- Lake 2011
- What I did on my snow day
Ryan and Ben spent the greater part of the morning Carpet Slide Sword Fighting on this unexpected APRIL 7th SNOW DAY!
- San Diego Spring Break
- Holidays at Home
We spent the Holidays on our own in Colorado this year. Enjoy the pics!
- Brandy...She's a Fine Girl
Meet our newest arrival! Brandy, 3 year old St. Bernard came to be part of our family today.
- Costumes 09
Ryan as a tarantual
Ben as Garfield
- Geocaching Adventures
Daddy had a Friday off during fall break so we went geocaching at our favorite park.
- Rockies End of Season Party
Annual end of season party at Coors Field.
- Garden of the Gods
Hiking with the kiddos at one of Colorado Springs best locations.
- Sean and Pam Visit
- Arghhh!
Ryan and Ben built a pirate ship to keep themselves busy one fine afternoon.
- Ben's Birthday
- 4th Fun
It rained almost all day this year on the 4th. That, coupled with injuries, meant we had to improvise for our fireworks fun this year. We opted to tailgate and watch the show put on by the Air Force Academy. It turned out great.
- Flat Daddy
Anyone who has kids in elementary school is familiar with the tale of Flat Stanley. Well, in the spirit of Flat Stanley we have started a Flat Daddy photo project. For those of you who don't know, Aaron injured his back this summer and is waiting to have surgery. In the mean time, enjoy all of his adventures.
- Oobleck
I made the boys a batch of Oobleck to pass some time. They had a blast with the ooey gooey mess.
- AWESOME DUDE
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles were at the Rockies game on the 19th.
- Midwest Sweep Trip
In early June we made a sweep through several midwest states. We were headed to Wilton, IA to see Mike and the XL's for the anniversary of the Wilton Candy Kitchen. On the way we stopped at a crazy hotel in Nebraska and stayed in an old west hideout and found a family of gorillas. Day 2 we caught up with old friends and family in Wilton and watched the XL's rock downtown Wilton for almost 5 hours. Then Aaron took off to head home and I took the boys down to the lake to spend a few days with their cousin Kerstin, Aunt Kim, and Uncle Mark.
- Spring Break in Bisbee
We decided to spend our spring break visiting my Dad and Nell in Bisbee, AZ. We managed to sneak in a spring training game in Tucson, spend a day in Tombstone, hang out with my grandparents, ride some horses, and generally just have a great time fooling around.
- Christmas 2008
We spent Christmas this year in Arizona with my parents, sisters, and their significant others. Elizabeth married Sam Arnold in September and it was great to spend their first married Christmas with them. Alaina and Chris are engaged to married and have not set a date yet. My Mom really enjoyed having all of her girls and the grandkids home for the holiday.
- Costume Progress 2008
Just a preview of the costumes I am working on for the boys.
- New School Pictures
Tonight, after a long weekend of moving and unpacking, was the grand opening of our new school building. I have taken some pictures of my classroom and the school.
Enjoy!
- Rockies Final Game 2008
Well it wasn't as exciting as last years season ender, but we still had a good time.
- Slumber Party
This was the second half of Ryan's Birthday. He was allowed to invite 5 friends for a sleep over. The party went great. I made all the boys matching pajama pants and they each decorated a t-shirt. They made their own pizza, had cake, ate popcorn and watched Underdog. The next morning everyone had pancakes and sausage and played Wii.
- Vicious...The One Hundred Day Dinosaur
Walking with the Dinosaurs just happened to fall on the same weekend that Ben had to complete a project for the first 100 days of Kindergarten. Meet Vicious, the T-Rex with 100 teeth. Vicious's head is the actual size of a juvenile T-Rex. He covers two poster boards and was quite the project. Mom pieced him together, Ben colored him and glued on all 100 of his teeth.
- Walking With Dinosaurs
As one half of Ryan's Birthday this year we went to see the live show Walking With Dinosaurs. The show was fantastic! The boys had a great time. If it is coming to your town I would recommend you see it.
- Christmas 2007
- Halloween
- New Hair
Tried something new for fall.
- First Day of School
Today was the first day of school for 3/4s of our family! Ryan started second grade with Mrs. Callahan, Ben started full-day kindergarten with Mrs. Harnley, and Mom started fifth grade with Ms. Driscoll. Everything went great, and we are looking forward to a good year.
- Ben's Birthday Party
Ben had his first "real" birthday party! He and 8 of his friends gathered at Pump it Up and had a wonderful time.
- Monster
- Summer Vacation
- Costume Progress
Here ya go mom...a preview of what I have been working on.
- Baroque Shoes
- Backyard
This weekend we celebrated Father's Day by putting up our new pool. It is quite a bit larger than our old pool, which had sprung many many leaks over the winter months. Here are some pics.
- Good Bye Preschool
Today was Ben's last day of preschool. It was a tough day for Mom. We have been attending the Family Development Center at UCCS for the past four years. I could not have asked for a more nurturing environment for my kids. Carol and Sally were both wonderful teachers this year, and I know Ben will remember them forever.
- Mother's Day
- Bemis Field Trip
Ryan's class visited the Bemis School of Fine Art today. They learned all about Japanese art and made their own fish prints. It was VERY MESSY, but everyone had a great time.
- Soccer Practice Glasses
This is what happens to your glasses when they get run over by a soccer team.
- Magic Tree House
Favorite childrens author Mary Pope Osborne, of Magic Treehouse fame held a book signing at the Tattered Cover in Littleton. Since all of our kids are HUGE Magic Treehouse fans we took the day and spent it with our friend Jen and Chad and their two girls Natalie and Audrey.
- Ryan is 7!
Ryan had his birthday party at Skate City this year. All the kids had a great time and even Grandma made it up on skates.
- New Couch
- Ryan's Glasses
Today was Ryan's first day of school with his new glasses. Just a few shots as he walked out the door this morning.
- Meet our Nephew
We went to the lake for a few days after school let out for the summer. It was the best fishing that we have seen in years. We also got to meet our new nephew, Brandon Michael Walters. Justin had a great time playing Buzz with Ben. The two of them have their own language that only they can truly understand. We did catch a lot of "To Infinity & Beyond"s though.
- Ryan's Pictures
Ryan got a new digital camera for his birthday from Grandma and Grandpa Heinrich. These are the first pictures that were taken with it. Ryan also got glasses today. He looks so handsome in them, and now he can see the board at school. When he put them on for the first time he exclaimed, "Wow, now I will be able to see the Friday movie at school!"
- Ryan is 7...almost
We had Ryan's birthday party today! Skate City played host to 8 kids. Everyone had a great time, and even Grandma and Grandpa made it up on skates!
- Great Minds
Think alike!
- Third Grade
I had to come up with a literacy activity for third grade. This is the end result.
- Ryan's Valentines Party
I was the official picture taker for Ryan's Valentines party at school. Here are the results. All the kids made ice cream sundaes and passed out Valentine cards.
- Leila Rose
Ben's best friend in the whole world, Leo, is a new big brother. His sister Leila Rose was born on December 28th 2006. We finally made it over to see her.
- If You Give a Mouse a Cookie
Aaron and I took the boys to see a local theater production of If You Give a Mouse a Cookie tonight. It was a great show and the kiddos had a blast. Everyone got to wear their jammies and there were crafts before the show. After the show everyone got milk and cookies, even Moms and Dads!
- New TV
So Aaron went out of town, and the TV decided to also take a trip out of town. So, I was left to find, purchase, and hook up the new TV all by myself. Thank goodness Aaron liked it.
- Flip Flop Went the Little Green Frog
Ben serenaded us today with some of the songs that he has learned in school. This was my favorite!
Actual lyrics:
Flip Flop went the little green frog one day
Blip Blop went the little green frog
Blip Blop went the little green frog one day
And they all went Blip Blop Blip!!
We all know frogs go ladedadeda
ladedadeda ladedadeda
We all know frogs go ladedadeda
ladedadeda ladedadeda
They don't go Blip Blop Blip!
I think the talent is obvious!
- Brothers
Ryan and Ben have both become very adept at using Daddy's laptop, even without the mouse. Here are a few pictures of them showing off their skills.
- Boy Scouting
Just some pictues of Ryan in his Cub Scout uniform.
- Cass's Last Days
We lost our beloved Cass on January 3rd of 2007. We had her cremated and plan to spread her ashes in her favorite places once the weather warms up a little. We miss her a lot. She was a GREAT dog for a lot of years. These are just a few shots that I took of her in her last days.
- Christmas 2006
Christmas 2006
- Halloween 2006
- Boo at the Zoo
Took the boys to Boo and the Zoo last night. It is a trick or treating event at our local zoo. After waiting in traffic for about an hour, we finally made it into the zoo. The kids had a great time, lots of candy, and some animals were out. We were able to see the lions and the hippos.
- Blizard 2006
18 inches and counting as of 1:00 on Thursday! Just some pics to share the fun! Also, the day afer, 60 degrees and sunny. The kids had a great time playing in the snow, Mom and Dad were just about in traction from shoveling all the snow.
- Pirate Costume
Here ya go mom!
- Rockies End of Season Party
Each year the Rockies host an End of Season party for staff and their families. There is food, balloon artists, and fun for all. The highlight of the party is the kids running the bases. This year, I think both Ryan and Ben ran them at least 6 times each. That is a lot of running, and we had two very tired boys by the end of the day!
- Stallions Soccer 2006
Just a few shots from the fall soccer season.
- For Mom
New haircut let me know what you think...and new color!
- Ben's First Day of School
Ben started school on Tuesday of this week. The same day that Mom started her new semester. There was a change in the preschool structure this year. A lot of you will remember that Ryan went half days on Tuesday and Thursday for his first year, and half days on Monday Wednesday and Friday for his second year. Well, Ms. Karen, our beloved preschool teacher of 3 years, had to move to North Carolina this summer so we have new teachers, Ms. Carol and Ms. Sally. In addition to the new teachers there is also a new format. Ben now goes to preschool from 8:30-3:30 on Tuesdays and Thursdays. He loves it and it gives mom a chance to go to class without having to worry about racing to pick him up. We were really lucky to have Mr. Jake back as a teachers aid this year. The boys both LOVE Mr. Jake. Ben's first day was a smashing succes. When I picked him up I asked him if he made any new friends, he responded, with a very perplexed look on his face, "Of course I did Mom. Everyone loves me!"
- First Day of 1st Grade
Today was Ryan's first day of 1st grade. His teacher's name is Mrs. Kuehn and she seems really great. He was a trooper...once he heard that 1st graders got two recesses. Came home fairly exhausted and pretty hungry. The 1st graders eat lunch at 10:30 and we don't usually eat lunch at home until 1:00, so he is going to have to get used to eating that early and not taking a nap. Ryan's arm is in a cast because he broke it falling (jumping) from the bunk bed ladder last week. He will be in the cast for another 3 weeks if all goes well with his X-rays next week. He thinks the cast is pretty cool, as of right now, and is excited to have all his friends sign it. Enjoy the pics!
- Ryan Reading
I came upstairs to read the night night story and found that Ryan was already doing so. I quickly grabbed my camera and tried to capture the moment. Ryan is a little shy performing on camera but he was doing great! We are so proud of how far his reading has come.
- Lake of the Ozarks 2006
This was our second of two lake trips this summer. The first trip we went out for a short weekend in June to spend a little time with Aaron's sister Shannon, her husband Brian, and our nephew Justin. Unfortunately, I didn't take any pictures that trip but there a quite a few on Shannon's site. Our second trip was this past week. We got to spend a few days with Aaron's brother Mark, his wife Kim, and our neice Kerstin. We also celebrated quite a few birthdays while there. Grandma Martin turned 83 right before we arrived, Aaron turned 34 on July 31st, Grandpa Pat turned 59 on August 1st (although he was in Arizona at the time he was with us in spirit), and Grandpa Heinrich and Ben shared a birthday on August 4th. Ben turned 4 and Grandpa 59.
- Build a Bear Workshop Results
Grandma and Grandpa Gooley visited us this week, and in celebration of Ben's 4th birthday they took the kiddos to Build-a-bear workshop. The kids had a great time making their guys. Ben picked out a wolf, named very appropriately Wolfo, and his little wolf sidekick Wolfy, and Ryan made a dog named Baldo. Ben, of course, dressed his guy in a Buzz Lightyear costume and Ryan chose Superman.
- Conner and Tanner's Birthday Party
Conner and Tanner had their 4th birthday party at Wishing Star Farms. WSF is a really cool place for kids with tons of animals that they can feed and pet. It really gives kids who have never lived on a farm the real experience. The boys had a great time and got to bring home golden horse shoes that they painted themselves.
- Great Grandparents
Pictures of the boys with Great Grandma and Great Grandpa Martin.
- Thank You Grandma!
Grandma sent me home from California with Disney Jammies for the boys. They wanted to wear them to the babysitters today, it took marshmallows to convince them to save them for night nights.
- Mom's Vacation
I had not yet had a chance to visit my sisters in California so this summer I did just that. I flew out for the weekend and my Mom and her friend Joyce drove over from Havasu. We had a great time.
- Backyard Party
Ben's preschool teacher has a great tradition for the end of the year. She asks a parent from the class to volunteer their home for a backyard party. The rest of the parents provide the food and the kids always have a great time. This year's backyard party was hosted by the Rawlins family in Monument. Jessica, Conner and Tanner's Mom always hosts a great party and we all had tons of fun. Unfortunately, this was a bittersweet event for our family. Ms. Karen, who has been our preschool teacher for three years first with Ryan and now with Ben, is moving to North Carolina. We are going to miss her so much next year. We went together as a class to present Ms. Karen with a lovely coffee table book about Colorado so that she could remember her time here. All the parents and all the kids signed the book and wrote her a little note. She loved it.
- Easter Morning
The Easter Bunny was very good to the boys this year. In addition to the contents of their baskets the Bunny swapped our colored eggs and left candy filled plastic eggs hidden all over the living room in their place. Final Tally, Ryan 22, Ben 18.
- Whoops
Thank God for JB Weld is all I have to say. I got a little too close to a pole on campus last weekend...this is the consequence.
- Ryan is 6!
This album somehow got deleted, so I am just going to repost the pictures and tell the whole story again later. If you haven't heard the story email me.
- First Nice Day
The boys had a great time climbing the tree in our front yard while Aaron and I cleaned the garage.
- Happy Birthday Ryan!
We had Ryan's 6th Birthday Party this weekend. Ryan has been talking about having is birthday at Mr. Biggs Family Fun Center since we took the kids there on Labor Day weekend. Mr. Biggs is a huge building with a bowling alley, go-karts, mini golf, paint ball, laser tag, arcade, you name it they have it there. They also have a super cool little kids area called Little Bigg Town. It is actually a small town. There are all different shops, a toy store, a bakery (complete with TONS of playdough and cookie cutters), a mechanics (with a car that the kids can take apart and put together again), a police station, etc. In Little Bigg town there is also a dinosaur cave, which is really a huge sandbox in a cave with lots of "dinosaur" bones floating around in the sand that the kiddos can dig up and feel all scientific. So, we agreed to let Ryan invite six of his friends for a Mr. Biggs B-day Bash. He decided on a dinosaur theme and we thought we were good to go. On Friday afternoon I was watching the news and to my HORROR Mr. Biggs was ON FIRE! Apparently they were having the roof re-tarred and the tar ignited. I wasn't sure how bad the fire was or what they were going to do so I didn't mention it to Ryan. We went out to dinner that night, Ryan chose Applebee's, and both of the boys were exhausted and fell asleep on the way home. I checked messages as soon as we pulled in the door and low and behold our party was canceled! Unbelievable, I swear. The staff of Mr. Biggs was phenomenal. They also happen to own the majority of the town's McDonalds so they offered to send two of their party staff to whatever McDonalds playland we picked. Ryan was pretty upset about the whole thing, which means that Mom and Dad got sucked into a night at Chuck-E-Sneeze, the sacrafices we make, but once all of his friends arrived and they started playing everyone had a great time. Enjoy the pics.
- New Bathroom
I had a case of cabin fever this weekend. So, on a whim I stripped, painted, and rewallpapered our downstairs bathroom. I love it!
- New Album
Just a few pictures from Ryan's Christmas party at school. It was fun. Everyone made marshmallow snowmen and the kiddos did a little musical presentation for the parents.
- Santa Visit
We took the boys to visit Santa this afternoon. Ryan was so excited. He told Santa that we would be spending the holiday at Grandma and Grandpa's house in Arizona and Santa assured him that he knew where that was and would have no trouble finding him. Ben was excited when we were waiting in line (for about 45 minutes) but when it was our turn he was a little apprehensive. Santa was wonderful about it and we tricked Ben into sitting for a picture. Ryan sat in Santa's chair and Santa went and hid behind it. Then Ben came and sat with Ryan in the chair and Santa snuck around the corner and into the picture. Pretty Sneaky!
- Megan's New Baby
Our old friend Megan brought over Abigail to for introductions tonight. The boys were smitten!
- Ryan's 1st Field Trip
Ryan's class went on their first field trip today. They actually got to ride on the bus and everything. They went to safeway and made Gingerbread houses, and ate a lot of candy! The bus ride home was a little iffy, but we only lost 1 house.
- Ryan's Halloween Party
Ryan had his class Halloween party this morning. As room Mom I organized and oversaw the party. It went great! The kids all did a craft and played a game and then had a feast. On the menu was Mummy Fingers (sasuages with cresent rolls), Cobwebs (pumpkin pancakes), carrots, jello, and lots of cookies. Enjoy the pictures!
- Soccer Banquet
Today was the final game of Ryan's soccer season. To celebrate we had a pizza party. All the kids had a blast. Everyone got a trophy and went home happy and full of pizza. Can't wait till next season.
- Pumpkins
Tonight was the night of the annual pumpkin massacre at the Heinrich household. View the "fruits" of our labor!
- Halloween 2005 Ben's Party
Today was Ben's Halloween party at school. He had a great time and is a little upset that I made him take off the Buzz costume. Purple, Ben's favorite dog, went as a LGM (Little Green Man for the uninitiated).
- Stallions Fall 2005
Ryan's soccer team photo and individual soccer picture.
- Sept-October 2005
- Aspen
My parents spent a week in Aspen with friends enjoying the changing of the colors. We drove up and spent two days with them.
- Lost Tooth!
Ryan came running into our bedroom about a week ago so excited...he had his first loose tooth! Well last night after lots and lots of patient wiggling it finally came out. And after lots of cleaning up in his room (so the Tooth Fairy could find her way in) this morning Ryan is the proud owner of a brand new one dollar bill!
- Rockies End of Season Party
Every year the Rockies host a party after the final home game of the season for employees and their families. The kids had a great time.
- Kindergarten Picture 2005
Ryan's Kindergarten picture
- Pathway
Last weekend Aaron and I started a project that we have been talking about doing for a few years. While I was pregnant with Ryan I started clearing the large river rocks and paving stones out from down the side of the house with the intention of making a pathway that was wide enough for the lawnmower. Well Ryan is now in kindergarten and the project is now complete. After about 2500 lbs of cement and another 800 lbs of gravel we now have a walkway that we can be proud of on the side of the house. Yeah Us!
- Ben's First Day of Preschool
Ben had his first day of preschool today. He is attending the UCCS Family Development Center on Tuesday and Thursday mornings from 8:45-11:45. This is the same preschool that Ryan has attended for the past two years. We are lucky enough that Ben has the same teacher Ms. Karen. There are also several children in the class that are siblings of children from Ryan's class so Ben wasn't going into a room full of new faces and Ryan and his buddies get to meet up at pick up time! We celebrated the day by going out to lunch, happy meals of course since Ben got to pick, with a couple of our old friends.
- First Day of Kindergarten
Today was Ryans first day of kindergarten...wow how time flies. He is attending morning kindergarten at Vera Scott Elementary. His teacher's name is Mrs. Beckman. We attended an open house last night where Ryan got to see his classroom and meet his teacher. He was incredibly nervous this morning but did great, only a few tears. He goes to school each day form 8-10:45. When Ben and picked him up today he said his day was "Great!"
- Swimming
They boys have a great time in our little backyard pool. It's big enough for them to splash around in and have fun but not too big that they can't stand. And as a bonus, it's just large enough for Mom to lay on a raft and work on her tan while the kids are napping.
- Back to School Haircuts
A couple of weeks ago Ryan declared that he was sick of being asked if he and Ben were twins. His solution to this problem was to get a new haircut. Me being what and who I am said, "lets wait until the end of the summer." Well, today was the day. Ryan looked through the entire book of little boy hair cuts and decided on the buzz cut. When I, as gently and as calmly as I could muster, said that I didn't think that was such a good idea this was our compromise. Gone is my little boy and in his place is this new, well, big kid. See for yourself and enjoy the pics.
- Ben falling asleep at table
- Squash Bloxing!
Ryan and Ben love playing with the squashblox that Ryan got for his birthday. Unfortuantely they don't seem to understand the concept of building things with them. They prefer to stack them up and jump from as hight up the stairs as they dare unto the pile.
- New Potty Training Technique
We have decided that toddlers need peer pressure. This is the outfit that Ben came home from camp in after a potty accident today. I am sure that if I had to wear this in public I would be so mortified that I would never ever have another accident as long as I shall live. Ben on the other hand wants to keep the pants and wear them every day. He loves them. Oh Boys!
- Happy 4th!
This year we continued our tradition of going to the park to watch the fireworks and listen to the symphony. However, this year Melissa and Hayley joined us! We all had a blast.
- Ryan on Safari
Ryan had professional pictures taken at school this year. They dress all the kids up in little costumes and take pictures. Really fun stuff. This year Ryan had his picture taken as a police man (refused to smile), a figher pilot (eyes closed), and as a big game hunter on safari (too cute for words!). This is the safari picture, the only one I purchased.
- Lake 2005
- Soccer Banquet
Pictures from Ryan's last soccer game of the season and then end of season banquet. All the kids got certificates and a trophy. In the fall they will try to keep all the kids together on the same team that want to play again.
- Ryan's Last Day of Preschool!
Pictures from Ryan's last day of preschool. Very sad, Mom cried. Ben will have Ms. Karen next year.
- Ben being Ben
Since we started putting Rigdon in the kennel at night his behavior has improved, we thought maybe the same strategy would work with Ben...no actually Ryan and Ben like to play doggies and Ben likes to crawl in here himself....And a cute shot of the boys being inseperable.
- Disney Trip Day Five
Day five found us back at the Magic Kingdom unsupervised. Grandma and Grandpa went to Raleigh to visit Cousin Justin, Aunt Shannon, and Uncle Brian. It was Buzz right away again, twice. Then Stitch's Great Escape, haircuts from Mickey's Barber for the boys, then over to Thunder Mountain again, three times for Ryan, twice for Daddy, once for Mommy, Splash Mountain for Ryan and Mommy, lunch, Mickey's Philharmagic again, some more Goofy's Barnstormer, the Merry-go-round, Buzz one last time and then ears and we were done with the parks. That night we went to Downtown Disney and had dinner at the Rainforest Cafe with our hosts (Mark, Kim, and Kerstin) and then did our shopping at Once Upon a Toy where the boys got to pick out what they wanted to bring home from our tip. Ben, of course, picked a Buzz and a Zurg, Ryan brought home a Slinky Dog, Lightsaber, and a light-up bouncy ball. It was such a great trip. Everyone had a wonderful time and we can't wait to go again, in another five years!
- Disney Trip Day Four
Day four was MGM Studios. Mike and Cheryl had not been to this park yet so it was a new experience for all of us. Cheryl's highlight of the trip happend today when she actually got in the Hot Seat for Who Wants to be a Millionaire! She opted out before winning the million (actually a cruise for four on the Disney Cruise Line) but won a hat, lanyard, and pins. The boys got to eat lunch at Pizza Planet (from Toy Story if you are unaware) and meet all the Toy Story Characters. We also saw the Playhouse Disney show, which the boys loved and got to meet all the Power Rangers. Mommy and Daddy rode Rockin Roller Coaster twice, but Daddy made Mommy do Tower of Terror all by herself! The parade was wonderful!
- Disey Trip Day Three
Day three we were back in the park! Animal Kingdom. First thing was It's Tough to be a Bug inside the Tree of Life. After that we went on our Safari and rode the Kali River Rapids. We ended the day in Dinoland and then watched the parade and went home to crash.
- Disney Trip Day Two
After our big first day in Magic Kingdom we took a day of rest. We went to our Character Breakfast at Chef Mickey's Dinner in the Contmporary Hotel in the morning and then the kids had a great day playing in Cousin Kerstin's pool. That night Aaron and I left the kids with Grandma and Grandpa and went to Epcot alone. We rode Mission Space several times and Test Track once. For dinner Aaron treated me to a fancy dinner in France.
- Disney Trip Day One
Day one was the Magic Kingdom! First order of business Buzz Lightyear. After a tough night Ben was a real trooper and actually participated in a lot of the day. We rode Buzz Lighyear Space Ranger Spin twice in a row, then did Mickey's Philharmagic (Wonderful btw), It's a Small World, The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, Aaron and I rode Space Mountain, Mickey's Toon Town Fair where the boys rode Goofy's Barnstormer several times, lunch and then Haunted Mansion. We stopped halfway through the day and went back to Uncle Mark and Aunt Kims for a nap break. After resting and feeling more refreshed we went back to the park with Uncle Mark, Aunt Kim, and Cousin Kerstin. We rode Thunder Mountain, watched the Country Bears, saw the Tiki Birds, rode the Magic Carpets of Aladin several times, did the Swiss Family Tree House, ate dinner and watched the parade and fireworks.
- Ryan's First Soccer Game
Ryan had his first soccer game today. His team is called the Stallions and their coach is Coach Tony. Ryan loved the game and had a great time. The only tears came from a misunderstanding where the coach told him to pick up an out of bounds ball and he didn't because he was told that you were not allowed to pick up the ball with your hands. They don't keep score at this level in his league but all the kids did great and had a great time!
- Helen Hunt Falls
70 degrees today and Ryan was tired of being in the house after having been sick all week so we took the kids for their first Colorado Hike. We drove out to Helen Hunt Falls. It is beautiful there and the kids had a great time crawling around on the rocks and Mom had a great time playing around with the camera.
- Ryan is 5!
Although Ryan was actually 5 on Monday his birthday party was this Saturday. All but 2 of the kids in his class were there and all of his friends from outside of school. All in all we ended up with 23 kids! The party was at a place here in the springs called Pump it Up! It's an indoor play area with all of the inflatable equipment, slides, obstacle course, oversized boxing, and bounce house. All the kids and parents had a great time. Enjoy the pictures!
- Happy Birthday Mary Ann!
Alaina and I both went to Havasu this weekend to surprise my mom for her birthday...I think the pictures speak for themselves...she was blown away.
- Strawberry Fields
It's strawberry season...or at least close to it...which is the boys favorite time of year.
- Welcome Home Rigdon!
We had a new addition to our family today. Rigdon is 8 months old and came from the local humane society. I saw him on their website this weekend and had to have him. He is part carin terrier (toto dog) and part daschund, but all adorable.
The boys are enjoying having a dog that doesn't crush them when they play or try to dislocate their shoulders on a leash. I will put out more pictures when I can get the dog and the boys to sit still at the same time.
- A boy and his doggie...
Ryan and Cass both enjoy popcorn night!
- Great Grandparents Visit
Aaron and I are extremely blessed to still have all of our grandparents. This weekend the boys and I played host to my Grandparents and Dad who were visiting from Arizona. My sister Elizabeth was also in town for some training at the Olympic Training Center and was able to join us for dinner. These are just a few of the pictures. I will add more at a later date.
- Christmas 2004
We spent this Christmas in MO with Aaron's parents, Grandparents, and Sister Shannon and her husband Brian and their son Justin. It was a wonderful holiday.
- Ryan's Christmas Party
Ryan had a Christmas party at his school. All the parents and siblings were invited to come a watch the class sing their songs and do their dances. At the end of the party the kids all presented their parents with special gifts that they had made themselves. It was a very special morning.
- Ryan's School Pictures
These are Ryan's 2004-05 school pictures.
- Halloween 2004
Happy Halloween Everyone. These are just a few pictuers from Ryan's halloween party at school. I will add more after the weekends festivities. Enjoy!
- New Guest room
We finally decided that living with our college, and very early post college, and for some of us still attending college, furniture was getting old. Our new guest room is nearly complete and for those of you who visit us you will be glad to know that actual beds and mattresses are replacing the dreaded futon. New mattresses will be here tomorrow but I couldn't resist a few pictures.
- Ben's First Day of School
Benjamin is going to school one day a week...usually. He goes on Mondays from 8:30-12:30 which works out great for Mom since Ryan goes MWF 9-12. He is doing great so far. A few tears at drop off but he is always playing by the time I sign him in. His teachers names are Miss Jenny and Miss Julie and they are both wonderful.
- New Beds
Just a few pictures from the kiddos first night in their new beds. They did great and are loving the new setup of the room.
- Ryan visits the Dentis!
Ryan had his first Dental visit today. He did great and is proud to report that the dentisit said he is doing a good job brushing. He got to pick out a new toothbrush and some cool flossers.
- Sesame Street Live
We took the boys to see Sesame Street Live on April 30th. Ryan has been several times but this would be the first one that Ben could remember and actually enjoy. Both boys had a great time and by the end were covered in cotton candy and confetti. Ben would like to note that Elmo is HUGE in real life.
- Easter 2004
Happy Easter 2004!
- Aunt Alaina Visits, The Pumpkin Patch, Ben's First Haircut
Aunt Alaina came to visit us! We were so busy during her visit. We went to the pumpkin patch, and Ben got his first hair cut.!
- Ryan is 3
- Cousin Trisha's Wedding
- It's a Benjamin!