Colorado Mini-trip Day 2 3/4 and 3

So after a wonderful. long day at the zoo we hopped in our rental car to check out Garden of the Gods.  What a beautiful place!  Zachary was bummed he couldn't climb on them but we enjoyed the scenery.

 On our first night in town we found a Whole Foods!  Boy, do I wish we had one in our neck of the woods.  We stocked up on breakfast items, fresh fruit, and snacks for our hotel room.  While we were there on our first night, Zachary found what he called "MONSTER MILK". Neither Kevin or I saw them but Zachary talked about them from that first visit until we returned to the grocery store for trip #2.  We were out of fruit and healthy snacks so after Garden of the Gods we went back to Whole Foods. The 20 minute ride Z chattered in the back seat about "MONSTER MILK". Again we had no idea what he was talking about.  So when he lead us to the "orange yogart in a neat container" we HAD to get "MONSTER MILK".  Funny thing about it was when I opened up the yogart it "spit" a ton of yogurt in my face, eye, neck, etc. I was covered in the yucky smelling substance.  Z thought it was hilarious.  When Z finally got to eat it he didn't like it.  So the hype was all about the packaging.  Which I might add was pretty cool because all you had to do was twist of the lid (remember do not aim at your face) and eat. No spoon required.  So without further ado here is Z with his must have purchase from Whole Foods.

 We also hit a Dicks.Sporting.Goods. We were just browsing and enjoying not being in a rush about anything. Z spotted the punching bag so we let him burn off a little bit of extra energy.

 After Dick's, we went to a local brewery that was playing college football all over the place.  I was impressed with their kids meal selection.  Isn't it terrible but that is what I look for when selecting a place to eat?  We wanted to eat at places that we did not have in our area.  We chose Rock Bottom.  Good choice on our part. I had a steak, salad, and veggies. Zachary chose the Make-Your-Own Pizza. It was awesome!  The waiter brought out sauce, cheese, pepperoni, and dough. Z made the pizza his way and then the waiter returned to pick up his creation.  Within 15 minutes Z's pizza came back and HE LOVED IT!  Snaps to this place for keeping Zachary busy so that Kevin and I could have a "normal" conversation.

 Here is Z with his pizza before it was baked. He was so proud.

 So I am finally on to day 3....Kevin had class until 11:30 so Z and I just enjoyed the luxury of our hotel bedroom until Kevin returned.  Then we went on a Cog Railway Tour to Pikes Peak.  I don't think I have mentioned that the conference that we were at was 99% adults. Its funny because you never know if people are going to bring their kids or not.  This time everyone left their kids at home.  So Zachary was the ONLY kid at the conference "family" activities.  You might think this was a bad thing but it wasn't. Everyone (resort staff, concierge, other conference attendees, etc) LOVED Zachary, knew Zachary, and treated Zachary like he was a king.  He was SO well behaved that people were stopping us commenting how awesome Zachary is. I think he was so good because Kevin told him if he wasn't good he would be sent home like all the other kids.  Terrible I know!  But it worked.  Z was amazing because he didn't want to get sent home.

Here is Z & Kevin on the Cog Railway headed up 14, 000 feet to Pikes Peak

 At the top....I love this pic because I was so NERVOUS that Z was going to fall off the mountain. As soon as he got off the train he ran to pick up the snow.

 Zachary & Me throwing snowballs at Kevin

 The tourist photo opportunity at the top

 This was what we rode in the entire way up and back

 I had to include this photo too. Zachary was playing in the snow and his hands got super cold. He started crying because he needed gloves because his hands were freezing. 

 Another family pic at the top of the mountian

 Coming back down. Z got a bear that was drinking his chocolate milk.  Again look there are no other children on the train. 

 After Pike's Peak we met up with our dear friends Jennifer & Neil at the resort.  Zachary just hopped on Neil's back and was ready to play. I felt bad because Neil & Jennifer left their three kiddos at home and were enjoying the joys of an adult vacation.  However Neil did not mind one bit because he was missing his kids and he loved picking on Zachary.

While Zachary & Neil played in the lobby...Jennifer and I were deciding on where we should go for dinner. It really did not matter where we went because we just wanted to hang out with each other and catch up.   Kevin & Neil were in residency together. We love spending time with eachother's families and one another.  Jennifer & I picked the eating establishment because Neil & Kevin love German food.  So we went to a German restaurant.  It was yummy! After we were seated a German "band" came over to sing to us.  Little did I know they would hang out at our table forever. HA!

Please remember I am using a TERRIBLE camera.  The German place was poorly lit and the camera (with a flash) was a terrible so this is what I got. Mind you this was after editing the exposures.  O'well.  I guess this is what you get when you leave your battery at home. :)

Here's an adult only picture taken by Zachary.

Hil, Kevin, Neil, & Jennifer

 It was 2 days before Z's birthday and the waiters suprised him with dessert.  Z was thrilled so thrilled that he wanted to take a picture of his cake with Ms. Jennifer's phone.
 Our final group picture. Again it is terrible but at least we have something, right?

Colorado Mini-trip Day 2

While Kevin attended morning classes, Zachary and I rode the resort shuttle to the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo.  All I have to say is what an amazing zoo.  It was on the edge of a mountian.  We planned to be there from 9-noon but when Kevin called to say he was done with class we had him head over and we stayed until around 4.  It was awesome! 

Here's Zachary posing by the giraffe statues.

We watched this two year old monkey and his mama for about an hour. It reminded me so much of me & Zachary. The baby boy orangutan would harrass and bother his mom so much. It cracked me up.

This primate was so sweet.  He looked so sad...until...

Zachary came over to the window. This is one of my all time favorite pictures. I love that you can see the primate, Zacharys reflection and then Zachary looking at him. 

We also had the pleasure of seeing two hippos out of the water.  How they hold themselves up with those little feet is beyond me.  Amazing!

The Cheyenne Mountian Zoo lets you feed the giraffes crackers.  Our local zoo does the same but this was different. These giraffes got SO close it was crazy. In fact one licked Zachary's spikey hair.

The zoo also had a bird room. You could pay $1 for 2 sticks that had food on the end of them.  You would hold your stick in the air and then the bird would land on the stick.  I was afraid of getting pooped on but we didn't.

Zachary's bird

Here's the one Kevin caught

Here is the view from the bottom of the zoo. The zoo wrapped itself around the mountain. My calf muscles are still sore from all the climbing.

The view from the top. BE-U-TI-FUL!

Yes, I was at the zoo that day. I just so happened to be behind the camera. Kevin made sure I got out and had my picture taken.

After the zoo we went to the Garden of the Gods.

I still have more photos to download for this day but I don't have enough time.  Praying I can get all my blogging done soon. 

Colorado Mini-trip Day 1

Back in January, my husband booked a trip for a conference.  After booking it I looked at the calendar and decided that Zachary and I were going to tag along too.  Little did we know in January that we were going to be buried up to our eyeballs in all things for his new office.  Luckly God did and knew that we needed a break.  So last Wednesday we hopped on a plane at 5:30 am and arrived in Colorado at 7:22 am.  We had 4 whole days to not worry about one thing back at home.  Again, God knew that we needed some peace & quiet and there was no better place in the world to get that than in Colorado Springs, CO.  Holy Cow! It was so peaceful and serene. 

Before we left I promised my nephew to take TONS of pictures.  He knows his Aunt Howie never leaves home without her camera!  As we were waiting in the airport, my "Aunt" Renee walks up to our terminal.  We were shocked to see her and to see that she would be flying with us. When I went to take her picture I realized my battery for the camera was back at home on the charger. TALK ABOUT DISAPPOINTMENT!  So we took a lot of pics with our iphones.  Then we spent about 2 hours trying to find the nearest camera store to buy a new battery.  Easier said than done. By the time I would have purchased a new battery & charger (since they can't guarantee that the battery is charged) I could have purchased a cheap digital camera. So that is what I did.  BIG MISTAKE...HUGE MISTAKE. The camera I purchased was JUNK!.  You'll be able to tell from my pics. I thought I could edit them out but I have had no luck. So here we go.

As soon as we got our rental car in Denver we met my cousin, Jeff for breakfast.  I could not remember the last time I have seen Jeff....at least 10 years.  When I mentioned on Facebook that we were headed West he messaged me to see if we could meet up. Good ole' FB was at it again. We had a pleasant breakfast and got caught up.  Here's what happens when your hurried waiter takes your picture with your phone.

You get blurry people. I wish I would have noticed this before we left the restaurant but I didn't.  After breakfast we took a beautiful drive to Colorado Springs. On our way we noticed a brand new outlet mall so we stopped to "move our legs" AKA shop for an hour.  Zachary found a huge superman doll that he HAD to have so within a matter of two hours of stepping foot on Colorado soil, he had already blown his souvenir money and it wasn't on anything "Colordado-y".  O'well that Superman doll was the best purchase because he entertained Zachary the entire trip.

After checking in at our hotel we decided to find me a camera store.  We also discovered a Whole Foods where we stocked up on fruits, breakfast items, and snacks.  Why in the world don't we have have Whole Foods in our city.  We loved it!  When we got back in the car from grocery shopping it was pouring.  I mean pouring down rain. Since everything we wanted to do was outside we decided to head to the United States Air Force Academy.  Kevin had never been there and Zachary was so excited to see the planes.  By the time we got there Z was sound asleep in his car seat.  Poor little guy had been up since 3:30 so it was not a surprise just a disappointment that he missed EVERYTHING.  We tried to wake him but he was out. 
After getting our rental car searched, trunk and all, we got clearance to enter the USAF grounds.  We wanted to get out but with a sleeping boy and pouring rain we took a car tour.  Our hopes were to come back later in the week but we never made it back.  I guess that just gives us an excuse to go back. 
Here's our only pic from the USAF.

Zachary drooling in the backseat.

After our car tour we hit the "FAMOUS" Fargo's Pizza.  Everyone suggested that we try it. In fact the 'founder' of Fargos, Landon Gardner's daughter is very good friends with my sister so it was a #1 priority to check it out. 

Here is the inside. Zachary was enjoyed the saloon type feel of the place.  The mirrors on the wall would light up with you number when your order is up.  If you look real close order 29 is ready to be picked up. 

Our friend Tracy told us that Zachary would need quarters to play the player piano.  He was thrilled to watch it as we waited for our pizza.

Here is a picture of the founder, Landon Gardner.  I had to take this to show our friend that we were really there and we saw a picture of her dad.  Kinda cool, huh?

Here is an edited picture of the pizza from my "new" camera. 

The last event of the night was going to the indoor pool to swim.  I relaxed on a chair while Kevin & Z swam.  We were all exhausted but thrilled to be on a mini-trip.

Happy Birthday to my BIG 4 year old!

Geez, it just seems like I was doing Zachary's 3 year old birthday blog post. Where are the days going? I can't believe that four years ago today I looked like this.

I can remember how nervous Kevin & I were on our way to the hospital.  We had no idea that the little mover & shaker inside my body was going to be a charming, hilarious, fun-loving, smart, creative little boy.  In the past four years my heart has grown 100 times its size because of the love I have for Zachary.  Of course, there are times when he frustrates me with his determined spirit mainly because it is in the way of MY determined spirit.  I'm so proud of the little man he is becoming.

Here is what Zachary is doing at 4 years old:

What he likes to be called:  Zachary..it used to be Zachy.
Favorite Color:  Green (he has loved Green since he was one)
Favorite Food: McDonald's Cheeseburger & Apple Dippers
Favorite toys:  Anything that involves Super Heroes (Spiderman, Batman, Ironman), Dinosaurs, Animals, Laser Guns, and Cars.
His lovey: Pig Pig the Pink Pig
Birthday Plans: We are having a family & friends birthday party at Incredible Pizza (tonight) to celebrate his special day. The funniest thing about the party is the theme.  Zachary insisted that we have a Go! Diego Party.  He likes Diego but it's not really his favorite thing like super heroes, Toy Story, Dinos, etc.  When I talked to the cake lady about making his cake she said lets do a pizza cake since it is a pizza place.  When I told Z he cried. He insisted the cake have a huge Diego on it.  So the cake will have a Diego on it.  I want him to be happy but I'm still surprised we are doing a Diego party. 
My mom and I think he picked it because they had Deigo masks at the party store. 

Other Facts about Z:

*When he grows up he wants to be either a Veterinarian or a Dentist (it depends on the day).

*Zachary LOVES to do projects whether it is painting, using glue, sissors, glitter, stickers, etc. He LOVES them. 

*He pretends that he is on a football team.  Daily he tells me that I have to take him to football practice after school and that I have to wash his stinky uniform. I think he got this from my cousins Austin & Wade. What is funny is that he absolutely believes 100% that he plays high school football.

* Zachary also pretends he is in a "VAND" aka a BAND.  He is the vocalist and the guitarist. 

*He LOVES to be read too. His favorite books right now are anything Bernenstein Bears, Pout Pout Fish, If you give a Pig a Pancake, and a Super Hero I Spy book.

*Zachary gets scared really easy.  He does not like to go into any room by himself.  He is afraid someone is in there. So we always have to go in the bathroom to turn on the lights first.  Very annoying but it is something we are working on. I don't like to see my little boy scared or fearful. 

*Zachary also gets his feelings hurt very easy.  He does not like to be teased or made fun of.  I don't blame him.

*Zachary still thinks he is a comedian. He laughs at his own jokes and continues to have the most contagious belly laugh I have ever heard. 

*He is really good with his manners....most of the time.  When leaving the table he asks to be "excused". I love that he is learning to be polite.

It's hard for me to believe that he is growing up. I feel so blessed to be his mommy. May God grant me 60 more years with him. 

3 boys at 3 stores with 2 dino books

The other day I had the priviledge of having three boys for the afternoon.  I had my son, Zachary and my two wonderful nephews, Elliott & Jerrytt.  I had some errands that I needed to run so I just took them with me.  Boy, was I blessed. I really think they were on their very best behavior because they wanted me to see how "easy" it was with more than one child so that I will have another one. HA! No just kidding. They really did great in the stores.  We went to three places....Kinkos where we pretended they worked for me at the copy machine. Both Elliott & Zachary had a blast making the copies and runing them to me to cut them. Meanwhile Jerrytt slept in his carseat. I thought well..that went good lets go to store #2. SONIC...not really a store but it was 1/2 price drinks and I knew Jerrytt's hunger time bomb was about to go off.  So we got sonic slushes and fed Jerrytt at the same time.  Again the boys were EXCELLENT! Next stop store #3....  Gordmans...yes I took two 4 year olds and a 5 month old to a store that has a ton of home furnishings and breakables. Needless to say a very little bitty cart to place a baby carseat on.  We survived!! The boys were so good that I told them they could pick out a pair of new pjs & book for each of them.  They found these dinosaur bone books that I thought was a great steal.  Zachary & Elliott could not wait to return to my house to put them together. The only problem was that I needed to fix dinner because my sister was coming to pick them up and to be honest.... I DID NOT WANT TO BE THE ONE HELPING THEM PUT TOGETHER A MILLION DINO BONES. No thank you. 

I felt bad for not doing the books but I thought it was definitely a task for a son & father.  So after dinner and after my nephews went home, Kevin & Z put together Mr. Dinosaur.  Kevin said it was easier than he thought it was going to be.  

Here is the final product: 

Z loves him and talks to him like he is alive.

After the dino was completed it had to do everything Zachary did. It watched Z take a bath. It watched Z have a snack. It watched Kevin read to Z and finally it watched Z go to sleep. Until Zachary called me into his room to remove him because he was scared.  Crack me up!  Kevin and I are still shocked that the dino is still in one piece.  I think it was well worth the $1.50 I spent.  I hope Elliott likes his as much as Zachary does.  :)

Fishing with my boys

I know I post a lot of pictures of my family fishing, but in our family you can never have enough fishing pictures. Right?  A couple Sundays ago, Kevin & Zachary were icthin' to go fishing.  After making a few phone calls to our local friends with a fishing pond and no one was home. We decided to try a local trout farm that is within 10 minutes of our home. It was a unique experience and a wonderful afternoon. 

Basically how it worked was you could catch & release for an hourly fee OR you could pay for your fish by the pound.  It was the EASIEST fishing I have ever done. It was amazing to be able to see the fish under the water going straight to your bait.  You could see them fighting for it. 

We caught over 20 fish but decided to only keep 3 of them for our healthy dinner.

These next two pictures are of Kevin's hands bringing in our fish.  I love pictures of hands. I know it's kinda weird but I cherish pictures of my loved ones and their hands that do so much for me.

My two boys enjoying a beautiful afternoon

Our catch!

Back at home grilling our catch. It doesn't get much fresher than this. Hello Omega-3 Fatty Acids, right? I love the look on Zachary's face. He is so proud of himself for catching and cooking our dinner.

Where have I been?

Well, the main question is where HAVEN'T I been?  The past three weeks have been an absolutely ZOO around my house, my husbands work, and in my life.  I have been running...not physically running, but running around from 5 a.m. until around 11 p.m. when I am absolutely delirious.  I have always classified myself as a "busy" person but the past three weeks was BUSY!  The past three weeks have been filled with our normal daily activities, added activities/errands that helped my husband out tremediously, stress from some mild melt-downs from me...not my soon-to-be four year old, but  I SURVIVED and I am back to my blogging.  

You probably didn't even notice or miss me but I sure did miss my daily blog reads and doing my own blog.  Is it fair to say that typing my family blog is a hobby?  Well it is to me. I love tracking our daily life and capturing our memories on this blog.  One of the main reasons I do it is so that I can submit it to a book printing website to print an entire year in our blog.  To be honest...a lot of what I have done in September of 2010 will not be documented in our family blog book because it deals with my husbands work and I do not like to publicize it for the whole wide world to view. In fact I have thought about going private so that I could include this aspect of my life in my blog however I think that sounds too confusing.  Any of my blog readers have a private blog? How do you do it? Who do you invite, etc?  I love meeting people though my blog so I really do not want to close it down to private because I would never get to meet new blog friends?  This is where suggestions or comments are welcome.

Well, that was a long way to say I am back. But I AM BACK.  I am going to do my best to blog more. I think my life is starting to return to our normal.  Come back for some new updates!