Four wheel, for squeal!

One morning Kyli and I decided to take the kids for a quick trip up to Torrey's Hole (an area just up the highway named after the restaurant that my grandparents owned once upon a time). We thought it would be fun to see how they reacted to the ATV's and also to share with them a place that holds many fond memories from our childhood. The kids had fun throwing rocks into the Salmon River and Kyli and I had fun trying to skip rocks (I swear I used to be pretty darn good, but you wouldn't know it based on my most recent performance). Veronica took some time to warm up to the idea of playing in the sand and water (the morning air was a bit on thebrisk side), but soon the two of them were drawing in the dirt and having a blast. I had to laugh because there is nothing like a trip to play in cold water and mud to bring out thedifferences between boys and girls. Cael had no problem getting dirty and Veronica pointed out everyspeck of dirt that found its way onto her body (it was pretty darn cute and fun to watch)!

We took Cael on a couple of trips and he seemed to love it. The first time we went up Thompson Creek with Chris and Veronica and the second time Ryan and I took him up Peach Creek. The ride up Thompson Creek was a lot of fun (although we were sad Kyli couldn't come because her back was hurting) and we stopped to take pictures as well as enjoy a beer or two (the kids had juice), not to mention all the absolute quietness that is Idaho (a much needed change from our chaotic lives back in Denver).

Kyli and Chris left on Sunday so Ryan and I decided to take Cael for another ride up Peach Creek (lots of creeks (cricks) in Idaho)! It started out great with a meandering road that would eventually lead us to the actual trail we were looking for. Cael switched back and forth between riding with Mommy and then Daddy. As we headed up Peach Creek I was a little apprehensive because it was a much different terrain than what we had just left. I wasn't comfortable driving with Cael so I handed him off to Ryan. The trail got steeper, rockier and more narrow as we climbed and I started to get nervous. Towards the end of the ascent Ryan was leaning as far to the right as he could while also keeping Cael on the ATV in order to prevent the four wheelerfrom falling down the hill immediately to our left. Finally Ryan stopped all together and told me we were going to turn around. Cael and I went and did some exploring leaving the actual maneuvering of the vehicles to Ryan. The machines are heavy and can weigh up to 800 pounds a piece so you DEFINITELY do not want one of them falling over the top of you. It got a little scary for awhile, but Ryan managed to get them both turned around and then walked them down to an area that was a little wider and more conducive to the type of riding we wanted to be doing with a 2.5 year old.

Redfish Lake - Idaho

Redfish Lake just outside of Stanley, Idaho is probably one of the most beautiful places on Earth. The blue/green water combined with the snow capped mountains in the background makes for beautiful scenery.

Unfortunately the weather was a little on the chilly side and the wind made it even worse, but that didn't stop Cael and Ryan from going for a quick dip in the lake. The water was COOOOOLD, but Cael threw a fit every time we took him out to give him time to warm up. As usual his lips were blue and he had goose bumps all over his body, but regardless he wanted to stay in the water and play (kudos to Ryan for being willing to get in with him)!

We didn't stay long, but we did stay long enough to get plenty of pictures and to soak up as much of the beauty as we could! The kids (as usual) had a great time and probably could have stayed longer, but the adults were getting a little tired of the wind (not to mention it was getting close to dinner time).

Our little cowboy

Similar to the beach in Florida, I think everyone was eagerly awaiting Cael and Veronica's reaction to the horses so first thing Thursday morning we all walked down to the pasture to introduce the kids to Coco, Midas, Sampson, Pepe and Captain. From the minute we put Cael onto Coco's back he was all smiles and made sure to sit very still as Bapa walked them up and down the gravel driveway. He didn't want to get down and was even more thrilled when we (Bapa) actually put saddles on a couple of the horses (Midas and Coco) and took a quick ride up Burnt Creek. Cael had fun trotting and particularly enjoyed it when Midas tripped (he shouted 'WHOA' with a lot of excitement and enthusiasm) and wanted him to do it again and again (LOL - kids!).

A true cowboy (or cowgirl) knows the importance of taking care of their steed after a hard ride and Cael and Veronica were more than happy to ensure that Coco was a very happy horse. He got lots of oats and love from his favorite 'mini' cowboy and cowgirl!

Cael and Veronica also discovered the cowboy boots and hats and had fun putting them on and taking them off over and over again. It was a true Kodak moment and don't think for one second that Kyli, Kim and I weren't all standing around with cameras in hand trying to capture the perfect shot!!!

And we're off....

......on our next big vacation. Ryan, Cael, Aveyn and I headed up to Clayton, Idaho to spend the 4th of July with my Dad, Kim, Kyli, Chris and Veronica. We met the Gnader's at the airport here in Denver since they had flown in from Omaha and had a 3 hour layover at DIA (Denver International Airport). Within minutes, Cael and Veronica were acting like not a minute had passed since they had last seen each other (mid June) and were busy crawling over chairs and entertaining EVERYONE around them. We boarded the plane with Chris, Ryan and Aveyn sitting together, Kyli and Veronica sitting together and Cael and I sitting together. Cael and Veronica had fun mimicking each other and enjoyed the minimal turbulence that we encountered (the adults were grimacing while Cael and Veronica were shrieking in delight)!

The one hour flight put us into Idaho Falls where we had to rent cars for our 3 hour journey to the cabin. After a lot of running around (and waiting on the rental car people) we finally got on the road around 7 meaning we would not actually arrive until 10:00 or so.

We put Cael and Veronica in a car with the boys and Kyli and I took Aveyn. The car ride was non-eventful with Aveyn fussing for food or sleep. I think Kyli could sense my apprehension about whether or not Aveyn was comfortable and was wonderful about climbing into the backseat to feed her solids, checking to see if the sun was in her eyes, feeding her a bottle, etc. I am truly grateful - Thanks, sis!!

Little missy moo moo

This little girl has wormed her way into our hearts with her sweet smile, contagious laugh and outgoing personality. Not to mention those big blue eyes.... She is our peanut. She still adores her brother, hates to be left alone, is fascinated by Potter, has a mean grip (she is quite strong for as little as she is), is sleeping really well at night, still isn't that interested in table food, loves to chew on anything she can get her hands on, is rolling, sliding and scooching all over the place, has an obsession with things that make a crinkling sound, seems close to crawling, hates her car seat, loves to 'talk', doesn't like strangers until she gets to know them and she LOVES her Mommy and Daddy. Nicknames include missy, sissy, missy moo moo, peanut, princess, sweet pea, toots and punkin. She may look a lot like her brother, but she definitely has her own personality and isn't afraid to share it with the world!

Happy Birthday to Me!!

When I dropped Cael off at daycare on the morning of June 24th (my birthday) I asked him to please, please actually go potty in the big boy toilet. The daycare fills out a sheet for him and every time, it always said 'tried' and I wanted it to say 'went potty' or even 'accident' because that would mean progress in the potty training area. Imagine my surprise when I went to pick him up and they told me he had gone potty not once, but TWICE in the big boy potty!!!! What a great birthday present. It marked the first time he had gone potty as a big boy rather than in his diaper!!!! I was so happy I literally cried when they told me. Our little boy is growing up!

Wii - eeeeee

For as long as I can remember, Ryan has been looking forward to the day that his son (kids) would be able to play video games with him. My mom got us the Wii for Christmas and Ryan introduced it to Cael hoping he would catch on quickly (why wait)? Cael seemed to pick up on the concept fairly quickly, but he is still a 2 year old and his attention span lasts about 2 minutes (at best). Cael had fun learning how to pitch and hit and Ryan had fun teaching him how to play the sport via video game. He started losing his temper when Cael began having more fun launching himself into the couch (every time he would lose he would throw himself backwards into the couch) than he did actually playing the game. There are just some things you can't capture with a camera, but Cael had so much fun playing with his Daddy. It was really fun to watch!