Girl Scout Fun ~

 Our June meeting took place outdoors at Parvin Lake.  We wanted to do something nice for the community, so we decided to pick up trash around the lake.  It was a lovely day for a hike, and the girls had really missed each other since school got out two weeks ago, so there was lots of giggling, chatter and fun!

 We spotted some baby ducks, lots of gorgeous wild iris, and a couple of dead fish heads, which Faith willingly picked up and tossed into her bag!

 When the hike was over, we headed to Sharons house for some popsicles and more girl scout fun!

 The Daisies earned their last petal, which means the daisy on their uniform will now be complete!  While enjoying the story, the girls all enjoyed a Robot snack break, courtesy of Kenji and Kailyn!  Thanks girls...it was a cute and tasty snack!

 Then it was time to work on our Father's Day gifts...painted rocks!

 It was a little breezy out, which made it difficult to keep things in order, but the girls managed just fine and created some wonderful little gifts for dad!

 Andrea works on her turtle trio, while Kenji shows me her Crocodile...

Here's a little crab and bee combo...

 Faith painted this awesome dragon head, and Andrea painted this sparkly sun!

 These paint markers were awesome...i wish i had purchased more!  After testing them out today, i would happily use these instead of regular paints with the girls from now on...much neater and easier for them to work with...particularly the little ones.  Of course, i would just use it for detail work...the backgrounds should still be done with regular paint, or your markers would run out too quickly! 

 At the end of the meeting, we handed out the prize incentives from the cookie sales, and the girls were really excited!  For our first year selling cookies, the girls did really great, and there were lots of goodies to be had by all!  Im looking forward to our next meeting/adventure, Sharon has something really fun planned, so stay tuned!

The Beautiful Days of Summer ~

 Looks like Jordyn has found her new summer job...and daddy is thrilled!  :)  She does a pretty good job mowing the meadow...but daddy does the tough spots.

 Jordyns summertime friends have been up all week, Andrew and Mackenzie.  They come up every summer to stay with their grandparents for a few weeks, and the kids always have fun together.  Here they are playing hammock tornado...they take turns trying to dump each other out of the hammock  :)

 Mena and Jordyn take a break from yard work to play a game.

 Jordyn had a sleepover on Saturday night with her friend Rehna...we stopped at the Hilltop General Store to get some ice cream, signed up for the summer reading program at the library...and then came back to our place to hang out.

 Toothless seems to be having a fun summer too...Justin took her outside today for a few hours to let her enjoy the outdoors a bit.  He stayed close by though, to keep the cats or any birds of prey from stealing her.  She really seemed to enjoy her adventures in my garden, so we will probably make this a weekly thing.

Other than all of us getting colds, our summer seems like its off to a great start!

Breakfast in a Beautiful Garden ~

 Sunday morning we were all quite exhausted from our adventures at the game the day before, so we all slept in and relaxed.  Then Aunt Gwen invited us over for some breakfast burritos and a bloody mary...well, who can say no to that :) 

 Besides, it gave me time to admire Gwens gorgeous garden, while Jordyn and Jim did a little gambling in the Bronco basement!

Apparently she made quite a haul playing poker!  Then it was time to head back up the mountain...but what wonderful memories we made while visiting the family!  Thanks for a wonderful visit Christy, Gwen and Jim...we love you guys!  :)

First Baseball Game...Rockies vs Dodgers

 Saturday, June 1st, was the Rockies vs Dodgers game!!!  (Jordyns first time at a ball game).  Being a Dodger fan since i was a kid, and a Rockies fan, since i was living here when they built the stadium, i figured i couldnt lose!  :)  But it gets even better than that...it was poster day at the stadium, so we all got posters of the Rockies team!  It was also picture day, so if you got there early, you could go down on the field and get pictures with the players...

 It was pretty crowded, but Jordyn did get her photo taken with Wilton Lopez and Jon Garland, and actually, it was just cool to be down on the field!

 It was the perfect day for a game and we were all excited to be there!  The last time I was at a ball game was when Hideo Nomo pitched a no-hitter against the Rockies in 1996 (the first no-hitter in Coors Field history)...so its been a while!

 We spent most of the day eating, drinking, cheering, and eating some more!  I enjoyed a Rockies Dog (with the works), while Jordyn enjoyed a hot pretzel, red licorice, peanuts, cotton candy and a snow cone!

 I made the Jumbotron with this sexy move, dancing to "jump on it"...and yes...that is the dance i was doing!  In fact, we all made the Jumbotron about 3 times that day...they kept coming back for more :)

 Jordyn got to see someone hit a homerun into the stands, and she also enjoyed the 7th inning stretch singing, "Take me out to the ballgame".   The game was tied 6-6 and went into extra innings, with the Rockies winning the game!

 After too much time in the sun, we all headed over to Casa Bonitas for some more fun...

 The place was packed, and we were seated in the ballroom.  As a kid, we always used to get up on this stage to sing and dance, but there were never any people sitting in there when we did.  This time, though, the room was full, and after the magician/comedian was finished with his performance, these three turkeys got up on stage and started dancing up a storm.  The magician was backstage and saw what they were up to, and when they were done dancing, he announced on the speakers, "that was our casa bonita starlight dancers"...to which everyone responded with applause! 

 A trip through Black Barts Cave and some time in the arcade and we were all spent!  whew...time to head home!

What a great day!

Schooooools Out for Summer!!!

 They have a tradition on the last day of school...the car wash goodbye!  The kids walk down the middle of the "car wash", while the teachers "wash and wave" goodbye for the summer.  Hooray...summer is finally here!  The kids got out at 11:00am, so Jordyn and i headed down to Denver for some city fun!

 And our first stop...The Butterfly Pavilion!

 This moth was beautiful and ginormous...twice the size of my hand in fact!  We were informed that this moth can spend almost an entire year in its cocoon, so seeing one is quite a treat!  The four little diamond shapes on the wings are actually transparent.

 You can also see the larger moth above in the top half of this butterfly display case (which gives you a good idea of scale).

 They also have some other fun things at the butterfly pavilion, including some wonderful fish tanks and sea life that you can touch.  Jordyn got to pet this furry starfish and also a horseshoe crab.

 and lets not forget Rosie...everyone loves Rosie!  :)  (well, maybe not everyone...but Jordyn certainly does!)

 Time to end the day with a Strawberry Shake and a trip to the bookstore.  Jordyn picked out a few good books for the summer reading program, "Magic Kitten"  and  "Magic Bone".  She finished Magic Bone that evening, so check one book off the list already!  Way to go kiddo!  We also ordered Chinese take-out, Jordyns choice, she loves egg drop soup, crab cheese wontons and cho cho (beef sticks).  Gotta love delivery!

Happy Summer Everyone!

Meet Toothless~

 Meet Toothless...the newest member of our family!  We brought her home from school on Thursday from Mrs. Johnsons class.  We are excited to have her in our home...she is such a neat pet!  She eats meal worms and crickets, and seems to like being held by all of us!  She is a Leopard Gecko, and she is 7 years old. Let the fun begin!