2015 Christmas Letter

Merry Christmas!!

I'm writing to you from the rare quiet that has fallen over our house (thank you, nap time) and I (Kelly) want you to know that I have just spent the first hour of my precious time organizing the desk drawer to make sure I had the exact right number of envelopes for the exact number of cards in there. In the land of three kids under age five, I'm learning that the key is controlling what I can and letting the rest go. So today there are piles of clean laundry all over the house waiting patiently to be put away, but at least my desk drawer is organized. And that makes me feel a little bit better.

Besides organizing office supplies, here are a few other things we've been up to this year:

In January, we kicked things off with a Banjo Billy tour of Denver with friends visiting from DC. Then, Kelly went to Georgia on a writer's retreat for 252 Basics where she got to know some of her fellow curriculum writers. A couple weeks later, we saw Eric Church at the Pepsi Center to celebrate our friend Ashley's birthday.

February found us at the Vinsons' again for their annual Super Bowl party and then we headed up to a condo in Frisco later in the month to celebrate Valentine's Day. While we were there, we enjoyed shopping, hiking, and dinner in Breckenridge at the Blue River Bistro-- one of our favorite spots.

March is Mike's birthday month, so we joined forces with two other birthday men for a brew tour around Boulder. Kelly went to see Garth Brooks with Sharon and Lynn and, the following weekend, enjoyed a beautiful baby shower for Addison.

We spent Easter with the family in April and then hosted Olivia's fourth birthday party. She had a Hello Kitty theme and lots of friends running all around the house hopped up on ice cream cake and fueled by a balloon frenzy. Olivia also had a ballet recital later in the month where she enjoyed dancing with her friends and getting a special trophy for all her hard work.

May was by far the best month of the year! We welcomed our third baby girl-- Addison Akemi Nishi on May 7th at 11:43a. She was 6 lbs 4 oz. and born at Good Samaritan Hospital in Lafayette, CO. Since then, we have been just over the moon about her. She is such a sweet little baby-- so smiley and happy. Her older sisters adore her too (now that Sophia has gotten past some of her initial jealousy and being moved to the "middle child" spot in the family).

The first weekend in June, we saw Luke Bryan at Sports Authority Field and the next weekend was another huge event in our lives: Beth's wedding!! Beth and Matt Drase were married at the Tapestry House in LaPorte on June 14th. Kelly was matron of honor and Olivia and Sophia were flower girls. We had so much fun with all the wedding festivities, including the bachelorette party at Agave and the rehearsal dinner at Beau Jo's in Fort Collins. It was so great seeing everyone who had come to town for the big day and, of course, we had a great time on the dance floor celebrating these two, whom we love so much! The week after the wedding, we celebrated Sophia's 3rd birthday with a Frozen-themed party in the park near our house. She loved playing and splashing with her friends! For the next two weeks, Mike and Kelly took separate business trips to Georgia and Indianapolis, respectively.

We spent the Fourth of July at parties at the Franklins' and the Wolfs' and then Kelly continued her work travel with a trip back to Indianapolis and one to San Diego. A highlight of the month was definitely our extended visit from the Johnson family. It was great to get our growing families all under the same roof for a few crazy days! We also saw Train and the Fray (with Matt Nathanson) at Fiddler's Green to round out the month.

August is Kelly's birthday month, which started out with a MOPs retreat and then Kenny Chesney and Jason Aldean at Mile High Stadium. We celebrated the big 3-3 with a small group of friends at Punch Bowl Social in Denver where Kelly tried to convince people to let her win at games in sympathy for her old age. Later in the month, we took a day trip to Keystone where we boated on the lake and enjoyed a scenic lunch. The following week, we went up to Wyoming for what would be Addison's first trip to Nana and Papa's house.

Travel continued in September with a weekend away in Estes Park with the Zuikers at the YMCA of the Rockies where we did a hay ride and roasted marshmallows for s'mores. Kelly took another work trip--this time to Arizona--and then went on a girls' weekend to Silverthorne.

In October, we continued our 50 states in 50 years tradition with our 7th state-- Connecticut! While we were there, we stayed in an historic inn, took a boat tour, rode a train, went wine tasting, and saw a plethora of beautiful fall leaves. It was definitely a gorgeous state to see! The following weekend found us back in Silverthorne, this time as a family, where we enjoyed a fall festival in Breckenridge, as well as a nice hike through the fall foliage. For Halloween, the girls dressed as kitties and attended a few different parties, as well as scampered up and down the streets giddy at the realization that they could gather candy from every house in the neighborhood. Kelly went as a sugar skull, but joked that she should have dressed as a cat herder, since her job as a mom sometimes seems about as easy as herding cats!

It is said that Paris is best in the spring, but Kelly was given an opportunity to visit in November and would say that Paris is best any time of year! She tagged along for a long weekend with Ashley (who was there to visit Jason, who travels there for work) and got to see all the best sights, including the Eiffel Tower, Champs Elysee, Notre Dame, Versailles, the Louvre, the Musee d'Orsay, and, of course, the inside of most every macaroon shop in the city. We celebrated Thanksgiving with Mike's family at Bryan and Amanda's house in Aurora and plan to stay close to home for Christmas.

Olivia and Sophia are in preschool now (Olivia MWF and Sophia T/Th), which means we have dropoff and pickup every day, which has been a little crazy at times! The two older girls also just finished up a session of ballet, which they loved, and were so cute in their holiday performance. Olivia is nearly obsessed with kitties and Sophia loves Frozen, so I think it will be fairly easy for Santa to find something they like this year. Addison has just learned to sit up and is eating solid foods. She's growing like a weed and has already hit the 18-lb mark! Mike is still with the Inspector General's office at the Department of Defense and has been doing more woodworking lately-- he's currently working on a dresser for Addison. Kelly is doing contract marketing work mainly for MWH Constructors and 252 Basics curriculum, as well as helping out with MOPs as the special events coordinator.

Overall, it has been a whirlwind of a year--filled with many blessings as well as its share of valleys. We appreciate you keeping us in your prayers, as you are always in ours. We hope you have a Merry Christmas filled with family and fun memories. Please let us know how you are doing and what you have been up to this year!

Now, it's time to get back to organizing those stamps....

And Then There Were Three

From Mike:

A family of five is certainly not the same as a family of four.  Over the past almost five months, we’ve been quickly forced to accept this  obvious fact as we attempt to navigate daily life with three small children.  No longer can we fit our kids comfortably into a sedan (or midsize SUV for that matter!), a booth at Chili’s, or a shopping cart.  Getting all three of them dressed, fed, groomed, and in the car before school/church/anything starts takes a small miracle.  Finding time to write a blog takes an even bigger act of God.  So here you have it…the miracle blog.  Behold its magnificence.

In case you couldn’t tell already, Kelly had the baby!  Addison Akemi Nishi was born at 11:43am on May 7^th weighing 6lbs. 4oz. and measuring 19.5” long.  Our little Addie has been growing like a weed over the summer and now weighs almost 16 pounds!!  After she was born, we spent most of our time at home being spoiled by the generosity and culinary talents of friends and family.  Thanks again to everyone who brought us meals!  Despite the overwhelming exhaustion, we managed to sneak out of the house for a couple of quick baby/family photo shoots.  We also made a brief appearance at the Erie Town Fair, and Erie’s first summer concert in the park.

Before I had to return to work in early June, we went with the Wolfs to the Luke Bryan concert at Mile High.  Afterward, we learned that Uber’s “surge pricing” is evil and will cost you about $300 to get a ride back to Erie if the demand for cabs is high.  Needless to say, we found alternate means of transportation (Thanks, Fred!). 

The following week was full of wedding activities for our very dear friends Beth and Matt, which meant Kelly was busy fulfilling her matron of honor duties.  The bachelorette party was held at a Mexican restaurant in downtown Fort Collins. The much-anticipated Drase wedding took place on a gorgeous Sunday afternoon at the Tapestry House just outside of Fort Collins.  We danced the night away, enjoyed the company of out-of-town friends, snapped silly photos, bid adieu to the newlyweds, then returned to our hotel room for a well-deserved sleep.

We celebrated Sophia’s 3^rd birthday the following weekend with a Frozen-themed party at our neighborhood park, and wrapped up Father’s Day weekend with dinner at my parents’ house.  Kelly and I spent the next two weeks travelling for work – Kelly to Indianapolis and me to Augusta, Georgia – but we were all together again to celebrate the 4^th of July attending parties at the Franklin’s and the Wolf’s.

Kelly spent the majority of July working, travelling for work, working some more, oh, and raising three small kids.  She travelled back to Indy and once to San Diego while working on two proposals for MWH, with a brief respite in between when Alex and Katey Johnson came to visit.  We got to see Train, The Fray, and Matt Nathanson at Fiddler’s Green, and rounded out a very busy and stressful July with a trip to the Broomfield Bay water park.

August began with a barbecue at the Vinson’s, which Kelly attended alone while I stayed home with a sick Olivia.  Kelly went on a MOPs retreat the following weekend and we completed our “summer of concerts” by returning to Mile High to see Kenny Chesney.  After learning our lesson from the Luke Bryan concert, we got a hotel room in downtown Denver and enjoyed our fun little overnight getaway.

The next weekend, Addison got her first “modeling” gig with Lillebaby, a company that makes ergonomic baby carriers.  She was a perfect angel as a complete stranger toted her around posing with the company’s newest line of carriers.  We drove up to Keystone the next weekend and went paddle boating, took a gondola ride, went for a brief hike, and tried slack-lining (unsuccessfully) while Granny took the girls to Heritage Square for a birthday party.  We drove to Saratoga the last weekend of August to visit Gary and Crystal, who took us fishing on Saratoga Lake and kept us well fed.  After a relaxing couple of days, we drove home in time for me to go to a Broncos preseason game with Zack Wulbecker, pushing my excitement for football season to its limit.

Over Labor Day weekend, the Zuikers graciously invited us to share their cabin for a night at the YMCA of the Rockies in Estes Park.  We fought the crowds and the traffic and eventually made it up there for lunch and a quick walk around town.  That evening, we all went for a gorgeous sunset hay ride that concluded around a campfire where we roasted marshmallows.

We attended Anna Lever’s baby shower one Saturday in mid-September, watched the Rams lose another Rocky Mountain Showdown (Go Buffs!), and ended the day feeling sophisticated at the Wolf’s wine and cheese party.  Kelly traveled to Arizona the following week for a 252 Basics writers’ conference, came home for an hour, then left again for the mountains to spend the last September weekend with her girlfriends at a condo in Silverthorne.

Aaaand, I’m exhausted.  We ask for your prayers during this insanely busy season!  Until next time!

A Tale of Two Toddlers

“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of light, it was the season of darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair…”  It’s amusing how this Dickensian portrayal of oppression during the French Revolution can often be likened to parenting two toddlers.  Some days, our household is pleasant and joyful.  Other times, however, it feels like living in an insane asylum: Random screaming for no reason, pee on the floor, uncontrollable sobbing, people running around with no pants on, fights breaking out…aka absolute mayhem.  With that in mind, here’s what’s been going on around our house the past few months…other than two whirling, pint-sized tornadoes of destruction.

For Kelly, January was marked by a ton of work-related activities.  She wrapped up two proposals for MWH, and traveled to Georgia for a writers retreat hosted by 252 Basics--the Sunday school curriculum publisher she writes for.  While 5-months-pregnant Kelly diligently brought home the bacon, cared for two kids, and grew a third, I played the part of the responsible husband and father by mourning the Broncos’ devastating playoff loss to the Colts and the end of another football season.  However, our toils were rewarded at the end of the month with dinner at Osteria Marco and concert tickets given to us by friends to see Eric Church for Ashley Wolf’s birthday.

Over Valentine’s Day weekend, we dropped the girls off at Nana and Grandpa’s house and headed up to Frisco with the Wolfs to spend a few kid-free days enjoying the mountains.  On Saturday, Jason and I headed to Copper to snowboard while the ladies went shopping at the Silverthorne Outlets.  Afterwards, we all got gussied up and drove to Breckenridge for a lovely Valentine’s Day dinner at the Blue River Bistro.  In late February, we gathered with friends at the Franklin’s house for our monthly family dinner night.  As expected, the men dominated yet another round of party games…

Kelly and I celebrated our 7th wedding anniversary on March 1st, and officially entered “boring adulthood” when we decided to buy each other furniture. We took a mini road trip to the Ashley Furniture Gallery in Cheyenne because there’s no sales tax…SOLD!  The next weekend, we celebrated my birthday, along with Chad Harding’s and Ryan Mast’s, by visiting a few breweries in Boulder, namely, Wildwoods, Fate, and Sanitas Brewing.  After taking a couple of days off of work for my actual birthday, I took a quick 1-night trip to Alexandria, VA to accept an award for my audit team, who won the 2014 Acquisition Audit Report of the Year.  Kelly also got to go see Garth Brooks in concert with Sharon and Lynn.

Olivia turned 4 years old on April 4th, which is just unbelievable.  At the birthday girl’s request, we threw her a Hello Kitty party, which I’m sure she’s already forgotten about.  That same weekend, we spent Easter Sunday with family.  After church, we went to a brunch buffet at the Colorado National Golf Course, which managed to disappoint everyone except the kids, who left sticky and sugared up after a few visits to the chocolate fountain.  The following weekend, for Jason’s birthday, we took a tour of Stranahan’s Whiskey Distillery, and then gorged on Sushi at the Izakaya Den in Denver.  In late April, Olivia had her spring dance recital, which forced me into a coma from cuteness overload (the lollipop theme didn’t help).  Olivia proudly performed ballet and tap dances for a packed house in the Erie High School auditorium and we all went out to dinner afterwards to celebrate a job well done.

Unless Kelly goes into labor beforehand, she is scheduled to be induced on May 7th. Which means next time you hear from us we'll have a new addition to the Nishi brood.  So long for now!

Merry Christmas!!!

What?? The year is over?? I can't believe how fast time flies with two toddlers in the house. It has been a wild one and busy in many ways, but also much more mellow than past years in other ways. The truest thing I've heard lately is that parenting is made up of the longest days and the shortest years--that phrase pretty much sums up life in our house right now!

We kicked off 2014 at home with close friends eating sushi and playing games. It was a great time! Then, we headed off a couple weeks later for our annual ski trip in Winter Park. After getting ourselves towed out of a snow drift, we had a great weekend hanging out with friends and taking the girls on a sleigh ride at a local ranch.

 In February, we introduced Nathan to the Casa Bonita experience and visited the ice castles in Breckenridge. We also celebrated two years in our house. At the end of the month, we had dinner at the Cork to celebrate six years of marriage. Sophia had her first series of swim lessons, which she wasn't too sure about, and Olivia had a great time in her gymnastics class.

We had a birthday dinner for Mike at The Post in March and made the rounds to various other birthday soirees for kids and adults.

Being the good parents we are, we spent Olivia's birthday in April going to Rockies opening day with our friends... but the next day, we threw her a tea party themed birthday party complete with lots of people making her feel special. For Easter, we went to The Well's service at the Boulder Theater and then had brunch at Mateo. The girls had fun searching for Easter eggs and prancing around Pearl Street in their fancy dresses.

 Kelly wrapped up her first year of being MOPs co-coordinator in May and we all headed up to Estes Park for Becca's wedding at the YMCA of the Rockies. As usual, we attended the Erie Town Fair and had our annual Memorial Day BBQ at the Murphy's.

In June, we headed out on our annual state trip. This year it was conveniently...Colorado! I'll spare you the details of the whole trip, since we already wrote that blog, but we had an amazing time with our friends Amy and Zack (and their little Lilla). We made a big circle around the state-- staying in Glenwood Springs, Montrose, Telluride, Durango and Alamosa, with stops in Pagosa Springs and Ouray along the way. What a gorgeous state we live in! When we got back, Sophie had a cowgirl party to celebrate turning two and we headed to Fort Collins to celebrate Beth and Matt's engagement!

Erie continued the tradition of setting off fireworks on the 3rd of July, so we had mom, Lynn, Megan and Ross over for cake and burgers before watching the show from the street corner. On the fourth, we had a BBQ at Suzanne and Floyd's house and then the Milburns and the Wolfs came over for more fireworks fun in the street outside our house. The next day we attended the Erie Brewfest, where we sampled some of the local fare and then headed to a wedding reception for Lloyd and Allison. The following weekend, we took our annual trip to Wyoming, where the girls had a blast playing in the lake and got to experience their first rodeo. A couple weeks after that, Kelly went to Denver for an overnight Beth Moore conference with Amy, Allie and Debbie.

In August, Kelly helped put on a steering retreat for MOPs and then we took the girls to Nederland to experience the most favorite thing of Olivia's childhood thus far-- the Carousel of Happiness. Shortly after, Kelly's birthday fun started. Celebrations began with a trip to the Rockies game with friends and then continued with rafting in Idaho Springs and dinner at The Rio the next day. Olivia started preschool and loves it so much! Her teacher, Ms. Maul, is great with the kids and is always impressed by how advanced Olivia is. She is really making us proud already! Sadly, my dear cousin Connie passed away in August and we celebrated her life by having a great visit with my Great Aunt El, Great Uncle Perry and Cousin Carol.

We kicked off September with a Labor Day BBQ at Anna and Mike's house. We also got the wonderful news that we are expecting our third child!! We were overjoyed and terrified, as we have been with every pregnancy :) Baby girl #3 is due in May and we couldn't be more excited! Later in the month, however, we got the sad news that my Uncle Lynn had passed away from cancer. Kelly traveled to Dallas for the funeral and to help wrap things up in Texas.

In October, we headed up to Silverthorne with Beth, Matt, and Anna for a Columbus Day weekend away. It was great to see the changing leaves and we were even treated to a cozy snow storm :) The following weekend, we attended the Olsen's Halloween party and the girls had a blast riding horses, painting pumpkins and bouncing in the bounce house. Halloween fun continued the rest of the month with trick or treating at the Orchards, Trunk or Treat, and, of course, Halloween itself! The girls dressed up as Care Bears (because Kelly found the costumes at a garage sale for a quarter) and they loved it. Sophie has been obsessed with Care Bears ever since. Mike and Kelly even got in on the Halloween fun at Carter and Ashleigh's house with a party and "cop and robber" costumes.

Mike and Kelly headed up to Winter park again in November for a kid-free getaway where we enjoyed going out to a nice dinner and relaxing in a mountain lodge hotel. Later in the month, we celebrated Thanksgiving at Floyd and Suzanne's house and Kelly finished up her three online classes.

This December we plan to make the most of the holidays by attending the parade of lights in both Erie and Denver, as well as hosting our annual Ugly Christmas Sweater party. We'll be at Floyd and Suzanne's for Christmas and can't wait to celebrate with the family!

 Mike is still working as an auditor for the Department of Defense. Kelly is focusing mostly on wrangling the two children we have and growing a new one, but she also still does marketing consulting work, writes curriculum for 252 Basics, and helps co-coordinate her MOPs group in Boulder. Also, she is working toward her goal to open up a Christian preschool in Erie someday. In order to take steps toward this, she has been taking classes online and working at a local preschool two afternoons a week to help accumulate hours (she has to have 910 hours in order to get licensed.) Olivia is in preschool on Tuesday and Thursday mornings. She is also taking a ballet class and loves playing with trains, Legos, and puzzles. Sophia has been attending a regular story time on Wednesday mornings and loves playing dress up, cuddling and singing "Let it Go" as much as humanly possible. We are still attending church at The Well in Boulder and are hoping to become official members in the coming year. We are also part of a Missional Community and have seen God do some really cool things during our time there.

Overall, this year has been hard work and good times all rolled into one. Having little kids is a struggle, but we wouldn't trade it for anything. Our lives are better as a result of all the messes and crying and tantrums because all these things are evidence that we have healthy, growing kids who are teaching us new things every day--even though that lesson is usually patience. We hope that your year has been a good one as well and that God is showing you things in your life and about yourself that you never saw before. Please keep us updated with how you are doing!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!

(Pre) School’s in Session

It’s interesting how my appreciation for summer has changed since I was a kid, when September signaled the beginning of a new school year. Yuck! These days, I welcome the end of summer with a deep longing for cooler weather, changing leaves, football and, dare I say, the restless anticipation of Christmastime. However, as the last days of summer fade away and I reflect on how different life is now, I find myself overcome with an overwhelming desire to go back to those days when all I had to worry about was whether or not mom and dad would let me stay up past my bedtime. Amidst all the responsibilities that come with adulthood, parenting, homeownership, and generally being a functioning member of society, all I really want to do is sit in my bedroom, play with Legos, and forget about everything for a few hours. Who’s with me?

Speaking of the beginning of a new school year, Olivia officially started Preschool last month! It’s hard to believe our baby girl has entered a phase of life that won’t end until she’s all grown up. (I can’t dwell on that fact too long, lest I become a tearful, blubbering mess.) When Kelly and I dropped her off at Red Hawk Elementary, we surprisingly kept our cool. Olivia absolutely loves her class and comes home with stories about the “big-girl swings,” and how she got to spread shaving cream “all over the table.” I suppose we’ll have to cherish these times when she’s actually interested in telling us how her day went. Kelly had a relatively quiet month work-wise, which allowed her to enjoy spending more time with the girls, having play dates, and forgetting about the stress of the corporate world. She has also been busy preparing to help lead her MOPS group for the second year in a row. The second weekend in August, she held a MOPS Steering Retreat, where her team of moms get together to brainstorm and plan the schedule for the coming semester. That weekend, we also attended the Harding’s first annual “End of Summer” BBQ, and celebrated Bryan’s 31st.

Gary and Crystal visited the following weekend, and we celebrated Kelly's birthday with Sharon by driving up to Nederland for the afternoon. We took the girls to the Carousel of Happiness, which apparently was the highlight of Olivia’s life because she can’t stop talking about it. After a few go-arounds on the Carousel, we visited a few shops in downtown Nederland, and then stopped for dinner at Wild Mountain Smokehouse and Brewery. We all agreed that, while the beer was sub-par, the food more than made up for it. The only casualty of the day was when we returned home and realized that Olivia had left her most-treasured possession – her stuffed cat, “Kitty” – at the Carousel. Figuring it wasn’t worth another two-hour drive, we abandoned the ratty old thing, and bought Olivia a new, identical Kitty, feigning that she had “taken a bath.” Thankfully, all is well.

Kelly’s birthday occurred during the third week of August (which is now officially termed “birthday week”). Nathan was in town for the fetivities , so we kicked off the week-long celebration with dinner at The Post. The next day, the three of us met up with Ben, Carter, Ashleigh, and Courtney at Coors Field to “watch” the Rockies lose. We also brought Olivia, who did surprisingly well sitting in her seat until about the 6th inning when the playground was unavoidable. I let Kelly go out with the guys afterwards, while I took Olivia home to bed. Kelly arrived home later that evening in one piece, which is all I could’ve asked for. The next day, on Kelly's actual birthday, we ate a late breakfast, and then headed up to Idaho Springs with Nathan for an afternoon of whitewater rafting. Nathan and I convinced Kelly to sign us up for the “Intermediate” trip, which consists of class III and IV rapids...nothing we hadn’t faced in our previous rafting trips. After gearing up in our wetsuits and helmets, we drove down Clear Creek Canyon to a calm spot where we piled into the raft with our guide and two strangers. After a very brief overview of how to paddle the raft, we began the journey downriver. We all (with the exception of Nathan and our guide) fell out of the boat after high-siding on a huge rock in the middle of our first Class IV rapid. We almost flipped the boat after getting jack-knifed on another huge rock. Kelly was terrified, pretty much the whole time, but we all made it safely back on shore. We all had a great time but Kelly has decided to retire from class IV rapids. After a day of birthday respite, the celebration continued when we drove up to Fort Collins to visit Funkwerks Brewery, where we met up with Zack and Amy. Afterwards, we added Beth and Matt to the mix for dinner at the Black Bottle Brewery. Kelly wrapped up birthday week the next day by meeting her girlfriends for brunch at Lola in Denver. Whew, we made it. Nice work, reader.

We concluded our August with the Rocky Mountain Showdown: a battle of good (CU) versus evil (CSU). We originally had tickets to the game, but after a strange and unfortunate series of events, those plans didn’t work out. So we met up with Ashley and Jason at Lodo’s, to watch the madness unfold. Sadly, no amount of beer and buffalo wings could’ve changed the disappointing outcome of the game. The next day, we had Ashley, Jason, Ben and Nicole over for one last day at the pool before it closed for the season. Unfortunately, our HOA rules forbid enjoyment of the pool, and our posse of ruffians was turned away by the disgruntled gatekeeper lady for exceeding the maximum number of guests allowed at the vacant pool. We made the most of it by overtaking the un-guarded splash pad, then ultimately heading back to our house for pizza. So, um...how was your summer?

Summer Fun!

Hmmm what have we been up to? I'm not sure because I think it's all been a big blur of busy-ness. However, I will do my best to update you.

May- We celebrated a rainy Mother's Day by having lunch at the newly opened Hunter's Grill and then Kelly lazed around the house for the remainder of the day. MOPs wrapped up with a Spring Brunch and Kelly was glad to have one less thing on her plate. We also continued meeting together with our Missional Community. Mid-month we got to attend Becca and Aaron's wedding in Estes Park. It was a gorgeous ceremony and great reception. The girls had tons of fun playing with their busy bags and they were excited to stay in a hotel that night. The next day, we made our annual pilgrimage to the Erie Town Fair and met up with some friends to let the kids go wild on the carnival games. Mike continued the basement remodel and did all the electrical work himself, as well as the insulation.

June- The first week in June we set out for our next state in our 50 in 50 tour. This year we got to tour our favorite state-- Colorado! We started off by heading to Georgetown and riding the train. They had special gold panning days so the girls got to pan for gold and we all enjoyed the various exhibits and free food that was part of the festivities. After the train ride, we set out for Silverthorne where we walked around the lake and ate dinner at a cute restaurant before turning in for the night. We were hoping the girls would sleep well that night because of the thrill of being in a hotel room, but unfortunately they were only interested in playing. Sadly, they kept this up almost the entire trip, so none of us got much sleep for the entire week. Next, we headed to Glenwood Springs. After a hike up the mountain to Doc Holliday's grave, we enjoyed touring the town, ice cream tasting and stopping by the local brewery for dinner. Unfortunately, Kelly started her first week of classes for her Early Childhood degree this week, so we also spent some time in the hotel room so she could work on her assignments. The next day, our friends Amy and Zack joined us with their little one, Lilla. We played at the park and then went for a walk downtown before heading back to the brewery for lunch. That afternoon, we headed to Montrose where we were in a very remote house that was a little more "rustic" than we had anticipated. The views were gorgeous, but Kelly was on high alert for bugs and hazards. The next morning, we were eager to get out and headed straight to the Black Canyon of the Gunnison. The Black Canyon is so amazing and unexpected. We kept saying we couldn't believe we were still in Colorado. It was definitely one of the most beautiful parts of this already amazing state. Afterward, we headed to Horsefly Brewing Co., which had an amazing patio where we enjoyed lunch before heading off to our next destination--Telluride. On the way, we stopped in Ouray, which has been called the Switzerland of the Rockies and, wow, is that true! What a cute, picturesque little town. But, it just doesn't get prettier anywhere in the world that Telluride. However, when we got to our condo we realized that the "second bedroom" was really a converted laundry room. So far we were 0 for 2 on the accommodations. But, we decided to make the best of it and left to go walk around town. On our way back from our walk, we stopped by the grocery store for some taco fixin's and settled in to our condo for the night. The next day, we took the gondola up the mountain to the disc golf course. While the boys played disc golf, Amy and I enjoyed the breath taking views with the kids. After Zack was done winning, we all took the gondola halfway down for a mountainside lunch. After lunch, we set out for Durango. We had to take a major detour because the Million Dollar Highway was closed for repairs, but eventually we made it. On the way to our condo just north of town, we grabbed a pizza and settled in for a night of playing games together. The next day, we went straight to Mesa Verde and toured all around the ruins. We marveled at the remnants of these ancient civilizations and Mike solidified his spot as dad of the year when he pushed the double stroller up a mountain in nearly 100-degree weather. Afterward, we enjoyed lunch at Carver's Brewery and then went back to the condo for some swimming and another round of disc golf at the ski resort for the guys. The next day, we were ready to head to Alamosa and stopped along the way at our favorite brewery of all-- Pagosa Brewing. We sat outside and enjoyed our tasters and our brats while plotting the last days of our trip. Later that day, we arrived in Alamosa to find that our room that was supposed to be a suite was actually just a normal hotel room. After getting that sorted (and finding a second room for the Wulbeckers), we went to the town fair downtown. The weather didn't cooperate very well, but the girls still had fun riding the train and running around the grass. Afterward, we found Kelly's dream come true-- a Mexican food buffet. After dinner, we parted ways with our dear friends and headed back for our last night of trying to convince the girls to sleep in a strange place. When we woke up, we ate at the hotel and then went straight to the great Sand Dunes--another Colorado wonder. The girls had a great time playing the sand with their buckets and shovels. Olivia kept saying "I'm a beach girl." When we had enough sand in our shoes and our clothes, we began our trek home. Unfortunately, on the way home we hit a terrible storm. Kelly was driving and panic started to set in near Pueblo when we started seeing funnel clouds and tornado warnings. We pulled off at a hotel lobby while the worst of the storm passed and then headed to Shamrock Brewing for lunch. The weather improved quite a bit and we made it home at the end of the trip with no more than minor detours along the way. Later in the month, we celebrated Sophia's second birthday with a cowgirl party and BBQ. Then, we headed to Fort Collins the next day for Beth and Matt's engagement party at their place. That same weekend we went to Rock Bottom for lunch and Mike took his turn lounging for Father's Day.

July- We celebrated 4th of July eve with a BBQ at home with Mom and Lynn, as well as Megan and Ross who were visiting from DC. My mom brought a beautiful cake from Sugar Bean Bakery and we capped off the night by watching fireworks from the end of our street. Olivia enjoyed the fireworks and the snickerdoodle cake that accompanied it. On the actual 4th, we went to a lunch BBQ at Floyd and Suzanne's before heading home and hosting the Wolfs and the Milburns for our own festivities. The guys put on a nice fireworks display for us in the street and we enjoyed hanging out with all seven little girls between the three families. The next day Megan and Ross came with us to the 2nd annual Erie Brewfest, which was hot, but tons of fun regardless-- especially when Kelly discovered the bucket of free water balloons. The next weekend, we headed up to Wyoming to visit dad and Crystal. While we were there we got to spend lots of time relaxing and hanging out on the front porch. Friday night, we went to a rodeo and got to see some genuine Wyoming cowboys as well as mutton busting and steer roping. The next day, we went to the lake and the girls had a ball swimming and playing in the water. They even met a new friend while building sand castles. Mike got to fish and, while he didn't catch any, he had a great time trying. Later that day, we went Su Casa for some lunch and then Kelly left the kids with the rest of the family to take a long nap. On Sunday, we headed out after breakfast and met Beth and Matt for lunch in Fort Collins on our way home. July finished off with Kelly heading to a Beth Moore conference with some friends in Denver and the returning to town for a date night at the planetarium.

A Little Older, (hopefully) A Little Wiser

Someone once said “it sucks to grow old, but at least you ripen in the process.” I recently came across some old home movies I shot in college and was reminded of how embarrassingly awkward and immature I was only 10 years ago. While it was fun to reminisce on those memories and the carefree lifestyle I once had, I was also overwhelmed with appreciation for where I am now – mentally, emotionally, spiritually, etc. As I begin my 33rd year of life on this Earth, my prayer is that God will continue to “ripen” me, so in another 10 years I can look back and, once again, be shocked and embarrassed by how much I’ve grown.

With that said, here’s what’s been going on in the Nishi household lately: I don’t know what it is about the month of March, but we celebrate approximately 900 birthdays. Seriously, you should see our calendar. It’s out of control with March birthday reminders. On one snowy Saturday in mid-March, Kelly attended a baby shower for her co-worker Katy, while I took the girls to Conner Harding’s 1st birthday party. I gorged myself on all the delicious food while Olivia and Sophia were in the basement jumping around on the inflatable bouncy house. I’m happy to report that no limbs were broken during the affair. The only harm done was suffered by my waistline, and was obviously self-inflicted.

Remember what I said earlier about “ripening?” Well, in celebration of my incessant, unrelenting aging process, I took my birthday off from work and lazed about the house playing video games…and it was glorious. Hey, I may grow old, but I don’t have to grow up, right? Anyway, I paused my game at lunch time and was treated to a delectable Larkburger, followed by some custom-made strawberry shortcake cupcakes, courtesy of the Sugar Bean Bakery in Thornton. (I highly recommend them, by the way – delicious!) We wrapped up the day with dinner at The Post in Lafayette. This new neighborhood attraction boasts unique craft beers and the best fried chicken I have ever tasted. Despite our 90 minute wait for a table, I’m excited to go back! Sophia began swim lessons last month and, while she’s not quite the water baby that her sister is, she seems to enjoy being in the pool...just don’t try to make her do a back float unless you want your face clawed to death.

Despite our futile efforts to keep her in cuddly baby mode, Olivia turned 3 on April 4th! We celebrated by throwing her a tea party, complete with (iced) tea and those weird cucumber sandwiches. Even though we’re still in the stage where the adults outnumber the kids, the party was a success and Olivia still appears to be interested in all her new toys. Hooray! Happy Birthday, Olivia! The Saturday before Easter, we took the girls to an Easter egg hunt at Coal Creek Park, where Olivia had a great time filling her basket with eggs stuffed with non-age-appropriate candy. Sophia was wholly unconcerned with the prospect of free candy; content to be held the entire time. Luckily, Olivia was gracious enough to share her loot with sissy. Afterwards, we attended the wedding reception of Isaac and Sarah Hall, then had Lynn and Sharon over to dye Easter eggs, and eat some amazing cake from the aforementioned Sugar Bean Bakery. We also put on a backyard egg hunt for Olivia, which turned into a game of find the soggy M&Ms after a brief, but substantial, rainstorm passed overhead shortly after we hid the eggs.

On Easter Sunday, accompanied by Lynn and Sharon, our church broke from the norm and gathered at the Boulder Theater on the Pearl Street mall to celebrate our risen Lord. Afterwards, we strolled down the mall, eventually making our way to Mateo, where we had a lunch reservation. We dined on gourmet brunch fare, enjoying the warm weather from our table on the patio. The girls managed to douse their new white Easter dresses in chocolate sauce, which we later paraded down Pearl Street on our way back to the car. We spent the evening at my parents’ house, eating steak and playing Trivial Pursuit with Bryan and Amanda, where it became evident to me that I have no business playing that game.

That’s all, folks! Until next time!