To the park...with popcorn!

When Evan woke from his nap this afternoon is was magically sunny out. I wanted to capitalize on this immediately, so I popped a bag of popcorn and put the boys in the stroller to walk to the nearest park around.

Happily munching



Evan literally spent the entire time running the same circuit. Up the ramp. Up the stairs. Down one of the two slides he's brave enough to go down. Repeat. He'll sleep well tonight.


Drew had fun watching Evan...


..but then it got boring.



Evan learned how to climb, much to my chagrin!


"Home?"

Thankful Thursday

My man knows me! He brought home my favorite flowers the other night just because. That's right. No reason at all. Now that's something I'm thankful for!

Every once in a while I'm going to dedicate Thursdays on my blog to being thankful. Sometimes I just need to write out a list of things to be thankful for to get me out of a slump kind of mood.

A mood I've been in for the last few days.

You see, I left Colorado's blue skies, crisp thin air, mountains, yellowing Aspens, friends and family almost a week ago. Since deboarding the plane I can count on my hands how many hours of sunshine/blue skies we've had here. And this is just the beginning. Not to mention that Scot is on a triple right now (on-call back-to-back-to-back) which means we're not seeing much of him and I have to wonder why I even came back in the first place. Another week would have been fine, doncha think?

Oh right. This is where I live now. Cleveland. Land of...

Do you see why I need this Thankful Thursday thing?

I have recently gotten over my feeling that I was sent to exile here in Cleveland. I can go back to CO. It is really still there. It hasn't changed. And I will be back in 12 weeks. From today.

No. I'm not counting at all.

Ok. Enough of the pity party. Here's a brief list of things I'm thankful for:

• Sunshine and blue patches of sky yesterday morning for my walk and this afternoon while at the park with the boys
• Jamie (my friend/running buddy/supportive mom who lives down the street and is a lot of times the only adult I have face to face contact with before Scot gets home)
• Church - really, this is what holds my week together sometimes
• The Bible study I'm about to start with some great gals - we're doing Beth Moore's "A Heart Like His" on David and the Psalms
• Skype - without this wonderful invention I wouldn't get to see my dad (or mom, brother, sister-in-law) on a daily/weekly basis
• My microwave. I was thinking today of how easy life is because I have a microwave. Leftovers, milk, water, butternut squash - warm or hot in a matter of seconds! What would I do without it?!
• My boys. Big and little. They bring pure joy to my life and are my rays of sunshine when I'm gray.
• Hand-me-downs! I just went and raided a tub of 2T clothes for Evan - I may get by this season - again - without having to buy any clothes for my growing munchkins!
• My eyes, Corny maybe, but the trees here really are pretty right now and they're only going to get better!

There is a lot more, but you get the point.

"Two women shared a jail cell. One looked at mud, the other the stars."

Look at the stars. If I can, so can you. :)

Pictures

I'm home safe and sound. Now to tidy the house and unpack and get ready for a 'normal' week.

Here is an entire album of all the pictures from the trip. Have fun!

Colorado: Part IV

This is our last day here and looking back over the past 2 and half weeks I can only smile. I seriously feel like I was just soaking up goodness and I really hope that this charged my batteries like I needed. There is nothing like coming home and being where you love to be. I know that people make the difference, and really, that's what's going to get me though our years in Ohio, but there's just something special to me about being near the mountains, having the crystal blue skies above me, and drawing deep breaths of clean thin air! Ahhh..Colorado, how I will miss you when I leave, and how I will be counting down the days and hours (ok, maybe not quite that bad) until I return.

Here are pictures from the last couple days to close out the "Colorado Adventures" postings. :)

So in Cleveland I run. In Colorado I walk. Except when I feel like I ate too much the night before. And then I strap both boys into a stroller only meant for one and run until my lungs feel like they're going to explode. which doesn't take long at all. 3 miles, though, with walking the hills isn't too bad if I do say so myself. And the boys had a blast.


The view my folks will have from their new house. And people in Denver say you get a great view of the mountains. Yeah. The mountain range. In Colorado Springs, you really see the mountains because you're at the base of them! (I love Denver, though)


Evan and Abby - the mommys are best buds and so will they be, too. :)


With Britt. We figured out that in the last 3 years, we don't have a single picture of us where one of us is NOT pregnant. (She's the preggo one here)


Giving Abby a shower. We decided that being little nudists is fine right now. Give us 4 years and it won't be.


Finally a picture where Drew is sitting!! Still a little tri-pod-ish, but we're getting there!


Fun in the sprinkler! (I never knew how tricky it was getting 'decent' little nudist pictures. haha.


My little white boy getting some sun


Having the time of their lives! Abby calls it her 'water park'.


Peek-a-boo at lunch.


After touring the new house at the end of another 'good day' - the counter tops all went in and so did the lighting. It's starting to look more and more like a livable house!


Mom and Drew-boy in front of the new fireplace that still needs the stone put on.


Our make-shift s'more since Evan has a steel-trap memory and it was raining (the only rainy/gray day the entire trip) and we couldn't have the fire outside like we told him we would. Chocolate frosting and marshmallows out of the microwave. Yum!


The little chunk after his cereal dinner


At Garden of the Gods. It never gets old. The red rocks, the blue sky, the green foliage...ahh


Evan got tired of walking and I was glad I knew that this little arrangement worked


Now is that not the sweetest thing ever or what?


Our view from our picnic we had outside 'the garden'. Does it get much better than that?


Last Josh and John's trip for a while. I'm so thankful we have Mitchell's back in Cleveland.

Colorado: Part III

Well, my mom is out at her Bible study and both boys are down, which means I have a little time to update you all on our fun here out in Colorado. Or at least a little more of it. :) It's just more parks and picnics and people. And it's been the medicine my soul needed. Here are pictures since they speak far more words than I could write. Right?

Mom and Drew enjoying the fountain


My little man (no, he's not really standing, he's more propped against the fountain)


Evan pushing 'Monkey' around in his stroller


The boys and their Grammy enjoying a picnic dinner


Enjoying his first ever ice cream cone


Enjoying the morning on the upper deck


At Texas Roadhouse


Enjoying some sweet tea

Colorado: Part II

We have continued to have a blast these last few days. The moments that really stick in my head are all the ones that involve visiting with people. It has been quite a week where visits are concerned. Play dates with old and new friends, visiting with the older British couple across the street (who are like the boy's second grandparents), chatting with Scot's surrogate grandparents, and even the boy's actual grandparents (Scot's folks). I have had visits on my own, too, with a friend from down here, and then an entire day spent just catching up with friends in Denver. I was able to drop in on my old Bible study group, have breakfast with a friend before hand, lunch and an afternoon of talking afterward, and a quick stop to see my old roommate and her new baby. It was quite the day and Drew did great. Evan had fun just hanging with Grammy.

Mom and I have also enjoyed watching both new and old movies with pop corn. We've had lots of times at the new house and at several different parks. Last night we went to a new park with a picnic dinner and had a blast. We stopped by at Sonic afterward and got cream slushes - YUM!

Evan now claps his hands and grins as big as he can when we pull up the street - he says "Home! Home" It's a bitter sweet moment. Just in the last few days he's been stringing more and more words together and connecting ideas like never before. It's great.

Drew has undergone some milestones, too. Sitting up for short periods of time can now be added to his repertoire, as can his first little boy hair cut and starting solids. I know, I know - I was going to try and wait, but after 3 nights of 6 am wakes ups with him just ravished, I figured it was time. As proof, he slept until 7 this morning with no problems what so ever.

This next chunk of time is being reserved for just relaxing after a busy week. A few play dates here and there, but mostly just enjoying the wonderful weather and company. Here are a few pictures - and in better order this time!

In the mornings, Evan likes to 'cook' along with Grammy.


Drew really enjoys the high chair!!


At the property playing with a borrowed trike and having a ball!


Park time!


"Neigh!"


In soft Colorado grass for the first time (note the shaggy state of his hair)


Picnic at the park 9note the new hair cut)


Waiting for his first cereal meal....


...mmmm....good! He did really well after the first half of it was hit or miss! Once he figured he just had to open his mouth we never lost a drop!

Colorado: Part I

All right! So I'm here in beautiful Colorado and loving every single stinkin' minute of it! We arrived early Wednesday morning and have been going-going-going since. Here are a few pictures from our first few days. (I plan on doing this every couple days so I don't get back and have to try to update you all on 2.5 weeks of stuff!)

Pictures are a little out of order:

Sunday night after a full day of church and my friend Bethany coming down for a visit, we drove down town to our favorite ice cream stop, Josh and John's! It was so yummy and even Drew was able to enjoy a little lick or two!


Saturday we played at a park in the morning and had dear friends Deb and Marie over to chat and for a sleep-over! So. Much. Fun. :) Mom is thoroughly enjoying both boys!


Grammy put up a swing in the back yard of her new house for Evan. Can you tell he loves it?


There's a hammock out back for Drew and he likes it pretty well, too!

Evan has spent a couple mornings at the new house watching the worker men in their dirt trucks, watching cement being poured, and watching the deck get put together! He's having a ball!


The stream is a little on the low side right now, but as long as we get there in the morning there is plenty of water for Evan to play in. Grammy has boots and water/sand toys down there for him so he's been able to play and splash to his heart's content!


When we arrived at the new house the first day, the driveway had just been poured, so we stuck Drew's foot and Evan's hand in the wet stuff to prove that they were there!


When we got into Denver it was early. 7:30 kind of early. So we went out to breakfast with mom at our favorite little breakfast place, stopped by my old Doctor's office so he and all the nurses could see the boys, and then made a trip to the park to meet up with all my Bible study gals and their kids. It was quite the morning!

That's the run down! I'll be back in another few days to let you know what's been going on!