It's been a couple weeks. We "carved" the pumpkins we got from the Silverthorne Pumpkin Fest. They have been on our front step for 2 weeks and are really soft and rotted, but still standing good enough to keep until Halloween.
Stan and I made it to Arapahoe Basin's opening day on Wednesday, October 17th. We arrived at 3:00 p.m., parked up front, no lines, 1 run was open from mid mountain. We got 4 runs in before the mountain closed. After snowboarding, we picked the kids up from school and headed to the Lake Dillon Fire Station for an open house/free hot dogs/safety night. All was good until the smoke trailer added a bit too much smoke for Casey. The fireman wanted Casey to crawl under the smoke, through the trailer and out the window...Casey said "No Way!" Her momma didn't raise no dummy!!
Friday, I took Casey, Garrett and Rowan to the Denver Zoo. We met up with Amy and Ella and Sarah, Kaelin and Graham. It was a little overcast, so the animals were out and about. The Lion was walking around, the bears were playing with their toys, the monkeys were swinging around and the elephants were wandering. The kids got to ride on the merry-go-around and got chocolate ice cream on the way out.
Last Saturday, we went to Vail for a Fun Fest with Sean, Dillon and Connor and Sarah and Rowan and Ava. There was a bounce house, bounce slide, large bounce slide, blow up obstacle course, face painter, balloon animal guy...and Casey ran around for a good 2 hours and did them all while Garrett watched. On Sunday, it was another beautiful day, so we played bocce ball while the kids ran around playing basketball, soccer, hide and seek and on the playground.
This weekend, we drove 2 1/2 hours NE to go to Pope Farms Corn Maze and Pumpkin Patch in Wiggins, CO. It was in the middle of nowhere, however, it ended up being a blast!! The corn pit was a huge hit, with the kids burying each other and jumping in, like a ball pit. There was a giant bubble you could jump on, a train, a tractor ride, duck races, a spider web, potato guns, and a huge corn maze, that we were for at least 30 minutes.
Sunday, the kids dressed up and went trick or treating at the Silverthorne Outlets. We made it to all 4 villages this year!!!
Garrett is taking steps. It has been very difficult to get on video. Whenever the camera comes out he decides not to show off. The most consecutive steps so far has been 6.
Happy Belated Birthday to Uncle Stuart!!!
Enjoy the pix.
Casey's Princess Pumpkin and Garrett's Goblin Pumpkin Potato Heads
showing off their new winter hats
opening day at ABasin. pray for snow!!
Ice Cream...a perfect way to end a day at the Zoo!
running through the obstacle course at Vail Fun Fest...
"I am a beautiful Butterfly!"
"Don't bug me...I am performing"
a quick "cheese"
Pope Farms Pumpkin Patch
Family Portrait
The corn pit...
Pumpkin Train...a wild ride
Lost in the Corn Maze
Skeleton and Bat Girl...Trick or Treat at the Silverthorne Outlets
Garrett loves school. He cries the minute I drop him off at Kids Korner at the Rec Center until I leave the room and then plays the rest of the time. However, when I drop him off at school, no tears, he just starts playing. I had to drop something off at lunchtime at the school this past week, so I peeked in at him and he and another little girl were sitting right across from each other (almost on top of each other) throwing a block back and forth. So he will get a check next to, "makes friends easily."
He doesn't eat or sleep much there, but he's happy all day. He takes 2 half hour naps, has been refusing his lunchtime bottle and food, and then will drink about 2 oz at 4 and eat his food. This past Wed we went out to dinner after we picked them up from school and he ended up eating 1 1/2 bottles during dinner!
He had turkey and mango this week and seems to like them. We think he is starting to do the sign language for "all done" and he is sort of starting to wave a little too. He is very into throwing balls and playing with cars. He even knows to make the "vroom" noise when playing with a car.
Casey is doing great. I think we finally have her completely potty trained during the day. I still remind her to go (even though she NEVER has to go when I tell her to go), but she is now going on her own and not peeing her pants at all. I know I'm going to jinx it, but she has not had an accident in a while.
Casey is a very dramatic 4 year old. The other day she was sitting on the floor looking at her toe and where it attaches to the foot she a little cut...she tells me, "mommy, my toe is coming apart!"
She is getting along very well with her brother and keeps him
entertained when he gets fussy in the car by playing peek a boo. He
LOVES his sister. Casey can now recite my phone number without any help. And now we are working on perfecting the writing of her name. She is also learning to use the computer and can now work the mouse pretty well. Playing on the computer has been a good way to work on her impatience. She has to calm down in order to get the cursor right on something to click.
Since our last post, Casey, Garrett and I hiked Old Dillon Reservoir. Then last Sunday, the whole fam hiked Tenderfoot Mountain, which we can see from our living room, to spread Frisco's ashes. Casey hiked the 3 miles without much complaint. This was twice as long as any hike we have done before. We bring lots of treats!
Yesterday we went to the Butterfly Pavilion in Denver. Casey almost held a tarantula...she got up close and personal, but pulled her hand away just before it was dropped into her hand.
This morning we went to the Silverthorne Pumpkin Fest. Casey was dressed as a witch and Garrett was a skeleton. Casey picked out a free pumpkin for both herself and her brother. After the fest, Casey and I drove to Denver for her friends Lainey's and MaKenna's birthday party at their Gymnastic Center. Casey had a blast on the trampolines, beams, bars and sliding into the foam pit.
Enjoy pix!
concentrating
his new favorite toy
Old Dillon Reservoir hike
Tenderfoot Mountain hike, Lake Dillon, Buffalo Mountain in the background, this is the spot we spread Frisco's ashes
Tenderfoot Mountain hike, Keystone in the background
Butterfly Pavilion with Connor and Dillon and some bees in the trunk of a tree...bzzzzz
Garrett started school this week. He is going for a full day on Wednesdays, along with Casey. He did great at drop off. I put him down, standing next to a fellow classmate, put a dump truck in front of him and he was good to go. No crying. He didn't eat lunch, kept pushing the bottle away, and his naps were short, only 30 min and 45 min, but he was happy all day long.
At home he is crawling fast everywhere. Pulling up on everything. Starting to understand the word "NO" and "Do Not Touch" but still likes to test us. He is eating more real food and definitely likes it better than baby food. He ate brown rice couscous, watermelon, bread, bananas, green beans, potatoes and carrots this week.
Garrett has 3 new body languages of the week: arching his back when he doesn't want to get into his high chair, stroller or carseat; straightening his arms in the air, losing his shoulders when he doesn't want us to pick him up; and headbanging, sometimes against furniture, sometimes against my head and sometimes just randomly in the air.
Casey is doing great in swimming. They are working on floating on their backs, feeling comfortable in the deep end and this week, they started working on freestyle. Tumbling is going well too. They got to go on the uneven bars last week which was very exciting for Casey. She ran over and jumped up on the low bar immediately and was first to volunteer for the top bar.
We are working on her listening skills and trying to stop the talking back. The talking back is a bit different then it has been.
Me: "Casey it's bathtime"
Casey: "It's NOT bathtime"
Not that she doesn't want to take a bath...she just wants to say something back.
She has started playing more with Garrett this week. She chases him around and then grabs him and tickles him and he just laughs and laughs.
The past 2 weekends we have spent at amusement parks in
Denver with Sean, Kathy, Dillon and Connor.
Sunday, the 16th, we went to Miners Maze at Heritage Square
in Golden, CO. There was a human maze for the kids to run through, trying to
find their way out, a web crawler with a slide, a train, a merry go round and a
candy shop. The kids started in the bouncy house, but that only lasted 30
seconds, before they came out saying it was dirty and that they didn't like
bounce house anymore...hmmm...we'll see what happens next time they see a
bounce house.
This weekend was full of fun. Friday was the last Farmers
Market. Saturday, we went to Frisco for a band and fireworks (there was a fire
ban during July 4th so they were not able to shoot them off Independence Day).
The kids played on the playground, played soccer, cornhole, hide and seek,
chase, danced and then cheered for every firework that went off. Garrett was in
the middle of all the action too, crawling all over the place, playing with the
soccer balls, hamming it up for anyone and everyone who would look at him. And
he loved the fireworks.
Sunday we went to Lakeside Amusement Park, which can be seen
from I-70. They have a bunch of toddler rides and a couple big rides that they
could ride with an adult. The kids had a blast. And Kathy and I even rode the
Cyclone Coaster...the big white roller coaster seen from I-70.
The weekdays consist of swimming on Mondays. Casey is
jumping in by herself now, pushing off the wall and is moving her arms in a
FREESTYLE motion, see video below. Garrett swims and crawls and splashes around
in the 1/2 foot part of the pool. This morning he told me he was done by
crawling up onto me and hugging me. I got him dressed and put him in the stroller...he
crashed immediately. We then have been heading to the library, where Casey picks
her 3 books then heads up to the desk by herself with her library card to
checkout.
Tuesdays, Casey goes to school until 12:30. Wednesdays Casey
goes to school all day. Garrett will start full day Wednesday on October 3rd. Thursdays,
Casey has Tumbling. I don't have to stay for the class...for the first time.
She seems to really enjoy herself...much more than ballet. We head to the
playground afterwards with her friend Rowan. Fridays, Casey is in school until
12:30.
Garrett has been keeping us entertained, check out the
videos below. He is crawling everywhere right now. His favorite place to hide
is behind the fireplace...a nice safe place. He also likes to crawl onto the
first step. He loves the bathtub. He crawls as fast as he can all over the tub
and splashes like crazy. Casey is tolerating him a lot more now. She has been
helping to "discipline" by picking him up and carrying him away from
outlets, electronics, the steps...wherever he is not supposed to be. She even
gave him a hug the other day, on her own.
Casey is a funny 4 year old. She loves playing. Tonight she
had set up her little people around a plate that had a play cookie on it. She
likes to play "family" with her friends, calling them
"honey." "Honey, let's
pack our bags for our trip.” She is still very into princesses and pink and
purple, but has opened her mind a little. She also likes to be a mermaid, and a
mixture of things.
We do have some very sad news...our amazing chocolate lab
that we have had for 12 1/2 years, passed away on Tuesday, Sept. 18. She had a
fantastic Summer visiting with family on the East Coast and had a great life.
Thanks to everyone who walked, watched, fed, played with, or just had fun with
Frisco. She will be GREATLY missed!!!!!!!
Enjoy pix!
I love my brother...and don't comment on my bangs...
being goofy
Daddy caught a fish...not quite big enough to eat
being cute
GO HOKIES!
in the web
sliding out of the web...a little sweaty
merry go round was a hit
Garrett is chasing Dillon with the soccer ball over to the left. he did finally get the ball and got the biggest grin on his face when he did
Rowan and Casey rockin' and rollin'
Casey, Dillon, Rowan and Lucas enjoying the fireworks over Lake Dillon
Last Friday, we drove to Basalt and stayed with our friends, Ken, Stacy and their son, Isaac. They watched our kids Friday night while we went into Snowmass to see Steve Miller Band, American Idol Season 10 runner up, Lauren Alaina and Sugarland. The kids had fun...Garrett got to stay up until 10:30 partying!!
Saturday, we did some shopping, had breakfast, then we followed Ken & Isaac and their new pop-up camper to Chapman Reservoir, about an hour East of Basalt, past Ruidi Reservoir. We took a hike down to the Frying Pan River then had some sausages for dinner. While putting Garrett to bed, an 8th grade girl, Lindsey, who was camping across the way, came over to play catch with Casey. Casey looked out for Lindsey, "her best friend," the rest of the weekend. As the sun went down, we roasted marshmellows, made up "scary" ghost stories, then went to sleep in the pop-up.
Sunday, after a yummy breakfast of eggs and bacon, we piled into Ken's Durango and took a 4-wheel drive over Hagerman Pass to Leadville. It took about 1 1/2 hours to get to Leadville. The top was a bit bumpy, but everyone had a good time. We ate lunch in Leadville at Wild Bill Burgers, then headed back to the campground via Hagerman Pass again. Stacy was at the campground when we got back from our drive. The kids road their bikes, played some street hockey, practiced casting the fishing pole, and played in the dirt. We had kebobs for dinner and smores for dessert.
Monday morning we had pancakes for breakfast, said goodbye to Casey's "best friend" Lindsey, then took the canoe and fishing poles to Chapman Reservoir. After no fish and a few rides in the canoe, we headed home to watch the Hokies beat Georgia Tech. While camping, we saw and heard Marmots, had 3 foxes and 2 deer run through our campground and saw a small brown bear on our way out of the campground. Nature at it's best.
This weekend we went to the last Friday night concert at the Ampitheater, had Sean, Kathy, Dillon, Connor and Kathy's parents, Dave and Nancy for dinner Saturday night and went for a bike ride and picnic lunch along the Snake River on Sunday.
We are enjoying the nice weather as long as we can before the snow starts falling!!
Casey is becoming a pro on her bike. She still needs to learn to start, but she figured out how to brake on hills in order to slow down. Sometimes she looks like she is just going to lose it, then miraculously she straightens up and keeps going.
Garrett is all over the place. He is chowing down on 4 8-ounce bottles of Enfamil formula a day. Still not that interested in baby food. He loves puffs though. We try and get him to eat pieces of banana, carrots, avocado, applesauce and french fries (when we go out), whatever we can find. He also loves gnawing on apple slices. We also gave him some baby yogurt this week. His 4th bottom tooth is starting to come in. Since we got back, and now that he's crawling around like crazy, we are trying to teach him not to touch certain things, like the remote, the carbon monoxide plug in, the fireplace and Frisco's food and water bowls. He will crawl over to these things, look back us, smile and then touch it...troublemaker. He really loves splashing in Frisco's water!! When we discipline him or take something away from him he is not supposed to have, he cries likes it's the end of the world, for a second, and then is back on his way...such a faker! He has a slew of facial expressions. His best one is the sniffer (Casey used to do this too). He scrunches up his nose and make sniffing noises. It's funny too, if he sees/hears me blow my nose, he will copy by doing his sniffer face.
Update of Frisco...we now have to help her up the front steps by lifting her back legs. She doesn't eat much. We started mixing wet food in with her dry food. She eats all the wet food and leaves whatever dry food that didn't stick to the wet food. She is still on her hypothyroid meds and her pain meds.
Casey and Garrett would like to wish their cousin Lily a very Happy Birthday (Sept 10)!
Enjoy pix.
Casey's new bling...
Chapman Reservoir campsite
Chow time!
Hagerman Pass
action shot...
the many faces of Garrett...
...
...
Isaac and Casey enjoying a yummy dinner
mesmerized by the fire during smores
Dillon, Casey and Connor enjoying their dinner SO MUCH!!
