Sandstone Park

There's an awesome park down the street from my parent's house. I don't have many pictures of the kids playing there though. =( They love to play in the big water fountain pad that's there. They also learned that if they filled a bucket with water and poured it down the slide that they would have a water slide.

One evening, the icecream man came so they got popsicles. So very exciting for a 3 and 6 year old.

The Bike Ride

Before going to the Denver Aquarium, we decided to rent a big bicycle that seated all of us. I can't remember the actual name for it. This was an idea that seemed like way more fun than it turned out to be. First off, I think we followed the wrong path in the beginning so here we were in this huge contraption trying to weave our way through this tight sidewalk that was fenced on both sides. There were also other people walking and biking on this sidewalk. Fun times...

Also, anytime there was a hill we just didn't have the manpower to pedal our way up. So we had to push it up. It was so stinkin' funny.....well, kind of.

Towards the end, we were turning around to head back and John David somehow got his foot on the chain. We thought his foot was cut off the way he was screaming. Man, that boy can cry. When we finally got back we got a bandaid for him and the aquarium gave us a wheelchair to use. What a day, what a day.......

In Need of a Babysitter

Obviously, my husband needs a babysitter. I left him alone for just a little while and when I came home he had ordered all the golf channels and all the Starz movie channels. He was grinning so big. It was pretty funny. I guess Missy will have to start keeping an eye on him too. Sorry, Missy......

The Rest of the Story

The rest of the pictures and stuff about our trip is on my dad's blog (some is still yet to come). My only disclaimer is that I really don't look that way when I eat pancakes. I promise.....
http://daveslifeonline.blogspot.com/

The End....

Here are the last pictures we took right in front of the museum. And then there's Julia after we had only been in the car for about 5 minutes. I think she was tired.....

And Still More.... (there was a lot to do at that museum)

More Museum Pics

Children's Musuem

Sooooo much fun!

Special Times

The first few pictures were taken in the backyard at my parent's house. It was just a relaxing day of swimming and eating popsicles.

There's also a picture from Cracker Barrel. We love to go there for the food and then to shop in the store afterwards. Of course, John David always wants to play checkers with someone. I wish we had Cracker Barrel here! I love their food!!!

Panning and Relaxing

The kids panned for arrowheads and other stones (they were sadly out of gold). They were quite impressed with their little bags of shiny arrowheads. They looked at them and held them for much of the trip home.

Daddy and Aulora also hung out in the shade and rested for a few minutes. We were up in the mountains, but it was still HOT!

Bull Riding and Trampoline Jumping

The kids were showing their true Texan spirits even in Colorado. They were the cutest little bull riders. Julia was so determined to keep one arm up in the air while saying yee-ha. Poor baby - she tried so hard but she couldn't stay on and keep that arm in the air.

John David also got to jump on a trampoline. He figured out how to do flips in no time and had the best time. Julia was very sad she was too little to do this one.

The Swing

There was a big swing on the side of the mountain. John David was very set on riding it. My dad rode with him and they had a great time. I'm just glad it wasn't me. It swung out way over the edge of the mountain....

The Caverns

We also went to the caverns in Glenwood Springs. It was interesting, but it was also quite the workout. Not only did we have to carry our own large selves up the many sets of steps and through the winding tunnels, but we had to carry tired kids as well. Nobody would carry me. =(

Alpine Coaster

Here's the pictures of the Alpine Coaster we went on in Glenwood Springs. You were able to control your own speed with a lever and this coaster was built going down the side of a big mountain. The fact that you controlled your own speed made it scarier to me - I don't know why.

We have some pictures that the mounted cameras took in the middle of the ride but my mom has them. Maybe she can scan them so I can put them up.

I found out later in the day that the coaster did in fact break and 2 teenagers had to walk ALL the rest of the way up the mountain. Those poor kids did not look very happy. I was just thinking better them than me and my out of shape self. =)

Here We Go......

I finally downloaded all the pictures from my camera. What that means for my blog is lots of upcoming pictures and posts. These are pictures from the plane on the first day. Even though we flew, it is no easy thing to get to my parent's house. First we drove to DFW. Once we got there, we realized that Frontier Airlines does NOT have curbside check-in. That totally messed up our plans. Try having 2 adults, 3 small kids, and lots of luggage at an airport. They do not make it easy.

We ended up having to park our van for just a minute (shame on us) in the loading zone, and haul all of the luggage and our 3 kids up an escalator by OURSELVES! You should have seen it. Then while I kept the kids and moved the luggage little by little through the check-in line, John went to park the van. He made it back just in time to go through security. They made me dump all of Aulora's bottles since they were liquid. I'm sorry, but that's just not what the little video on the airport website says. Oh well. I'm sure it's really boosting their Dasani sales in the airports gift shops.

Anyway, we drove to DFW, waitied forever at the airport, waited forever in the plane to take off due to bad weather (at one point the pilot said we were number 46 for takeoff. uh, i say we should be number one but whatever), then we had to drive almost an hour to my parent's house. Bed was great that night!

**I will add that Frontier is a great airline to use. They have tv screens on the back of every seat. You can watch live direct tv during the whole flight for only $5. It's so worth it if you have kids. They sit there and watch cartoons for 2 blissful hours. =)

A Portrait of My Undoing

My nice, neat stack of Aulora's clothes were sitting on the trunk outside her door, waiting to be put away. I folded them during her morning nap and hadn't gotten around to actually putting them away.

Moments ago, I was rocking her for her afternoon nap. The door to her room slowly opened some and a little arm reached in and dumped all those clothes on the ground. Then the door closed just as softly. Then I could hear the happy rummaging in the dress-up trunk that was now clear of folded laundry. This is the perfect portrait of my life. I can work all day long, but the little people in my house pretty much undo everything I do. Oh, well........

Gross

You know what's gross? A toilet that leaks. Not a leak in the tank - that's just annoying. It leaks water on the floor at the base of the toilet. (It at least appears to be clean water.)

What's grosser is that I have to wait until John has time to fix it - hopefully by just putting in a brand new toilet. I think this is the original toilet and our house is about 25 years old. Yes, I think a new toilet would be so very nice. And maybe if I make him a coconut pie he'll put in a new toilet in our bathroom too. Don't laugh. Have you tasted my coconut pie? I didn't think so......

Sometimes I Just Need Some Draino

I've not yet gotten around to getting vacation pictures off of my camera and onto my computer. I also haven't had the time to write the post I've been creating in my mind for our anniversary we just celebrated. I'll get to those things - maybe tomorrow.

It's late, I'm tired, and I still have work to do. But I decided to take a blog break. =) I got so much done today and it feels great. Ran lots of errands and did lots of work up in the nursery at church. It's not done, but it's another step.

Yesterday, we spent the afternoon playing and visiting with Angela and the kids. It was great since we've been apart for so long. And now she's leaving me. It's just not right. How am I supposed to survive with John gone to camp, Missy gone to Florida, AND my friend gone to San Antonio??? Somebody better call me with some adult conversation or I might just go insane. Usually, when I'm alone with the kids for an extended amount of time, I just kind of sink into myself. I'm not in a bad mood. I just turn into a lonely hermit crab. It's hard to come back out. Maybe I'll have my adult conversation with Missy's hermit crabs that I'm crabsitting.

As much as I hate camp, (I hated it as a teenager too. It's just not my thing.) I wish I could go next week. But having 3 kids kind of bogs you down. It's a good kind of bogging, but bogging none the less. Sometimes, that's just how I feel about my life in general. It's bogged down. Like I need to pour in some draino. I'm naturally a very clean, organized, punctual, got-it-together kind of person.

But kids make things messy, chaotic, and they slow me down. Like, is it REALLY a big deal to go potty in the morning? Quit trying to hold it all day. Just GO!!! And so what if I gave you the spoon with the gold rim? Just USE it!!! Was it really necessary to pull down every single dvd off of the shelves? And did all the books have to go all over the bedroom? And what about toilet paper - is it that hard to just use a normal amount so the toilet won't overflow.....AGAIN? And how in the world do you make the entire shower curtain and the rod fall down just by going potty? A mystery for sure.

There's also chocolate milk on the carpet, food on the tv, handprints all over the bathroom mirror, and koolaid drips in front of the refrigerator. (hmmmm....someone drinking out of the pitcher?)

In spite of all that bogging, I love my life. I love my kids. And I love my husband for being the draino that I sometimes need. All evening, all I really wanted to do was sweep up all the cheerios on the kitchen floor that Aulora had spilled. But there wasn't time between making dinner and trying to keep Aulora from crying (she's teething, remember). My wonderful honey held Aulora and kept her happy and then, after dinner, he even swept up the cheerios for me. That small little chore meant the world to me. I could walk freely across my kitchen without looking out for tiny cheerio landmines.

Thank you, Baby. You make me smile......

Forgot to Mention....

I forgot.....there was one thing Missy failed to clean and it really upset me. She didn't clean my driveway and there was a big yucky snake sitting there looking at us when we pulled in. Thanks, Missy. That did not make me smile. =)

Wow.

Wow is really all I can say. Although I've been gone for 3 weeks, along with my kids who are the main mess-makers at our house, my house has not been unused. John was still using it part of the time as well as some other guys who, for various reasons, found it necessary to sleep and camp out there at various times.

But back to my "wow". It's because when I walked in my door late last night, I was greeted by the smell of clean. My house was squeaky clean. My laundry was done and folded. There were no dishes in the sink. All the beds were neatly made with fresh sheets on them. The trash cans were emptied. The toys were picked up and the floors were vacuumed. My dog had fresh food and water.

How did this miracle occur? It was not John. He's been in Arizona all week. I did not hire a cleaning service. And I suspect that it was not left in this condition by the stinky boys who stayed here.

No, an angel named Missy took care of my house for me while I was gone. John asked her to feed Pudge while we were gone and she took it upon herself to be my personal maid! I just have to brag on her.

You will never find a more willing, hard-working teenager. She has a servant's heart. Missy is always doing things to help us, not so she can make some money. Anytime I've tried to pay her she has kindly refused. She is a wonderful person, inside and out, and she has blessed us beyond words in the time she has been a part of our group. She loves our kids as if they were her own nieces and nephew and they love her. I'm so proud of her and the woman she is becoming. Wow.

Thank you, Missy. You make me smile. =)

I'm Stuffed!

Last night we went to Build A Bear. We had just finished watching Hello Kitty get her stuffing and now she just had to get stitched up. My mom and I were sitting on a couple of chairs beside the stuffing machine just watching the kids play around when John David came up to me and patted my side and my belly. "Oh, you already have enough stuffing!" How kind of him to point that out. =)

Important Note For All Mommies

Do not allow one child who was just given a bathtub rocket with a spinning propeller to take a bath with another child who has very long hair. It's not pretty. Trust me.....

Home

I love coming to my parent's house in Colorado. It's wonderful to see them and have fun all together. Their house is very nice and roomy. We're not crowded. My bed here is more comfortable than any bed in the world, I'm pretty sure.

But there's just something about home. My own home back in good old West Texas. I'll certainly be sad when it's time to leave in a few days, but it will be overshadowed with the excitement of returning home.

I miss my little house. It's not easy keeping track of 3 busy kids in over 4,000 square feet of house spread out over 3 floors. And I need a nap after bringing an armful of laundry down from my room to the washing machine which I believe is in another time zone. At home, my laundry room is next to our bedroom. Oh, how wonderful. I was especially missing that yesterday when I had to carry Aulora and a big basketful of laundry down 2 flights of stairs at the same time. She didn't seem to appreciate riding in the basket with the laundry so I ended up just pushing the basket down the steps ahead of me. Of course, when it got to the bottom it tumpled upside down.

I also miss my husband. We are the best of friends and my world just isn't right when we're not together. A few minutes on the phone every day isn't enough. I need to sit beside him and listen to his funny jokes. I need to tickle his feet and poke my finger in his belly button. He hates that which makes it so very fun to do. =) I miss his sweet ways.

Now, don't get the wrong idea. I'm not being tortured here. Not having to go grocery shopping at Walmart with 3 little kids is nice. And not having to cook every night is even nicer. Living with my parents for a few weeks is great. And then there's the nice big bathtub I was able to enjoy last night - such a VERY rare treat.

So really, all I'm trying to say is that I love my home. I love my husband who will be there soon after I return. I miss my friends. I miss my Walmart. I miss my big beautiful trees amd the squirrels and birds that live in them. I even miss my big stinky dog that I like to complain about. I miss it all and I can't wait to get back.....

What Freedom Means (to a 6 year old)

On the 4th, as we were driving in the car, I asked John David if he knew why we celebrated the 4th of July. He said he didn't, so I explained in pretty simple terms what the holiday is about and what freedom is.

He thought for a few moments and then said, "Yeah, we're free so if we want to go to Ihop we can go to Ihop! Or if we want to go to McDonald's we can go to McDonald's!"

We're so glad our forefathers fought and died so we could go to Ihop.....

Soooo Much Catching Up To Do

It's hard to keep up a blog when you're not at home, but I thought I better try to do a little or I would be overwhelmed when I get home. I'll have to add pictures later, but here are some of the highlights or our trip so far:

* We went to Elitch Gardens (the Denver 6 Flags that was just bought out). I never get sick after riding rides but I did that day. First there was the roller coaster that you ride laying down on your stomach so it feels like you're flying. Hands down the best coaster ride I've ever been on. But after that I made the mistake of getting on "The Spider" with John David and Julia. I think the ride operator got lazy and decided to just let the ride go on and on and on. Seriously, it went for FIVE very long minutes. The whole thing was spinning as well as our individual spinning arm. It was also going up and down. Poor Julia was not taking it too well either. John David loved it. I ended up shouting down to PLEASE let us off. My lunch did not stay down after that!

* The next day we drove up to Glenwood Springs. We went swimming in the HUGE hot springs and the next day we rode the lift up to the top of a mountain where there were caverns to go through, lots of activities for the kids, and a sky coaster - a roller coaster that soared down and all around the side of the mountain. You controlled your speed yourself with levers. They said it was totally safe and the car wouldn't fall off the track, but I had my doubts when I kept passing safety nets all around.

* My dad, John, John David, and I went on a nighttime rafting trip. We were hoping to see lots of wildlife with our night vision goggles but that didn't happen. There were several beavers and some ducks. Still fun though. At one point we stopped on the side and hiked up the mountain a little to see an old ghost town. John David was pretty scared at this point. He was convinced we were going to see ghosts. He survived. He was very excited (as was I!) about the promised snack at the end of the trip. They had chhese cubes, crackers, and hot chocolate. Yum!

* The next day we rented a boat and set sail on Lake Dillion with a picnic lunch.

* Dinner was at a place called Cinzetti's. I'll make this it's own post later. One of the best places to eat EVER! Sorry, there are only 2 of them - in Kansas and Denver. =(

* We saw "Surf's Up". Horrible. Boring. Yuck.

* We saw "Ratatouille". Very cute. Worth seeing!

Well, that's a good start to it all, I guess. I'll post pictures and stuff later.