the splash park

we spent many a summer day at this splash park. and it pains me that we aren't eating our picnic lunches under our umbrella and laying out in the warm sunshine on the grass there anymore. many days we had friends there with us, other days we made new friends there and this place made a rather hefty contribution to our summer being so overloaded with fun in the sun. the kids got nice and tan, i was happy to be outside in the warmth and sun, and this park provided the perfect balance of water fun and shady other-stuff fun. it made the days go by fast (and ensured both my kids would be taking an afternoon nap. at the same time. that's huge for me folks.) it was glorious.

unfortunately as the seasons change and we say goodbye to summer (which makes me oh so sad), we also have to say goodbye to our fun place. labor day hits and it's over. the water is off. which really sucks actually - there are still so many warm days in september. plenty over 90 degrees! and even more sad this year, even if the splash pad was still open we wouldn't be spending any time there - it got hit pretty hard with the flood and was totally under water for a while there. might still be! haven't been by to check in a while... hope it opens back up for us again next year!


ode to our beloved splash park:

peace out splash park. i will see you in my dreams. and get well soon. we want to come back next year and do it all over again.

rain

i took these last week - the first night it rained here. who knew it was just the beginning of 5 straight days of rain and some of the worst flooding and damage colorado has ever seen? thankfully our house is just fine and we made it through that storm unscathed though there are several homes around us whose basements flooded - there are still hoses pumping water from their homes and into the gutters and street. it hasn't rained for three days now. such a bum deal...

it's been so nice to have the sunshine back and play outside again. we try and get every ounce of that in while we can. i am just not ready to see the summer go.

a montage of beth splashing in the rain in front of our house:

her first day

so beth started preschool this week. this girl was so dang excited. she kept asking me for days beforehand if her teacher was at her school yet and if she could go. i kept having to tell her that she had to wait X amount of days before her teacher would be there. and finally the day before when i told her she could go to school after she woke up the next day, she got super hyped and didn't sleep all that well. she was so cute about it... SO excited.

i was really excited for her, but frankly, i also had some anxiety over it too. school. school. why do i already have a child doing anything related to the word school??? even if it is just preschool it still feels like the beginning of the end. the beginning of the next 15 years where she's out there in the world and it all goes so fast and she's no longer under my care all the time and is she ready for this???

i know... it's all very silly, especially considering that at this age she basically just goes and plays with 10 new friends for three hours twice a week. so i kind of got over that. but when i realized that and the anxiety still lingered, i figured out that really, a nice portion of my problem with this new venture is that... dun, dun, dun... we are now tied to a schedule.

school=schedule and that kind of sucks.

 i have thoroughly enjoyed my time off from work this summer with my kids where we can do whatever, whenever. we have had a blast this summer. like, seriously, a blast. i wasn't like all those other moms who felt like taxis and were rushing to get their kids from here to there and couldn't do this because they have to go to this one thing.... nope. not us. we were free birds living the dream. but now that school has started this year, i am slowly becoming one of them. i am entering into the phase where i have to watch the clock and rush away from activities because we have: a schedule. i had a friend ask me how it's any different than day care, and it's not really. other than it's now her schedule which is now related to the word school. refer to paragraph #2. and i'm just being a baby about it.

i'm sure i'll get used to it. the house is definitely a lot quieter when #1 isn't home. it's almost eerie actually. but in the same sense, it rocks that i can get some solid play time with hyde, and when he sleeps, it's nice that i can get some other things done without interruption. perhaps i'll be able to blog more often :) i hope so. in the meantime, i love that beth is lovin' on her teacher miss jeanine and miss carrie, and that makes me happy. she loves going and that's what matters most.

pictures from her first day of school, getting ready at home and at the school with her BFF Macy.




well, we tried.... 

then there's this guy...

hyde and i have come along way in the last couple of months. leah turns 8 weeks today, and for probably the first four weeks or so did not bode well with old hyde. he was overly tantrumy (is that even a word?), and hit A LOT. he still likes to hit, but not nearly as much as before. and not leah, but me. he was a long way from being a mama's boy, in fact, quite the contrary. he would love on his dad all day long and go to him for EVERYTHING. funny thing was, he didn't even really acknowledge leah or seem to care that she was in the room, it was just his demeanor that changed. but a few weeks ago, he decided that he liked me again and we have resumed our "buddy" status. he likes to sit and cuddle with me or come to me when he's hurt or tired, or if he gets shy and feels like there is stranger danger. and ironically, his first word (other than mommy and daddy of course) was baby, after he decided to acknowledge her and realized that she is just a fleshy blob that sleeps on the couch most of the time rather than a threat to his cute self. he likes to "inform" me that she's crying by yelling "baby!" and often brings me her pacifier in an attempt to help out. it's very cute. he doesn't quite lay with her want to bond with her the way beth does, but we have definitely made some progress.

and as usually happens to the "old baby" when the "new baby" comes, he seems so big and grown up to me. he's huge! and so, so funny and playful. he has such an awesome sense of humor... always laughing and teasing. he likes to stick cheerios (or whatever we're eating) in different places on his face and then yells "mommy!" to get my attention and show me, and then cracks up at his own hilariousness before placing another cheerio in a new spot on his face and the process is repeated. he does the same thing with other objects and especially his pacifier when i'm changing his diaper, or especially loves to hide behind his hands and then yell boo! to scare me. he can be so dang cute! total joker. i love it. it's the banner coming out in him. ;) the kid is awesome. (when he's not hitting. or tantrumming. or pushing or taking toys or whining. then he's awesome.)

it's been a while

i feel like it's been forever since i've written anything. it has been forever since i've written anything. i miss it, in a way. life has kept me busy lately, and in a really good way. but it hasn't allowed for as much time for posting the way i'd like to. the kids and i have been taking full advantage of the summer, getting out and doing something nearly everyday. we've spent a lot of time in the water and all of our skin has turned nice and bronzy. it feels good. we go to the lake or the splash park a lot and have been to a pool with friends once or twice as well. we are spending good, quality time with friends (and cousins!) and have had lots of great playdates at various places and houses. the days go by a lot faster than i thought they would. they are full and fun and wear the kids out. they wear me out as well, but the adult interaction i get with the other moms is also refreshing and helps keep me going. 98% of the time, i am LOVING this whole stay at home mom thing. it feels so leisurely! it's hard work, but not coming home everyday and having to stress about picking up kids and getting dinner started at 6 and then kids in bed with some forced quality time somewhere in there... is awesome. i love that everyday is wide open, just waiting for us to decide what we're going to embark on that day. sort of like a choose your own adventure book! we can do whatever, whenever, with little to no limitation. it's awesome.

i admit there is usually one day during the week where the kids are asked to entertain themselves or get some extra tv time so that i can get some housework done, but with all the other days spent playing or on "field trips", i am 100% okay with that. it works for me.

the addition of leah hasn't been all that overwhelming - not like i thought it would be, i should say. she just has to be present everywhere we go, mostly, and as long as i make sure that happens i am smooth sailing. haven't forgotten her once yet! ;) she doesn't require a whole lot of attention right now, so just making sure she's there and fed is fairly easy (for now) and i can still manage the other two generally the way i used to. it never hurts to have an extra hand or pair of eyes around when you're outnumbered by kids, and that's come in most helpful at times during some of our excursions, but i'm not as intimidated to go out and do and be the way i thought i might be after having three kids. for now, it's still manageable and fun. tiring, yes. but oh so fulfilling. lots of happies and joy inside...

leah is still inconsistent with her sleeping, which is frustrating at times, given the other two were sleeping through the night at 6 weeks, but if things are timed just right, there is a small window early in the morning around 5:30 or 6 where i can get up and go for a walk which does wonders for me and our day. i'm always a little more chipper, a little more patient, a little more upbeat if i can get that walk in. it gives me time to gather my thoughts and gear up for the day in solitude, which i genuinely don't take for granted. that is sacred time, am i right ladies? it is so good for me and my soul, and consequently my kids souls too. amazing what a little down time can do before the chaos begins...

at any rate, some more recent photos. the real reason you all are here anyway... let's be honest :)

off the beaten path