Colorado Vacation 2010 - Part I

Let me begin by saying a vacation in Colorado with the kids is nothing like a vacation in Colorado with just Ben and I. We knew this going in, and it was fun, but...well, next year we're going back to a vacation for just the two of us. We love a good long hike in the mountains and right now the kids are too young for that, plus next year we hope to visit Arches National Park in Utah and we don't want to drive that distance with the kids. So, on to my recap of our family vacation!

The vaca began in Ames, IA (I know, exciting, right? Boo, hiss, Iowa State!) but we were there for a good reason - my cousin Nick's wedding. It was a good time and we got to see ALL of our family. Luke & Audrey had a great time with their cousins and first cousins removed (I think that's what my first cousin's kids are called!). This is one of the only pictures I have of the four first cousins (click on it for a larger image).

We started our trek west Sunday around noon and went as far as somewhere in Nebraska. Right now I can't think of where we stayed, but that doesn't matter. We arrived in Denver at lunch time on Monday and Kara was waiting for us. We didn't waste time and went to the Denver Aquarium. It's a great place and we enjoyed it. That evening we met our friends Brian and Jenn for ice cream at a fun neighborhood shop in Denver. Isn't that cool it's a milk can?

The next day was our 8th anniversary and what better way to spend it than at the Denver Zoo? But really, it's an awesome zoo and I love zoos, so it was fun. The weather in Denver was hotter than normal and they were one degree away from setting a record; I think it was 98 that day and 99 was the record. We got to the zoo early and the animals were actually pretty active. The baby giraffe was one of my favorites and the kids loved the reptile house with snakes, dragons, and fish, oh my! The great apes were awesome, as well. Two of the brothers were having a bit of a fight and I can still hear the sound of their feet pounding as they ran at each other. After the kids swam for a while in Kara's pool, we got ready for our first photo shoot as a family. I had been looking for a photographer in our area for a few months because we hadn't had family pictures taken for two years, then had the fantastic idea that we should have them taken in Colorado! I found Stefanie by looking online at the Colorado Professional Photographer's list and after looking at a lot of online porfolios and contacting a handful of people, we picked Stefanie. We liked her style and that we would have the option of purchasing our photos on a cd and get the reprinting rights was a huge plus. We said we wanted everyone to know that our pictures were not taken in Iowa and she chose the location of Morrison where Red Rocks Amphitheater is. It took Audrey a while to warm up to the camera but Stefanie was great and may have bribed her with candy. :) Whatever works! Luke did great right off the bat. Here are some of our favorites, but really all of them are favorites and we bought all 60 from our session!

Photo by Stefanie Newcomb

Photo by Stefanie Newcomb

Photo by Stefanie Newcomb

Photo by Stefanie Newcomb

Gorgeous, isn't it? And the kids don't look too shabby, either! See that rock Luke is sitting on? Well, the photo shoot took a turn for the freak-Mom-and-Dad-out when Luke was standing on a similar rock, took a step, fell on his face and bounced off into a cacti butt first. The sound of his face hitting the rock is something I hope to forget! He came up (I was happy he was moving) holding his mouth. We immediately thought his teeth would be knocked out or he'd have a broken jaw. That kid fell just right and all he had was a cut under his bottom lip, some scrapes on his knee and elbow, and cacti spines in his behind! That last part was amusing, but not until later. We hadn't yet taken our family pictures, the point of the whole expedition, and Luke said he would be fine and we could take the pictures. Thank goodness because Stefanie captured this:

Photo by Stefanie Newcomb

I'm going to leave you with that for now and will get to Part II soon!

They CAN Get Along

Most of the time...

First Day, the 3rd time around

Today was Luke's first day of 2nd grade, the first day of school at the brand new Garner Elementary, and Audrey's first day in the PreK class at daycare. How exciting! We started with our traditional picture outside of the school but before we could do that Audrey tripped and scrapped her knee. Good thing there's a first aid kit in the car! In order to get her to calm down and take the picture I had to promise ice cream after school, which is also becoming a tradition. She obliged and stood with her big 2nd grade brother for pictures. After we said our good byes to Luke we headed to her daycare. She realized her hands stung a little bit and proceeded to cry the whole 5 minute drive. She calmed down when we got to her school and we had fun checking out her new room. She already knows her new teacher and gave her a hug right away. In the last few weeks she has been able to write her name, with us telling her which letters to write. Luke started reading his Uncle Joe's copy of Indiana Jones and he loves it. The kids are going to learn so much this year, it is going to be very exciting.

Measurement

July 3rd

Hilarious Moves

Happy 4th!

Saturday night we had a campfire and s'mores; we all enjoyed sitting/laying around the fire. On the 4th Grandma and PopPop came for a visit. We grilled and made yummy desserts with lots of strawberries and blueberries. Grandma, Audrey and I went shopping; Audrey got 2 pairs of sandals and two swimsuits. We are all set for Nick and Heidi's wedding this weekend and then our vacation in Denver! We cannot wait! We got Grandma and PopPop a room at the Fairfield Inn so we could all enjoy some swimming on a rainy 4th. We had a lot of fun and Luke and Audrey are little fish! Luke was very hesitant for the first hour and didn't want us to hold him or use the noodle. He clung to the side and just walked around the side where he could touch bottom. Audrey loves jumping into the pool  and swam all over the place on her noodle. We haven't told them yet that Aunt Kara has a pool...I think a lot of our vacation will be spent in the pool!

Big Kid Swinging

This is summer...

Day Camp

Luke is thoroughly enjoying Cub Scout day camp this week! The first day was rainy but it didn't hamper the fun. Someone from an area coin club talked to the boys about the U.S. Mint and even gave them some coins - a 1943 steel penny, a wheat ears penny, a buffalo head nickel, and a brand new penny along with a blank penny so they could see how they're made. The coins are even in protective covers. We are now thinking about visiting the mint in Denver when we take our vacation in July! He also made ice cream the first day and learned about archery and BB gun safety. Day 2 was VERY rainy and Luke's shoes were soaked! He's going to need a new pair after this week. He got to do archery and said he was very good at it! Someone from the police bomb squad visited and blew up a watermelon - a huge hit with the boys! I can't wait to hear how the BB gun shooting was today and to hear about all of the other things he learned!

FOUR

This past weekend we celebrated Audrey's 4th birthday and I think the party was much more fun for her than her 3rd birthday! Last year she was very reserved and did not enjoy being the center of attention. This year she was a little shy but she opened her presents herself (last year I had to open them) and she blew out her candles all on her own! She has made friends with the neighbor kids so we had them over for the party. It was a great day. Her actual birthday was spent at preschool in the morning; her and I took fruit cups to her friends then we went home!  We ran to the florist and had some balloons filled, which she loved, then home again to bake her cake and some cupcakes. We fixed her favorite dinner of spaghetti, then Grandma & Grandpa T. came up. She opened her presents from us and them and then we made a campfire and ate cupcakes. It was a really excellent day!

To remember what her year was like I'm just going to write all of the random thoughts I think of...

Audrey:
is very sweet, when she wants to be!
loves her brother, but likes to pick on him and make him mad.
has two best friends, Luke and our neighbor Alexia, who is 8. She loves to play with both of them or will play with just Alexia. They like to play "house," but instead of being people they are animals - a puppy and a kitty.
loves to have "Daddy days" and when Daddy works the weekends she asks many times when will he be home?
loves, loves, loves to play in the water, either the kiddie pool or the sprinkler; she has also been asking to go to the beach.
has been singing a lot more over the past few months and will either hum or sing a song while she plays, if she isn't too busy with a conversation between her toys!
likes to tell us that she just tooted.
is a challenge to parent sometimes; she is stubborn and does not like to do what we ask the first time we ask. Or the second. Or the third. I remember we went though this with Luke when he was three and we survived, so I know we'll get through it with Audrey! Hopefully this year will be different.
asks every morning if it is a "home day".
does not tell us about preschool. She doesn't complain about it and I'm sure she enjoys it, but she doesn't like to tell us about her day.
is learning a lot - she knows her shapes and colors, can recognize some letters, can count to 12 just fine but after that it's 14, 16, 18.
recognizes all of her classmates' names (she read them off of her Valentine's to me).
colors between the lines very nicely and has an interesting way of coloring.
likes Mama to paint her finger and toenails.
likes to run around and play tag.
is starting to perform; makes up songs and dances for us.
is a night owl; sometimes staying up until 10:00 playing in her room.
is going to kindergarten fall of 2011, can you believe that??


Feel free to post a comment and add to this list!

You Know It's Hot When...

You get so sweaty playing Wii that you can't pry your shirt off!! That was Luke yesterday. Audrey and I were in the basement (me putting toys away, she was discovering toys I had taken out of her room and put down there - it was like Christmas, or a Birthday!). Anyhow, the temp in the basement was perfect, nice and cool. Luke came downstairs with one arm out of his shirt and trying to get it over his head but it was stuck to him! He was playing Wii wearing shorts and a long-sleeved shirt (he didn't take my suggestion of putting a short-sleeved shirt on) and apparently it was an active game because he was so sweaty! I helped pull his shirt off and after that he played in just his shorts. When Audrey and I had finished cleaning up we came upstairs to a stifling 82 degrees. It was a no-brainer to turn the AC on.

Earlier in the morning I successfully sneaked the kiddie pool upstairs and out the sliding door while the kids watched PBS in the living room. They were glued to the tv and it's amazing they didn't see the big blue round object go past them. I even filled it without them noticing the hose was running. Audrey saw it a few hours later and immediately changed into her swim suit and we went out after lunch. The kids spent about an hour splashing around then were too hot so we headed back into the AC. Audrey did spend some more time in the pool later in the evening, after we'd taken a walk. I went out to empty the water and she decided to help me by getting in and playing some more, in her clothes. Why take the time to change? She then proceeded to start singing and dancing for me and I had to get Ben so he could watch. We had never seen her perform like this! She usually gets shy and hushes up when we even just smile at her while she sings. Not this time! It was a whole performance of made-up songs and dances in the pool. She even bowed, wanting our acknowledgment.

Other goings on: Audrey turns 4 on Friday! Luke is doing really well in tee ball and rarely has to use the tee. He only has 10 days, wait, 9 days left as a 1st grader!

I am a co-chair for the playground design committee for Luke's new school that opens this fall. The Garner Gators with the school colors of black and gold. Our goal is to make the playground fully accessible - for physically and mentally challenged people of all ages. Garner will have a K-2 special ed class and next fall they will add a 3-6th grade class. The biggest challenge, obviously, is raising the money. An accessible structure and surface is more expensive than one that is not and the early estimate on price is upwards of $200,000 - that is for two structures and the surfaces. The new school will have one structure for the K-2nd graders and a separate structure for the 3rd-6th graders. The school district gave us $50,000 which is very generous, but it is up to our fund raising committee to raise the rest. We are currently selling bricks that we will incorporate into the landscaping somehow and they can be engraved. I believe they are $75 and $150 (two different sizes). Let me know if you would like to purchase a brick or if you would like to donate directly to the project you can send a check to the ICCSD Foundation or donate here: http://www.iccsdfoundation.org/give.htm
Please be sure to designate your donation to the PLAYGROUND fund!!
Okay, shameless plug over. :-)

The Natural

I wish Audrey could play tee-ball with Luke this year (she isn't old enough). Look at that batting stance! She's a natural. She missed the ball in this picture, but had a great swing. After warming up on the tee (she kept hitting the tee instead of the ball) I pitched some balls to her and she actually hit them! I was so impressed! (And yes, we need to buy a helmet!)

Spring Training 2010

It's Spring which means it's tee-ball season!! Luke had his first practice last week and we practiced at home the night before (that's what these pictures are). Ben is an assistant coach this year and he said they had a really good first practice. The games will be on Tuesdays and Fridays at 5:30 beginning the first week of May. We will let you know when we have the exact schedule!

Up Late

Last night we watched the national championship game (all but the last 3 minutes because our CBS station blacked out, but that's beside the point). As the kids were getting ready for bed Audrey asked for Happy Bear. We looked every where and could not find him; we realized she must have left him at school. Oh the tears! Big ones rolling down her cheeks. We found Happy Bear #2 (thank you Great Aunt Kathy!) and she was okay with him being her snuggle buddy, at first. She came out of her room crying again about half an hour after we "put her to bed," or rather took her in her room to play for a while. We let her snuggle with us for a while then Ben took her back to her room. She naps at school and therefore does not go to sleep until after 9:00, even though we do the bed time routine at 7:30 and get them in their rooms at 8. Luke is usually asleep within half an hour. Audrey, not so much.

At 9:45 she came back out and wanted to snuggle some more; she missed Happy. This picture was taken at 10:00 when she was finally getting tired. She slept with Happy #2 and Bunny (the bunny Luke made for her before she was born). I guess a bear and a bunny make up for one Happy Bear. 

At The Car Wash

I was going to call this Cheap Entertainment but the gymnastics meet was less expensive than the car wash! $10 bucks for 2 minutes of entertainment versus $6 for an hour.

GymHawks

Yesterday we took the kids to their first Iowa gymnastics meet; it was a dual meet with both the men's and the women's teams. Luke has been to a wrestling meet at Carver but this was Audrey's first trip to the arena. They both enjoyed the meet although didn't make it to the end, but we all had fun! By the way, most of the time Audrey refuses to smile a regular smile for the camera. But this does show how excited she was.

Soakin' Up Some Sun

It was a bright sunshiny day on Saturday so we got out to play in the snow, hopefully for the last time this season! Ben and I actually stayed out longer than the kids because we just sat in our chairs relaxing because it was over 40 degrees. I felt like making a campfire and roasting marshmallows, it felt that good to be outside. I didn't, though, but very soon we will be spending our evenings in the yard.

Favorite Books

Just felt like sharing my personal favorite childrens' series, the Bear books by Karma Wilson. http://karmawilson.com/index.php
We just got "Bear Feels Scared" at the school book fair and it's just as fun to read as the other four that we have. Now we need to get "Bear's New Friend" to complete our collection! The kids really like them, they're short enough that Audrey will sit and listen and it helps that we enjoy reading them so much. The illustrations are gorgeous and the stories teach a lesson, usually focused on friendship and helping people.

Snow People

The kids took advantage of the wet snow this past weekend and built some snow people with Daddy and Pop Pop.

Luke posed for me but Audrey wouldn't.

Happy 6th, Colin!

It is so hard to believe that you are 6 today, Colin! These 6 years with you and Luke have gone by so quickly but it has been a lot of fun. It would be nice if we could slow time down a little, though. :-) I can't imagine the next six years going as fast and you will be 12 - 12 is one year away from being a teenager - ahhhhhhhh!! Okay, let's stay in the present. We hope you have a fantastic day today at school and maybe you'll get a snow day tomorrow. Wouldn't that be a nice treat?

More Holding

She just loves holding her cousin. :)

Boy Scouts

Grandpa T and Luke at the Johnson County Historical Society's 100 years of Scouting exhibit. Yes, Boy Scouts have been around 100 years!

New Design!

I decided today that I want a new look to the blog and after a failed attempt at changing the template, I enlisted Kristen to help and she had it working in 5 seconds. Thanks Kristen! I hope you all (whoever you are that actually read this) enjoy the new look. :-)

Pinewood Derby

The first big event of Luke's Cub Scout career - the Pinewood Derby. He had the opportunity to go to the Home Repair Team owner's workshop but it was a blizzard that night, so Ben had to shape the car with a hand saw. I think he did a pretty good job. Luke decided on the Hawkeye theme and wrote out "IOWA" in block letters on each side and an "I" on the hood, then colored them in with a Sharpie marker. He did an excellent job. It was Ben's idea to chop off one of his Herky golf tees and I drilled a hole in the top and we glued him in! Doesn't it look awesome? It was such a great design that he won a ribbon in the category of Best Hawkeye Theme! We were all very proud of him and he was super excited.

Hayden John

On January 20th, Zach, Nicole, big brother Colin and all the rest of us welcomed a new addition into the world - Hayden John. We are so excited to have Hayden in the family; we love his name, as all good Hawkeye fans should. He is very cute, content, and makes snort sounds when he breathes. Audrey and Luke were very excited to meet him, although hesitant to touch or hold him immediately. But after about ten minutes and once I started changing his diaper, Audrey jumped right in to help. Before he was born we talked about her helping change is diaper, because she is very good at putting diapers on her baby dolls. She helped put the clean diaper on and then snapped his clothes back up. Together we gave him a bottle, although she wanted to do it all on her own. She even wiped milk off of his face. Then she held him for quite a while. It was very adorable and amazing how instinctual it was for her to care for him.
p.s. ya'll can just refrain from any comments like, "She would make a great big sister!," or anything pertaining to a third child. That won't be happening unless you have lots of money to give us or we win the lottery.

Talking To Santa