Family Vacation to Colorado!

We are on our first "real" family road trip...10 days to Colorado! We left on Friday morning and stopped the first night in Santa Fe, NM. We stayed in a wonderful hotel just off the plaza with a fabulous upgrade to a 2-bedroom suite. The boys thought it was great! Things were going well until Drew got sick at 5:00am Saturday morning. Bad news! Allen woke up and never went back to sleep so I got up with him, went to breakfast, walked around the Plaza where there was a great art festival going on, and generally enjoyed Santa Fe...well, as much as you can with an almost 2-year old! Patrick dealt with Drew and was able to get him to rest some more and get started a little more slowly. We got back on the road and the drive to Colorado was pleasant. We arrived at a campground outside Colorado Springs and met up with Grandma and Grandpa. The boys were very happy to see them and I'm sure the feeling was mutual! We have spent the past 3 days alternating between sightseeing, hanging out at the camper, and dealing with Drew being sick. We have seen the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, Cripple Creek Railroad, Garden of the Gods and The North Pole. We also got to visit an urgent care clinic with Drew's fever getting to close to 103! We still don't know what is going on but we are doing things as he feels up to it!
We have seen a train every day of our trip and ridden one the past 3 days. It's definitely all about the boys!
Tomorrow morning we head up to Denver to show the boys where Daddy grew up and see some of the sights up that way. We start our return journey on Saturday morning...another 2-day drive!
I'll add some photos tonight if I can get a faster internet connection. I'm having trouble uploading them...

Hilton Head 2009

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Measurements of Time

Drew has, for a while, used the term "last night" to refer to anything in the past. Well, his newest phrase absolutely cracks me up..."way back before the interstate." This is used to refer to anything he can't place on the timeline in his brain or anything that happened more than a week ago (best I can tell). For example, tonight at dinner Patrick told Drew that Ms Lauren (our babysitter) was coming over Wednesday so that Mommy and Daddy could go out. Drew's response: "Again? You just went out last night! You know, way back before the interstate?!"

I think the boy has watched CARS one to many times!

Someone has Mickey on the brain...

...this is how Patrick found Drew when he went in to wake him up from his nap...



When he woke up he was all grins...



...and he still has them on, playing with cars on the floor. Such a crazy kid!

That was easy!

So I was quickly able to upload the photos from our trip to the Children's Museum on May 29. But I can't edit that post...I'll have to work on that!
Anyway - the boys had a great time and I enjoyed time with a friend that I met through MOPS. She has a little girl who is 2 1/2 and another girl on the way! The museum is wonderful for kids and I'm sure we will be back this summer to enjoy the air conditioning!

Children's Museum

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So so so far behind...

I have so much to post that I don't know where to start! (However, I did just discover I can link my Shutterfly photos to my blog so it may get easier to get photos on here! Granted...you may get sick of all the photos I have...) There is VBS in Knoxville, our Hilton Head trip, the boys at the Children's Museum (over a month ago...but it was so cute!)...and coming up very soon is a visit from Nana, Grandaddy, Amelia, Mama G & Pop followed by a trip to Colorado to visit Grandma & Grandpa! Someday I'll get it all on here...it just may take some time...

Things are going well!

We're having a great week in Knoxville. The boys are exhausted from VBS each day but they are both loving it! The theme is Boomerang Express and there are trains everywhere around church...even one to ride during outdoor learning time! Needless to say, my boys think it is the greatest theme ever! Drew has been able to catch up with all his old friends and is having a great time with them each day. Allen has some tears each morning but once I leave his teachers say he has a great time. My class of young 5-year olds is good - no real problem kids this year which is nice!
Our trip out was as uneventful as possible. The boys did fine on the airplane. Allen didn't sleep on the long flight but was overall content to sit, watch movies, play with books, etc. I took his car seat on which helped a TON! I highly recommend it for anyone with young, active children!
We are headed to Hilton Head on Saturday for our annual family trip. I will try to update from the beach if possible! Hopefully I can get photos of my camera as well...there are some cute ones from this week and I'm sure next week won't be any different!

Headed to Tennessee!

Tomorrow morning, bright and early, the boys and Mommy are headed back to Tennessee for a visit! Flying alone with 2 young, active boys should be interesting...4 hour flight, 2 hour layover, another quick flight...
We can't wait to see all our Knoxville friends next week!

Sweet & Sour

So when you're a mom, you realize that life is full of sweet and sour moments. For example, last Thursday night Patrick was out of town. When I put Drew to bed he asked if he could sleep in my bed “in Daddy’s spot” and I giggled and said "No, you need to sleep in your own bed". So he said “Mommy, do you want to sleep in my bed tonight?” That is sweet in and of itself (I often ask, half jokingly, when he is ready for a nap if I can sleep in his bed because it's VERY comfortable and that's always the time of day I'm dragging. He always says no...) but what made it even nicer was after I declined his offer he said “Well, after you put your pajamas on if you decide you want to sleep in my room it’s ok. Since Daddy’s not here to sleep in your bed.” How sweet!!

And then, today...Drew had gotten out the crayons and a Thomas coloring book and he and Allen were on the floor coloring. I should know better, but I wasn't fully paying attention...more happy that they were getting along. The next thing I knew they had moved the book to the sofa and had shifted away from coloring on the pages to instead coloring on the cushion. The conversation went something like this (after removing all crayons from everyone's reach!):
Mommy - "what are we supposed to color on?"
Drew - "paper"
Mommy - "what were you coloring on?"
Drew - "the couch"
Mommy - "is the couch paper?"
Drew - "noooo"
Mommy - "why did you color on the couch?"
Drew - "because Allen did it first!"

Seriously? Gotta love life when a 3-year old follows the lead of the 1-year old! Luckily they were washable crayons and the couch is stain guarded...