Bear Lake Scenery

Ellie's First Hike!

We drove up to Bear Lake in the Rocky Mountain National Park today to let the kids stretch their legs. Ellie actually made it walking all of the way around the lake! Her first official hike! We started up the trail to Dream Lake too, when about halfway there Nick decided he was done. William was perfectly happy to ride along in the front carrier and was asleep by the time we made it back to the car.

William at 14 Weeks

William is quite the mover these days. He rolls over as soon as we put him down, which makes diaper changes interesting. He also rolls constantly while sleeping and makes a circuit of the crib all night. He has figured out how to scoot himself while on his belly and can get across a room fairly quickly. I wasn't anticipating having to babyproof the house this early! William no longer likes the bouncy seat as he wants to sit upright now. He is definitely more social, squawks for attention if we put him down and leave his line of sight. He enjoys being held at the dinner table so that he can smile and coo and entertain everyone. It's just a matter of time before he notices the food and decides he wants to eat too!

Waiting for Nick

Ellie had a grand time in the park waiting for Nick's science class to finish. She found this statue most intriguing and announced it was modeled after her Nick. She spent quite awhile trying to imitate the little boy's pose before resorting to one of her favorite activities. Picking the flowers out of the city's lovely landscaped flower beds. Luckily none of the park officials were there to observe, and her rather rough handling of the blooms resulted in none of them actually making it into the Rec Center when it was time to pick up Nick. Phew!

Another Silky Boy...

Just like his big brother, William likes to sleep with a silky. He actually prefers to use a cloth diaper, but will settle for one of Nick's old silkies. The softer and more broken in the better! Thankfully, Nick has actually voluntarily loaned one of his silkies to William. Must be a male bonding thing, because if Ellie had asked to borrow one there would have been world war three.

Sweet Revenge

Ellie has been biding her time, waiting to pounce. At last the perfect opportunity for revenge. While her brother lay on the floor innocently playing, she dropped the laundry basket on top of him and promptly sat on it. Then there was plenty of time to sit back, cross her legs, fluff her skirt, and peruse the contents of her beautiful pink purse. All the while the hapless victim cried for release from his plastic prison. And what did their mother do during this blatant episode of sibling torture you might ask? Why chuckled quietly to myself and took pictures of course! You know what they say about payback...

William at 12 Weeks

I know they are around here somewhere...

William looking for Nick and Ellie while he is supposed to be asleep. (sorry about the terrible photo, it was dark and I was shooting through the crib bars/over the bumper pad)

The Roll

almost over....
just have to move that shoulder....
SUCCESS!!

Now how does this fit in here....

Wow! What are these fun things?!

William at 11 Weeks

Such an eventful week! William has been very busy trying to grow up fast. He has discovered his fists, and loves to eat them. He can now reach for toys and actually grab them. Currently he is working on steering them appropriately in the direction of his mouth, and is often successful. He can purposefully roll from his back to stomach and then in reverse. William has also discovered how to push himself up on his arms while in bed just high enough to see over the bumper pad. We caught him peeking over last night when we thought he was asleep. I think he is trying to figure out how to join in the bedtime high jinx with his rascally older siblings. He is still a very good baby, quite happy most of the time and loves to be social with anyone who smiles at him!

The Big Crib

Now that William has figured out how to roll, we had to move him out of the bassinett and into the big crib. Thankfully he liked it and fell right asleep. Good Night!

Our Children

Posing nicely for us on the front porch of the Stanley Hotel.

The Stanley Hotel

Estes Park is home to the Stanley Hotel, the hotel from the Stephen King movie "The Shining". We just had to go and check it out for ourselves. It is very beautiful inside and out, is quite expensive to stay in, and has a stunning view of Estes Park from the front porch. But not a single ghost or crazed madman in sight.

Lots of Elk

We saw elk all over the place in Estes, a herd of them even came to feed below our balcony at the condo! I expected them to be similar to deer, but they are actually closer to horses in size. Huge animals!

Ellie

Nick

Rocky Mountain National Park

The scenery in Moraine Park in the Rocky Mountain National Park. Paul's favorite fishing spot and a great place to let the kids explore.