Museum of Nature & Science

We love the abundance of kid activities here in Denver. Today I took the boys to the Museum of Nature and Science for a free day. We spent 3 hours there and Jonas didn't want to leave.

Jonas didn't care too much for the dinosaurs. Lots of loud noises and scary skeletons dangling from the ceiling. In time, he will know all the names of the dinosaurs, I'm sure.

Jonas loved the wild life animals...especially the huge turtle.

Silas enjoyed pushing the button for the noise that mountain lions make.."roar"!

Our last stop was the Discovery Zone for kids to touch, create, and learn all about science. Jonas spent 20 minutes getting this skeleton body put together. I enjoyed teaching him all the bones of the body while we assembled it and he loved listening and hands-on.

What a joy! I love being a mom to my 2 boys. Jonas continues to absorb so much information and I love to help him discover and explore. It's a learning experience for me too!

Rockies game with DAD!

Matt took Jonas to a Rockies game Tuesday night. They were there an hour early, so they went down to the field and touched the grass. Walked around and met Dinger, the mascot! What a great night for them to be together! The Rockies beat the Braves that night.

They came home before the game was over, so we watched the rest on TV. Jonas kept pointing at the TV saying "I was at the game". It was neat to see his wheels turning in his head.

Just a fun day!

Now that Matt is back to school, we really need to treasure the days he is home on the weekends. Today was a special day!

Jonas helped me make chocolate chip carrot pancakes. They were really good!

I think this is the best photo I have of our 2 sons together. And I only had to take 1 photo! They are so cute!!!

Our church had a non-purpose party in the back patio for everyone at church and the neighborhood. Jonas loved jumping in the blaster bouncer. All the parents were amazed at how well he could jump...well, he has about an hour of practice everyday on our trampoline and a natural athlete behind his belt.

First snow cone! Refreshing! Matt told me it was his first snow cone ever too!

I missed the guy that got dunked in the picture, but Jonas threw the ball at the target and the guy was drenched. Everyone was so excited that a 2 year old could do such a thing!

Finished our day with homemade pizza! Yummy!

As we put Jonas down for bedtime tonight, he started to sing the song we sing to him every night since he was 1 day old...O, Lord You are Beautiful! That was the first time he ever attempted to sing with us and it was perfect. He knew every word! We are so very blessed with such fun and beautiful children. Matthew 18:3 "...become like children"

Fire Muster

Our town had a local fire muster for families to come join in on some fun activities and look at fire trucks. Jonas especially loved the older fire trucks.

Jonas practicing to be a fireman with the hose. It was very powerful!

Trying to figure how everything works.

1974 fire truck...the same year Matt was born. Nostalgia!

Jonas at home fighting fires.

Cutting a tooth

What do you think? Is Silas cutting a tooth or what? It came in later today...his 3rd tooth at 10 1/2 months old. Finally!!!

1 fish, 2 fish

We have enjoyed our condo's pool this summer especially on days like this...almost 100 degrees. Our 2 fishes LOVE the water. Both of them are fearless and always push us away. Jonas will learn how to swim on his own very soon.

Dad throwing up Silas really high in the sky.

Jonas was harder to throw high but he loved it.

This is Silas after being dunked under water.

This is Jonas practicing on breathing out of his nose and mouth under water on his own. I was sitting on the side of the pool and Jonas was dipping his head in and out of the water. It was amazing to watch! There were times I was nervous, but he just wanted to be under water longer than I wanted him to.

Jonas potty trained

Jonas is potty trained! After the first 6 days of potty training, we decided to try diaper free at night as well. After 10 days of dryness at night and no accidents, he is a big boy and completely potty trained. It amazes me how easy he was to train. Ok...Matt potty trained him for the most part. Matt made this sticker chart for him too! He is so proud to wear underwear everyday and likes to show off his "Lightning McQueen" underwear to friends. We love you, Jonas!

Rocky Mountain National Park

Last minute trip to the mountains for the day! Jonas has been asking us to see a waterfall all summer so we decided to go to Rocky Mountain National Park. They had a free entry day too! It was planned perfectly, other than we chose a hike that was 6 miles long and steep. But we did it and Jonas hiked at least 2.5 miles of it too! Amazing!

Snacks before we set off on the trail.

Jonas loves to hike! He knows to step over roots and rocks without even looking down. We were hiking as fast as most people out there and they were in awe that Jonas was hiking so well.

The boulders in the park was so big and fun to climb up.

This part was steep and Matt carried Jonas up in the pack. What a strong man!

Finally, we made it to the Ouzel Falls. It was beautiful. It's tough to photography the magnificent power of the water rushing down.

Jonas has been balancing on things for years now...ok...since he could walk at 9 months old! Not scared one bit.

Brothers forever!

Family of 4...exhausted! However, we had 3 miles to get down.

Both boys fell asleep in our packs.

And then driving out from the trailhead, we spotted a moose! Breathtaking! We just sat in the car and watched her cross the road. Massive!

Pee on a tree?

We visited Grandad and Grandmom(Matt's parents) for the past 5 days. They helped us with the boys so Matt could have a break and I could continue healing. Jonas has been potty training for week and a half now. He is doing so well. While we were there in their cabin in the woods, Matt gave him the option to pee in the potty or outside on a tree. He chose the tree but as he was standing there waiting, Jonas asked "pee on a tree?" As soon as Matt gave him the ok, Jonas went. Every time after that, he would run outside to pee on a tree. He loved it! I have a photo on Nancy's camera of him peeing...I will post it later when I download it. Until then, we have been so surprised and proud of Jonas' accomplishment. Last night was the first night without a diaper and he did it! He woke up and went straight to the potty. Amazing! He is so happy to be a big kid.

Family in town again

It was such a blessing to have my family come into town after I broke my arm. They were coming through Denver after their long trip in the midwest. What perfect timing! Opa stayed for just a day, the LA Robinsons stayed for 2 days, and Oma(my mom) stayed a week and a half.

Opa reading to Eli and Jonas about good manners!LOL!

Uncle Nate bouncing the kids on the trampoline.

Homemade vanilla ice cream! Do I say more? Yum!

Best of cousins!

Sydney was such a big help with Silas. And of course, Silas loved the attention.

Oma started on a kitchen remodel by cleaning out every cabinet, wiped down every surface, de cluttered the countertops, reorganized the food and dishes, and painted the door and one accent wall. It's amazing!

Bought baskets at Goodwill and painted them. What a grand idea to store more food!

Oma camp...making cookies with our new Kitchen Aid mixer!

I love being in the kitchen now! Thanks Oma for all your generous help! Matt and I were able to go to 2 Rockies games while she was here. What a treat!

Broken arm

It's been a few weeks since I could be at the computer. I broke my arm while mountain biking and have been in a sling or resting. Matt, a few friends, and I were out mountain biking at Kenosha Pass...2 hours out of Denver. Six miles out, I crashed riding across a narrow bridge. At the time, I was getting dizzy and feeling that we needed to head back anyway. My balance on a bike has been depleted since I have had kids. It's a pity! I'm not the mountain biker I use to be, and it shows. Oh well! After I fell, I grabbed my elbow quickly and knew something was terribly wrong. I have never broken a bone and all I could remember was asking Matt "how does a broken bone feel like?" As most of you know, Matt has broken several bones in his life. My first instinct was to dip my elbow in the creek nearby and hold the area with my hand. A few minutes later, cross country mountain bikers rode by and gave me 800mg of Ibufropen. Then our friends rode back up the trail to find help because there was no way for me to get out of there with my bike. Campers were near by in the forest and gave me a lift back to our campsite. They had food and ice for me! What a blessing! Every bump in the dirt road hurt but I knew it was better than walking out 6 miles. Matt packed up the car at the campsite and headed home. The x-ray showed a compression fracture at the radial head of the radius bone. They put me in a sling and sent me home. For 5 days, I couldn't sleep or help with the boys. Matt took good care of the boys and me. Luckily, we had my mother come through town at the same time and helped tremendously with chores around the house. Now that it has been 2 weeks, I still have pain but able to wash and dress myself now. I haven't been able to pick up the boys. The orthopedic ordered a cat scan for me and we are waiting for results. Until then, I continue other therapy for my arm...massaging the area, acupuncture, and rest.

I have been blessed to have Matt home on summer break still and help from both sides of the family! Thank you so much! 1 Peter 5:6-7-Cast all your anxiety on Him!-He cares!

Camping with friends

This was our camping trip where I broke my arm. I finally am able to post them. We had a great time with friends and were so blessed to have them there to help us in any way.

Jonas and Asher are the bestest buddies! Jonas prays for him every night. It's quite sweet!

Everyone around the campsite!