Fall 2014

Happy fall, everyone! The girls had a very eventful fall.  We had so much going on, we had to split it into two blogs (see the other blog for Halloween).

The weather most of the month was quite mild with no snow at all.  That made for some good leaf fun!  There was also a fun visit to the Butterfly Pavilion with Grandma, Grandpa, and Aunt Amy.

Kara started the month with her last couple of soccer practices for the fall.  She's still not 100% clear on the rules (she thinks it more fun just to chase after people than to actually kick the ball), but it's a great way for her to burn off some energy.

Daddy and Emily took advantage of the extra time Daddy had by going to the rec center on Fridays to swim.  Emily is very fearless.  She'll climb out of the pool and jump off the side, whether Daddy is ready or not!  Emily has also figured out running and jumping, mostly.  She can now run at a pretty good clip (she can't quite keep up with Kara yet, but she's working on it), and she has also figured out how to jump, kinda (check out the videos below).  She is also becoming much more opinionated.  We're in the phase now where she knows what she wants, but doesn't really know enough words to communicate what she wants.  Ah, good fun.

Link to pictures

September 2014

The month of September was crammed with activities!

We'll start with Kara's month first. Other than our trip up to Breckenridge, Kara started preschool (she'll be in the Stepping Stones program Monday, Wednesday, and Friday mornings at the Rec Center); she had her first soccer practice (Monday and Wednesday afternoons); and Kara had her first camp-out with Daddy (surprisingly, Kara actually let Daddy sleep).

Emily is becoming much more vocal recently and is not afraid to make her opinion known.  She has been saying "No" for several months, but we were excited when she finally started saying "Yeah."  Emily tries so hard to keep up with Kara.  She is constantly trying to run and jump with her big sister.  She's getting pretty close!  Emily is also starting to show some interest in the potty.  She hasn't gone in the potty yet, but she has peed and pooped right next to it.  Mommy and Daddy aren't sure they're ready to undertake that process yet...  Emily's verbal skills continue to develop.  She's gotten pretty good at mimicking the words or sounds that we make.  It's just a matter of time until she's speaking in complete sentences!

On the less exciting front, Daddy's company lost out on a major contract, and he is out looking for another job.  We're hopeful he can find a job where we don't have to move, but we'll see.

Link to pictures

Breckenridge 2014

During the weekend of September 11th, we took our second family road trip up to visit Breckenridge with Grandma and Grandpa S.  Compared to our first road trip, this one was a wild success!  The big difference was that this time we headed up first thing in the morning instead of trying to head out in the afternoon.  Emily was able to take her nap up there and get a little acclimated before bedtime.  We also took it pretty easy that first day, mostly hanging around the hotel room and visiting the pool.

The second day, Friday, we took a gondola ride up to the Summer Fun Park at the top of Peak 8.  They have all kinds of fun activities like an alpine slide, putt putt golf, and a zip line.  Emily was a little too young to do most of the activities, but Kara was just old enough to try out the Bungee Trampoline.  Kara was a little tentative at first, but once she got the hang of it, she was shooting 20+ feet up into the air.  Next year, I think she'll try out the flips.  After the trampoline, Kara played a bit in an inflatable castle, but we didn't stay up there too long.

After quiet time for the girls, we headed down to town to check out their annual Oktoberfest.  The adults tried out the vast selection of beers, while the girls munched on sausages and pretzels.  Kara also got a hummingbird painted on her face.

We took things pretty easy on Saturday.  Kara, Daddy, and Grandpa went for a short hike in the morning, and we just hung out at the pool for the afternoon.  We headed home early in the morning Sunday.  Unfortunately, Emily picked up a little cold the last night and didn't sleep well.

We're already looking forward to Breckenridge again next year!

Link to pictures

Visit from Mimi - August 2014

Mimi came out to Colorado to visit us the last part of August.  We all had a great time catching up and the girls loved having an extra playmate!

Some of the highlights of the visit included a trip to the Boulder farmers' market, the Butterfly Pavilion, and the Denver Zoo.

Kara and Emily both really seem to enjoy looking at the bugs and butterflies at the Butterfly Pavilion.  Emily especially got a kick out of the Madagascar Hissing Cockroaches....ew.  And this was her first trip to the Denver Zoo, though she has been to the Cheyenne Mountain (Colorado Springs) and the Brevard Zoo (Melbourne, FL).

The girls also enjoyed just spending time with Mimi.  They all had a good time blowing bubbles, playing with scooters and striders (Emily got a new strider while Mimi was visiting), and, of course, splashing in puddles in the backyard! :)

Kid Quotes:
"Despite being called Flying Squirrels, they don't actually fly.  They just glide."  Tell us more, Professor Kara.

Link to pictures

Kara's Weekend at Grandma and Grandpa's

Kara spent the weekend of August 16th hanging out with Grandma, Grandpa, and their dog Ruby.  Kara had a great time, mostly she had two (and for a bit three while Aunt Amy was visiting) adults at her beck and call.

While Kara was gone, Emily had an explosion of words!  We're not sure if it was the fact Mommy and Daddy were able to give her their undivided attention, or if it was just that Kara wasn't there talking over her all the time, but either way, Emily was showing off her verbal skills.  She has been learning the names of the Sesame Street characters (though she's never actually watched Sesame Street, just read the books).  We took Emily to the library during her weekend, and she immediately gravitated to the computers, which had a picture of Elmo (the pied piper of children, as Heather has said).  She also knows the Count (she throws her head back for Mommy and Daddy to say "ha ha ha"), Cookie Monster ("cookie"), Bert (which she can say surprisingly well), and Zoe (though she calls her "I dunno" and shrugs her shoulders because that's what Daddy did when Emily first pointed her out).  Emily also had her first peach during the weekend, which she inhaled.  She's also been saying "Thank you" (sounds like tee go, but close enough) and "welcome".  Such a polite little girl!

Link to pictures