4th Of July Getaway

A few days before the 4th of July we didn't have any plans for the big weekend. But just before the big festivities, we decided to head down to Colorado Springs to be with Ryan's sister Jodi and her family. Ryan was able to get that Friday off so it made it possible to spend more time with family. 

When we arrived Thursday early afternoon, my Ryan teamed up with Jodi's Ryan, her father-in-law and brother-in-law to work on building a shed while Jodi, I and the kids went to Garden of the Gods.

It is a really beautiful place. We only walked a small portion of it. It reminded me a lot of southern Utah.

When I went to take a picture with P using the front facing camera, he immediately pulled up his shirt to show off his belly button. It is a favorite fascination right now. :)

P wasted no time trying out the tiny slots. In fact, I was pretty worried I wasn't going to get him out! I couldn't fit very far, so removing him was quite the challenge.

He was more than happy to follow his cousins in. I think they will have a lot of fun together in the future.

Jodi had a sweet jogger/bike trailer that made carting the kids around pretty easy. Madi and Zack just took turns. I had Dodger with me too and he did really well, even with all the other dogs around. The only incident we had was with a little wiener dog that tried to eat him. Haha.

After walking around for a while, we decided to head back home and help get ready for dinner. The original plan was to go to the park where there was supposed to be big fireworks, booths, food, etc., but the boys were still really busy with the shed and with the exception of Jodi's Ryan, none of us wanted to fight the crowds or chase kids for that long. So we decided on the American classic BBQ. Nothing better than that!

They had a great little trampoline in their basement that Pierscen was really excited about. And also equally excited about showing off that belly... again.

The view from their house was absolutely beautiful. I have never been south of Denver. Colorado Springs is gorgeous! And it was awesome to have some cloud cover. Made for the perfect weather!

After a wonderful meal, some more shed building, and watching fireworks (which this was the first time in years that they, the city of Co Springs, had had fireworks... lucky us!), it was time for sparklers!

P thought they were pretty cool. He was really tired at this point, so getting smiles out of him wasn't happening, but he was still mesmerized as you can see.

It was such a fun way to spend the holiday! Especially considering if we had stayed home, we wouldn't have done anything special. And it was really great to get to be with Jodi. We have made it a goal to try and stay close to our families even if we are separated by a state or two. This was our first trip to Colorado Springs, and hopefully it won't be the last. 

There is more of trip coming... but there were enough pictures I decided to split it into two. :)

NIC Fest 2013

The NIC Fest was held at the end of June. This was one of the first things we attended last year when we moved here. Basically it is a giant art venue - paintings, sculptures, pottery, jewelry, food, dancing, etc. Last year we bought a few items, but this year the funds were a little tight, so we just bought food instead. :)

There was a booth selling homemade ice cream that Ryan really wanted. It turned out to be a good choice because not only was it delicious, but P LOVED it! As you can see from above, he was no about to part with that delicious stuff even to smile for the camera. 

After wandering around, we decided we were still pretty hungry - even after sharing a gyro - so we stopped by Little Caesars on the way home. 

As you can see, little man was pretty happy about this food choice. And the root beer.

It was pretty nice just putting out the blanket in the backyard and having a picnic. I've only done this once or twice with Pierscen and he always thinks it's a lot of fun. And Dodger is always excited that the food is on ground level. It does make it a tad bit hard to keep it away from him.

As I have mentioned before, P loves it when I use the front facing camera. He loves to stick his tongue out and suck it back in as quick as he can. He's pretty silly. 

The next day I actually went back to the NIC Fest with Lauriel as she had never been before. I had to get a giant snow cone because A. It was hot. B. They are yummy. C. It's tradition.

Can you believe it has already been a year?! He doesn't look a whole lot different... minus having a lot less hair a year ago. But he still loves those snow cones!

Our Little Fishy

During the month of June, Pierscen was enrolled in his first Parent/Tot Swim Class. This class is for 6 months - 3 year olds, but I am pretty sure Pierscen was the youngest of this particular group. 

Classes were two days a week for a half hour. I really didn't know how he would react that first day, but I was pleasantly surprised. He LOVED it! He couldn't stop laughing and smiling. 

These early lessons aren't so much "swimming" lessons as they are just helping the kids get used to water. We did sing-a-long songs, played with toys, helped them "monkey crawl" along the wall, helped them jump off the wall, and went around the lazy river on their stomachs and backs. P HATES being on his back. Other than that, he loved it.

The excitement wore off a bit after that first lesson, but he still enjoyed it. We did have to skip one lesson because he was the crankiest thing alive and I wasn't about to bring that to the pool. A couple lessons before the end I had Ryan take them as I was bandaged up from donating plasma. P was not thrilled with this idea. He has become a pretty big momma's boy and as long as I was in sight, he was angry.

So I had to situate myself on the opposite side of the room where he didn't notice me, and then he was fine for the rest of the class. Toward the end, he even smiled and waved at me when I got closer to make a video.

This was the first class where they put the kids underwater. No matter what Ryan tried, and no matter what either of us have tried since, he will not close his eyes or his mouth. He goes under with a giant "Wallace and Gromit" grin. Thankfully he doesn't cry about it, though he does splutter quite a bit.

The last day of lessons was definitely the best. We only spent a couple of minutes doing "lesson" stuff and then it was all fun. We got to go down the big slide and play in the shallow end. Pierscen loved the big slide. I wish we could have done more of that, but I understand we are paying for lessons, not for play time. For that, they hope we will come back. :)

I am glad we did the class, but I probably won't sign up for it again. Lots of parents do. I guess it all just depends on how often you will go on your own. Truthfully, we haven't gone swimming on our own at all, so maybe signing up for the class is the only way we will make it. :) I say I wouldn't sign up for it just because there isn't a lot to "learn" from it, but like I said, it's a fun way to get the kid to swim. And at least with the lessons, I don't have to pay for admission for myself. 

Pierscen loves the water. I think he is a natural swimmer and we will definitely be investing in "big kid" lessons in the future.