Sandbox

Chris and I finally broke down and got Jonathan a sandbox. I have been trying to hold off- or not do it all- because of the messiness of the sand. But, it was either a sandbox or him continuing to dig up our dirt from the trees, in between all of our bricks in our landscapings and my "garden." I am learning to deal with a little sand in the house... plus he has blast with it!

Clay's visit

Just a few days after we got back from our trip to Illinois, Clay and his kiddos came to visit us for the weekend. We had a great time relaxing with them and they, too, had a great time seeing some sights in Denver. We went to the pool, played at some parks, they went hiking at a close-by canyon and did some grilling on Father's Day.

One of the places that was visited over the weekend was the Butterfly Pavilion, http://www.butterflies.org/. Which of course has butterflies:

But also insects and starfish that you can touch:

And a tarantula that you can hold! Sloan, Hayden, Cole and Chris all held the spider. YIKES!

And of course, they had a place where the kids could crawl and play... I believe that this was a honeycomb.

Clay and kiddos, thank you for coming to visit!! We had a grand time with you!

Big Boy Bed

Jonathan is now in a big boy bed! He was totally excited to sleep in a bed with cars, trucks and helicopters all over it.

When I made the switch expectations were fairly low. But, so far I have been pleasantly surprise. He'll come out of his room but will go back in if we tell him too. It is only day 3 so that could totally change... but I will take what I can get.

Just hangin'

Here are some more pictures of us just hanging out in Illinois. Again, these pictures are compliments of Clay.

Chris's mom has so many "Where's Waldo?" books! So, Chris and Cole spent lots of time looking through them.

Amy was really good at reading to the kiddos. Whereas, I was good at just sitting around.

Sloan having a blast with all the toys

Cole really did teach Jonathan well! He had a blast with that scooter!

Again, more fun times at the park down the street from Mary and Dave's house:

Family Portrait

Another thing we did while visiting in Champaign was get a family picture. A picture with all of the immediate brothers, sister, nieces, nephews and in-laws. It totaled to 17 people- four of which are under the age of 4.

After we were done taking pictures everybody ventured over to the nearby park. (Chris and I headed back to get packed, as we were leaving a few short hours later) Catherine and Jonathan joined them at the park. So, these pictures are compliments of Clay, Chris's oldest brother.

The photographer trying to get a picture with grandparents with all of their grandchildren.

We were trying to get the kiddos to look at us and smile for the camera

Grandpa Dave holding Catherine at the park

Catherine having fun in the swing

Emily, one of Chris's nieces, playing on some tires at the park

Sloan, another one of Chris's niecesHayden, one of Chris's nephews

Sloan, again!

Chris's sister, Amy, playing with Jonathan
Cole, another one of Chris's nephews

Decatur Zoo

A venture that we had while in Illinois was a visit to the Decatur Zoo. Curt, Chris's brother, and one of his daughter's Samantha joined us. Jonathan had a great time seeing the camels, zebras, cheetahs, turtles, etc... The day was a little overcast, which was perfect! We also found out that it was free admission that day... even better!!!

Well, I have tried uploading the pictures from the zoo numerous times... and they just won't take. So, you will have to take my word on it. he he

Long Hiatas

After a long hiatas, I am back! It's funny, the summer is supposed to be about relaxation but for us it just gets busier. But, we are having a blast!

About two weeks ago we ventured to Champaign, IL to visit Chris's family and attend FOCUS summer training, for about a week. Despite my nervousness about the 15 hour drive with two little kiddos it worked out marvelously! Our time with family and friends was GREAT! We got to see lots of Chris's sister, brothers, nieces, nephews and even his Grandma and Grandpa came down to visit for a day. We felt truly blessed to have gotten to spend so much time with so much family. Thank you, all, for a wonderful time. We miss you already!

Chris's sister, Amy, has a mastiff named Chloe. Jonathan was intriged. He could ride her like a pony.

Grandma Mary, Chris's mom, was so much fun! She had so many great ideas and fun things to do with the kiddos. One of the many things was making chocolate chip cookies.

The dough was yummy too!!

Cole, Jonathan's cousin, was really great at playing with and entertaining Jonathan. Not only did he play "horse" but also taught Jonathan how to ride his scooter...

Uncle Clay, Chris's brother and Cole's dad, liked to play "horse" too!

Right down the street from Grandma Mary's and Granda Dave's house is a really nice park... which we went to almost everyday.

Catherine had fun at the park too!

AND in the neighbors backyard is a great swingset... which he played on multiple times a day

Our dear friends, Joe and Carolyne with their daughter, Grace, came down from Chicago to spend a couple of days with us. We had fun eating at local restaurants, walking around the University of Illinois campus and catching up.