Summer Break Week 7

This week marked the half-way point of our summer break.  I can't believe how fast it is all going and how much fun we have been having.  I know there are seasons to life and honestly this season has been pretty fantastic.  It isn't perfect by any means, but that's just life.

After all of the craziness of the first half of the summer, I needed a week to slow down.  This week was it!  Our visiting family left early on Sunday the 5th before we headed out to church.  It was sad to see them go.  What made me even more sad was after church.  I picked Bree up at nursery and she was so excited to go home.  She said, "Back to the cousins, Mom".  At that point I had to tell her they weren't there but that they had gone "bye bye".  She had a very despondent look on her face and said, "Oh".  I thought for a second she might cry.  She talked about her cousins all week, and specifically Maci.  She kept saying that they had gone home, and she would do something and say, "Like Maci".  I seriously adore those two little girls and I love that the Lord blessed us with cousins for the kids that perfectly match up to them.

On Monday we went to Kohl's to find some Minnie Mouse jammies, since Maci had some of those.  The minute we got home Bree had to put them on and then proceeded to wear them all day.  We also got nail polish at Walmart since Aunt Kristi had shown Bree her pretty pink nails and then painted Bree's for her.  Bree's had already started chipping and she had wanted them fixed.  She even threw a fit on Sunday about going to church because she wanted to go to Walmart instead so we could fix her nails.  So Monday, it was "like Maci" and she wore Minnie Mouse jammies and painted her nails.

New jammies

Pretty purple nails.  I'm still learning how to get these done just right but Bree's patience is getting shorter and shorter each time we do it.  These look a lot better than the nails she had me do for her this week!

The whole week was actually quite rainy and cold, so we spent most of the week inside and playing.  On Tuesday the boys decided to turn the stairs into a slide.  They had a blast doing this and seemed relatively safe (as safe as sliding down stairs can be).  But then on Tuesday Finn crashed into the wall and injured his pinky toe on his right foot.  My first thought is that it was broken.  He wouldn't walk on it for about a day and it did swell.  However, it isn't as bruised as I would anticipate for a broken toe, so it's probably a good jam or sprain.  Either way, he's been limping around here a lot lately, but it's slowly getting better.

They used the bedding we had out for their cousins to make the slide.

On Wednesday Finn had his chest CT done.  I was so proud of him that day!  We had practiced taking breaths and holding it in preparation for his CT, only to get there and find out that not only did he have to do that but he also had to take a breath, blow it all out, and then hold it.  So, we practiced that real quick and he did great!  He had to do that four times, but he moved the final time so we did it a 5th time.  But really he did a fantastic job and earned a great toy and book from the hospital.  Kai and Bree went to a babysitter's house again during that time and had a great time.

He's amazing!  And after standing next to Finn for a CT for the second year in a row, I'm hoping that I'm not glowing in the dark, too.

On Thursday we had a crazy day!  I had visiting teaching in the morning with both sisters that I visit.  Doing that with all of the kids gets a tad crazy.  And because of the rain, I had canceled our 11am playgroup time.  Well, while we were visiting the sun came out and it warmed up, so I sent out a quick email saying that playgrroup was back on.  We went from visiting teaching to Walmart to grab luncables and then to the park to play with friends.  By the time we got home we had been out of the house for 5 hours.

Friday morning we did some crazy quick cleaning as we had a playdate scheduled with some friends.  A family from the ward came over to watch Meet the Mormons with us.  It was fun, but our kids definitely made it more difficult.  We don't get to play with these friends that often so it was good to see them and it was their first time at our house.  They have lived here 5 years--man, we're slackers!  Friday afternoon I "rented" Free Willy for the boys to watch since we all needed some more down time.  That afternoon our neighbor also knocked on our door and said he was going to take his kids' old powered vehicles to the thrift store unless we wanted them.  So, needless to say, we now have two more fun toys that take up a lot of garage space.

Friday's dinner.  Doesn't it all look yummy?!  I've been really enjoying the fresh produce this summer and making salads.  They are so easy and so yummy.  And I love that my kids love salads, too!

Saturday the kids enjoyed taking the new toys out for a drive and we also capped the week off with a trip to Walmart.  Considering that was a down week....I'd say we have been pretty busy and we are loving it!

When your first "car" is a red Mustang........yep, spoiled!

Summer Break Week 6

The first half of week 6 was spent trying to catch up on needed chores and getting our home ready for our next round of visitors.  Finn also had CF clinic this week and had a good appointment.  The doctors are all very happy with the weight he is gaining (he is over 40 pounds now!) and how he is doing.  We did have a few issues that they recommended we discuss with the ENT and GI doctors, but other than that, it was a pretty basic appointment.  His next appointment is scheduled for October and will be his "annual" appointment, which just means they do his blood work and spend more time talking to us.  Since he will be 6 this year, it is also time for his next CT scan (they do them every 3 years), and so we were asked to schedule that.

Bree insisted on wearing all of her beads!

While I was cleaning the house Finn managed to drop a magnetic rock into the toilet.  We went fishing with a paper clip to get it out.  YUCK!

On Wednesday we spent the day cleaning the house as we were expecting Reid's sister, Kristi, and her family to be arriving that evening.  We always love having them come to visit and this time was no exception.  We were all very excited to see them and the boys took off playing with their cousins the minute they walked through the door.  We did not expect Maci and Bree to play that much together, just due to their age, but they surprised us all by really enjoying each other.  They even actually played together and not just side-by-side.  It was super cute and just so fun!

Thursday morning Finn had an ENT appointment and Reid had to get a couple hours of work in, but then we were all free.  After a quick lunch we loaded up in the cars and headed to Denver to visit the aquarium.  It had been three years since we had been and our kids were very excited.

Kai

Finn

Kai, Issac, and Finn having a good time

Ok, isn't she the cutest thing you've ever seen??  We love Maci!

And this was just too funny!

Yep, that fish is bigger than Kai.

Who's in the bubble??  (PS.  The answer is Finn and Bryn.)

Kai touching a chocolate chip sea star.

Bree wanted to touch, too.

Finn, Isaac, Kai, and Bree (and you can see Maci's bow sticking up behind Issac)

Love these two!

After the aquarium we went to the Spaghetti Factory for dinner.  They must have seen the 8 kids and the 4 adults and known we were going to be trouble, and so they gave us a nice room all to ourselves in the restaurant.  That turned out to be a blessing as we didn't feel the need to continually tell the boys to be quiet and to stay in their seats.  It was a good dinner despite trying to control the chaos and we were glad that we chose that stop.

Our dinner table.  Don't ask what Reid is doing!

Maci, Kristi, Bryn, and Bree (yep, it's my child with food all over her face!)

Friday morning we headed out to hike to the Palmer Reservior.  I'm not sure how the others felt, but for me it seemed a much easier hike after all of the hiking in Estes Park.  I'm sure the altitude made it difficult for our Kansas family, but they didn't complain.  We all made it up the mountain and the kids enjoyed dipping their hands (and Bree's feet) in the reservior before we sat down for snacks.  After snacks we headed back down the mountain, which is always the easiest part!

Starting our hike

We made it to the reservior.  I love this picture.

Cousins!

These two were enjoying their snack on a rock.  Kristi asked them to smile for the camera and this is what she got from Issac, and Finn would not take the picture without showing off his juice.  

Saturday morning Reid and Erik headed out very early to get us seats at the 4th of July parade.  Kristi and the kids and I managed to get off of the school bus shuttle just as the parade started and we had to make our way to the middle of the parade route to find our seats.  But once we were there we all had a great time.  This was the closest to the start of the parade route we had ever sat and the kids got a whole lot more candy than we have ever had.  And a lot of otter pops and water as well.

I spent an afternoon with these girls and played a game that involved me tucking them into bed.  They would ask for hugs and kisses (even Maci!) and then they would shout "Time to wake up!" and get up, run through a pop-up tunnel and play tent and do it all over again.  So sweet!

After the parade we were all pretty worn out.  We spent the rest of the 4th relaxing and visiting at home and just enjoying being with family.  We were so glad that they had come to visit us!

Easter 2015

This one event is what kept me from blogging and ultimately falling so far behind.  I don't remember why blogging about Easter overwhelmed me so much, but here I am and I'm going to get it done so that I can move on.

Easter this year fell on the same weekend as General Conference.  That was super nice when we normally have 9am church.  This gave us a chance to enjoy Easter morning without having to worry about getting out of our pajamas.  Admittedly we are not very good at taking pictures on Easter morning as we normally video the egg hunt.  I actually think that's why I got overwhelmed with blogging about it, but anyway, here's what we have from that special weekend.

Between conference sessions on Saturday we went to the Easter Egg Hunt at Monument Hill Country Club.  As you can see, there were a whole lot of eggs and very little hunting!

Finn, Finn, Finn!!  There was an "Easter Bunny" out during the event.  He was "terrified".  If anyone has suggestions as to how to get him over this fear of costumed characters, please let me know.  We all want to go back to Disney World one day!

At one point he calmed down a bit, but then he eventually got himself worked up again and threw up right in his Easter bucket and all over his eggs.  YUCK!

Kai was thrilled to see his friend Cora at the egg hung.  They have been in class together for the last two years and have a mutual interest in each other.  They have hot and cold moments but this was one of those times when they were pretty good friends.  She's a sweet girl.

They opened their eggs together and loved the "plushies" they found.  It is one of their "inside" stories now.

The Easter Bunny that terrorized Finn.  I can't blame him too much because this costume is a bit creepy.

Anxiously waiting for the egg hunt at our house on Sunday morning.

At our house the kids have certain colors of eggs they have to find.  Bree is in charge of pink of purple.  

Ziplining Videos

Remember when we went ziplining??  Here are some videos of that.

Random Shots of my kids from March

I'm trying to go back and fill in the small hole I left in my blog and I found these cute pictures that didn't make it in March.

I have been asked quite a bit over the years if they are twins.  This is why.

Melts my heart!

Summer Break Week 5

Doing this week by week has really made blogging much easier for me.  I'm hoping this will help me get back on track.  As I fill in these summer weeks, I am also hoping to go back and pick up where I left off....at Easter.  So, stay tuned!

Week 5 started with Father's Day.  For Father's Day this year we made a video for Reid.  It was fun to ask the kids questions about their dad and to hear their responses.  I used iMovie to put it together and was pleasantly surprised with all of the features that iMovie had.  I need to make some more videos before I feel completely confident using it, but it was a start.  We also had a great sacrament meeting for Father's Day, which included the Primary children singing "My Daddy" and "When Grandpa Comes".  I have really enjoyed teaching the kids the primary songs.  I get excited to share the music with them and wish I could teach them the whole Children's Songbook.  After church we came home to a quick lunch and then to load up the car for our family vacation.  We enjoyed Estes Park so much last August that we wanted to go back.  We had reservations for 4 nights at the YMCA and were anxious to get there.  We gave Reid his other Father's day gift of beef jerky from the Beef Jerky Outlet just for the trip. We arrived around 5pm at the YMCA only to find that our cabin wasn't ready.  At about 6:30pm I gave up on the idea of cooking dinner in the cabin and accepted vouchers from the concierge to have dinner in the cafeteria.  The dinner was awful.  I couldn't even find anything that looked good, and the kids didn't either.  Even the rolls and dessert were awful.  Bree spit both of them out.  It was really that bad.  We went for a walk to look around the grounds a bit more and even went to the playground to pass some time.  Around 8pm we finally settled down with the boys playing iPad at the Administration building.  Finally at 9pm our cabin was ready and we got the key.  It was really late for the kids and after talking to the manager she decided to comp us the night.  Thank goodness!  The kids didn't end up in bed until 10:30pm and we were all tired.

Exploring the YMCA grounds

I wanted her to look at the camera so I asked, "Where's Mommy?"  Yep, she knew where I was.

The boys loved this spinning thing

Monday we slept in and I realized just how much a late night threw off our plans.  While Reid got some rest at the cabin the kids and I went to the playground.  After playing there we decided to go the activities building and found a foosball table with a ball still in it and so I played with the boys.  We had another gentleman join us who had played a lot of foosball when he was stationed in Germany in the '60s.  For the first game it was me and him versus the boys.  After we won, the boys took on me and Bree.  It was a tight game (who knew I was a decent foosball player?!) but the boys (all 3 of them!) beat us.  From there we wandered up to the deck of the building to find bubbles and the kids had a blast playing around with those for a bit.  After that we were back to the cabin for lunch, a game of Ticket to Ride while Bree took a nap,  and then we all headed into Rocky Mountain National Park for a hike.  We headed to the Alluvian Fan Trail and loaded up for a hike.  It wasn't nearly as long of a hike as we had anticipated, but it was fun to get there and take off our shoes and dip our toes in the frigid water.  Bree in particular loved "flying" in her backpack and playing in the water.

Our cabin was right across from a "gathering" area with a tire swing and, well, not much else.

Bubbles

I asked the boys to sit on the rock at the start of our hike so I could take a picture.  Finn said he wanted to meditate??!!!

What an incredible hiking view!

She's flying!

COLD water!

Reid's really good with the panoramic shots

Kai made some friends.  This other girl liked rocks, too, and apparently she "saved his life".  He says he was falling off the rock and she saved him.  It must not have been a dramatic rescue because we didn't hear or see anything.

Me and my little boys

Being goofy!

After our hike we headed into town for dinner at Penelope's (pretty good burgers) and some time walking the downtown area.  We got some "Grandma's Cookies" and discovered we don't like them at all, and some taffy as well.  We love the taffy from Estes Park.  Then it was back to the cabin for treatments and bedtime.

At the water wheel in downtown Estes

The deer came so close to our deck.  We even saw one prancing.  It was really neat.

The view from the deck of our cabin

On Tuesday we managed to get going much earlier and decided to head to the Wild Basin trailhead to hike to Calypso Cascade Falls.  We got there to discover the parking lot full at 10am.  The rangers said it's normally full by 9am or earlier, so the kids and I hopped out and Reid headed to park the car down the road.  Once we got started hiking we learned that 1.8 miles seems a lot longer when you are going up the side of a mountain.  But it was a great trail that followed the river and so were had a cool mist most of the hike which was nice.  Bree once again loved to "fly" and the boys did pretty well.  Due to recent rains one of the bridges further up the trail had been washed out and so we were passed on the trail several times by park rangers on horses leading pack mules with lumber up to the area where they were repairing the bridge.  It was pretty neat and all of the kids expressed interest in riding a horse.  It took much longer to get to the falls than we had anticipated and I was glad that we had plenty of snacks that filled in as lunch when we got there.  After half an hour of snacking or so, we headed back down.  Poor Finn and Bree were exhausted and both fell asleep in the car as we headed back into town.  We decided to head to Cheesy Lee's for a late lunch/early dinner.  When we walked in sometime after 3pm, we were the only ones there.  There was a large (but disorganized/messy/and dirty) play area for the kids and many board games for people to play at their tables.  Reid and Kai decided on a game of battleship while Finn and Bree (and me by default) played with some of the toys while we waited for our pizza.  The pizza was actually quite good and it was nice to have some downtime and not feel any pressure to leave.  We ate and played until Reid and Kai finished their game and then headed back to the car.  From there we decided to head to the aerial tramway for a ride up the mountain and to catch the views.  We spent about 45 minutes walking around up top before heading down on the tramway and back to town for some ice cream before heading back to the cabin and calling it a day.

Notice the flower that she is clinging to?

Seriously this kid is going through a major posing phase.  It's awesome!

I love my little princess.

Snack break

Kai's really been wanting pictures of just him by himself.  He got a lot of them on our vacation.

Why would he not want to stand next to this for a picture??  I just don't understand.  :)

Poser

Calypso Cascade Falls

Hiking back to the car.  It's much easier going down the mountain.

His first game of battleship

Panoramic of the view from the top of the aerial tramway

On Wednesday the kids and I decided to hit the playground again in the morning.  From there we went into the craft building and I let each kid pick out something to paint.  The boys settled on wood toy planes and Bree got a star coat hangar.  It was fun to watch them paint and I was pleasantly surprised that all three of them took it pretty seriously and did excellent jobs.  Finn needs work on his fine motor skills and things of this nature are normally hard for him, but he pushed through and did a fantastic job.  From there we went back to the cabin for an early lunch before heading to the stables for some horseback riding. Reid and Kai got to go on a 1-hour trail ride and Finn and Bree got turns on a pony.  Poor Bree was doing great until the pony had to blow his nose and then she got so scared she wouldn't get back on him.  I never managed to get a picture of her on the pony because she only lasted about 3 minutes before getting scared off.  Poor thing!  Finn loved his pony ride and really wanted to do the trail ride with his dad and brother, but he wasn't old enough.  I was surprised that my kid who is generally afraid of animals really seemed to enjoy the pony.  Finn is one of those kids who likes anything his brother likes, but still hasn't found his own interests.  I hope this summer we are getting closer to finding things that he truly enjoys for himself.

Kai's first time on a horse and a trail ride (His horse's name was Doc.  Reid was on Joey.)

Finn got to ride a really old pony named Shortcake.  He's been giving pony rides at the YMCA for over a decade apparently.  (The ranch hand that got him out for us told us that she rode him when she was a kid, so I'm guessing it's closer to twenty years that he has been giving rides.)

They told us not to let him eat.  Finn wanted to let him eat.  Finn wins!

Welcoming them back from the trail

I think the wrangler was trying to stay out of the picture.  The other wrangler took the picture and she should have just told her it was no use!

After pony rides it was back to the cabin for naptime.  While Bree napped the boys headed out to play mini-golf with their dad.  It began to storm and so they came back and I started cooking dinner in the cabin.  It was nice to have a family-style meal at the large dinner table there and to enjoy time together.  That night Reid and Kai went to an astronomy class while I put the other two to bed.  They got back about 10pm and were in bed pretty quickly as we had to be up early the next day to back up and check out.

We checked out by 10am on Thursday and began the drive home.  We went home via Golden, Colorado to make a stop at Heritage Square.  I had bought a Groupon for passes at Miner's Maze Adventureland and so we stopped to check it out.  The boys had fun and took quite a while to get through the maze.  Then they decided to use the rest of the activities on their pass by doing the water walkers, the train, and the web crawl.  We also all went up to the alpine slide and each got to go down.  Finn rode with Reid, Bree rode with me, and Kai was old enough to drive his own.  I've never done an alpine slide before but it was a lot of fun!  Bree said "Weeee!" several times on the way down and I agreed with her!

Saying goodbye to the YMCA!

Bree playing with a bobble head moose while the boys were lost in the maze at Miner's Maze Adverntureland

Kai rode the ski lift for the first time and he had to go all by himself.  I was clinging to Bree the whole time and was really really glad when we reached to the top.  No seatbelts and a two year old 30 feet up in the air makes me very anxious.

The web crawl

After our stop we finally arrived home about 5pm.  We unloaded and then I ordered some chinese food for dinner.  It had been a long week and we were all tired.  It was nice to be home.

Friday we played catch-up with loads and loads of laundry, cleaning, and just some good play time.  Saturday was more of the same, as well as some outdoor chores of bush trimming, etc.  It was a good, busy week!