Greeley Stampede

Yee-haw!  We went to the Greeley Stampede again, this year.  It was so much fun!

Finn was tall enough to go on all the same rides as Cadence, this year, so that was very exciting.

Their favorite ride was this big slide.  I went on it once, and it was a lot of fun.

Little Miss Aria was such a good sport.  She didn't get to go on any rides, but she was perfectly content watching all the people and all the amusements.

And, of course, we ate some delicious, and very unhealthy, carnival food.  Yummy!  Brad had a giant turkey leg, Cadence had pizza, Aria and I had hot dogs, and Finn had a corn dog (or Slushie dog as he called it...from Phineas and Ferb).

Cadence was disappointed beca use she really wanted to ride the mechanical bull.  Maybe next year, when she has a little more coordination.

Next month, Brad and I get to go to the rodeo at Cheyenne Frontier Days with our friends from church.  I am sooooo excited!  I've always wanted to go to Frontier Days, and it will be a blast watching the rodeo with our friends who know all about that stuff.  We really need to get some cowboy hats and boots to fit in.  Don't you like Aria's little boots?

Practice Run

Last weekend was Father's Day, and Brad wanted to have a practice camp out in the backyard with Cadence and Finn before our trip to Moab in August.


So, he set up the tent in the afternoon and everyone had fun playing in it.

Unfortunately, it rained and thundered that night.  So, the kids got pretty scared and wanted to come in.  Oh, well.  It was a good try.

Before heading out to the tent, though, we made s'mores in the microwave (because of the rain).

For dinner we had this dancing chicken.  I made Brad a beer-can bbq chicken.  I gave him a potato head to help keep the juices and flavor in.

I bought this crocheted headband from Brad's cousin.  Isn't it cute?

Just Buggin'

I just wanted to post some pictures of my brave kids with creepy crawlers.  

Cadence used to be so timid of bugs and unfamiliar things.  Now look at her!

They both held a tarantula at the Butterfly Pavilion.

They played with this cute caterpillar in our backyard.  Finn was actually more skiddish around it than Cadence.

Cadence let him crawl all over her.  He seemed to like her bathing suit.  Fun days!

Delayed Train

Last week, Brad took Cadence and Finn to see "Thomas and Friends Live" at the Budweiser Events Center.  They had a blast, including Brad!

They both wore their Thomas shirts.  Finn has Thomas on his and Cadence has Lady on hers.

As soon as Finn got home he started jumping up and down telling me all about the show.  He gave me a full recap.  He was so excited!  Cadence, of course, filled in and corrected his missing facts.

Well, Baby Bird Watch 2011 is over.  The birds left the nest.  Here are the last pictures we took of them in the nest, all grown up.

Now, we are just left with this poopy mess.  They didn't even clean up before they moved.  Oh well.  I was thankful to have them for the short time that they were here, though, I do miss their little chirps.  It's amazing how fast they grow.  Thankfully, our babies don't grow that fast.

Swimming

This past Saturday was our first swim lesson day!  I love swimming!  Cadence went into her own preschool class.  She said she liked it, but got scared when they were doing back floats.  That is a scary feeling, at first.  

Finn, Aria, Brad and I went to the parent/tot class.  Finn seemed so much bigger than the other kids.  He did great!  He loved throwing the toy and then "swimming" to it.  Aria wasn't as fond of the lesson, but she did pretty well.

Bird watch check in.  It is amazing the similarities you can find between chicks and human babies.  I can hear these little chicks chirping frequently throughout the day.  They are very loud, just like human babies.  You wouldn't think so much sound could come out of such little creatures.  Also, the poor mama bird seems so busy.  Flying back and forth to take care of them and tend to their needs every time they chirp.  I've only had one newborn to deal with at a time.  She has FOUR to deal with at once.  Obviously, there are many things that make human babies more difficult than chicks (i.e. the fall and all that), but it's fun to draw some parallels.

Look at how big these hungry little birds mouths are!  Amazing!  Feed us!