***Memorial Day 2011***

On Memorial Day we took our normal trip up to the Bosch family cabin for a day in the foothills! It is so nice to get away and spend the day outside with family! We had pretty nice weather and enjoyed all the cabin has to offer!

We started off the morning by doing some hiking! Nolan did AWESOME and hiked the whole way by himself, up big hills, down rocky paths, and over big rocks! We were really proud of him.

Nolan loved picking up rocks and throwing them over the edge and breaking off sticks and whacking everything in sight!

When we did this same hike on Labor Day he had to be carried for parts of it! Not anymore! It's amazing how much stronger and more independent he becomes all the time!

Rock Climbing!

Nolan and his Daddy taking a break from climbing to give me a nice smile!

Nolan got to take Sammi for a walk! He really asks me everyday if he can get a pet...sorry bud, seeing Sammi every once in awhile will have to do!

Checking out the tractor with Daddy!

Heath taking a tractor ride!

All the kiddos waiting for dinner!

We celebrated Cohen's 1st Birthday after dinner!

Nolan enjoyed handing Cohen his gifts!

We got Cohen his very own Rockies hat just like our boys have!

All the cousins always have to be a part of the birthday action!

Jayne made 2 delicious chocolate cakes!

Cohen was a bit unsure about his Curious George smash cake!

It didn't quite get smashed!

But he did check it out and take a few bites!

We love you Co-Co! And can't wait to watch you grow in your next year!

Happy Birthday Payton!

For Payton's 7th Birthday she told us that she wanted us to take her to Build-a-Bear! We thought this was a great idea...and so did Nolan! He loved his first experience there and really wanted to take his cousin!

Of course we had to talk to him about how he would not be making his own animal and how this was Payton's special treat. And he did awesome. He waited patiently and watched Payton and helped her make her stuffed animal and not once asked for his own! Although, he did plan what he will make the next time he gets to go...a wiener dog in a hot dog costume! Too funny!

Here are some fun photos from our morning together...

Picking out just the right animal! It didn't take her long to know what she wanted! Unlike my sweet eldest son who took 30 minutes to pick out 1 Croc's jibbit!

Picking out her kittie's heart with love!

Pushing the pedal and fluffing up her cat!

The boys watching the action!

Rubbing kittie's heart on her nose so that it "NOSE" she loves her!

Getting stitched up!

Nolan helping Payton give her new cat a bath!

Making a birth certificate for her Siamese Cat and giving it a name!

Aren't these guys just the cutest?!

Payton proudly showing off her new friend: Fluffy! She wanted to name her the same name Nolan named his Build-a-Bear puppy. Mark tried really hard to get her to choose a more creative name like: Turquoise (the color of it's eyes) or Cookies 'n Cream (like it's fur). And Nolan even came up with the name, "Lovey". But I told them that it was PAYTON'S animal, so it was PAYTON'S choice...so "Fluffy" it was! She also got this cute pink carrier that you can wear in the front or on your back, sort of like a Baby Bjorn!

We took some cute pictures afterwards with her and her Build-a-Bear box and with our McDonald's smoothies, but my computer went wacky when I was uploading them and somehow they ended up getting deleted from my camera and weren't on my computer when it recovered! SAD!

But anyways, we had a fun morning together and we loved getting to spend time with our only and not-so-little anymore niece! She was so sweet, and looked beautiful, and we are amazed at the smart and talented young girl she has become!

We love you P.R.! Happy 7th!

18 months!

Heath is 18 months!

Wow! Where has the time gone?

Here are his most recent stats:

Height- 33.5 inches @ 80%

Weight- 25.8 pounds @ 45%

Head Circumference- 48.6 centimeters @ 75%

As you can see he is still a solid boy! But crazy enough, he weighs a whole 5 pounds less than Nolan did when he was 18 months! And now Nolan has just shot up and thinned out! It's hard to imagine what Heath will look like in a year or even just in a few months!

We are so proud of all that Heath has learned in the past 6 months! He is a walking machine and he is such a fun boy! He loves to tackle, fall into pillows, be tickled, shoot baskets, throw balls (or anything he can get his hands on), zoom cars, laugh at his brother, makes animal noises, copy words, play with his cousins, splash in the bathtub, swing, and give kisses!

He also loves to screech, scream, and cry LOUDLY when he doesn't get his own way! Just like his brother and Daddy, he is one stubborn dude! Not at all like his Mommy, ha! I pray that one day he'll use this feisty streak for good, be a go getter, and not stop until his dreams come true!

But then again, he is just the cutest thing ever with his huge, chubby cheeks and big, round, blue eyes and wide toothy smile that when he's shrieking, or throwing food off his tray, or knocking down lamps, you just can't get mad! He flashes that sweet smirk at you and your heart just melts!

He is definitely our wild child, or as Nolan likes to call him, our "Monster Baby"! But he keeps us on our toes and makes life an adventure! We are so blessed!

Denver Museum of Nature and Science

While my brother was in town this past weekend we took the boys to the Denver Museum of Nature and Science! They had never been before so it was another new, fun, first experience! Some parts of the museum are better suited for older kids and adults, but they really had a lot of areas perfect for kids and that were really interesting for both a 3 year old and an 18 month old! Check out our day below...

***WARNING: These pictures are a little sketch! I forgot to charge my camera battery and it died after 1 photo! So I had to take all of these on my phone! But I'm glad I at least had some way to document our day!

Posing with the HUGE dinosaur sculpture in the front entry way of the museum! They are all looking...YAY...big success!

Uncle T. and Heath with some dinosaur I can't pronounce!

Nolan was so into seeing all the dinosaur bones!

He even got to dig for a few himself!

The Discovery Zone

Experimenting with a fan and some items! He would throw things on this large fan and watch to see if they would blow up into the air! He thought it was really funny when a large yellow scarf blew back up in his face!

Speaking of faces...

Can you guess who this is?

Nolan playing in a little kids area. We found this place in perfect time...just as he was getting antsy after seeing one too many taxidermy animals! He got to climb and slide and crawl through a tunnel and get rid of a little energy!

Pretending to be astronauts

We always laugh at how we've done just about every touristy thing in Denver when we've had company in town. And after this day...I really think we have! I'm gonna have to start recycling ideas and getting creative! Or maybe my family could just move here...that would solve our problem for sure! If only...

Go Rapids!

Here are some pictures from our evening out at the Colorado Rapids game! The weather was perfect and we got a great deal on a family pack of tickets, with good seats, that included dinner!

This was my first official soccer game. Other than watching my friend Keith play a few times in high school, I really don't think I have ever watched any other soccer game! Not the World Cup, not a single game at Calvin, and not even my niece Payton...which by the way, P.R., we really need to come watch you! So I definitely had NO IDEA what was going on! Because really, as everyone knows, I usually talk through most sporting events I attend!

So all the shots I took of the game actually being played, I can not even attempt to accurately comment on! My brother knows a whole lot about the sport and has been closely following a team this year, so he was really into it. Mark enjoyed the match too, but had to deal with a feisty 18 month old, and therefore missed some of the action! And Nolan really liked learning about some of the rules of the sport when he wasn't snacking, singing, or wiggling around our area!

The Rapids have a really nice stadium! They played Toronto FC.

Nolan is happy to debut his photography skills! He likes taking pictures of the sky! And heads! But this picture does really show what a pretty evening it was- 70 degrees and sunny! And can you see COLORADO spelled out on the seats?

Here starts the section of photos I like to call, "I have no idea what's happening!"

Man kicks ball

Player can not use his hands

Try to get the ball into the net

That's all I got! :)

Nolan was more than SUPER EXCITED to be able to have his very own "orange pop"! Here he is showing off his bottle!

Heath watching the action!

He DOES. NOT. SIT. STILL these days! He HATES to be confined! And if he has to be held- he SCREAMS and SCREECHES! Which made for being in a tight spot really fun! Luckily we had some empty seats behind us, so he and I moved back there for some room to walk around and explore!

Nolan and Uncle T. enjoying the game!

Can you tell both of the boys have full mouths? I think they ate their way through the match! Hot dogs, french fries, pop, fruit snacks, & suckers...what fun!

In the end, I guess it really wasn't that great of a game- a tie: 0-0! It would have been fun for Nolan to see a goal, but none the less, I still think he had a great time!

Nolan was such a good boy and really enjoyed being able to learn new things, see exciting stuff, and go to a fun new place! Thanks Uncle T. for the idea! It will be a special memory for him!