tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34569821656294518072012-01-27T23:45:38.168-07:00Briannoreply@blogger.comBlogger9801100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3456982165629451807.post-80134813068298835232012-01-27T13:06:00.005-07:002012-01-27T13:21:32.612-07:00

Although I take LT weekly to ski lessons, it wasn't until this week that we were able to ski together. Typically, Adler comes up with us and stays with Baba during LTs lesson and then we rush out of lessons to get Adler down for a nap. This week Adler had a bad cold and I thought it would be better for him to stay down in Denver and rest instead. While LT was in lessons, I skied and then met

Karihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16506159640303857672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3456982165629451807.post-31878877813004705662012-01-27T13:01:00.002-07:002012-01-27T13:06:09.060-07:00

Adler has a sweet tooth, there's no doubt. I try not to feed the kids much extra sugar, but last week Adler got two donuts! While up at Baba's house for LTs ski lesson, she had bought donuts for the boys for breakfast. He was so happy and ate it quickly. A few days later, Adler and I stopped at the yummy donut store by Papa and Grandmas house. Adler chose very carefully the one with pink

Karihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16506159640303857672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3456982165629451807.post-2197079771188085462012-01-21T16:50:00.002-07:002012-01-22T06:30:05.649-07:00

It's been about six weeks since I last skied with LT and I knew he's learned a lot in the three lessons he's had since then but I was still really surprised and impressed at how much he's improved. I was so taken aback as a proud father that I had to break out my phone and try and capture some of it on video. Here he is skiing under the Kokomo lift which, for reasons I don't quite

Briannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3456982165629451807.post-87920858191657677192012-01-14T14:09:00.002-07:002012-01-14T14:15:58.019-07:00

Baba was so kind to give the boys a Childrens Museum membership for Christmas. I take Adler every Thursday there while LT is in school, but the three of us have also made a few visits.Adler the mad scientist.They usually have a fire truck for the kids to play on, but the exhibit has been under construction for quite awhile. Meanwhile, they have this temporary truck for the kids to play on.

Karihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16506159640303857672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3456982165629451807.post-13556501670105461142012-01-11T16:06:00.004-07:002012-01-11T16:26:20.297-07:00

Both Brian and I learned to ski young. The exact age is unknown, but it was young enough that neither of us remember the first runs we took. I knew I wanted LT to learn young too, but somehow learning to ski before 4 seemed silly and challenging. How would he walk in the boots? Carry his own skis? His little muscles were still developing. I, for no real reason, decided 4 was a perfect age. I

Karihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16506159640303857672noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3456982165629451807.post-31989622512732588192012-01-04T13:05:00.000-07:002012-01-04T13:05:01.349-07:00

  In what is now a holiday tradition, every year I take the prior year's blog content, turn it into a book using an online service, and give it as a Christmas gift to the grandparents. This year Kari's mom asked, "now is Alder's birthday party in here?" Oh right, Adler's birthday party... um, somehow that one just slipped though the cracks. Poor kid.  So, many months late, here are some

Briannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3456982165629451807.post-32183345712003187312012-01-03T20:07:00.000-07:002012-01-03T20:18:08.960-07:00

I linked to our holiday card post on some social media sites with what I thought was kind of funny, "whether you celebrate Retail Christmas or something less mainstream like Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Festivus, etc., we wish you the very best this season http://landon-t-c.blogspot.com/2011/12/happy-holidays.html" I amuse myself sometimes.  All the photos in the card were taken in my

Briannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3456982165629451807.post-90080682412501799022012-01-02T16:30:00.000-07:002012-01-02T16:51:12.894-07:00

[reposting with the link fixed - sorry!] Normally I write about the boys here but this is a little something about what I do when I'm away from the family. I don't travel a huge amount for work but I do find myself on the road occasionally. I like to travel with my camera and I find taking pictures a nice after hours diversion from work. Yesterday I put together a set of photos from my trips

Briannoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3456982165629451807.post-75816459809207643462012-01-02T12:14:00.003-07:002012-01-02T12:14:40.188-07:00

Papa is easily one of Adler's favorite people in the world. I had today off from work so I tried to make up a little ground on Papa by taking Adler to do what they often do together on Mondays.  We went to Tenn Street where I got some coffee and Adler picked out a cinnamon roll. We read some Marley books over our late breakfast and then went and played at the park up the street. It was one of

Briannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3456982165629451807.post-61186326912766326962011-12-28T17:37:00.001-07:002011-12-28T17:44:43.683-07:00

Adler showing off his new Elvis glasses while celebrating Christmas at Grandma and Papa's house.

Briannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3456982165629451807.post-13520740937740407052011-12-22T16:19:00.000-07:002011-12-22T16:26:03.742-07:00

We decided to go green this year with our Christmas / Holiday card this year by sending it electronically.  Or maybe we just never got around to the printing, the stuffing envelops, the stamp licking, the addressing, etc. Believe whichever story you want. I know which one I believe. Anyway, here is our family's 2011 virtual holiday card. Bowen didn't make the card this year. He was probably

Briannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3456982165629451807.post-48135918188629565872011-12-17T22:47:00.000-07:002011-12-17T22:47:28.298-07:00

Today LT asked me to take his picture and have it printed. I think he has some kind of xmas gift art project in mind that he wants to use it for but I'm not sure and I didn't ask too many questions. Anyway, I set up some gear and took some shots of him in front of the Christmas tree. In all of them he had either a serious face or a forced face smile and I couldn't get him to lighten up and be

Briannoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3456982165629451807.post-64611614560320291012011-12-10T10:10:00.001-07:002011-12-10T10:20:08.298-07:00

LT's "big school" celebrated its winter festival, called Peace Night, this week and his preschool class sang a couple of songs. LT, much like me, isn't exactly a natural performer.  And he only goes part time to his big school so didn't get as much rehearsal as the other kids.   So he's a little out of his element when on stage.     But, to his credit, this year he got into the

Briannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3456982165629451807.post-76237025703215892752011-12-05T21:30:00.001-07:002011-12-05T22:14:08.157-07:00

I forgot I had some Halloween photos to post from a great family friendly party at my office.  Above is an actual photo off all four of us together.  And below are some photos of the boys at the party (a bunch of other shots from the party can be found here).

Briannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3456982165629451807.post-64505667188500995212011-12-04T07:26:00.003-07:002011-12-04T07:29:53.678-07:00

Last Friday, I got to go play in LTs big school class for the morning. We played some board games together, practiced songs for his holiday performance and enjoyed the fresh snow in semi warm air.

Karihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16506159640303857672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3456982165629451807.post-12423886868580064242011-12-04T07:21:00.002-07:002011-12-04T07:24:16.533-07:00

LTs big school does a fundraiser each fall at Barnes and Noble. Each grade level performs a few songs and a percentage of anything bought is given to the school. The boys and I spent the afternoon sipping hot chocolate from the Starbucks inside the Barnes and Noble, singing and buying a few books. I saw LT move his lips a few times, a huge improvement from his performance last year!

Karihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16506159640303857672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3456982165629451807.post-89314699372107499512011-12-04T07:14:00.003-07:002011-12-04T07:21:27.554-07:00

LT, Adler and I made our annual trip to the Hammonds Candy Factory earlier this week. This was the first year Adler really understood why we were there. He embraced the candy idea fully.December is a busy month for the candy factory and often the tours are booked. This was the case when we arrived Tuesday, the 10 AM tour was full and we were going to have to wait an extra half hour. However,

Karihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16506159640303857672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3456982165629451807.post-51850993390436061182011-11-25T10:16:00.001-07:002011-11-25T10:18:05.662-07:00

LT insisted on sitting at the big table with the grownups so Adler got a some time alone at the kids' table with his little girlfriend to enjoy the fruit salad.

Briannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3456982165629451807.post-32006874841020161362011-11-23T18:54:00.001-07:002011-11-23T20:05:44.482-07:00

LT has been skiing once before at a park near our house but today was his first day skiing at a real mountain (Copper) and, as often is the case, his little brother got dragged along for the adventure. Getting everyone and all their gear to the slopes was a bit of an ordeal to say the least. And we had to stop and get our passes on the way which made it even more of an adventure. But we did

Briannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3456982165629451807.post-17283724348384193312011-11-14T14:33:00.000-07:002011-11-14T14:33:00.375-07:00

Adler and I were able to attend LTs big school Halloween party. We paraded around the entire school (K-12th grades) and then came back to the classroom for some Halloween art and spooky snacks.My astronaut and fireman.LT eyeing the yummy food with his bud, Tino.Such cute kids all dressed up.

Karihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16506159640303857672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3456982165629451807.post-12958070318155827132011-11-13T14:17:00.000-07:002011-11-13T14:17:00.540-07:00

Yes, I am a teacher, no I don't know everything. Part of the reason I didn't enjoy teaching kids (besides preschoolers) younger than 3rd grade is because I was terrified of teaching kids the beginning stages of reading and writing. How do you teach them such an abstract topic? Well, here I am, with a kid of my own who is very interested in learning to write and I am still terrified. I am

Karihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16506159640303857672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3456982165629451807.post-51067474378555386792011-11-12T14:12:00.003-07:002011-11-12T14:17:06.391-07:00

Brian and I decided this was a good year (for no good reason) to teach the boys to ski. We all have passes, to three mountains, we got the boys skis, boots, helmets, goggles, snowpants, mittens. I am really glad we waited to take LT because there's no way he would have enjoyed it last year, but this year he is really excited! We tried everything on one night and I couldn't get him to take them

Karihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16506159640303857672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3456982165629451807.post-35425876010545909062011-11-03T14:01:00.000-06:002011-11-03T14:01:00.163-06:00

Karihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16506159640303857672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3456982165629451807.post-3015470047432632522011-11-02T13:56:00.001-06:002011-11-02T14:35:14.620-06:00

Adler and I have Thursday mornings together. We do lots of fun things, but sometimes we have to just run errands. Last week, we stopped at Whole Foods to get some food. Adler was hungry and so we sat down at their tables and had a snack. Brian was traveling. After a few minutes and several yogurts, Adler looked at me and said, "mommy, call daddy!" I said, "why Adler, do you have something

Karihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16506159640303857672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3456982165629451807.post-67498298937110356872011-11-01T13:47:00.003-06:002011-11-01T13:53:39.608-06:00

One of LTs friends from his little school invited us to the local puppet theater. The Denver Puppet Theater has been around for years and I drive by it several times a week, but I had no idea what we were missing. Wow, its pure magic for the little ones. Inside the theater is a full coffee shop run by the kindest couple and offering amazing eats (including ice cream!) As you wander through

Karihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16506159640303857672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3456982165629451807.post-35880407062010043182011-10-28T23:36:00.003-06:002011-10-29T12:47:09.257-06:00

Adler dancing up on the seats at a Halloween party.

Briannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3456982165629451807.post-64575771522257540192011-10-28T09:27:00.004-06:002011-10-28T09:56:16.860-06:00

Kari just sent me this picture of the boys together in their costumes from the Halloween party at LT's "big school." Adler says LT is an "ass-not."

Briannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3456982165629451807.post-58778056227723471162011-10-20T21:06:00.000-06:002011-10-20T21:06:52.532-06:00

Just some random photos from the last few months. LT using the computer at Tenn Street Coffe to "go to dot com slash kids." Papa and Grandma gave us a pair of tickets to a Rockies game.  It was an afternoon game so LT and I went downtown together for the game while Kari stayed home and Alder napped. The conversation when we got home went something like this, Kari: "did you like

Briannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3456982165629451807.post-35588556968084836392011-10-17T11:43:00.005-06:002011-10-17T11:55:33.565-06:00

LT and Adler have embraced Halloween this year, fully. They are rarely seen in clothes other than "punkin" shirts or skeleton jammies. Their daily artwork is filled with Halloween themed art. It was only fitting that we made a trip to the Rock Creek Farm pumpkin patch last week. We were lucky to have Isaac, Jonah, Holden and Zack join us.I told LT that he and Adler could each choose one

Karihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16506159640303857672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3456982165629451807.post-56364635139109611402011-10-10T21:17:00.003-06:002011-12-03T22:24:37.207-07:00

LT showing off a cupcake treat while sporting his Halloween jammies and pink sunglasses from the dentist. Adler still using infant pacifiers (the exact same ones you get at the hospital when they are born) at two years old. It's the only kind he likes. He's particular like that.

Briannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3456982165629451807.post-80868074571003435612011-10-05T12:30:00.000-06:002011-10-05T12:36:15.741-06:00

The leaves are changing and the temperatures are cooler, fall is coming, finally. Papa and grandma called to see if the boys and I could go for a beautiful fall hike. Here are a few pictures from our hike. LT is really amazing, he can hike pretty fast and for a long time.Before any hike, its a good idea to play in dirt for awhile and have a big snack, so thats exactly what we did.Even little

Karihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16506159640303857672noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3456982165629451807.post-29776272838934281222011-10-04T16:43:00.002-06:002011-10-04T16:47:26.314-06:00

On Saturday we went to a fundraiser for the Fisher Early Learning Center (a daycare/preschool run by Denver University). It was a brilliant idea, especially for our boys, BIG trucks of all kinds for our kids to get into, drive and look at. There was a trash truck, fire truck, zamboni, cherry picker, mail truck, milk truck, moving truck, police car, ambulance, skip loader, backhoe, to name just

Karihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16506159640303857672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3456982165629451807.post-88986776800235479882011-09-30T16:50:00.001-06:002011-10-02T18:05:58.563-06:00

It's unfair to broadly label the boy's personalities.  But I'll do it anyway. LT is the cautions and reserved one while Adler is the daring and fearless one. So I actually consider us pretty lucky to have made it two full years of Adler's life without taking Adler to the ER for stitches or a broken bone. Unfortunately, we didn't make it too far beyond two years. Today at nap time he was trying

Briannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3456982165629451807.post-12450335017293449912011-09-25T14:15:00.004-06:002011-09-25T14:21:56.970-06:00

Brian had a few weeks off of work and we took the boys to the mountains for a few nights. The weather was gorgeous and so we took the boys to a playground in Dillon, right on the lake. I had been eyeing it for the past year, but somehow the timing never worked out for us to take the boys until this past trip. It was worth it. The playground had a few little areas for Adler to "cook" sand,

Karihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16506159640303857672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3456982165629451807.post-10588154677589471152011-09-18T08:52:00.003-06:002011-09-18T08:52:38.924-06:00

Okay, so maybe we aren't headed to London for the 2012 Olympics but I'm still pretty proud of LT considering that just a couple months prior to this he would only go in baby pools or stay on the stairs.

Briannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3456982165629451807.post-35806748628970565522011-09-17T09:27:00.000-06:002011-09-17T09:29:45.353-06:00

Okay, I've fallen way behind but here are some of photos from our trip to Telluride in July that Kari said I'd put up when she wrote about it two months ago.  Kar and I only managed to sneak away for one mountain bike ride but it was a really enjoyable afternoon (perhaps thanks in part to the gondola assisted climbs). The boys really did great on the long drive.  Sleeping and DVDs were

Briannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3456982165629451807.post-16423820087893556362011-09-14T23:09:00.001-06:002011-09-14T23:09:41.161-06:00

We took the boys camping in early August.  It's only the second time Kar and I have camped since we've had kids and the first time with Adler (we went the first time with Z shortly after LT turned one). The boys absolutely loved it and I have to admit I enjoyed it more than I had expected.  I got to introduce LT to throwing rocks and sticks into a river which we did together for hours while

Briannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3456982165629451807.post-84182377677840364762011-09-14T18:50:00.003-06:002011-09-14T18:54:12.078-06:00

Adler is a tall skinny guy, just like his brother. I took him to his 2 year check up today and here are the findings:weight: 26.6 lbs- 30%height: 34 1/2 inches- 55%I am not sure how they decide on the percentages, especially because Adler is a pound heavier than LT was and yet rated 25% lower? The same was true of his height. Regardless, we can compare the plain numbers of the two boys and it

Karihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16506159640303857672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3456982165629451807.post-48178468194719317892011-09-14T14:31:00.002-06:002011-09-14T14:32:00.622-06:00

Today was Adler's first day of school. Ten minutes after breakfast he needed a "nack" because he was "hungee."  Sitting patiently in his car seat outside school waiting to go in while I fiddle around with my camera. Kari had to work today. While she can make it to drop him off and get to work on-time, it's pretty tight.  I'm not working this week so I was going to drop him off by

Briannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3456982165629451807.post-44609596581001874172011-08-30T13:47:00.000-06:002011-08-30T13:47:00.111-06:00

We went to Steve and Madeleine's block party on Saturday. It was really hot and there was a little baby pool as well as a mister to cool everyone off. Adler instantly said, "stip down!" as he proceeded to take off his clothes. LT followed in his little brother's footsteps. I love seeing them play together so happily!

Karihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16506159640303857672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3456982165629451807.post-78054601904545756962011-08-29T14:12:00.001-06:002011-08-29T14:19:23.265-06:00

Both boys love baking and cooking. I can only blame (or thank) my dad's side of the family for this. I remember my grandma baking yummy treats for our visits. My dad was often baking pies, cinnamon rolls or cookies when I was young. To this day, there is occasionally an applesauce cake or other treats on his counter. Although not as skilled of a baker, I have become addicted as well. While

Karihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16506159640303857672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3456982165629451807.post-8962958225363286482011-08-28T14:22:00.006-06:002011-08-28T14:53:21.467-06:00

The boys and I went to the children's consignment store the other day to sell all our old winter clothes. Sitting right in the kids path was a huge fire truck. We had some money in our account from things we've sold and so I told the boys they could get something (Adler wanted a 200$ ride on golf cart, which I have to admit was adorable). They agreed on this fire truck. It desperately needed

Karihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16506159640303857672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3456982165629451807.post-44045606976667728002011-08-28T13:59:00.004-06:002011-08-28T14:12:30.970-06:00

LT was sad to have missed the Mud exhibit at the Art Museum when he saw pictures of Adler there. I promised him we would go back, and we did. On Tuesday we spent the morning playing with clay at the art museum. LT loved it as much as I thought he would. The day before I had a lot of work to finish up for a project I have been working on for work. The boys were so sweet and played amazingly

Karihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16506159640303857672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3456982165629451807.post-17976949555924119912011-08-20T13:56:00.001-06:002011-08-20T13:56:00.429-06:00

Last week we met my friend Roxanne and her kids Isis and Ambrose at the new Mud exhibit at the Denver Art Museum. LT was up in the mountains so he wasn't able to join us, although I think he would love it.We got there a few minutes early and I let Adler play in the fountains outside the museum. He was soaking wet by the time our friends arrived, so we went shirtless the rest of the morning. The

Karihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16506159640303857672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3456982165629451807.post-84222156910585669282011-08-19T13:46:00.001-06:002011-08-19T13:46:01.012-06:00

With schools starting soon, we decided to squeeze in a few last playdates with old friends. Adler and I met the Medina girls at the Farmers Market last weekend (LT was in the mountains). I had to take pictures of these three silly kids. Her hair was priceless. His face was in rare form. And Sofi, precious in her little glasses and flower bows. Renee had to go back to work this week (Ofelia

Karihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16506159640303857672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3456982165629451807.post-19012917343280007292011-08-18T13:31:00.004-06:002011-08-18T13:45:51.190-06:00

We got to watch my friends kids, Phoenix and Tino yesterday while their mom worked. Tino and LT are just weeks apart in age and Phoenix loves taking care of little kids. As Tino and LT dug in dirt and biked around, Phoenix took care of Adler. Tino and Phoenix showed up that morning with their bikes. Within minutes of arriving, they all had their helmets on ready to ride to the park. Its only

Karihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16506159640303857672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3456982165629451807.post-16685215291777716082011-08-13T07:46:00.002-06:002011-08-13T07:52:01.439-06:00

Just a couple of pics from my phone this summer. Adler loves swings of all kinds. LT has mostly given up his afternoon nap but some long fun summer days wear him out.

Briannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3456982165629451807.post-11063944049508195982011-08-08T16:22:00.002-06:002011-08-08T16:27:02.250-06:00

I'm not sure where Adler picked up this word and he only said it for a few days. But during those few days he was all about "high school" and luckily I caught it on video.

Briannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3456982165629451807.post-68953537115302641282011-08-06T14:13:00.000-06:002011-08-06T14:13:00.722-06:00

The boys have been begging to spend the night at my parents house and somehow the summer has slipped away without that happening until this week. The timing worked out nicely because I had a training call on Tuesday and a lot of work to complete. My parents helped out and watched the boys over there and then we all went out to dinner. LT had been cranky that day and so I insisted he take a nap

Karihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16506159640303857672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3456982165629451807.post-71453932945022322102011-08-05T14:01:00.000-06:002011-08-05T14:01:00.410-06:00

We went to the mountains last weekend. Bri wanted to play golf at least once this season up there, I had a triathlon in Silverthorne and we wanted to spread Hailie's ashes in a place she loved so dearly. On Saturday, Brian played golf with his parents and the boys and I met up with my college (and post college) friend. We took the boys to breakfast and then to shop at the outlet mall. Adler

Karihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16506159640303857672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3456982165629451807.post-37299255052665536282011-08-04T13:53:00.002-06:002011-08-04T14:01:28.293-06:00

Last Thursday was Isaac's 4th birthday. They invited us to go to the train museum with them that morning. The train museum has several push cars that kids always love climbing onto. This particular day, one of the 4 boys came up with the idea that you needed a penny to make it work and insisted on asking MC over and over and over again for pennies to make it "run". They found a little hole in

Karihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16506159640303857672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3456982165629451807.post-27530416707331139522011-07-31T10:08:00.004-06:002011-07-31T10:16:26.352-06:00

It's been nearly two weeks since we lost Hailie. I've wanted to write a little something and put up some old pictures of her but, because of her death and many other reasons, it's been a busy and difficult time and I haven't yet had the chance. Last night we scattered her ashes in the mountains near my mom's house and it seemed like as good an occasion as any to motivate me to finally write up

Briannoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3456982165629451807.post-65110557342183891002011-07-29T16:01:00.002-06:002011-07-29T16:05:06.081-06:00

These pictures are from a few weeks ago. LT, Alder and I walked to the nearby park and apparently we decided it'd be a good idea to wear their matching jammies.The boys are similar in many ways but also different in some significant ways too. Here Adler shows his unique attributes of being relatively fearless.

Briannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3456982165629451807.post-28189376308917812862011-07-27T12:41:00.006-06:002011-07-27T20:40:02.295-06:00

We had quite an emotional week with Hailie's passing (Brian will add some incredible pictures of her with stories later). Every one of us reacted to this differently. Adler fell asleep in various places each day. One day he insisted on getting off the bed and fell asleep on the floor next to the bed.He snuggled with Hailie on our bed for naptime the day before we lost her. So sweet.And fell

Karihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16506159640303857672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3456982165629451807.post-44314140621199987832011-07-27T12:33:00.003-06:002011-07-27T12:38:31.250-06:00

Today, LT swam across the deep end of the pool with his teacher right next to him, but no help! He also did a canon ball into the pool and managed to get across the pool with a little help from Carole!

Karihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16506159640303857672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3456982165629451807.post-24894845962550586812011-07-16T10:56:00.001-06:002011-07-16T10:57:32.477-06:00

The boys are lucky to have Kari as a mom (at least I think so anyway). She's always coming up with fun and creative things for them to do. The other day was shaving cream in the water table which was a huge hit.

Briannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3456982165629451807.post-34701606280859413872011-07-13T14:27:00.004-06:002011-07-13T14:59:07.784-06:00

A good family friend of mine got married in Telluride this past weekend. We decided to make a family vacation out of this destination wedding. Brian's mom kindly joined us for the trip and watched the boys a lot for us!Adler had no idea what he was getting himself in to when we strapped him in last Friday morning. They were both amazing travelers for such a long haul.Brian and I brought our

Karihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16506159640303857672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3456982165629451807.post-23599843246696374282011-07-03T10:02:00.001-06:002011-07-03T10:02:01.136-06:00

Pictures seem to just accumulate on my phone. Here are a few from the last month or so.Sharing an OJ at Little Man's pancake breakfast.Riding the rocking dog (is that what you call it?) together at the Botanic Gardens gift shop.Father's day bike ride. LT rode his own bike about half way around Wash Park with us and Kari's parents. It was the first time he'd ridden with us. And Father's Day

Briannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3456982165629451807.post-59895173182693875682011-07-02T14:17:00.000-06:002011-07-02T14:17:00.893-06:00

On June 25th, I did the olympic distance Lake to Lake triathlon up in Loveland. Not only was this the first olympic distance tri I have done since the boys were born, it was Bri's first night with both boys alone! Madeleine and I drove up Friday night and met some friends and stayed overnight. The race was a very early start and neither one of us wanted to get up earlier than need be. Brian

Karihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16506159640303857672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3456982165629451807.post-71198723626743619712011-07-01T14:10:00.000-06:002011-07-01T14:10:25.294-06:00

My dad and I took the boys to the Berry Patch last week for one of the last strawberry picking days until late summer. They were both having the time of their lives picking and eating strawberries. At one point I heard my dad ask Adler to put the strawberry in the basket and Adler looked at him and said, "NO EAT!" And he did, and many many more. They were hard not to eat, so yummy! The boys

Karihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16506159640303857672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3456982165629451807.post-91063078740262700702011-06-30T14:10:00.000-06:002011-06-30T14:10:00.459-06:00

OK, so it wasn't dogs nor spaghetti, but I thought it was really cute when LT got out some juice and straws to share with Adler.

Karihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16506159640303857672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3456982165629451807.post-49016536413975576502011-06-29T21:57:00.000-06:002011-06-29T22:00:37.835-06:00

Kari mentioned in the last post that I was away on business for most of the week last week (not to miss an opportunity to shill my photos: check out some photos from that trip at Vancouver in June) so she was alone with the boys for a few nights. The day after I got back from Vancouver it was my turn though. Kari did a triathlon in Loveland early on Saturday morning and went up the Friday night

Briannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3456982165629451807.post-18816593465206131092011-06-29T02:02:00.000-06:002011-06-29T07:03:52.684-06:00

My brother, Steve, went to law school in DC. While he was there, I was lucky enough to visit him. We went out one night while I was there and ended up at Jumbo Slice in the late night/early morning hours. We don't have anything quite like it in Colorado (at least I don't know of it), but it has pizza slices that are enormous. Brian was traveling in Canada last week and while he was gone, we

Karihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16506159640303857672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3456982165629451807.post-80973830091853260502011-06-28T13:51:00.003-06:002011-06-28T14:02:27.781-06:00

Today we went to another Camp Fun with LTs Steele buddies. The theme today was Science! There were four different activities set up with hands on activities. The first experiment was magnets. The kids experimented with different things to see what attracts to magnets and what doesn't. We were split into groups and our group included Zack, Isaac and Jonah.Adler really loved playing with the

Karihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16506159640303857672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3456982165629451807.post-17325175140342292632011-06-24T21:28:00.003-06:002011-06-24T21:30:08.539-06:00

LT playing with his buddy Tino while both wearing their Spiderman costumes.

Briannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3456982165629451807.post-16529797693669504872011-06-20T15:27:00.000-06:002011-06-20T15:27:00.258-06:00

LT was terrified of swim lessons last summer, so terrified that we actually quit. This summer started the same, crying, saying he didn't want to go. However, I pushed through, as his teacher suggested, and he has really become quite a confident swimmer. I wouldn't leave him near a pool confidently yet, but he is making progress little by little. For example, 2 weeks ago his teacher got out a

Karihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16506159640303857672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3456982165629451807.post-19916383169764222172011-06-20T13:36:00.004-06:002011-06-20T18:46:37.003-06:00

Adler is constantly learning new words and how to string them together (its common to hear 2 words in a row, sometimes he gets three). I can't even keep up. He can now say most of the colors, and knows some of them. He will repeat anything we ask him to say and is notorious for practicing his new words as he falls asleep at night. Here are some of our favorite things Adler now says:Boo Boo =

Karihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16506159640303857672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3456982165629451807.post-51959583054887332082011-06-19T15:19:00.000-06:002011-06-19T15:19:00.460-06:00

We live next to an 8 year old girl and a 9 year old girl. Not only is LT the only boy, but hes 5 years younger. This didn't stop him from bossing these girls (and their 9 year old guy friend) around the other day. The girls were having a lemonade stand in front and whenever this happens, they bring out their bright pink Barbie jeep. Often the stand is unattended and the girls are ripping

Karihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16506159640303857672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3456982165629451807.post-28668959882004255022011-06-18T15:09:00.000-06:002011-06-18T15:09:00.202-06:00

Brian read an article awhile ago about siblings. I didn't read it, so I am paraphrasing what he told me, but the gist was basically that as parents we tend to magnify the differences between our kids. We say how different they are, rather than noticing that siblings are actually more similar than different. At times it has been difficult for me to see that our kids are actually similar.

Karihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16506159640303857672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3456982165629451807.post-65668580048105798142011-06-17T21:55:00.006-06:002011-06-17T22:13:42.193-06:00

A few more photos from Sofi's birthday party at Pferdesteller Park right by our old house.Sofi and LT together on their 4th birthday. They were born in the same hospital, delivered by the same doctor, about an hour apart.Very into their art projects.LT trying to break the pinata.Sofi hoarded the pinata candy like a true pro but then shared some candy with other kids who's pinata skills weren't

Briannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3456982165629451807.post-72733187994802590732011-06-17T15:37:00.002-06:002011-06-17T15:44:38.229-06:00

I'm sure my husband took many more and much better pictures at Zack's birthday party last week, but here are a few.Adler snacking in a big guy chair.Zack wanted a chocolate Thomas cake, of course! Holden knows how to dig right into chocolate cake.Joe and LT cruising in one of Zack's red jeeps.

Karihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16506159640303857672noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3456982165629451807.post-779408700241412582011-06-17T14:55:00.003-06:002011-06-17T15:08:46.245-06:00

Sleeping arrangements don't seem to go as planned in the Campbell household. Before LT, we thought for sure that he would sleep with us. He wanted nothing to with sleeping in our bed. This turned out to be great and Brian and I learned to love the separation. Because of our experience with LT, we thought for sure Adler would be the same. While I was pregnant with him, we finished our

Karihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16506159640303857672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3456982165629451807.post-45335537319106599872011-06-13T15:25:00.000-06:002011-06-13T15:25:00.655-06:00

The Whalen and Campbell boys went on a hike at Lair of the Bear. Ewan and LT were such strong hikers and hiked an entire loop. Holden did pretty well also, hiking a lot of the way. Adler wanted to be carried, but had a lot of fun looking at things along the way. They did so well that they each earned a tootsie pop at the end :)

Karihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16506159640303857672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3456982165629451807.post-85831934301450599502011-06-12T15:12:00.000-06:002011-06-12T15:12:00.304-06:00

LTs little school has some amazing moms who organized "Camp Fun" for the summer. The moms each take one Tuesday morning to host with a fun activity for the kids. I was hesitant to sign up for Camp Fun because I didn't want our summer to be too crammed and I honestly wasn't sure it would work having Adler. But, we decided to try one and see how it went. It was really fun! The mom who hosted

Karihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16506159640303857672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3456982165629451807.post-55820821669852686762011-06-11T15:02:00.000-06:002011-06-11T15:02:00.715-06:00

Sofi and LT share the same birthday. Her party was held on their birthday, but LT didn't mind a bit since he thinks he turned 4

Karihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16506159640303857672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3456982165629451807.post-27404056972914304952011-06-10T15:19:00.000-06:002011-06-10T15:24:56.619-06:00

Hailie got her new brace! Its pretty serious, and takes a lot of work on our part doing PT, but I can already see improvements. The appointment was Wednesday morning, scheduled to be 2 plus hours. I was taking a friend out for her birthday the night before and so the boys went to my parents to spend the night.After our Hailies appointment, I dropped her off at our house and went to pick up the

Karihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16506159640303857672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3456982165629451807.post-84106024523530456372011-06-10T14:58:00.002-06:002011-06-10T15:00:57.254-06:00

Its farmers market season, which means bike rides down to Cherry Creek on Saturday mornings again.LT on a hike.

Karihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16506159640303857672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3456982165629451807.post-77734463361146971002011-06-10T14:52:00.002-06:002011-06-10T14:58:31.250-06:00

We went to the zoo with the Medina girls about a week ago. LT and Sofi didn't see much of each other during the school year with them both being in school and Renee teaching full time again. However, none of the kids were phased by that, they jumped right back to where they were last summer when they saw each other often. Sofi is so darn cute in her new glasses too!Adler riding an animal that

Karihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16506159640303857672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3456982165629451807.post-88440336905495980062011-06-05T21:38:00.001-06:002011-06-05T21:38:45.683-06:00

a 4 year old and his brother, a photo by brian.d.campbell on Flickr.LT turned four years old today while his little brother wishes (or thinks) he's four.

Briannoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3456982165629451807.post-55736896178553848372011-06-05T21:33:00.000-06:002011-06-05T21:33:00.593-06:00

A couple more videos of Adler talking. This time about trucks (beep beeps).

Briannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3456982165629451807.post-776139116132710662011-06-03T21:23:00.005-06:002011-06-03T21:30:05.500-06:00

A few weeks ago Kari wrote down some of Adler's new vocabulary. I managed to get a few of the words on video during my "interview" with him about what we were going to see at the downtown aquarium. LT makes an appearance at the very end - apparently he can't stand his brother being on camera with out him.

Briannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3456982165629451807.post-76212005350442593972011-06-01T22:50:00.003-06:002011-11-26T16:17:35.439-07:00

For months LT has been unequivocal about what he wanted to do for his birthday party. When asked, he said he wanted to have a bike race with all his friends and no other details really mattered to him. So, with a little creativity and a lot of help from the grandparents, we did our best to let him have his bike race. We had the usual party stuff - food & drinks - at our house. We also had

Briannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3456982165629451807.post-46062041194014021182011-05-29T23:34:00.003-06:002011-06-04T14:11:08.269-06:00

It took me a little longer than Kari to get my pictures from our (now annual) Spring trip to Arizona. I've got a lot of pictures. All the ones below and some good ones on flickr too. LT on the flight down with his DVD and orange juice.Adler having some water and causing trouble while his mom and dad try and enjoy some coffee.Teamwork.There was lots of swimming.And tubes.More swimming.And we

Briannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3456982165629451807.post-18119671050370368272011-05-27T13:37:00.000-06:002011-05-27T13:37:00.830-06:00

Hailie tore her ACL several months ago. Normally, this is surgically repaired. However, due to a pretty severe heart arithmia she has as well as a bad case of pneumonia, she's not a good candidate for surgery. We thought we would just see how she did with just pain medicine, but after months, she is still hobbling around and seems sad about having a hurt leg. Our vet recommended looking into

Karihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16506159640303857672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3456982165629451807.post-16205403467651696442011-05-26T12:33:00.000-06:002011-05-26T12:43:04.630-06:00

I was the aid in LTs Jefco school yesterday. Its a little early, but because school has ended by his actual birthday, we decided to take cupcakes for snack and celebrate it at school.We made (as requested by LT), vanilla bean cupcakes with vanilla butter cream frosting. I normally try to avoid dyes in food, but we decided to make fish cupcakes with M and M scales and lips and they were really

Karihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16506159640303857672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3456982165629451807.post-78825970384695107662011-05-25T13:42:00.003-06:002011-05-25T21:28:41.836-06:00

We went to get ice cream the other day at Little Man Ice Cream. They have the most amazing butterscotch ice cream. Yum!

Karihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16506159640303857672noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3456982165629451807.post-68242839009139191212011-05-25T13:26:00.003-06:002011-05-25T13:32:38.682-06:00

So, technically, LT isn't graduating to a Frog from the Poliwog class he has been in (hes going to be a Poliwog again next year), but they had their "graduation"ceremony from Poliwog to Frog today. Seriously cute! Each kid climbed up the stairs, slid down the slide and received their diploma from teacher Sarah.

Karihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16506159640303857672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3456982165629451807.post-66902325216694793032011-05-14T14:37:00.005-06:002011-05-14T14:59:01.071-06:00

As usual, Bri takes the better pictures (assuming he has his big camera). Here is the tip of the iceberg, and the crappy shots from my phone camera.The first morning we got there, Adler woke up a lot earlier than LT. After entertaining him in the hotel for as long as possible, we walked to the coffee shop at the resort. Posing with the ash tray, always good to see your 20 month old next to

Karihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16506159640303857672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3456982165629451807.post-50993551509336059512011-05-14T14:27:00.002-06:002011-05-14T14:36:58.724-06:00

I never think I will forget anything my kids do, but honestly, I can't remember many things already and they are only 3 and 1. So, before we forget some of Adlers first words, we decided to write some of his language down. Just this past week, while we were vacationing in Arizona, he picked up a lot more words. Daaaaa Da (said in a unique way, while usually out and about needing to throw

Karihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16506159640303857672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3456982165629451807.post-78961214118479804252011-05-14T12:39:00.006-06:002011-05-14T13:13:49.757-06:00

As we did with LT, we've done a little bit of sign language with Adler. LT had some his own unique variations on the sings and, probably because of us, Alder has picked up those variations rather than the real signs ("help" and "more" for example). Adler's even added a bit of his own personal touch - his version of "more" shown below as he asks for more cake and icing. He's really started to

Briannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3456982165629451807.post-1172412128789360802011-05-01T15:17:00.004-06:002011-05-01T15:43:58.446-06:00

Last weekend we were in Estes Park for a friends wedding. I have only seen two other moose in my life. Once cross country skiing in Winter Park, I rounded a bend and was head on with a male. The second time was in Alaska as I was running a marathon. An enormous moose was sitting on the side of the trail. This siting was less adventurous on my part, but nonetheless exciting to see a moose

Karihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16506159640303857672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3456982165629451807.post-17208214289470569712011-04-15T20:40:00.003-06:002011-04-15T21:02:07.478-06:00

Kari and Adler made up a game where they put a little tuft of his hair up in a hair clip so it sticks up like a little combination between a ponytail and a mohawk. Then one of them taps the hair with their hand and Kari says, "poke." Adler thinks it is absolutely hilarious. It's not exactly the same but this made me think of Jon Stewart saying, in this very funny clip from the Daily Show, "

Briannoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3456982165629451807.post-27146521341714257512011-04-15T19:53:00.003-06:002011-04-15T20:00:33.118-06:00

Taking a little break together on a bench at the zoo.Raiding daddy's office on a Friday afternoon for juice and junk food.

Briannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3456982165629451807.post-24896339240815373072011-04-13T20:17:00.003-06:002011-04-16T07:19:28.010-06:00

Adler knows how to live life. Shopping with mom at Whole Foods, feet up, glasses on, eating a vegan chocolate chip cookie. Life is good.

Karihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16506159640303857672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3456982165629451807.post-62703736795198873242011-04-09T17:41:00.000-06:002011-04-09T17:41:00.467-06:00

LT loves his bike, but what he might like more than just his bike is "mountain biking". He will find any patch of dirt or rock to ride on rather than sidewalks. I decided to gently ease him into the actual concept of mountain biking by taking him to a gradual slope near Sloans Lake. He loved it, but I think we can move up to a bit more challenging hill.

Karihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16506159640303857672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3456982165629451807.post-43130235839142142102011-04-09T12:46:00.000-06:002011-04-09T13:31:29.618-06:00

Yesterday LT, Adler, Ewan and his brother Holden and Isaac and his brother Jonah went to the Children's museum for a little fun. The big guys played in the bubbles, Adler played in the sink and was soaking wet within seconds. So wet that I wrung his shirt out. I felt badly, but he had to go home (and to dinner on the way home) in wet clothes.Snack time on the stairs in orange shirts and blue

Karihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16506159640303857672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3456982165629451807.post-22714397342771996882011-04-08T17:39:00.000-06:002011-04-08T17:39:00.736-06:00

LT and I have been up to Chitaqua in Boulder 2 times in the past week for little hikes. The first time it had snowed the night before. After a few minutes of hiking, our shoes had 2-3 inches of mud and other crud stuck to them. LT didn't mind a bit, he continued to "trail run" up the hill. Before LT, a few friends of mine and I used to trail run these paths, its fun to see LT enjoying them as

Karihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16506159640303857672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3456982165629451807.post-60533748053380737682011-04-07T17:33:00.002-06:002011-04-07T17:38:56.950-06:00

Today is Hailie's 9th birthday. Sadly, shes been pretty sick recently. We are trying desperately to figure out whats wrong and how best to treat her, but so far, we haven't made a lot of progress. Regardless, the boys both adore Hailie. When I asked LT the other day if he would have a dog when he grows up, he said, yes, "I will have Hailie". This isn't the best video, but the boys are

Karihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16506159640303857672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3456982165629451807.post-47973737988041638332011-04-04T21:28:00.000-06:002011-04-04T21:31:58.473-06:00

Westword recently named a strip of Tennyson Street, not too far from our house, Denver's best neighborhood shopping district for 2011. I've not done extensive research or anything but I can't disagree with them. We love living somewhere that has restaurants and shops that are within easy walking distance. One great thing about the neighborhood is the Tennyson Street Art Walk on the first friday

Briannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3456982165629451807.post-79837092488821285592011-03-30T21:13:00.004-06:002011-03-30T21:40:28.772-06:00

A random assortment of pictures from the last couple weeks:LT is getting more comfortable at basketball and is doing more things on his own. We went to a birthday party the weekend before last with some of his friends from his "big school."He charmed all the ladies at the party.The party wore him out and he fell asleep on the drive home with candy from the party in hand. He's pretty much given up

Briannoreply@blogger.com0