carnival #1

The weather is warming up, and the first carnival arrived in Longmont: summer is officially here! This carnival is about the smallest operation that could still be called a fair - no funnel cakes! - but for the under 4 crowd it's pretty perfect. Check out Alex's face on the slide - his look could only be rivaled by Roger's on the way down the slide.The boys had a full-on blast on the cars. They didn't stop laughing during the entire ride. Katie was thrilled to score the pink horse on the merry-go-round - as if there is any other color she would ride.

camping

I think we are ready to tackle camping with our bunch. To ease into things, we camped the first night in the backyard. We wanted to test out our equipment while solutions were close at hand.Sleeping bags? Excellent - at least for playing in. Katie actually fell asleep first. Max ran around the tent like a nut until after 11 pm. He finally fell asleep after he found a book to hold on to.

Glow sticks and flashlights? Another hit.

Fire and s'mores? Good times.

Neighbor's barking dog? My personal favorite. Sleeping in the backyard showed me how noisy our neighborhood actually is, and got me itching to actually get out to the woods. We can always throw the kids in a lake if they get too dirty, right? And if it's quieter maybe they'll fall asleep before midnight next time.

the key

Alex is in love. Her name? 'Mommy Excavator.'

I am almost as big a fan.

For months, we told Alex that when he was ready to trade in his diapers, he'd score a new truck. Thanks to our friends at Costco, our dream became a reality.

It was love at first sight. For all of us. Mommy excavator doesn't leave his side, coming along on adventures and taking naps and sleeping in bed tucked under a blanket up on the pillow.

Next to the sandbox, this is my favorite thing of the summer so far.

If Max were ready, I think Elmo pants would be all he'd need.

rocky mountain nat'l park

In an effort to hasten the arrival of summer, or to turn everyone in our family into popsicles, we headed up to Rocky Mountain National Park the second weekend in May. The wind this spring has been crazy!

We found a nice picnic area next to a stream. The snowdrifts were good for digging, but a little chilly for lunch . . . or so we thought.

The area at the trail head was even colder because of the wind, but we were committed. Alex managed to poke his head out for a couple of bites.

The kids had a great time climbing on the rocks. Katie is turning into a regular mountain goat.

We saw a fair number of elk, but these rams were a real treat to watch on the way out of the park

. . . until they got spooked and ran right in front of our car.

sunflower farm

(photo by Katie)

Katie's final field trip of the year was to Sunflower Farms, a 'working farm' on the south end of town. Someone was not back in Colorado temperature mode, and did not pay attention to the trees being knocked over horizontal by the wind, or the frost hanging off her nose. The kids managed to have fun, although Max's lips were purple for quite a while.

The biggest draw was the sandbox - somehow it's totally different digging with someone else's trucks. They did take a break to try out the zip line, feed some animals, climb in the tree house, and play in the corn crib. I am ready to get some chickens! Where's my permit?!!!

happy birthday alex!

Our little man is 3! Alex scored a true birthday week: cake with Oma on his actual birthday, and then more celebrating when we got back from Mexico.

Soon, he's going to be old enough to want a big party with friends. Lucky for me he's still OK just scooping Skittles onto cupcakes with his family.

In his own words, it was TRUCK MANIA! Truck books, mini-trucks, mommy trucks. A month later, he's finally OK that his birthday is over until next year.