Nana and Papa Visit

This past weekend Keith's parents (Nana and Papa) stopped by to see us on their way home from Arkansas. We had a nice visit and took in some great local sites. Friday night, we went to White Fence Farm for dinner. They have great fried chicken. YUM!!! Oliver enjoyed the petting zoo area and the sheep seemed to take to him as well.

On Saturday we went up the mountains to ride the Georgetown Loop Railroad.
We picked up the train at Silver Plume...

...rode it down to Georgetown while we heard about some of the mining history and then it was back to Silver Plume. We had GREAT weather with unlimited sunshine!! 'tis the season for a lot of afternoon storms in Colorado.

Papa, Keith and Oliver ready for the train to take off. Carrie and Nana

Oliver wasn't quite sure what to think of the ride but he eventually warmed up to the idea. At the higher elevations it is important to stay hydrated, especially if you're a little guy.

This is a bridge that we had come down from. YIKES! Good thing it held together.

We didn't bring Oliver's cap so he was treated to a Georgetown Loop Railroad souvenir cap.

Keith and Oliver taking in the great view.

"I hear the train a comin'

comin' 'round the bend

I aint seen sunshine since

I don't know when" (Johnny Cash)

Keith, Nana and Oliver

Family Photo!

After the train ride we went to Idaho Springs for Beau Joes Pizza. YUM!

HIP HIP HOORAY for Beau Joes Pizza!

I wasn't quite thinking when we encouraged Oliver to drink so much water due to the elevation and sun exposure. I should have know, water in, water out. At lunch the Pamper just wasn't up to the task of holding all of that water in and his jeans ended up a little wet. Well, I figured he wasn't the first kid to streak around in a diaper. We put his longer jacket on him and hoped it wasn't too obvious. Yes, we got a lot of strange looks.

Oliver didn't seem to mind that he didn't have any pants on and it definitely didn't stop him from touring around downtown Idaho Springs, showing off the local shops to some people trying to pass him by.

In fact, he seemed to like to be pants free so much he almost had a kick and skip to his step.

But alas, all good days come to an end with a nice car ride nap.

Zoo and Sushi Too

Sunday morning we went to the zoo. We hadn't been there since February so we were long over due to check in on our favorite animals. We also wanted to take Oliver to see the Monkey's since he can now tell us what sound a Monkey makes. He can get shy at the zoo and this was no exception with the lion that was right by the glass.

Oliver always loves the bear. Brown, black, white, he'll take one of each.

"Let me tell you, this is a Polar bear and he says Roar"

We were treated to a mini show by two of the bears, I think they are grizzly but I can't remember. They are large with big teeth, therefore I think I'll steer clear. The trainer came with a treat so they did a few poses for us.

Jen, Craig and Parker joined us for Parker's first zoo visit. He did quite well for his first time. Someday, Parker will be running around with Oliver and we'll have to keep leashes on them so they don't try to jump in with the bears.

Family photo. Notice Oliver is keeping his eye on the bear's Maybe he's worried that he looks like a nice follow-up to the frozen berry snack they had. Yikes!

To complete our weekend of fun, we decided to go to our favorite sushi place, Japon's in Wash Park. YUM!!!! Oliver trying to figure out the chop sticks.

MMmmmmm Pot Stickers for the Munckin. I don't think he's quite ready to tackle the raw stuff. Maybe in a few years. In the meantime, he LOVES pot stickers.

Hip Hip Hooray for Pot Stickers!!!

On the way home Oliver was WIRED!!! Here are a few cutie pie photos of him in the back seat.

Hey, I see you!

Hamlin Hike

The past several weekends Keith and I have been pouring ourselves into work and chores. We have decided that we need to re-adopt the practice of one day for family and one day for chores. We keep hoping to keep work in the Monday through Friday time frame but sometimes is sneaks into the weekend. This past weekend we took time to play both Saturday and Sunday and we loved it. Saturday we went on the Hamlin hike. It is just off of I-70 and C-470 near red rocks and is only 10 minutes from our house. It was a beautiful morning for a hike.

Hiking is serious business, you know.

Keith and Oliver near the top.

We tried to take a family photo but had the zoom out too far. It's too bad because I like this picture of Oliver. He has his serious face on but I still like it.

Oliver scoping out the lines on this flower (weed).

Family Photo

Keith and Oliver on top of the rocks

Shortly after we took some photos near the top Oliver started having a melt down and wanted out of the pack. We scurried down so that we could get to a place that he could get out and walk. We didn't quite make the whole loop but we are hoping to do that soon if Oliver is up for it.

Even in Colorado, we have a touch of the desert.

Since Oliver was no longer riding his pack mule, I took over carrying the pack, kid free!

Almost to the bottom

Oliver checking to see that Momma was close behind At the bottom of the hike is a little creek that Oliver enjoyed checking out.

Even the toughest of hikers tucker out and need a nap. I couldn't resist taking his picture. It's the first time I've tried it but I figured it was safe since he was passed out.

A Remarkable Genius

Last week, I noticed something that I have never noticed before. It was just another night at the Hamiltons for Oliver; dinner, bath, books and bed. During bath time he was quite content playing with his toys. I realized that I could crack open a book while he was bathing. We would both be happy! I read a chapter or so and then decided that it was time for Oliver to get out. He was pointing out some of his artwork he created with his bath crayons. For the first time ever, I realized he was trying to write him name. Call me crazy, but it's true. He repeated it three times. He has the first part pretty good but has some work to do on the back half. Once I saw it, I realized that I had seen this on some of his art projects. Is it possible our kid is a genius, or are we just overly proud parents?

On top of that, he had a fabulous compliment from the Dr. He had a terrible cough and started to get a fever so I took him to the Dr. As she examined him and determined that he had the beginning stages of pneumonia (which is all cleared up thanks to antibiotics), she also noticed something else. I quote when I point out that she said, "His speech is remarkable". I asked her about it and she said that she was very surprised at how clear his words were. Ahhh... our boy is a genius AND remarkable!!!! Ya, a parent has to brag now and then :)

So, it may seem odd to you that I am reading while Oliver is in the tub. I have a confession, I'm HOOKED on the Twilight series. Have any of you read them? They are totally and completely addicting. As I admit this to people around me I'm finding that I'm not alone. We watched the movie 2 weekends ago; I read the first book in 5 days and the second book in 3 days. That is over 1,000 pages!! This is not normal behavior but I can't put them down. I just started book #3 and I'm already sad to know that it will end with book #4. Ugh!

Keith's Kitchen Project

Since we bought this house in 2004, we often talk about how we can improve the kitchen. There are many things that we highly dislike like the stove with one big burner (who makes a stove like that?), the lop sided burners, the white counter tops, the color of the cabinets, the fact that it is too small and the list goes on. We have decided that there is no way to make the kitchen bigger without extending it out where the deck is. Since that isn't a practical fix at this point, we sit around and talk about what else we can do. I have always wanted lights under the cabinets and Memorial Day weekend we took it one step further. We decided to add molding and build cabinet type spaces above the cupboards. Keith started at about 3 PM on Memorial Day and finished this past weekend. We LOVE IT!!!! Believe it or not, it makes the kitchen appear taller and larger. It is also much brighter. Next on the list, plumb gas, gas range, matching stainless steel range and dishwasher, microwave installed above the range, new light fixture (no fluorescent) new sink with new counter tops. Well, we did compromise and decide to leave the cabinets. They match the wood floor. HA HA!! :) With the rate that we've been going, it might take us 20 years to finish these projects but at we have a vision.

Here is Keith proudly displaying his handy work. He did a GREAT job!!! We need to get a few items to place in the new decorative cabinets.

Picture with flash

No flash to give the "mood lighting" effect.

Sunday

Here are a few pictures from Sunday. It was a day of chores and Jen and I went hiking in the afternoon. We didn't get any pictures from the hike, but we had a great time. It felt good to get out again and we had so much to catch up on that I forgot that I was exercising. NICE!

Oliver enjoyed being outside in the sunshine. One of these days we'll get him some yard toys. In the meantime he just brings toys outside that he is in the mood to play with.

Sunday evening we called Jen and Craig to see if they wanted to go to dinner. They had already started preparing dinner so they invited us over. SWEET!! We had a great meal of grilled salmon and stuffed peppers. The best part was we got to see little Parker awake. He is growing in leaps and bounds and getting cuter every time we see him.

Sweet 16

For most people, Sweet 16 only comes around once. For many it is celebrated with a drivers licence. For a lucky few it may be celebrated with a new car or a later curfew. For others, 16 is even sweeter than a drivers licence, a new car or a later curfew. It is a celebration of life with great friends, great food and GREAT pink jell-o shots. On Saturday, we celebrated Marge's Sweet 16 as a Breast Cancer Survivor!

We met Marge through our friend Julie and grew to know her as volunteers on the Survivor Committee for the Race for the Cure. Marge was the committee chair and she wasn't shy to whip us girls into shape. We have all enjoyed getting to know her, love having her as a friend and are blessed to have her in our lives. Thanks Marge! Not only is she a fabulous person, she really knows how to have a gathering for the ladies, with food and WINE!!!

Saturday started as a beautiful warm day, so we all wore summer attire. By the time the party was rolling, the wind blew in the clouds and we were in search of warmer threads. Hence, the reason for being bundled up with disheveled hair. Oh well, we still had a great day.

Since the picture was quite scenic, here is a closer shot.

This is just our small group of friends amongst many people who turned out to celebrate with Marge.

Jen, Katie, Marge, Michelle, Carrie, Julie

What would a Saturday be like without a few dozen photos of the Oliver?

Oliver was a bit under the weather this weekend with a chest cold and some teething action. His incisors are still working on pushing through and this past weekend they were giving him some aches and pains. Even with that, he was quite the trooper.