Colorado Trip

We just got back from a trip to Colorado. My cousin got married in Bailey so we and my parents made a mini-vacation out of it. We rented a house overlooking a lake in the mountains. We took off shortly before 2:00 on Friday afternoon and were at our house in the mountains by 11:00 that night. The kids did great in the car so we only had to stop once. When we pulled in, there were a handful of deer right in front of the house.

Our "Mountain House"

Kyler and Papa tried to catch some fish at the lake but didn't have any luck. It may have had something to do with a noisy three-year-old and them constantly feeding the ducks. They saw a wood duck and named him Woody, as well as a bunch of other ducks they called Susie 1, Susie 2, etc. Kyler started out feeding them the fish bait (night-crawlers) but then we gave him some stale crackers for duck food.

Ky didn't do so great at the wedding. It was outdoors so I don't know if he really understood why he had to be so quiet. Brett kept him busy taking pictures of the ceremony. Then he had fun playing with my cousin's kids and some of my younger cousins. One of the kids was a ring bearer who had gotten a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle action figure for cooperating. Kyler followed him around with his imaginary turtle. My mom said Colten (the ring bearer) kept giving him strange looks. By the time the dance started he was too worn out from playing to even bust a move - bummer!

Sunday we spent the afternoon in Morrison with Brett's cousin and his family. They have four boys age 5 and under so we knew Kyler would have a blast playing with them. We ate at Willy's Wings and then visited Dinosaur Ridge. They dug in a sand pit and found fossils and then we walked up the mountain to see some footprints, fossils, etc. from the prehistoric ages. After that, we went to Red Rocks Amphitheater. Kyler really wanted to walk down to the stage but his baby sister was ready to go home and take a nap so we had to say goodbye. Before heading back to the house, we decided to try a bike trail in Morrison. Myelle got her nap in the bike trailer so all was good. We even found a playground at the end of our ride with things to climb on and in. Kyler was so tired after our big day that he fell asleep on the way home before dinner and slept until the next morning.

Kyler and his cousins at Dinosaur Ridge

Ky and Mama at a stop on our bike ride in Morrison

Playing at the park in Morrison

Ky's spot to hide from the rain

Climbing a tree

King of the Mountain!

Monday morning we decided to have breakfast in the town of Bailey. Kyler rode with my parents and downed a juice box as they pulled out. We noticed they weren't behind us and thought they may have pulled off to see some wildlife. When we got to the highway and got phone reception, we found out he has thrown up. So we went back, picked him up, and got some clean clothes. He was determined to go rather than stay at the house so we took off. He slept and threw up again on our way to Bailey, then ate a huge breakfast and was a whole new kid. Our guess is that he drank that sugary drink too fast on an empty stomach before getting on some windy, bumpy mountain roads.

From Bailey, we went to Alma where we unloaded our bikes, put the kids in the bike trailer, and bicycled the 6 miles to Fairplay. It was a pretty comfortable ride except for a decent climb shortly before we got to town. Myelle was tired of riding by the time we got there, so we stopped for ice cream and then went to their park which was really nice. Kyler got to experience his first outhouse there. He was not a fan! The afternoon storms were starting to roll in from the mountain peaks so we decided it was time to bike back to Alma. This time we had a very steep climb right off the bat which made the rest of the ride a little tougher too. The kids both fell asleep early on and slept most of the ride so it was a relaxing ride for Brett and I with a great mountain view. We sat down for dinner at Fairplay and then drove back to the house in the rain and extreme fog.

The kids on the way back to Alma from Fairplay

We packed up and were out of the house by about 8:30 Tuesday morning. Kyler asked about frogs and their long tongues while we were driving. After Brett explained how they used their tongues Kyler responded with, "wow, that's awesome." Just another example of why I love the preschool age. We stopped back through Morrison for breakfast and then went to Red Rocks Amphitheater so that we could walk down to the bottom and check it out a little longer. Ky smashed a couple of pennies at their museum and was exited to see a T-Rex jaw. It was drizzling the whole time we were there but Kyler had a blast splashing in a big puddle before we stripped him down and stuck him in the car. We headed out much later than planned but the kids did pretty well in the car again on our way home. His imaginary friends, Joel and Jonah (who are real kids of Brett's former co-worker that Kyler has only met twice) were always with us in the car and we had a lot of fun listening to Kyler play, imagine, and sing on our long car rides.

After breakfast in Morrison

This mad man loved running around and climbing the stairs at Red Rocks

Even with the kids, this was a very relaxing (and enjoyable) vacation. It was nice to have some family time and do some things Kyler enjoyed. He was sad to leave the mountains and had really wanted to climb up one of them. We promised him that next summer or the summer after, we would come to the mountains and Myelle would be old enough to walk so we can go for a hike in the mountains.

First Day of (Pre) School!

Kyler started preschool this week. He was assigned to bring snacks for the first week so on Monday we went shopping and he helped pick some things out. That night we packed his backpack, got his snacks ready, and picked out his outfit. I helped him make a list of all the things he had to do in the morning to get ready for school and drew pictures for illustration. Tuesday morning he got all ready to go and even let me snap a couple of pictures. (I had to convince him by telling him I needed a picture to look at when I missed him.) He refused to wear his backpack on the way to school.

When we got there, he was a little freaked out by a little girl who was crying pretty hard after her mom left but once we explained that she just missed her mom he was fine. When I picked him up he was wearing his backpack, which looked gigantic on him. The teacher said he did fine but did not want his hand painted to do a little art project. I thought maybe it was because he doesn't like to get messy but it may have just been him being defiant. In the car he told me it was because he wanted purple (which I don't think was even an option). We took him to lunch at his favorite place - Spanky's, the local bar. He did not want to tell us anything about school.

Today he did even better. He thought he was pretty big walking into the school with the big kids. Many of them know who he is and say hi to him which he also loves. He knew just what to do when we got to his classroom. His teacher had warned me that they were finger painting today so I did my best to convince Kyler to try it. When I got home he did tell me that he painted with his fingers and with a paintbrush. Later on he told me that they read books, sang a song about an alligator, played dress-up (he was a mailman), and that his friend at school is Adrienne (although he was not able to pronounce it well at first). It's a lot of fun watching him get to experience something new and exciting. I think (and hope) that it will be a great school year for him.

Riding a Bike

Kyler can now ride his bike without training wheels! He started last week and is doing great. We have been working with him since around his birthday. He really preferred his Strider (balance bike) and we would have to bribe him to get on the pedal bike. Brett got him to the point that he would ride down the sidewalk in front of our house and then I took him for a longer ride and walked behind him. He did great and the next time on his bike was a long ride with Mama, Dada, Myelle, Papa, and Grandma. He got a little tired at first and struggled a little going uphill the first half of the ride. But then we got to the school parking lot and he was off! He was going around in circles pretending to be a race car. It was pretty cute watching his little pedals turning so quickly. We are very proud of him being able to ride a bike without training wheels at such a young age. We are excited to go on real rides with Ky instead of pulling him in the trailer.

4th of July

I'll start off by apologizing that I have NO pictures from yesterday. The camera is definitely not a priority when we are packing everything we need and wrangling our two littles these days. So you'll just have to read about our day...

We celebrated the 4th in Centralia, our usual place ever since I was a little girl growing up a 1/2 block away from the parade. We watched some of the kiddie tractor pull. Kyler really wanted to try it but it is for ages 4-12 so he had to wait until next year. It's pretty cute - the tractor even has a sled with the moving weight and electronic measurements. It's the real deal, folks!

They also had a bounce house and Kyler took several turns bouncing around. He can hold his own in there with the big kids. After the bounce house, he wanted to play on the playground. Brett and I were hanging out with Myelle in the shade when I noticed Ky heading to the grass right on the outside of the playground area. I screamed "KYLER!!!" and started running. People probably thought I needed an EMT by the sound of my scream. But it was too late by the time I got there. His pants were to his ankles and he was mid-stream. I had to let him finish peeing. Everyone that saw was cracking up, including his dad. And I don't even have a good excuse for that since we don't live out in the country.

A little later it was time for the parade. My dad and grandparents joined us in our regular spot. Kyler was about the only kid on the block and everyone in the parade knew his papa so he got way too much candy. (We still have parade candy from last year and the Seneca parade is only a few weeks from now - he really cleaned up last year here too.) It was one of the nicest days I remember on the 4th - usually it is almost unbearably hot.

Since my parents weren't camping at the Centralia Lake this year, we decided to go check out Bern's fireworks show. Everyone has always said it was amazing so we thought we better see if it lived up to all the hype. It did! We were super close to where they were setting them off so it was pretty bright and very loud. Kyler heard his papa say it once and then kept repeating, "those babies took off." 

This morning when I asked him what his favorite part of the day was he told me, "the green ones." He was talking about the green fireworks. Then he added, "Papa said, 'those babies went off!'" Oh, and the best thing about this year - we didn't burn one of our kids with a sparkler! (Kyler got burned last year and it was not pretty.)

Work

Last week one evening I was sitting outside with Myelle, and Kyler wanted me to walk around the front yard a little with him. He told me he was going to work and asked if I wanted to go to his work too. Here is how our conversation went...

Kyler: You want to come to my work?
Me: Where do you work?
Kyler: Over there (pointing toward the end of the sidewalk).
Me: What do you do at your work?
Kyler: Work.
Me: But what kind of things do you do at your work?
Kyler: I work with dinosaur bones.
Me: Oh, so you're a paleontologist.

He tried to repeat that big word and told me about how he digs up dinosaur bones. It was pretty cute that he came up with this on his own. He has quite an interest in dinosaurs, but not quite as much as his interest in anything with a motor. He sometimes asks for dinosaur food for dinner (when he's not being silly and requesting bugs or bug sandwiches). And he sees lots of imaginary dinosaurs around the house.

Swim Lessons - Days 2-5

Well, the rest of the week sounds like it went more like I had originally pictured it. I had to work so Brett and my mom did Tuesday through Friday of swim lessons. It sounds like he didn't listen well and wasn't following along with the group... and he just didn't want to do most of the activities. I think maybe the first day it was something new and exciting so his attitude was better. Oh well, we tried and will have to try again next year.

Swim Lessons - Day 1

I am kicking myself for not bringing my camera. I honestly thought that this would be a huge failure and we would not be going back the rest of the week. Mainly because that water is COLD! It has been in the 50s and 60s at night lately and we had a ton of rain the past couple weeks. It was only in the 70s outside this morning when we walked to the pool. Plus, I had Myelle so between making sure Kyler was following directions and taking care of her, how was I going to take pictures?

Kyler did okay at the beginning. He kept wanting to explore the bridge that goes over our pool so I had to remind him several times to stay with his class. He participated in the activities (blowing bubbles, kicking, walking in the water) and some required the lifeguard to pretty much force him (going underwater, front float, and back float). He kept lying down on the concrete. I think it was to try to stay warm. When they walked the kids over to the deep end, I wrapped him in his towel. I felt a little sorry for the kid.

They had the kids jump off the side into the deep water where a lifeguard caught them. I convinced Kyler to do it by telling him I would wait for him right by the side with his towel and that we could walk over the bridge when swimming lessons were over. He did it. Then they walked the kids over to the diving board. Kyler followed. He actually wanted to go off the board. I held his towel while they took him up and lowered him in. I wrapped him back up and he walked back over to get in line again. This time he needed less help walking to the edge and they dropped him in the water. I don't think he was prepared to go all the way under so he came up a little shocked.

I was so proud of him for going off the board twice. And like I said, I was kicking myself for not bringing the camera as he went off the diving board for the first time. He said he was going to do it again tomorrow when his dad is there. Hopefully he does better and better this week and we will have a little fish in the water this summer!

3 Year Checkup

Kyler had his 3 year checkup on Monday. He weighed in at 35 pounds (75th percentile) and is 38 inches tall (50-75th percentile). He was a little nervous about his appointment since the last doctor visit was no fun... he got a nose swab to test for influenza. But he did a good job. She suggested that we reach out to his preschool teacher right away when school starts and try to get him some speech help. Other than that, it was uneventful.

3rd Birthday Party

I decided to do an airplane theme for Kyler's 3rd birthday party since he flew for the first time right before his birthday. I got some inspiration from the invitations online and created my own.

We decided to have Kyler's party at his Grandma and Grandpa Brack's this year since last year was at his other grandparents' house and we had celebrated his actual birthday with them on our trip. Plus, it was Memorial Day weekend so they were having a get-together with friends and family anyway. I decorated the dining room with a sign, balloons, and streamers.

His cake was a Jell-o poke and pour cake with blue Jell-o. I used colored whipped topping for the frosting, some 4th of July marshmallows for clouds, and his new Delta toy plane for decoration.

After watching his annual birthday video (something Brett and I put together each year), it was time to sing "Happy Birthday" and blow out the candles. He loved the attention.

As you can see, we created a runway on the table with a black tablecloth and masking tape. Before we ate, it was littered with toy airplanes.

Kyler enjoyed opening his gifts. We hurried him along since it was a busy day.

The one thing he had asked for over and over again was a little cement truck. Any time we talked about his birthday party he would say that all he wanted was this cement truck. So we saved it for last and he was very satisfied.

We took a few family photos after the party. There are lots of little ones in the family. One of Brett's brothers has twins that are almost a year old and his other brother is expecting a little boy in about a month.

These proud grandparents have their hands full... and they are about to have one more little to hold.

You think maybe Brett takes after his dad? I just noticed that their hands are positioned exactly alike.

Baby sister was excited to get in on the birthday boy photos too!

When we got home, there was one more gift for Kyler. Brett built him a sandbox. Kyler helped with the finishing touches.

Papa brought just enough beach sand back to Kansas to fill the sandbox. He is a lucky boy to have possibly the only beach sand filled box in Kansas.

These two will have lots of fun out in the sandbox the next several years... and I will spend my summers cleaning up sand.

These happy faces make it all worth it though. Happy 3rd birthday to our growing boy!!

20 Questions - Age 3

I had been seeing on various blogs where parents ask their kids the same 20 questions each year on their birthday and record the responses. Some of the responses are funny and it's also fun to see how the kids change from one year to the next. Here is the 3rd birthday edition:

1. What is your favorite color? Blue 
2. What is your favorite toy? Race cars 
3. What is your favorite place to go? Grandma Tammy’s 
4. What is your favorite TV show? Curious George 
5. What is your favorite thing to eat for dinner? Bierocks 
6. What is your favorite thing to wear? Football shirt like that (pointing to a K-State football) 
7. What is your favorite game? Playing ball 
8. What is your favorite snack? Fruit Loops 
9. What is your favorite animal? Monkey and giraffe, I like two animals 
10. What is your favorite song? Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed and Santa [Claus is Coming to Town], I like two songs; monkeys should not jump on bed 
11. What is your favorite book? Curious George 
12. Who is your best friend? T 
13. What is your favorite cereal? You already said cereal 
14. What is your favorite thing to do outside? Play football 
15. What is your favorite drink? Chocolate milk and orange juice 
16. What is your favorite holiday? Halloween 
17. What do you like to take to bed with you at night? Monkey and giraffe 
18. What scares you? Lions 
19. What is your favorite car? Bug one 
20. What do you want to be when you grow up? I don’t like jobs 

I could tell a few of these responses had to do with what was going on that day or that moment. (We were heading to Grandma Tammy's later in the day, his cousin T had come to visit that morning, Curious George was on TV before we started this, and there was a VW Beetle looking toy car on the floor.) Whether that would have changed his answer, I have no idea. Oh, and I hope the response to #20 does not have a direct correlation with is work ethic in the future!