First Day of School

Maddox finally started school today!  She excited because all the public schools started mid August so she's been asking for a while when she gets to go.  The first thing she told me when I picked her up was that she made a new friend, Calista, who promptly came over and gave her a hug goodbye.  I was glad to see that, as shy as Maddox can be.  She's been wanting to invite friends over and have sleepovers so maybe now we'll make some friends to do that!  Maddox is in 4 year old preschool at Westview Church again.  Next year it's the real thing, kindergarten!  Wow!

Boating

Our friends, Ryan and Mandee, asked us if we wanted to go boating with them last Monday.  Of course we did!!  Unfortunately due to weather it was a short trip.  But I did get both the girls on the tube once.  Maddox mostly liked it and smiled most of the time.  Hadlee cried most of the time which we ignored and kept riding until Maddox was getting choked by her vest.  Good times!

Adventureland

Jeremy's work gave us free tickets to Adventureland so one really nice and cool weekday went took the kids.  We were there for about 10 hours!  We rode all the rides we could with Maddox, then rode them again.  She loved it and is getting so brave!  Next time we decided we had to take cousins or neighbors with us because we are NOT very good at riding some of the rides she's doing now.  Barf!  None that day, but it was harder by the end of the day!

Here they are hanging on tight to the teacup ride.

 This ride is similar to the one Maddox rode in Mall of America that she hated and was scared to death of.  It took me a lot to talk her into riding this one.  I told her I'd ride it with her and that usually makes everything okay.  She then spent the whole time trying not to smile because she liked it but didn't want me to know I was right.  We rode it 3 times.

 Daddy won Maddox a big pink polka dotted Scooby Doo and Hadlee a couple of stuffed fish.

 I even talked Maddox into riding the log ride and the river ride!  The log ride neither girl really liked because of the hill at the end. I wish I'd bought the picture they took of us, it was hilarious!  But the river was okay for her.  We missed most of the big water so that helped.

We had so much fun that day!  I love taking the girls to new things and pushing them to try new things.  They're growing up so much!!!

Princess Adventure

Through the conservation department Maddox went on a princess adventure one day.  She got all dressed up and went to basically and interactive learning time at a state park.  They learned about bugs, read a book about bugs, did a craft, then went to catch bugs, and finished with a snack.

 Hadlee spent the time climbing trees!

Hadlee's Big Week

This summer Hadlee go to do a week of Toddler Tumbling through the city.  I dropped her off and she stayed with her class for an hour doing movements and a little tumbling.  I forgot to take my camera the last day when they got to show us what they learned.  She kept saying "Mommy, take my picture!"   I swiped another mom's camera and pretended to take a picture but then she asked to see it.  Can't trick her! When we got home I took her picture with her participation award.

 A few days later we found out that Hadlee won the library summer reading drawing for a bunch of play dough toys.  Maddox was bummed that she didn't win but I had been putting both their slips in for the same toy since that's the one Maddox wanted.  She said she wanted it to be her name that was drawn.  Oh well, you stil got all the stuff, kid!

Taste of Hope

At the end of Bible school weeks (for 2 weeks, 3 sessions, over 1500 kids) we have Taste of Hope.  It's just a day of free fun, games, food, bouncy stuff, music, usually fireworks (although not this year because of the drought).  Just a long day of lots of fun.  It starts off in the morning with a 5K, or smaller race for the girls.  They had to do their stretching before the race.

 Maddox waited for an hour to get her face painted.  Gorgeous right?  Better be for that wait!

There's one big church service that night and the kids that were there got to go up and sing a couple bible school songs.  I love the songs and dances we do!  It's so much fun I was doing them too.  I worked at bible school this year so I learned them also.  We sing things like Party Rock changed to God is Rockin in the house tonight... or I'm Sexy and I Know It changed to God loves me and I know it...  And the dances are like an aerobic workout--great for cleaning house to!

CO Trip- Day 8

Friday morning we spent in Colorado Springs.  Jeremy went to the Olympic Training Center and took the tour while the girls, Jessi and I walked to a park a few blocks away.  The OTC said we could come if I carried my dog while on campus.  Ha!  If I'd had the bigger stroller I would have made her just ride in it, but I only had the umbrella stroller.  Besides, I'd been there years before and it gave me time to meet up with an old college friend who lives there.

 We then drove up the interstate a little to the Air Force Academy for a quick look around.

 We drove on up to Brighton where we stayed with an old student of Suzy's.  Suzy kept Maddox for the evening so she could play with all the kids there and Mike, Jeremy, Hadlee and I wento to a Rockies game. 

 Hadlee got her hair colored but she didn't care about it at all.

 Hadlee did care about her hot dog!  Yummy!

That was our last night in Colorado.  Day 9 was spent driving all the way back home about 11 hours.  The kids did wonderful in the car, playing with each other, dolls, books, and video games.  Maddox never once asked to watch a movie.  I could have left the DVD players at home easily.  I was quite surprised.  They also never slept on the way home.  Near Omaha Hadlee started to get tired so Jeremy moved to the back seat to keep her awake.  I certainly didn't want her taking a 2 hour nap just as we got home in time for bedtime.  It was a great trip.  Although, for me, just about any vacation is great.  But it was nice to get back to Colorado and spend a few days with my cousin.  David was a great host and I can't wait to go back again!  Next time maybe in the winter??

CO Trip- Day 7

 By Thursday it was time to leave Aspen and drive over Independence Pass, down the mountain, to Colorado Springs.

 We stopped and visited the ghost town of Independence where these crazy people lived at 12,000 feet in the early 1900s.   Brrrr.

 We got out at Independence Pass and took a ton of pictures of us all being goofy.  I'll spare you here.

 Maddox pointing out the closest she could get to snow.  If'd she'd be willing to hike 2-3 hours she could have gotten to it.

 Jeremy was into depth perception photography.  So that got him,Matthew, Emily, and I started on what could we hold up or walk on that 14,000 foot mountain in the background.  Most of our pictures still looked completely fake.

 The cute cousins have such fun together!

 We spent the rest of the afternoon making the very boring and non-scenic drive down to Co Springs.  We stopped to play at Garden of the Gods.

That night we had our only hotel stop.  We also ate out for the first time because we were SO tired of picnic sandwhiches!!  I think we only ate out about 3 times, the rest was grocery cooking and picnicking.

Silly cousins hiding in a closet with no door!

CO Trip- Day 6

On Wednesday, our last day in the Aspen area, we all went to Maroon Bells.  It was so pretty!

 Hadlee is quite the rock climber, big or small.  She loves to climb things then say "cheese!"

 Maroon Bells are over 14,000 feet and look completely fake.  I swear someone cut out some corrugated cardboard shapes and put them behind the water.  Not much snow on them this year since it had been so hot.  As a matter of fact, we didn't ever get to touch snow.

 Peek a boo!

 Another hot dog swimming in Maroon Lake.

 Jessi had to play fetch a little in such a crystal clear lake in front of the Bells.  She loves to swim!

 We hiked down the creek a little bit and played around in the trees.

 Hadlee couldn't just walk up the hill, she had to choose a rock to climb up of course.  She made it though.

After picnicking there our family went back to Aspen to do some shopping on our last day.  I was sad to leave.  I love vacations, love Colorado, love the Aspen area, and leaving meant we were headed back towards home.