SNOW!

We woke up on Wednesday morning to find snow in our backyard. I had told Tevin the night before that he could put on his boots in the morning and go out in the snow. So of course, he woke up and said "Wanna go outside!" He was very excited to see the white stuff all over the patio and lawn; he almost skipped breakfast (his favorite and sometimes ONLY meal of the day) just to get out there. But we quickly ate our whole-wheat waffles and bundled up to play. Brynlee was content to be in my arms for a few minutes while we were out watching Tevin but quickly realized she would rather be down on the ground. Of course, I had not prepared for this... she had no snowsuit, boots, or waterproof gloves and so putting her down in it was out of the question. It would have meant a sure trip to the doctor for pneumonia or something... I had to bring her back inside to watch from the warmth of the dining room but as you can see, she was not happy about that at all. Needless to say, I went out on Saturday and bought her an outfit for the next time it snows. :)

Memorial to Michael

Mike Janelle died in Avon, Colorado last night. He was 40 years old. Michael was a wonderful son, brother, husband, and soon-to-be father. He was my cousin: my mom's brother's eldest son. Mike was an avid bicyclist in the warm months and ski instructor in the cold months. He will be missed by so many. He journaled his cycling at http://www.michaeljanelle.com/. He's got some great racing photos.

Here is Mike with his parents after racing up Mt. Evans (Colorado) in July of 2005.

Mike with his new wife Maribel in October 2006. Maribel is due in March 2008 with the couple's first child.

Please pray for the family as they mourn the loss of such a wonderful man.

Mommy's 30th Birthday at CB

We decided no birthday is complete without a trip to Casa Bonita! For those of you who are not from here, I will give a brief history. Nestled between a magic shop and a dollar store in a pretty run-down neighborhood strip-mall, I will swear that Casa Bonita has not changed since it opened in 1974. It's a Mexican restaurant with flair. Looking at the place from the outside, you would be amazed that so much entertainment awaits you: cliff divers, arcade, Black Bart's Cave, full-stage magic show, puppet show, and the Mariachis. Having grown up in the Denver area, I've been there probably a dozen or more times since I was a small child, but even Darren (who grew up 6 hours away in Dodge City) remembers going there when he was a wee lad. This is the place you take your friends when they come in from out of town. The food is sub-par but the entertainment is something you have to experience just once in your lifetime. My adventurous cousin Patrick had his last experience a couple of years ago when he was banished for life after jumping into the pool. Read his recounting of the events here: http://i-heart.blogspot.com/2006/02/being-in-colorado-reminds-me.html ;)

The kids are ready to enjoy the entertainment!

Brynlee can't get enough of the lights. This place looks like Christmas all year-round!

After Mom and Dad win about 45 game tickets, Tevin gets his pick of the 5-ticket prizes from the arcade prize counter. He picked 4 different colored smiley face erasers. Woo Hoo!

The Denver Zoo

A few weeks ago we went to the zoo on a nice October afternoon. It looks cold, but the wind was mostly the reason for the coats. We saw all kinds of great animals, including hippos, which Tevin is in love with! We didn't get any pictures of the live creatures because they were submerged underwater. We think Tevin was a little disappointed that the real hippos don't look anything like his pink Hippo Girl.. at least he liked posing with the bronze statues!

Here, Tev and Bryn are watching in awe as the huge bengal tiger jaunted back and forth in front of them. We explained that they were like big kitties, to which Tevin replied, "Meow, like Toby!". Of course, Toby is our 10-lb. domestic short hair house cat and couldn't hurt a fly even if he wanted to. We had a great day at the zoo with Grandpa, Uncle Logan, and Gammy K!