprise!

After our spa day, we did a little shopping and met Sarah Noel for dinner at Osterio Marco.

We had SUCH a fun weekend. I can't wait to see these girls again... Maybe Spring Break 2014? ;)

Week 24

I realize it's been almost 2 months, since I gave a bump update. Here's a look at week 24 (almost a month ago!)

Week 24: Baby Gries is the size of a cantaloupe!

By this time, I was definitely starting to feel some kicks and jabs - still feeling great though!

This was such a fun week. On Thursday, we had our good friends Kara and Cory come over to carve/paint/glitterize pumpkins before Halloween.

Cory and Jeff opted for carving

Then, on Friday, we went to Winter Park with Jeff's family. We spent the weekend enjoying the mountains, relaxing and playing games.

Rachel (Brian's GF) takes amazing pics, so we had her snap of few of us. More to come!

The girls at lunch: Rachel, Wendy & Lindsay (we missed you Holly and Heather!)

I Heart Fall!

Last year, Jeff and I decided to start taking an annual fall trip to the mountains to see the aspens - this year, we decided on Steamboat. We were going up there for a friend's wedding, so we made a weekend out of it! We even found a pet-friendly hotel, so we brought Mowgli along for the road trip!

We got to Steamboat with just enough time to grab a quick bite to eat The Rusted Porch. Jeff was thrilled, because they were celebrating Octoberfest. After winerschnitzel and a German beer, we were on our way!

The wedding couldn't have been more perfect! The ceremony was nestled in between an aspen grove!

On our way home from Steamboat, we stopped to hike near Lake Dillion. We found the perfect trail overlooking the lake - quite possibly my favorite trail EVER!

20 Weeks... IT'S A BOY!!

20 Weeks: Baby Gries is the size of a banana!

Jeff and I had our 20-week appointment/ultrasound on Wednesday morning. And... IT'S A BOY!!! We found out everything with our little man looks healthy. Praise the Lord!!

On Friday, my AMAZING sister-in-law, Heather, was sweet enough host a gender reveal party for us. She went all out!!

The votes were tied 7-boy; 7-girl

Jeff really wanted a reveal party, so I left it up to him to decide how to do the big reveal. He googled different options and was bound and determined to have party poppers. He researched how to re-stuff party poppers, and filled them with blue confetti. It turned out even better than we thought! The party poppers were a success! Here's an action picture of the big reveal:

We couldn't be more thrilled to be having a boy! Now, we just have to decide on a name and nursery theme... stay tuned!

The Grand Finale

As of today, I have officially been unemployed or "retired" for almost two weeks. That being said, I thought I would take some time and reminisce about some of the trips I was able to through work.

I'll start with the most recent trip (aka The Grand Finale)... Paris!

I went to Madrid for work, but a few of my co-workers and I decided  it would be a good idea to stop in Paris on our way home for a long weekend. We made a wise choice!

After catching an EXTREMELY early flight from Madrid, we arrived in Paris. All we could think about was getting to our hotel and taking a nap. Unfortunately... this was not possible. When we arrived at our hotel, we were told our room was under construction, so we would need to stay down the road.

Let me preface by saying Abby, Stephanie and I had decided to get a room with a double bed and a couch to share instead of getting two rooms - to save a few bucks.  This would have worked out perfectly if we were in the original hotel, but... our new Hotel Paris Paix was TINY - big enough to fit a double bed and that was IT.

Objects in picture are smaller than they appear

After one night of cramming three girls in to a double bed, we decided to research other options. We ended up renting a spacious apartment near the Eiffel Tower from www.airbnb.com. It was perfect!

After we dropped our bags off at the hotel, we decided to grab a cappuchino and croissant. We couldn't have picked a better/cuter/more Parisian place if we tried. It definitely got the trip started off on the right foot!

Our first day we did some sightseeing and shopping and ended the day with dinner in the park overlooking the Eiffel Tower.

We did more sightseeing on day two, but the HIGHLIGHT of my day was going to RALPH'S. It is the CUTEST little cafe owned by Ralph Lauren. So, of course, we had to stop in for a glass of wine!

Love Lock Bridge

Notre Dame

Drinking St. Germain in St. Germain!

On our third and final day in Paris, we had breakfast on Rue Cler, drank wine in The Tuileries, had the world's best hot chocolate & macaroons from Angelina's and capped off the trip with another dinner at The Eiffel Tower.

 I LOVED the little cafe where we ate on Rue Cler. They had chalkboard menus, rustic tables/chairs and had fuzzy blankets in case we got cold!

Rue Cler Flowers

Rue Cler Fruit Stand

Macaroons at Angelina's

"I left my heart in Paris"