4th of July

I know this post is late but, better late than never! Our 4th of July was pretty low key, mostly due to the weather that was not cooperating. Andrew was in town and we headed over to a family friends house for an afternoon BBQ. Abby really liked the swing they had out on the deck and also playing with the other kids down in the basement. Olivia kept herself busy by crawling after all the little doggies that were there. The afternoon brought the rain and we were debating whether or not to even bother going to see any fireworks. At the last minute the weather cleared up enough and Andrew, my mom and I decided to take Abby and my Dad, Jane and Olivia stayed at home. While it wasn't raining, it was COLD. We parked the van and stopped by the Corner Bakery for some hot chocolate, that's right hot chocolate on the 4th of July!!! It was fun watching the fireworks in the cold with our hot chocolate though and Abby enjoyed the show after she decided she wasn't scared. Even though it was a pretty low key holiday it was great because it was spent with people we love and Andrew got to be there with us!

Abby on the swing

Grammy Jane and Olivia on the deck before the rain!

The best picture I got of the girls together in their 4th of July outfits

Abby plugging her ears in anticipation of the loud booms!

Oh wait, she like it! And she has the best seat in the house, on top of Daddy's shoulders

Notice the hot chocolate in Abby's hands!!

Abby's new 'do

I did it. I broke down and chopped Abby's hair off. I had been debating doing this for a while, and I had been threatening it even longer (during morning tears while brushing the knots). I knew Abby needed at least a trim and I left it up to her and the hairdresser how short to go. They decided on a short bob type cut with some layers was the way to go. I LOVE it, and more importantly Abby loves it. The first morning she looked at me with a huge grin and said, "Mommy it doesn't hurt when you brush my hair anymore!" That was all I needed to know we had made the right decision!

Abby and her hairdresser. Abby chatted her up the entire time she was there!

All done....and she loved sitting in the pink Barbie jeep!

The salon had a slide. Abby didn't have time to play before her haircut so she played for a bit afterward! Such a cute salon for kids!

Abby's golden locks. A few tears were shed for the golden curls...but like I said, we made the right choice and its the perfect haircut for her age and for the hot summer days!

Air Force Academy

On our way back from the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo we stopped at Andrew's Alma mater, the United States Air Force Academy. We showed Abby where Daddy went to school and live for 4 years and also the chapel where Mommy and Daddy got married, of course we made a quick stop at the visitors center as well for a few Academy souvenirs. Its always fun visiting the Academy when we are home, it brings back lots of memories for us!!

Abby standing in front of the chapel where Andrew and I got married over 7 years ago!

Abby "running the strips" just like the freshmen!

Cheyenne Mountain Zoo

While Susan and Andrew were in town visiting we decided to take a trip down to Colorado Springs for the day. We went to the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo which I insisted I had never been to but stand corrected as my Dad took me there when I was very young. Never the less, I didn't remember the zoo and we ended up absolutely LOVING it! It has such a beautiful, natural setting and you get in quite a workout walking up the side of the mountain visiting all the different animals. They have a wonderful giraffe exhibit where you can feed them "animal crackers", and an awesome bird house where the kiddos get up close and personal with the birds. There are a ton of little places just for kids where they can play, there is a spray hose, a petting zoo, and free face painting! I am a huge fan of the Denver Zoo, but this zoo is awesome too and I am glad we decided to go. I think it will be a place we visit for years to come!

Abby and Daddy by the giraffes

Our hatching baby owl

Olivia was tuckered out!

The next 2 shoots (and the one above) were taken by our budding photographer Abby!

All the benches were in shapes of different animals, it was really cool!

Abby and Daddy in the bird exhibit feeding the birds. Abby LOVED it!!!

Playing in the children's area

Mmm, yummy!!

Enjoy the video, nothing special...just cute!

Olivia's bottom teeth

In late June I finally got a good picture of Olivia's bottom teeth. She started teething early, about 4 1/2 months. When this picture was taken (June 22) she was getting all 4 top teeth at the same time, not cool! On top of that, instead of getting the front teeth first, the right fang tooth came in first. We called her fang or snaggle tooth for a while!

Wildlife Experience

A few weeks ago my Dad and I took Abby to the Wildlife Experience while Grammy Jane watched Olivia. Wildlife Experience is "an educational and entertaining museum that connects visitors with wildlife and habitats in a fun learning environment." Abby was a bit apprehensive at first but she ended up really enjoying the museum. They had a few different rooms for the kids to interact with the exhibits and she really enjoyed those. If we lived in Colorado we would definitely have a yearly pass so we could drop in whenever we felt like it!!

Abby dressed up as a Flamingo in one of the interactive kids exhibits!

Papi and Abby in front of the "buffaloes"

Getting used to the dessert landscape

Where are we going now??

Outside the museum!