Run Baby, Run

Riley participated in the Running Club at school this fall. For nine weeks they met every Tuesday and Thursday before school. After a warm up they would run around the school and the park next door. The goal was for each child to run the length of a marathon over the course of the two months. And with the encouragement of some great coaches, Riley did it! 

One of the coaches made the comment to me that all the little kids that participated had one of two demeanors while they ran: they were playful and goofy, making up games as they ran; or they were martyrs about the whole thing, acting like every step they took might be their last. She told me that Riley was the only exception: she was serious and focused every time.

Football Season

We were able to get some really cheap tickets to the Utah v. Colorado football game in Boulder, so we made a whole day of it.

First, we had a tailgate party of our own: turkey sandwiches out of the back of the minivan, and some pseudo-football on the grass.

We were on the fifth row, right behind the goal post. Sitting down low on the end made depth-perception nearly impossilble. "Did he just run 5 yards or 25?" But being that close to the field and the players helped maintain the kid's interest in the game.

The school has a fun pre-game tradition of running Ralphie the buffalo around the perimeter of the field. Man, those students that run with him have to be in good shape because that buffalo runs pretty fast!

It was a close game, all the way to the end, and we had a lot of fun. This may just become a biannual tradition!

Obligatory Fall Photo

What's fall without a pile of leaves? And a runny nose? There was nice fall weather after the snow from the 2nd snow storm melted.

Leaves Day

The day we rake/blow/play in/mulch the leaves in our yard is becoming one that the kids look forward to. It’s a lot of work for the parents, but we enjoy it too.

And just a side note: Why is it that you can do something over and over with your kids and they laugh every time, but as soon as your camera is recording, that same something makes them cry?

This Season

 

We celebrated Halloween with three different events in the week leading up the the actual holiday. On Halloween night the kids dressed up, but we stayed home to hand out treats. I think my kids had more fun "sharing candy" than they would have if we'd gone trick-or-treating.

As I stated last year, I'm not a huge fan of Halloween. I like seeing little kids in their cute costumes. And it's especially fun for me now that my kids get a kick out of dressing up. But other than that, I could totally do without it.

So, with that said, on to my favorite part of this season...the weather! I really missed fall when we lived in Austin. I love the crisp weather, apples and squash in season, the changing leaves, crunching through piles of them, boots and sweaters, pumpkins and gourds, and not feeling guilty when I turn on my oven, to name a few.

Yesterday we had perfect weather for playing outside. Riley started burying herself in leaves, and she didn't have to say much to convince me to finish the project.

 Riley unsuccessfully tried to talk Asher into to letting her do the same to him. He was not interested in laying down. But he did have fun throwing leaves.

Pumpkin Patch

The kids and I went to a pumpkin patch last week with Riley's playschool group. This group of girls are so sweet with each other. Teaching the group every few weeks has allowed me to see Riley interact with her "classmates." I love seeing how much they love to help each other, and how much they love learning and doing new things.

The pumpkin patch is the same one we went to last year, and I couldn't resist getting a photo of Riley and Asher in the same spot as last year.

I had fun taking photos of the kids with such beautiful backdrops. Asher wasn't too pleased with the camera, but Riley seemed to be feeling a little photogenic.

Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta

We decided that the kids were old enough to appreciate the Balloon Fiesta, so we headed down to Albuquerque to visit my parents and sister and her family. The weather was perfect - mid-70º's to 80º's during the day and 45º to 50º in the morning (which is much appreciated when you head Balloon Fiesta Park at 5am). I got some tennis playing in with my parents and we ate at Dion's twice (a local pizza, sub, and salad place that I'm addicted to [and I even worked there for my first job]).

Before we get to balloon pictures, here's another activity. On the drive down, we told Riley about her Grandmommy's business. My mom owns and operates an air ambulance company (she started it with a pilot). My mother is one of the most tenacious people I know, and it's because of her personality, humor, and drive that her company is so successful. After telling Riley that Grandmommy has a plane (actually two, but the other is base in Phoenix), she wanted to see it. Lately, Riley has been into the "when I grow up, I want to be a ..." and after this, she wanted to be a pilot. There was a flight the next day, and the pilots reported that everything in the cockpit was okay, except the thrusters were pushed all the way forward.

 

 

 

We went to the Thursday afternoon special shapes glowdeo, but the winds were too high for them to inflate. There was a great fireworks show, so all was not lost. We also decided to brave the kid's possible emotional roller coaster due to such an early morning, and head to Saturday's mass ascension. We left the house at 5am and used the park-n-ride buses to get there (a great choice, since we've been stuck in the traffic for a long time before). We got the obligatory breakfast burritos and hot chocolate, but it wasn't too cold, especially compared to some mornings of previous Balloon Fiestas. We got there early enough for dawn patrol and some balloon glowing.

During the dark, it's hard to get a good picture, but I took these two by hand within seconds of each other using different settings.

Dawn patrol

We picked a balloon and watched it from laying the balloon out (beginning) to takeoff (end).

We were right next to the Creamland cow, which Asher loved, saying, "moo" over and over

 

 

 

After the kids had woken up, were fed, and got warm they were good and enjoyed watching the balloons.

Falling Leaves

Last weekend, it was time to pick up the leaves. I made a pile that was about 6' tall, possibly the biggest pile I've ever made and/or jumped into. There's few things more manly than using a leaf blower (a chain saw comes to mind as even more manly). The lighting was really good, so while Riley jumped into the leaves, we took some pictures (Asher was taking a nap and the few minutes he was awake, he ate the leaves).

These pictures are for my sisters, who are infamous for their jumping photos - at home, at the beach, etc.

In order to convince Riley that is was safe to jump into a pile of leaves, I got out the ladder, climbed a few steps, and fell in backwards. I think the last time that I jumped into a pile of leaves, I was 9, 20 years ago. What did I learn? Even a 6' pile of leaves really doesn't break the fall of a 180# man. I got a little brain jarring when I went straight through the pile into the ground.

Becca had more luck. I think her technique was a little better, spreading her weight out (and weighing a lot less probably also helped).

Pumpkin Patch

I am not a big fan of Halloween. It was fun when I was younger and going to parties. And now it's fun to dress up my kids in cute costumes. But all the scary (or just weird) decorations, haunted houses, and scary movies just aren't for me.

With that said, I am totally getting into the season this autumn. Maybe it was the five adorable pumpkins we grew in our garden. Maybe it's the fact that the temperatures have actually cooled off here in Colorado. Or maybe it was our trip to the cutest pumpkin patch/petting zoo last week. We came home about a dozen pumpkins of all different sizes and colors to add to our own.

Dressed For The Weather

Autumn is just around the corner! There was a chill in the air today, and it rained off and on all day. After 5 years without experiencing this season in Austin, we're all excited for it now. This is Riley "dressed for rain" this evening. And yes, she went to dinner with us looking just like this.

Quick Trip Up North

Earlier this week, we went up to the Dallas area to meet the mother that has selected us to adopt her child when he is born. We went up Tuesday and stayed with Becca's aunt and uncle. I've always had a good time going up there.

Her uncle Vaughn has season tickets to the Dallas Mavericks and invited me to go. Becca's grandparents had come down from Utah for Thanksgiving, so Vaughn, Grandpa, a cousin's wife's stepfather, and I headed to the game. They played the Pacers and trailed by 10 almost the whole game, but fought back at the end and, after 2 Jason Kidd 3 pointers, took the lead and closed it out.

Some of Becca's cousins and families came over for dinner and played some games. Riley had a really fun time with her 2nd cousins. They're all a fun bunch.

The visit with the birthmother and her family went really well. Give us a call if you would like to know more. We met and talked for about 3 and a half hours. Her aunt made a really good green chile chicken enchilada casserole for lunch. Mmm. Green chile from New Mexico. Because of the holiday traffic, it took us about 6 hours to get home (normally about a 4 hour drive). Good thing Shana didn't get in until after 11pm on Wednesday.

Here are some pictures of Riley playing outside at Ann and Vaughns. She found this cape in the playroom and I think it went well with her whole Rock Star ensemble. Check out the look in the 1st picture. Man, you think I was the paparrazi.