Feeding the Giraffes

Last minute, I decided to take the kids to the zoo. It was a great morning, even hot by the time we rolled out of the zoo. We checked off animals that we didn't make it to on our last visit. Tropical Discovery was a hit. The only downside was that I couldn't take the stroller inside. Myles was on the loose! Myles loved the fish and would become very animated and excited every time he spotted something. All of us got a kick out of watching Myles' reactions. Poor Myles thought a fish was going to gobble him up at one point. It took some time for him to regain his trust in the plexiglass. Luke was an awesome helper: holding doors for me, keeping Myles entertained while I took Emma to the bathroom and helping me keep an eye on our wandering Myles!

The other (MAJOR) hit was feeding the giraffes. This is the first time we've been to the Denver Zoo that they offered this. It won't be an every time we go sort of thing, but it was pretty really fun. 

Morgan's Blessing

Emma and I had our first girls' trip! She was beyond excited to go on the airplane to "Uncle Tom's house" for Morgan's blessing. I was dying to meet this little one and snuggle her.  I asked Emma what she was most excited for and she replied, "To ride the pretend pony." Okay, I think we can meet those expectations. Emma is really into horses, real or fake. Our grocery store has a penny horse that Emma won't let me pass without her having a ride. (Myles, on the other hand, is terrified of it.) We spent a wonderful, low-key weekend with family. Tom and Staci were so kind to host us on such a busy weekend. Emma and cousin Sadie formed a friendship that I hope will keep growing, no matter the distance. I love Castle Rock, LOVE it. That being said, there will always be a part of my heart that belongs in Utah.

Waiting for the shuttle bus to take us to the airport.

Lift off!

We had a little time to kill before Tom could pick us up…we absolutely, did not play on the escalators. 

Sweet baby Morgan. She is such a good baby. I'm trying to claim first dibs on making her laugh, but I might be giving myself too much credit.

It's been too long since I last enjoyed my favorite bread. I think I ate 3 slices of toast for breakfast one morning. Yum.

Blessing day for this beauty. Unfortunately, I didn't get a pic of the blessing dress and family on my phone.

Once Emma got over "her dress not being as pretty as baby Morgan's dress" (her words, not mine) we had a great day with family!

It was a beautiful sunset from the front porch.

Emma was exhausted from all of the fun.

Love me some Rocky Mountains…even if they are covered with a fresh blanket of snow in May. 

Sunday Sweets

Most Sunday evenings Bryan will make a batch of chocolate chip cookies or no-bake peanut butter oatmeal cookies. We're all fans of this and support him. The kids love to offer their "helping hands." This is what it normally looks like…

He's a good, patient father! :)

Denver ZOO!

We bought a pass to the Denver Zoo. We love this zoo and missed it when we lived in California. (Side note: It's crazy to think that JUST a year ago we were in the process of showing and selling our home there!) The kids were so excited to go to the zoo. I knew they wouldn't sleep well if I told them the night before, so I waited until the morning. I felt like Mother of the year with their reactions! I thought we would go solo this time. In other words, I wasn't sure how Myles would do missing his morning nap and being strapped down in the stroller. As it turns out, we ran into several friends and it was a great morning. I think Luke and Emma could have stayed all day. Myles did great, butI didn't want to push my luck so we left around noon. We picked up ice cream on our way home. Luke and Emma took turns dipping Myles binki in their ice cream cones. Myles appreciated them sharing their ice cream. It was so cute to me that I tried hard not to think about all the germ sharing. :)

The lion cubs were out and wrestling with each other.

We even saw the peacocks shake their tail feathers and the kids thought it was pretty funny.

Blackberries:  not the best food on the go.

However, when it's your first time at the zoo, some rules don't apply.

Oh, this one. I could hug and squeeze him every minute, if he let me. He's not that cuddly.

Watched the penguins eat their lunch.

Springtime was apparent at the zoo. It was beautiful! Come on Castle Rock, time to catch up!

Luke was riding the carousel by his buddy and missed out on our family selfie.

Great first trip with my three monkeys to the zoo.

Preschool Co-op

It is my turn to teach Emma's preschool co-op. We are using the Mother Goose curriculum. I really like it. It's educational and incorporates a lot of "play" to help teach the concepts. I'm a big believer in this, especially when the kids are three-years-old. It's three hours, twice a week. It's structured with circle time, 2 lessons, writing time, snack/potty break, play time, music time and story time. Three hours go by quickly! Tuesdays do feel like my busy days with teaching preschool in the morning and then teaching several hours of piano in the afternoon. All things considered, it's working out really well.

For one of the lessons, the kids made a lemonade stand and lemonade. They bought lemonade from each other with their money. Once they were out, they put their "closed" sign up. They really enjoyed this. We may have needed more than just the one designated potty break this day. :)

Siesta Key

Three of my close girlfriends all turned 30 this year. They let me tag along on a girls' trip celebrating their big "3-0" to Florida. I'm the old one with this crowd! Each of these girls mean so much to me. Talk about the sisters I've never had, cliche, but true. 

Krista picked us up at the Orlando airport and took us to a delicious Mexican restaurant for lunch. We enjoyed free-flowing diet cokes, lots of chips and salsa and great conversation. It was the perfect way to kick start the trip. After lunch, we drove several hours to Siesta Key. This cute beach town is on the Gulf Coast where Krista scored us a Condo with an amazing view. The proximity to the beach was literally right out the door. 

The first night we were there, we stayed on the beach and talked way past the sun going down. This was just the beginning of an incredible weekend spent with these gals. We spent most of our time simply visiting with each other. There were lots of laughs mixed with a few tears. I love that our conversations were "real." No pretenses. We waded in the water, played sand volleyball and watched the college- volleyball-star crush a few (AKA Krista), rode beach cruisers and ventured into town for fresh Seafood and hot mini-donuts.

Bryan kept things afloat back home, especially amidst Colorado being pounded by another snow storm (18-20")! They even canceled church. Another point for Bryan keeping everyone entertained. When I FaceTimed with Emma, she asked me, "Mommy, are you in the hospital?" It made me laugh, because that is where she remembered my last "getaway"… to the hospital to have Myles. This was a little bit different of a trip than that one. :)

Annnnnd we're off!

That sea breeze was a little chilly in the evening.

Dirty Diet Cokes. Deeeelicious.