Hailstorm

We had a hail storm come though today. It was really loud (but didn't wake up Patrick). Here are some pictures of the aftermath. 

I'm afraid to call anyone to look at the roof since we just had it replaced two years ago from the other hail storm. I do know the plastic trim around our windows needs replaced in the front but hopefully that won't cost too much. I'll just add this to Joe's list of things to do when he gets home. Sorry honey!

Hobby lobby birthday

We got to spend another birthday at Home Depot. One of the boys in Daniel's kindergarten class had his party there as well. It was on a Sunday morning at the same time as Josh's baseball game so we dropped him off then headed over to build some stuff (we're manly). 

Isn't he the cutest carpenter?

Daniel was very excited to build his boat.


I actually let him do quite a bit. I was too worried Patrick would get a hold of the tools so I let Daniel have at it.


Patrick did decorate his birdhouse though.



Then it was time for cupcakes.


Everyone was loving his technique.



It was a fun birthday party.

When we were done, we headed back over to the baseball game. This was the first time I just dropped him off and missed a game. Unfortunately, it was also their first win. I'm hoping the two are not correlated. Oh well. Go Warriers!

What a fun Sunday morning.

Aquarium

The boys had Friday off school, so we decided to make the trek downtown to the Aquarium. We have been there a few times before and the boys always have a great time. This was also the first time we ventured there without a stroller. It worked out pretty well.

Josh, the diver.


Daniel too.


Patrick wasn't quite tall enough.

One of the exhibits they have are the rattlesnakes. When we got to this exhibit they were cleaning it out. We stuck around for a while and pretty soon they stuck this garbage can in the exhibit. They pulled off the lid with a hook and took out the snakes. It was fun to watch. You could see the rattles going and once they were put down, they took off to find a spot to hang out for the rest of the day. It was neat to see them so active.







This fish is always one of my favorites. It is huge!

They have a tunnel through one of the tanks. This is the boys' favorite part. They have sharks and stingrays that swim over your head.




Those are some cute fish.



Josh's favorite is the shark tank. They have all kinds of sharks swimming around. And now that he can read, he was able to read the sign that shows he can dive in the shark tank when he is 10 years old. Oh great!



I always make them get their picture taken with the mermaids. They might not like it now, but they will thank me when they get older.

Today was a busy day at the aquarium which meant there were a lot of people feeding the stingrays at the end of the tour. Which also meant, they just assumed you had food when you came up to the edge so the boys were able to touch them very easily. There was one guy who would just come up on the side and swim with his mouth out of the water all along the edge. The boys loved it!





We enjoyed lunch at McDonald's and then headed home for afternoon naps. It was a great day off!

Room Remodel Update

Over the weekend we got Patrick a new bed! He is no longer sleeping on the floor. My friend was finished with their toddler bed so we are using it until Josh moves in full time to his own room. 

Patrick was pretty excited. He walked in when it was all set up and said "Wow". Hopefully the next update will be the finished room.

Visitors

We were lucky to get a visit from my sister, Becca, and her family. Her husband had a medical retreat in the mountains so they stopped at our house on the way. After getting in very late Thursday (or early Friday), they spent Friday morning hanging out at the house. Then they took off to the mountains for the weekend. Becca and the kids came back Tuesday to spend some time at our house. 

Unfortunately, with school, sports, and naps, our schedules were pretty tight so we didn't get out of the house much. But the kids liked hanging out with their cousins.

This is Patrick's car, but he loved pulling Cora in it to get the mail. He actually did a pretty good job pulling her all the way up the block.



One good thing about all the boys' practices, they are held near playgrounds. The boys loved climbing around the equipment. I think Jonah learned a lot from watching Patrick climb up and over everything.



We also made a post-practice ice cream stop one night.

The two year olds played together a lot. I think by the end of the ten day visit, both were a little tired of the other always being in their face. It was cute to see them together, though.











Becca was a trooper and brought the kids to all the boys' sporting events. It was fun to having a cheering section for them.



We also brought them along to our Sunday staple of dinner at Dickey's. Don't they look so cute sitting next to each other?





I think the kids will miss having their cousins around. They loved playing with them. Thanks for spending so much time with us, Becca!

Iowa/Iowa State football

We may live in Colorado but we still feel one of the most important days of the year is the day of the Iowa/Iowa State football game. So after Josh's football game that morning, we got all dressed up and sat down for a day of football. 

I was texting my Iowa State friends all morning and was reading about all the good tailgating food they were having and celebrating and all of a sudden, the leftovers I had planned for lunch didn't sound so good. So we took a trip to Firehouse Subs. The boys love this place. They get to pick out their own chips and the drink machine is electronic.

After lunch, we headed home to cheer the Cyclones on to a victory!

I think Patrick's shirt says it all!



We ended the day with a family movie night. It was the first time I got to use my new popcorn bowl. Thanks Weldons!

Stomping in puddles

Earlier this year I picked up some rain boots for Patrick that were on sale. Even since then, I usually forget about them when it is raining outside. Except today. He finally got to wear them to pick up the boys from school and had a great time jumping in puddles. It was pretty cute.

Hopefully he will still fit in them when it gets warm again.