Denver Zoo

July 16, 2013

Thank goodness I'm not the only one who carries their camera around with them, and my fabulous friend Abbey had a few pictures from our Denver zoo trip that she so generously shared with me.  Thanks, friend.
The heat had been crazy, so I was relieved when there was a slight break in the temperature for our zoo outing.  We let the kids wander around pretty freely, so it felt like we never did get anywhere or see anything.  Oh well, it was still an adventure.

Photo courtesy of Abbey.

Adorable photo of our girls courtesy of Abbey.

I can always count on Dale to stand next to a carpeted gorilla wall for a photo.

While I lost all my pictures from this day, I just so happened to love these two shots of Rose so much that I had emailed them to my mother and therefore saved them forever.  Yay me!  Isn't my Rose gorgeous?

Pool Time with the Paltes

June 26, 2013

Off to the pool with the Paltes!  Here we go!

We were quite the caravan.

Movie star Rose.

Abbey's neighborhood pool is perfect for mommies and their kids.  There is a fabulous gated wading pool for the little ones, and there are even tables and chairs in the shade for pale white folk like myself.  I can actually sit down and observe my children wading around in the pool!  (Insert major shock followed by extreme wild excitement.  Maybe even a little panting and giggle snorting.)

I have really enjoyed watching all the adorable kids this summer.  They each have such distinct and fun personalities that I'm constantly smiling.

Addison always makes me giggle.

I mean, really?  Too cute.  Too too cute.

What fun!

Splashing Around

I suppose we are getting braver.  Or maybe we're just getting more and more crazy.  Whatever the case, Abbey and I decided to take our kids to see a movie and then splash around in Loveland.  To my surprise, the movie went off without a hitch, and every single little one loved it.  They giggled and snacked, and it was so much fun to watch their reactions to the giant movie screen.

At the splash pad, the girls were curious yet cautious.  No one stayed there long, and all three came running toward their mamas after a giant squirt attacked them.

Dale, however, was brave and loved running in and out of the water.

There was much interest in the nearby orange cones.

We could not get them to stop moving them around.

Dale adores Elizabeth, and now that she is smiling, Dale is even more eager to interact with her.

There was a lot of love going around.

A miracle moment caught on camera.

And darn it!  The splash pad is right next to a gelato place.  It would be downright mean not to eat it.

Friday Night at the Orchard

Wanna go to an extremely crowded place with tiny kids and just hope you don't lose them?  Sure!  Let's go!

The Orchard shopping center in Thornton has free Friday night concerts in the summer, and it's right by the Palte house, so when Abbey suggested we go play around there, (because she's nuts), we were in, (because we're nuts.)  Do two crazy mamas make a sane one?

Dale shows Addison and Emily how to go crazy on the splash pad.

Also nuts is the Sebring family, so they joined us for the fun.  It was so nice to have everyone back together again.  This time there are SEVEN kids!  Jeesh!  Ten, if you count the Daddies.  And we were all back in the same place at the same time for the first time in years.  Yep, years.

These dudes.

They were rather agreeable, because we were on our way to get them ice cream.

It's great to be back with my peeps.

Meeting Friends in Old Town

We had a fabulous afternoon one May with the Palte girls.  We met for lunch, shopped 'til we dropped at Clothes Pony, and then rode the giant fish and hugged the giant bear.  Good times.

Emily gave the bear a giant hug.

And of course on our way back to the car that afternoon, we encountered a fabulous alley with a fabulous piano.

We must always play.

Pretty Dresses and Pool Party

Three cute two year old girls.  Wait, did I say cute?  I meant INSANELY ADORABLE!
It's inevitable really.  If Emily, Addison and Rose have matching dresses, we will photograph them all in a row.  Okay fine, we'll photograph them without matching dresses too, but we love excuses to take their picture.

I adore these girls.

How handsome my Dale is!  He was an excellent photography assistant and did a great job making the girls smile and giggle.

Don't let this somber expression fool you.  This dude was full of happy energy.

Once we got our sweet little pictures, the kids turned the Palte backyard into a water playground.

Emily and Addison were worn out and kept retreating to nice quiet spots under their towels.

Elizabeth stayed in the shade and observed everyone.  She had a great time.

A Lobster Ate the Kids

We love the Palte girls so much that we drive to see them as much as we can just to hold baby Elizabeth for ten seconds.

Dale loves loves loves baby Elizabeth.

The Paltes have a great backyard on sunny spring days.

Emily was sneaking the buds into her pockets.

This is what Rose looks like with no arms.

Dale decided to get out all the summer toys from under the deck, but this giant lobster was the biggest hit.  Emily and Addison thought it was pretty funny that Dale got inside.

So inside Addison went!

And then Emily disappeared too!

Once everyone was inside, Rose made sure they couldn't get out.

Yep, that's about right.