Leaving Denver

Yesterday we hung out with Eric and Marsha. We went to a pool party with some friends of theirs from church, which was great fun for me again with the cast. Bobby and Eric were tired; they had 19 calls at the fire station Friday and only 2 hours sleep, but no fires.

Today we went to church with them, and then spent a couple hours at the Children's Museum downtown. The girls really had a good time. We took a trolley ride along the Platte River, which winds along downtown. The weather is perfect; I don't know if it is normal or not but I love it!


In the morning we'll be leaving Denver for the Rocky Mountains.

In Colorado

We left Wednesday night for Colorado. We weren't going to leave until Thursday morning, but we got packed and decided to go ahead and get started. We drove to Abilene, Kansas and stayed at the Holiday Inn Express, because it had an indoor pool. The girls and Bobby played in the water for a while; because of my cast I had to watch.

The next morning we took off for Denver. It took us about 6 hours, and the girls did really well. A few squabbles, but nothing major. They actually slept the last hour or so, so that was nice. A friend of mine made us a CD, so Bobby and I listened to that a lot. There are some very lonely stretches across Kansas and Colorado. Bobby kept telling me we were moving out to some podunk town, but I wasn't fooled.

It has been good to spend some time with Eric and Marsha. Eric was Bobby's roommate all through college. They have Gabriella, who is 3, and Adam, who is 1. I'll post some pictures soon. The girls all had a sleepover in Gabriella's room last night. Eric is also a firefighter, so today Bobby did a 24-hour ride-along with Eric. It's a pretty busy station, and Bobby was hoping for a fire.

Marsha and I took the kids to the zoo today. Perfect weather, about 80 degrees and cloudy. Believe it or not, the girls liked the snakes and the bats best. The elephants, Mimi and Dolly, were a big hit too.

We'll be here until Monday, when we head up into the mountains for some camping. Can't wait!

Dance class

At the last dance class of the quarter, parents are allowed to watch. Bobby was at the fire station. The girls had class at the same time, so I had to walk back and forth. That would have been ok, except for the other family that had the same problem. They brought both sets of grandparents, both parents, and a cousin, and they were all standing in the doorway, making it hard for me to walk between.

Macy was in a tumbling class, and loved it. I was a little scared when the first girl did her cartwheel; it was perfect! But then I learned she's been in tumbling for 2 years, and Macy for 6 weeks. I felt a little better. Macy practices her tumbling at home constantly, and is getting pretty good. Her back walkover is good, and her round off is good too. She loves to climb a tree in our front yard and hang upside down.

Kaylin was in an intro dance class, and she was as cute as can be. When Miss Kylie told them to get in line, she would run as fast as she could to be first, and then raise her hand and say "I'm first in line!" Then she stayed after everyone else had left to help pick up the mats. She can do a good somersault.

I'm putting some pictures on here, but the lighting in there was horrible, so they aren't really that good.

Funny comments from the girls...

We leave for Colorado in two days. As the girls have no real concpet of how long that is, they are driving me crazy asking when we will leave. I have told them "two wake-ups", but they keep forgetting that. I'm realy looking forward to spending 10 hours in the car with them.

We've been talking about the alpine slide in Winter Park, and that you ride down the mountain on a slide. She asked me today when I would pack her snow boots. I told her it was July and we didn't need her snow boots. "But, Mom, my feet will get wet with all the snow on the mountain!" I smiled and explained there was not snow on the mountain.

And this has been a couple weeks ago, but one Sunday there was a one-year-old girl in front of us at church. Kaylin looked up at me, smiled sweetly, and said, "Baby McKinley is going to die someday," and then went back to coloring.

Eating my words...

Today on the bus ride home today, I was wishing for an iPod, since everyone else was listening to theirs. It was a long three hours.

I guess that's what I get for making fun of my students in yesterday's post. Although they do take it overboard, it would be nice to have on a walk, etc.

In case anyone wants to get me one for Christmas, that would be a great gift.

Cell phone thoughts from me...

Yesterday I was walking back from dinner to the hotel. I was walking alone, enjoying the breeze, sun on my face, and time alone. Along the way I passed two students, also alone. One was listening to her iPod, and another talking on her cell phone. This was not an isolated incident; I see this all the time.

High school and college students don't know how to just be alone. They are on their cell phone, either calling or texting or surfing or playing. Faced with a few minutes alone, they don't know how to just be and enjoy time by themselves. They need to fill every moment.

And along those same lines, they don't have much cell phone etiquette. They will answer the phone in the middle of a conversation, or while they are sitting at a table with 5 others and still try to maintain both conversations. At the mall on Monday, one of my sophomores was texting while the clerk was trying to hand back her change. Obviously the clerk was annoyed, and the girl didn't understand that text message could have waited 10 more seconds.

When we go to Philly in November, I am making a rule: no cell phones at the table, or while we are touring the city. I can just see us at the Liberty Bell, and someone is talking to their boyfriend at home the whole time.

Trip to the zoo

The girls and I took Dad to the zoo last Friday. We ate a picnic lunch by the donkeys--yes, Dad brought his cooler! We saw the cute koala bears, but we think the ring-tailed lemurs and meer kats are more fun. The girls rode the new endangered species carousel; Kaylin and Dad sat on the peacock, Macy rode the Zebra. Truman the tiger was already taken. :(

But the real excitement was the Lorikeet feeding. 25 people are given tickets (I sweet-talked the 70-year-old into giving us the tickets early!) to feed the birds. You're given a cup of nectar, and they land on you to drink.

Macy chickened out, Kaylin tried, but Dad stole the show. He had three birds on him for a long time, and then one climbed onto his head. Everyone was crowded around watching, and one boy was getting jealous. The girls loved it, and as much as he won't admit it, Dad did too.