Western Conference Finals

Last night, we scored club level seats to the Western Conference Finals with the Nuggets and the Lakers. It was game 6 and the Nuggets had to win 6 and 7. Up until this point, the games have been close and the Nuggets gave the Lakers a run for their money. Until last night, as it was the end of the road for the Nuggets. They lost by so many points that I don't care to think about it. However, Keith and I had a great time. We even managed to get a last minute baby sitter so Oliver could peacefully sleep in his crib and we could relax at the game. He would have loved the game, but sometimes it is nice to have a date. With that said, most of our conversation had some reference to Oliver.

Here is Keith and I at the game. We took a moment during a time out to ask the people behind us to take a picture. I was hoping to have more of the court behind us. Instead, there is a nice shot of the waiter (since we were in club level) with a tray of Blue Moon and Coors Light for the people beside. us. We couldn't have planned this better if we tried. It is always great to see our products selling as if they were hot cakes.

Here are a couple of shots of the court from our view and the sea of people that rose to the rafters.

Keith LOVES the Coors blimp. He was SO exited when it came out of the doorway right below us and made a brief appearance right in front of us before taking off around the Pepsi Center. Oliver reference, he would have been saying "balloon, balloon".

To Clean or Not to Clean

With the rain this past weekend, Keith and I did a few projects around the house. The challenge was to entertain Oliver and attempt to work at the same time. Nap time was fabulous but once he woke up, it was a whole new dilemma. I was working on organizing the home office and Keith was cleaning the garage. Later that day we decided to take on a home improvement project in the kitchen. I decided to get Oliver out of the kitchen and I took him up to his room, which he loves. I continue to work in the office where I could have one eye on his door and one eye on the task at hand. He was fully entertained for over an hour with his books. I checked on him periodically and he was quite happy to sit in his own room with nobody bothering his reading. Of course, the price we pay for cleaning up one mess (office, garage, etc) is another mess will be waiting for us else where. I think it is all worth it for a happy kid who likes to read.

Oliver cracks me up! WHOA!!! Check out this video. Sometimes he can be SO dramatic. I always miss the "uh oh's" on camera but I'm hopeful to catch them eventually. Now, he is saying "oh, no". It is too cute!

As Keith was working in the kitchen, Oliver was working on the coffee table. (Thanks Grandma Garner... I think, for the hammer) Notice that as Keith hammers louder, so does Oliver. Is there any doubt that this kid is a boy through and through? Keith is almost done in the kitchen. I'll post an update on our project when he is done. I'll fill you in, it looks amazing!!

Night at the Hess'

Saturday evening we went up to Longmont to visit our friends Geoff and Stephanie and their two kids Evelyn and Freddie. We always enjoy seeing the Hess' and we had a great time. Oliver especially loves playing with Evelyn and Freddie. We were hoping the kids could play in the pool but it was raining and cool so we opted out. Instead, Evelyn and Oliver had a snack picnic on the deck. How is it Oliver always finds a little lady who'll feed him? Remember his cousin Hazel doing the same thing. Must be those baby blue eyes and charming smile.

Oliver and Freddie bellied up for dinner.

Does it feel like Oliver is ALWAYS eating? Well, he is, but he's still a bean pole with a round belly.

Keith with the boys; Oliver and Freddie

The kids dancing to "Yakety Yak"

They loved it!!

Keith and Freddie.

I think I have similar pictures of Keith and Geoff (Freddie's Dad) that is similar to this.

The last picture got me thinking so I went in search of this photo. This is Geoff and Keith, Father's Day '08.

Oliver and Freddie checking out the toy baskets. Freddie is only 9 months younger than Oliver so they should be in the same grade. What fun!!! We look forward to watching all three of these kids grow up together.

Freddie is such a happy kid!!!

Lunch at the Office

Saturday I went into work to get a few things done. Keith and Oliver brought me lunch. Aren't they THE BEST!!

Oliver enjoyed scoping out Mom's office, especially the fun toys. His favorites were the ones that Wanda left behind when she retired. Thanks Wanda!!!

Sandwiches and football! Is there really anything else to make this moment complete?

"Dad, I'm eating, do you mind."
Why is it eating pictures are always entertaining? Oliver thought this sandwich was one of the greatest things ever.
Hanging out with Mom at her desk.
Wanda - notice the clapping toy in his hand. That one went home with him. I never knew how loud it was until I was in a small space like the car with Oliver clapping in the back seat. Ugh! He loves it, it makes him happy, so we're happy :)

MMmmmm.... Corn!

Not only do we enjoy summer for the sunshine and warm temperatures, we also love to grill out with fresh corn on the cob. MMMM.... YUM!!!!

Oliver has never experience corn that was still on the cob. Since this was his maiden voyage, we took pictures.

Oliver had no idea what to do with the corn, so Keith gave him a demonstration like a type writer.

Oliver was wondering if he could spoon the corn into his mouth, like usual.
Finally, he decided to take a nibble with a little encouragements.

Then, he was on his own.

Before we knew it, he was getting the hang of it.

Then he realized that is is much easier to eat from the ends.

YAY for Corn (with a little ketchup smeared in for good measure)

I think he likes it!!!

YUMMMMMYYYY!!!!

Kickin' Around

Here are a few pictures of Oliver, Keith and Madalyn kickin' around the back yard last week. (Can You find Madalyn?) Yes, I was there too but as usual, I was snapping the pictures. We have really been enjoying the nice weather, when it decides to stick around. The week days have been great and the weekends have been rainy. This past weekend we got 3-4" of rain, depending on where you are in the Denver Metro area. We didn't measure ourselves so we have to go by what the weather people say. I heard someone tease today that the western side of the United States fell into the ocean and we are now the Pacific Northwest. I'm starting to believe it with this weather. Of course, if this really does happen, I hope all of our friends and family out there have good boats!!!

Is that a Cat Tail growing out of Oliver's nose, or is it just Madalyn on the loose?

Oliver finds it entertaining to find rocks or bark (in this case) that is out of place and put it back where it belongs. Let's hope this lasts well into his teen years so that we can avoid the "Clean Your Room" arguments.

Proof that Oliver has a great sense of hearing and sight, he LOVES to see the airplanes fly over. Keep in mind, they are usually WAY up there!!! Here he is scoping one out. Airplane is also one of the words he uses often. He has also started saying "no" but can't quite grasp "yes". We are trying to teach him but when the answer is "yes" he usually just stares at us like it isn't a question but an obvious answer. If only parents were gifted as mind readers!

Class Photo

It's that time of year again for class photos. Here is a look at Oliver's class photo from the Young Toddlers class. I think there must have been a party that we weren't invited to because half of the kids were missing. Oliver is the oldest kid in the class now, and I think you can tell by the pride he is displaying in the picture. What a great kid!!!

Miss Nikki, Charlie (Oliver's best little buddy), Patrick, Oliver, Rosario, Haley, Kaiyah and Miss Jen

It can be hard to see the above photo becaues it is a little smaller with the border. Here is a cropped version.

Bellagio... Take Me Away!!!

Some may turn to Calgon, we turned to the Bellagio. Last weekend, Keith and I went to Las Vegas for a weekend getaway. This was our first time leaving Oliver alone with someone else. We flew Grandma Garner down from Washington and she spent the weekend with Oliver. First, the two of us had a Mother/Daughter day which I thoroughly enjoyed. Friday morning, Keith and I were on a 7:30 AM flight to Las Vegas, NV. WOOHOO!!! We were there well before lunch and ready to start our weekend of rest and relaxation. On the agenda: Pool Time, Great Food, Refreshing Drinks, Rest, Relaxation and NO Deadlines!

*** Warning***

In typical Hamilton Family vacation fashion, we took a ton of pictures. Again, in typical fashion, I have a hard time narrowing down what to post, so I posted a TON! We hope you enjoy coming along with us through a photo tour.

This is Keith in the entry way to the Bellagio pool. Ahh... fruity drink!!!

Vacation is officially here!!!

This is the view of the pool from our room.

I always like to take pictures of our room. The room at the Bellagio was quite nice. I was especially impressed with the bathroom! This photo only shows half of it!

After some pool time and lunch at Mon Ami Gabi in Paris, we went for a stroll in the 100 degree heat. Sounds like a fun plan, don't you think?

This is Keith and I in front of Paris.

Ahh.... it's like we're back in Europe!! Friday night we went to dinner at Circo in the Bellagio. Here I am in the entry way of our hotel room. I don't think I've ever had a hotel room with an entry way like this. At our Circo dinner

We thought we could celebrate our 5 year anniversary... 4 month early!!!

After a fabulous dinner, we went to see "O". It was an unbelievable show and we had 4th row seats. The only tough part was the show didn't start until 10:30. With our hectic and early schedules, our grand plans of staying up late since we were kid free didn't work out too well. After the show we hit the hay.

Day 2 - Saturday

Keith is fired up to spend a day at the pool

Even though we were at the pool around 9 AM, there weren't any lounge chairs available. We set up camp on the edge of the pool. I must say, I think we had one of the best seats in the house!

Keith took this picture to capture the moment. Ahhh.... refreshment!!!

Of course, you can also see the red spots on my big toes from the shoes I was wearing the night before. It's tough being a girl!

Ahh.... fruity mojito!!!

Yes, we are on vacation but that doesn't mean that we aren't connected to work constantly. What has the world come to?

Really, does it get any better?

I dream of moments like this!

The backside view of the Bellagio from the pool.

There is more than one way to float on a raft.

After 8 hours at the pool, we took a stroll through the Bellagio to check out the Conservatory.

This is the worlds largest chocolate fountain. I could only get about half of it in the picture. Don't believe me, I even took a picture of the proof. See the certificate below.

Ahhh... Milk Chocolate!!!

The proof is in the (pudding) Chocolate!Saturday night we ate at Mesa Grill. SO GOOD! Ahhh.... Celebrating 5 years 2 nights in a row!

When dining on Southwest Cuisine, how can you pass up a fresh and hot Churro? When they are so fun, how can you pass up taking crazy pictures with Churros?

Do you think we have finally relaxed?

The Bellagio at night

Keith waiting for the water show outside of the Bellagio The water show has begun. This particular show was choreographed to Elton John's "Your Song". I Love Elton John! It was perfect!!

That night we had big plans to go out dancing. No kid, no curfew, why not?! Well, because at 10 PM we tend to shrivel up and start dreaming of sleep. We even had free passes to get into The Bank at the Bellagio. We showed up at 10:15 and they didn't even open until 10:30. We decided this was a sign and headed for bed.

Party poopers, yes.

Happy, relaxed, rested and ecstatic to celebrate 5 years of marriage 4 months early. YES!!!!