Proud Mama

I love my two boys and it is getting even more exciting as they start to interact/play together.  Ian is such a proud big brother - although quick to rat out Milo when he is breakin' the rules.  Ha!  I got up Saturday morning to find them "working" on our vacuum.  It was adorable.  Milo has a fantastic sense of humor, as well as Ian.  Our house if full of laughs and smiles and I love it.  

Saturday was the Longmont Airport Expo.  It was a beautiful day! We met up with the Courtney's - Maggie and John tagged along with us.  Uncle Jon, Aunt Heather and Peyton joined us later.  We had a blast getting up close and personal to all the planes, helicopters and skydivers.  We attended the expo a couple of years ago and I have to say this year was MUCH better!  It was a great family event and a great way to spend a Saturday morning together. 

We didn't get to see our festival friends, the Frazier's, at the expo.  So we called them up and invited them over for dinner.  It was our turn to return the favor!  We have so much fun hanging out with them and the kids have a grand time together.  Poor Mia - the only girl.  She holds her own though.  We did have an "incident" that put a little wrinkle in the festivities.  Ian climbed up on a chair to throw something in our outdoor trash can, he lost his balance and fell off the chair...scraping his left forearm along the grill on his way down.  It was several minutes of chaos, but we were able to get it under control.  I wasn't sure whether a trip to the ER was necessary or not.  We decided to watch him and his arm to determine the next step.  It wasn't even 30 minutes later that he was up and running about with his peeps again, so I felt okay with not going.  I did take him to the doctor Monday morning and they were impressed with how well it looks.  They told us to keep doing what we are doing and return on Friday for a follow-up.  Ian was just excited to show it off to all his daycare friends and tell them what happened.  This is just the beginning for me...

Sunday we met up with the Courtney's for pooltime.  Lily takes Ian to the Roosevelt pool a lot during the summer, but I have not.  I decided it was time to take advantage of the local pools.  Right before walking out the door I hear a crash and Milo crying.  I run into the bathroom to find him with 2 large scrapes and a HUGE goose egg on his forehead.  This time I was alone and trying to manage both boys, so I probably was not as calm as the day before.  I put a cold washcloth on his head, but he wasn't having it.  We rocked for a little bit until he was calm enough to get in his car seat.  I was worried this might impact his mood at the pool, but he did fine.  By the time we arrived at the pool it was as if it never happened...except for the huge gash on his forehead.  Milo loved the pool.  He just hung out in his float and was perfectly content watching the world go by around him.  We brought a ton of snacks so we could have lunch taken care of before heading back home.  Ian and Milo were both wiped out after the pool, so they both took naps and I lounged as well.  I am thinking this is our new weekend tradition!

I had so many pictures to share that I had to make a slideshow.  Enjoy!

Oops!

I swear I posted this, but clearly not.  I guess I got the slideshows posted and called it done.  My bad. 

Linnea (the darling daughter of Erin and Mattias) turned 2 on June 22nd.  We headed to Denver on June 18th to help her celebrate.  She hosted a party at Little Monkey Business.  I have heard great things about it, but this was our first time there.  Ian LOVED it and I loved that he could just run around and I didn't have to worry about where he was or what he was doing.  There was a space for crawlers, but Milo wanted to be with the big kids.  We let him crawl around and hang out in the places where there were not many bigger kids, but all the kids did a great job watching out for him.  A little pizza party and cake after a hard night of playing.  What could be better?  We went to the Nordlof's for some down time following the party - kids played in the backyard, we enjoyed a drink or two.  Then it was time to head home for bed:(  

Sunday was Father's Day and Casey's only day off during the week.  The boys both slept in until 7:30 AM, which was lovely.  We let Daddy sleep for a bit longer, but he is a morning person so he didn't sleep too much longer.  We hit the road and headed up to Rocky Mountain National Park for a couple of hours.  It was a gorgeous day!  We were hoping to see some snow (Ian insisted on wearing his snow boots and bringing along his shovel just in case), but didn't get too far before it was time to turn around.  A busy day was still ahead!  We stopped off to check out the raging river.  It was awesome.  I can only imagine how much crazier it is going to get since there is still so much snow to melt.  We all enjoyed a fun day with Daddy!  We are blessed to have such a wonderful man to keep our home happy.  Thank you for all you do for us my love.

Later that night we headed back to Denver - I got Casey tickets to the Rock of Ages musical for Father's Day.  We had talked about going and it worked out that Erin and Mattias scored some discounted tickets for us.  Always a bonus!  We enjoyed a great dinner at Marco's and then met the Nordlof's at the Limelight Supper Club.  Not like the supper clubs back home, but still a nice atmosphere and great cocktails before the show.  Rock of Ages was awesome - it was like being at all my favorite concerts at once!  I wanted to get up and dance, but figured I would get the stink eye from all the theatre peeps.  So I rocked out in my chair and sang along to every song.  I highly recommend anyone who was in love with the hair metal bands to check out this musical - you will not be disappointed!

Hidden Gem

It's no secret that the Andrews clan LOVES the airport!  Last Sunday the boys slept in until 7:30 (woohoo!) so we packed up and headed to the airport for breakfast.  Nothing beats an affordable, yummy breakfast while watching planes, skydivers, helicopters and the occassional jet!  We love Diane and the Flight Deck Grill!  June 25th is the Longmont Airport Expo and we can't wait.  If you live in or around Longmont, I definitely recommend this fun (and free!) family activity.

Our view from the breakfast table.  It doesn't get much better than this!  We were able to watch two rounds of skydivers as well.  It is hard to get photos of them because they look like little specks in the sky until they are about to land.  There was a lot of activity this particular day.  We even got to see a jet land and take off.  Pretty cool!

 Ian has been in need of a haircut for some time and we were stalling.  It's hard to throw down $20 for a trim, but I guess it is better than what it would look like if I gave it a try.  Too risky.  Casey had Tuesday off so he took Ian to Loveland for breakfast and to check out a new place...Lollilocks.  Kate recommended it so we figured why not.  They enjoyed breakfast and then were going to head to the water park, but on the way they found a construction site and Ian had to watch them.  He kept shouting "They're working!"  He was in heaven.  I am amazed Casey was able to pry him away to get his haircut - ha!

                                                                             Before

 After...

 Casey was going for a Tony Hawk cut from the 80's, to which Ian lovingly called the "Hawk".  When Casey sent me the first picture I was a little worried about him looking Amish.  I just needed to see it in person.  At least it wasn't a rat tail!  He didn't care, he was just excited he got a lollipop:)

Batter up!

This weekend was a blast - some planned and some not.  Saturday morning Ian told me he wanted to go to the Flower Bin (a local nursery that we take the boys to when we need to get out of the house - bonus, it's free!).  I told him we could do that, but we needed to stop by Uncle Jon's first.  We ended up staying there for the rest of the morning and the kids enjoyed a yummy lunch that Aunt Heather made.  It was a fun impromptu visit!

 Ian was disappointed we never made it to Flower Bin, but I told there would definitely be some gardening in our weekend plans so he should not fret.  He didn't want to go down for a nap, but after letting him know a trip to the park was planned after his nap he was quite cooperative.  I am not against bribery!

We met up with the Courtney family at the Rainbow Ridge park.  The weather was great and everyone had so much fun.  We got the kids to sit and eat for about 2 minutes.  We knew it would be a challenge - who wants to eat when there is a giant playground behind you?  Plus, I knew the more they played the more exhausted they would be which would equal bliss at bedtime.  Enough said.

I know I am biased, but I have to admit our kids are pretty darn cute!  We were able to lure them away from the playground long enough to enjoy Rice Crispie treats.  Ella helped her Mommy make them and they were delish!  They are one of my favorites and clearly a hit with the rest of the crew:) 

Sunday we took Ian to his first Rockies baseball game.  We had a blast!  John's birthday was the 8th and Maggie arranged a weekend of baseball for his friends.  We couldn't have asked for a better day!  Ian was excited, but I don't think he knew exactly what he was excited about.  John is the biggest baseball fan I have ever known.  He loves everything about it and is loyal to his team.  He bought Ian a Rockies shirt last year and I was so happy to see it still fit him.  His shirt matched John's jersey - too cute! 

 John brought a baseball for Ian to get autographs on.  In the picture above he is getting an autograph from Charles Blackmon.  He thought it was so cool!  Just look at the expression on his face in the picture below.  Love it!

 It was great to take Ian to the game with people who go all the time.  They know it all, we just had to follow their lead!  After the second inning, we took Ian to meet Dinger.  Again, he was quite excited but not exactly sure what he was excited about.  Once he saw that Dinger was a dinosaur he was even more excited!  He got Dinger to autograph his ball too. 

When we moved to Erie, we rented a carriage house from Bob Donchez.  He was the best landlord ever!  He is a professor at the university, so we have kept in touch with him since he can pop in and say "hi" to Casey at work.  We also knew that he was a vendor at the Rockies games (the REAL Bob the Beerman!) so I left a message for him on his cell phone and sure enough...he was there.  It was great to catch up with him.  He missed Ian, but sent him a larger than life popsicle that brought a huge smile to his face!

 And cotton candy too - the treats were endless!  So much fun for a little boy.

We left in the 6th inning - Ian did great, but man was he tired.  No nap - I thought for sure he would fall asleep on the drive home.  But he stayed awake (barely!) and talked, talked, talked about the game...and lawnmowers.

His new thing is asking how lawnmowers work.  He will tell you that some have engines and some don't.  Some have gas and some don't.  Some plug in and some don't.  He could talk about lawnmowers all day long!  Imagine his shock when we found a robot lawnmower down the street from our house.  What?!  Mind was blown.  He told each and every person he saw for the rest of the day about the "giant robot lawnmower" - it was hilarious!  Truth be told, my mind was blown a bit too. 

 We had a relaxing evening and everyone was pretty tired.  Milo enjoyed some one on one time with Daddy in the hammock.  While Ian helped me plant rhubarb.  I am hoping it takes, but my history with plants in Colorado is not good.  Only time will tell!

Ian and Milo

Shoes, Shellac and Sunshine

When my Mom was out for Easter we attended the Mollie McGee craft show and stumbled upon a woman selling Bandals.  I had never heard of these before, but knew if it had to do with flip flops and interchangeable bands...I was in!

Last Friday I hosted my first Bandals party with Dawn Hackney.  A few girlfriends joined in the fun and even Ian had to check out the goods.  They are SO comfortable and I love that I can get different looks but maintain the base that I have broken in.  If you love flip flops - you must check them out!

This is one of four bands that I purchased.  Dawn was wearing this band at the show and I had to get them.  I am not much for animal prints, but I thought these were too cute.  I must also mention my toenails, courtesy of the shellac pedicure at Mimi's nails- another summer must have!  It costs a bit more but is totally worth it.  This pedi is almost 2 weeks old and looks just like it did the day I got it.  Perfect for a busy Mom like me!

Casey had to work early on Saturday and the boys woke me up at 5:45.  Lucky me!  By 9 AM I was starting to lose my mind.  Casey called and suggested we come to C4C for lunch.  I couldn't get the boys ready and out the door fast enough.  Ian started jumping on the bed, "Yay, yay, yay!  I get to see my Daddy!"  It was so quiet there - maybe 10 students total.  I love eating out at a place where my kids can be loud and messy and I don't feel like there a 100 pairs of judging eyes laid upon me!

I got the boys home in time to take a nap.  Milo fell asleep almost immediately after leaving C4C.  I didn't want him to because I knew it would hinder his real nap once we got home.  Ian tried to keep him awake by yelling, "Cock-a-doodle-do!" at the top of his lungs.  No success, despite his best efforts.  All he got out of it was the stink eye from Milo.

I was able to get the boys down for a nap and had 30 minutes to myself before Milo decided he was not going to nap any longer.  I think Milo is starting to learn that if he wants anything to himself he is going to have to nap off schedule of Ian.  I can't blame him.  I truly enjoy the alone time I get with both of my boys.  Once Ian got up from his nap, it was off to Stephen Day park for some fun with Ella!  They had a blast playing together.  I love that they are at the age they entertain themselves mostly, which affords Kate and I the opportunity to catch up:)

After the park it was time to pick up Daddy and Milo, then head to the Frazier's for dinner.  It is so nice to have friends with kids close in age.  The boys (Keller on the left and Ronan on the right) have so much fun together.  What a crew these boys will be once Milo is able to join the pack! 

Sunday we headed to Loveland to get summer clothes for the boys.  Ian is still able to wear a few things, but he was in desperate need of t-shirts.  It is nice having 2 boys because they can share some stuff, but they are off in seasons so Milo is only able to wear a few things that Ian never got the chance to wear. 

We stopped at Culver's for lunch.  Yum!  I really wanted to get a picture of Milo with a Culver's bib on like I did with Ian.  So cute!

I had to settle for a sack hat instead.  I couldn't believe he kept this on - I can't get him to wear a hat to save his life.  Apparently, I am not going for the right look...

Sunday afternoon I made a rhubarb crisp.  My co-worker brought me some from her garden, as well as a plant for my own yard.  I haven't had much success in growing anything since we moved here, so my fingers are crossed.  I love rhubarb pie, but wanted to try something a little different.  I found this recipe and I dare say...it might be my new favorite!  This little cutie thinks so too:)

walkin' and rollin'

Milo is on a mission.  On the 16th of May he crawled on all fours for the first time and he hasn't stopped since!  The crawling phase was short lived.  He only crawls in order to get from one place where he was standing to another place where he can stand up.  Danger! Danger!  This milestone has taken childproofing to a whole new level and I am not sure I am really prepared for it.  He sure is loving this new adventure though.   

I figured I should probably put his new found skill to work...

no time like the present to teach him to wash the windows and do laundry:)

Happy Friday!