Disneyland 2013

 In mid-May, we met my Grandma and Papa as well as Aunt Ying, Uncle Scott and Nicholas in Southern California for a few days at Disneyland.  Adler was a little hesitant upon arrival, but after a few rounds of the teacups, he warmed up and eventually ended up having a pretty good time.

 He eventually went on the marry go round and a few other rides.

 Landon, on the other hand, fully embraced the rides.  Above is a roller coaster we went on 3 or 4 times together (we would have gone on it more, but it got stuck at the top of the hill at one point and was closed down).

 Having Nicholas there was definitely a highlight for both boys!  Above they are getting ready to drive the cars.

 Landon was a pretty focused driver, but maybe not the best driver.

 Adler was pretty worn out and fell asleep walking to the Pooh ride.

 We met my cousin Julie, her husband Dennis and their son Harrison one day.  This was really a treat!  Harrison is pretty fearless and managed to take Landon on the Haunted House (last time we were there we had to take the emergency exit because Landon was so scared, so we were a little worried, but he did great!) and on Splash Mountain!

 Adler loved the monorail after he went on it a few times.

 Landon loved the characters too!  We found almost every one of them throughout our time there to get a picture and their signature.

 Grandma found these adorable sunglasses (still a hit weeks later!).

 We went to several meals with the characters, this was our last breakfast, but we found Daisy Duck, a hard to come by character.

 Nicholas bought these super fun Mickey gloves.

Safety First

innocence

For most of his life, Adler has been dragged along to LT's things and, as a result, often hangs out with younger siblings of LT's friends.

Today was different though. Alder had a playdate of his very own and LT tagged along and had to hang out with Adler's friend's older sister. From the looks of this picture though, that wasn't such a bad deal for LT.

Mountains with Uncle Steve

Uncle Steve joined us in the mountains a few weekends ago.  The boys don't get to see enough of him and they had a great time together!

Lots of Boys

We had dinner awhile ago at Brandy's house.  Her three boys, MC's 3 boys and my two boys were all there.  Lots of boys having dinner together and digging in the snow and dirt together!

Halloween in March

 Our friends Tino and Phoenix came over for dinner one evening.  While Maria and I were talking, they took it upon themselves to pull out all the halloween costumes and parade around the house!

 Phoenix even built herself a robot costume out of old boxes.  I love their creative ideas.

Chefs Hat

Anytime I cook or bake, Adler insists on grabbing his chefs hat.  Making cookies was no exception.

Pasquinis

Occasionally we meet friends on Tuesday nights at Pasquinis when kids eat free.  We met Zack and his parents one evening and because of our large party, we were able to get the special "king" table.

Tortillas

 The boys decided they wanted to make tortillas.  When I asked them what we needed, LT replied confidently, "Filo dough!".  Um, OK?  We went to the store and bought filo dough.  Adler got out his chefs hat and recipe book and together they cut the filo dough into small pieces of "tortillas".  We did make real tortillas after this, but I thought LTs idea was too funny not to try.

Snow!

 We have had several big snow storms this March.  The boys have really taken to shoveling, even the grass.

Skiing with Nicholas

 My nephew, Nicholas, came to town in February for a vacation.  We were lucky to be able to meet them in the mountains for the boys to ski/board together.   

Two of my favorite ski buddies.

Happy skier!

 Nicholas boarding.

Apres ski.  A lollipop, football and lounging.

Boys at the zoo

Higher!

Miss those doggies

Below is a picture of Bowen that LT drew back when Bo was still with us. He also wrote his name and almost got it right. Above is a family picture that LT drew a few weeks ago in the art room at Little Monkey Bizness. He couldn't say why but he really wanted to included Hailie and Bowen in the picture, which was touching and sad for me at the same time. The boys don't talk about the dogs very often. But I think they do miss then in their own way. I know I do.

And I'll just share what is probably my favorite photo of Bowen one more time.

Landfill

We took the boys up to the mountains a few weeks ago over the long holiday weekend. We stayed an extra day so LT could ski with his cousin, who was visiting CO for a few days, and Kari went with them. I had to work. And left Adler to Baba and Grandpa who took him on an adventure of a lifetime to the local land fill where he got to see a "dozer" and an excavator in action.

On the drive home Kari asked Adler about it and this conversation transpired:

Kari, "Adler, when you went to the landfill today, what did it smell like?"
Adler, "OLD fashioned wood!"

Weekend Fun

Last weekend was nice enough that we were able to get out one morning for some bike riding. Biking is still one of LT's favorite things and it's growing on Adler as he gets the hang of the push bike. Our ride also included a stop at the playground to do some digging and other games.

Later that afternoon LT asked if he could go for another ride and if I'd ride with him this time and if we could go somewhere new. I suggested we ride to Cheesman Park and back thinking that it might be a good challenge for him. But wow did I underestimate him. We rode for nearly two and a half hours.  We went all the way to the park and once we were there we rode around and though it several times while exploring all the different paths. I think LT had a great afternoon (I know I did).

Little Firemen

One of Adler's little friends had a birthday party at the Denver Firefighters Museum recently. There were some extra party favors, the red toy firefighter's helmet, so Adler got to bring one home for his brother. They've been playing elaborate make believe firefighting games complete with firetrucks made of chairs, tables and blankets and putting out "real" fires. 

Cousins