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.

Moove Kids' Dance Party in Littleton

We joined MOMS Club for a little dance party at Moove in Littleton! It's a new play place for kids. There's a big dance floor, and they lead kids through dances like The Hokey Pokey and Limbo!

When we arrived, Oliver and Joanna bee-lined it straight for the balls. They rolled them around the dance floor and bounced on them. They loved it! Oliver told me the place was "so pretty" because of all the lights.

In the back, they have a dark room lit up with black lights. The kids get to draw on the walls and floors in chalk. I think the chalk is supposed to glow under the black light, but it didn't really work. The kids still loved the novelty of writing on walls, though.

This is Oliver refusing to dance "The Funky Chicken," but he agreed to bounce to the song.

And then there was limbo! Limbo was hilarious. Oliver and the little kids just ducked under the bar instead of bending. He really had the best time! When we got home, he asked me to set up a bar for him, so I tied a piece of string across a doorway for him to play and duck under.

There was also plenty of food, in addition to some for purchase at reasonable prices. The older kids also enjoyed playing with a Kinect. A good time was had by all!

National Wildlife Federation's "Hike & Seek"

Andrew had his first of three MCSA certification tests on Saturday (he passed!). I told him that the kids and I would keep busy so he could spend the morning studying without interruption. I stumbled across an advertisement for a kids' event called "Hike & Seek." It's an event hosted by the National Wildlife Federation in a number of different cities around the country. While ours in Denver was last weekend, there are others in October and November in different parts of the country. The website said it's an event designed for kids ages 3-10. Each city has a hike that's between 1 and 2 miles long (ours was 2 miles). There are stations set up along the hiking path for kids to learn about trees and various animals. It sounded fun! I wasn't sure if I could do the hike by myself, so I asked my parents if I could sign them up, too. I'm so glad I did because it took all three of us to juggle the two kids!

On Saturday morning, we set out for Carson Nature Center in Littleton, near the Mineral lightrail station off of Santa Fe. I'd never been to this nature center before. It's really stunning, although it is very close to the highway. The event wasn't too busy when we arrived. We quickly found a parking spot, helped ourselves to some coffee Starbucks had donated, and spoke with a man who got Oliver set up with a notebook and backpack. There was someone dressed as a raccoon for the event, and Oliver was not happy about that. 

Oliver had been looking forward to the hike, but, once we started out, he just had meltdown after meltdown. We ended up putting him in the stroller for the hike and carrying Jo.

At the first station, we learned about trees. Oliver was grumpy at first but then enjoyed picking a leaf for Jo and one for himself. They made leaf imprints, and he got a sticker for his notebook. He was still too grumpy to walk, but things were improving!

At the second station, Oliver learned about amphibians. He told my mom he got to color a picture of a frog because he couldn't say, "salamander." He did get a frog sticker, though.

The third station was about birds, and Oliver started to get really into the stations. He wanted to go to each one to get a sticker. Once he was interested, his mood drastically improved. He agreed to walk so Jo could ride in the stroller. That made it a lot easier!

Joanna was very easy-going throughout the event. She loved looking at all the trees and playing with the rocks and dirt. At one point, a woman from the National Wildlife Federation came up with a camera and asked to take Jo's picture as she played in the rocks. I wonder if we'll see her on their website or on their Facebook page!

Here's my dad by the Platte River, wearing Oliver's Ranger Rick backpack.

Oliver walked almost all the way from station 3 to station 4, which was probably about a third of a mile. Then, he needed a break, and Jo got to hike with Grandma Judy.

When we got close to the next station, Oliver wanted to hike again. I was so happy that he started to get into it!

At the mammal station, Oliver learned about smell. He was a little mad that the person running the station wouldn't let him have the mammal sticker for his notebook until he smelled all four of the scented boxes they had set out around the immediate area, but then he got really into it! He ran around with grandma and smelled them all.

Here's Jo running up a hill on the way to the last station!

When we finished, Oliver was getting cranky again. He didn't want to see the animals on display, but Jo was eager to look at the bald eagle and owl with me.

The Hike & Seek event was a lot of fun for us, but I thought the hike was a little too long for little ones. Almost all of the other kids we saw at the event were a little older--school aged. I think those kids got more out of the stations, too, but Oliver still enjoyed going and getting his stickers. It was really nice to get Oliver outside and exploring, so it was a definite win. I would do this again as long as I had help juggling the kiddos like I did this time! It was perfect for family groups.

Father's Day 2013

...Where to begin? Today started with some grumpy kids, got better with an ice cream cone and boat ride at the park, and ended in the emergency room (everyone's OK now!).

I got up with the kiddos, and we went out to get McDonald's for Andrew. Oliver woke up on the wrong side of the bed. He was mad about everything! Unfortunately, that mood spilled into what was supposed to be a nice breakfast in bed. We took the kids to Chatfield State Park to play at the reservoir, hoping to improve the day. It was fun, but Oliver was still a Grumpy Gus!

It cost $8 to get in, which would have been worth it if we'd stayed longer. We weren't prepared for the heat and sun. Photos from Chatfield:

After a stop at the grocery store, we went home for lunch and nap time. Oliver was in a much better mood after having some quiet time. We went out to ice cream at Bonnie Brae. Their ice cream is so good! We ate it outside, which completes another item on our summer bucket list.

Oliver wanted "pink ice cream."

We were near Wash Park, so we decided to go play and explore. Oliver saw people on boats and really wanted to ride on one. We decided to go try it out without even thinking about prices. I mean, we've rented paddle boats in Evergreen before, and they are $8. We went up to rent one, only to discover the 4-person paddle boat was $30! We got a two person one for $20, and the kids sat on our laps (which was a better idea anyway).

Oliver had the time of his life! This kid is usually so timid and doesn't much like anything that involves risk. He seriously loved the boat ride, though. We got to see geese, ducks, and herons.

These pictures were taken moments before the incident. I'll tell you what happened in a moment...

So, right after these pictures were taken, Oliver ran off on that path behind us. You can see in the photo how the path winds. It winds right into a parking area on the street. When he first took off, I said, "No, no, no." He kept going, which is so unlike Oliver! I screamed bloody murder, "STOP!" Oliver froze and immediately started to cry (he hates yelling). I'm so glad he listened when I yelled, though.

I was embarrassed for yelling (even though I did the right thing) and distracted by Oliver crying. I didn't even notice when I walked into a tree limb.

It was almost exactly my height. It didn't hit me in the forehead but sliced right into the top of my scalp. It hurt so badly. It wasn't like a throbbing pain from when you run into something. It was a sharp, stinging pain that didn't stop. At first, I tried to hold myself together. The pain kept increasing, and I just crawled into the car and cried. After a minute, I got the courage to touch my head. My fingers were all bloody. Andrew drove a few blocks, but when the pain got worse, he stopped to assess the damage. He just saw a cut and blood and told me I'd need stitches. I started crying all over again! I felt what I thought was blood running down my head, but it was clear liquid. Andrew told me it was probably plasma.

We called his mom, who let us know of an urgent care out by her. I didn't even want to drive two extra miles, so we stopped at an urgent care I know of right by my parents' house. I called my dad. The poor guy, I swear. I tried to stay calm, but I was crying and clearly upset and hurt. I told him I'd be there in five minutes, and he said he would come right away. He's the best dad in the world. (I'm sorry for scaring you, Dad. Happy Father's Day!) My parents were already at the urgent care when we arrived. They grabbed the kids out of the car while I went into the urgent care.

The nurse at the reception took one look at my head and said they couldn't treat it there. She said I had to go to the emergency room. I have a high deductible, and so we'd be responsible for any and all hospital costs. Dang it! It sucks to be hurt and also worrying about whether or not I can afford to go get treated. Andrew told me we'll make it work, and so we went.

The people at Sky Ridge were fantastic. I had a nurse, a physician's assistant, and an MD all check on me. The pain started to finally subside after getting shown into a room. It faded from a sharp, stinging pain to a dull, throbbing pain. The bleeding stopped, too. The physician's assistant asked me if it was OK to numb the area. I was confused why she asked. Is there some reason I shouldn't be numbed? Is there a chance of allergic reaction or something? Nope, she just wanted my permission before giving me an injection. Oh, geez, I hate needles. I mean, I put up with them when I have to, but I hate them. I started to cry all over again! I told her I would rather get treated without getting numbed. She told me they could clean the wound out without numbing, but, if I needed staples, they would revisit the idea of numbing my head.

A nurse washed my head with sanitized water. She had to scrape off some of the scabbing to see how deep parts of the wound were. It started to sting again, but it wasn't as bad as before. A doctor came in and checked me out, followed again by the physician's assistant. She told me the wound was puckered open a bit, but it wasn't deep enough to require stitches or staples. I was so relieved!

...and then I realized I'm probably going to get a $500 bill for nothing! Well, not really. I know I am paying for expert opinions and for taking the time of the emergency room. But, still, I can't help but wish I'd toughed it out. Better safe than sorry, I guess.

So, that's how Andrew spent Father's Day evening, and that's how we ended up at the emergency room. We picked up the kids. My little Ollie Bear ran up to me when I walked into my parents' house and asked, "Mom, do you feel all better?" He's so sweet. My head was feeling so much better--just a slight pressure headache and swelling. We went back to his parents' house, where we're staying for a bit. His mom gave the kids a bath, and I took some ibuprofen and rested a bit. We made a quick dinner (and I helped Oliver make smoothies), and then we put the kids to bed.

What a day! Father's Day didn't go exactly as planned. Next week is Andrew's birthday, and I hope to make it up to him then! Happy Father's Day, Andrew, and thanks for taking care of me at the hospital.