Bittersweet Goodbyes...

We can hardly believe that another chapter in our lives is about to close and a new one begin. Colorado has been a lovely place to live and start a family. We have made many friends here that we will always remember and hopefully keep in touch with and see again. Smiley Court was an amazing place to live for our time at CU Boulder. The friends we made were more like extended family than neighbors. It has been hard being just 45 minutes away from them here in Denver. Thankfully we found a wonderful church in Golden where Jamie and the kids got connected to a MOPs group, which helped with the difficult transition from Boulder to Denver. As moving day is once again rapidly approaching we are quite busy, but so incredibly grateful for the fact that we will have packers and movers and that Ryan's company is paying for it - Praise the Lord!

Our lives in Wisconsin will change dramatically with family and old friends close by. We will be able to go to the Kohl family cabin, the Hall family Rendezvous, the Olsen family vacations to Old Deerfield as well as many other family functions and holidays. The first of which is Easter, yay, our kids get to experience the Olsen Family tradition of the egg hunt. Our kids will get to know their grandparents, cousins, aunts and uncles, and second cousins so much more than they would have being in Colorado. We look forward to this time of building family relationships as we are bound to someday be overseas and even further away (than Colorado).


Although the scenery, altitude and climate will change, we will still be able to enjoy our favorite outdoor activities: hiking, camping and fishing. And to that we will add swimming, canoeing, hunting, and horseback riding.

Goodbye to all of you that are in Colorado, we will miss you. Those of you that are in WI - we look forward to seeing you all very soon!

Another Year Gone By...

Happy New Year from the Del Balso Family! I used to sit down to write/type our newsletter thinking, “Wow, that was a busy year, maybe next year will settle down.” Alas, with two kids I am resigned to the fact that life will not likely slow down until we are at the empty nest stage or retired. As you can see from our blog (the last update was about a year ago) - life has been crazy!

One word can be used to describe 2009 for our family = TRANSITION! Jamie transitioned from pregnant to mom of two. Aviella transitioned from only child to big sister. Ryan transitioned from student to employee. Caelen transitioned from immobile infant to very mobile crawler. The whole family transitioned from a wonderful community at Smiley Court in Boulder to a rather lonely Green Mountain neighborhood in a suburb of Denver.

Caelen has brought great joy to our lives with his wonderful smile and cuddly nature (which Aviella never allowed). Recently he has been keeping us on our toes with his two missions in life – Move and Chew! At six months he skipped past the sitting phase (that I now fondly remember from when Aviella was an infant) and moved right into the army crawl. Now at eight months he still rarely sits, but rather props himself up on one arm so that he is ready to go. Cords and items plugged into outlets are of special interest to him. The one that really boggles our minds is the carbon monoxide detector, which emits an ear piercing alarm when removed from the outlet, but he gets so excited and zooms towards it.

Aviella has been an excellent big sister; making sure to care for her animals and babies the same way that mom cares for her brother. Her favorites get fed (breastmilk of course), diapers, cream when their bottoms are red and they enjoy being carried around in a sling. Now that Caelen is on the move, Aviella has moved into the role of “protector.” She is very good at telling him, “No, no, no;” and removing any and all toys in his path claiming that they are all hers. Aviella enjoys doing art (when mommy has time), playing with playdough, cooking/baking with mom and pretending. She loves the zoo, aquarium, pet store, fish store and parks – especially when there are dogs to pet. For awhile we just called everything a zoo and she was happy to go. However, when we got to the “zoo store” or “zoo park” or “zoo mall” she would keep saying, “No, I want to go to the other zoo!” I believe we chose the right theme for her second birthday party (Aviella’s Animal Adventure) – she had a blast, as did her friends that came.

Ryan realized that he would not be able to complete his PhD on the limited funds he was receiving, so he opted to finish with a Masters degree instead. While he still needs to finish a master’s project to get the actual degree, he set out to find a job. After interviews with several companies (mostly in Colorado) he started a job at Ambient Energy (a sustainable building design firm) in Denver, hence our move to Denver. In November Ryan was contacted by Summit Blue Consulting (one of the companies that previously interviewed him and is based in Boulder) with a job offer that will bring us back to WI (yippee!). He is training in the Boulder office for 3 months and then will transfer to the Madison, WI office. He is enjoying the new job and looks forward to being closer to family and hunting in WI again.

Jamie took a break from leading her English conversation group and caring for a neighbor’s son (Hunter) shortly before Caelen was born, but she did continue to serve as Secretary and Treasurer for CU Family Housing Resident Council through September. Due to the move in October to Denver she did not return to those activities. And she has been doing a lot of packing, unpacking and repacking for the next impending move. Although Jamie misses her friends at Smiley Court and hates to leave the beauty of Colorado as well as the sunshine and mild winter weather, she is excited to be closer to family and friends in WI.


We had the most amazing Christmas this year! Since we traveled to WI in August (avoiding the snow and frigid temperatures that we usually experience when traveling in December) and planning to move back in March, we settled in for a somewhat lonesome Christmas. Turns out having no place to go is a wonderful thing! We relaxed all day (stayed in our jammies) and the kids got to enjoy all of their gifts. I think we will try and keep this tradition (if possible) - at least Christmas morning we will stay put!

A Charlie Brown Christmas

Not only did we have a real "Charlie Brown Christmas Tree," but we focused on the true meaning of Christmas. This year Jamie was actually excited about Christmas, it was time to start our own family traditions. Although Aviella probably won't remember this Christmas as she gets older, she was old enough to be excited about the Christmas tree and other traditions that we started.


Our first tradition was to incorporate St. Nicholas Day (a fairly German holiday - prevalent in WI, but not many other states). On December 5th we picked out our Christmas tree and Ryan set it up in the house. Aviella seemed to enjoy picking out the tree (leary of the snow on the ground at first; she didn't want to walk on it) - there were doggies and reindeer at the place we got our tree. Our tree was not a farmed tree, but rather an "environmentally friendly" Charlie Brown tree that was removed from the National Forest to aid in preventing forest fires. Anyway, that night we decorated the tree and the house for Christmas. When Aviella woke up on St. Nicholas Day, not only did she have a stocking with some presents, but the house was filled with the spirit of Christmas. She was in awe of the tree and snowflakes hanging in the hallway.

Our next tradition was to make our version of the Advent Wreath and light the candles on Sunday evenings before dinner. We also started a tradition to give our kids three gifts from us for Christmas representing what Jesus received from the three Wise men; one gift being educational, one practical, and one fun. We also purchased (and received) some books on the true meaning of Christmas and who the real St. Nicholas was which we plan to read during the Christmas season to our children as they grow up.

In addition to our tradition making, we had a fun-filled Christmas party for friends in our community here at Family Housing. Lots of laughs were had during the white elephant gift exchange, especially the "bedazzled" toilet seat!! We also enjoyed a "Christmas tea" and playtime with our British and South African neighbors who served mince pies and mulled wine (or grape juice for those of us pregnant/nursing). There were German, Japanese, Korean friends there too. For Christmas Eve we invited a Chinese couple that we are friends with to join us for church and dinner. It was a great time to share the true meaning of Christmas with them - prior to this year they thought that American Christmas was just about gifts and Santa (everything the children wanted)! After opening gifts on Christmas morning, relaxing for a bit and packing for our trip back to WI, we ate a Christmas dinner with some of our Korean friends. It was a very International Holiday for us this year; we had a wonderful time.

Our trip back to WI was enjoyable (aside from the two day drive) and extremely busy. We saw lots of family and friends and Aviella enjoyed all the doggies and horses she met as well as all the people. We were amazed at how well she did and how comfortable she seemed to be with our friends and family that she rarely gets to see (except in pictures). Unfortunately we did not make it up to LaCrosse, to visit Ryan's extended family as we had hoped, but maybe we will make it back for the Family Rendezvous in August. Ryan got sick while in WI and was somewhat miserable most of the time we were there. It was good to get home and sleep in our own beds.

We wish everyone a Happy New Year!

Facebook is to blame!

Sorry friends, we have joined the world of Facebook - or at least Jamie has which means that our blog has gone by the way side. Well, Facebook is only partially to blame. So, we will try to bring you up to speed on our lives.


Let's see, Jamie applied for a Resident Manager position and was accepted, but then turned it down. We decided that moving less than a year after we moved here (into an even smaller space) was not something we were interested in after all. So, plan B - Jamie gets elected onto Resident Council and gets a summer job as a nanny in Longmont (about 20 min from Boulder) for a six year old boy about 15 hours a week, and Aviella comes with her. Worked out well, but probably won't do that again. Now Jamie is babysitter/nanny for a neighbor and that is going swimmingly! The first two weeks were a bit rough, before Aviella was walking. She didn't really like Mommy holding another baby (Hunter is currently 9 months). Now the two enjoy playing together and always seem excited to see each other (at least the squeals and grabbing faces seems to mean excitement). Jamie is still leading an English conversation group and has also become involved in two Bible studies - one for international and American women and the other is a couple's study with some international families as well.

Ryan finished his first year of classes and then took a May-mester course (3 1/2 hour class everyday for three weeks of May plus homework, hence the name May-mester). During the summer he worked on a research project and neither of us really had time for a vacation. :( Ryan did, however, attend a conference at Berkeley and was able to spend a short period of time with his brother Anthony and family. We were all sad that Aviella and Jamie were not able to join them, but we are excited that Anthony, Sandi and the girls will be coming to Boulder for Thanksgiving! :) Ryan has since started his fall semester and been recommended for a fellowship, which funding is to begin mid-October - woo hoo!! Consequently, Ryan's schedule has gotten busier than he had anticipated. He had to add a math class for the fellowship, had already agreed to a contract job, takes his preliminary exam at the beginning of November and has a weekly and bi-weekly meeting with his advisors for thesis credits and fellowship stuff. Until the end of November he will continue to be a bit stressed, once he takes the prelims he has much catch-up work to do in the math course.

We received somewhat of a surprise visit from Ryan's sister Nicki and her husband Page, because of some last minute changes in plans due to Nicki's pregnancy. We enjoyed dinner and breakfast with them before they flew out of Denver. Unfortunately Ryan was in CA at his conference when they returned, but Jamie and Aviella were able to enjoy a picnic lunch with them before they headed back to CA via Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons. We were all joyously shocked to learn that Nicki is pregnant with twins!! Sadly, Page will be in Iraq when the babies are born. Maybe he will be able to be present at the birth via satellite.

Aviella turned one in September and was walking at her first birthday. She took her first steps after we returned from our only summer vacation (the week before Ryan's classes began again). For awhile she was crawling more than walking, but now she is always walking and she is getting pretty good - although we think she kind of looks like a drunken sailor. Aviella's first birthday party was a hit! Grandpa Jim and Lulu came out for the occasion and we had lots of neighbors and friends around to help us celebrate this milestone. Aviella has a few words: mommy, daddy, baby/bobby, and doggie (sometimes sounds very similar to her word for daddy). She loves animals, especially dogs. When she sees them she squeals and shakes with sheer delight.


Oh, one more minor thing. We are glad that she has already learned the word for baby (although everything seems to be a "baby") since she will have a sibling in the very near future. That's right, we are expecting our second child - sometime at the end of April. Well, that should get us caught up to date. Now we need to update the Shutterfly account with recent pictures.

Speedy Recovery in WI

Recently Aviella and Jamie flew to WI to help Jamie's mom (Oma to Aviella) after her knee surgery. Oma had partial knee replacements in both knees!! Jamie helped with the cooking and horses - cleaning and preparing the stalls for evening. Aviella helped speed up Oma's recovery. When we arrived Oma was walking with a walker around the house, but by the time we left Oma was using a cane and walking down to the barn - she was even cleaning stalls (because Jamie got sick)!

Before Aviella and Jamie left Ryan for almost two weeks they made and hung up posters around the house letting Daddy know how much he was loved and would be missed while they were gone. They even made cards to send back periodically during the two weeks. Ryan was very appreciative of the posters and cards - he missed both Jamie and his little girl.

Aviella got to know her Oma and Opa quite well while in WI. She really enjoyed pulling on her Opa's mustache and reaching for his glasses. They even did tummy time together. Tucker and Tanner are Oma and Opa's dogs that Aviella was fascinated by; they made her laugh and she enjoyed touching their soft fur.

Jamie arranged a few play dates with friends and their children while in WI. Aviella got to meet lots of people and had fun playing with the other children. She loves to "talk" to other babies and children, it is so much fun to see and hear. Cousin Ryleigh and Auntie Marcy came for a weekend visit; Ryleigh is a little over a year and a half old. Once when Aviella woke up from her nap Ryleigh heard her crying through the monitor and picked it up to say hello to Aviella and let her know that "we're comin'." It was so cute, we all got a good laugh out of it. Grandma Hall also came over to spend some time with Aviella. Unfortunately Jamie got violently ill the night before her stamping party, so we did not see all the friends that we had hoped to see. Jamie was able to recover enough to celebrate Grandpa Jim's 60th birthday at Auntie Andrea and Uncle Shane's house before returning to Colorado.

While in WI Jamie also took care of some tasks related to the sale of our house, we close on the 27th of March. We give thanks and praise to God for this and thank all of you who have been praying.

You can see more pictures from our trip and the friends we visited (as well as the last six months of Aviella's life) at: www.aviellanadira.shutterfly.com.

Aviella got her first meal of baby rice cereal after we returned to Colorado. Daddy wanted to be a part of that experience and mommy didn't want to deal with making baby food while out of town. Aviella is now six months old, eating baby food and sitting on her own.

Wow, Time Flies!

Sorry it has been so long since we have updated our blog - I guess life kind of spun out of control for awhile there. Ryan's first semester was incredibly busy with three classes plus the TA position (and becoming a new father), so we thought he would try to slow down this semester and only take two classes along with the TA position, but apparently that wasn't enough for his schedule because an interesting research project came up that may lead to his dissertation topic. To simplify, it is a geothermal research project on an indian reservation in South Dakota (a place Jamie has actually heard of because YouthWorks! has a site there). Anyway, we will try to catch you up on what has happened in our lives since the beginning of October.

Let's see, Aviella had her first bath - she hated it! Due to the dry climate we waited nearly a month to give her a bath. She still hates baths, but some are worse than others. Aviella experienced her first Halloween and had a really cute "Pink Panther" costume thanks to Ryan's Dad and Mary Lou.

In November we did some traveling with Aviella. She had her first plane ride and first long car trip. Ryan's sister Nicki got married in Orange County, CA the weekend before Thanksgiving. Aviella did wonderfully on the plane and we enjoyed seeing family. Nicki was a beautiful bride!! For Thanksgiving we visited Jamie's friend Amanda and her husband Christian's family in the SW part of Colorado - should be a six hour drive, but turned into an eight hour drive due to traffic and snow, as well as crazy mountain passes. Before the trip, Amanda told Jamie that it was possible to safely nurse while in the car with your seatbelt on and we discovered that this was true. It saved us some time and frustration. Aviella wasn't very interested in taking the bottles that Jamie had prepared for her (and worked hard to produce). Thankfully the trip home was exactly six hours, including stops and Aviella slept most of the way.

December was fairly busy. Jamie organized and facilitated a Tea/Brunch for International Women through the ministry that she is involved (Horizons). Despite a very snowy day we were happy with the turn out. Ryan was busy finishing up projects for his classes - he wasn't home much. December also brought us an extremely long car trip back to WI for the holidays. Somewhat of a nightmare, at least for Ryan and Jamie; Aviella seemed to do just fine, but she was extremely tired of her car seat by the end of the drive. What others told us takes about 16 hours took us 21. We were tempted to spend the night somewhere, but by then the weather was deteriorating and was expected to be worse the next day. Arriving at Jamie's parents' house around 4am after 8 hours of driving through fog at night started the trip off poorly, not sure if we caught up on our lack of sleep until we returned to CO. We enjoyed our time in WI seeing family and friends, but cut our trip a bit short for Aviella's sake as she was getting sick and lost her voice. If you have never heard a baby cry that has lost its voice, it is really sad!

Hmmm, January was actually somewhat low key. We reorganized the living room and storage unit (actually this happens nearly every time we have to take something out or put something in it). We spent most of the month getting Aviella on a nap/sleep schedule. The first few days were horrible (at least for Jamie), but now it is wonderful!! She was a great night time sleeper fairly early, sleeping 7-9 hour stretches. Now she sleeps 11-12 hours at night and just this week she has started a more consistent nap schedule and sleeping close to two hours. Jamie is ecstatic about this!!

We anticipate a fairly busy February and March. Jamie already had another Women's Tea and is also involved in starting a "Parent Support Group" in Family Housing. Ryan turns 31 one this month (Valentine's Day) and Jamie and Aviella will be traveling to WI (Feb. 27 - Mar. 11) to help Jamie's mom after her knee surgery. Ryan will be home alone to work on his research and fend for himself for nearly two weeks (he might not make it through!).

More Pictures

You can find more pictures of Aviella by clicking on the "View my complete profile" link on the right of this blog page. From there click on the "My Web Page" link on the left side of the blog page (under our photo). We will update this Web page with new pictures of Aviella whenever we have new pictures (and time to upload them).