Colorado, part 3

The final leg of our Colorado trip has to begin at the beginning.  For my uncle Jonathan, that was the Saturday before we all met in Estes Park when he started off on his bike and headed west.  I'm going to give you a second and let you digest what I'm about to tell you.  Do you see where this is going?  I actually know a person - and am related to him - who is fully capable and happy to hop on a bike and ride 633 miles (give or take a few) from Lawrence, Kansas to Estes Park, Colorado.  Think about that for a second.  Be impressed.  Be a little envious.  Be in disbelief.  But most of all be really proud, because Lord knows we all were (and still are!).  There are funny stories about the places he slept along the way, he treated himself to a hotel twice and "made do" the other two nights, which resulted in a funny story about being woken up to a sprinkler system that was apparently timed to start running in the middle of the night.  This was his arrival - on Wednesday - to our home away from home for five days.  I don't think I've ever seen my aunt so happy to see his face.  He's amazing; we know. 

So that was a great kick-off to a wonderful Fourth of July weekend which was orchestrated to celebrate my grandparents' Diamond Jubilee!  That's right.  One of their sons rode his bike 633 miles, but maybe more impressive would be that my grandparents have been happily (no exaggeration here) married for 60+ years.  It brings me to very happy tears to think about their journey, what they have accomplished over the years, the memories they have made in our lives, and probably most importantly the family they have created.  It's a good one, people; a really good one. 

BUBBLES!!!  And a brand new I heart NY shirt courtesy of uncle Tyson.

Maggie, Sadie and Lucy.  They eventually warmed to Lucy's enthusiasm.  Kind of.

Coloring and stickers.

 

Puzzle.  Difficult, difficult puzzle.

Painting fingernails and toenails with sparkly polish.  Lucy kept telling everyone she had "sprinkles" on her toes!

Snuggling and giggling with Papa.

Hiking.

 

  

There's nothing to say about this...except that we love him, so we're going to keep him.

 

 

Patriotic cupcakes!

 

Fishing.

 

 

Elk watching.



 

 

Lucy and Alia hand-holding.

 

Our cute kiddos.  And Savannah's gear is also courtesy of uncle Tyson.

 

Yoga in a restaurant.  Obviously. 

 

 

 

 

Water balloons in action; this activity could have entertained these kids - ok, Lucy - forever.

(Group photos courtesy of Cathcart Photography)

It was a weekend I was sad to see go...but more than anything, one I feel lucky to have been a part of.  Thank you for constantly being an example and reminding us what it's all about Grandma and Grandpa!

seven months

She's inching closer to the 12 month mark everyday.  Duh.  But really, seven months already?!  She's still rolling all over the place and starting to threaten to crawl.  Mostly she's just frustrated that she can't yet.  She loves to sit, and does it quite well on her own, and play with her toys; the rainbow colored stackable rings still prove to be a great toy for kids this age.  She loves prunes, carrots and green beans and drinking water out of the sippy cup - - of course she is not very interested in the yellow squash because that is the vegetable I actually made instead of buying from the store...  She does NOT want to be laying down, reclined, or in any other position that might keep her from seeing all the action; if the stroller seat is kicked back further than she would like, she will just hold her head up straining her neck muscles until it is fixed.  She puts everything in her mouth; toys, magazines, books, shoes, remote controls.  She went on her first airplane ride this past month (to the lake in Wisconsin which I documented so poorly I'm not even sure a blog post is possible) and was a champ the whole time. She smiles constantly and lights up when her dada walks in the room.  She's pretty easy to love, this one.

 

 

Playtime, Savannah style

 

I love her spastic movements, her smiling face and every roll on her chunky little body!

Don't Blink: July 2013