Beautiful.....Scary Weather

Now I know I'm not a cold weather fan and there's nothing that makes me happier than a nice day to spend outside with the girls, but our unseasonably warm month loaded with 70-degree days really should have us all worried!  It's tough to get scared of this weather when it just feels so nice!

Of course I heard someone on the news (probably Fox) say the other day, "It looks like global warming is really happening."  I had to laugh.  That's all I can do.  It's unfathomable to me that there are still naysayers out there.  Of course our climate is changing....there's proof of it everyday!  To believe it is a political debate is ignorant.  It is a matter of preserving humanity!

And then we get this beautiful weather followed by snow which just upsets people.  I mean, we do live in Colorado.  It's supposed to snow here.  Our snowfall impacts a large portion of this part of the U.S.  We should praise the snowfall!  We need it now more than ever!

So while I won't hesitate to enjoy the beautiful weather I'm trying to remember in the back of my mind that this is the reason we need to preserve our Earth!  This has to be our top priority, because while we're enjoying this sunshine the East coast is getting bombarded with record snow, which is not normal.  None of this is and we're doing this to ourselves!

Enjoying the tire swing at Wash Park

 Man love on a sunny day

 We even wore short-sleeves at the zoo with Papa

 Chandler in a sundress with her BFF Taylor

Date Night in the Fort

Steve and I were able to enjoy a date night in Fort Collins while mom took the girls to a play.  Of course the date night turned into a group date at Beau Jo's followed by a CSU basketball game (our favorite type of dates).  It was awesome to meet up with some friends for dinner and then watch the Rams pounce San Diego State.  It's always nice to be back "home" and see all the changes around town.  Maybe someday we'll be able to live there.......

They're off to a good start

 We had to laugh at these parking signs.  $1/ hour and 1st hour free.  Our grand total for parking for the night - $2!  You can't find that in Denver!

 Old Town all lit up at night

Mountain Getaway

Since we're not skiing aficionados, we seldom get up to the mountains in the winter.  I know it sounds so like an untypical Coloradoan, but skiing has gotten so expensive, and with 3 kids it's just not feasible right now.  I miss it dearly and hope our kids will be able to experience it in a few years, but I think we'll have to win the lottery for that!

Luckily we've found another winter pastime we enjoy - snowshoeing.  So Steve booked my aunt & uncle's condo in Keystone for the long MLK weekend with Mark and Char too.  The girls were excited to get away (especially since we just completed all our antibiotics for strep and pink eye).  We were finally healthy and ready to have some fun!

It started out well with a little swimming for the ladies on Saturday morning.  By the afternoon Brooklynn was complaining of a sore throat and Ady's eye looked pink.  You've got to be kidding me!  There's no way they were sick!

 So we took out Chandler for some sledding with Katie, Adam, Brett, and Cenee who were up in the mountains for the weekend.  Katie found an awesome hill, and we were off!  Here's the group trying to train sled.  Never quite worked out for them, but the effort was amazing!

 Then Ady decided she was ready to sled.  I just love her cheesy smile!

 Sledding with papa before she demanded to go on her own.

 Sunday morning we were able to get away and go snowshoeing while Magra and Papa took the girls to the children's museum.  The weather was gorgeous!  We did about a 5 mile hike before returning to take care of our now even-sicker girlies.  Uggghhh!

 I think this perfectly sums up the weekend for Brooklynn - totally bummed she didn't feel well and was stuck in bed.  Poor girl!

After we left on Monday we took the girls to the doctor.  Turned out Brooklynn had strep again, so the antibiotics hadn't worked.  So she was onto another round.  Ady had an ear infection, but luckily healed eventually on its own.  It was great to be in the mountains for the weekend and experience the winter crowd and the gorgeous weather, but we were disappointed the girls didn't get to enjoy it like they wanted.  Another example of the unpredictability of kids!

Yee Haw!

It was that time of year again and how could we resist putting on our "yee haws" (Ady's boots as she calls them) and visit our Western roots?  Most of the time Denver feels like a hippy-ish, pot-loving, exercise-freakish town, but once I year we get to see the other side and even act like them a little.  It almost feels like a different world, but the girls love to visit the animals and watch the rodeo.

Dad and I took the "little" girls to the stock show on a weekday to take in the smells, feed the aggressive goats, and even ride a pony.   They had a blast and couldn't wait to see the rodeo the next week.

 Ady finally mustered up enough gall to feed those pesky goats

The next week the whole fam went to the rodeo.  We'd been preparing the girls for the events, and they were ecstatic to see the wrestling, bull bucking, and the clowns.  We again toured the grounds and even got to watch the Clydesdales getting ready for the rodeo.  Steve and I were in awe watching those majestic animals, but the girls were less than impressed.

Getting ready to leave

 Of course we had to go on CU night and we just happened to be swimming in gold and black pom poms.  Ady picked one up and rubbed it in daddy's face, and all hell broke loose.  Brooklynn was in tears and couldn't understand why we'd torture daddy like that.

Brooklynn was a real cheerleader for the events.  It was amazing to see her excitement for each event, and you'd think she was a rodeo enthusiast.  They all decided they wanted a shot at the mutton busting next year and Chandler would try her hand at barrel racing.  A girl can dream, right?

Sick Bugs Hit Again

After Christmas we had a rough couple of weeks.  Two nights the big girls were up from 12:30 to 6:30 a.m. puking (because they can never get sick during the daytime).  That was done.  Then Adaley woke up from a nap one day with a fever that subsided with Ibuprofen and then she was back to herself.  We did this routine for a few days and the fever was gone.  Whew!  She continued to take long naps and wasn't quite herself, but we figured she just had a little cold.  Next was Steve - on his deathbed with a  sore throat!  After the doctors diagnosed him with Strep Throat it hit me.  Ady had Strep!  She had it for almost a week now.  Kick in the mom guilt and I was off to Kaiser to get her some antibiotics.  I couldn't believe I missed it!  I couldn't believe how tough she was.  

As a parent of youngins', from November to February our house is filled with snot-running, croup couching, projectile vomiting everywhere!  We rarely go to the doctor, because, most of these are viral and just need to run their course.  I guess that's how I justify my blind eye this time.  Three office visits later, because by then Brooklynn had the sore throat and Chandler pink eye, we left Kaiser antibiotics in hand ready to get it done!  Luckily I was the only one to not catch any of it, but it was a rough week!

Typical scene - She passed out playing Just Dance on the Wii

Those antibiotics work quickly and we were able to get back to the normal routine.  We'll be keeping Kaiser in business this winter!

Since Brooklynn and Steve were still sick I took the girls to the Zoo Lights on its last night.  The weather had been so frigid after Christmas we hadn't gotten a chance to go, but we bundled up in the wagon and went out for a quick visit.

Chandler loved the 3D glasses

Poor Ady tried to wear hers but they kept falling!