New clubhouse

This afternoon, Grampy drove Carter and me to pick up a new outdoor clubhouse! Well, it's new to us...I found it on Craig's List and everything worked out great for us to use Grampy's truck to go pick it up. Actually, it has taken me months to find one on CL, be the first to inquire about it (they are a popular item & seem to sell FAST), and have a means to pick it up. Plus, this one had always been kept inside & is in mint condition. It was Carter's lucky day! And baby brother will be able to enjoy this one day, too!

Carter was ready to go even before it was assembled.

Just after we unloaded it off the truck...

The finished product!

The left side is the "clubhouse" with a table & chairs, clock, phone & chalkboard.

There's a cool tunnel to crawl through...

And a slide off the clubhouse.

Thanks, Grampy, for helping us bring my new toy home! We couldn't have done it without you!

Double Birthday Celebration!

On Monday night, we had a big birthday celebration for Mimi & Kelsie Rae. Their birthdays are a week apart, so we had a big blow out! Sean grilled steak & chicken and we had a great meal topped off by yummy cupcakes (no, I didn't bake them!). It was fun and the rain didn't start until after dinner, so we lucked-out.

Mom & me modeling our new age-specific lotions...
Mom's: Menopause & Beyond

Mine: Pregnancy & Motherhood

What will they think of next?!

The Birthday Girls!

Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday dear...

The whole gang!

Just the girls...Mom, Debbie, Tina (Kelsie's friend), Kelsie, Amy (she's like one of the family) and me.

Just the guys.

Carter, Sean & Grampy

Kels, Amy & Mar

Cousins

Taylor & Carter

Kelsie & Amy

playing in the fountains

This afternoon was HOT...so Carter and mommy headed to Northfield Stapleton to play in the fountains. He loved it!

I tried to get a shot of him "drinking" the water, but this was about as close as I could get. He was having so much fun splashing and chasing the other kids there.

I had to shut off the video because Carter took off running for the street. Little did I know that he was actually running towards the outdoor speakers. He thinks they are "drums". Can't imagine what it's going to be like chasing after TWO boys! This mommy needs running shoes & an extra set of eyes to keep up!

Fun in the sun

Carter & I caught some rays this afternoon at the Beilman pool. Mostly, Carter splashes and I cool off by putting my feet in the water. It's pretty awesome...now if I could only get the dog trained to bring us fruity drinks!

The video is a little long...

It's a...

BOY!

We had our 20-week ultrasound this afternoon and found out we are having another boy! Carter is going to have a little brother and we couldn't be more excited. I'll admit that I was pretty surprised when they finally told us it was a boy (we had two docs and a new sonographer in the room...both the docs knew, but they were waiting for the sonographer to announce it & she wasn't as sure as they were. It seemed like forever before she finally said "boy"). Anyway, this whole pregnancy has felt different, so I was sure we were having a girl, but I am so happy to have another little boy. We love Carter so much & I think it is so much fun having a boy! Two boys are better than one, right?! Hopefully our two boys will grow up being best friends. Bring on the cars, trucks & trains!

Now that I know we already have everything we need for this little guy, I am going to get busy trying to find a double stroller...that's pretty much all we need! I've got to have an excuse to shop for something!

Oh, and by the way, everything checked out great with the baby. He is measuring right on-target and is developing just as he should. He was so active during the ultrasound that it was hard for the sonographer to follow him around. What a healthy little guy--we are so thankful!

Botanic Gardens

Sean had Friday off, so the three of us headed to Denver's Botanic Gardens for a family outing. Sean had been there a few weeks ago & got us a membership. After 11 years in Denver, I finally made my first visit to the Gardens and was pretty impressed! What a cool place to visit! They are undergoing a huge renovation, so we had to fight the construction, but other than that we had a great time. AND, we can take six guests each time we visit so next time you're in town, we can take you, too!

Sean & Carter hanging out by one of the many fountains.
Lily pond

Another fountain with one of the Dinos (a temporary exhibit at the Gardens).

At the entrance to the Japanese Garden

Carter & Mommy at another fountain.

Carter chasing a turtle (aka Turtie)

Daddy & Carter by yet another fountain.

Check out that big dino behind us!

Family picture in the Japanese Gardens.

This place is cool, Dad!

create free polls | comment on this

new pool

Daddy & Carter testing the water...it's a little chilly!

Carter & Sean set up the new splash pool in the back yard over the weekend. Carter's favorite thing to do in the water is splash and pour water, so this was right up his alley! I think this pool will be getting a lot of use this Summer!

Ride Makerz action shots

Ride Makerz

Ride Makerz was definitely one of the highlights of our trip. This place is a "Build-A-Bear" concept store where you can build a toy car...making it as simple or as elaborate as you want (to pay for). It was an awesome place for a little boy who LOVES "wheels". Carter was in heaven...I just wish Sean could have been there to see it all.

Since this is the ONLY shop in Missouri, and there are NO Ride Makerz stores in Colorado, we were so happy to be able to make this special stop on our trip. Carter is a little young for this type of thing, but he sure enjoyed running around the store and playing with his new "wheels". And, Grandad was there to help Carter pick out just the right car and all the cool parts for it. Thanks, Grandad!

Cool car!
Watching the guy put our car together.

Ohhhh...I want THIS one!

So many wheels, so little time...

Outside the store...can we go inside now, Mommy?

Branson!

On Wednesday, we really "did" Branson. We swam in the hotel pool, saw "The Duttons" show in the afternoon (it was awesome!) and then headed to Branson Landing to "Ride the Ducks" and build a race car at "Ride Makerz". The photos are in reverse chronological order (oops!).

Mommy & Carter on the "Duck".
Carter helping Mommy "steer" the Duck.

Grandad & Carter enjoying the ride.

Carter at the Precious Moments museum in Carthage, MO. We stopped here on our way to Branson on Tuesday.

Carter & Grandma Nancy checking out the moving Precious Moments statues. Carter's not sure what to think about all of this!

Thank you Dad & Nancy for a great trip to Branson & all the fun outings! We had a great trip and hope we can go again someday!