"tire swing" park

Having fun at the "tire swing" park in Westminster. We've been playing at this park since 2006- the boys love it because of the rock climbing wall and the tire swing. ;)

This was Austin's first time playing here and he loved it just as much as his big brothers!

**just a side note- P and B used to BOTH fit on this darn tire swing TOGETHER! Not anymore! Not even close...

A Day Out With Thomas, 2011

Austin and I had such a fun morning together. This little guy loves choo-choos. He also loves to name EVERYTHING that he sees. He is doing so good repeating words that he hears. When we got to the parking lot near the train museum where Thomas was, we had to ride a shuttle bus for about a mile. Austin was so excited about the "boose" (bus). It was pretty cute. A new word for him! He enjoyed the short ride over.
Once we got there, we walked around to the different tents. There was a tent for Thomas and Friends tattoos. Mommy got one thinking Austin would then be okay getting one, but no. He did NOT want one. Oookay- on to the miniature train track. This part of the museum is always there, but they added a "little Thomas" engine. It was pretty neat and Austin didn't want to leave...

Austin and Zack watching the miniature trains go by...

Once I got him to move on, we went to the Imagination tent to play with the wooden trains. That was a big hit with Austin, too. We got our first "scavenger hunt" stamp at this tent.

Next up was the petting zoo. The animals here were so cute! They even had a pony and a donkey. Aww. Austin loved it and tried to pet them all!

After petting all the cute (and smelly) animals, it was almost time to see Thomas. We were looking forward to the train ride. Austin needed a sucker to pass the time in line. ;)

And then the train ride. Yay, Thomas!

After the train ride, we went to Story Time. We decided NOT to wait in the very long line to get a picture with Sir Toppem Hat. We went shopping in the gift shop instead. Austin got a little wooden caboose that said "Day Out with Thomas 2011" as a souvenir.

Our picture with Thomas! (thanks for taking this picture, Kim!!)

I had so much fun with you this day, Austin!! We both had a blast! I absolutely love watching you play and get excited about something that you love. You are such a fun little bubby!! I will cherish these memories always!

Woo Hoo!!

After having to use my OOOOLLLLLLLLLDDDDDDDDDDDDD Razr for a week, I have a new iphone 4!
I really wanted to wait until the new model was announced, but I really just couldn't. Yes, I am that impatient.
My iphone 3G took it's final bit of abuse from me on August 28th- I dropped her in a port-o-potty. Just slid right out of my pocket. :(
Well, as you can see, I lasted 10 days without a smartphone. How sad is that?!

Saturday Snapshot

My little bubby in a big boy swing all by himself! He has loved swings from the beginning. This kid is a swinging fool. ;) He still needs me to push him, though, so not too much of a big boy just yet...

School has started (again)....

First week down and the boys have had a great start. They both really like their teachers and each have a few classmates from last year in their class again.
Peyton is starting block scheduling this year- he is happy about that. Funny fact: Peyton's teacher lives 3 houses down from us! Ha! This should be interesting...
Brendan has a male teacher this year, which he is totally excited about. He wanted a "boy" teacher. LOL

The boys are excited about Back to School Skate Night this coming Monday night! And, of course, the return of Kids Nite Out in 2 weeks (which Mom is even MORE excited about!).

Here's to a GREAT 2011-2012 school year!

A visit from my sister and brother!

Not only did we have a 2nd Birthday party this past Saturday, but my sister and brother in law drove up from Texas- with my nephew and brother in tow! We had so much fun together! They got here Friday night before the party and stayed through Wednesday morning.
My sister insisted on doing "outdoor" things, since Texas has been having really hot Summer days lately. We went on a hike on Sunday- Chautauqua Park in Boulder. What fun! We hiked up to the flatirons and saw an amazing view from the "top". ;) It started raining on us on the way down and man was that refreshing. Despite the rainfall, Austin fell asleep in the backpack! What a crazy kid!
After the hike, we needed refueling. Beaujo's Pizza it is! Paula and JD ordered other plates, but everyone else had the mountain pie! It did NOT disappoint! YUM! After pizza, we headed to Pearl Street Mall. The little boys ran through the splash pad for a bit, we heard a band playing at the courthouse and saw a few random street performers. P & B bought yo-yo's; this occupied their time for the afternoon.
Monday we visited the Denver Zoo. A lot of fun- a little warmer than Sunday...but still nice. We spent a few hours at the zoo then headed over to City Park for a picnic and play time. I got some cute shots of the boys playing, all the cousins together and even a sibling shot of me, Paula and JD. We haven't had a picture together since JD was a lil guy! Very special!
We planned on swimming for Tuesday, but lil D came down with a fever on Monday night, so we settled for some {last minute school} shopping instead. Lil D rested at home with daddy.
I think Kyle and I got Jason, Paula and JD a little addicted to Bean Bag Toss. We played on Saturday after the party and I know a few more times during their stay. It is a fun game! Good Christmas present idea?!
Paula, Jason, Deacon and JD: we had a blast! I'm so happy you all came to visit and I'm looking forward to our next one!! There are still a few places on our list, remember??

Austin is {2}!!!

I say this all the time- and it's TRUE! This is going by too fast! I cannot believe that my little bubby is two! We had his party last weekend while my sister and brother in law (nephew and brother, too) were in town visiting. We had a blast- Austin loved it. We had a splash themed Mickey party. Turkey/Italian party subs, chips, mac salad and fruit skewers were on the menu... I attempted to make the cake myself- my own design- and it turned out great! :) I was SO happy!
Austin did great opening his presents. He was ready to rip into the paper. He finally got his bubble mower! ;) He also got a power wheels 4 wheeler from Grandpa and Grandma Sharp. Yay! He {loves} all of his new toys!
Austin was really shy when we sang "happy birthday"- and he didn't want to blow out his candle... Good thing his cousin Deacon was here to help out. LOL.

Some new things that Austin has started doing lately:
- he tries to mimick everything we do/say! It is hilarious!
- he points out all the animals and cars/trucks/airplanes/trains that he sees out his window while we are in the car! ALL of them!
- he does NOT want to sit in his high chair anymore. Really? Our table only seats 4, so this is a problem. I guess we'll be going table shopping soon.
-he is starting to sing along to songs I sing to him. So cute!
- he LOVES books! Especially ones with trucks, motorcycles, etc. Yup- he's all boy!
- he is talking so much more; it's like the gates finally opened.

Austin's well check is on the 23rd, so I will update all his stats then!
**update: Lil A weighs 26 lbs. (35th percentile) and is 33 1/4 inches tall (20th percentile). He's developing very well! Had to get two shots, so that part wasn't fun, but no nasty reactions. All clear until age 3!

{pictures!!!}

hApPy BiRtHdAy, AUSTIN!!! We love you!!!!

He {loves} trains!

Austin is falling in his big brothers foot steps...he has inherited all of their Thomas trains and tracks and plays with the "choo choos" every chance he gets. He absolutely loves the battery powered Thomas that goes around the tracks all by itself. :)
Well, I ordered tickets to see Thomas in September when he visits the Colorado Train Museum. I got the tickets in the mail last week! He is going to love it!
Kyle and I took Peyton and Brendan back in September 2005 and it was a BIG hit!
Let's take a trip down memory lane for just a bit...

Aww! They were so little! :(
These boys are getting too big too fast.
I will be sure to post Austin's photo with Thomas in a few months!

Saturday Snapshot

I have NO idea where he got this from...and yes, his "phone" is a calculator. :)

Beating the Summer heat

Yes- it gets hot in CO. It reached 90 today so the boys and I decided to visit the new aquatic center in our area, and it was FuN!! There are 2 water slides, a lazy river, a dive pool, a basketball pool and a zero depth entry splash pool. For $12.50, we had an awesome afternoon. The boys loved the slides and Austin and I loved the lazy river and the splash pool. We ran in to a few friends there as well.
I love that this is open now- I'm sure we will be frequent swimmers there this Summer!
I used my waterproof camera bag again and got some cute pictures in the water...I love this bag!