It's a beautiful day in Colorado

I was running some errands this morning and came upon the most beautiful field full of sunflowers. What a glorious sight! Thankfully I had my camera in the car to capture the moment.

You never know what awaits around that next corner.
Some days you just get lucky.


This is for you Paul; sorry you had to work on such a beautiful day. Miss you!

First Day of School!

Eleanor on her first day of Kindergarten!
Such a big girl, we are so proud of you!

Nick is now a second grader.
It's going to be a great year!

We were so lucky to have Holly in town on the first day of school! She was such a huge help, I loved having her here to give us a hand. After pick up time at school we headed up to Estes to celebrate with ice cream and to show Holly some mountains. I think she liked them?

Good job to my two elementary school kids! And thank you for coming to visit Holly! We loved having you here and you are welcome anytime. Bring Anna, Jake, Luke, and Mike with you next time!

Our Day At the Zoo

We decided to spend our last Friday before school started exploring the Denver Zoo. We have never made it all the way through in one trip as it is a rather large park. But we did pretty well this time, probably due mostly to the fact that William slept in the stroller for the second half.

Eleanor climbing a tree.

Nick ready to pounce.

Peacock

The third seal.

A four humped camel?!

How did they get in that enclosure!

Will's usual activity on our zoo trips.

Yum! Ice cream!

Nick sculpted his into an "opposable thumb". (I wasn't sure what look he was going for, so I had to ask.)

Stopping to smell the roses.

At the primate exhibit.

All three are fascinated.

On the zoo train. Will's favorite part.

Monkeys island.

Will consulting the map.

It was a wonderful day! Everyone behaved beautifully for me. Fortunate, as the three kids to one adult ratio in a public place has potential for disaster. So glad we were able to have one last hurrah before the beginning of school.

Eleanor's Cheerleading Finale!

Elle Belle has been taking cheerleading classes all summer and today she had her final class and the opportunity to show off for her family. She did great! Remembered all the words to the cheers, all the moves, was the leader for her group, and was also the loudest kiddo in the class. Sometimes not having an "inside voice" does pay off! Her teacher, Miss Kendra, loved Eleanor's bubbly personality and endless enthusiasm. So do we! Good job honey!

(Trying to post a video, but Blogger is being cranky.....)

Just had to share my big "score"!
I was walking through Home Goods in search of a soap dispenser; when what did I see on a clearance rack?

Two of these Spode serving pieces.

I know how much they cost full price as I drool over them in the Williams Sonoma Catalog each fall. And sure enough, they still had their WS price tags on:

Guess how much they were at Home Goods?

Yep. $18 each. Score!!
Woo hoo!

I went on a William hunt the other day as it was suspiciously quiet upstairs. Here is what I found. Will all snuggled into our bed, clutching a handful of Nick's toys. Nick was outside playing with a friend, and William had seized the opportunity to get his hands on contraband. "I have all Nicky's Gons!" he told me with this huge grin on his little face. (Gon is toddler speak for Bakugan). It's a good thing he's so cute!