Waterproof

After 4 weeks Lilly was able to get a cast that allowed her knee to bend and was waterproof. This was huge for us since it was summer and all of our friends were already enjoying trips to the pool and splash parks. As a celebration we went with some of our friends to our favorite splash park and enjoyed some sunshine.

It took her some time to get used to bending her knee again. We think she might have been a little afraid to since the last time she was able to move it, it caused her a great deal of pain. It took even longer for her to walk without a limp once she got her cast off. Luckily though she was able to get it completely off right before her birthday, which we were all very excited for.

 Lilly getting her first cast on. She didn't make a peep and just held on to her daddy the entire time.

 Lilly's second cast. They start by putting on a sock to protect the leg from irritation then put on the harder layer. Lilly was quite chatty this time around and she was very upbeat. Laughing the whole time.

 Enjoying some cool water on a warm day. Cast and all. 

She was amazing through this entire time. She didn't let her broken leg get her down. We are so proud of her and got to see her grow as a little person.

Fugitive

Our family decided that the weather was to nice to miss out on a family outing so being the history and museum buffs we are, we packed ourselves up and drove up to Wyoming for the Butch Cassidy festival. For those who may not be familiar with who he is he was a very well known bank and train robber.

We went to the prison where he served 18 months. I always find it interesting to walk the halls of places such as this filled with history. My minds starts spinning, getting lost in what it must have been like back in those days. It also turned out to be educational for the kids too. They got to learn about how candlesticks and brooms are made. They also had a bunch of different tractors, balloon animals in the "general store" and a small petting zoo area

I can't complain when everybody has a good time and learns something.

I'm back!

I am a little behind on blogging lately. Since August my plate has gotten very full and it has taken some time to find a balance in it all. I was working some side jobs that had strange and inconsistent hours, teaching Lilly's co-op, a new calling at church teaching the 4 year olds, and then the everyday responsibilities that somehow have seemed quite a bit more challenging lately. But as the new year approaches, I am feeling like I want to recommit to blogging for our family who lives away from us and for our kids someday in the future to be able to look back and read all about all of our adventures. So cheers to the upcoming new year and here's to consistent updates about our family and what we've been up to. I might even throw in some project and cooking/baking as I have been trying to try expand myself in those areas.

Broken

We always try to protect our kids from the dangers of the world to avoid seeing them get a scratch or bump or better yet a broken bone, but sometimes the weirdest things can happen and you just can't prevent it. Such it the case with Lilly's broken bone. A tantrum is what caused it and as silly as it sounds, it can happen. The doctor will back up. Her leg got caught in a sheet and dislocated (think of  an L shape) and the twist fractured her little leg.

 After 2 doctors and an x-ray tech looked at her x-ray they found the fracture right below the knee. A temp splint was put on until we could get into the Orthopedic surgeon could be seen on Monday or Tuesday. I was a pretty emotional momma. My sister thought it was weird that I was crying but when I looked at my baby who was now broken, it broke my heart.

There was some chatter of maybe needing surgery because of the location but she ended up being able to avoid that. Just a full leg cast that went up to her mid thigh for 4 weeks and a shorter cast for 2 more. The first week and a half she wasn't able to walk at all. The cast was pretty heavy and she was a little nervous. Thanks to our amazing friends and family who helped her get through that rough time. Being couch ridden for so long as a tot is tough.

After a week and a half she started to crawl and after 2 she was walking and by 3 she was running like she didn't even have one on. She is a tough little cookie and we are so proud of how well she handled starting her summer with a broken leg. 

 

She wasn't very happy and didn't make a peep. She just sat quietly.

 

 Her couch spread. Lots of things to keep her busy.

 Getting her shorter cast on. She was a little excited and very chatty. She asked a ton of questions and was laughing the whole time.

Pink of course so it will match all of her outfits.

Construction Zone

At the end of May Kyle turned 2! I can hardly believe that he's only 2!!! He keep up with his sister and all of her friends so well sometimes I forget, he's only 2! 2 amazing fun filled years with this cute little guy. He keeps us guessing and keeps us laughing. He is always asking questions and not your typical why questions but more of how, and how come. He has been 100% potty trained since March and it has been great. He initiated it and he must have been completely  ready because he jumped into it with no hesitation and 6 months later he is still doing great. We have an accident here or there but not to many and usually when he is having so much fun he forgets to stop and go.

He is so much like his dad, stubborn, but so loving. Thoughtful and smart. He's outgoing, energetic, a goof ball, and a problem solver. If there is something he wants but can't reach he'll rig something up to get it, he only ask for help when he really needs it. His vocabulary is increasing with each passing day and his words are becoming clearer and clearer. He can sing his ABC's and count to 10. And he loves to play with his little people bus and his little people barn. He also loves anything with wheels, trucks, cars, bikes, and construction vehicles.
This year for his birthday I thought it would be fun to do a construction themed birthday party and invite all of those that are close to us to celebrate with us. I spent several weeks gathering and coming up with ideas and i have to say I had a lot of fun putting it all together. Even though the weather forecast was crummy (which is unusual for here) we had a great time and thanks to my awesome friend who saved the day with letting us use her house as our rain back up location, it was a very special day for our favorite little guy.

  

  

Sisters

Since coming back home to Colorado we have felt so much more at home and have gotten right back into our old routines. One thing we really missed though was my sister and brother in law. Elizabeth and Chad became a big part of ours and the kids lives when we were in Washington and to leave them was really hard. I think we all shed a lot of tears. Ever since we have been trying to plan for when we'll be able to see each other next.

In May an opportunity presented itself and they ended up coming out to visit for 5 days. We had so much fun and the kids especially were very excited to see auntie and uncs again. I felt bad because we are definitely lacking in space, but we did what we could to make them feel comfortable. it was great to have them here with us and the kids loved waking up to them every morning.

I had so many things I wanted to do with them but time and kids and energy interfered with my list. We did a few things, but nothing near what I had planned. Elizabeth is 7 months pregnant ( or at least she was at the time of the trip) and so I tried to be mindful of how tired and sore one can become when in such a state. I know the kids alone wore her out, so we tried to add in plenty of calm time.

We used 2 of the days to take trips into the city. One to the zoo and one to the butterfly pavilion. The Butterfly pavilion was at Lilly's request, she said she really wanted to take them there. Both of them were hesitant at first, because really how fun can a room of butterflies be and how do you describe such a place to someone, but once we got there and they saw how neat it really is, I think they had a change of heart and were glad that Lilly brought them.

The zoo is a must on every trip of Chad's. I think it is on his bucket list to visit every zoo. How can you say no to the zoo? We love the zoo and if we lived a little closer we would probably go more often. We left a little later in the day than we wanted to, but we were able to stay until they closed and so we missed out on a big crowd for once which was nice. It was perfect timing to because being spring all of the animal have had their babies. There were baby rams, baby goslings, baby giraffes, baby bunnies, and probably a few more I am forgetting.

We had a great time with them and can't wait for them to come back. Hopefully next time we will be in a bigger place and they will have their sweet new baby girl with them.

Children's Day

I'm not sure how I overlooked it but I forgot to post about Children's day. It happened at the end of April so as you can see I am a bit behind on the sharing of said fun day. Children's day happens every year and there are events in most towns in Colorado. Some towns have better events than others and it is growing each year. They are even now pushing to make it more widespread and taking it national. I suppose it could be a few years though before enough people get on board to consider it a national day.

This year we decided to jump one town over and see what Loveland had going on. It was very similar to the touch a truck that we went to last year in Marysville. The kids were able to see garbage trucks, firetrucks, construction vehicles, police cars, etc. and they were able to climb inside and see what it was like to sit in the drivers seat.

Kyle loves cars and trucks and anything construction right now so for him this was equivalent to a toy store. He had a big grin plastered on his face the whole time. The kids got goodie bags from the fire and police department with stickers and pencils and a color book. 

I enjoyed getting out with the kids and it was fun to see them with their eyes and ears open ready to learn and see new things. We try to keep our eyes open for opportunities such as these to help our kids see and experience new and different things.

 Both kids thought that this guys was very funny... from a distance. Anytime he came near them closer than he was in this picture above and the kids ran for cover between my legs. 

 The Chick-fil-a cow hula hooping was one of the kids favorite things. 

Family pictures 2012

As a celebration of this next chapter we are beginning to embark on we decided to get some new family pictures done. I have an awesome friend who does photography as a hobby and she helped us out. She did a great job and it was a really fun time, laid back and no pressure. Just how we like it. We really got some great shots and I am so very happy with them all! I am having a hard time choosing my favorites to frame so for now I will post my top 12 favorites!

(I created this collage using picasa)

Balls and Pins

 Call us crazy but we wanted to try something new for the kids for playgroup. Who knew that a bunch of preschoolers would have so much fun bowling. They all loved it. They played 2 games and stayed focused the whole time.The concept of having to wait and take turns was a little hard at first and occasionally someone would bowl down the wrong lane but they all carried their own balls and pushed them down all by them selves (not that it's to tricky but for preschoolers I am willing to offer up credit where credit it due) This ally offers a special summer deal where kids get 2 free games every day during the summer and I think we all agreed that we will be filling in our to hot to play outside days with bowling.

I just have to brag a little but Kyle who was the youngest one there by 2 years won both games and both lanes! I am not sure how he did it but I was impressed! 

Glitter, food, and eggs

One of the things I love about our playgroup is that everyone is always up for a good party. Easter was no exception. I love celebrating with friends on a special separate day from the actual holiday. I know I said that I hate taking from the sanctity of the holiday, but if it's on a separate day and the focus is all about fun with friends isn't it okay? I think so! So Party on!

This year Stacey hosted the party and it was a blast. She had some fun activities planned for the kids and even bunny shaped pasta for lunch. The kids started out by decorating bunny rice crispy treats. I am not sure if there was more munching or decorating going on. Can't put candy in front of kids and expect that they won't eat half of it. That's all part of the fun!After decorating the treats there were butterflies to decorate with fun glitter glue pens. It was a huge hit! what kiddo doesn't love something they can squeeze and spread it all goopy around and sparkles add an extra little bonus.

Everyone was pretty full and satisfied from the bunny treats but they gave a good effort to eat a little lunch. After they all had a few bites they took a few minutes to unwind and watch a little Easter Charlie Brown movie while a couple mommas hid the eggs. A few of the kids tried to escape and I am pretty sure I made a little enemy with Lauren when I caught her halfway out the door and told her she had to come back in, hopefully though before she's 4 she'll forgive me.

 (Kyle might have had a little help with his)

The kids had a great time and I think the older they get the funner throwing parties get (duh right?). It's just different to experience it than to just think it. Love our playgroup. Love our friends. Love parties and can't wait for our next on.