Picnic in the Park

This past weekend we met up with friends at the park for a picnic.  We had friends in town from Connecticut so this was a great way for us all to get together in a place where our kids could be kids.  We have had very warm weather all summer until this day, it was almost chilly.  The high temperature was only about 70 degrees, which seems cold when it's been in the 90's.

Here, Keith and Kellan are chillin'.

Look, he really IS in there!

Occasionally, Oliver gets a little jealous of others having their picture taken and he likes his taken too.  This doesn't happen very often though.

Oliver peeking out of the play ground equipment.

This slide had us all baffled.  It was like the mogul run on the ski slope.

The day has come... Oliver no longer likes to have his picture taken regularly.  Quite often he hides or runs the other way and says "no pictures".  I hope he comes around to liking them again sometime soon.

Mr GQ.  

Shortly after this photo I was informed not to take his picture.  

Such a sad statement for a Mommy who loves to take pictures to hear.

This is Miss Maisy who came to visit from Connecticut.

Parker and Oliver playing.  Oliver LOVED this thing.

Chloe, Oliver, Parker and Maisy (and Maisy's mom, Jessica, just in case it got a little crazy)

Oliver loved running through the park.

Oliver and Parker out for a jog.

We had such a great time!  We asked ourselves on the drive home, why haven't we been doing this all summer?

Day at the Zoo

This past weekend, we decided to venture to the zoo.  We have been having great weather, but winter will be here soon.  We wanted to get out and enjoy some warm sunshine before the ground is covered in snow.  Besides that, there are several new baby animals including tiger cubs, baby orangutan, baby sea lion, baby giraffe and a few others that we didn't see.  I only got a photo of the tiger cubs. Only Keith and Oliver saw the baby orangutan.  There was a big crowd and by the time I maneuvered my own baby in the stroller the mama and baby orangutan had moved into hiding.  We heard that they spent most of their time hiding so seeing the baby was rare.  Keith said the baby was about the size of Kellan.  I'm sad I missed it.

Oliver and Kellan ready for the zoo, waiting for Mom and Dad.

This is not Oliver's best photo, but Kellan's facial expression cracks me up.

At the zoo!  The hippo is usually in the water so we don't always see him.  We were fortunate to get there for his breakfast so we got a good view of this very large animal.

Keith and Oliver checking out the hippo.

The family at the zoo!

The only way to travel the zoo, in a jeep wagon pushed by Daddy.

This reminds me of a paparazzi photo in a magazine.  A blurry action shot of Oliver sipping some apple juice.

The bears always give me a good photo or two.

Oliver and Keith waiting for me to come back from changing Kellan's diaper.

Near our picnic spot we discovered a new vending stand with ICEE drinks.  YUMMY!!!  

Is this a preview of Oliver in 20 years in Vegas?

Mama and Kellan

Time for a group photo but first, we must wipe the PJ&J off of Oliver's face.  Nothing like a spit moistened wipe from Mom.

If you haven't noticed in other photos, Oliver now says Cheese in pictures and misses the smile part so most of the photos are him in mid-word.

The elephants were a popular choice by Oliver this time.

Here is the tiger Mama with her cubs to the bottom right.

This is how Kellan viewed most of the zoo, which his eyes shut tight.

When we got home it was nap time all around.  This is how I found Keith after I noticed it was very quiet in Oliver's room.  Sometimes the best perk of being the one to read Oliver books is that you can take a siesta as well.

Later in the day, Keith hanging with Kellan.

In order to properly initiate the oven, I baked some chocolate chip cookies.

These were some of the best cookies I have made in Colorado.  I think it was a combination of the new gas oven and the new Pampered Chef cookie sheet.  Baking at this elevation is a true art form.

Nearly New Kitchen

We have lived in this house for nearly seven years.  Nearly every day of those past seven years, Keith and/or I complained about the burners on our stove.  Not only were they annoying to cook on, I'm convinced they were a safety hazard.  We could never get the burners to lay flat and therefore, our pots/pans always sat crooked.  This past weekend, Keith had enough and made a strong hint that we should get a new cook stove.    I agreed.  One of the big reasons we hadn't done it in the past is because if we were going to do it, we wanted gas.  We had gas plumbed into the house, but not the kitchen.  After much debate, we opted for the professional and safe option and hired a plumber.  On top of wanting gas, if we were going to get a new cook stove, I wanted an above stove microwave and matching dishwasher.  Thanks to a good sale at Lowes, the whole family came out happy.

New gas stove/oven and built in microwave.

New super quiet dishwasher.

The whole enchilada.

This picture makes me notice that I need to clean the top of the refrigerator.  Ugh!  

Yes, there is still Halloween candy in that bucket.  Shhh... don't tell Oliver.

We love our Nearly New Kitchen!

Thanks to Keith and his Dad for installing all of the appliances, including running electricity for the stove.

Thanks to Keith's Mom for initiating the new stove with a super yummy southern fried chicken meal.  MMM

Thanks to my Mom for cleaning the old stove and oven.  It was so sparkly that the guy who bought it (yay, Craig's list) thought we never used the oven.  Keith gave you credit for cleaning it while you were hear and the guy was quite impressed!

Next on the list, new cabinet pulls and counters.  Our cabinet pull sample is just to the right of the microwave. Feel free to weigh in with your opinion.  I'm not sold on the black but I know I don't like the original gold.

Nana and Papa Meet Kellan

This past week, Keith had the week off for vacation and his parents came by to meet Kellan.  We had a very nice visit and we all enjoyed seeing Nana and Papa.

Nana meets Kellan for the first time.

This was a week of several firsts, including Kellan's first night in his crib.  He spent the first two weeks in our room sleeping in the pack and play.  He was such a quiet sleeper that it didn't disturb Keith or I and it seemed to be working out well.  Then, Kellan began to make noises, just like Oliver did.  Grunting, groaning and just general baby noises.  We also think Kellan was getting cold because he started sleeping less than usual.  It was quite warm in our room, which he loves, but as the night went on and the outside air came through the window, he wasn't quite as happy.  We moved him to his crib and we are all sleeping better because of it.

Nana and Kellan on their last day together.

Papa and Oliver enjoying some grapes and a chat on the back porch.

Kellan in his swing.

Mama and her boys!