Pirate's Cove

On Wednesday the 6th of August a small group of families from the ward had planned on going to Pirate's Cover in Denver.  Unfortunately, the night before the outing everything seemed to fall apart.  I had, however, already promised the kids and spent a good deal of money on new bathing suits and towels for them.  So, I was committed.  We ended up at the park alone, but we had a fantastic time.  Kai was content to stay in the 6-inch deep pool and play with his swim ring.  Bree also did well in that pool and enjoyed walking around and exploring.  (I should have brought her some toys to play with, but honestly I forgot.  That happens a lot for her, poor thing!)  Finn, on the other hand, wanted to go down every slide he saw.  He made me nervous as he insisted that he knew how to swim (he doesn't).  He had a blast, though, and they kept me busy trying to keep up with them the whole time.

I discovered that one of the down sides to taking three non-swimming kids to a waterpark by yourself is that you are not able to take any pictures.  The even bigger problem with being by yourself is having no one to help you with the sunscreen on your back.  I ended up as red as a lobster on my back.  It really hurt for a few days, but luckily has now moved on to the itchy stage.

Bree getting ready to go in the morning.  I had the kids wear their swimsuits in the car to cut down on changing time.

My little shadow at the pool--she was the only one I could get pictures of

When we got home that afternoon I made Kai a nice cold treat--Root Beer Float.  He loved it!

 

Recovery

After the cousins came it felt like we went through a week of "recovery".  You know how you look forward to something for so long and then it comes and goes....like Christmas....and then you have to find a way to get back into your rhythm/routine?  That's what it was like.  Christmas was over and we were back to our normal routine.

Sort of....Bree had watched Maci eat and so after they left she did a bit better with eating.

Her first time with Mac and Cheese started like this

And ended like this!

Finn had a repeat of his gastric emptying study on Tuesday the 29th.  He did great eating the scrambled eggs and then laying still for 90 minutes watching a movie.  I was proud of him!  The results came back in the normal range which means he no longer has a delay!  Yay!  We are able to take him off of the bethanechol for delay and the GI doctor says that normally the delay does not return.  But with his other medical conditions it is a possibility and so we just watch him and take it as it comes.

The "big camera" that takes pictures of Finn's food in his tummy while he watches a movie

And on Thursday the 31st it was raining so hard that we skipped playgroup and went to the movies with friends.  It was a great deal--$5 for a ticket and small drink and popcorn.  We had plenty of drinks and popcorn and got to see a fun movie--Mr. Peabody and Sherman.  I had never heard of it before but was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed it.

At the movies....Yes, Bree is screaming bloody murder and practically eating the bar.  She thought I was leaving her, not just taking a picture

There was also some sibling play time.  Kai introduced Bree to the belly button and it has since become a popular form of entertainment here.  Bree pushes her brother's "button" and he shakes and makes funny noises.  Her reaction and laugh are very cute!

And there was also outside time.  I have been working to make the backyard a bit more "liveable" and I am proud with how it is coming.  I have moved toys and sprinklers into the back yard and the kids seem to enjoy being able to go out there and play (I just have to talk them into it at first).

Kansas Came to Us!

We were blessed with a visit from the Perrins' family on July 25th.  Our kids are so lucky to have cousins their ages and genders all in one family.  We LOVE our visits with them and are grateful for any chance we have to get together with them.  Not only do our kids match in ages and genders but they also get along really well.  What a blessing!  Not even 5 minutes after arriving at our house the boys had paired up with their cousins and taken off to play.  Kai and Owen went straight for Kai's room and Legos and Minecraft talk and Finn and Isaac picked right up where they had left off with the belly button dance and running around like wild children.  It was so fun to see.
On Saturday Kai had his last baseball game at 8am.  The game ended at 9 and since we were all up and ready to go we decided to head to the park from there.  Reid and I packed some snacks and drinks for the kids and then we went off to Fox Run Park.  The kids had a good time climbing and playing.  Kai and Finn enjoyed being able to show off "their park" and the secret grove of trees that they like to play in there.  Reid even took out his quadcopter and flew it around a bit.  But soon everyone started to get hungry and tired so we headed back to the house for lunch and naps.

Kai and Owen at the park

Ethan...yep this is the same kid that was the cute 4 year-old in glasses and a tuxedo at our wedding as the best man.  He is now taller than me--wow!

Finn and Isaac being Spider Men

Finn and Isaac (poor Finn has always struggled with light and his eyes)

This is our super cute niece Maci.  She is a doll and I love her.

the quadcopter

Me and Bree (with her bed head) at the park.  Don't mind me bearing my testimony there.

Climbing....again

Finn

Our super sweet niece Bryn.  Yep, she was only 2 when we got married.  How did time go so fast?!

After the two little girls took their naps we decided to brave the weather and visit Red Rocks Open Space.  Our timing turned out to be pretty good and we were able to take a walk around and even watch the boys climb up some rocks that led to a little cave.  It made the moms pretty nervous at the bottom, but everyone survived the climb....thank goodness!  We stopped at Chick-Fil-A for dinner on the way home.  It had been a fun and full day.

Trying to get 8 kids to look at the camera is tough!  Don't mind the top of my head here, I'm holding onto Bree to make sure she doesn't fall off of the rock she was sitting on.

All of the boys in the little cave that they climbed up to

The Perrins Family

Us

The kids lined up to make a train and hike out and Maci got upset (I don't remember why), so....

Kristi asked all of the kids to make a sad face to match Maci.  (Finn is hanging his head to show he's sad.)

On Sunday we got up and got everyone ready for church.  After Sacrament we headed home for lunch and naps again and then that afternoon we went back to Fox Run Park to feed the fish and walk around the ponds.  We had promised the boys a place to throw rocks and this was it.  The kids collected pinecones and threw them out into the pond.  It was perfect weather and was a nice relaxing Sunday afternoon.

After church (see here for last year's picture and here for 2011--our first couch picture)  The poor babies were ready for naps and were not happy at all.  But look!  The couch is FULL!  These kids are getting big.  I don't think there's room for anymore of them on that couch either.  :)

Our four matching boys all feeding the fish.  Can you even imagine how much trouble we are going to be in as these kids get older??  I LOVE that they are all so close.

Pine cone gathering

I love Isaac's face here!

These two had quite an impressive collection of cones that Finn was diligently guarding.  They thought they pulled a trick over on Kristi when they managed to sneak home an extra 4th pine cone (she told Isaac he could bring home 3) in his pocket!

Kai and Owen

It was a quick trip as they needed to continue on their way to Utah, but we were so glad to spend the weekend with them.  We were very sad to see them go and the boys were already asking about our next trip out to see them.  We ended up with a nice surprise the next Sunday when they decided they needed to stop for the night and we were able to give them a place to sleep.  We got to enjoy dinner and the kids got to play together for a couple of hours before everyone went to bed.  They snuck out our back door before we got up the next morning.

Bree and Maci playing together during their couple of surprise extra hours

We are so glad to have family just a state away.  We can't wait for our next visit!

Trampoline World and (mostly) "Fearless" Finn

I found a Groupon for discounted time at Trampoline World.  The boys were excited to try it out, so on Tuesday July 22nd, we went for two hours of afternoon jump time.  The boys' personalities really came out on this outing.  Kai enjoyed bouncing on the tramp and in the harness.  But after an hour he was done.  Finn on the other hand was in heaven!  He jumped on every trampoline he could find and fell in love with the trapeze.  He would wait his turn in line and then call for a bigger kid to help him reach the trapeze.  Finally he would swing out over the pit and at the end of the swing let go and drop the 10 feet or so into the foam.  He giggled and laughed and loved it.  After watching this for some time I went out onto the floor to help him.  Another mom who was sitting and watching nearby (she was the mom of the older kids that Finn had recruited for help) asked if he was mine.  I apologetically said "Yes" and indicated that I had come to help out.  And she responded by telling me that her kids were enjoying it and thought he was cute and "fearless".  Yes, all true.  He is fearless!  At one point he let go just a bit too early and landed on his bum on the edge of the floor before the pit starts.  He was crying and very upset as I went to help him out of the pit.  The first thing he said to me was that he needed to do it again.  He was more upset over doing it wrong than he was about getting hurt.  Seriously, he loves anything adventurous and athletic.  His last stop was the trampoline harness, again, and he taught himself how to do a back tuck.  Admittedly, he could never do it on his own, but I was proud of him.

A Kai blur on the trampoline

Finn on the trapeze

Mid-swing

Speaking of which, on the Saturday before this Finn did something else "fearless".  Reid was at work and Finn had asked for a skateboard....again.  He has been asking for one for a year now and we have been telling him no.  This time I told him that maybe for his birthday he could get one.  We called Reid at work on our way home from a shopping trip and so Reid was on speaker phone in the car.  I told him about my conversation with Finn and he told Finn that before he got a skateboard he needed to learn to ride a bike.  Once we got home Finn asked me to take the training wheels off of his bike and he proceeded to teach himself how to ride a bike.  I helped him for about 5 minutes get his balance and get going and then he did this...it was his first try by himself.

The next adventure that Finn wants to try--rock climbing!!  Stay tuned.