Christmas Tree Oh Christmas Tree

Last year Ace and I started our first Christmas tradition. We cut down our first Christmas tree on my parents' ranch. When we got it inside it looked more like a bush but we still had a blast and decided that this was something we wanted to do from that point on.

This year Ace got us a permit to cut down a tree on Forest Service lands and so Saturday we used my parents dually truck to find our perfect tree. We really wanted to take Sully but when we got to my parents we decided that Sully might not do so well on the back of the dually so he had to stay back with Jamie and wait for us to return.

When we got there Ace and I both realized we were expecting something a little different. We imagined we would drive up some dirt road and basically pull straight into a Christmas tree farm-type situation and have millions of perfect trees to choose from. Not so. Turns out we had to hunt and hike around for the perfect tree. But at dusk we found the perfect one for us.

One thing about this tree is that it has one base but as it grew it broke off into two trunks that run parallel to each other. We decided to cut it right below the split off so as not to lose any fullness from each branch but to also not have it too tall.

In the above picture it is hard to tell but there is a bird's nest. I thought it was pretty cool and we should definitely keep it but Ace thought it was kind of gross and cut right above the birds nest.

The reason Ace's backside is wet is because after we cut down the tree we decided it would be smart to see about how tall it was. Ace is about 6'1" so he laid down next to the tree. Turns out it was still a bit taller than Ace. When we got home we discovered it was a whole 4 1/2 feet taller than Ace. Trimming the Christmas tree took on a whole new meaning this year.

Somehow our tree survived all the random cuts here and there to make it fit in our house. And we were right, it is perfect!

Merry Christmas everyone. Hope your holiday traditions are as fun and full of as much love as ours are.

Stryker family in fall

Sorry for the delayed update. I was supposed to do it, but often it sounds boring. But now I really have something cool to write about, so here it is.

Presenting the Stryker family fall 2010 photos! These include Lace, me, Sully, and Baby Stryker in utero. It was hard getting him to smile for most of them, but we were able to salvage a few good ones. Getting Sully to sit still, on the other hand, was a nightmare, but his disposition lent itself to some funny candid shots.

A big thanks to Jeremy Wade Shockley, esteemed photographer at The Southern Ute Drum, for the pro photography!

Newest Addition to Our Family

And we thought this guy was the newest addition to our family. Little did we know:-)

Welcome baby Stryker! Now you can be shocked and worried about Ace and I caring for anyone besides ourselves, but you're just going to have to get in line.

We had our first doctor's appointment today and we will be 12 weeks tomorrow. I was excited to see there was something actually in there and that I wasn't just going crazy. 

I'm sure all babies move around like crazy but our little baby was JUMPING! Seriously this little person was bouncing everywhere. Ace and I both could hardly believe how much it was moving and that I couldn't even feel anything in the slightest.

It was so much fun to watch our little baby move all around and be so....alive:-). And the lady doing the ultrasound had us eating right out of her hand. She kept saying things like, "your baby is going to be so strong and healthy; just look at that jumping" or "I keep getting distracted because your baby is so cute." I kept thinking she must say this to everyone, but I didn't let it stop me from feeling happy from head to toe.

Ace was great!! I normally don't have him around for doctor's visits but I want him there for every single one from here on out. Lucky guy:-). The above picture is Ace's favorite. He says the baby looks like a boxer. I really am just so grateful to have such an amazing husband to be doing this crazy thing called parenthood with. I feel so very blessed.

Don't worry just a few more pictures. We actually had to narrow it down to just these ones.

Check out that heart beat! If you can't see the number in the bottom right hand corner it says 170 beats/minute. I think the nurse said the average is somewhere between 120 and 180. Now you get a better idea of just how crazy the bouncing was. 

Well that's it for now. This was a great day for us. Really crazy and surreal but a great day nonetheless. We will definitely have more great news and pictures to come.

921 East Oak Drive, baby

Ladies and gentlemen: presenting the Stryker residence.

We closed last Friday and plan to move in sometime next week. Sorry there's no interior shots in this post; I'll take some and upload them soon.

The basic setup is four bedrooms and two bathrooms in about 1,650 square feet on a half-acre lot. The house was built in '94 and is a couple blocks east of Bayfield Middle School. We're pretty psyched to have lots of room to grow and lots of lawn for the puppy to terrorize.

Ouray, the Switzerland of America

This Valentines day weekend, Ace planned a little get away for us. I feel bad because he always plans some sort of activity for EVERY special occasion and I just get to sit back and enjoy the show. I tried to offer to plan Valentines day but I think Ace knows just as well as I do that he is a much better party planner than I am. He enjoys doing all the research and is much more comfortable parting with our money for a good time. I'm ok to part with it once I'm in the moment but I have a hard time planning something and seeing the potential damage it could do to our checking account. Clearly in order for us both to have a good time, Ace will have to continue to plan every adventure we have. Glad I thought that through; now I don't feel as bad.

So onto our trip.


Our hotel: The Ouray Chalet. Has a nice ring to it don't you think?


The most expensive chocolates I've ever had. But we picked out the chocolates ourselves so I guess we paid extra to know exactly what was inside the mystery chocolates. Sometimes it can be quite a gamble if you don't know.

Hiking to Cascade Falls

Right after I dropped his camera in the snow. Luckily Mars and Kaitlin called shortly after and told us they were engaged. This helped Ace forget about the camera mishap. Congratulations Mars and Kaitlin!

Sledding down the trail
Before& After

Next stop: Ouray Hot Springs

I just love his sense of style:-P

Checking out the fish pond after our swim.

So one of the things we do really well when we vacation is eat out. Ace loves trying new places and if I even mention skipping a meal or getting a regular sandwich from the store it ruins his trip. So we eat out and we eat extremely well. By the end of our trip we were both pretty sick to our stomachs; but we still had one dinner left. So we went to a local joint and got a pizza to go. We ate through the pain, but felt grateful we could lay around in our hotel and feel sick comfortably for the rest of the night.

Friday night to Sunday morning. It was a shorter trip but a great one none the less. We really had a great time (thanks to Ace) and look forward to our next adventure.

The Lord giveth...

...and you know the rest.

Sorry it's taken a few days to write this post. It's been a busy week (and one with mixed emotions) at the Beck/Stryker home.

The biggest news is that Puppy No. 2, the one we called Sully, didn't make it. He gave one last big sigh and left us last Tuesday. He was buried out at the Fassett's ranch the next day. It was pretty hard on all of us, but I suppose there was a purpose. All I can come up with is how sometimes we need to be taught that things don't work out, that the happy ending isn't possible, so we can learn to cope with it when real challenges come along. If you've got a better explanation, let me know.

Anyway, Pup No. 1, who we're now calling Sully both in honor of the pilot and Pup. No 2, is doing fine. He's turning into a monster, in fact. A tiny, squeaky, fat monster who lays around and drinks his momma's milk all day. We're hoping he'll open his eyes any day now. I wonder if they'll be brown, like his mom's, or blue, like his dad's.

Guess we'll see.

Late delivery

Double the pleasure, double the fun.

We had a surprise visitor to the house yesterday... not sure what to call him yet, but he's cute as a button. Lacy's leaning toward "Sully," after Capt. Chesley Sullenberger, who miraculously landed a commercial airliner in the Hudson River a year ago.

And it is pretty miraculous: Jamie's water breaks Saturday night. When nothing has come out by noon on Sunday, we think maybe it's a pseudopregnancy and there's no pups at all. Then, just when I leave to go to the bathroom at about 12:55 p.m., she delivers Pup 1 (right). He's a pale, chunky fellow with an appetite that just won't quit. He and Jamie spent the night irritating each other: the pup because he apparently needs milk like he needs oxygen, and Jamie because she's only got one baby to lick and nudge around the kitchen floor.

So we get all excited. A puppy! Sure, it's only one, but he's healthy! Besides, her other litters were one and two, respectively. She's not, as Lacy's mom says, Fertile Myrtle. The end of a great story, right?

Wrong.

Jamie spends much of Monday morning apparently in pain, scooting around the house and yard as if trying to force out a big poo. Wisely, Lacy and her mom decide to take her to the vet. The verdict? Drumroll... another puppy is in there! It was mixed news. We're certain that if Jamie hasn't delivered it yet, it's likely dead. But the vet gives us some shots to start labor and at least get it out of her.

Surprise, surprise. Pup 2 (left) joins us Monday afternoon. He's smaller, darker and notably less active than his one-day-old brother, but he's doing OK so far. He has trouble nursing -- we've gotten him to take a good suck only a couple of times -- but he seems to be growing stronger with time. Obviously, we're keeping a close eye on him.

So now we need advice on not just one, but two, names. Any suggestions?

Our newest addition

I just wanted to clear something up real quick. Ace did create this blog but he has wanted this blog for years and is constantly nagging me to be a blogger. Im an avid journaler so I think I'll feel repetitive if I blog but after I write a few maybe Ace will realize he can be a guy and blog. It says nothing about him as a man. Or does it?

Anyway, glad that is all cleared up. So now onto our big news. We have a new member of our little family. Today at 12:55 our dog Jamie had a single puppy. The cutest little yellow lab ever! My parents are letting Ace and I have him but if we don't move out of their house in the near future he will pretty much be just as much their responsibility as ours. Maybe they didn't really think this through. Anyway we have been throwing around some names for the little guy and haven't found one that fits quite yet. We wanted to open it up to our friends; at least the two I know that follow this:-). If you have any great dog names for a little male lab let us now.

I made a blog

As promised, I made a blog. Now it's Lacy's turn to populate it with all sorts of fun, interesting stories and quirky photos.