Another Zoo Trip

On Friday,before Nana, Bapa, and Aunt Dawn had to leave for the airport, we headed up to the zoo. It was a great trip filled with feeding the giraffes, riding the ponies, riding the carousel, and seeing almost all the animals. Tyler got the orangutans to kiss at him again. Carter wouldn't do it because he was "scared of all the people". Since it was in the 70's the zoo was pretty crowded. We also got to see a grizzly bear chewing a branch to pieces while swimming in the water. After the trip we went to a quick lunch before we had to say goodbye. Luckily Nana and Bapa will be back to visit soon and the boys can't wait!

Bapa, Nana, and Aunt Dawn!

On Wednesday afternoon, Nana, Bapa, and Aunt Dawn came to visit. They also brought Griffin and Noah along with them. I woke Tyler and Carter from their naps which was probably a mistake. For the first five minutes or so the boys didn't want to do anything but cuddle with me. Once Aunt Dawn brought out puzzles life was fine again. Carter had a blast playing cars with Noah and Tyler loved learning how to play Go Fish with Griffin. Soon after Uncle Boyd, Aunt Sharalee, and Faith arrive. We all played some more before the Gunnison Pedersons headed up to Denver. Once Justin got home we all went to Red Robin for Bapa's birthday. Once again the boys favorite part was watching them sing happy birthday to Bapa. When we came home we got the turkey ready, put the boys to bed, and then Nana, Aunt Dawn, Justin and I played some fun card games. The boys always love it when Aunt Dawn, Nana, and Bapa visit!

Nana Visits!

Nana came to visit for part of the week. The boys had a wonderful time with Nana doing new puzzles that Nana brought (they did them over and over again), reading books, and playing with her. Every morning they would argue over who would be the one that got to wake Nana up. When we got home from church on Thursday to find that Nana went back home the boys were very sad. We can never get enough Nana time in! Thanks for coming Nana!

Congrats Lindsay and Randy!

On Sunday Justin and I went up to Denver to celebrate Lindsay and Randy getting married while Nana watched the boys. I am told they were great for Nana, which is always music to my ears. We had a great time at the reception catching up with old friends and having a fun night out. Justin picked out my dress and shoes himself and I even got my hair done!! Thanks for watching them Nana so we could have a night out!

St Louis Day Three

The boys were awake by 6 am this morning so we let them watch t.v. and had a lazy morning in the hotel room. Around noon everyone met up again and we decided to go to The Magi House, otherwise known as the Children's Museum. Because of a marathon that was running right in front of the hotel it took us an hour just to get onto the highway. However this was perfect as it allowed the boys to nap.

The Children's Museum is awesome. They have things for kids of all ages. The boys had an absolute blast. Carter loved to play in the water works, where they have a bunch of water tables set up. Tyler loved the car that he was allowed to "fix" They had wheels you could put on, you checked under the hood, checked all the filters, etc. Both of the boys also liked getting to "fish". They have magnetic fish that you catch and then release in another part of the building, You get to watch your fish swim back down stream to the pond. Their favorite part however had to be the construction site. They had a site where a house was being built. The boys got to lay tile, put pipes together for a bathroom, sit in a loader, wear hard hats, and move around rock gravel in wheel barrows. Can't get better than that for our boys! At the museum we said good bye to the Minnesota gang and also The Chicago Pedersons.

For dinner that night the rest of us walked to a pizza joint. This was the one time in the whole trip we had issues with Tyler. However after a time out he shaped up pretty quick. Nana and the Gunison Pedersons were going up to Chicago the next day so we made plans for the morning and made it to bed at bedtime for once.

St Louis Day Two

The boys slept in til 8, which Justin and I were very happy about. We woke up to see that Uncle Lee, Aunt Dana, Alex, Andy, and Zac made it to the hotel late the night before. We had breakfast together and then went outside the front of the hotel to see a parade passing by. The kids all loved the candy and necklaces that were given out. Once the Minnesota crew (Aunt Dawnie, Uncle Duane, Kim, Theron, and now Kayley) arrived we headed out to the St Louis Zoo.

The zoo there is huge and there is so much to see. Of course the boys loved seeing the hippos, but there were also seals, elephants, a huge penguin exhibit, a children's zoo (which we didn't go to), monkeys galore, and a train that went around the whole zoo. I would say we were there for a good four hours and only saw a third of the zoo.

After the zoo everyone went back to the hotel to take naps. However our boys fell asleep before we even left the parking lot so we just drove around for an hour or so while they napped. Once they woke up we went to Dawnie's room and the boys got to eat a bunch of sweets and play with Theron. For dinner that night the hotel found a place for our gang of 21. We ate dinner where all 9 kids acted very well and then it was onto bed. Once again no problems with the boys falling asleep.

St Louis Day One

For a mini family reunion on the Pederson side we took a long weekend trip to St Louis. Because of a snow storm we had to leave around 5am to make sure we would make it to the airport on time Friday morning. Tyler was so excited to ride on the plane again that he woke up at 4. The boys once again did great on the plane. We checked their carseats this time so I was somewhat concerned about them in their seats, but Carter only tried to take off his seat belt once and then it wasn't a problem. Tyler slept for maybe 20 minutes of the ride while Carter slept none.

When we got off the plane Nana and Bapa were waiting. They took the boys to the hotel on the light rail while Justin and I got the rental car. After some lunch at the hotel we tried to get the boys to have some naps, but they would have nothing to do with that. We met up with Uncle Boyd, Aunt Sharalee, Griffin, Noah, and Faith. We grabbed some dinner when Aunt Dawnie, Uncle Duane, Kim, and Theron met up with us. By the time we were done it was close to 10 o'clock and needless to say the boys were ready for bed (with no naps at all that day we were very pleased at their great behavior). We weren't sure how they would sleep sharing the same bed, but once again we were pleasantly surprised.

Say Cheese!

I have been unsuccessfully trying to get a picture of the boys together for our annual Christmas photo card. What is it about being two years old that makes kids not want to smile? And then when the two year old decides to smile the three year old either thinks its a good idea to strangle the two year old or start having a meltdown. Below are some of our attempts.

Grandpa and Grandma came for a quick visit with Aunt "Dawnie" on Saturday morning. Carter loved cuddling with Dawnie and Grandma. We eat out to breakfast to the Cracker Barrel and Tyler loved watching all the animated snowmen with Grandma and Grandpa . Both of the boys behaved very well during breakfast always love seeing them.

Lindsay and Randy were in town Saturday night and the boys once again did very well when we went out for dinner. They had a blast watching Randy draw them pictures and have Lindsay eat them up. The boys always seem to do their best when company is around and today was no different. I am glad other people think my kids are as well behaved as my bias eyes are. Life is good.

Weekend in Montrose

On Friday morning we packed up the car and headed to Montrose to see Grandma and Grandpa. The boys, as always, did excellent on the car ride there. They took a nap for about an hour of the drive and sang songs and talked for the other 3.5. The boys had a blast playing with their cousins and watching the Olympics on the big screen. I didn't take a single picture unfortunately, but the boys just loves their cousins!

Tyler woke up at 4:30 on Saturday morning and then woke up Carter at 5:30 - way to early. Justin was golfing with Grandpa and Uncle Boyd so Grandma and I took the boys for a walk. Griffin came along on his bike. Tyler wanted to run so I let him run ahead on the sidewalk with Griffin. On the way back to the house I let him do the same, this time he got way ahead of me. By the time I caught up to him he was pacing back and forth in the driveway of the house up from Grandma and Grandpa's. I then noticed Griffin's bike was back at Grandma and Grandpa's. When I finally got to Tyler (it took me a while since Carter had now decided he didn't want to walk anymore and was throwing a fit) he was balling and saying "Griffin gone". I felt horrible. However he got even more upset when I made him come inside instead of getting to play outside - can you tell he was a little tired.

He played some baseball on the deck while we waited for daddy to get home - we had quite a few more meltdowns and the boys were very tired, but we wanted to take them swimming. So once daddy got back off to the pool we went. We stayed in the indoor pool, as outside was just a bit to cool. The boys loved playing in the water and fell asleep the moment we got in the car to head back to the house. The took wonderful naps too!

Late Saturday night Justin's cousin and her daughter got into town. The boys slept much better that night and we hung out with them Sunday morning In the late afternoon we headed back home. Once again the boys did great in the car. Tyler stayed dry both ways and we hardly heard any complaining. So far today hasn't been as bad transition either. The boys are very excited to see Grandma and Grandpa again in a few weeks when they come here.

Four!!!

Yesterday was spent having a nice brunch at the club house and the boys getting to ride home in the golf cart. Tyler loved it so much that he got to join Daddy and Grandpa for the last 3 holes of their round of golf. He stayed very close to Justin the entire time, almost following every step. He loved putting the tees in the grass and throwing the golf balls.

The boys also got to play a lot of baseball yesterday. Grandma also had a bean bag throw that we tried out. They thought it would be easier just to put them in the holes, rather than toss them in tho. Today we had a nice breakfast, packed up, and headed home. The boys did pretty well for this trip - only four hours and no stops. There was a little whining towards the end, but for the most part a great trip. It was a great, relaxing weekend and the boys loved seeing Grandma and Grandpa. All Tyler can talk about now is riding on the airplane. (we leave to see Oma and Opa on Thursday) But first comes his preschool evaluation tomorrow. Gotta love busy weeks!

Montrose

For Memorial Weekend we are in Montrose visiting Grandma and Grandpa. The boys did awesome in the car last night. I don't think we heard one cry, whine, or scream the entire seven hour trip. Tyler stayed awake almost the whole way falling asleep at 9:45 p.m. an hour before we got there. Carter read books for a majority of the time and Tyler loved looking for horses, cows, trucks, and diggers. He also sang along to Old McDonald.

We brought along the baseball tee, but its was a little chilly. So today we went to a Children's Museum. They seemed to really enjoy themselves. They got to color on a chalk wall, color pictures, go in a space ship, and watch a puppet show put on by Grandpa. Tyler wasn't so sure of the puppets but Carter loved it and kept asking for more. We came home for naps and then Tyler and I did puzzles so Carter could sleep a little longer. Then the boys had a fun time on

the deck watching Grandpa and Daddy golf the last three holes. Hopefully tomorrow will be a little warmer so we can even spend more time outside.