Ski Steamboat

Three days of skiing is over and done. We've got tired, happy Andersons. Looking forward to doing it again BUT preferably in above zero degree temps next time.

Ben Franklin Award

Last Friday, an honors assembly was held at Madelyn's school. I was notified earlier in the week that my "child will be given an award on December 4th during the assembly at 9:00. This is going to be a surprise for your child so please don't tell them. BE PROUD!! WAY TO GO!!"

Well, it turns out Madelyn won the Ben Franklin Award. And, it's kind of a big deal. The award goes to a student who demonstrates all 13 of the school virtues on a daily basis. The school board and administration want to not only turn out smart cookies but good citizens as well.

Of the 400 children in attendance at the elementary award assembly (Grades K-3), only 10 were selected and she was the only 1st grader.

Below is what her teacher, Mrs North, wrote about Madelyn in her nomination -

"Madelyn comes to school every day ready to learn. She is a constant example to her peers on how to live out the 13 Core Virtues. It is a privilege to be her teacher."

Madelyn receiving her award from Mrs Spencer (Assistant Principal)

Mrs Spencer and the 10 recipients

Congratulations to you, Madelyn. Thank you to you all for the positive influences you've had and continue to have on our girl. What a wonderful little lady we've got on our hands!

We've come so far.

Being born with a head full of hair has its perks unless you're not a fan of haircuts...and you're a boy.

Gone are the days of crying haircuts and bribes that don't make a difference. My little man has moved on to quietly reading a magazine (his sister's) while getting his hair coiffed.

He still won't talk with the stylist. But, he'll get there eventually. In fact, he really liked the post haircut shoulder massage today. In fact, he almost smiled and probably would have if no one had been watching.

Thank goodness for Floyd's. You keep my little man's hair in check!

Summer wrap up. Summer wrap up.

Even though Labor Day weekend has come and gone, we still have a few weeks of Summer left on the calendar. However, I'm ready to wrap it up by sharing our list of Summer fun had by Team Anderson.

The list below is sort of chronological order but not exact -

• Swimming
• Six stitches in the chin - NOT the recommended way to kick off your birthday.
• Sawyer's Star Wars birthday party! - Quick shift from pool to our house thanks to those stitches.
• Denver Museum of Nature and Science and Mythic Creatures exhibit
• BBQ at Grandpa's house
• Cheyenne Mountain Zoo with the Noltes
• T-ball
• Light Rail and Old Spaghetti Factory day trip
• Birthday party-palooza - Madelyn had back-to-back birthday parties at the movies and Chuck E Cheese, respectively, on a Friday afternoon and evening.
• Vacation Bible School - First year for both kiddos.
• VBS ice cream social
• Clement Park and fountain (on a HOT day)
• Bullets softball tournament - Yay Rylie!
• Brooklyn's horseback riding birthday party (and the dead rat)
• Water fights
• Denver Zoo
• 4th of July eve Sac-BQ
• Fireworks
• Steamboat Springs balloon festival
• Gondola ride at Steamboat Springs
• HRCA pottery class
• Cheerleading camp
• S'MORES
• Swimming lessons
• Movie(s) in the theater: Inside Out, Minions, LEGO Movie
• Play dates
• Pool dates
• Platte Valley Trolley
• Night swimming at the Knolls
• Movie at the pool with Grammy and Grandad
• Hiking in the mountains

I know I'm not capturing everything but I'd say we had a pretty successful Summer. Now the big question is...are you ready for some football?! Because I sure am!

F is for Feenix.

F is also for the fireball that is Phoenix in August.

Really, there's no better time to visit Phoenix than in the hot hot Summer. Based on the low airfare and hotel rates we encountered, I'm not alone in this view. On a side note: The first five or so times I visited Arizona, it was always in the Summer. When we started going for Spring break a few years ago, it was the first time I finally got to experience Phoenix with temperatures in the 70's and 80's. And, it was so much better.

We're leaving on a jet plane. Dropped the little ones off after school on Friday for a weekend at Grammy and Grandad's and headed to the airport. Enjoyed a delicious dinner at RootDown at DIA. SO good.

Griff's fantasy football draft was this past Saturday in Phoenix. After sitting out for a few years, he decided to split a team with a buddy, (Scott) Cooper, and get back in. We stayed at the Westin Kierland and had a great weekend. Cooper and Val, who live north of San Diego also stayed at the Kierland. While the boys were drafting, Val and I had a ladies day. GTL! GTL equals gym, tan, lunch. Even though I lunched before tanning at the pool, it still counts.

Golf course view from our 10th floor room. It never gets old.

A little apres pool s'mores. On the left, we have a coconut marshmallow, traditional chocolate, and Arizona chip s'more. On the right, we have a traditional marshmallow, cookies and cream chocolate, and Arizona chip s'more. The hotel has so many s'more options to choose from but there really is no wrong combination.

Yum. I love s'mores.  When you travel with little people, typically the s'mores are enjoyed after dinner as a night cap. However, when you're sans children, you can have your s'mores before dinner!

The weekend was short but sweet. It's always so good to see our Arizona friends even if it's only in small amounts. The little ones had a super fun weekend with Grammy and Grandad. In spite of all the fun, it was good to get us all back home yesterday afternoon.

Thank you, Grammy and Grandad, for taking such good care of our Madelyn and Sawyer. And, thank you, to Honey and Poppie, for letting our Sadie stay with you while we were gone. We all appreciated  it!

Happy birthday, Griff!

 Happy birthday, Schmoops!

We've come a long way since that first birthday celebration at Carriage Place.

And, it also seems that I only take birthday pictures every 3-5 years. Sorry about that...

I love you. We all love you. You're truly the best. xoxo

Friday funny.

Dinner for two by camping lantern in the circus tent.

I can't get enough of these two and really will miss Summer.

With a little tug.

Pop! Out came the tooth.

Be still my beating heart!

Platte Valley Trolley

I've always wanted to take the kids and ride the Platte Valley Trolley. The day finally arrived. I'm not sure who was more excited -- me or the kids.

When we arrived at the boarding station near REI downtown, I was surprised to see that the ride would last 25 minutes. Somehow, I assumed it would be shorter.

We spent $9 on our tickets and were all aboard!

They're not sure what their mother has gotten them into but are willing to smile for a picture.

In spite of the heat, it was nice and cool on board. The trolley runs from REI near Confluence Park to just past Sports Authority Field at Mile High and back. It's a guided tour and one of the conductors shares bits of Denver history along the way. I didn't know much of the information he shared and found it really interesting.

Madelyn and Sawyer's favorite tidbit was seeing the car that had driven into the Platte River during the higher waters in June. Now, it's mostly sunk.

We took a picnic lunch and ate at the park outside of the Children's Museum. It was hot but nice in the shade. AND, the day's adventure checked two more items off our Summer BINGO chart -- Platte Valley Trolley and picnic at a park. As Sawyer would say, "BAM!"

Some petting zoo...

Madelyn had a playdate yesterday at a friend's house. So, Sawyer and I had a few hours to ourselves. Before running errands, we decided to hit up the petting zoo at Belleview Park.

Sweet Sawyer was expecting something like ZOOMARS Petting Zoo in San Juan Capistrano, California. We visited that zoo last Summer when we were in San Diego with family. Up front, I told him that where we were going wouldn't have guinea pigs to hold, animals to feed, and pony rides. Little did I know, they would have almost none of their animals when we visited yesterday!

The first time I visited Belleview Park was with Madelyn and Grammy right around five years ago. Madelyn was 19 months old and in the ecstatic phase about seeing live farm animals. Plus, they had all sorts of animals that day -- a cow, sheep, goats, pigs, and a few chickens and turkeys. Yesterday...not so much. None the less, Sawyer and I still had fun. He enjoyed petting the animals (mostly goats) that were available.

He even named this little fellow (or lass?), but for the life of me, I can't remember what.

This kid is an expert at milking cows. He learned how to do it at the National Western Stock Show last January. Most people don't milk from directly behind the cow. But, he's just that good. And...it's a statue.

The obligatory train ride was our favorite part. Fortunately, the petting zoo and train ride were not that expensive so it didn't matter that we weren't there for very long. More importantly, we had fun together. I never get tired of his sweet face.

I'm starting to see that we're outgrowing some of our favorite haunts from days when Madelyn and Sawyer were younger. It's kind of weird but also neat because their getting bigger is opening up other doors for us like skiing and amusement parks. Next Summer will be a whole new adventure!