US Pro Cycling Challenge

This is the second year for the US Pro Cycling Challenge (professional bike race in Colorado). We missed going last year. They made it easy for us this year with a Golden to Boulder stage. We drove out and parked along Hwy 93 and got to see the guys we watch in the Tour de France fly by our own eyes. It was exciting yet very fast. Now I know why there are so many people watching on the mountain stages and not on the flats. The riders aren't going 40 mph past you!

We dressed Gavin and Trevor in their US Healthcare jerseys that I got from the hospital last year. I also pulled out the Courage Classic cow bells. The boys enjoyed ringing and ringing and ringing them. When we got home, the bells vanished! Hmm.

The boys in their jerseys (both holding cow bells)!

The break away!

 The peloton with George Hincapie and yellow jersey, Tejay Van Garderen.

 The peloton flying by. Is that Levi Leipheimer?

 Two seconds later... the end of the peloton.

Team BMC team car. And that was the bike race!

Photos compliments of Joel!

Uncle Neil Visits

Uncle Neil came for a visit in mid-August. He was in town for an epic running race in the high country (aka 10,000 feet). We got to spend time with him before and after his run. The boys had a fun time playing, chasing and wrestling with him. They played with trains and planes and just about every other toy Gavin could put in front of him! Gavin was being silly and kept calling him Uncle Dick. (We spoke to Uncle Dick on the phone a few days earlier planning for mom's birthday!) Uncle Neil in return would call him Trevor, Harley or Sturgis. Gavin just giggled and kept at it! We had a fun visit but I think Uncle Neil was ready to return to Seattle where he wouldn't be woken up at 6 o'clock each morning by a giggling 3-year-old!

Mom's Birthday

Gavin and I spent the morning together on my birthday. I signed him up for a bubble making class at the WOW Museum. It was a fun class. We spent another hour exploring the museum. We went to the drawing room and put washable stamps all over our arms. 

After class we went out for pizza followed by nap time. We opened the gift that was sitting on the counter. It was a popcorn maker (Gavin had been asking for one for a while, so that's what I asked for!). We pulled it out of the box and set it up. Gavin told me I needed to get a bowl out to put under the spout. Have you done this before? Then we measured and put the popcorn in and turned on the power. I got the camera out and had fun documenting his expression! What a hoot! 

 Trevor in exploration mode. If I stand on this, I can get deeper into the box. Hmm.

Oh, I can close and open the box too. Gotta get another ball out of there.

Peas in a Pod

Lately Gavin has enjoyed dressing his brother in the same shirt or same color shorts as he is wearing. Gavin gets up first in the morning so he sets the tone for attire. Grandma Miriam and I went to Target late one night and picked up 2 Bacon and Eggs shirts so the boys could be "shirt twins" as Gavin likes to say. We also got striped shirts - different colors but same basis stripes. So, when I took Trevor's shirt off one night because he made a mess at dinner, Gavin insisted his shirt come off too. Here are a few shots of the silly ones hanging out together.

 The shirt-less duo!

 Trevor LOVES "Baooons" and just discovered hot air balloons over the weekend.

Gavin's Masterpieces from Dr. Seuss Camp

I finally uploaded photos from the camera of Gavin's artwork from his Dr. Seuss Camp in late July. 

 Horton Hears a Who - Elephant 

 Green Eggs and Ham

 Wacky (Wednesday) Thursday

The Cat in the Hat

Annual Ice Cream Making Adventure

In late July we continued the tradition and made homemade ice cream! This year we started the ice cream BEFORE dinner so it was ready after dinner and not too runny. It turned out perfect. Daddy and Uncle David did most of the work while Gavin supervised.

Gavin's First Day of Preschool

 Getting buckled in and ready to go to school!

 Here is my school!

 I really like playing with these tires!

The Colorado school year starts in mid-August (August 15!). I would have been really bummed if I lived here as a kid. Right after my birthday it would have been time to go back! Anyway... Gavin's first day of preschool was last Wednesday. On Monday of that week he got to meet his teacher for a 1:1 in the classroom. Miss Stephanie met him at the door, showed him around the classroom and took him back to show him a lesson. He gravitated to a foam block set. She asked him to take it to a desk and sit down. He did so then went ahead and started playing. She asked him to sit with his hands on his lap until she showed him what she wanted him to do. He did. Then it was his turn. He proceeded to organize all of the blocks on the tray from outside to inside. When he was done he put them all back in the box they came in - he didn't need to be asked to clean up. Then they both got up and put the blocks back where he found them. Miss Stephanie looked at me and said "He'll do fine here." Our organized child! She then showed him around the rest of the room - where we have snack, where we wash our hands and clean our plates. I think this will be a good experience for him!

On Wednesday, daddy and I went to drop Gavin off. We took the customary building exterior shot and went inside and put his extra clothes in his cubby and his nap time stuff in the nap room. Then we went out to the playground to join the rest of the kids and parents already playing. I think we lingered a little too long but Gavin seemed ok!

My little boy is in preschool. He has been in full time daycare for 3 years almost to the day and now he's graduated to the next step. Time does fly. 

Ice Cream for Trevor

We went down to Children's for a consult with the pediatric surgeon. Trevor has a slight hernia near his belly button. Nothing they think needs to be fixed at this time. We decided to walk out thru the cafeteria to see if we would run into anyone we knew. Just happens the med staff were hosting the annual ice cream social! (The docs dish out ice cream.) One of the docs thought Trevor needed some. My buddy Tia saw us and snapped off a few shots. It was nap time so the little guy wasn't too willing to smile but you get to see his big brown eyes!

Photos compliments of Tia Brayman.