play date with dad

Lately Toby has had a lighter work load, so he's been able to take Elise out for lots of daddy-daughter time. (Last month was so busy. During one 2 week period Toby logged 174 work hours!!! Thank goodness that rotation is over.)

Yesterday's daddy-daughter date was at Splash Pad , a kiddie water park connected to our public pool. I tagged along but stayed at a distance to snap a few photos.

This video of the chicks exploring the backyard was taken three weeks ago. It's amazing how much bigger they are now. I'll have to get another video up, so you can see how much they've changed. But it's nice to remember them as "baby chicks," which is what Elise still calls them even though they don't look like babies any more. :)

Less than 5 weeks to go...

Kidzplex

The day before Rita left we took all the kids to Kidzplex, an indoor playground complete with ball pits, tunnels, slides and zip-lines. Everyone had a blast. (Note to all grandparents/family who will be visiting this summer: Elise has already informed me that this is where she wants to play when the baby comes. :) Maybe I should invest in a family punch card??? The best part about it for adults... the air conditioning and the break it gives from the intense Colorado sunshine!) :)

Conquering the zip-line without any help!

Endless fun in the ball pit.

Quick Update

My sweet friend Rita and her 2-year-old son, Tobias, are here visiting. While everyone's taking a little rest, I thought I'd post a few new photos. It's been a busy and fun week!

Elise playing in her new sandbox. She loves it!

Another view

On Saturday we drove through the Colorado National Monument. The road through the monument ends in Fruita, CO where they were having a "Mike the Headless Chicken Festival." Of course, we had to stop...

Along with enjoying an old car show and some yummy pizza from a local pizza place, the kids loved the petting zoo and the train ride.

I thought Elise might be a little scared, but she LOVED it.

Elise and Toby playing with a fountain at church.

Rita and Tobias leave on Tuesday and then I will switch into baby prep mode. I only have 5 more weeks left!!! I'm feeling great, but it is getting hot which makes me a bit uncomfortable. Tomorrow's high is 94!

Time to put my feet up before Elise wakes up...

the sandbox

Today Toby built Elise a sandbox. She was more than happy to help paint it. Aren't they cute?

planting time

A couple of nights ago, Toby and Elise put the last couple of tomato plants in our garden - Elise's favorites: cherry and grape tomatoes. They also put in an heirloom tomato plant called Belgium Giant. I still have some dill and basil plants to get in the ground, but we may have to build a separate bed this weekend. We're running out of room and good soil!

our growing girls...

The chicks LOVE to explore our backyard these days. We still have to be careful because there are a few stray cats that woud love to eat them for lunch, but our girls are getting bigger everyday and hopefully within the next month they'll be hearty enough to survive in the back on their own. (Call me crazy, but I'd love to have the chicks living in the backyard BEFORE we bring the new baby home.) :)

Miss Michigan (above L) is probably the largest of the flock. Miss Bettie (the speckled one shown below on the far R) is our runt.

On the move...

My recent favorite, Miss Baraga, who actually seems to enjoy being held.



And, of course, our other "growing girl" is sweet Elise. Here she is showing off our new furniture arrangement in our bedroom. (Notice the new curtain that separates our room from the baby's room. My baby to-do list is getting shorter everyday!)