Cee Cee and Pop Pop Visit!

Back in September, Cee Cee and Pop Pop came out for a visit. They were only here for a few days, but we filled those days up with lots of fun adventures!

Welcome to Colorado, Pop Pop! Let me check out your beard!

 Our first full day together was spent up in Breckenridge, where we walked around downtown, found a fun play area, and had a delicious lunch at our favorite Mexican restaurant, Mi Casa.

Emily and Cee Cee on the coolest slide made out of a giant boulder!

Addie gets ready to explore the climbing structure

Underneath the structure was a cool little hide out

 

Elizabeth hadn't started eating solids regularly yet, so she just got to hang out looking cute at lunch

 

 

3 Generations of Paltes

Of course, Chris took Elizabeth down to the water

Mary's Mountain Cookies were enjoyed before heading back home

 The next day, we headed to the Paul Derda Rec Center pool. Emily, Addison, and I had been there a handful of times when they were tiny to participate in the mom baby aqua aerobics class. This was their first time going as big girl swimmers. This crocodile slide was the biggest hit of the day.

 

 

 

The next day, it was off to the Denver Zoo, where we happened upon an Elephant Show and were lucky enough to get second row seats!

 

Saf-T pops with Cee Cee

Ready to see this elephant show off her tricks!

Wow!

Elizabeth says, "Eh, I can see an elephant any day. Now, Pop Pop's watch, that's just fascinating!"

This was a very special day at the zoo, complete with a carousel ride!

AND a ride on the train!

All aboard!

 Bye Bye Cee Cee and Pop Pop! We'll see you at Christmas!

Two and a Half!

While I was putting Elizabeth in her tutu and wings for her six month photo shoot, Emily and Addison decided they also wanted to dress up in their tutus and wings.

After getting dressed up, they wanted to go out to the deck, where they found rain puddles to slurp up.

Dad was inside with Elizabeth, and Emily kept peeking in the window to see what they were up to.

Addison got right to work drying up the puddles. What a helper.

Can we come in, Mom?

And once inside, it was time to put those tutus to use and DANCE!

Some updates on Emily and Addison at two and a half: 

Emily has really turned a corner emotionally, she is having much fewer meltdowns than she was in the last couple of months. She's been saying sweet things often like thank you and sorry to Addie, Mom, and Dad. She's showing much more interest in Elizabeth, and loves her baby sister very much. She wants to snuggle, and loves butterfly kisses, eskimo kisses, and lip kisses. She talks about when she was a "little baby" and notices the things Elizabeth does or wears and says she did that or wore this when she was a little baby. She will only eat from a spoon, and doesn't even like having a fork put by her plate. She thinks they are pokey and scary. She calls Elizabeth "Lizzybiz."

Addie is a gymnast! She loves climbing, swinging, and tumbling. She still loves baby dolls an looks at Anna, her favorite baby, with love in her eyes and wants her to come along for almost everything. Addie likes to serve herself and Emily when I put food on the table and she's very good with a spoon and is learning to use a fork. She is talking more and more. I can have a conversation with her now, but it still takes a lot of concentration and interpretation. She is so very snugly, she loves to sit on a lap, snuggle her head into a chest, and suck her thumb. She calls Elizabeth "Eh."

Updates 11/18/13:

It's so funny how much things change in just a couple short months. Two months after taking these pictures and writing these two and a half year old updates, Emily has learned to tolerate a fork next to her plate, and will even use it once in awhile. :) Addison's favorite baby, Anna, has been replaced by Baby, her blonde baby doll. Anna still gets love, but Baby gets to go everywhere now. Addie now calls Elizabeth, "Izzy."

Six Month Photo Shoot

Happy half birthday to you, Elizabeth Grace! We love you!! 

Elizabeth was so very smiley and happy during her six month photo shoot. What a doll!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Some updates on a six month old Elizabeth: She's started rolling over from tummy to back and back to tummy, she sleeps on her tummy sucking her thumb, she smiles a lot and has started laughing, she loves being in on the action. She wants to sit in her high chair at the table while we're eating. She seems to really love being outside, she's very content to stare up into the trees. She's just started sitting all on her own, and she likes standing up while holding hands and loves being in her exersaucer.

A Lot of Rain Turns to a Flood

On September 12th, it rained all day long. Chris came home early from work, as did many people that day, fearing that the roads would be closed for flooding. We headed down to the big green bowl in our neighborhood. It's an open space meant for collecting runoff water, and on the rainiest days, it can begin collecting puddles. On September 12th, it became a lake. We estimate it was 9 feet deep at the center.

 

 

 

 

The flooding in our neighborhood took place in an open space designed for water runoff, so there was no harm done. The flooding in other areas of Colorado caused major destruction. Homes were destroyed, lives were lost, roads were washed away. Wendy collected some pictures of the destruction and posted them on her blog here. We were very fortunate not to be negatively affected by the massive rainfall.

Rainbow Playdough

My favorite play dough recipe:
2 c flour
1 c salt
2 c water
2 t cream of tartar
1 T vegetable oil

Mix everything together, cook and stir over medium heat until stiff, divide and kneed in food coloring.

On a very very rainy day in September, the girls helped me make play dough. We divided this particular batch into six or seven balls so we ended up with lots of colors! All the colors ended up getting mixed together and we ended this play session with a grayish purple, but the rainbow was fun while it lasted!

 

 

Emily made a dinosaur that she was quite proud of.
Here she is holding the dino's head gently so he can say hello!

Addie began to find it very amusing to make masks for Anna.

Of course, no play session is complete without including Elizabeth!