Enjoying Spring!

We have been doing a lot of biking around town this spring down to Pearl St. and to the local playgrounds, of course. John starts asking to 'go outside' around 6:45am and doesn't really stop the rest of the day. I am amazed at the way his mood can change the moment he is out in the fresh air with a ball, rocks, dirt, sand & his shovel! One of my new favorite lines that John says with much enthusiasm when we are talking about going to do something is, "That will be fun...let's do that!" Hummm...I wonder who he hears say that all the time - maybe his cheerleader mama! John also talks about going hiking all the time, and it goes something like this..."Let's go hiking with daddy...daddy hikes in mountains...daddy see bear...roaaaarrrrr...let's see bear, mama...go hiking with daddy!" Priceless. :) John is anxiously awaing a visit from my parents (Grammy & Bukka) this week, so some fun times ahead.

Playing on the rocks on the Pearl St. walking mall.

A fun moment with daddy.

Driving with Oscar at the children's museum.

Loving the slides!

Quite the pensive moment.

I am not sure which boy is happier to have a digging partner!

April update

So, nothing all that exciting to report. We have been doing lots and lots of spring cleaning (i.e. getting rid of Meggan's junk). After spending an entire Saturday cleaning out our garage (thanks, Bart and Jenni for watching John), it's organized and we could even fit our car in it if we tried (it's only a one car garage, just so you don't think I have THAT much junk)! I have been taking clothes and household items to consignment stores as well as donating carloads of stuff, too. We also are selling some of our books on Amazon - we have made a little over $100 so far! Whew! The whole process is no fun, but very rewarding in the end. I am heading up to the mountains this weekend for a women's retreat called 'Women at the Cross.' I am excited about the time away to reflect, focus & relax a bit. Next week, the weatherman is saying we will be in the 70's all week! Hallelujah!! Here are some pictures from the last week.

John's favorite new activity: 'Playing Dishes.'

On a bike ride last Saturday around town and to the park.

Flying high on a rocket ship with daddy.

Taking a nap on the ride home.

Digging in the mud with Isaiah.

Bowling with couples from our playgroup.

Climbing at Eldorado Canyon

With the influence and encouragement of Ben's work buddies and other friends, Ben has really jumped into the climbing scene, which is something he had been wanting to do since our move a year ago. I mean, how can you resist scaling the side of a mountain when they are the backdrop of your city? :) Although, quite sore as his muscles adapt to their new task, Ben is finding it to be a great new challenge and adventure. On Saturday, we headed out with our friends, Lisa, Holden & Saoirse (pronounced Sear-sha) to a popular climbing area just outside of Boulder - Eldorado Canyon. Holden and Lisa have climbed for many years, so Ben had some great help & support from their expertise. Since Ben had climbed 3 times this week, his muscles were really fatigued, making the climb a bit more difficult. About 3/4 of the way up, he told Holden that he was ready to come down. Holden's response was, "When you ask me 5 times to come down, I will consider letting you down." So, needless to say, Ben made it to the top...and, in the end, was glad that Holden didn't let him off the hook too easily. :) Enjoy the pics...

This is the view from the bottom, where the mamas and kiddos watched... Ben starting his ascent...

He made it to the top!!

Cheering daddy on from the bottom!

March Fun...

John and his buddies, Mercy & Eden.

John and Eden just chillin' on the bean bags.
Oh, I am too funny!Daddy introduced Johnny to his favorite book.
Fun for John...a mess for mom!
Riding the merry-go-round at the zoo.
This is soooo fun!
With sweet friend, Anna, at the zoo.
Checking out the elephants with Saoirse.
Mom, look at my glasses!

Catching up!!

Hello all...it's been a bit too long since I posted some pictures, so here are quite a few to keep you entertained. Boulder life is treating us well...here 10 highlights of the past month:

1) My brother just moved to Denver! Yea - the family is starting the migration west!!

2) Ben climbed to the top of a peak near our house (Bear Peak) a couple of weeks ago, which he was quite excited about. He literally walked out our door to the mountains and then went up the trail 3,000 feet to the top. Pretty cool. It took 6 hours and he was sore for about 6 days!

3) Ben just took a weekend trip with a friend to Moab, Utah - they went rock climbing and explored Arches National Park.

4) My mom drove out with my brother last week when he made the move out west and spent the week with us, so John has had a blast playing with 'Grammy'!

5) We took a family trip up to Vail for a weekend and enjoyed our stay with some family friends. We went snowshoeing, sledding & just took in the beauty of the winter wonderland up in the moutains.

6) Spring has come to Boulder! It seems that winter sort of just dabbles upon Boulder...as a whole, we don't get much snow (in a 'normal year' that is), temperatures are fairly mild, and spring arrives in late Feb./early March! Here are some examples of this: Ben laughs at how many times I have had the air conditioner on in the car this winter; A couple of weekends ago, I went from wearing sandals while out with some friends on Saturday night to snow boots on Sunday morning; the last week of February, I got a sunburn while at the park for a couple of hours with John on a 75 degree day! :) Even with the temperatures climbing up to the 50's & 60's most days now, everyone is warning me that we will still have one or 2 more snows.

7) We dedicated John on Feb. 17th at our church here in Boulder.

8) On Feb. 15th, I turned 34!

9) Some of John's new phrases are: "Mommy, Daddy, I'm Superman!"; "Hey Mom, Whatcha doing?"; When someone asks him how old he is, he answers, "I'm five"; Ben or I will say, 'Shake, Shake, Shake' and John will finish our sentence with, "Shake your bootie!" (charming, I know), he just learned, "Praise the Lord" at church on Sunday...and, of course, "I do it!"

10) We are celebrating our 1 year anniversary of our move to Colorado!! Check out the pictures in the slideshow of John & Mercy as well as John & Isaiah from 1 year ago when we moved here and then from just the past couple of weeks. Where have our babies gone!?!?!

Winter Family Hike

We went on a hike today on this great trail in North Boulder. It's scenic and perfect for a toddler since it's pretty flat & easy, as John now wants to walk by himself (not to mention that mom and dad certainly don't mind the break from carrying him in the backpack or pushing him in the stroller)! When I asked John if he was enjoying the hike, his response was, "Yes! Big Hiking!" :) It will be a fun trail to hit when the weather warms up since there is a stream & lots of rocks to climb and play on.

Quick family shot while hiking.

Playing in the snow.

The boys waiting for mommy (who is of course stopping to take too many pictures)!

Hummm...Lions & Tigers & Bears - OH MY!

Mommy & Johnny checking out the stream.

Following in daddy's footsteps with a love for the woods & trails!

Very happy hiker!!

Another happy hiker!

John-John confidently leading the way.

Cute things John says!

John has become quite the spunky 2 year old. I just wanted to share a couple of fun things he has said. Recently, when we have gone to church, John has walked into the church and pointed to the sanctuary saying, "Sing to God!" He hasn't wanted to go into the toddler room because he is more interested in going in with the adults so that he can "Sing to God!" The interest only lasts a couple of minutes and then off to the kid's area to play with toys, but the fact that he has picked up even a tiny bit on what we do at church is priceless. The other night when Ben and John arrived at the church for their Wed. evening activities, everything was cancelled because we had just gotten a bunch of snow. John was upset that he couldn't go in, so Ben tried to explain in 2 year old terms by telling him that "the church went Nite-Nite." When they arrived home, John then told me the reason that they had come home early by saying, "Mommy, God is sleeping." :) Another cute one - tonight we were at a friend's house watching the Super Bowl. John wanted me to come downstairs to play with him and I told him that I would be down in a few minutes. He kept persuading, with a final determined command, "Mommy, Obey!" HA! :) Oh, the things they understand and pick up on...and then repeat! Enjoy the pictures.