The Children's Museum of Denver

Sunday, February 27, 2011:

   The last day of Gigi's visit we all headed to the Children's Museum of Denver.  It was really easy to find, it's the multicolored building off of 85 and it's right next to the Downtown Aquarium.  We'll have to take Lana there sometime too, another visit.   At the Museum Lana checked out the fire engine, the train room, the bubble room, the grocery store, and the dance studio.  Lana enjoyed everything she got to do at the Museum and I'm sure she would love to go back again.

Lana using the water hose on the Fire Engine.

"Hi, fire dog!"

"Choo, choo"  Playing with the trains.

Playing in the bubbles.

Ohh, look was Daddy is making!

Going grocery shopping with Gigi.

Chef Lana is cutting the food in the kitchen.

All dressed up.  Is that Lana or Juliana?  It's Lana!

"Tickle, tickle"

    Here are some fun videos from the Museum.

Gigi comes to visit!

Saturday, February 26, 2011:

   We had our first visitor come see us in Colorado!  Lana's Gigi had a conference in Denver and we all met up after she was done.  First we gave Gigi a little driving tour.  We took her through Highlands Ranch and by our new home.  The homeowners were packing, but I didn't have the courage to say hello.  Then we took the scenic route and saw quite the view of Alex's work.  All the buildings are nestled in the mountainside.  Then we stopped at the hotel to freshen up before we went on a family hike. 

   I decided to take everyone to South Valley Park.  Lana and I loved hiking there together and the red rocks are just beautiful.  Having Gigi and Daddy along we got Lana to walk a long way, and she really did mostly walk.  She is going to be one great hiker some day. 

    We sure had a great hike together and we worked up quite the appetite.  Today was the start of Denver Restaurant Week.  Hundreds of restaurants put together a three course meal with some options and everyone pays a base price, which is a great deal.  We went to Ted's Montana Grill.  On the way in we saw that Gigi opened up her own cupcake shop in Littleton.  Way to go Gigi!

   Dinner was great at Ted's Mountain Grill, but we all ate way too much.  We all got a special three course meal, but added on buffalo nachos.  They were great, but we really didn't need them.  Alex and I both had buffalo chili to start and then we each got a different entree and shared.  Gigi got the crab cakes, Alex got the bison, and I got the beef tenderloin.  Everything was delicious, but my favorite was my blue cheese crusted beef tenderloin, yum.  We all had the apple crisp a la mode, yummy! 

   Alex and I planned to go out after dinner and hit a movie, but unfortunately the sun zapped me while we were hiking and I had a headache all evening.  We all just enjoyed relaxing back at the hotel visiting before we all turned in for the evening.  Alex and I will have to catch a movie while we are in League City, plenty of babysitters there!  :) 

   Sarah

Temporary Living Day 19

Thursday, February 24, 2011:

   Who knew sending a fax would be so difficult?  Trying to get documentation to Jiffy Lube about my massive leak in the oil filter they installed only 3 weeks ago took 2 days and multiple phone calls.  I don't know if they finally go the fax or the scanned document that Alex e-mailed over, but I got reimbursed for that faulty oil filter. 

   Since faxing took a lot longer than expected Lana and I were 15 minutes late to story time.  We caught one book and a few songs.  Lana actually did pretty well only having to sit for that time span.  After story time we got on the computer to play some games, then Lana enjoyed getting board books and reading them at the kid tables.  There was a 2-3 year old story time at 10:30, I tried to sit her down for that but she wasn't having it :(  So sad, it seems like that group does more rhymes and movements than the baby story time and I think she would have really enjoyed it.  Oh well, maybe another time when she is actually 2.

    Leaving the library was another tearful exit, not sure what to do to change that.  Maybe it will be easier when we can actually check out books and take them home with us.  She was so sleepy and fell asleep in the car on the way home and took a great hour and a half nap once we got home.  Before we picked Daddy up from work today we went to a park right new to his work.  There were a lot of birds, it was neat to walk into a park and hear all the birds singing together.  The sun was setting so we put on some warmer coats and checked out the neat walkways.

   Back home Alex opened a package and Lana got to play with bubble wrap for the first time ever!  She was a little surprised when it popped, but she had a difficult time popping it very much.  Even walking on it we didn't get the popping we thought we would.  Better luck next time Lana.  She still did some silly things and I caught it on film and video for you to enjoy.

Lana's first pop.

Laying down saying "Nigh, nigh," and using the bubble wrap as a blanket.  LOL

Trying to pop with my feet.

    Sarah

Temporary Living Day 18

Wednesday, February 23, 2011:

   What a beautiful day it was in Littleton, Colorado today.  Lana and I took full advantage.  She was really ready to go to breakfast before me this morning.  She got my key card and was headed out the door.  Thank goodness that door is too heavy for her to open, or Lana would be all over the hotel. 

Yes, I got the room key.

I'm off to breakfast.

 









   We finally made it back to the Highlands Ranch Library this morning.  Lana enjoyed playing La Casa de Dora on the computer before story time began.  It was so cute, when I told her it was story time she took off running for the story time area and went to get a mat to sit on. 

 





 
   Lana is such a wiggle worm during the stories.  She did a great job with all the movement songs and the book Ten in the Bed.  We all sang this book together and that kept Lana's attention.  Luckily Lana isn't the only wiggle worm in the bunch of kids. I think we were down to half of the original group of kids after the 2nd story.  Trying to read four books might be a little much for this age group.  We will see how things go tomorrow.

   Trying to leave the library was a huge ordeal.  She didn't want to leave, but we had to go to the store because she is out of diapers.  The poor girl was screaming and crying when I put her jacket on, and then I saw it.  The tip of her bottom left molar poking through, no wonder she has been so fussy the past few days, her gums hurt.  Lana cried and carried on until we got outside the library.  Once in the car, it wasn't long before she fell asleep.  Poor girl was up making noises at 4:12 this morning, but I let her go back to sleep.  She never gets up that early, her gums must have been bothering her them too.

    After a nap, a trip to the store, lunch, and some Skyping with Grandma we were ready to get out and enjoy this beautiful weather.  Sunny, warm, and barely a cloud in the sky.  Lana and I headed off to South Valley Park.  It has a great hiking trail with beautiful red rocks all around.  It was fun walking the trail with Lana, she walked up, and then down, up, and down.  She has fun wherever she is.  We saw 3 planes, a helicopter, hawks, birds, a dog, rocks, plants, and Lana even had some fun drawing in the sand with a stick.  You'll just have to take a look for yourself.

Beautiful backdrop for the South Valley Park sign.

Lana headed straight to the map, that's my girl.

"Cheese!" Beautiful red rocks right at the parking lot and trail head.

Gorgeous!  Lana was leading the way.

Views from every angle and we live here!

Beautiful home near a really neat rock formation.

Lana was fascinated with this plant.

There are some hawks circling.

Here's the rock climbing Lana did at the park.

   I think we could have stayed here all day.  We are so lucky that is just down the road from our hotel, an easy 5 minute drive tops. I see lots of hikes in Lana's future.  I am so glad Lana enjoyed just walking the trail and checking out all her neat surroundings.  I look forward to coming back to walk, use our hiking backpack, or maybe even biking.  Our possibilities are endless.  Check out these adorable videos I got on our hike.

   This first video is of Lana going down the trail the first time.   She was going downhill and thought it was so fun she was saying "weee," as she walked.  At the end she started going really fast, I had to catch up to her and hold her hand so she wouldn't fall.

    The next video is of Lana and her rock climbing adventure, lol!  She climbed on and off this rock many times and even fell off once.  Don't worry, she's a tough girl, just dusted her off and she tried again.

   This last video is of Lana drawing in the dirt with a stick.  Listen to how she tells me she is writing I's.  I am so impressed that Lana is already recognizing some of her letters at 20 months.  She continued drawing I's halfway down the rest of the trail.

   Sarah

Temporary Living Day 17

Tuesday, February 22, 2011:

   Today was a very busy morning for Lana and me.  We had to take the Xterra in to Nissan because the gas gauge didn't work on Thursday and my Service Engine Soon light came on.  Of course the gas gauge started working on Friday and the engine light went off yesterday, but the problem still needed to be fixed.  It was covered under my warranty but the job was going to take 3 hours and a rental would cost me $30.  So Lana and I just put on another layer, got the stroller, and walked from the dealership to the surrounding stores.

   First we came to TJ Max, when we got in the store I let Lana walk around.  We spent a half hour in the kids section looking at toys and reading books.  We found some great puzzles, 2 peg puzzles, the Alphabet and Numbers.  We also found some 2 piece floor puzzles matching Mommy and Baby Animals and Colors and Shapes floor puzzles.  It was great to see her so interested in her new puzzles back at the hotel and not so interested in the TV.

   After TJ Max we headed across the street to Babies R Us.  It was a pretty easy walk, there are large sidewalks everywhere here, lots of people ride, walk, or use city transportation.  We spent about an hour playing in Babies R Us / Toys R Us.  It was hard to get Lana to leave one section to go look at another.  Lana loved playing with the train set, but we haven't mastered keeping Thomas on the tracks.

I loved listening to Lana say ,"choo choo," while she played with Thomas.

   Next we walked to Chik-fil-A for lunch.  Lana guzzled her milk, but didn't want to eat any of her chicken, just some fries.  Not the best lunch for a growing girl.  After eating I let her play, they have an indoor play area.  The only problem was she would climb up the stairs and play in the tubes, but she wouldn't go down the slide.  She came down the stairs once on her own and played with some toys on the ground, but when it was time to go she wouldn't climb down but two stairs, so I had to get her.  Here she is on the stairs.

   Oh, I forgot to mention that while we were at Babies R Us / Toys R Us I got a phone call from the dealership.  They found a massive leak in my oil filter and oil was going all over the floor!  After draining the tank they realized I had lost 2 quarts of oil.  Good thing I brought my truck in today or my engine could have had some major issues.  After lunch and playing the Xterra was just about ready.  On our walk back to the dealership Lana fell asleep in the stroller and took a nice 30 minute nap as we waited for our vehicle to get some final checks and a wash.

   After such a busy morning of walking Lana and I enjoyed being in our hotel playing with her new puzzles.  When Daddy got home he thought the puzzle pieces were great for tickling Lana with.  She has such a cute laugh.

  Lana's new thing is saying "tickle tickle" when she is being tickled, lol!  I didn't get a video of her saying it a lot, but she says it once in this video.  I also love hearing her talk about the animals on her puzzle pieces but she hasn't figured out how they go together yet, but she likes to find the babies and the Mommies.

    Sarah

Temporary Living Day 16

Monday, February 21, 2011:

   It was back to work for Alex today, no President's Day off for him.  Lana and I had a large breakfast.  She ate so well this morning eating a whole banana, eggs, and some tortilla.  It was great having a breakfast burrito, we were getting a little tired of waffles the past three mornings.  Lana and I enjoyed a morning in reading and relaxing.  I just love how Lana surrounds herself with all her books while reading, one second she was getting a book, and the next thing I see is this...

Lana saying "Cheese" but not looking at the camera.

   This afternoon we had our first play date with Kieran.  My Mom and Erin's Mom work together at Helen Hall Library in League City, TX.  My Mom mentioned that we were moving to Denver, and Erin's Mom said her daughter lives in Littleton.  What a small world!  We started e-mailing back in December and now we were able to meet.  :)  Lana loved playing at Kieran's house, she has fun wherever she is.  Here is Lana playing with a bumbo, I am surprised she can still fit.  It was nice to see Lana playing beside 6 month old Kieran.

Lana tries to share her snack with Kieran

Lana playing music for Kieran

  
   It was adorable when Lana met Maya the dog.  She squealed and giggled and tried to put her hands out for Maya to smell but Lana was too high energy for her, and she went to hide.  I was really impressed that Lana didn't mind me holding Kieran, she was too busy playing.  I tried getting her attention multiple times but should would just look at me and run on her way to something new to play with. Hopefully this will mean she will be a great big sister some day and not be too jealous of all the time a newborn will demand of Mommy.

   I am really enjoying all my Mommy adult conversations at our play dates.  I look forward to all the future play dates Lana and I will have in Colorado.  We have another one planned at Elizabeth's house with Levi and Caleb this Thursday, yay!

     Sarah

Temporary Living Day 15

Sunday, February 20, 2011:

  I must be getting a little worn out from all the exploring we have been doing as a family.  Saturday after spending the morning walking around Park Meadows Mall I took two naps on the couch in the afternoon.  When I heard Lana wake up Sunday morning, I just didn't feel like getting up.  I got her changed and into her clothes.  I laid on her bed and we watched TV for a little while, then I let her watch TV in the living room and I went back to bed to lay down.  Awhile later Alex and I heard this noise and we couldn't see Lana.  I went out into the living room and saw Lana sitting on the dining room table, on the laptop, playing with a cup and a straw!  Lana Elizabeth Nisbet!  She is one heck of a climber, I'm going to have to keep my eyes on this one!

  Today was a day to get things done around our hotel.  We all ran to the grocery store in the morning and stocked up on meals for the week.  Back at our hotel I got busy doing laundry.  I have to say it is nice to get all my laundry done in an hour and a half.  Usually it takes me all day, or I break it up over a few days. 

  That afternoon Lana and I went to check out a nearby park.  The Hildebrand Ranch Park is right behind our hotel on Deer Creek Road.  It was a bright sunny day, so Lana decided to try out her new sunglasses.  Isn't she adorable!?!

   I couldn't believe how windy it was out today.  We walked to a bridge and when we got to the other side the wind started howling through the fields we were hiking.  We decided to head home, we might have stayed if we were wearing our winter coats.  My face was sure feeling tingly cold from that wind and I'm sure Lana was cold too.  When we got back to the hotel we saw the wind chill was 33, no wonder we felt chilled out there!  The sun was sure deceiving.  We really wanted to be outdoors playing and exploring.

  That evening Lana was practicing her climbing skills and got in Mommy's chair to drink her water.  I love this picture, she looks like such a big girl.

    Sarah

Temporary Living Day 14

Saturday, February 19, 2011:

   What a great day.  I wish I got some pictures today, but I will just have to tell you about all the fun we had.  So it's Saturday, I'd like to say we slept in, but I made a 9:30 appointment to have my tires rotated.  This was overdue and silly since Discount Tire will rotate them for free.  So we head over to Highlands Ranch to get my tires rotated.  Of course I couldn't remember where my special lug nut was to get off my tires.  I checked where it should have been, and the glove box, but it was nowhere to be found.  I thought it must be in my purse back at the hotel.  So, halfway there we turn around, I check my purse and it's not there!  Alex found it in the center counsel, how frustrating.  I called Discount Tire to tell them we were on the way and we were only 5 minutes late thankfully.  The job was done quickly and Lana enjoyed reading magazines while we waited.
 
   After that was done I suggested running over to storytime at the Highlands Ranch Library but Alex suggested we go to Park Meadows Mall just northwest of Highlands Ranch.  I wish I would have gotten some pictures, this mall was amazing!  It is built to look like a log cabin, high wood beams, with stone flooring, granite, and high end finishes everywhere.  It's like the Galleria in my town, oh and there is a ton of shopping all around the mall as well. 

http://www.parkmeadows.com/
 
   At the mall we found a lot of great things that we needed.  There is a huge Williams Sonoma and I found a new chopping knife and cutting boards.  Our hotel's ideal of a chopping knife is actually just a large serrated steak knife.  I even found a fun wedding gift for my cousin Tim, but I can't tell you what that is, sorry.  We found The Children's Place and finally used a gift card to get Lana two pairs of sunglasses, just her size, and a new pair of jeans.  The sun in Colorado is soo bright and we are so much closer to the sun being at 5,200 ft.  I found a great pair of polarized Kate Spade sunglasses.  I have never spent so much on a pair of sunglasses, but the polarized lenses and great UV protection make such a difference.  Before grabbing lunch we found a huge Borders, Lana and I didn't even make it to the Children's section.  We found the discount children's books and Lana sat down and started reading.  We got her a farm book with four different puzzles.

   After all of fun shopping we grabbed lunch and a smoothie.  I can't believe we are going to live here and be close to all this amazing shopping.  I am going to have to stay away, we can't be spending money like this all the time.  There will be plenty of outdoor activities to keep us busy.

    Sarah 

Temporary Living Day 13

Friday, February 18, 2011:

   Alex's first off Friday in Colorado.  How nice it is to sleep in and go to breakfast together as a family.  We all lounged around together in the morning, but got out to explore in the afternoon.  For lunch I packed some sandwiches, water, and we lathered on the sunscreen.  We then drove to the South Platte River Park.  There is a great paved biking trail that runs along the South Platte River all the way up to Denver and south into Chatfield State Reservoir.  We got out the stroller and walked a small section of the trail and enjoyed lunch.  I would love to go back when we have our bikes and get Lana a bike trailer of some kind.  Check out all the fun we had at the park, especially Alex exploring.

    After a fun afternoon at the park Lana found new ways to entertain herself at our hotel.  She is becoming quite the little climber.

      Sarah