Denver Adventures ~ Day Two!

Day Two we decided to go to the Denver Zoo!  We got there early, but the place was already hoppin', so we headed to the back of the zoo and decided to visit the monkeys and the Lorikeets first, where it was nice and quiet.

While visiting the lorikeets, you can purchase little cups of nectar to feed the birds...and if you get there early enough, they arent too full, so we timed it perfectly.

 

This little lorikeet Jordyn is feeding is only 3 months old, and up until now she has been too shy to feed from people, so we were pretty excited she chose to feed from her. 

 

Here is a close-up photo of the same little bird sitting next to her dad.

 

We enjoyed some delicious lettuce wraps and salads at the food stand near the elephant passage...it was nice to have something cold on a hot summer day!  Of course, Jordyn couldnt pass up a salty pretzel!

And Christy and i couldnt pass up an ice cold beer!  :)

 

It was a great day at the zoo...but after almost 5 hours we decided to go home...but we werent done with our fun yet...so we went to Barnes & Noble and picked up some new magazines and books.  We LOVE the book store!  Then Christy surprised us on the way home with a stop at the salon.  Look how excited Jordyn is to get her first pedicure!  Jordyn asked her, "what are we doing here?"...and Christy replied, "We're here to get our toenails done"...and Jordyns face lit up like a firefly!

I have to admit, i was a bit excited myself, as it was my first pedicure too!  I had no idea they had these fancy chairs to soak your feet...and it felt wonderful after being on them all day.

 

And here is a shot of our beautiful toes...

After our pedicures we went home to enjoy some wine on the patio...here's another shot of Christy and i showing off our toes...

and then, of course, we ordered some Chinese take out!  What an excellent day indeed!!!

Denver or Bust ~ Day One!

 Well the first few days of summer are off to a great start!  A sleepover at our house on Friday, (the last day of school), with Andrea, then a sleepover at grandma and grandpa Bruens house on Saturday, swim class on Monday, and then another sleepover at our house with Jordyns friend, Aspen, on Wednesday.  Then we headed off to Denver for some fun with Christy!

 First adventure on the list...the Butterfly Pavilion!  Naturally we had to visit Rosie the Tarantula first!

 And then of course, there were the Hissing Cockroaches...

 and lots and lots of butterflies!

 After the butterfly pavilion, we grabbed some tacos at Que Bueno!  It was a gorgeous day and it was great to sit outside...Jordyn was a little cold though. (Not too cold to have ice cream for dessert though!)  :)

After dinner we went to see Maleficent...and we LOVED it!  The story was unexpected and wonderful, and Angelina Jolie was fabulous!  Not a bad way to kick off our Denver adventures!

A Warm Summer Day!

Summer is Here...and so is HIGH WATER!!!

 Summer is finally here!  On Friday afternoon, Justin picked up Jordyn and her friend Andrea for a sleepover, so that Sharon (Andreas mom) and i could go to lunch with the teachers after school.  The river has really been climbing the last couple of days, and this weekend has probably been the highest that ive ever seen it! 

 Rocky and Phil stopped by to check out the river too, and we all went on an adventure to see how high it was on the island.

 This downed tree from that spring snowstorm we had, has taken on the shape of a lance, and as Rocky models here, sits at a very emasculating level!  In fact, after the storm, and the phone company cutting any trees down that were too close to the phone lines, we have several downed trees on the island that we'll have to clean up.  I guess we'll be good to go for firewood though :)

 Meanwhile, Jordyn and Andrea have discovered the fine art of whittling!  They spent hours working at "Jordyn and Andrea's Whittling Shop", to make wooden pens and other assorted goodies.  Im sure Andreas folks will be thrilled to know we armed her with a knife and let her play outside :)

 Of course, Justin gave them a lecture...i mean, lesson, on safety, so they were respectful of the knife and just enjoyed carving the wood.

 The girls fell asleep under their fort in the living room while watching a movie and then spent most of the next morning whittling too!  After Andrea went home, Jordyn went over to Grandma and Grandpa Bruen's house for sleepover.  Her cousin Mandy is there, so they should have some fun together.  What a great way to kick off summer!  Cheers!

SCHOOLS OUT FOR SUMMER!!!!

 Yesterday was the last day of school!!!  The kids were fired up and ready...as were the teachers and staff :)  The kids spent the morning cleaning their classrooms, bagging up the junk in their desks, and packing up any last minute artwork hanging on the walls.  Then we all signed yearbooks!  It was a half day, so all the kids got out at 11:00! 

 We have a tradition that we do, called the "car wash", the teachers line up on either side, while the kids walk down the middle, and while doing so, the teachers pretend to wash the kids for summer! 

 Well, this year, we added a little twist to the car wash with silly string!  We armed a few parents with cans of silly string and then sent the kids through the car wash, while we sprayed them down with silly string!  It was a fabulous,  hilarious ending to the day!  I was a bit sad to watch the bus drive away, knowing that was the last time those 5th graders would be riding that bus!  Ive grown really fond of several of those kids over the years, so i will miss them!  Good Luck class of 2014...and be sure to visit us :)

Summer Is Almost Here!!!

 How do you know when summer is almost here?!?  When your neighbors grandkids start coming up for visits!  These are Jordyn's summertime friends, Andrew and Mackenzie.  As soon as they get out of school, they start spending weekends up in the canyon with their grandparents, Marci and Darwin...and when they are up here, they spend a lot of time hanging out with Jordyn too!  They spend hours playing outside, riding bikes, splashing around in the ditch, playing on the trampoline, watching movies in bad weather, and of course riding around on the four-wheeler!  There are no children in the canyon except Jordyn, so she loves it when they come up, and i think they have a pretty good time too :)  Last Saturday they went Geo Caching with Marci at a few nearby locations.  They found all but the one at Archers, so i guess they'll have to keep looking!

 Meanwhile, i pulled some rhubarb from the garden and decided to make some jam.  This was my first time working with rhubarb, so i wasnt sure what to expect, but when it was all said and done, it turned out really tasty, so i thought i would include the recipe here....enjoy!

Rhubarb-Strawberry Jam:  6 cups of diced rhubarb, 2 1/2 cups of sugar (let rhubarb and sugar sit in a covered pot overnight).  When finished setting, boil mixture for about 15 minutes or so (until it starts to mush down nice), then add in about a pint of cut up strawberries to soften.  When it gets to desired consistency, remove from heat and add in 1 box of strawberry jello.  When mixed well, pour into jars.  My jars sealed themselves, so they are good to go!  enjoy :)  Summer is almost here...i can taste it!