This morning there were baby ducks at the library, so we headed on over.  Kendall was a little startled at first by how loud they were quacking, but she eventually got used to it and even found it quite hysterical.

This afternoon we went to a birthday party for a little girl that Kendall goes to daycare with.  She had fun jumping in the "Bounce House" with her friends and eating chocolate cupcakes!

Now we wait for daddy to come home from Iowa!  We've been missing him and are glad he's coming home tonight :)

Here's a little video of the kids last night laughing......

Oh the imagination of a two year old!

Between the "monsters in the basement" and the "clouds growling", it is quite comical how literal a child understands the world around them.

We headed over to a friend's house this morning and explored the wilderness around, where Kendall and Coltyn searched for bunnies, birds and cactuses.  The two goofballs ran around and jumped in the mud and wet sand, being silly toddlers.  I just love the energy and joy that Kendall has for life and the world around her AND I only hope that she continues to have such a zest for life!

"The clouds are growling at me mommy!"

Looking for bugs!!

Life is silly!!

While we ran and played in the woods, Sawyer so quietly sat and watched without making a peep (while drifting off to sleep every now and then).  He is such a content, sweet little boy!!

Sawyer ate his first bite of cereal this morning!  He seemed to like it but still has to figure out the coordination of moving it to the back of his mouth to swallow.  Kendall was so excited that he was eating "big boy" food that she even wanted to share her fruit snacks with him!

Derek left for Iowa this morning for a wrestling tournament so it's just me and the kiddos until Saturday night.  I gave Derek such a hard time last year about being gone on Mother's Day, so as thoughtful as he is, he managed to get a late flight home on Saturday night :)  He called this morning after he landed and said they got ten minutes into their flight and the captain had to turn the plane around due to inaccurate flight speed showing in the cockpit.  Praise the Lord that he is safe!

After these past few months back to work, and especially working in the Intensive Care Unit, I am reminded how grateful I am to have a healthy and loving family that I come home to after a stressful day at work.  I only hope that each day at the bedside as a nurse, I am able to impact my patients and families the way they have impacted me.

  

A day at the zoo

I had to work yesterday, so today we headed to the zoo.  Thanks to Joe "Jose" Sikora, we have a family membership and can go to the zoo whenever we want!  

We started off by driving to the top of the mountain to the Will Rogers Shrine of the Sun monument.  It is a historic monument at the top of the Highway beyond the zoo.  The deck of the monument is 8,136 feet elevation and provides breathtaking views of Colorado Springs and the Pikes Peak Region.  I think Kendall is beginning to realize her limits as the height seemed to bother her a little bit this time around.

What is a trip to the zoo without feeding the giraffes??  This is one of Kendall's favorites at the zoo.  She laughs and talks to the giraffes, but if they get too close she doesn't want any part of it!!

The Cheyenne Mountain Zoo is one of the best of its kind in the nation, partly because it was built into the mountain and has scenic views from any exhibit.  As you weave around different paths, you encounter zebras, elephants, hippos, rhinos, tigers, bears, lions, monkeys, gorillas, chimps, meercats, wallabys, alligators, moose, leopards, and many many more!  We enjoy having our membership because we don't feel the need to have to see every exhibit when we go because we know that we'll be back soon.  We spent almost four hours there today and didn't even see half of the animals!  

Now as the night draws and I sit here and type, I think about how thankful I am to have such an amazing family.  How cute are they?

lAzY dAy

We had a "jammie" kind of day as Kendall would put it.  Organized some things in order to get ready for our neighborhood garage sale in June and lounged around all day today.  I was debating on whether or not to put the kids' things out at the garage sale...but think I might wait awhile just in case we change our minds and decide to have another little munchkin.  At this point, I am content with just two kids but we'll see.  :)

Yesterday we went to toddler time at the library.  The first few times we started going, Kendall was really shy and quiet.  Now she is starting to come out of her shell and interact with the songs, books, and other kids.  It is really fun watching her!!  Sawyer likes going as well; he just looks around at all the crazy kids with his big blue eyes!

Kendall picked out an "I SPY" book this week at the library.  She really wanted "Where's Waldo", but it had already been checked out.  She also picked out "Lion's Lunch" and "Always", both good books for those interested.  It is amazing how Derek and I can read her a book a couple times and she is able to read it back almost word for word.  We'll eventually start working on reading, but for now her memory is incredible!!

Hope you all are staying warm and keeping your hopes up for Spring!  Heard Wisconsin got hit again pretty hard.  Mother Nature is amazing and this year is no different!