Mother's Day 2013: Lookout Mountain

For Mother's Day, I requested breakfast in bed. Our little chef, Oliver, helped Dad mix pancake batter, and they whipped up some pancakes, scrambled eggs, and veggie "sausage" patties. The kids decided to climb into bed to eat with me, and Oliver declared it was a picnic. This was the best way to wake up!

This photo is pretty much my favorite photo ever. I just woke up, had hair everywhere, and couldn't keep my eyes open. Oliver decided to help Jo eat by feeding her pancakes. <3>

After breakfast, I asked to go hiking. I looked up some family-friendly trails nearby, and we decided to head to Lookout Mountain. There are numerous bike paths and trails throughout the area, but they have a pretty flat, 0.6 mile hiking trail from the Nature Center. On the drive up, we saw dozens of cyclists and joggers. At the Nature Center, the crowd changed, and we saw lots of families with small children.

Andrew put Jo in the hiking backpack. It's the first time we've used it since last summer, and she didn't remember it. She freaked out and started to scream at first. Once Andrew started walking, she calmed down and really enjoyed the ride. Here she is with her lovie, Tod the fox. Her Uncle Andy & Aunt Erin sent it to her for her birthday, and it is a very loved little animal.

As soon as we stepped out onto the trail, we spotted deer!

DEER POOP!

 

After the hike, we went into the Lookout Mountain Nature Center. Oliver loved exploring the poop molds they had. He got to compare elk scat with deer scat, which was very interesting to him.

Jo's favorite part was the animal pelts.

The kiddos fell asleep on the drive home. I was sleepy from the hike, too, so we made a stop at Starbucks. I bet they were busy today! When Jo woke up to a chocolate milk and cake pop, she was so excited that she squealed, "Yay!"

Once again, I had a very happy Mother's Day! Thanks for all of your hard work, Andrew! I feel incredibly lucky, and I look forward to seeing my mom this afternoon and Andrew's mom this evening. Happy Mother's Day!

A Mom Tries to Paint

Andrew and I tried our hand at painting for one of our semi-weekly date nights in. This was actually back in August. It was fun! I picked up some acrylic paints at Michael's (totally not knowing what I was doing). Then, I printed off one of our pictures from Georgetown, Colorado, and he printed a photo of the Rockies near Aspen. We used brushes and paper plates and figured it out as we went along. 

This was the photo I used:

And here are our paintings. Mine (on the right) kind of looks like the photo, right?

We have those paintings displayed in our bathroom. Well, I was reminiscing about it because I just got back from a painting group. All of these painting places have been popping up in the Denver area--Canvas & Cocktails, Sipping and Painting, and Art on the Brix. Basically, you go, and an instructor gives you step-by-step instructions on how to complete your masterpiece.

My dad went to Canvas & Cocktails with his work place over the holidays. They painted Larimer Square. Ever since then, I've wanted to check one out. So, I went with some ladies from MOMS Club to Art on the Brix in Golden. I had a really great time with those ladies, and I got to create a new masterpiece.

It's my Impressionist painting. Seriously, it was a ball.

There's something to be said about taking the night off and making some art. I feel so inspired!

President Obama in Golden, Colorado

It happened! I got to see the President! Unlike last time when I was stuck trying to just listen to his speech from a speaker, I actually had good "seats" to watch President Obama speak on Thursday. My coordinator gave Andrew and me priority seats, and I ended up just 50 feet away from the podium. Sweet!

The forecast for the day was high 50s and cloudy. We were going in the morning, so it was even colder. Oliver stayed with Grandpa Paul, and we dressed Jo head to toe in fleece to keep her warm.

Check out this cutie!

Well, the forecast was wrong. There were almost no clouds. The sun started to beat down on us before 9am, and temperatures quickly reached the 60s. Oops. Jo was quite unhappy. Andrew took her home. I called Phuong, who was there with a standard ticket, and told her to come join me. I don't know if it's allowed (probably not), but I had Andrew's priority ticket stub and gave it to her. And, so, I ended up getting to watch the President with my best bud.

We got to listen to Ken Salazar speak about clean energy--specifically, all of the jobs created in Colorado from our wind energy tax credit.

Then, one of the other coordinators at the campaign office I volunteer at got to speak. What an amazing opportunity for her!

We listened to a teacher in Jefferson County introduce President Obama. Check out the crowd here in Jefferson County!

Here are the photos I took of the President. His speech was very motivational. Although he addressed sobering issues regarding Libya, he also talked about renewable energy, benefits and help from returning servicemen and women, national debt, women's health, and gay marriage.

Phuong took a photo of me so I could be content knowing I have a photo of myself "with" the President.

After the speech, we took a stroll around historic Golden and got some lunch. Oliver was sleeping back home, so it took a few hours for Andrew to get back to pick us up. I can't complain: the scenery was beautiful, lunch was tasty, and the company was welcome.

Dinosaur Ridge

My parents took Andrew, Oliver and me to Dinosaur Ridge today. It's a free exhibit about five miles from our home that features real dinosaur footprints and bones. For $4 a person, you can take a bus instead of hiking up the foothills, and you get a tour for the money, too. We decided just to walk and save our money, but we only walked as far as the footprints. It was hot and sunny!

We arrived at Dinosaur Ridge, and Oliver was delighted to see his stroller. He doesn't ride in it very often, but he loves it.

Hiking from the Visitors' Center to the exhibit:

Oliver fell asleep on the short (half mile) hike:

Dinosaur tracks! The large ones are from an iguanodon, and the small ones are either deom a gallimimus or ornithomimus.

I think Oliver was a little too young to enjoy Dinosaur Ridge. I want to go back when he's four or five to see more. There were a lot of kids around that age who seemed to enjoy it.

After Dinosaur Ridge, my parents decided to treat us to ice cream to cool off. Andrew & Oliver wore matching outfits!