Photos with Santa at Bass Pro Shops

I love how Oliver gets happier over the years, but little Jo is still pretty upset about seeing the jolly man in red. 

Last year, Jo requested her fox, which we hadn't brought with to the mall. The little fox puppet was in the car, so I handed her that. I'm still kind of disappointed the picture isn't of her with her beloved fox. Oh well! This year, they each brought their favorite stuffed friend with them. We went to Bass Pro Shops up in Northfield (Denver). They had free photos with Santa and free carousel rides. The kids had an excellent time. I think so many people had built up how great Bass Pro Shops is for the kiddos at Christmas that I expected something grand. It wasn't. It was simple and fun and free. 

Oliver's Treasure Chest

After my dad did laundry, Oliver spotted a few dollar coins that had fallen out of a pocket. He wanted to know what they were. My dad told him he could have them, and they could be like treasure. Oliver was so excited to have this coins. So, I decided he needed a treasure chest to put them in!

I used an empty dryer sheet box and wrapped it in brown paper.

I wrapped the box like a present, except I cut around the lid opening before wrapping so the lid would open & close.

Ta da! There's Oliver's treasure. He also added a quarter to it later, so he has "silver" and "gold!"

Here's a little clip of him enjoying the treasure chest:
                      

He also likes it when I hide the treasure chest. He counts to 15 and then goes and finds it!

Tree Lighting Ceremony in Littleton

I might not have succeeded at convincing my family to go to Sports Authority at 6am on Black Friday for a free gift card, but I did successfully convince them to go to the tree lighting ceremony in Littleton! Santa rides down Main Street, and, as he passes the trees, they all light up. It ends with him helping a kid light the large evergreen tree next to the Melting Pot.

Here are some photos of our evening.

Summer Bucket List Update: Taking the Train Downtown

I took the kids on the light rail. We went downtown to visit my dad for lunch! Oliver has recently developed a strong interest and love for trains, and he watches Thomas the Train almost every day when Jo takes her nap. I knew he would love taking the light rail, but I worried he would expect something a little more like Thomas the Train and be disappointed in the commuter train. So, the night before, I told him about our plans to ride the train. I also explained that it wouldn't be like Thomas. This would be a train that had lots of cars to hold people.

The next morning, Oliver chatted endlessly about the train. I reminded him a few times that it wouldn't be like Thomas. I was worried he was getting his hopes up. After what probably seemed like ages to Oliver, we finally left to catch the train and take it downtown. It cost me $8 to have a 6 hour ticket for the light rail. Thankfully, Oliver and Jo were both free because they're under 5! As we waited for the train, Oliver kept telling me what to expect. "Remember, Mom. This is a real train. It's not Thomas." 

This kid is going to totally flip out when he finds out we have tickets to ride Thomas the Train at the train museum in a few weeks. I'm pretty sure it will be the greatest day of his life. At any rate, he was so enthusiastic when the light rail train pulled up! It is as ordinary as can be, but Oliver was thrilled! He quickly learned about all the stops the train would make, and he'd announce to the other passengers when the train was stopping. He also explained, "We have to stop so people can get off, and other people have to get on the train." He memorized all the noises and dings and sound effects on the train. The half hour ride downtown flew by!

We caught my dad as he walked to meet us at the train. He took us on a little tour of his hotel, The Grand Hyatt. I've seen it many times and have stayed there a few times, but I haven't been there since its recent renovation. It's gorgeous! The whole lobby area has been redone in natural wood. Oliver was mostly interested in the elevators. We rode them all over the place! We checked out the pool and a couple of the ballrooms and meeting rooms. In one ballroom, all of these elegant glass decorations were hanging from the ceiling. There had to be 1,000+ of these things. I laughed as I imagined my dad hanging them. I love my dad, but he isn't the most patient person when it comes to repetitive, tedious work. I asked him if he'd broken any, and he answered, "A few. Then, a few days later, a bride threw her bouquet and broke a bunch more." Thankfully, he saved have back-ups ;-)

After touring the hotel and riding the elevators a number of times, we stopped for lunch at the Hyatt's Starbucks. That's one of Oliver and Jo's favorite places!

We loved our lunch downtown. It's something we'll have to be sure to do again soon. It also completed another item on our summer bucket list! We have less than two weeks to go, and there is still so much to do!

 Watch a fireworks display on the Fourth of July.
* Bake a berry stars & stripes cake with Oliver.
* Run through the sprinklers.
* Go to a splash park.
* Play in the "creek" at the Children's Mordecai Gardens at the Denver Botanic Gardens.
* Watch our first parade.
* Ride the outdoor train at Belleview Park.
* Visit a petting zoo.
* Take the kids for a swim.
* Have a real outdoor picnic on the grass with a picnic basket.
* Watch a sunrise.
* Go for a hike in the mountains.
* Go on a road trip.
* Go out for an ice cream cone, and eat it outside!
* Make our own ice cream, and let Oliver choose the flavor.
* Pick and eat vegetables out of the garden we're growing at Grandma Judy's house.
* Eat cherry tomatoes right off the vine at Aunt Bonnie & Uncle George's house.
* Throw water balloons.
* Go tent camping overnight.
* Look at stars in the sky.
* Visit Andrew at work for lunch.
* Take the train downtown to visit Grandpa Larry for lunch.
* Go to the Fireman's Museum.
* Use sidewalk chalk.
* Blow bubbles.
* Take Father's Day photos with the letters that spell out "DAD" again.

Colorado Hikes: Roxsborough State Park

Happy Labor Day weekend! Andrew's up in the mountains with some friends, and my aunt and uncle are in town from Iowa. We decided to check out Roxborough. I'd actually never been there before, even though it's a popular day hike.

The day was perfect for hiking. We have had the craziest weather for Colorado, and I love it. It was overcast and cloudy, as it has been for much of this past month. It made for cooler temperatures and good hiking weather. I don't recommend doing this hike with kids on a hot, sunny day because there was no shade. It wasn't a problem at all for us today!

Unless you have a state parks pass, the entrance fee is $7. I didn't even think of that when I agreed to go with my family. Thankfully, my dad offered to buy our entrance fee! My mom brought her jogging stroller along. What would I do without my parents?

The main trail that we took (the Fountain Valley Trail) is mostly flat. We accessed it from the visitor's center. As we walked, there were a few lookout points to hike up to. We chose to do those, and they weren't all that easy with little kids. I wouldn't have been able to do those parts with the kids myself.

After the first part of the hike, we switched and put Oliver in the stroller. I carried Jo almost the rest of the way! At one point, my mom tried to relieve me, but Jo wasn't having it.

We left the stroller behind to hike up to Lyons Overlook. Oliver hiked up there himself! It was beautiful.

There was sand near the overlook that the kids played in. Oliver declared that it was brown sugar.

We didn't do the full loop. My dad helped me get the kids back to the visitor's center after Lyons Overlook. The visitor's center was air conditioned, and the kids got to color and relax. It was nice. They had a board on the wall that marked all the animals people have reported seeing and on what days. There have been a lot of black bear sightings recently! In July, there were a lot of mountain lion sightings, so definitely don't let any little kids wander off.

Happy (Early) Anniversary!

Andrew's aunt and uncle are coming into town from Texas next weekend, so we made plans to celebrate our wedding anniversary (6 years!) a week early. Grandparents watched the kids, and we spent the weekend in the mountains! For the first day, it felt really, really nice to have some space from the kids. I started to miss them today, and, by the evening, I was happy to be home to them. Sometimes, a couple days away is exactly what I need!

Andrew and I tried to hike to Hanging Lake with the kids last year. When we got to the trailhead, we saw that it pretty much went straight up. There was no way we could hike it with the kiddos. We had to turn around then, but we tackled it this weekend together! The trail was hard because it was so steep, but we had a lot of fun. I even packed a picnic for us to eat when we made it to the top! It was stunning. We had a great time.

I blogged about our mountain adventures on my travel blog. Those entries are here. 

Here are just a few of my favorite pictures from the hike:

This afternoon, Andrew took me berry picking (again!) at the Goose Creek Trail in Lost Creek Wilderness. We didn't have to hike very far at all! We found dozens of raspberry bushes all along the trail. I picked them and tried to decide what I would tell Oliver we could make with them. He loves making new things. Maybe we will try to make a raspberry-topped cheesecake.

 

The kids got to hike, too! My parents took them to Rocksborough State Park. Apparently, the kids were more interested in exploring the dirt and rocks than hiking, but they had a good time!

Hiking the Braille Trail in Genesee

We celebrated my mom's birthday a few weeks late this year. She was in New Mexico over her actual birthday, and we were off in Utah the following week. So, this past weekend, we decided to take her out for a hike to celebrate!

I wanted to find a nice, family-friendly hike for the kids, and I stumbled upon a great list by Mile High Mamas! You can find their list of hikes on their blog here. They recommend different hikes based on the age of your kids, and for little walkers, they recommend Lair o' the Bear (which we've already been to a couple of times), Lookout Mountain Nature Center (which we just went to on Mother's Day), Alderfer Three Sisters, and Genesee Park: Braille Trail.

I thought the Braille Trail sounded interesting. The Mile High Mamas say it was originally meant as a trial for the blind. It's supposed to be a flat, one mile loop. Perfect! So, we decided to take my parents there. As a warning, most of the signs posted for the trail actually call it the Beaver Brook Trail.

The hike was beautiful, but it wasn't what we expected. The ground was flat, but I learned they didn't intend for that to mean without an incline. The ground was mostly flat in the sense that you don't have to step over large rocks in the way, but there absolutely were inclines! I think we did the circle the wrong way. We found ourselves going down steps, and, at the end, we went up a fairly substantial incline that was difficult to do with little kids. We huffed and puffed a bit, but holding a 30 pound child on top of that made it strenuous! All four of us adults were switching off with the kiddos.

I thought the area was stunning, though. I think I can honestly say that it's the best forested area of Colorado that I've ever been. The trees were really dense, and I was surprised to see almost no pine beetle damage. It had rained the night before, so the smells of the pines were good and intense for us, too. 

It seemed perfect for hikers who are visually impaired. There was a rope on the side of the trail that went around the entire trail, so you can follow that with your hands. Also, all of the plaques contained a braille translation, too. The plaques mentioned where the benches are in relation to the plaque, so you can stop and sit. They also described what you might hear or smell instead of only focusing on what to see. Seriously, it was cool! On a side note, Oliver also thought it was cool that we let him pee in the forest. So, all around, it was very cool.

Summer Bucket List 2013:

* Watch a fireworks display on the Fourth of July.
* Bake a berry stars & stripes cake with Oliver.
* Run through the sprinklers.
* Go to a splash park.
* Play in the "creek" at the Children's Mordecai Gardens at the Denver Botanic Gardens.
* Watch our first parade.
* Ride the outdoor train at Belleview Park.
* Visit a petting zoo.
* Take the kids for a swim.
* Have a real outdoor picnic on the grass with a picnic basket.
* Watch a sunrise.
* Go for a hike in the mountains.
* Go on a road trip.
* Go out for an ice cream cone, and eat it outside!
* Make our own ice cream, and let Oliver choose the flavor.
* Pick and eat vegetables out of the garden we're growing at Grandma Judy's house.
* Eat cherry tomatoes right off the vine at Aunt Bonnie & Uncle George's house.
* Throw water balloons.
* Go tent camping overnight.
* Look at stars in the sky.
* Visit Andrew at work for lunch.
* Take the train downtown to visit Grandpa Larry for lunch.
* Go to the Fireman's Museum.
* Use sidewalk chalk.
* Blow bubbles.
* Take Father's Day photos with the letters that spell out "DAD" again.

Blog Absence (Plus Dining Room Photos)

Andrew and I have been working nonstop all week. The kids have been mostly entertaining themselves, and we've eaten take-out more than we ever have since having kids. I'm sure the kids now hate home improvement projects. We're meeting with our real estate agent on Saturday, so our workload won't slow down until then. My blog entries will be pretty sparse (and mostly about home improvement) for a little while longer.

Here are some updated dining room photos that show off our hard work. We started scraping off the popcorn ceiling last Saturday. Popcorn ceilings can have asbestos, so be sure to get your ceiling tested before tackling a project like that. Plus, it's a huge mess. Dust is still settling in our home.

Early in the week, we did patching and repairs to the ceiling. Andrew's friend came over to help us finish spackling and priming. We textured the ceiling, painted it, and then repainted the walls near the ceiling. My dad is an electrician and came over to hook up our fan and other new lighting.

We used to have a sliding back door and replaced them with French doors a few months after we moved in. The door was busted, and we were trying to install a new handle to fix it when the glass shattered. This is the only photo I have of the old flooring, old floor grates, and old back door. The flooring wasn't installed well. There were large gaps in between the boards, and it was laid over the existing flooring. There's my late, great dog, Bailey. I miss that old girl!

When we got the French doors installed, I thought they were pre-primed and painted them. After a few months, the paint started peeling. Last week, I finally got around to removing all the paint, priming them, and repainting them. Like I said, we've been busy!

Easter 2013

Happy Easter to everyone who celebrates today! The Easter Bunny came to our house, and he kind of outdid himself this year.

Oliver's basket: a pinwheel, bunny ears (recycled from last year's basket), a carrot bubble necklace (recycled from last year's basket), an egg timer, a rubber ducky, a squirt gun dolphin, a Jacob's ladder, strawberries, and some Reese's eggs.

Joanna's basket: a pinwheel, bunny ears (recycled from last year's basket), and Ernie doll (I found it for $5 at Once Upon a Child!), hair bands, a chirping chick (which she doesn't like, so Oliver plays with it), strawberries, and underwear for potty training in a few months.

The Bunny left a trail of M&Ms from the kids' bedroom down to the Easter basket. I don't think it was a big success. Oliver skipped over them as soon as he saw the baskets anyway.

Joanna cracked the eggs.

At first, Joanna was upset at the Ernie doll that sang. She cried when it played. I was surprised because Jo loves Ernie.

 They're scoping out the baskets! Jo went back again and again to dig through their baskets. 

Later, Jo decided she loved the Ernie doll after all!

Once it warmed up a bit outside, we went out back for an egg hunt! I put mini Oreos in each egg. I actually showed the eggs to Oliver before the hunt so he'd understand.

Oliver was pretty good at finding the eggs!

Jo needed help from Dad.

 Here's Oliver, enjoying his loot with a glass of milk and an Easter egg.

Oliver helped Grandma Judy make a lamb cake yesterday, and we brought it with us to Paul's cousin's house for Easter.

Here's Joanna in her Easter dress! She's wearing a hair bow from Grandma Colleen and Grandpa Paul, and her leg is blue from egg dye.

Later, we went over to my mom and dad's house. My Grandma Jo's cousin, Kevin, was in town, so we visited with him and Heather and her son, who is just a few years older than Oliver.

Heather set up an egg and candy hunt for the kids. Oliver kind of got it! He needed a little help from loved ones to find even the easy ones, but it was a good time. Jackson had a blast, and Jo was happy to crinkle the package of the candy she found.

I brought along the confetti eggs I'd made. I put them in painted egg cartons (Pinterest idea).

 

Oliver and his cousin broke all the confetti eggs in about two minutes. Jackson smashed some together, and they broke open in an explosion of confetti. Oliver cracked his against the deck. It was a royal mess, but definitely fun.

I love holidays! We're totally wiped out from all the festivities, not to mention the sun. It was nearly 70 degrees and sunny. The forecast tomorrow evening? Snow!