There's nothing better than enjoying the beautiful Colorado summers roughing it at a campground except "roughing" it at a campground with showers, a pool, playground, and entertainment! I know it's not "real" camping, but we couldn't resist taking the kids to Jellystone Park with 3 other families and their kiddos. We were pleasantly surprised at the scenery (yes, it was actually on a mountain) and the amount of activities they have for kids.
It was our first weekend without rain, and the weather was gorgeous. Lucky for us it was "Bingo Bonanza" weekend, and it turns out not only do the old folks like their bingo, so do the kids!
The girls with the Hoeltings
Getting their BINGO on!
Campfire time complete with smores!
Marshmallow malfunction
We even got to meet Yogi himself!
Swim time
Wagon ride with Yogi
They even have a short, beautiful hike that was perfect for the kids!
What a great weekend hanging out with our other "3 kid" counterparts - the Strayers and Hoeltings. The kids had so much fun just hanging out with each other while us adults even snuck in a little hangout time.
We've made it our mission this summer to spend most of our weekends camping! Last summer Chandler played summer soccer every Saturday morning, making it difficult to get away as much as we wanted. We have a South Dakota, Jellystone Estes Park, and lots of local camping on the docket!
When our friends Andrea and Tracey invited us to a weekend of camping and boating in Guernsey, Wyoming we were game! The weather had been so cold and rainy until then, but we thought we'd give it a shot, especially with the opportunity to do some water sports.
We headed out of town on a rainy Friday afternoon, ate in beautiful Cheyenne, and landed in camp around 9. Unfortunately our friends had boat issues and were stuck at a hotel in Chugwater and wouldn't be able to get the boat until Saturday evening. So we spent a chilly Saturday hiking and checking out the lake. Who knew Wyoming could be so beautiful?
Beautiful canyon
Chandler, a.k.a. our monkey rock climber
The girls who use the stairs
Saturday afternoon the kids even got in the frigid water and enjoyed some beach time. Brrr!
Shore fun on the floatie
They even have beautiful sunsets in Wyoming
Sunday morning the weather turned around and we were ready to go boating! The girls loved being on the boat and tubing. Brooklynn kept giving Tracey the thumbs up to go faster! Little Ady could barely see above the tube, and we'd randomly get a glimpse of her bobbing head.
The weekend was a blast - boating, hiking, and hanging with some awesome friends! Here we come summer! Now please cooperate and give us more nice weather!
I was both excited and anxious for Brooklynn to start 1st grade this year. I knew she was anxious to have new classmates and a new teacher, and I was just hoping we wouldn't have a repeat of the beginning of kindergarten. Well, now with 1st grade completed I have to admit we have a whole different kid on our hands. First grade was her year (so far) to shine! She made so many friends, probably too many (as she became a little chatty by the end of the year). She adored Mrs. Martinez. And, most importantly, she LEARNED so much!
I can't believe her academic and social growth this year. I loved walking her to school and watching all the girls run up and hug her each morning and her face just beam with happiness. I loved having lunch in the cafeteria with her and watching her interact and even gossip a little with her friends. I loved watching her reading just soar every night, going from this "sounding out each word painfully" reader to a reader with expression and fluency excelling even in chapter books.
As always, the end of the year was a blast with all the activities - field trips, field day, and celebrations galore. What a great way to close out a great year! We're so proud of our Boo Bear! We can't wait to see what 2nd grade brings!
She sure looked ready for the 1st day
One of her many new friends
Having lunch on her birthday
Movie night at school with her besties (Adilan, Riley, Madison, and Sabrina)
Field Day Funapalooza with Adilan
Showing her little sissy how to 3-legged race at field day
I feel like I blinked and now we have 2 kiddos in elementary school. Yikes! Chandler finished her preschool career with a cute end-of-year program full of singing, diplomas, and a kid ready to get to kindergarten. Chandler started at TLC's PDO (parents day out) program as a 2 year-old who cried most days and secluded herself from the other kids but left a confident kid with a BFF and ready to conquer kindergarten, as the 2nd tallest in her class (which she would say has been her greatest accomplishment in preschool haha).
Being the 2nd one to go to elementary school we feel more prepared for what's to come and are working hard to get her even more prepared this summer! She was very emotional leaving her classmates, teacher, school, and mostly her BFF Taylor, but we're confident she'll love kinder and will show the world how smart she is!
Ady had been asking all year when her big birthday would be here, and our reply was always, "after Easter." So after Easter we had an anxious girl on our hands, constantly asking if today was the day. But finally it came! We started the big festivities with her Monkey Bizness party Thursday evening. All she wanted was a strawberry Minnie cake, and that's just what she got! She also had a blast climbing around and seeing all her friends. Of course I'm not sure she even said one word to any of them, but that's a 3 year-old for you!
Girls + Callen
With her buddy "Charleigh"
Love her cheesy smile!
We were lucky enough to have the Thompsons in town for the crazy weekend (more on that later), so the festivities continued on Monday with just us. It was imperative we did the usual "Chuck E. Cheese" night, and although Ady promised to give Chuck E. a high-five he was nowhere to be seen. Bummer!
There's the face again!
We continued with some brownies, singing, and presents at home.
On Tuesday I took the little girls to the zoo for, yet, another celebration!
Ady-
I can't believe you, my baby bug, are already 3! You make us laugh constantly with your goofy faces, silly songs, and your bubbly personality. You are an incredibly smart firecracker who is the best cuddler in the world! You complete our family perfectly, and we can't wait to see what the future holds for you.
Your favorites:
Show - Paw Patrol, Doc McStuffins
Book - Going on a Bear Hunt
Food - Mac & Cheese
Activities - PUZZLES, PUZZLES, and more PUZZLES
What we love about you:
1. Your scrunchy nose smile that accentuates that dimple just perfectly!
2. The way you dress yourself. You just got new panties that are a little big, so you wear at least 2 pairs "just in case one falls down."
3. You're the best cuddler, masseuse, and head scratcher around!
4. Even though we complain about our unwelcomed guest in bed, we really love that you love to sleep with us, because we know it won't last forever.
5. We love how much you adore riding your bike. You always want to ride anywhere and everywhere, and with 12" wheels and training wheels it ain't easy!
6. Your love of singing - especially when you break out in "America the Beautiful" in public (see video below).
7. You are such a sponge just soaking up lots of knowledge from your sisters - good and bad! Here's one of my faves:
(I don't think many newly 3 year-olds know their months)
Love you Bug and can't wait to see what this year has in store for you!
I treasure my memories of going to Zephyrs games (our minor league team before the Rockies) with my dad, sitting nice and close in an empty Mile High Stadium. It was always a big deal when we attended professional sporting events - it was truly an event!
Now I look at my girls and the life of luxury they've had - suites, firework shows, and they've experienced most of the teams around (minus the Broncos, which we save for ourselves). What a spoiled bunch of girls! They'll never know the feeling of sitting in the nosebleeds, waiting for long dinger in the 3rd level. When Steve's vendor invited us all to a Rockies game in the suite we couldn't resist!
The girls had a blast - unlimited hot dogs, popcorn, and even some free hats! As Brooklynn asked a million questions about the game of baseball (which you really can't appreciate its complexity until you look at it through the eyes of a 7 year-old), the other two were hamming it up and stuffing themselves silly!
I'm not sure if these girls will ever be able to enjoy the life of a commoner again. If it's not in a suite, club level, or the field, we ain't going! Haha
Ady was constantly up and down grabbing food and cracking up the "techies" inside
Apparently when you're in a suite Dinger comes to you!
Boo Boo focusing on the game
Had to laugh when Ady comes out just holding this brat in her hand - so ladylike!
With our rough winter in constant sickness I wasn't phased when Chandler was complaining of a sore neck. I figured she had slept on it awkwardly and needed a warm wrap to help the stiffness, so we went about our day - field trip at the zoo, closing on the new rental house, no big deal. Then she started complaining about her face and ear hurting and I thought that was strange, so we'd better go check it out at Kaiser. I mean, they hadn't seen us in over a month, so I'm sure they had to be missing us.
After rushing over after the closing and waiting over an hour for a doc, we were told she had Lymphadenitis - an inflammation of the lymph nodes and sure enough it was swollen. They put her on some oral antibiotics but warned us we needed to come back the next day to see if they were working. We made sure to schedule the follow-up appointment around our Rockies opening day, so we wouldn't miss that! We went back in the a.m. and sure enough the swelling and pain hadn't decreased, so they sent us on to Children's Hospital. We figured we'd get some good IV antibiotics and be on our way to see some baseball.
Unfortunately the CT scan showed an abscess and we would need to stay for awhile for the IV antibiotics. No Rockies. A sleepless night in a cot. And worst of all a girl that was extremely uncomfortable and feisty with every nurse! She lost all trust in the nurses when we had to pin her down to get the IV in and it was downhill from there! Since it was still "respiratory season" the girls couldn't go to her room, so we had to do short visits in the lobby.
After 2 days on the antibiotics and her still in so much discomfort they did another CT scan and concluded the antibiotics still weren't working and they'd have to surgically drain the abscess. What a scare for us! We knew the procedure was low-risk, but the thought of your baby under general anesthesia is just scary! She cried nightly just saying, "I want to go home and sleep in my own bed." It just made me cry every time. Once she said, "I just want my whole family together again." Awwww........
So they took her in Sunday afternoon and prepped her for surgery. Even after they gave her the "calming drugs" she was kicking and screaming. She would half fall asleep and then get a burst of energy and start slugging the nurses. We couldn't decide if we wanted to laugh or cry. Of course she woke up from surgery just as feisty, and the nurse didn't even remove her electrode tapings, because Chandler was swinging away. Our sweet Chandler escaped us - we didn't know this psychotic strong girl! Shortly after surgery she improved quickly. She eventually was able to straighten her head and get back to the fun-loving sweetheart we all missed!
After she was feeling better she found comfort in watching lots of movies, playing in their play room, and enjoying the daily entertainment in the lobby. The love and care in that hospital always amazes me. From the volunteers who give their time to the nurses who are so loving to the kids, I'm always thankful we have a place like this close by and even more thankful that we were able to leave!
We were discharged on Tuesday after 4 1/2 days in the hospital. Chandler was so excited to get home and see her sisters. She had a tough time adjusting back to normal life (where she's not always the center of attention). She still asks questions daily about her hospital stay and I know it really scared her, but we're just trying to get back to normal and help her understand that she really is healthy and she'll be alright!
The best perk of the hospital - unlimited chocolate milk!
Her 1st visit with her sisters. Thankfully it was a beautiful day so we were able to go out and walk.
Checking out the interactive Seacrest Studios in the hospital. The d.j. gave us the full tour and even let Chandler try out the sound buttons. What a great program for the kids!
Out for another walk (post-surgery) with Ellie, her gift from a volunteer group
Rocking out in the play room after beating daddy at air hockey
