After numerous weekends of holiday prep, holiday celebration, house prep, house listing, we took a weekend to have fun Ham Fam style.
What, what, what????
Rewind!
House prep and listing?
By the way... we have decided to list our house for sale and we are currently in search of our next dream home that reduces our commute so that we can spend more time together instead of in the car as well as a place that has a bit more space for our two boys to grow in. There is never a dull moment in the Ham Fam life.
After numerous busy weekends doing too much work and not enough play, we dedicated a full weekend to nothing but fun! We kicked it off with some very last minute Nuggets tickets that Carrie got from work. It was an 8:30 Friday night game. Way too late for Kellan so he had a date night with the baby sitter. A bit late for Oliver, but he rallied like a trooper and loved it! We started with dinner at Brooklyn's where there were so many TV's it was hard to peel Oliver's eyes away. Daddy was willing to peel his eyes away for a quick photo and demonstrate how much fun we were having.
Even Mom broke out a crazy grin for the photo op.
Once the food arrived I saw a glimpse of my future (or maybe present) with boys, appetizers and sports TV.
At the game we had great seats in the MillerCoors suite! They are perfect seats, especially with the kids. No crowds or craziness and always a perfect view.
What would a game be without a big foam finger?!
Plus, Oliver's Rockies foam finger was sacrificed in a sword fight so it was time for a new one. He got to pick a souvenir for his brother too since he had to stay home. He opted for a second foam finger, perfect for another sword fight round.
(Rooting for the Nuggets is serious business that Oliver gives Two Fingers Up)
Go Nuggets Go!
Oliver getting a bit more comfy on Dad's lap.
Family Photo of the big night out!
A court shot of the Nuggets and the Miami Heat. We left after the 3rd quarter and at a quarter to 11. Oliver was a champ and loved it. He was a bit concerned that we left before it was over but he was so tired he wasn't too sad. We listened to the 4th quarter in the car and the Nuggets won!
The next day we were having an open house so we had to vacate for the day. We had a great afternoon visiting with the Stack family while our boys napped at their house. Then it was up-and-at-em for the National Western Stock Show Rodeo!
The rodeo is always a big hit and we love it. We went with three other families; the Stack's, the Martin's and the Wells'.
Cole and Kellan enjoyed a comfy seat on their Dad's laps. This was Kellan's first big event and he loved it. He sat perfectly still for the entire three hours. This gives us big hope for more events in the future.
Owen and Oliver were enjoying the show and sitting next to each other. Poor Oliver really struggled with his allergies though. The dander and dust in the indoor arena was not complimentary to his allergies and asthma and he coughed non-stop. He asked tons of questions and loved watching the rodeo so we told him we would find an outdoor rodeo this summer. He is already asking about it.
All eyes were on the big events of bucking broncos, roping calves, barrel racing, steer wrestling and Mamas favorite bull riding.
After a while we had some musical chairs and Cole and Kellan scored a few seats to themselves.
Parker was a bit less enthused about the events but he did love a little Angry Birds on his Daddy's smart phone.
It is always hard to get good photos of the events but here is a shot of the cowboys getting ready to let a bull rider out of the shoot.
Kellan was all eyes on the events. Even Parker watched a bit of the bull riding.
On the way out Mama got her prize, a carnival corn dog.
YUMMMYYY!!!
That night at home, Kellan helped Mommy sort the mail by going through the ads in search of the best deals.
As the evening came to a close, Oliver's coughing had stopped but he still had a shot of the special purple juice (AKA Allergy Med). Kellan desperately wanted to hang with his brother but Oliver wanted his space. Notice how Kellan is laying right on the edge and he has a toe just barely touching Oliver.
Do you think Oliver will notice if a toe tap emerges from Kellan?
Sunday morning we woke up to hear the forecast was a high of 65. We also had been wanting to go to the zoo since we haven't used our annual passes since Kellan was only a few weeks old. We called up the Stack's and they met us there for a tour of the zoo. With the warm January weather, many of the animals were out and about. We were fortunate to see all four of the lions at the entrance. We have missed them at our most recent visits and we were all thrilled to watch them lounge on the warm rocks.
Some may argue that zoo life is no life for a wild animal. However, knowing they have electrically heated rocks to lie on is not a bad gig.
working on my tan AND have you noticed the wall of people watching." The male doesn't seem to notice anything except what's presented in front of him. That's the animal kingdom for ya.
He finally go the hint, let out a yawn and rolled over to go back to sleep.
For our wild bunch we rented the safari jeep wagon. It's $7 and the money goes to help the animals. Plus, we don't have a wagon and if we did, we don't have to juggle it in and out of the car. Another plus, the kids love it and they can get in and out on their own. This was Kellan's first ride in the zoo safari jeep.
The boys LOVED watching the leopards running around in search of lunch that was about to arrive.
On the other side of this glass was four large tigers taking a snooze.
Kellan is all about doing stuff just like his older brother. Since Oliver walked around and jumped up on the ledges to see the animals, Kellan had to as well. Sometimes he was tall enough and sometimes he needed a boost.
Nearly everywhere Kellan went, it was led with a pointing finger followed by jibber jabber about what he saw. To say he LOVED the zoo is an extreme understatement.
Brotherly mimicking watching the sea lions swim laps.
"Come on Mom, give a guy a boost to the top wrung. I've got to get a good view of the Sea Lions."
Even the polar bear was out for a walk. This picture makes it look like he's miniature and walking on Kellan's head.
This was also Kellan's first (as far as he knows) encounter with a peacock. He instantly wanted to greet the friendly (from a distance) bird.
While Mommy held Kellan back, he chatted up the big colorful bird.
It is not easy to get a front side picture at the zoo and when you do get one it is common to have sunshine squint. Don't interpret this as grumpy face. There was nothing but good times oozing from this group.
As the day continued, Kellan continued to point and explain what he was seeing. What an amazing day of discovery for him. Oliver was also eager to express his vast knowledge of animals, some of which truly amazed us.
Point and smile boys, point and smile!
Oliver and Parker were just a couple of monkeys hanging around with the rhino and hippo.
Who said once kids start walking it's easier on your back?
Take a good look Miss Jen. This is your future when #2 arrives. We can't wait!!!
We absolutely lucked out with the rhino and hippo. Just after we arrived the zoo keepers did a demonstration with the hippo and we had a front row view. This also brought the rhino out in a fit of jealousy.
Front and center to get a good view of the inside of a hippos mouth. We also watched the zoo keeper check his BIG teeth.
Happy Boy!
Is that a Hippo smile I see?
Jealous Rhino on the other side. They said the rhino was in the demonstration the day before.
Check out all of those kids and the cutest ones are front and center. Oliver and Parker up front and Kellan is just above them in Mommy's arms. Photos like this make me realize how grown up Oliver is getting (sniffle sniffle).
Inside the pachyderm house was the hippos Daddy. He had just had his house cleaned and he was a happy Daddy with some fresh hay.
"Mommy, this is a hippo. He is very large and says Rawr!"
(Ok, maybe it was more like, "Mama, da da gee as Rawr!")
Our last stop before heading home was the carousel. It was our first time to ride as a family of four. It was also Oliver's first time to ride solo without one of us standing close by. Way to go Big Guy!
Just the guys hanging around on the carousel.
Daddy and Kellan going round and round.
Our Big Guy Oliver riding solo!
On our way out the Lions were there for our departure just as they were for our arrival.
Thanks to the lions and all of the animals for being great hosts for our day at the zoo,
Thanks to the Stack family for joining us on our wild adventure.
We hope to see you all again soon!
