3 Kids and a Minivan

Goodness how time does fly. It has been far too long since my last post and so much has changed since then. We now have our third child, a wonderful bundle of joy and calm named Zoe Mae Winterowd. My job is about to get really interesting once Philly goes back to work. I know there are a lot of people out there with 3 or more kids, and I applaud you and your ability to maintain your sanity. I'm sure I will be just fine, but I'm allowed to panic, right?!?
This brings me to an interesting place, the switch from 2 kids to 3 kids is a game changer. As many of my football loving friends have joked, "Oh wow, you're switching from man to man coverage to zone defense, good luck with that". Well, it definitely is different having more kids than hands. I know it will be more challenging in the coming months when I'm out on the town with 3 kids by myself. This is about the time we realized another change in the dynamic of having a 3rd child. The car seat dynamic. Now a few years back I wrote about 6 kids and a minivan. I also wrote about my "Daddy Wagon", a large Lexus SUV with a 3rd row seat. To refresh your memory, I expressed my disdain for the minivan. I am happy to say I no longer can cling to that narrow minded view. I realized even with the massive vehicle I've been driving, I cannot fit 3 convertible car seats in the second row, it was time to look for another option.
I don't consider myself a particularly prideful person, who is unwilling to admit my mistakes. An SUV or a crossover is a great option when you have two young children. When you have 3 kids under 5 years old and need to fit their car seats comfortably, they just don't cut it. If you have kids that are more spread in age, I think it would be possible to maintain driving an SUV, but I'm not so sure. Another thing that has prompted this change is the dynamic Logan and Nyah have developed, kicking and hitting while being restrained next to each other. I can remember how my parents dealt with the situation all those years ago. We had a full size van. Each kid was separated into their own row of seats and I had a platform in the back with a mattress on it. These days that would have resulted in my parents being pulled over and given a ticket since I didn't have a seat belt back there. In fact if we had ever been in an accident I would have likely gone straight though the windshield. Alas, times were different back then and vehicle safety wasn't really discussed.
Fast forward to modern day again and realize that today's minivan is not what it once was. They are now a rolling computer with all the modern conveniences and goodies a tech junkie like myself could want. Not to mention the safety features that are packed into even the most basic models in the lineup are impressive. It's amazing how much things can change in just 2 years, let alone the 25 years since my parents had that old van.
So, I'm ready to say I have changed my mind on the minivan thing. In fact, we are picking up our new van later today. We are picking up a new 2014 Honda Odyssey EX-L in smokey topaz with truffle leather. We are then loading it to the gills and heading for a biking trip to Grand Junction with the 3 kids, 7 bikes and Grandma Ellie in the 3rd row. I'll be posting a quick impression soon and then follow it up with a full review shortly after that. I promise to write the follow ups, really.
Now for what I never thought I'd say just two short years ago.

I like Minivans.

There, I said it.

As for the old nightmare of having 6 kids, that has been permanently taken care of. However, that is a story and article for another time.

Cheers for now!






As a side note, It has been far to long since I've written. I pledge to anyone who actually reads this blog that I am coming back with more articles and content. Life can get a little crazy and I think it's now settling back down. I forgot how good of an outlet writing is for me, this is my therapy : )

Family Update 2/24/13

Wow, where does the time go? One minute it's the end of December and the next minute January is already gone and so is February. So here we are in 2013, with the first two months already gone and I still haven't written an update. It goes without saying it's been a bit of a busy time around here. Having some sniffles and stomach bugs run amok through the house doesn't help much either. After a little over two months of not feeling good I finally went to the doctor and discovered I had the Flu, strep throat and a sinus infection all at the same time. No wonder I didn't much feel like writing. Nyah seems to be getting all the rest of her teeth all in a continuous string while maintaining a bit of the sniffles. Potty training Logan has been a real adventure for sure. At least we have had many trips to the Colorado Railroad Museum, the Denver Zoo and the Children's Museum of Denver. Add to this some Story times at the Golden Public Library and we have not been at rest very much. I almost forgot to mention both kids are now in Gymnastics on Saturday morning so Philly gets to enjoy some very active time with the kiddos. We even had the chance to enjoy the warm January we've been having and take the kids for a hike a Chautauqua in Boulder with Grandma Ellie. As I'm working on this update it seems we are finally having a decent snow storm for once. Heavy thick flakes are falling and we could get a decent amount on the ground. Philly and Logan built a cool snowman yesterday as the previous snow melted to the perfect consistency for packing. Today is the perfect day to make yummy blueberry pancakes and banana bread from scratch. I just wanted to do a quick update today so people knew we are still here. I'll try to stay back in the swing of things with the updates.
Cheers for now,
Aaron

It's Complicated

I think the title is a bit of an understatement. Here we are with spring rapidly approaching and we are again faced with interesting life decisions. We seem to have the same discussion each year about this time for the past 3 years. Do we move or do we stay. It sounds simple enough on its own. Then you start to add in the variables, 2 kids with another on the way. We own two very different properties in the same basic area. We are about to find out if we are having a boy or girl join us in July. If we do move, do we rent or sell this current house. Should this kind of decision be purely financial or emotional or both. Being in a state of flux can be stressful at times and at this moment, detrimental to my sleep patterns. 
As I write this in the middle of the night since I can't sleep, I wonder at how complicated things have become over the years. I'm talking about over the past few decades and in a much broader scope than just my personal situation. What is it that has changed the family dynamic, or has it even changed. Are homes and the way we live so different from the 60's and 70's to today. What made closed style floor plans effective back then. Is an open floor plan in a house undesirable for any reason? Do we really need a massive house with a room for each person? As a still new parent who is trying to figure it all out I wonder about this when I can't sleep at night. I lay in bed and evaluate how things are going. Did I make the correct decision about nap time today? Did the kids eat a well rounded variety of foods today? Are they happy? Are they learning what they need in order to be great adults some day? 
I'm sure many other parents out there have similar thoughts. Or at least I hope they do, if not than I really feel silly. Is the lack of sleep showing yet?
It seems like each generation tries to find their way the best they can. I feel like my wife and I have a very different parenting style than our parents. They likely had a very different style than their parents and their grandparents before them. I'm not sure exactly what I'm trying to get at here, but at the core its all the same. As parents we try to do the best job we can while trying to maintain a calm outward demeanor and let our kids know that they are safe, loved and have nothing to worry about. While inside we have multiple worries and doubts about ourselves and our impact on our children. I wonder if the information age and technology have changed the family dynamic. I also wonder if we just over analyze every little thing we do, just because we were taught to always question. Is our constant state of flux do to some internal desire to grow and change or is it something else? I don't think now is the time to try and answer all these questions. It is just thought provoking and a constant theme in the back of my mind. It will be many years until we discover if we made the right moves as parents. Well in reality we will never know.
Back to the complicated bit, the housing decision. We are currently dealing with the thought of moving back into our townhouse which is currently a rental. We need to refinance the property and due to the market conditions we need to live in it to do so. In addition our current home would sell quickly if we put it on the market. But it would also rent very well. Where we live now we have a large yard and more internal square footage. Our townhouse has less space inside but it is more usable. Plus it just "feels" better and makes you smile while you're there. However there is no yard. It probably sounds silly to someone who lives in New York or another city but the yard seems to be our biggest guilt trip. This kind of goes back to the whole best intentions of parenting thing. Is a yard important for kids. In our daily routine, the kids and I get out a lot. Sometimes depending on weather we do get stuck in the house. But the funny thing is we are rarely in the back yard. It sort of serves as a place for the kids to be contained when we need to do yard work. I realize I'm being quite immature at the moment and essentially looking for some outside validation that its okay to not have a yard. I feel like we will be judged as parents if we deny our kids the privilege of having a back yard. But at the same time I try to think of my upbringing. We moved a lot when I was growing up. Every year in fact until I was in high school. In my younger years we always had a yard. Funny thing is I don't remember the times I spent in my yard. I more remember the times I was away from my house. Interesting how that works. 
To sum up, I have no idea what I'm doing as a parent. I have the best of intentions and a lot of hope and love. Regardless of whether or not the family dynamic has changed over the years, there are constants that remain. Parents will always worry about their kids but they will also always love them.

Cheers for now,
Aaron

Family Update 12/29/12

Well, here's the last family update for the year.  It has been a fun filled very packed week with Philly being on vacation.  Christmas eve was amazing this year, especially since it actually snowed and we were able to have a very white Christmas for once.  It seems like for the past several years its been in the 50's with no snow on Christmas day.  This year was nice and cold with wonderful fluffy white snow.  We had a fun family outing at the Unity holiday music performance which was a great chance to get the kids all dressed up in some cute Christmas clothes.  I know I'm biased but we have some really cute kids.

A little laughter goes a long way.

Some great smiles.

Melting Daddy's heart!

Christmas day was a lot of fun this year, Logan is starting to really get into it and Nyah was able to open her own gifts.  Seeing the looks on their faces is just priceless.  Philly and I were feeling a little guilty that we don't have a proper fireplace to hang the stockings from.  We had to tell Logan that we left the door unlocked for Santa since we don't have a chimney.  He believed us, this time.

The new bike studio decorated for the Holidays.

Tux checking out the tree.

Nyah trying to ride her new horses. The girl is awesome!

Logan excited with new watercolors.

Anticipation........

A new truck!

Nyah loved her new car.

My beautiful ladies, I'm so lucky.

You might have noticed I'm putting a lot of pictures in the family updates.  Since I dropped Facebook, this is now the family source for photos at the moment.  I may find a different way of doing it but for now this is actually a lot of fun.
Well, after the fun holiday parties Philly and the kids got a chance to play in the snow together.  We are loving the cold weather and the fact the snow is sticking around for once instead of melting right away.  

Snow sliding instead of sledding.

Proof that Logan can be a little angel when he wants to be.

This has been a really fun vacation so far, we even braved the crowds and headed to the Children's Museum of Denver.  It's such a great place and has something for everyone.  I'm a little nervous about when I have 3 little ones to take there by myself.  I'm sure I'll figure it out one way or another.

Our budding little artists ; )

It's a mad dash to fill the carts!

Well I think that brings us up to speed, its time to wind down a little and get ready for the new year.  It is a little hard to imagine that this year is already wrapping up.  It feels like just yesterday Nyah was born and now we are going to welcome another little life into the family.  Crazy how fast time flies, make sure to enjoy every second.  See you next year!

Cheers for now,

Aaron

Family Update 12/22/12

It's been such busy time I didn't even get to post last Saturday. We've had a great time so far this holiday season.  It started off with a whole lot of cooking and baking.  From Gingerbread cookie with butter cream frosting to Homemade Chili and cornbread.  The house has been smelling great lately, especially with a fresh cut tree in the living room.  In addition to the cooking we have had lots of activities to keep us moving.  Logan had his first Gymnastics "mini-meet", a great gathering for all the families to watch their little ones perform in front of everyone.  This was followed by a cold but very fun time watching the Olde Time parade in historic downtown Golden.  We also were able to enjoy the wonderful holiday sign along at the golden recreation center together as a family.  Unfortunately we have also all been battling the sniffles, coughs and associated health joys that come this time of year.  A big thanks to Grandpa Mo for a wonderful trip to the Children's Museum of Denver and the awesome gift of a family membership.  Logan and Nyah really enjoyed the afternoon with Grandpa Mo and we will really get great use out of the membership.  Thanks Mo!  
We were fortunate enough to finally get some snow and amazingly there is still a little bit left on the ground as I'm typing.  Logan made his first snow angel of the year.  Unfortunately the snow was too fluffy for snowman construction.  Here's a little visual sample of the past 2 weeks:

Gingerbread cookies fresh out of the oven!

The cornbread went crazy in the pan.

Perfect meal for a cold winter evening.

Time to sugar up before brushing our teeth ; )

My little cutie ready for some snow.

He had been talking about snow angels all morning, Love it!

Today is a great day because it means Philly is officially on break from work.  A much needed break I might add for the whole family.  As we head towards Christmas day and New Years it is always so important for us to slow down a little bit and enjoy each others company and reflect on the year we've had.  What a year its been too, lots of activity and news to share.
On that note, we recently sent out our family holiday cards.  Now this may seem like a random transition, which it is. (If you've read many of my posts you're likely used to it.)  Our holiday cards this year included a hidden message.  To us it is obvious, but for others it has taken a little time to realize the meaning.  I have put a picture below for reference:

Logan picked the snowman for the occasion.

Wait for it....

Wait for it.....

That's right, our third bundle of fun will be joining the party in July of next year!!

I think we really caught some people off guard with this surprise.  I was lucky enough to be on the phone with my mom when she actually figured out what the picture meant.  Lets just say she was so shocked I can't repeat the actual first words she used. : ) (Sorry mom but it was too funny not to mention)  After that initial reaction she was clearly happy about her extra little gift.  I know some people are ready for anything from us at this point.  After all we are the couple who said, "We'll never have kids".  Well we made those statements while we were young and foolish.  Once you have one kid it's hard to explain the absolute joy and wonder you experience every single day.  Even on the really hard days there is always at least some little tiny moment that melts your heart.  Now that we have number three on the way our family feels like it will finally be complete.  I was one of three kids and I personally feel like that is a good number.  We are only slightly outnumbered now.  As one of my best friends pointed out, "You're going from man to man defense to zone defense now."  It was an interesting way of looking at it.  
And for any of you out there who are saying, "Next comes a minivan".  Not so fast, I've already test fit 3 car-seats in the second row of my truck and they fit perfectly.  Now if for some crazy turn of events we end up with twins, then I guess I'll have to think hard about it.  No the twins reference doesn't mean anything, it's just kind of a running inside joke.

I think that pretty much sums up the past two weeks.  I'm hoping to get into a rhythm and actually post every Saturday morning.  But plans change with kids I guess.
Cheers for now,
Aaron

Family Update 12/8/12

What a week we have had!  Logan is doing great in gymnastics these days and is almost ready for the second level class.  He has come a long way in the past 8 weeks, from not even getting off the bleachers, to excelling at almost every skill.  Grandma Ellie has been taking him each week.  Next Saturday is his "Mini-Meet" so we should have some good pictures to post later.

Both kids are doing amazing in their music classes as well.  Nyah is getting more brave every class and loves cleaning up after each different activity.  

Nyah and her PomPom

Logan has been doing really well in his 2-4yr classes as well.  He is doing great with his sharing and has really begun to develop some rythym.  He is also getting more involved in the group activities.  It's crazy to see Logan as one of the biggest kids in class.  I'm not really sure where he gets his height from, but he's getting so tall.  I am so proud of both of them and how much they are growing and changing each day.  It seems like only yesterday Logan was barely speaking and Nyah was still just crawling.  They grow and change at such a fast rate.  

It's moments like this when I get to sit down and write that I can reflect on what has been happening.  All too often the daily routine is all I can think of.  I run my mental checklist everyday and check the calendar, do the laundry, dishes and so on. I think as parents (all parents) we are so worried about making sure the kids are in activities and giving them all the experiences possible.  We worry over whether or not they hit the "developmental milestones".  We try to ensure their success in the future by helping them become well rounded.  Early on, we worry about them not saying enough words by the time they are 18 months, only to realize that they don't stop talking by the time they hit three and a half.  As parents we worry a lot and usually about everything, even if we have absolutely no control over it.

In doing this we almost miss experiencing our own kids.  We might miss that sweet moment when brother and sister share a quiet moment playing nicely together.  Or we might miss the chaos resulting from turning a box of tissues into snow.

Tissues becoming "snow"

I think kids are teaching us the most important lesson of all, slow down and enjoy the little things.

That will do for now as breakfast needs to be made and we all need to get ready for the kids holiday party at Philly's work.  There we go running off again : )

Cheers for now,

Aaron

Busy Summer, But I'm still here

To anyone who has tried to follow my little experiment of a blog, I'm not done writing.  I'm just taking the summer off from writing to do more riding and get some reviews ready to post once the snow starts flying here in Colorado.  A sneak peak at what I'm working on includes:

A YouTube/.mov video on how to build a pump track.  

A whole posting about building the pump track in our back yard.

2 new bike reviews, the 2012 Transition Bandit and the 2012 Yeti DJ.

A review of our newly acquired WeeHoo iGo Pro.

Reviews of both the old and new Specialized Hotwalk kids balance bikes.

An update of my life with two kids.

I think that just about covers what I have either been working on or have plans to write before the end of December.  Now hopefully the kids will allow me to spend that much time with a keyboard.  Um yeah, we'll see about that.  

Cheers for now,
Aaron