Denver Zoo

Last weekend we headed up to the Denver Zoo for the day. The boys were very excited as the remembered the polar bears and the sea lions from the last time we were there. We saw almost pretty much everything, and the boys loved guiding us around with their maps. The decided to ride the carousal instead of the train, because this carousel as all different kinds of animals they could ride on, not just horses like at our zoo - very exciting! We had lunch there, let the boys splash in the water area, stopped and fed Livi a couple of times and then the kids and I headed home while Justin went over to a friends to watch football (the first day of the NFL season). We had a great morning and all the kids took great naps on the way home - a rarity around these parts.

Pictures from Family Weekend

 

Here are some pictures from Labor weekend - enjoy!

Family Weekend

Over Labor Day weekend we had a great family weekend! We started the weekend off with a trip to Focus on the Family so the boys could play. Nolan loved the play area and climbed everything in the room all by himself - he is a little monkey when it comes to climbing! Tyler was excited to go down the big slide, and Carter was once again sad that he couldn't go. He has been feeling left out a lot lately I think (not getting to go to Kindergarten, etc) so we told him he would get to pick out something for Sunday. When we got back from Focus, the big boys and I went to a pottery store where they each got to pick out a piece and paint it. Tyler picked a plane and Carter picked a robot. They both had a great time with it and did great jobs painting.
On Sunday  morning we went to the balloon festival. We had never gone in the morning and the boys seemed to enjoy watching them lift off. After that we had a nice breakfast put. That afternoon, we took a family hike. We told Carter he could pick where we would hike. He wanted to go to Yellowstone, so we compromised on a park closer to Yellowstone - Fox Run. The boys all had a great job on the hike and then walking around the lake. They were tired on the way back but they both finished strong, running to the car at the end, Nolan seemed to enjoy riding in the backpack with Justin and Olivia slept in the front pack on me the entire walk.  We mostly spent the day at home on Monday, enjoying the extra day together. It was a great weekend!

Zoo Trip!

Yesterday Justin had off so we took our first trip of the year to the zoo. It was a little chilly, but not too bad. The boys were so excited t be back at the zoo and Nolan had a few firsts as well  - getting licked by a giraffe and feeding the birds with daddy. Enjoy the pictures!!!

Cripple Creek Ice Festival

Last weekend we headed up to Cripple Creek to see all the ice sculptures. It was smaller than we thought ti would be, but still a good time. They had an ice slide that they boys got to go down many times and snow cones, where the flavoring went through on of the sculptures. The best part it was all free. The boys favorite one was the one that was Star Wars inspired. They also like the Dr Seuss inspired one. We went the first weekend so they were all still in the process of being made - pretty cool to watch. After getting some ice cream we headed home - all in a great family Sunday activity!

Fishes all Around

Last week Tyler was learning about sea life at school. Everyday he would ask if we could go to the Denver Aquarium, so on Friday we picked Justin up from work and went.  For dinner we went a seafood place. The boys got their usual mac and cheese and chicken but I loved my shrimp and Justin enjoyed his alligator.  From there it was off to the aquarium. When we got there we found out it was actually family night so we got free face painting and the boys learned a sea life dance. They seemed to enjoy it at least. Like always the aquarium always seems very quick to go through, but the boys love it none the less. Tyler was very excited to see the tiger sharks and the jelly fish. Carter liked finding the turtles and the sting rays. However neither of them were brave enough to feed one - they left that up to mommy to do. Nolan slept through most of it, but when he did wake up he seemed to enjoy looking at the bright tanks. All in all a great fun night.

The Aspens that Weren't

Yesterday we had planned to take a drive and go see all the aspens changing color. We decided to take a different route this year and because of the location and a fire that happened 10 years ago we really didn't even see one single aspen tree. However we still had a great time. The boys napped for well over an hour on the way up. Right as they woke up it was time to feed Nolan so we pulled over and the boys got to take walk around the river, climb on rocks, and explore some. From there we drove on and happened to drive by Woodbine Ranch, the camp Justin worked at one summer in college. Justin jumped at and walked around some. He found some people who told us that the camp is now an ecological center but we are welcome to walk around. So we "hiked" according to the boys, all around the property and I finally got to see with my eyes all the places I have heard about from stories for the past 10 years. The boys thought it was really cool that daddy made some the stairs that we walked on! At the fire pit we talked about how the kids would sing songs around the fire. Tyler asked what kind of songs and we told him they were songs about a very important person. Tyler's answer was "that would be Jesus!".  He was right of course. We got back in the car and headed home for a quick bath before going to Heather's house or game night. It was a great family day, even if we didn't see any aspens.

Denver Zoo

On Sunday we thought we thought we would do one last family fun activity while we are still a family of four. So we headed off to the denver zoo. It was very hot, but we still had a good time. We got to watch the sea lion show, see polar bears, giraffes, elephants, flamingos, etc. The boys seemed to really enjoy it, but you could tell the heat was getting to them. I have never seen them walk so slow through a zoo before! They also had fun climbing on all the statues, getting some ice cream as a special treat and seeing animals we don't have at our zoo. Most of them were sleeping or staying in the shade however. They also talked about the differences between the two zoo. Like our zoo the grizzly bears have water with fish in it and the denver zoo doesn't, or how we can feed the giraffes at our zoo but not this one. And how our zoo has three baby giraffes and the denver zoo only has one. They fell asleep pretty quickly once we were back on the road again. It was a very fun morning!

Mother's Day

I had a very nice Mother's Day with my boys. It was a gorgeous day and we had a lot of fun enjoying the weather outside. We went out and bought some flowers and planted them in the garden. Carter enjoyed digging in the dirt more than Tyler, who enjoyed riding his "motorcycle" around and playing fire fighters in the van. They both loved spraying each other with the hose however. How Tyler wan think its funny to spray himself in the face with water, but still doesn't like bath time is beyond me. The flowers look great for now, unfortunately is suppose to snow tonight so we will see how they fair. When we were done planting we went up to Fox Run for a little walk around the ponds. A few other people had thrown bread in to the ponds so the boys loved watching for the fish to come up and eat it. They also liked watching another kid catch a craw fish. From there we went over to Heather's for a yummy dinner along with Leah and Seth and Marj and Nate. A very nice, relaxing Mother's day indeed! I am so blessed to have all these boys in my life!

Family Weekend

We has a great weekend as a family. On Saturday we took the boys out for a bike ride. Nana brought Noah's bike with no pedals up for Carter to use in hopes that maybe he would ride that when she came and visited last week. Tyler also got new knee and elbow pads from Nana for his birthday so the boys were very excited to go. We went to the elementary school by our house in hopes that a big open space would help the boys. Tyler did very well riding his, only needing help a few times to get started. Carter walked on Noah's bike for long enough for me to get a few pictures before he was done. We then played on the playground before running some errands and heading home. That afternoon Justin took the boys to a local high school football game while I got my haircut. The boys were tired of the game as I was finishing up my haircut so I went to get Tyler and Carter so Justin would watch the rest of the game.

On Sunday afternoon we headed up to Cripple Creek to see the aspens. They haven't all changed yet but it was still beautiful to see. In Cripple Creek we stopped to get some ice cream before heading back down and taking some pictures. When we were out of the car the boys wanted to go hiking. Unfortunately they were in flip flops so we didn't go to far. We got some nice pictures however. Now that high school football season has started its not common that we have the whole weekend together where Justin isn't working. It was a wonderful weekend spent together.

Weekend Tidbits

We had a great family of weekend of doing yard work and just spending time together. Tyler has continued to behave better so that always helps. On Friday night I ran some errands and came home to my boys doing one of Justin's favorite things.

On Saturday we were doing yard work right below Justin and I's bedroom window. This is when the highlight of my weekend happened. Tyler went up to our room so he could wave to us. Once he got up there he said hi to everyone and I asked him to come down. Before he did he says "Carter I love you." Carter then showed him the I love you sign and blew him a kiss*. My heart melted.

We also went to the park one night where the boys had a great time. They loved walking around the pond and then playing on the merry-go-round. It was a great weekend!

*A note about Carter doing the I love you sign. He loves to do it and shows it to me quite often. However when he tries to count with his hand it gets in the way. When he counts to two he shows his pointer and ring finger (like a baseball player showing outs). Carter notices this then gets outs his thumb to tell me I love you. So far he hasn't counted past two on his fingers.

A Hiking We Will Go

Justin had the morning off to day so we headed off to Palmer Park for a nice family hike. We have been wanting to do this for a while and I am glad we finally got to it. The boys were so excited to go hiking in the woods. At first we had to keep getting on them for running ahead of us, but then we all had a nice hike through the woods. Carter loved seeing a cactus and then would point them out whenever we saw another one (which were a lot) by yelling "Look! Cactees!". Tyler liked finding butterflies and bike tracks (which he thought were snake prints) along the trail. Tyler got tired sooner, but Carter could have gone all day if we let him. I shouldn't be surprised as he is the one always wanting to go on walks. Once we were done with our hike we went and played on the playground a little bit before having a picnic lunch. After a stop for some ice cream on the way home (a prize for Carter's potty chart) the boys had great nap and are still talking about our hike. What a great morning!

In Remembrance

We had a busy Memorial Weekend planned with a LOT of yard work to do. Unfortunately because of the rain, we could only work for a few hours every morning. We still managed to get a lot done and the boys loved helping us plant the flowers and getting all muddy. We did get done what we most wanted to do, which was plant some flowers in remembrance of our baby that we lost. We planted some yellow day lily's in memory. We also redid our other flower garden and planted some annuals in a big pot that has been sitting by our front door since we moved in. This is the first time we have ever tried planting flowers, so we are hoping that it works out ok. The boys are already asking to go and water the flowers again, so maybe with their help the flowers have a chance.

A Climbing We Will Go

Today Justin had the day off so we took full advantage. The weather was beautiful, so we went to Garden of the Gods for some "hiking on rocks". The boys did great and we all had a great time. It is so fun to watch how much more they can do now from just a few months ago. They scampered up rocks pretty quick and had no problem handling the soft ground. The boys also loved finding bird feathers throughout the park on different rocks. We then went out to lunch where the boys behaved great and headed home for great naps. I love days like this, life is good.

Fun Family Day

Yesterday Justin didn't have to work, which was the first Saturday since Christmas and probably the last one off til mid March or April so we took advantage of it. After soccer class we headed up to the Aquarium. We stopped for lunch on the way and Carter burst into tears because he wanted to "see da fishys". After Justin promised him that we were still going to see them he was fine again.

The boys loved the aquarium. Tyler says his favorite part was feeding the sting rays, even tho he was scared to get to close to them. Carter's favorite part was the jelly fish, although he really seemed to enjoy seeing the shark's teeth as well. On the way home Tyler told me he was growing up. When I told him that he was and asked him if he should go to school next year he started crying and said "no I want to be a sting ray when I grow up". He then took off his socks and shoes because sting rays can't wear those.

After some quiet time I took Carter to go pick out a movie for Family Movie Night. I had a lot of fun taking just Carter. He did very well in the store and helped me pick out Madagascar 2. He then sang for me all the way home. After some pizza for dinner we settled down with popcorn and watched the movie together. The boys seemed to like it a lot and didn't even get nervous. Life is good.

Winter Wildland

Once again I am behind on the blog. On Sunday night the four of us and Heather went to the zoo to see all the Christmas lights. Its gorgeous seeing all their lights and then the city lights from Cheyenne Mountain. The boys of course just love going to the zoo any chance they can get.

We feed the giraffes inside, which made them so close to us. Carter even got a little nervous. Then we headed out to see the other animals. When we got to the Mountain Lions, Santa Claus had just left them with a treat so they were awake, running and climbing and eating their snack. After watching the lions for a little bit (Justin and Heather would have loved to watch more) we ran to catch up with Santa. A nice surprise was that we found out Santa is a Christian! He asked the boys why he only brings three gifts (of course they don't really even get that Santa brings gifts) and then told them because it represents the Three Wise Men and the gifts they gave Jesus. Any more than three gifts and they are from someone else. It was nice to tie in this experience to why we really celebrate the holiday.

We found out that Santa would be feeding the hippos at 8:15, and we knew the boys would love that, so we decided to stay a little longer, have some hot cocoa,ride the carousel (which Carter giggles the whole way thru and waved to everyone) and then go see the hippos. We got there early, but it was great because we got to see the hippos eat a bunch of hay and then get into the water and play. They were playing with a ball and would shoot it up high in the air. Tyler got scared at this point and wanted to leave. It turns out he was nervous from everyone around yelling in excitement about the hippos. He was fine again after a few minutes. While waiting the boys also got to pet a snake and see Santa's reindeer.

Then Santa finally came. They first gave the hippos some bread that was cut into the shapes of trees and stockings. Then Santa brought out two cantaloupes. He put a whole cantaloupe into the hippos mouth and they just ate it right up - very cool! After talking to Santa some more we then took a ride up the Mountaineer ride, which is a ski lift to the top of the mountain. We saw great views and then met Mrs Claus at the top and colored some pictures for the animals. We then rode back down, got in the car and the boys were asleep within two minutes. It was a great night and the boys are still talking about it.

More Snow

On Sunday morning it started snowing and didn't end til late Sunday night. By 4 in the afternoon we already had a good 9 inches! The boys had a blast helping us shovel the driveway. I am hoping Carter finally learned not to take his mittens off. He kept taking them off and then start crying because his hands were cold. When we went inside we was then screaming in pain because they hurt so much thawing out. We talked about why they hurt a lot so I am hoping he made the connection. To help everyone warm up they boys all got some hot cocoa - always a special treat.

Because of all the snow both Justin and I stayed home today. We took the opportunity to take the boys to the doctor. I wanted to make sure Tyler's strep was clearing up and they both have had some bad coughs for a few days. They only have colds, as their lungs and ears all sound good. Hopefully in a few days they will start feeling better. We are also going to put Carter on soy milk for a couple weeks to help his tummy feel better. We then went grocery shopping, took some naps (very short ones) and played games. All in all a very nice family day!

Thankful Turkeys

We are having a nice quiet Thanksgiving with our family of four here at home. Right now Justin is roasting a chicken (since there are only four of us) and the boys are playing nicely. We woke up this morning and watched some of the Macy's parade. The boys loved the floats and the balloons this year. We also made a hand turkeys and wrote what we are thankful for on each finger tip. Tyler is thankful for mommy, daddy, Carter and animals. Carter is thankful for mommy, daddy, Tyler, and Hana. Tonight after a delicious meal we will watch a Christmas movie and have a special treat of ice cream.

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving with your loved ones remembering all the things that God has blessed you with. Happy Thanksgiving!

Fall Fun

Fall is here and we love it. The weather has been very warm too, which while not fall like, its great for outside time. Today the boys had a great time jumping in leaves, and raking them up. Then it was onto to pumpkins.

We decided that we would carve out pumpkins this year. Tyler told us he wanted a pumpkin with circle eyes, a circle nose and a happy face with 5 teeth. Carter picked one of the four pumpkins faces I drew and then told us he wanted one tooth. We let them play with the little pumpkin with kid friendly pumpkin knives while we cleaned out their pumpkin. While Justin was carving away the boys "helped" me roast the pumpkin seeds. They ate a couple before declaring them yucky.

The boys favorite part was putting the candle inside them and watching them light up. Sorry the pictures aren't of the kids. When I tell Tyler he needs to open his eyes he then thinks its funny if he keeps them close. Carter is two, so naturally he won't stand still for anything, let alone a picture.

Trunk or Treat

This afternoon my mom's group did a trunk or treat. The kids dress up in their halloween costumes and go from car to car "trunk or treating". We all had a ball. This year Tyler saw a giraffe costume in a catalog and had to be a giraffe. So we decided that Carter could be the monkey that Tyler was last year - after all he does climb everywhere.

At the trunk or treat there was an extra special surprise. Firefighters and their ladder truck was there! The boys had a blast climbing in and out of the truck. Tyler quickly grew tired of his costume and took it off. The firefighters closed the truck doors and Tyler then decided that our van was his fire truck - so he spent a lot of time in there.

All the kids then did a parade of costumes for the firefighters and they judged who had the best costumes. Tyler of course just watched, since he didn't want to put his costume back on. After that was done it was off to the candy. The boys did very well saying thank you every time and only taking one piece. Tyler then had to go and show the firefighters every piece of candy he got. He was totally obsessed with the truck and firefighters. He has never been one to talk to people, but if its a firefighter you can't get him to be quiet. It was very cool to see. Once we got all out goodies the firefighters announced the winners. Carter won cutest boy!!!! Of course we can't argue that!

They then opened the truck back up so the boys got to climb around it some more. Carter found a seat in the back and happily sat there for a good ten minutes. Tyler then told me he was ready to go (we didn't get naps today) so we watched the fire tuck leave - with its lights and sirens on and headed home. As we were leaving I asked Tyler if he wanted to be a firefighter one day. His answer "I am a firefighter now".