Nana & Opa Adventures!

While my parents where present, they got to experience the bipolar weather of Colorado. We went from a couple of dry beautiful warm days, to a snow storm, back to the sun, then a really cold wind storm the day they left. Luckily we were able to still enjoy all aspects the weather brought. My father loves, loves, LOVES the cold weather. He played with Riley in the snow without any winter protection. I thought he was little nuts...

On a day of no Snow we went to a Northwest Suburb of Denver called Arvada. There in their historic town is a small German Bakery that I have been wanting to visit. The experience was wonderful! The pastries and strudels were to die for. The owners were friendly and the town had such a charm about it. My mom and I even had fun popping into an antique store while the boys buckled in the Kiddos. Afterwards we headed off to the Children's Museum for some fun and to get the wiggles out of the kids.

As we discover more and more about Denver, I can't help but fall in love with it's hidden treasures. After all, I live here now, so I better find the joy in the journey while we are here. :)

Loli is one!

My baby turned one on the 21st of this month. I can not believe that a year has come and gone. Though she is tiny and still fits in a size three diaper she now walks like crazy and babels all the time. Nana and Opa were able to come out for a fun week of Birthdays. We enjoyed being spoiled and loved by them.

The picture below of Lolli and my dad is a lot like the picture of my grandpa and I on my first birthday. I love it when old memories surface.

Interactive Amusement!

Brandon, the kids, and I have been feeling cabin fever lately. It was time to ditch our four walls and explore something new. Denver has so many fun things to do and it makes it really hard to choose. In the end the deciding factor boiled down to our kids. What would excite and create enjoyment for them. Of course the answer became clear to us, "The children's Museum!" It was fun because Brandon and I got really excited about it. Riley must of caught the excitement too. After we piled everything into the car he said "Leave Colorado?" "Go to Oregon?" When Brandon plugged in his GPS he said "Yeah watch movie." He thought we were going on a big trip. We explained to him that our Oregon trip wasn't for a long while and that we were headed to the Museum. In the end he wasn't dissapointed. We spent a whole three hours playing with Riley and Lorelei. Mom and Dad enjoyed the fact that we got to go to Cafe Rio afterwards. It was a win win situation for all of us! The kids fell asleep fast that night. :p

Another cute Riley story. The other Night I was wearing my Pj's that had lollipops all over it. Riley asked me "what are those mommy?" I told him "lollipops." He responded "Lorelei lollipops?" (lollipop is Lorelei's nick name) Oh, how my kids make me smile.

Riley, My Modern Art!

Riley got really creative the other day. I came out of my room to find a new piece of art waiting for me. Luckily, it was the washable type and that most of it was on an adorable canvas.

Lorelei

Wow, I realized how far behind I have been with my Lorelei updates. I still need to do her 11 month shoot. Now that she is more mobile, it's hard for me to keep her in a lying down position.



This little cutie has become more spunky. She enjoys food just like her brother and even growls like him. She can now stand up by her own and wave her hands. We even got to see her take her first couple of steps. It's crazy to think that in a month she will be a year old and that Riley will be three. My babies are growing way too fast.



One quick story before I sign off. Lorelei has found the joy of irritating a sibling. We have a carbon monoxide detector that is plugged into an outlet. This outlet is at just the right height for Lorelei. She also found that it has a button that makes noise. Surprisingly, this loud beeping noise does not scare her, but it does Riley. She gets so much joy from the reaction of her brother. She giggles as he yells "No baby" and runs behind my legs for protection. Ah, the love of motherhood. :)

Realization

It's Christmas Again! I realize I haven't blogged in a couple of months. Lorelei turns 10 months tomorrow and Christmas is nearly here. Luckily I think November and December can easily blend together. Brandon and I have had major challenges this year. Things haven't gone the way we planned and it has really taken a toll on our emotions. We have really had to evaluate our situation and remember what is truly worth a lot in our lives. I will spare you the details and show you some pics of the things that matter most to us!

I was reminded this season that it doesn't matter where we live, what we own, how much money we have, or what our status is. What matters is the people in front of us and living the Gospel. We can't take the things of the earth with us, but if we live our lives right we can be with our family forever. Thank Heavens for the Gospel and the truth that it brings to my life. Merry Christmas everyone!

Mile stones and more!

Lorelei is now 7 months old. She loves mushed fresh banana's and still prefers a warm bottle (especially when teething). We haven't had any of her teeth break through yet, but we are constantly graced by the pain that come with the bulges in her mouth. She has become quite the babbler and continues to try to keep up with her brother.

 

Riley has begun to show even more interest in his sister. I find them occasionally playing together. This morning (Oct. 17,2011) Riley kept giving his sister piggy back rides. I wish I could have taken a picture, but I had to be the extra support. However I did get a picture of Riley teaching Lorelei how to crawl.

 

So far she only likes to raise up on her toes and rock back and forth. I think rolling is still her main mode of transportation.

Our Riley is growing leaps and bounds. He is so incredibly strong and defiant that there are times I wish I could give up. Most of the time, Brandon and I wonder if things we are teaching him stick in his mind. Then we have moments where he surprises us. The other day he created a building in the picture below. He ran out of his room excited and said "Mommy Temple!". I walked into his room and he showed me his Temple. I must say he did well for a two year old.

We have also had some breakthroughs with his potty training. I have to admit that this has been my least favorite thing when it comes to milestones. I don't think you can even call it a milestone when it seems more like a full marathon. Well, Brandon and I have tried everything from candy, shooting targets, sticker charts etc. Finally, I broke down and took him to the toy store. We purchased a new edition to his favorite toy collection (Thomas and Friends Take 'N Play). I figured I could show it to him each time he went potty. (Seems how my son is the "live in the moment" type of person). When I told Brandon about my idea, a light bulb went off in his head. Like dangling a carrot in front of a horse, he grabbed our duck tape and fastened the newly coveted toy to the top of the bathroom door. It has given Riley a new motivation for going potty. He talks about the track constantly. Of course, he has to fill a whole month with stickers in order to receive this gift.

 This year's pumpkin patch experience was very soggy. We woke up to snow which melted into rain. As planed, we piled into the car with highest hopes that we would enjoy ourselves. After collecting our pumpkins, we headed to the festivities. Riley enjoyed a huge bubble blower and flying in his own airplane. After an hour of fun, Riley realized that he was soaked and wet. He looked up at us crying and said "hands cold mommy". That's when we decided to leave. We all had mud caked in our shoes and were soaked to the bone. (except for Lorelei, she had her own protective bubble). It felt like a classic rainy day from Oregon. Though our little family was cold and wet, Brandon and I enjoyed the reminiscing of our youth.

Some family photos

We had a different photographer this year. She was such a sweet girl, but is a beginner with professional photography. I don't think we helped her much with our active family. We had to reschedule 3 times with her. The first time was due to weather. The second because Riley found a playground and would not cooperate. The third time was because all of the photos she took got lost. Unfortunately we didn't get any really good family pics, but we did get some good individual shots of the kids. All in all it was quite the experience and I still enjoyed it. Luckily we were able to get it all done right before the said sweet girl had to run off to college.

Lorelei is a Half a Year Old!

Here is Lorelei at 6 months! I haven't taken her to the Doctor yet because she has had a mild cold. That would not combine well with shots. So instead of percentiles, (cause who really cares about numbers) I am going to give you a blurb on her.

Lorelei LOVES to put her feet in her mouth. This has made it very challenging when it comes to learning to sit. She just can't get enough of those toes. We put her in an upright position and she instantly bends down to those toes. Some day she will realize that there is more in the world than her toes. We started her on rice cereal and she eats it like crazy. We didn't even get a funny face from her like we did Riley. I chalk it up to the fact that she puts everything in her mouth. Which could be dangerous... Her new trick is to throw her toys and wave her arms around! She also shows excitement for things. The other day while I was visiting teaching Tami, Lorelei noticed the light fixture in her entryway. She got excited about it and started to make an "oooo ooo ooo" sound. She would then wiggle her body towards it and smile like crazy. She repeated these action the whole 30 minutes we were there. I couldn't help but laugh. Another thing she loves to do is roll everywhere. I have actually lost her in our house because of her rolling. Luckily she was just around the corner from the kitchen. Who knows, we might skip crawling altogether. :p

 

Not too long after her pictures she started doing this! She's sitting! Only for a minute of course, but man time goes by too quickly. My little lollie will soon be a toddler. I don't think I'm ready for that one yet. :p