Big Bikes

 LT and his buddy play soccer at Wash Park.  Its an hour and a half practice.  We have done something different each week (sometimes carpool, sometimes Brian picks up etc), but this week A wanted to rent a big bike with his buddy.  Those things are hard to pedal, even with two adults!  The boys couldn't reach the pedals.

Almost like Click and Clack

#2 helped me replace a brake light on our big car today. And we did it in the parking lot of the auto parts store on Colfax. It was just about perfect.

shoelaces...

I caught this pic of A and his buddy walking into school the other day, both with their shoelaces dragging behind them. Apparently tying shoes isn't a skill that's quite mastered by 2nd grade (with certain kids anyway).   

Ice Skating

 I went on A's field trip again this year to Big Bear for an afternoon of ice skating.  A liked it so much, he signed up for ice skating lessons.  We will see how this goes!

B helping me work

rock n roll dancing

Fire Pit and Sleepovers!

 Over the winter we forgot how much we love our new yard.   

Aladdin

 We went to Aladdin with a Denver cousin.  A had a little trouble with the entertainment of a folding chair, but eventually settled down and we all enjoyed the show!

There are Always Helpers

This week I was reminded of a quote I love by Fred Rogers. Its a quote I read a lot and tell the boys when we have challenges or scary things happen. "When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, “Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping."

Helpers...there are always helpers. I reminded myself of that all day Monday when I felt like the world was collapsing on us. Looking back, I can laugh, but at the time, I had to take things one step at a time, one breath at a time. There are helpers when your baby has a 104 degree fever and needs to go to the Dr (fluid in his lungs, ear infections, wheezing and borderline needing oxygen). There are helpers when your car is broken into, your wallet is stolen and a stolen TV is left randomly in your garage. There are helpers when your kids have 3 activities at the same time and you are a single mom for the week. There are helpers when you can't get your sick child's prescription filled because your wallet was stolen and you have no money or credit cards. There are helpers when you are crying because life is overwhelming at times. There are helpers when you child coughs so hard at his brothers performance that he vomits onto another parent. There are helpers when your children are randomly filmed for a news story and want to stay up late to watch it. And there are helpers when your parents leave their passport at home on their way to Zimbabwe for a month.

Our world is filled with such amazing and kind people, but in the midst of chaos and fear, its hard to take a step back and remember all the good. This week was a good reminder to me to thank those that help so much. Thank you to my helpers this week (Brian for flying home from his conference early, my parents for helping out when I had no money to get B his meds, my friends for helping drive my kids around and being the emotional support they were this week, the police for their quick response, our pediatrician for helping B feel better quickly, and the DMV for their quick service. When I look at the list of helpers and look at the list of people who did harm, it quickly becomes obvious that good prevails.

backyard

The backyard is the site of many diverse activities.  Like playing on the trampoline and constructing a 'boat'.

chief share & science fair

phoning it in

Hamilton

There was so much hype around Hamilton that I was somewhat worried that it just couldn't live up to the expectations. But I thought the show was incredible and it did not disappoint.

Zoo Buds in a Cage

An early spring afternoon

Mom and the oldest child reading outside on a nice spring day while the baby naps and the middle child and I played Monopoly inside. I'll admit to being a little envious of how the afternoon activities parceled out. But I tried not to let that show as I built an overleveraged realestate empire that would soon be bankrupt by an 8 year old.

These Two

I am sure they would have been good buddies if they were both here.  

More from Mexico

Keep Trying

 We asked the boys to take a picture of us one night in Mexico.  As you can see, it took many tries to get anything even remotely decent, but we all had a good laugh looking at them.

Playground

 With three kids and a traveling husband, inevitably one or two kids get dragged to the other's activities fairly often.  LT started soccer again this week and luckily the weather was nice and a playground is very close to his practice.  The younger two spent some time playing outside while their brother practiced.  And actually, a friend brought LT home so we didn't have to wait for the whole practice.

Ice Cream and Friends

Mexico

 We spent the last week in Mexico drinking fancy drinks, swimming, digging in the sand, looking for iguanas, watching dolphins perform tricks, soaking up the sun, boogie boarding, throwing flower petals into fountains, painting pottery, eating amazing food and enjoying our family.