The first weekend in May was another YMCA Kids Night Out. This time we called our friends Beth and David to join us for adult time. They got a babysitter for Bryce and we went for a short hike in Red Rocks Settler’s Park in Boulder. It’s a nice small park with trails wandering around a red rock formation.
Loved the colors in bloom near the parking area. The bright orange poppies were also blooming.
Afterward we went out for dinner and drinks at the Walnut Street Brewery. What a nice time we had. It was great to be with friends instead of being alone. We decided to try to do this as often as possible. They might even bring Bryce down to the Y one of those nights so Eliz and Bryce can play together.
Eliz had gotten a severe case of diaper rash this month. Odd since she never got it as a baby. So we were letting her run around the house in her birthday suit whenever possible, and I even tried out her new training pants. She looked so cute in her “panties” and her Uggs. The Uggs were a gift and were our “go-to” boots for around the house – so soft and cozy. It’s a shame she’s outgrown them now…
I found a Doodle Pro for Eliz to play with. She loves to scribble.
Eliz still loves our playground, but she is now expanding her interests. She goes down these “rock” steps, she loves steering the wheels, using the slides, and attempting all of the crazy ladders and things that the big kids use. It’s a non-stop game of chase now at the playgrounds in order to keep her safe.
Eliz and I went for a hike one day at Lair of the Bear Park in Morrison. She enjoyed throwing stones into the creek.
And we’d hike in circles for 15 minutes before I had to pick her up and move down the trail to change the scenery…and she’d hike in circles for another 15 minutes . We stopped for a ‘picnic’ in the middle of the trail after I told her we couldn’t follow a dressed-up couple with a picnic basket and bottle of wine as they crossed a field to a private picnic table. And then we spent at least 20 minutes crossing back and forth over a wooden bridge. She loves stomping and dancing to hear the different sounds that we can make on the wooden slats. She has also since learned that if she slaps the metal side rails that they vibrate and can make ‘music’ too! Something tells me I’ll be spending a lot of the rest of my life playing on bridges ;)
I finally got a rest when we sat under this great multi-branched tree. In my opinion, that rest was not long enough!
And special thanks to the park employee who found Elizabeth’s dropped hat and came looking for us!
Back at the parking lot I had Elizabeth wait inside the car while I loaded our backpack in the trunk. She sneaked into the driver’s seat and here’s how I found her!
One chilly day we made our way back to Butterfly Pavilion. This is the perfect place on a cold damp day…but everyone else thinks so too, so if you don’t get there early enough there’s a good chance you won’t get in.
Eliz again wanted to spend her time going up and over the little bridges, so I found myself standing in one spot where I could see her go round and round.
She also loves going up and down this long ramp. On this visit she could hold onto the railing. We had to teach her that she shouldn’t expect other people to move out of her way so she could keep moving down holding the rail.
Here she is having a little wrestle time with Daddy on the sofa. She loves her pillows and blankets.
Later that day we went to the Colorado Train Museum. Elizabeth loves choo-choo trains (unless they blow their horn when they are nearby). We thought she might enjoy seeing the variety of trains at the museum. They even do train rides, but we went near closing time. (Note: after 4pm it is free)
Doesn’t she look so tiny next to the snow plow train?!
For Mother’s Day my wish was simple. A family hike. Andy and I both have injured shoulders (mine I’ve been battling for months now), but we took a hike with the intention of Eliz hiking and I’d have the backpack carrier as an emergency backup. Well, that lasted about 50 yards. So why is it that when you want them to walk, they want to ride, and when you want them to ride, they want to walk??
But we enjoyed our hike in Matthew Winters Park anyway. Once she is on my shoulders I’m ok, it’s that heave-ho maneuver to get her there that I can’t do on my own right now. Andy got her on my back and we were good to go.
I love the images of Eliz walking next to Daddy. She seems so little sometimes, yet so big other times.
She’s deep in conversation with Daddy here…
Eliz wants us to pick up every “bubble”. She calls the dried dandelions “bubbles” because we show her how to blow on them to disperse the seeds. She tries to blow them herself, but when she holds the flower at arm’s length away it makes it awfully hard.
Eliz still loves the sounds and sights of moving water. Andy had to pry her away from this bridge to get back to the car.
She wanted to show Daddy what a good driver she is…
Here she is waving to our neighbor Chris and Daddy who were talking outside the car. Notice the seatbelt?? She requested to be buckled in. Yea for teaching her good habits early!
About a week after Mother’s Day, Elizabeth stopped asking for mommy’s milk. We’d lie down together at bedtime, she’d ask for milk, and I’d ask “mommy or bottle”? For a while it was mommy first, then the bottle. Then one night she just started saying “bottle” and that was it. It was what I was hoping for – natural, easy, no stress, no forcing, all on her terms. Done. I’m hoping that this will help my shoulder to begin healing a little more quickly now since the nursing postures were part of the reason for my problems. We still have our cuddle time before bed, so I don’t feel like we’re missing much. I was ready, and she was ready. I consider myself so fortunate (and Eliz too) that we were able to nurse, and able to nurse for this long.
Here is my little movie star at the breakfast table…
We started using our hook-on chair to get her closer to us during mealtimes. She loves it. It’s a little messier, though, and I won’t be giving her a regular glass to drink from when she doesn’t have a plastic tray underneath her! But here she is showing off her new shades…
We had company this month – yea! Our friends from Florida, Alex and Noemi, came for a long weekend. The two boys were running the Bolder Boulder Race together on Memorial Day. We took two nights of their visit and went up to Vail.
Eliz enjoyed walking Vail Village and hitting the shops…
Unfortunately, the boys weren’t paying any attention during this photo op to realize that Eliz guzzled down Andy’s coffee! Ok, it was empty and she only got a few drops, but it looks hysterical.
Eliz enjoyed the play areas that Vail Village has to offer.
At the Pirate Ship playground, even Noemi showed her child-side and scaled the crow’s nest of the Pirate Ship.
The Pirate Ship playground is surrounded by beautiful pines and aspens. You can see Andy and Eliz on the swings below…we thought it was the most peaceful setting for swings ever.
Alex and Noemi taking a break…
Here’s a funny video of Floyd the Skateboarding Bull Dog…we watched this dog go back and forth for quite awhile. He was having such a good time it was hard not to laugh and smile along with him. Ok, he was barking, and I’m not sure if that was a smile on his face, but he was loving it!
We wanted to hike the trails above Vail, but Andy ended up taking Eliz back to the room for her nap. Alex, Noemi and I continued on the hike. It was so nice to walk and talk, it was such a shame Andy missed out.
Andy, Eliz and I went to Betty Ford Gardens later that day. It was such a pretty place. There were Children’s Gardens, a little store, gardens with different themes, and a playground.
The playground here was also spectacular. These rock birds were stunning, and the landscaping throughout made you feel like you were still in the gardens themselves.
Eliz enjoyed going down the slides. Some slides she goes down on her belly, but usually she does them sitting up. I wonder how she decides which way to go?
From the open fields next to the gardens you can see the Continental Divide.
After leaving Vail we stopped in Breckenridge on the way home. There was a little park for kids and it had this large pool with these big “bubbles” that kids could ‘walk’ inside to make them move. It was too funny watching these two kids. When Eliz is older I’ll see if she wants to try this!
But we walked around town and had some lunch out. We learned that you can’t always trust the reviews you find online (Yelp or any site I’m sure would’ve had the same results!). But it was still a nice detour.
We’ve been trying to teach Elizabeth names. Obviously she uses Mommy and Daddy, but any kid at her daycare is “baby” still. She has said “Stephy” for her cousin Stephanie and “MomMom” for Andy’s Mom. I’ve heard her say “Stacey” once (her babysitter) and she tried to say Liam (“iam”), but I can’t get her to say “Allison” (one of her close buddies). She will use the sign for “friend” though when we talk about Alllison – which is so sweet. So weren’t we surprised when she started to call Noemi “Nana” early into their visit?! Before they came I was telling her we were going to have company and whenever I said “Alex” she said “baby” (because of my girlfriend Jen’s son Alex that we saw in California in February!). So Alex was ‘baby Alex’ (our joke) and Noemi was ‘Nana’.
The day of the Bolder Boulder, the girls stayed at home and we got text messages with their splits and finish times after they were done. Noemi and I had to chuckle when we compared their times and saw that they were exact! We joked that they held hands throughout the race because these two guys are tight friends and used to train and race together in Florida. I know they miss having each other to run with. Of course, even though their times were exact, one of them has to get listed first and the other second, right?? So their competitive spirit comes out and they were back and forth as the final race times were calculated…and…Andy ‘won’ again. By 3/100ths of a second or something miniscule like that.
We’re already talking about the Bolder Boulder for next year (with me possibly racing, too) and taking another getaway trip together. We had such a nice time. Even Elizabeth was sooo sad after they left. Thank you both for coming out. We miss you!
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