Summer 2012 Visit from Mimi and Papa

We're a little behind on blog posts...this one is from Mimi and Papa's visit mid-June.

It was a pretty hot couple of weeks while Mimi and Papa were here, but we managed to find some neat indoor activities.  Kara really enjoyed a visit to the Denver Museum, which had an exhibit on snakes and reptiles, along with a kids area, dinosaur skeletons (a favorite), and mummies!  We also watched a planetarium show with Big Bird and Elmo - that was a big hit.  It was Kara's first "show", and she talked about it for days afterwards.  There was a Chinese Muppet character in the show too, who she refers to as "Elmo's China-nese friend."  :)


We also managed a mid-week visit to the Denver Aquarium.  Kara enjoyed all the fish and the "mermaid" show (girls in tails swimming).  She was very brave and pet a stingray too!  "Soft and squishy" - Kara's words.

Mimi and Papa were here to help us pick cherries from our tree!  Kara had a great time picking (and eating) the sour cherries, and Papa enjoyed the fresh pie.

For Mimi and Papa's last weekend in Colorado, we drove to Glenwood Springs.  Unfortunately, it was just as hot there as it was at home, but we still managed to have some fun.  Everyone enjoyed something at the adventure park there (the Alpine coaster was a big hit, and Kara loved the tram ride).  Kara enjoyed the hotel pool, and Mommy, Daddy, and Kara had a nice hike up to Hanging Lake.  Very scenic!

Kara had a wonderful time with Mimi's and Papa's full attention, and we will miss them until next time.


Link to pictures

Daddy, Let's Go Look for Bugs!

Almost every day when Daddy gets home from work, the first words out of Kara's mouth are: "Daddy, let's go look for bugs!"  Her favorite bugs are roly-polies (which were Daddy's favorites as well when he was a kid).  She also enjoys finding slugs, worms, beetles, ants, and grasshoppers (though those are very hard for her to catch).

Since we got home from our visit to Georgia, Alabama,  and Florida, life has been pretty busy.  Daddy has been working long hours on a recent project (which he successfully completed about a week ago), and Kara and Mommy have been keeping busy with gym classes, art classes, and play dates with the other kids in the neighborhood.  We also broke out the hiking backpack for our first hike of the year during Memorial day weekend.

The first weekend of June was an exceptionally busy weekend.  We kicked it off by visiting Louisville's Touch-A-Truck event.  Kara was very impressed with the helicopter they had there, but she was immediately drawn to the little train they had driving around the parking lot.  After waiting in line for about 15 minutes, Kara finally got her turn, which was very short-lived.  It was probably a little too much for her, and we got her out before the ride was over.  We spent the rest of the time crawling around dump trucks, bulldozers, and school buses.  The next day, we headed over to Aunt Amy's house for a "June Birthday" family party (Mommy's and Grandpa S.' birthdays are both in June).  Kara had a great time playing with Grandma and Grandpa's new puppy (a Chocolate Lab named Ruby), Aunt Amy's dogs (Belle and Briley) and running around the yard.

Some recent Kara quotes:
"You do it yourself!" - To Daddy after he asked her to help him clean up her puzzle.

"Those are the coolest socks I've ever seen!" - Checking out Daddy's work socks

"Look, a stinky sock!  I am making a mess with Daddy's clothes."

"I am being a goofball!"

"Let's go show this to Mommy" - excited to show off her latest bug find to Mommy (she seems to be particularly proud of her worm and slug finds)

"My rolling pin broke again, oh dear.  I need glue to fix it."

During the closing credits of Beauty and the Beast, Kara jumped up to dance and announced to Mommy, "I am beauty and you are the beast.  Let's dance!"

Link to pictures