Spring in Sedona

Dave says: Last weekend we took a fun little spring break trip to Sedona with Skye and Debbie. The weather was perfect and we pulled in and went right on a hike. I pushed us clear until it was dark but everyone did well (especially Skye) on a 5+ mile journey around Bell Rock and Courthouse Bluffs. 

Our hike on Day 2 was a bit shorter up Fay Canyon in west Sedona where we enjoyed some nice mostly shaded canyon hiking and some views at the end at a rock slide.

We also brought the mountain bikes and hit the trails several times. On Day 2, we did a big west Sedona loop of which Chuckwagon was our favorite trail. After lunch and a hike we got out for a long evening ride on some of the Sedona classics including Slim Shady, the Hog trails, Broken Arrow, Little Horse, and Llama. By the end we were running out of daylight and energy. Props to Alisha for handling some pretty tough terrain on her fairly new StumpJumper (the perfect Sedona bike). Thanks to Debbie who was a great babysitter while we were out on the trails.

On the morning of Day 3, we went straight to Sedona's rock chapel up in the bluffs on Chapel road. We got there right as it was opening with no crowds and great views in every direction. This was a great photo op.

Before leaving town, it was time for one more Sedona hot lap on the mtbs. Alisha told me we had 1 hour max and worried that we'd be on the long side as we were for our previous adventures. However, we rolled fast and returned in 1:03 which got me only a sarcastic angry face. Out on the slick rock, Alisha confessed her love for mountain biking, her new favorite Sedona trail (Slim Shady), and me (possibly in that order).

Finally, back at the hotel Skye got to enjoy her first swim adventure as we took her into the heated pool and discovered that she likes the water pretty well. Her dad is a wuss when the temperature is in the low 80s but she seemed to do just fine and was pretty cute to watch.

Sonoran Light Displays

Alisha says: For date night I met Dave after work in Tempe for some dinner (which unfortunately only turned out to be mediocre) and then we visited the Desert Botanical Gardens to see the Bruce Munro Sonoran Light displays. To avoid the $20+ admission fee the gardens are free on the second Tuesday of each month. We arrived just before sunset and were lucky to snag some of the very last parking spots, free day = lots of people. We walked around a bit and enjoyed the gardens and then as it got dark the displays were turned on. One whole hillside was covered in fiber optic lights and little round balls that looked cool. My favorite was the tall round ones. It was lots and lots of soda bottles filled with water and fiber optic lights. It's hard to describe but it looked cool.

This was my favorite. The whole hillside in the background is lit up also.

Cactus blooms in our front yard

4 Months Old

Alisha says: Today Skye had her 4 month visit to the pediatrician. She is doing well and growing and changing daily. There were some newborns in the waiting area and they seemed so tiny compared to Skye, she has come a long way in only four months.
4 Month Stats:
Weight- 13 pounds 4 ounces, 48th percentile
Height- 23 1/4 inches, 20th percentile
Head Circumference 16 inches, 50th percentile

Things she does at four months:
-Sleeps in her crib (still gets us up 2-3 times a night)
-Jumps in her jumper
-She strains and tries to sit up by using her core muscles when she is laying on her back, she is not quite strong enough yet but she will be in no time.
-We also only swaddle her arms now at night because she was starting to break her legs out during the night.
-Sucking on her hands and shirt

Mmmm, lets see if I can suck on this.

Breaking out of her swaddle

Hiking in our neighborhood

It seems like our blog has been taken over by Skye and that is okay because seriously, who can blame her, she really is the center of our lives these days but we still try keep our own interests and hobbies alive. I tagged along on my first big group road ride with the Two Wheel Jones shop ride this past Saturday. It was fun and exhilarating to be part of a group again and also fun to let my competitive side come out a little bit as I pushed the pace coming up Usery Pass. when we stopped to regroup a few of the guys were saying to each other "you got passed by a girl, and I can't believe that you had a baby only a few months ago." I think these were meant to be compliments so I just smiled and said "thank you." This morning I went for a nice mountain bike ride. I didn't hammer it I just rode and enjoyed the beauty and quietness as the sun came up. I came home feeling refreshed, rejuvenated and like my soul had been fed. 

Sunset Ride

Morning ride through Hawes, my favorite viewpoint of Red Mountain on Ridge Trail

February

Dave says: It's been a fun and busy few weeks. I finally had a few minutes on a Sunday afternoon to sit down and describe what life is like these days.

Being a dad is great most of the time. Skye is nearly 4 months old and she is getting big. Right now her schedule is to fall asleep around 9 pm after being swaddled up and eating a bottle. For a while she had a sleeping area in the middle of the bed. Next, she was moved to her swing. Now, she has been recently been upgraded to a crib in her own room. She used to make it only until about midnight but recently she often goes until 2 or 2:30 before waking up. I usually do the first feeding (after Alisha gives me a kick to wake me up) except if I am busy with work or teaching the next day. Alisha handles all the remaining feedings and Skye is typically up around 5:30 or 6 am. Now that she is getting stronger she often turns herself around in her crib and breaks her arms and/or legs out of the swaddle. She doesn't really roll over yet except in the bed when she is tipped a little bit.

Like her mother, Skye's best time of day is the morning. She will sit still and smile at you for nearly an hour in the morning before she needs some more stimulation. Her worst time of day is in the late afternoon. We were going through an afternoon meltdown phase for a few weeks but recently it seems to have lessened. Other new developments include her getting better at jumping in her jumper and eating her hands a lot. She is really good on sunset walks in the infantino after work.

We've been doing an okay job of still getting out of the house to exercise. Alisha often goes first thing in the morning and I try to go after work right before it gets dark. Alisha is split 50/50 mountain bike and road bike these days whereas for me the split is 90/10. The mountain biking is just too good to pass up and I have a shaded evening trail on the back side of Pass Mountain that I love right now. About every other weekend my grandma comes over and watches Skye and we get out on a nice big mountain bike loop together.

This February we seem to have skipped the 70 degree weather and gone straight from the 50s and 60s to the 80s. It has been nice and warm recently and we've been trying to plan some weekend adventures. This last week was quite busy with work as I was finishing up an evening MBA ethics course and also participating in the department's annual MMM conference in addition to all my other work. I've got a huge number of research projects underway right now with my friend and colleague Mike B. and others. Here's a few pics of what we've been up to:

Christine's kids celebrating my grandma Venice's birthday.

Walking by the Salt River on a Sunday afternoon.

Doing our usual favorite 2 hour mtb loop. Alisha has developed some serious skills as a mountain biker. This is the Twisted Sister trail in Hawes.

We walked around Tempe Marketplace on a Saturday night and saw this beautiful sunset that my cell phone camera does a poor job of capturing. The ambiance and just walking were more fun than the shopping but this is a nice place for kids. Skye had a great time looking around at everything.

During our shopping trip we were in a silly mood and I convinced Alisha to try on some horrible looking cat sweaters at H & M. I can't imagine why they were on sale.

My Valentines

Alisha Says: Our life has been falling into a fairly regular routine (as routine as possible with a baby that is). Dave is doing a lot of work on his research and teaching a course this semester. We are loving the weather and enjoying it by taking turns getting out on bike rides and taking lots of hikes/walks with Skye. Skye is such a joy in our lives and it has been fun to watch her grow (literally, some days she just seems bigger than the day before and as evident by all of her rolls she is nice and "healthy" as someone kindly called her the other day :). She is getting much more interactive and responsive to us and will give us tons of cute smiles and coos, especially in the mornings. She is starting to give us a few longer stretches of sleep. Skye had her first play date my friend from our ward who had her first baby 7 weeks after Skye was born.

Blessing Day

Alisha says: Skye was blessed at home on Sunday, January 17th surrounded by lots of wonderful family. She looked so precious and adorable in her blessing dress that was made by my mom and I. I tatted all of the handmade lace around the bottom and bodice. If you know anything about tatting you know that it is basically a lost art and it takes forever. Luckily, I had been working on and off on the lace for a few years in the hope that one day I might have a little girl. Once we found out that we actually were having a girl my mom and I used the lace to make her heirloom dress. I absolutely love how it turned out!

 My wonderful mother helped me put together a luncheon for everyone that consisted of homemade soup and rolls.

In addition to all of the family that lives in the area we had the privileged of having my brother and his family from Salt Lake stay with us for the weekend.

Skye's 2 Month Pediatric Appointment:

Weight: 10.4 pounds - 40%

Height: 22 1/4 inches - 40%

Head Circumference: 14 3/4 inches - 25%

New Year

Dave Says: Today for New Years Day my grandparents came over to watch Skye and we went out for a big ride around Hawes and Usery together. Alisha has been riding since about two weeks after giving birth and is already in good form again. Today she was trying to drop me on the uphills. The mountain biking is awesome where we live and I am on the trails as much as possible. You get pretty spoiled riding in the middle of winter in short sleeves.

Other winter break activities included going out to eat with Skye yesterday for New Years Eve (fortunately she slept the whole time) and taking her around to see the Mesa Temple lights (she slept the whole time and then was wide awake at home). Earlier in the week we went down to Tucson and saw the Toussaints which was a lot of fun. I am trying (mostly unsuccessfully) to teach Skye some new tricks. Her best thus far is that she can push with her feet and move her arms in a semi-crawling motion on the bed that moves her forward if you put a hand behind her to push off of. Hopefully I'll have something more exciting to report in the future. We also now own a GoPro to capture all the action as she grows up.