Back to School

School is back in session and we are already in the swing of things. Ryan and Luke started the 5th grade on Thursday, Leah started her second year of daycare the week before, and I began my 16th year in education. This is the first year that the boys switch teachers for various subjects. Ryan came home from school yesterday almost overwhelmed with the thought of his new schedule. Today he came home telling me how cool it is to go to different classes. He's thrilled that he gets to dissect a cow's eye, a sheep's liver, and something else equally disgusting. 

Seems like only yesterday they were starting Kindergarten. Ryan cried when we dropped him off that very first day. And then when I picked him after school he said "My day was awful, just kidding, it was awesome." He and Luke were both so excited and nervous to start school on Thursday that they couldn't sleep the night before. We're hoping for a great year.

Little Miss Sassy-Pants went back to Kelsey's when I went back to work the 2nd week of August. She has become more anxious about strangers this summer and clings to me and Greg more often. She was a little hesitant when I dropped her off the first morning, but was soon distracted by all of the fun toys. And just like last year, she cried when I picked her up - because why would she want to leave Kelsey's fun place and come home? She has adjusted well to her new schedule. Kelsey continues to send me several pictures a day and Leah is clearly having a blast and doing things I would never think of. The first week was Pet Week and this week was Tool Week - she had fun playing hide and seek with pet pictures and hammering golf tees into styrofoam. 

Hammering cheerios and rice crispies - plus having a snack.

Playing a little soccer.

Helping to bring all of the kids' cups inside.

Other things this month:

Leah had fun with Daddy at the pool playing "Super Leah." Ryan loved helping out. The boys and I like to play pass the baby by throwing/passing her to each other in the shallow area of the pool. She really is pretty great with the water and getting wet.

We got Leah her own little playhouse. She thought it was fun to play peek-a-boo with the shutters.

We went to a concert/fireworks event at a park last week. The best part for the kids was sharing the giant bag of Kettle Corn.

Leah is so busy at daycare that she has to use her evenings to catch up on emails.

I'm not sure who likes frozen yogurt more - Greg or Leah.

Leah on the boys' red car. Her legs are just now long enough to push herself forward.

And Ryan and Luke, just a little older than Leah, putting the same cars together and going for a ride.

And lastly, a video that makes me smile :)

18 Months

I truly can't believe that our sweet little Leah has been a part of our family for a year and half. She has been such a joy and blessing for all four of us. It is crazy how fast she is developing now. I think once she figured out the whole walking thing, everything else has really come together. It is amazing to watch her language skills develop. She can speak easily over 100 words and seems to understand everything. She still won't say "yes" but now says "mmm hmm" and shakes her head yes.  I asked her the other afternoon when she woke up from her nap if she was ready to get up. She said "no." I asked her if she wanted to stay in bed and read and she shook her head and said "mmm hmm." She has also started doing a great job telling us what she wants. She loves to tell us when she's hungry by saying "eat" and going to the pantry. She also tells me when she's sleepy by saying "nap" and walking to the gate. There is no need for baby sign language with her, she can say almost everything she needs to. I made waffles earlier this week and when I gave her one the next morning, she went to the pantry and got the pancake syrup out and carried it to the table. 

At 18 months, Leah weighs 25 lbs 14 oz (86th percentile) and is 32 1/4 inches tall (66th percentile). For comparison, at 18 moths, Ryan and Luke were 31 1/2 inches tall. Luke weighed 31 lbs 3 oz (95th percentile) and Ryan was 27 lbs 14 oz (75th percentile). So Leah is a tall skinny-minny compared to her brothers.

And here are Ryan and Luke 18 months.

I took the kids to the Denver Art Museum last week for our last big summer outing. 

Leah had fun watching her brothers' art projects and partaking in things that were just her size.

We took Leah to Tiny Town with Nana and Grandad a few days ago. She loved the "choo choo" and the houses that were just her size.

Various recent pictures of our silly girl.

She is such a goof and absolutely adored by her family.

Weekend with the Boys

Ryan, Luke, and I had a fun weekend in Buena Vista "camping" with friends. We had a lot of together time and took advantage of many different activities. When I say we camped, I mean that we did sleep in a tent -  but we were also in the beautiful backyard of a freind's parent's house - so we had access to a bathroom and kitchen - that is my kind of camping.

On Friday night we went to the drive in and watched Beatlejuice. It was fun to open up the back of the car, pull out a sleeping bag and watch the movie.

We woke up too late on Saturday to go on a hike, so I called a nearby stable to see if we could get on a trail ride that morning. It was fun to do something like this spontaneously - we ran down to our tent, changed clothes, and raced to the stables to make the ride on time. The boys had been on a horse once before, but nothing like a real trail ride. It was just the 3 of us and the guide - we had a great time on Butch, Rosie, and Denali.

We rode along the Colorado Trail and crossed the river several times.

Luke's idea of camping - he started the Maze Runner on the way to Buena Vista on Friday, read a good chunk of the day on Saturday (including by lantern and fire light that evening) and finished it before we left on Sunday.

Ryan's idea of camping is playing in water, throwing rocks, and eating smores - he had a great time doing all 3.

The view of the backyard - you can see all the boys down at the bottom.

As in any trip - it wasn't always smiles.

Especially when the pool was cleared shortly after we got to the hot springs for a lightening alert.

But the lightening cleared the place out and we had a great time enjoying the pool and slides with much fewer people.

Here comes Ryan

And Luke

Ryan wouldn't sit down in the river because it was "dirty." But there are little pools of hot spring water in the creek.

All the crazy kids - the boys had so much fun playing with all of the boys. A bear had been sighted on the property a few times this summer, so there were concerns about camping - but I'm pretty sure the bear was frightened away by all of the screaming.

Love a campfire

We ended the trip by feeding the fish before we headed home. Overall, we had a great time. Thank you, Karen, for inviting us again. It was such a special weekend to spend with just Ryan and Luke. 

Hiking and Dancing

Greg took a day off a couple of weeks ago and we headed to Rocky Mountain National Park. I borrowed a backpack from a friend and Leah had a great time leisurely enjoying the scenery.

The water was really cold. The boys walked around in the water for a short bit, but Leah screamed in anger when her foot hit the water. I was amazed at the people (and especially kids) who were all over the river.

Hi!

I took a ton of pictures of Leah in the backpack. 

Brothers - in a moment of togetherness and peace.

At this point, when I told Leah to smile she said "no."

My kids love to throw rocks in any body of water.

Leah is much more dainty about it...

She actually just places her rock in the water.

We got ice cream at the end of the day and Leah stacked up the little chairs when she was done - just like we do at the pool.

We went to a friend's concert recently and Leah started dancing as soon as I opened the car door.

She's a multitasker - she can dance and eat at the same time.