Favorite New Toy

What would we do without Lara!?  This is just a shout out to my aunt (and my three cousins' of course) who's given us so many hand-me-downs that there is really nothing that we will ever have to buy for Natalie.  Seriously, the stroller, crib, and rocking chair are all from Lara.  In the garage we have a princess tricycle and a tiny pink bike with training wheels, and a helmet to match.  In the basement I have large plastic bins labeled with ages up to 7 (years - seriously!) containing name brand clothes and shoes and jackets.  And that's probably just a drop in the bucket.  If I really started looking I'm sure I'd find more stuff that came from Lara, (bookshelf, couch, fridge, etc.)  

Anyway, the last couple times we've seen her she'd just cleaned out the toy room.  We received large legos, which I thought were great, a number of books and movies, and this box of blocks.  

Natalie loves climbing in and out of it, and trying to close it on herself.  

But even better than that, is emptying it out, one block at a time, and then, (if we're lucky) filling it back up again.  

All in a day's work.  

Thanks Lara!  

Getting together

We love an excuse to get together in my family.  Last week my Aunt Toni came into town for her sister's wedding.  Toni hasn't seen Natalie since she was about five months old and we took her on her first plane trip to visit Brett and Toni and my cousins in Wisconsin.  

We all gathered at my Aunt Lara's house for some BBQ.  It's always fun to see everyone.  

Natalie loved hearing my dad (Grandpa Gary) playing the piano, but even more fun was helping him make some music!  

And Natalie tried to give Kenzie a hand with her math homework, but it turned out her dad was better equipped to handle that task, to she did some drawing instead.  

I thought this was so cute - the dad's with their little girls!  

Marshall Mesa Loop

Well, Nupur and I and the girls got to add another notch on our baby carrier last week.  We've gotten a bit smarter after two aborted attempts at Royal Arch, and this time we gave the Boulder Mountain Parks rangers a call before starting out.  Good thing too.  Though the weather looked fine at home and the ground was dry, up on the higher trails it was still icy and wet in the shade and on the rocks.  The rangers recommended Marshall Mesa Trail, which was going to be our backup anyway, so we went for it.  

It was a much easier trail than the one's we've done, and with no real destination.  The trail was full of mountain bikers which was also unlike the trails at Chautauqua where bikes aren't allowed.  But the views were really unmatched.  (Below you see the flatirons and NCAR, with the snow-covered Longs Peak rising behind.) 

We enjoyed a nice picnic lunch at the top of the mesa in the shade of some pine trees.  The views from our choice spot weren't all that great, but the shade was welcome because the sun was so hot.  It was also nice to find a place clear of cactus to sit down and let the girls play for a bit.  I think they get a bit tired of being carried all the time and want to explore their world a bit more closely.  

We did  a little baby swap on the way down to try out each other's packs.  It was nice getting to see Natalie while I hiked.  Usually I miss her little face, though Nupur does a good job keeping her occupied for me if she gets fussy.  

Marshal Mesa turned out to be a  great walk, though not too technical. There is a bunch of interesting literature along the trail about the coal mining history of the site, but the girls were just a little too young to appreciate that aspect, (they did enjoy checking out the bikers though!)  I'm glad we got it done with early in the season, because it is so exposed that it would be way too hot later in the Summer.  

I guess that's what makes the views so great though!  

Walkin' 'round Waneka

Last weekend, we were getting pretty sick of being stuck in the house so we took advantage of the beautiful weather to go for a hike.  Well, that was the plan.  Turns out that as few as 5 miles West of where we live the rain that had soaked our soil had deposited nearly 20 inches of snow.  

The parking lot of the trailhead that we attempted to visit was still under snow, so we settled for a walk around Waneka Lake, (actually a small reservoir) just a couple blocks from my dad's house where I grew up.  

Natalie napping in the parking lot... 

Just about to set out on the walk.  It's flat the whole way, and we were going for exercise, so we did the 1.2 mile loop twice.  

There was only a little snow on the ground in Lafayette... still hard for us to believe, since we didn't get any at our house.  

It was good to just get the fresh air, and see the beautiful snow-covered mountains.  

Picture Backlog!

Well, I've obviously had a tough time getting myself to the computer the past week!  I've been out and about enjoying some great spring weather with Natalie and I have so many great things to show you.  to make up for my neglect I've scheduled a new post each day this week for 2:00pm.  

I thought maybe I'd give you all a few teaser pictures to hold you over until the afternoon, bu instead, I'm going to post a few pictures from the week that are just too cute not to share, but maybe don't deserve their own post.  

Ummm... BBQ.  

Making friends at the park.  

Singing 'Head and shoulders, knees and toes' at Twinkle Babies, (storytime at the library.)  

Going for a walk.  

A cold day at another park near our house!  

So that's some of the stuff we did last week!!  I'll tell you about another adventure later.  

so that's what those things are for!

Natalie so far has two small teeth in the bottom center of her mouth.  These two elusive teeth have only been caught on camera once, and the shot was so blurry that their existence was still in doubt. 

Today after lunch we were enjoying some apple and mango bits.  I showed Natalie how she could scrape the fruit off the peel using just her two bottom teeth.  She didn't like my hands in her mouth at first and was all ready to throw a fit.  But when she realized what I was doing she laughed and laughed.  What a good joke!  Those two sharp little things in her mouth were actually good for something.  

Well, she didn't get very far with the apple, but with the thickly cut mango skins scored, she was able to clean off three or four large strips!

And while she was working on the apple, I got this bit of video!  If you're paying attention, you can spot her teeth!! 

 

A True Sign of Spring

Maybe there is still snow on the ground, and you haven't seen a robin or a tulip, but you can really be sure spring is here when you see this.  

Yes, Chewy got his annual "lion cut".  We couldn't bear his mats and shedding any longer.  The tumbleweed tufts of hair were getting out of control, and a person can only handle finding cat hair in their mouths so often.  

Here's the 'before' shot so you know just what we were dealing with.  

We might not have to go to such lengths if he would actually let us brush him, but since he doesn't, well... you get the idea.  

It does seem like we always end up getting around to his haircut when it's unusually cold out, but it's sure to heat up soon, and he doesn't have to go out unless he wants to.  

And everyone asks if he minds his haircut, and we really don't think so.  We stay with him while he is getting it, and I truly think the most traumatic part of the experience (for all of us) is the car ride to and from the barber.  He'll be out walking the fences showing off his new 'do just as soon as the weather permits - maybe tomorrow.  

I think he likes being able to feel being pet and loved on so much better.  

Here he is enjoying a nice stretch.  

And he probably will be cuddled under a blanket, (and my arm) most of the night.  

Wet Day

The sun did not shine.

It was too wet to play.

So we sat in the house

all that cold, cold, wet day.  

Maybe I'm getting a bit stir crazy, but it's been yucky three days in a row now.  We had to skip our hike yesterday and they're predicting snow today.  

At least the garden is getting some moisture... I'm looking forward to seeing some seedlings soon.  

I'm halfway expecting a visit from the Cat in the Hat.  

Yes, I think stir crazy is the right sentiment.  

I'm looking forward to it being as nice as it was on Tuesday.  

One for You, One for Me

For the last few weeks, on Mondays when I teach a yoga class, my dad has been coming over to take Natalie for a walk with him and his two dogs, Simon and Rudy.  The dogs are very good with Natalie.  Rudy especially likes her; maybe it's because she's so good at sharing.  

Here are a couple videos of her eating her lunch after their walk.  

We'll have to watch her with other dogs because she's not going to be very afraid of them knowing these guys.  

Her Second Easter

Natalie was born on Easter last year, so we kind of missed the holiday.  This year she enjoyed it in all it's chocolate rabbity goodness.  

In the morning she looked through her basket, full mostly of sandbox toys, but there was also a small chocolate bunny, a couple of Cadbury Eggs, and two egg shakers too.  

She got to try a big of her bunny after breakfast.  

Here she is using a fork at lunch... she's getting pretty good at this actually.  She holds it a bit weird, but she spears food, and can get it to her mouth pretty regularly.  I'll post a video of this new trick this week.  

While DH kept the baby entertained, I was busy making a fruit pizza for later.  Looks pretty good, doesn't it!?  These are always requested at family gatherings.  Too bad it stuck to the pan and became a total mess while serving.  I need to use a different pan for these next time.  At least it was pretty.  

Here are a couple of shots of Nat in her Easter finery.  

It was actually a really dismal, rainy day here yesterday, so she wore a sweater over her dress most of the day.  

But she had fun at my aunt Lara's house, playing with the kids, and keeping the adults on their toes.  She got a lot of practice going up and down the stairs, and we got a lot of exercise.  

Royal Arch - Failed Attempt at the Summit

Well, I guess the title gives away the ending of yesterday's hiking story.  Needless to say, we were pretty disappointed that we didn't make it to the top.  

I edited this post to add this picture of Natalie during her pre-hike warm-up in the parking lot. It's cute and I thought you might like it.   

Again the forecast was not great - possible rain and snow, and afternoon winds.  So we got ourselves out there nice and early to avoid as much yuck as possible.  

It was actually a perfect day for a hike, and with the girls all bundled up and strapped in, we quickly worked up enough heat to strip off our own jackets.  We got up to the branch in the trail that leads to Royal Arch - that's as far as we made it last week because we were walking in so much slush that we couldn't go much further.  The trail was clear this time though so we went on.  

We got partway up and made it to the steps that lead up to the false summit.  It was getting a bit snowy though, but we thought maybe it would clear up when we got out of the canyon and into the sunshine again.  We pressed on, up the steps, thought the footing was beginning to get a bit slicker.  Finally some other hikers came down from the trail, and we were able to ask them about the terrain ahead.  "It only gets worse" was their answer.  Well, we had already gotten ourselves in pretty deep and were starting to worry about actually coming down the steep canyon on the ice, so we decided not to press on.  (Below is a picture looking down the trail just below where we turned around... to my right is the little ravine, and to my left is the mountainside that we held onto when our footing was bad.  Behind me is the trail down the mountain that we had to take back.  It was much easier going up than coming down.  

We both agreed that we could probably do it no problem, but with the babies on our backs it was not worth the risk at all!  The idea of falling, even just on our butts, let alone down into the shallow ravine at our side, with the babies on was way too scary!!  So setting egos aside we went back down, and had our lunch in the woods at the top of Bluebell Road.  

We also got to enjoy a bit of playtime where we stopped, and even taste some pine needles!!  

And we had a visit from a large, black squirrel with tufted ears!  Pretty neat!  

We did have a great photo op on the way down the hill... We had to stick the girls in the field to take advantage!!  

Next week we will attempt the Royal Arch summit again.  Unless there has been snow or rain, and then I think we'll try something a little lower that will be less disappointing!!  We won't be able to move on until we've got this notch on our belts!!  

Uptown Girl

Last Friday I took Natalie to visit her dad's work in the evening, and then we met my cousins Steve and Gina and had a yummy dinner at 8 Rivers on Larimer downtown.  

What a fun night full of firsts!  Here's Natalie checking out a horse with her dad.  Doesn't she look like a perfect little city girl in her jean jacket?  

It was also the first time she got to wear this cute dress from my Aunt Margie in England!  I'm looking forward to some nice weather so she can wear it without the long sleeves under it!  (though I'm afraid to wash it in case the red bleeds into the white... any tips?)  

Natalie enjoyed sucking on the limes from our drinks... on the other had she did not enjoy getting a taste, (accidentaly - I'm not that mean!) of my very very spicy jerk chicken!! 

Up until this evening we have taken for granted that Natalie is an angel in restaurants and well contented with the novelty of the restaurant action.  We may have to re-evaluate our little pumpkin.  She was not so angelic this evening.  She wanted to be everywhere, and then began to get a bit cranky.  Luckily it was pretty loud in there so she didn't disrupt any other diners.  

Just a little something we have to work on.  

Walking home it was a bit too chilly for just the jean jacket, so Natalie spent the 5 block or so walk wrapped up in Uncle Steve's jacket and scarf!  

One last shot of the w hole gang, (minus me obviously) on the 16th street mall.  We need to do this more often!!