Fall Field Trips

I helped host a baby shower for my friend Jessica last month (see her blog for pics http://www.txpencefamily.blogspot.com/2013/09/a-baby-shower-for-babiestwinsboys.html), so Tony took the girls to the Science Museum downtown.  I love the pictures he took of them trying to identify the butterflies.

Emma’s so cute trying to copy her big sister! 

They have stuffed animals in this section, often showing the food chain in graphic detail.  My girls love it.  Disney Princess movies scare them, but they seem to handle the harsh reality of the animal kingdom just fine.  Go figure!

They have a pretty amazing new wing for the dinosaurs.

I thought this one was funny even though it didn’t turn out good – running from a T-Rex!

We reunited on the hammock later that afternoon.

There’s a church here with a pumpkin patch every year, and we caught their fall festival.

Picking out pumpkins!

The Pences came over that afternoon.

For my out-of-town readers, that would be the Jessica I helped throw a shower for, about 36 weeks pregnant with twins in this picture.  I can’t wait to meet her boys soon!!!

When I was getting the little tables out, I was thinking about how the kid dynamic will be totally different a year from now.  I realized looking at the pictures that the girls demonstrated how we will fit 2 more kids.  Hopefully Anna will still fit there when the boys are big enough to sit with them.

Last week the 1st graders at Anna’s school went on a field trip to a little petting zoo place nearby.  It was lots of fun & I love that I get to chaperone!

Besides the Thanksgiving – Easter time that I totally skipped, I think I’m caught up now!

Summer Pictures from my phone

Since Emma broke my little Coolpix camera in Colorado, I’ve been taking a few pictures from my phone.  It’s a little cumbersome to get them on the computer, but I took the opportunity to procrastinate on some laundry and did it yesterday.  We start back in Colorado.

This 1st one is actually one of the last taken with the Coolpix, posted mainly to show the little cabin in the background.  We spent the afternoon in Frisco after attempting a hike near town and having to turn around because of thunder.  It cleared up again as soon as we got back into town.  Frisco is a really cool town – it’s the biggest town in the middle of all the Summit/Eagle county ski resorts, right of I-70.  They have restored some old original buildings in the town square with a little museum housed in an old schoolhouse.  There are all kinds of interesting artifacts (like old school desks/chalk boards) and a model of the old town in the museum.  The 2nd picture is upstairs in an old home that had a trunk full of old hats.  Emma was scared to go up the old creaky stairs, but Anna had fun with it.  There was also an old jail, a store, and several other homes, all surrounding a beautiful little town square.  We were happy to have the hike shortened to discover this little gem!

These mountainy pictures are from going up the gondola to the Breckenridge ski area.  There were a couple of little glaciers to play on.  Lot’s of people have done this, so the snow isn’t pretty but it was fun.

Trying to take selfies in the swinging gondola…

Cuteness on a trail and at a little store with lots of carved critters.

On the way back through Denver, we got to meet up with Jaci and Andrew and Elizabeth.  This is the only picture I got, but it was SO GREAT to see them!!! 

Back at home, I let Junior out one morning, and when I let him back in, he was hopping on 3 legs.  One day in Colorado he bounded down some big boulders after a squirrel, and I cringed.  He limped a little that day but seemed fine the next.  My guess is that he did some major damage and finished off his ACL in the backyard.  So we went back to Dr. Payne who fixed it.  His office is very close to old town spring, so we visited the Little Dutch Girl the day we went in for the consultation.  They have yummy traditional dutch goodies like syrup waffles and chocolate!!  Luckily we went just as everything was opening so they didn’t mind having a lame dog tied up out front.  Even at 10am it was way too hot to leave a dog in a car.

 

We got the crate out to contain him after surgery.  It is a very fun place to play!!

We also went skating a couple of times this summer.  My old phone doesn’t take great pictures inside dark places, but I managed to get this one.

This is the scene when Emma gets out of kindergarten most days.  Junior was well enough to make the trip with me about 6 weeks after surgery, which was about a month ago.

Happy 7th Birthday Anna!!

Anna turned 7 last month.  We let her open a couple of presents early.  The big present was a new bunk bed!  They have been asking for one for a few years.  Since Anna wanted to have a sleepover with 3 friends, we figured it was a good time. 

Gram sent a karaoke machine – so much fun!

The girls LOVE this present!  (taken with my cell phone).  Gram suggested we get a 2nd microphone.  I was going to wait until Christmas, but after just a couple of minutes, I realized that sooner would be better than later.

Her birthday morning – I made her french toast.

She wanted to take her friends to the mudpie.  It was handy that 2 of her friends have little sisters who are friends with Emma, so they got invited along for the non-sleepover portion of the party.

Opening presents at home.

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The dad/photographer asked to be in a picture too!

Anna got another dolphin, a dolphin watch, a couple of horse toys and nail polish.  Great loot for my dolphin/horse lover!

Since she’s already done a dolphin and horse cake the last 2 years, she decided on an orca cake this year.  There’s no close up of it since I wasn’t taking pictures… I’m so grateful my girls are very content with a Kroger cake with a toy whatever they want it to be on top.

After cake Tony took them down the street to feed the turtles.

Then we had some manicure time.  You can see my leg-shaven Junior and lots of extra rugs in the background.  He had been gated off in just the living room for a few weeks.  At this point he was contained to the back of the house with all the rugs down.  Thankfully we are done with the gates, and the extra rugs will go away this week!!

Sleepover central!!  The first girl fell asleep around 9:30 (Emma).  The last girl fell asleep at 1 AM!!!!  I was tired the next day, but it was really fun!