Who's Taller?

Our little Ace tries to measure up to Erinn, but alas, she definitely wins the who's taller game.

Peeing for Timber

Mr. Construction hit another potty-training milestone today, so Mommy had his reward ready to roll. He spent much of the rest of the day testing out all the features of this new logging truck.

Paging Dr. Dyer-Payne, paging Dr. Dyer-Payne!

The Little Physician administers a band-aid to the pinky toe of his favorite patient.

Lil' Squire

Chase channeled one strand of his inner geekdom as he delighted in the experiences of the Colorado Renaissance Festival today. In addition to the drumming, bagpipes (which he later observantly referred to as "blow pipes”), and buxom wenches, he also enjoyed this manually operated carousel, despite its nausea-inducing speeds.

Big Boy Bed

Mommy and Daddy faced the inevitable today and converted the Kid's crib to a toddler bed. He was enthusiastic and eagerly jumped in to try it out at 9AM. We'll need to make it to tomorrow morning to report on how the first night actually went.

Swim Buoys

Chase and his buddy Owen get ready for the walk (ride) home after a couple hours at the pool.

Thank You, Great Play

After two months of Camp Mommy (no school, no scheduled activities) Mommy needed a break -- so Chase went to Great Play for a couple hours. Here, Ace plays a "get your shoes on" game with the awesome coaches.

Chameleon Cookie

Superboy enjoys an orange chameleon cookie after a hard mornings play at the Turtle Park.

Slide Whistle Shorty

The Cajun Critter might have a future playing the trombone after discovering the slide whistle today.

Mardi Gras

Check out what Chase found in his room. It was a Mardi Gras kind of afternoon 'round here.

Yes, I love technology,

But not as much as you, you see,
But still I love technology,
Always and forever.

Duly Noted

Ace arranges his notes, continually insisting that the primary one is for Grandpa Laurent.

This may have been linked to our earlier Skype call with Grandpas Fred & Laurent, showing - despite his hyper and distracted demeanor throughout the call - that he was actually paying attention to those on the other end.

Words of Wisdom

Wasn't it Gandhi who said, "Speak softly and carry a big stick"?

Bubble Wrap Snowman

Ace poses as Snowman, utilizing green bubble wrap as a scarf.

Mommy's Birthday

If we've learned one thing recently, it's that Ace loves a birthday party.

To everyone's delight, today was Mommy's B-Day, and we celebrated the anniversary of her trip around the sun with breakfast out. Not only did we indulge in pancakes, but we also enjoyed a bit of diner coloring.

Happy Birthday, Mommy!!!

Picnic in the Park

Chase, Erinn and little sister Morgan enjoy a picnic in the park. The critters had worked up an appetite after some serious climbing and sand castle building.

Dam!

Chase gets some integral pieces placed in his dam before the lightening started and we needed to get out of the water. A short stay at the Denver Botanic Garden is better than no stay at all.

Chase (squared)

Reasonable temperatures ushered us out to the zoo where we discovered that the sand area has not only been outfitted with shovels and buckets, but is now staffed with Play Leaders.

Surprisingly, this Play Leader was named Chase, And the two Cs worked together to dig some very important holes.

Sahara

Given the choice between the pool and the sand park, Chase picked the latter, a logical decision given the 90-degree temps at high noon in the high desert. Fortunately, we discovered that four square feet of the sandbox were sheltered in enough shade to make the play trip bearable.

Carbo Loading

As Daddy and a crew of friends enjoyed a team dinner in preparation for running the Sand Creek half marathon tomorrow, Ace sat with the big boys for his own celebratory meal.

I Love a Rainy Night

Ace enjoys a post-tubby cup of milk on the front porch as we watch the approaching lightning storm.

Wonder of Wonders!

As we have worked with Chase on potty training, we have used the prospect of getting a "side garbage truck" as a primary motivation. He finally earned the reward this morning.

While future posts will undoubtedly capture this new vehicle in action, this photo of The Critter moments before Mommy revealed the coveted prize seemed most appropriate to capture the true emotion of the event.

Two Marbulous Kids

Chase and Mommy were lucky enough to have Erinn over for a few hours this afternoon. We had fun playing Marbulous and busting some serious moves during a dance party.

Another Mountain to Climb

Ace's interest in climbing continues to grow. Here, he just had to dismount his bike on our evening ride to scale this local peak.

Balloon Bee

We celebrated a family Sunday by walking over to the local farmer's market, where Ace commissioned a balloon animal from a street-side balloon artist. The Critter chose a bumble bee (what else's?!?) and promptly attacked the photographer with it.

Eye Splash

Ace makes funny faces while playing in "the bubbler" at the pool today.

A Decade Rolls Past (Wonderfully!)

While Mommy and Daddy were a bit preoccupied celebrating their 10th anniversary, The Little Engineer insisted on a trip to The Home Depot, where the wheel aisle provided all the necessary toys for an extended play session.

Patriotic Pancakes

Ace loves a good birthday party, especially if it's for his country and includes a community pancake breakfast. Other 4th festivities included watching the local kid's parade, enjoying a cookout with our neighbors, and watching fireworks from our upstairs window. Happy Birthday, America!

What's All the Hoopla About?

Ace proved his readiness to become a professional Rhythmic Gymnast in the dance party area of the Children's Museum of Denver.

Mimi's Blanket

In the nearly three years we've done this blog there have only been a few times when we've had to take the "already sleeping" shot. Today was one of those days. However, it is important to note how attached Chase has become to a quilt and pillow case that Reed's Mimi made for him many years ago, which Chase lovingly refers to as "Mimi's blanket".

Garden Leap

Jumping from hay bale to hay bale to steer clear of the hot lava kept Chase and Daddy occupied while Mommy watered her garden. Look at that form!