Memorial Day

Finn was invited to a birthday party on Memorial Day this year.  I wasn't sure I was going to make the effort to get him there, but on the last day of school his teacher told me just how much Finn and Keene got along and even suggested that they should have play dates.  So, I made the commitment to drive him to the party.  The "party" was actually a tour of the fire station and then a quick trip to the park for cake.  Keene's neighbor works at the station as a paramedic and so we got a few extras on our visit that they don't always do.  Finn loved being able to put on the uniform and shoot out the water.  Bree loved watching him and talked about it nearly every night for the rest of the week.  It was also interesting to see them shoot the water out of the top of the truck.  I'm glad I took Finn to the party so that he could play with his friend.  Which reminds me that I need to find time for a play date for him and Keene.

After Bree's nap that afternoon we decided to go to Red Robin for dinner.  It was a yummy dinner!  And then I even got in a little shopping over at Burlington Coat Factory while Reid entertained the boys in the car.  Yay!


On a random note, I have these pictures from the week that I have to share.  I only had time to "jog" on the treadmill once during the week.  But I did go out and mow the lawn 3 separate times this week, which is what it took to get it all done.  I have a Fitbit and this is what mowing the lawn looks like for me.  I think that counts as some exercise!

This is Wednesday morning at 11am when I finished mowing and bagging just the front yard.  It took about 2 hours.

This is from Friday morning when I finished mowing the back yard.  I did not bag it as it would have taken way too much time and energy.  This took almost 2 hours.

I went out and finished the last of the backyard last night and my legs are just exhausted.  I am going to have to do all again tomorrow (without the bagging) because the grass was so long I couldn't mow it down all that short.  Ahhhhh.........

Summer Break--week 1

 Wow--I'm not sure I've ever been this far behind on our blog.  I was thinking this afternoon that if I keep telling myself that I can't blog the current events until I catch up with the past events, that I may never get current.  And I don't want to loose all of our current events.  So, today I am going to blog about the things going on right now, and later I will go back and fill in the holes.

This weekend was one of those that only comes around once in a while.  It was a near-perfect weekend.  Last week was the first full week of summer break for the kids and we worked hard on getting into a routine that involved them doing chores, outside time, workbooks, and scripture reading in order to earn electronic time.  By the end of the week the boys were easily doing chores on their own and I watched them with a happy heart.  To see Finn wiping down the kitchen table and making the bed on his own accord without me telling him....there are no words.  And to have Kai do some chores to surprise me was so sweet.  Finn, who in general is my reluctant student, was sitting down to do his workbook pages with a smile on his face.  They aren't being done perfectly or completely, but they are being done.  And that matters more to me than anything else!  Even Bree has stepped in with chores so she can get some star stickers (ok, yes there a rewards system....my kids aren't that perfect!).  On Tuesday we also had the chance to drive down to Pueblo to see one of my oldest and sweetest friends, Esther.  It was so nice to be able to see her for a few hours, have a picnic lunch, watch the boys run around, and just chat.  After we got home from Pueblo I realized just how much I miss having her around. Her laugh is infectious and she knows just how to make me feel loved. I guess being roommates for 2 1/2 years can do that to people.  There are things we know about each other that not many others do.  It's a precious relationship.

On Thursday we had our first playgroup of the summer.  Since I am currently the playgroup "coordinator" our family was committed to going but I was worried that no one else would show (that's kind of been the story of the year!).  Well, I needn't have worried.  We had our largest turnout that I can recall in years.  It was so fun to see over 20 kids from the ward running around the park and to see all of the moms sitting and chatting.  Thursday was also AFA graduation day which means we get to see the Thunderbird show.  We were able to walk just about a block from the playground we were at to a good lookout point for the show.  The ward kids were all running around and enjoying the show and the moms were enjoying the patriotic feeling that seeing those Thunderbirds always invokes.  After the show we are headed back to the playground.

I didn't get any great pictures this year, but this is proof that we saw them!

Friday Reid was able to come home early since he had logged in so many late hours on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday.  He came home at 1pm and we were out the door by 1:30pm and headed to the Butterfly Pavillion.  We got there about two hours before they closed which gave us plenty of time to see everything.  Right when we first walked in, Reid jumped at the chance to hold Rosie the tarantula.  The boys were too scared and Finn wouldn't even watch Reid do it!  Finn is definitely going through a "nervous nelly" phase as once we entered the butterfly exhibit, he got very upset.  He was quite "scared" of the butterflies.  Even bribing him to be brave did not work.  Eventually the "rain" of the rainforest had me worried enough (potential bacteria being misted through the air) that I decided to take him out.  He enjoyed the kid's play area while we waited for Reid, Kai, and Bree to watch the butterfly release.

Kai touching a horseshoe crab

touching a sea star

Bree admiring a butterfly.  She wanted to touch them so bad, but she's such a good listener.  I only had to tell her no once and she never tried again.

The butterfly Bree was admiring

This was the only type of butterfly Finn would get near

putting cloth "butterflies" in a wind tunnel where they would fly up and out the top

Eventually, we all had some good time in the kid's play area and then decided to go back for a second look at most of the exhibits.  The butterflies had settled down since the sun had gone behind the rainclouds, so we didn't stay long.  But somehow Kai got up the nerve to hold Rosie.  Of course, there was no one left in the exhibit area and Rosie was put away, but luckily one of the employees heard us and offered to get Rosie out for Kai.  I was impressed with how brave he was!

Bree had to take her turn once she got there

I just adore the expression on her face in this picture

Bree LOVED walking across these suspension bridges.

One last walk with the butterflies

Watching the turtle crawl

My boys

The best shot of me and all of the kids

Kai holding Rosie!

After the Butterfly Pavillion we took the long way around to get to Freddy's for dinner.  During dinner Reid offered Kai $1 if he would try a hot pepper.  Kai did not take the bait but when the offer was extended to Finn, he immediately started considering it.  After about 10 minutes of working up the nerve, he grabbed the pepper and went for it.  We were very impressed!  And Kai did not want to be left out so he also tried a pepper.  It was a fun dinner and we were having a good time just being together.

Saturday the weather was great and so we spent the morning cleaning up the house and doing yard work.  After lunch Reid and I were able to cash in on a Groupon that we got for our anniversary for a zip lining trip.  It was a really fun trip.  I felt like I was a 20-something again and was really enjoying the time away from the kids.

And finally, that brings us to today.  This morning our house phone rang at a little past 6am.  I was drifting in and out and trying to justify staying in bed despite needing to get up to finish my lesson for singing time.  But I wasn't about to answer the phone.  I figured if someone really needed us they could leave a message, I would check it in a few minutes and then decided what to do.  But then my cell phone started to ring.  At that point I could see the caller ID.  It was Reid's brother-in-law, Erik.  I answered the phone to a chipper Erik who told me that he had been driving up I-25 (he is here with the Boy Scouts from Kansas for their high adventure this week) when he hit a razor blade just near the exit to our house.  Wal-mart's tire center doesn't open until 8am and he needed to get to the airport to pick up another scout.  He wanted to know if he could borrow a car.  Of course we said yes and then he told me that he was actually at our house right then.  We rolled over and made ourselves decent and headed to answer the door.  Despite the nature of the visit, it is always fun to see family.  We were grateful to be able to help out.  Erik drove to the airport and back before we had to leave for 9am church.  The boys were able to see him when he came to return the car and we were able to fill up his water cooler so that they had some water for the day.

It's been a good weekend.  We have had some fun family memories, some new adventures, and an unexpected visit from family.  I have to say our summer is off to a good start.  I'm exhausted with all we have done and accomplished this week and I'm looking forward to more.  This week is another big week for us.  Kai is getting baptized on Saturday and my mom is flying in for that.  We're hoping to have some more adventures real soon.

Bree talking

I just love Bree's voice and hearing the things she has to say.  She went through a phase where she would just babble with real sounds when she was trying to say a word that she hadn't mastered yet.  One word that always made me laugh was "banana" as she would stick her tongue out and wiggle it back and forth in an attempt to say it.  I tried to get it on video and this was the best I got.

Spring Break 2015

After missing the last three days of school before Spring Break, Kai finally starting feeling good on Saturday.  Go figure.  It was a beautiful day.

On Monday we spent the day cleaning the house.  I was happy to have helpers, and they are generally happy to help (as long as it's something they want to do--which does not include cleaning their room!).

After being stuck at home for what felt like weeks with sick kids, I was anxious to get out of the house.  On Tuesday we had no plans so we decided to go to the Outlets in Castle Rock for a few things we needed.  We had a good time walking around and picking up just a few things.  We ended up spending 4 hours there and eating a second lunch at the food court.  Kai ate nearly an entire 6 inch sub from Subway, which made me proud.

Bree has discovered Mickey Mouse and he has become an instant favorite.

The boys wanted their pictures taken on these rocks.  Why not?!

Bree was not about to sit still for a picture.

We were out most of the afternoon that day and so Bree only got some short naps in the car.  The next day Finn had a really early appointment on the south side of Denver to get his g-tube button replaced (it needs to be changed out every three months).  It started snowing that morning and so when we got out of the appointment, my plans for the day needed to be adjusted.  Since the appointment was near the temple I had wanted to take the kids over to the temple grounds for a walk and maybe a picnic.  Instead, we drove by and noticed that the distribution center was open, so we decided to go in to look at scriptures for Kai.  While standing in the tiny distribution center Bree looked through the glass doors and was able to see into the temple waiting room where there was a large statue of Christ.  Bree exclaimed, "Jesus!" and so we decided to walk in reverently and look at the statue.  As we left Bree said, "Bye bye Jesus."  It was adorable.

From there we decided to go to the Park Meadows Mall (this place has a tag line of "Colorado's only retail resort").  Normally that mall is packed, but with the freak snow storm, it was very quiet and so we had a good time walking around.  I browsed quickly through a couple of stores I wanted to see and then we stopped at the Lego store where the boys played for a bit.  From there we headed to the upper level and got some yummy cookies.  The kids had never had cookies from Mrs. Field's so I figured we would splurge since they were being so good.  They really enjoyed them, even Bree.  After our cookie stop we headed to the Disney Store where we had a good time browsing and Bree even found a matching Minnie Mouse to our Mickey.  She was love and ready to take it home.  After all of that we stopped at the Lego store one more time on the way out and by then Bree was ready for a nap and the mall was getting busy as the snow had cleared and the day was warming up.  Our timing had been perfect and it was a really fun morning.

There was no line at all for the Easter Bunny.  However, none of my kids wanted to see him so we just took a cute picture on the bench outside of the area.  Finn was crying and screaming several feet to the right of this picture!

The dress up castle at the Disney Store

Minnie Mouse.....she wants one for her birthday

As if being out of the house on Tuesday and Wednesday and cutting Bree's naps short wasn't enough, on Thursday we met up with friends at the Denver Museum of Science and Nature.  We left early that morning and got there not long after it opened.  I was worried about fighting for a parking spot but we were lucky there to get there before the lot filled up.  We spent some time on our own before meeting up with friends at the Children's Discovery Center.  Our friends were not as lucky with parking and so we played for a bit while we waited for them to arrive.  We had a good time playing with them in the Discovery Center and then decided to take a break and eat our lunch picnic style in one of the atriums.  It was perfect as the kids were able to visit and play with each other and the adults were able to visit together.  From there we all decided to go see the new Mythic Creatures exhibit.  It was fantastic and certainly wins as my favorite of their seasonal displays.  After that I was exhausted and so we made a quick stop at the gems and minerals display before heading back out to the car.  Traffic was awful getting home and so we ended up not getting home until after 4pm.  It was a long day but we were definitely making good use of our spring break.

Looking at an exhibit with their friend Sawyer

The kids were tasked with creating their own mythical creature.  There were color pencils and stencils and I was surprised by how seriously they took the task.  Especially Finn who doesn't like to draw or color at all.  But they sat here for quite a while making up their creatures.

By the time Friday arrived we were all pretty tired.  Finn had still be coughing quite a bit and Bree wasn't sleeping great.  But I had promised the kids a trip to House of Bounce, so we went for a couple of hours that morning.  From there I took the kids in for haircuts and then we were home to rest for the weekend.  Including a movie afternoon on Saturday.  We were all really wiped out!

The boys in matching outfits watching a movie.

By the time spring break was over, Kai started coughing again.  Yep, that's been the story of our winter!