October 22, 2005

Hello Everyone,

Well life has just gotten interesting for our family. We are expecting our second child sometime around May 7, 2006. I think it is just now finally starting to sink in. We are very excited and maybe a little scared. My first trimester has been tough, as I have been having terrible nausea since we found out. It has been a long 6 or so weeks for everyone. I may have been the one sick but Rob and Kade are the ones who had to put up with me. I am just praying that it will end soon so we can get back to somewhat of a normal life, well at least a life where I am not constantly sick. We will be sure to update you with any new news that may happen as far as the baby. Hopefully it will be a smooth pregnancy and we will have a very healthy baby when it is all said and done.

Our summer has been extremely busy and we are looking forward to a quieter fall. We have done a ton of traveling this summer. It started with a trip to Evergreen, CO for my great friend Amy’s wedding. She married Chris Johnson and it was a wonderful time. You can see pictures in our “photos” section soon. Then we spent the 4th with friends here in Fort Collins only to turn around and head off to Mexico. Rob’s sister, CC, got married in Playa Del Carmen, Mexico. She married Mike Swabowski. Kade loved the pool, beach, ocean and all of the younger cousins that were there. He got terribly spoiled with lots of attention and play buddies. After that was a Leben family reunion. Leben is my grandmother’s maiden name. That was up in Winter Park, CO and most of my mom’s family was in attendance. We enjoyed the week of family and as usual Kade got spoiled again. We finished off the month with a camping trip to Red Feathers Lake with friends. It was fun and Kade really enjoyed the outdoors.

That was just July. The first week of August Kade and I spent a week in Albuquerque with my family. We both enjoyed getting to see not only family but some friends as well. Rob was in Costa Rica for work but managed to enjoy one weekend while he was there. The rest of the month was spent hosting company and enjoying our warm summer days at the pool and lake. We did take a quick trip to Austin, TX. Rob was offered a job there so we went to check it out since neither of us had ever been. In the end we decided that it wasn’t the right opportunity for our family at this time. Having another baby sure makes you really think through such decisions. Plus we really love Fort Collins and it is going to take a lot to get us out of here.

September, my where has September gone? We spent Labor Day weekend at the lake, well one day anyways, and enjoying Windsor harvest festival. The kids, Kade and his friend Megan, loved the parade even though it was extremely hot. The following weekend we had friends in town. It was great to see them and show them a little bit of Fort Collins and Colorado. Then it was back to Albuquerque. Rob had to work the first part so we just tagged along. It was good to have my mom to help take care of Kade and me while I was so sick. Then Rob and I headed up to Taos for a long weekend to celebrate our 5-year wedding anniversary. Five years, it is hard to believe. We had the best time we could considering my predicament. We did a lot of relaxing, reading and eating.

Now it is the middle of October and I can hardly believe it. We just spent the day at “The Farm” petting the animals and getting some pumpkins. I suppose Halloween will be here in the blink of an eye. I am looking forward to Kade’s reaction to trick or treating this year. I wonder, is he old enough to really get it yet? We soon shall find out. We hope everyone is doing great and has had a wonderful summer. We also hope to hear from those we haven’t in awhile soon. Enjoy the fall since the holidays are right around the corner.

Love,
Jen, Rob and Kade