4th of July Fun!!

I hope everyone had a happy and safe July 4th!!! We had a blast!!! hahaha!!! Mommy had to work during the day, but she was able to get off early. That's because it started raining really hard about 2:00 and she was stuck out on trail. She got soaked to the bone, and her boss told her if everyone left because of the storms that she could go home too!!! So she did, and she dried off and we had a BBQ (inside though cuz of the rain!). Daddy made Brats and corn on the cob, it was so yummy, I LOVE CORN ON THE COB!!! It's so fun to eat!!

Then we went out in the rain and tried to let off some fireworks. Mommy and I took shelter in the garage and Daddy did some smoke bombs and other little stuff in the driveway. I even got to do a sparkler!!! My first one!! those are so cool, I love staring at the flashy parts!

Then the rain finally stopped, and we had the most beautiful rainbow!! It was so big, and even became a double rainbow!! Since the rain stopped, we decided to go to Windsor for the Fireworks Show over the lake. It was very pretty!! There were lots of big booms!! Not to shabby for a small town!! We had great seats too, right across the lake.

After that we went home and let off MORE fireworks!! Daddy saved all the big ones until then, it was really loud!! Mommy had to hold my ears for some of them! It was so exciting!! Mommy and Daddy let me stay up really late!! I was up until almost 11 o'clock!!! Can you believe it!! (Mommy says that's partly because I took a longer and later nap than usual too) I had so much fun, I think the 4th of July is my new favorite Holiday!! (at least until Halloween and Christmas roll around again!!)

Red Mountain Is Open!!!

After three weeks of delays, Red Mountain Open Space is FINALLY open to the public!! It was a fabulous day yesterday, sunny with a good breeze, no threats of rain at all!! We had a decent turn out, not as many as we expected, but still quite a few coming to check it out! Rodger and Kathie were in Denver visiting a friend, and even came up for a hike. We hiked the Bent rock trail, approximately 2.4 miles of changing landscapes!! Canyons, meadows, shrublands, but all beautiful!! Cameron had to carry Riley most of the way, his favorite part were all the rocks and bugs along the trail - typical boy!! Then we had lunch at the trailhead. They headed home, and I headed back out on trail, this time doing Sinking Sun and Big Hole Wash trails. Again, more of the breathtaking views!! Check out the Kodak album to see some of what the place offers, more pictures to come after I hike Ruby Wash and Cheyenne Rim trails!!

Happy Father's Day!!! I love my Daddy!!! Today was his day, and we had a lot of fun!! I gave Daddy a wonderful present - sleeping in this morning!!! Mommy still got up kinda early though and made Daddy pancakes. Then after that we went to Soapstone Prairie Natural Area, so Daddy could ride his mountain bike. He had a lot of fun, he rode over 26 miles all over Soapstone and Red Mountain (cuz the trailhead to Red Mountain isn't finish still, so we had to get in through Soapstone). Mommy and I didn't do much while he was gone, mostly cuz I didn't want to. Mommy had plans to go to an Archeological talk at 10 on the Lindenmeier site (in Soapstone) and then to hike a short hike to pass the time while Daddy was gone. So after sitting through that boring talk I decided to show Mommy that she wasn't the only one who can make plans. Needless to say I didn't have to go on that silly hike, and Mommy let me play in the car and throw rocks in the parking lot for 3 hours!!! It was so much fun, way more fun that walking down a silly trail!!! Daddy liked his ride though, it was really long and he was tired after, but he really likes how pretty Red Mountain is. Mommy says it's going to finally open next weekend (but I don't know, cuz that's what she says every week!!) She even got to work with the trail crew last week some, so that they could finish the trails. All the trails are done now, they just have to connect them to the parking lot, and put in a few gates. And Unkie Rodgie and Auntie Kathie are coming this weekend to visit, and we all get to go up and see Mommy and Red Mountain!!

Tomorrow Mommy and I are going to the park in Fort Collins to play with our friends from MOPS. I'm so excited!! It will be lots of fun!! I haven't gone pee-pee in the potty again, but I keep trying. And I started going to a new babysitter this week, Jamie. She's really nice, and I have fun playing with Trevor, he's a few months younger than me. Here's a few pictures of me from the last couple of weeks. Mommy's trying to teach me to smile for the camera. I don't know what that means, but I'm really good at "Showing my teeth" like when Mommy brushes them!! So that's what I do!! Have a good week everyone!!

I'm A Big Boy Now!!!

Guess what I did today!!! I went Pee-Pee in the Potty all by myself today!!! Mommy and Daddy were so proud of me!! I want to do that more, they were so excited!!! Mommy had to wake me up this morning to get ready to go, and she usually lets me play in my crib for a few minutes so that I'll pee-pee in my night time diaper and I can get to the babysitters with a clean one. Well this morning I didn't want to pee-pee in my diaper, so I held it. And after Mommy let me play she noticed that I was still COMPLETELY dry!! (so she knew I would have to go pee-pee). So straight to the potty we went!! And I went Pee-Pee in about 10 sec after sitting on it!! It was so exciting!!! Mommy let me help flush it in the big potty, and then we washed our hands, I'm such a big boy!!! We tried again when Mommy got home from work, but nothing happened. I'm not quite sure why it happened this morning, but I'll be glad when I figure it out!! I over heard Mommy tell Daddy that this is a good start, but it's still gonna be a while. I'll show them!! Pretty soon I'll be pee-peeing in the BIG POTTY!!!

JUNE Showers?

Hi Everyone! It has been so rainy here in Colorado!! I was kinda stormy before we left for our trip to Indy, but it has only gotten worse!! It rained a bunch while we were in Indy, so much that our flight home was delayed because of storms in Denver. And it has rained almost everyday since we've been home!! Mommy was looking forward to this weekend at work because it was the Grand Opening of the new Red Mountain Open Space, but it all got postponed until next weekend because the construction crew hasn't been able to finish the road to the trailhead, or some of the trails because of all the rain!! Soapstone Natural Area (Red Mountain's neighbor run by City of Fort Collins) got their stuff finished in time, but still couldn't have the dedication ceremony today because we had a HUGE hail storm come through!!! We're talking Golf Ball size hail in the foothills!! Thankfully by the time it got to our house it was only pebble size:

There have been tornado warnings a lot too, something that Mommy isn't too comfortable with! But on the bright side, all this rain has made everything REALLY Green!!! It's so pretty, Mommy can't wait to share some of the pictures she's taken of the places she works.

In other news! I went shopping (well, Mommy and Daddy took me!) with all my Birthday money! I got a lot of cool stuff!! I got a picnic table just for me with an unbrella on it, and a big ball to play with outside, and 4 movies!! And Mommy and Daddy got me a bike trailer for my birthday so I can go on bike rides with them! I even got a little Colorado license plate with my name on it to put on the back of the trailer!! hehe!! Well, that's about it for now! Mommy says she will try to get some work pictures up after the grand opening (hopefully) next weekend!! Have a good week everyone!!

I'm 2!!

Happy Birthday to Me!!! I turned two years old today!! Yesterday I got to have a party at the park with a bunch of people. All my Family came, and even some Friends!! Thanks for coming and partying with me everyone!! Mommy took lots of pictures of me playing with bubbles, and on the playground, and eating cake, but she forgot to bring her cord to upload them to the computer, so you'll have to wait to see them. I had an alligator cake, and I did really good blowing out the candles!
Today was kinda a sad day though. We went to the memorial service for my Grandpa Wilson. I only got to see him one time, but I know my Mommy and Aunt Anna loved him a lot, and will miss him a lot. It was a very good service, my Great-Aunt Konnie talked about many fond memories, and Mommy read a Hopi Prayer, and Aunt Anna read another beautiful poem. It was good to remember him, and everyone liked to see me, since I'm his only grand-baby. I'm glad that I got to meet him!!
Tomorrow Mommy and Daddy are taking me to the Children's Museum here in Indy. They say that it's a really good one, lots of fun - so I can't wait!!! Then we fly back home and Mommy starts back to work full time. Next weekend is the Grand Opening for Red Mountain Open Space!! Mommy is so excited for it, and I'm sure she will have a bunch of great pictures! Be on the lookout for those and my birthday pictures soon! Talk to ya all later!!

As most of you may already know, This has been a tough week for my family. Last Sunday night, my dad died suddenly from a siezure that led to cardiac arrest and major brain damage. This week has been spent grieving, planning, wondering, remembering, and crying. Thankfully we will be able to say goodbye to him at a small memorial next Sunday. Which also means that we will be making a trip to Indiana for the weekend of Riley's birthday. This worked out really well for us, because we hadn't planned a big party for him, just some cake and icecream at home. And now he will get to spend his birthday with the family and friends from far away that love him! If only his Grandpa Wilson could be there as well. Please keep our Family in your prayers as we deal with this sudden loss. This week has also been a Very Hot One! Monday and Tuesday were both in the 90's, Tuesday reaching a Record High for Denver. Riley and I got out the sprinkler to play in, since there aren't any pools open yet. He was a little cautious at first, and I had to turn it way down for him to actually get close. But by Tuesday he was soaking wet and having a blast. We also let the dogs play with us on Tuesday, and that was interesting. Mowgli didn't like the water much, and Piper just wanted to drink it. So after she was soaked from sticking her head in to drink the water, Mowgli started licking her to get some water too!! It was cute!

This weekend we don't have too many plans, Riley gets his 2 year pictures taken, and we will watch the Race, but that's about it! We will probably do more since Cam get's Monday off, we just don't know what yet. Plus it's supposed to be rainy most of the weekend here. I hope everyone has a Happy Memorial Day Weekend!

Happy Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day to all the Mommies and Grandmommies!! I hope you all had a fun time! We did!! Daddy and I planned a whole special day for Mommy at Rocky Mountain National Park. We almost didn't go though because it was a cloudy, rainy day. But - It turned out to be a great day to go to the park!! Up there it wasn't raining it was snowing!!! And it made everything look so pretty! Trail Ridge Road was still closed after Rainbow Curve, but up at Rainbow curve we were high enough to see over some clouds, and it was so neat!!

And there were lots of elk all around!! You can see all the pictures in the Kodak Album that Mommy made. Also for Mother's day I helped Daddy make Mommy breakfast in bed!! We made her pancakes and bacon (turkey bacon of course!!) She loved it!! And we gave her her presents too! We had already given her the flowers last weekend (so that they would get planted), but we also got her a CD (the Fray!! yay!!) And a really cool picture frame! On one side you put in a picture, on the other Daddy helped me make a cast of my handprints!!! Daddy made me do it like a million times - cuz I just wanted to stick my fingers in it and play. But I finally figured it out and we got some good prints. Mommy Loves it!! Now she just has to get a picture of me and her to put in it!

Other news! I got a new potty!!! it's so much fun to play with, but Mommy says it's not for playing with. She takes off my Diaper and makes me sit on it. So I do, but after about 10 seconds, when nothing happens, I get up and use it to put my toys in!! This doesn't make Mommy too happy, but I don't know how she can expect me to sit on it when the middle part comes out and makes a great toy box!! Mommy said that she's glad she has started working on this now, because it's going to take a while!! hehehe!!!!

So hopefully this week I can get my hair cut, and then we can go get my 2-year-old pictures taken!! Can you believe that I'm gonna be 2!!! SO EXCITING!! Here's what I want for my birthday: Toys, Toys, Toys, bath toys, Outside summer toys, any kind of cars/trucks toys, a "my-size" picnic table, and Disney movies for boys (we have Tarzan and Hercules, but the rest are all the Princess ones!!). Oh yeah and Mommy's making me ask for clothes too (yuck). She says gift cards for clothes is best, cuz it's hard to find stuff that fits cuz I'm so tall and skinny!! Depending on the brand and style I wear anything from 12 months to 24 months to 2T. (but to make it easy, just get me toys!! I promise those will be put to good use right away!!) Talk to everyone later!! Have a good week!!

Hi everyone! Things are just starting to get back to normal again! I took some pictures of some of the things we brought back from China, and those (with the pictures of the Easter Egg Hunt at Grandma Louie's) make up the April album at the top. We didn't get to many other ones. Things are starting to green up around here. We spent the weekend planting lovely flowers that I got early for Mother's Day. Riley even potted a pansy for me!! So cute! And since he knew how to plant so well he wanted to help us this weekend! We planted some flower boxes that hang on our railing out front and 2 Ponderosa Pine trees in back that I have been growing inside from seeds for the last year and a half.
Riley and I went to our last MOPS meeting this week. It was a Spa Day for the Moms, and wonderful! I got a massage and did a parafin wax treatment on my hands. There were lots other things too, but I was also manning the Mary Kay Facial/Color table. It was a much needed treat! Thankfully they will have some park play dates throughout the summer. We are both looking forward to those so we can keep in touch with the friends we've made!
Last week at work I got to "play with" 3 more rattlesnakes! There was a horseback rider that encountered 2 on her trip, so I helped moved those off the trail and then saw another one later in my hike. The 2009 season is getting ready to start. We had a training day last weekend, and have a "team building" event this Friday, with a BBQ. Since we came back from the trip I have learned not to leave the house in the morning with my uniform on. Riley has developed some slight separation anxiety (can you blame him!) and becomes quite a pill if he sees it and knows that I'm leaving.
Not much else going on. We are still trying to figure out what we want to do for his Birthday. (I can't believe he's going to be 2!!) I think I'm leaning towards a "Cowboy" theme, but since we don't have any family coming out to visit this year it may just be us and the family across the street. If that's the case we may skip the themed party this year!! (However, I'm already planning his birthday for next year: Race Cars - because his birthday falls on Memorial Day!)
Have a good week everyone!

China Trip!!

Hi All, So we are home from our trip, and mostly over the jet lag. What an exciting time!! We loved it! I could tell you stories for hours of everything that happened, but since my space is limited, I’ll just give you a short description, and some unforgettable points.
Day 1: we arrived in Beijing and had the adventure of finding our hotel via subway! Thankfully a nice man could speak both English and Cantonese (The Chinese dialect that Dale speaks), and helped us find our way. It took nearly three hours!! Once in the hotel, we all crashed! The “boys” went out later that night and found a street market that sold live scorpions (you pick the live ones and they fry them up in front of you! YUM!)
Day 2: We explored the nearby attractions Tiananmen Square, and the Forbidden City. The amounts of people in these areas made the subway encounters from the previous night seem like nothing!! Apparently 16 million people live in Beijing, and nearly 19 million work there.
Day 3: We embarked on a very interesting tour of a Jade Museum and Shop, the Ming Tombs, and The Great Wall. “Ellie” was our guide, and she was very informative! We learned a lot. The section of the Great Wall we visited is the most popular section (Michael Jordan climbed this section when he visited!!) and that is apparent in the photos.
Day 4: Another Flight, to Guangzhou. That afternoon we walked around the “People’s Park” and enjoyed traditional Chinese gatherings of exercise, dance, singing and games. The parks are the life of the party! That evening we had dinner with Dale’s cousin and her family that still live in the area.
Day 5: Another view of traditional Chinese culture with a trip to a Folk Art Museum, The Guangdong Museum in the Guangzhou Yue Xui Park, and the Sun yat-sen Memorial Hall. Dinner again with the family, this time Chinese – we all got strange looks and cheers for trying to eat with chopsticks!!
Day 6: Bus ride to Taishan, and a visit to the rural village where Dale’s grandmother lived, and his mother was born.
Day 7: Trip to Dale’s village, and the house still in the family. He brought a feast for the remaining villagers, and we chose household items to take home with us. These two days were the most educational! It was exciting to learn how things are different now for villages, yet still so far off from what we are accustomed to.
Day 8: Bus ride to Hong Kong. We spent the afternoon and evening exploring the city and shopping at a few of the many street markets.
Day 9: We took a ferry across the bay to Hong Kong Island and rode a tram car up to the top of Victoria’s Peak. After enjoying the spectacular views of the city and bay below we stumbled upon a Zoological and Botanical Gardens with many tropical plants and an Aviary and Primate exhibits. After taking the ferry back to Kowloon, we enjoyed a wonderful Chinese dinner, and then went back to the bay to watch a laser light show to music put on by the buildings along the bay on the island. Very beautiful!! Then – More Shopping!!
Day ten concluded the trip with a very long flight back!

It was a jammed-packed couple of weeks, but we wouldn’t change it for anything. Check out the Photo Albums and videos listed on the Bottom of the Right-hand Column. The pictures are worth a thousand words!! Make sure you have plenty of time to look, there is a lot to take in!! (as we learned from the trip!)

Unforgettable Experiences In China:

The Traffic: At first look it can only be described as complete chaos!! However as the trip went on we came to appreciate this confusion as a very intricate balance of give take. And admiringly only saw a total of 2 vehicle accidents the whole time! Ironically this makes the Chinese very good drivers in my eyes – they have to be to survive the mess they call intersections!!

The Smells: The smell of the outdoors changes with every step you take. One minute it’s the pleasant fragrance of fresh cut flowers or the local tea shop, the next it’s of roasted squid on a stick, and urine in the gutters. The pollution was worse in some cities than others, but the smells were everywhere!

The Street Markets: Such a blast of energy all smashed in to 4 or 5 blocks. Little “booths” of whatever you could imagine that are put up and taken down every day or night. A bargaining Know-how is a must before entering any of these locations (Thanks Dale!!)

The Villages: Such a different lifestyle altogether! And a dying lifestyle too. The closeness of the houses and the neighbors, the dinners of rice, pork, egg, and peanuts wrapped in bamboo leaves. And the unquestionable loyalty of those who continue to support their homeplace decades after leaving it.

The Food: Authentic Chinese food includes No-Trimmings Meat (skin on, heads on, bone-in), Fabulous teas, Fried Rice that melts in your mouth, and Learning that you can eat rice and noodles with Chopsticks!! And the most horrendous food of the trip – Not the scorpions on a stick, no, it was the HOT POT!!!

The Bathrooms: Toilets consist of a bowl that sits IN the ground – the edges are flush with the floor and you stand on the sides and squat. See Picture in Hong Kong Album. Oh, and very few public restrooms supply toilet paper for you.

The Signs: Funny Translations like: Forbidden to step here, Refuse to sit on, etc. Along with pictures of weird things like people getting hit by cars! Also, signs for things that seem odd to our culture, like Air-raid shelters and spitting, but are perfectly normal for the Chinese. And lastly, translations that come out as bad or funny words to us!

The Parks: City parks are everywhere!! They are filled with beautiful tropical plants, gardens, and gathering areas. These parks are used constantly by Many people. Every time we went to a park, early, afternoon, evening, there were always a ton of people dancing, singing, performing, doing Tai Chi, playing games, etc. The parks are the life of the party!! Plenty to do, and even more to watch!!

Almost there!!!

Hey Everyone, I thought I'd do one more post before we go bye-bye! Cuz it has been a crazy last week! Let's start with after the last post . . .
Tuesday Mommy went to COSA Ranger Training, and learned about helicopter medicals and Raptors. And she is now CPR certified. Also, since it was a weekday I went to Deanna's, the back-up babysitter, and she told us that she's moving, so I no longer have a back-up babysitter!! HERE WE GO AGAIN!! but Mommy was thinking about not using her anyways, for other reasons that she really wouldn't talk about with me. Then on Friday Mommy went to the training again, and learned Defensive Tactics, like self defense for cops . . . and she got her Butt Kicked!!! Literally!!! Everyone had to take turns holding the pads to punch and kick, and since it was Mommy and 12 guys, she got a little beat-up! She tried to beat-up right back, but it just wasn't enough!! She still has a few bruises, and she was so sore that she could hardly move until Monday.
On Saturday we had ANOTHER blizzard!! Mommy only got pictures on her phone this time, it was a little smaller than the last one. We only got a couple of inches of snow, 3-4 I think. But once again, the wind is what made it a blizzard. Out by our house (not in town) the winds made snowdrifts across the roads a couple feet high!! Of course it's all melted by now though!!
Also, this weekend we were just a bunch of sickies!! Mommy got a little bit of sinus and cold stuff (but she thinks the beating she took on Friday helped knock it out of her!), Daddy got the worse end of the sinus stuff. He's still suffering. He's been taking all sorts of medicines and stuff so that he can get better by the trip. I hope he does! Me on the other hand, my stories a little different. I woke up in the middle of the night Saturday night and got sick in bed. Mommy came and got me. Then Sunday morning I thought I was going to get sick again a couple more times, but nothing ever came up. I had a little fever but it was gone by the next morning and I was all better!! Monday was a normal day for us! Then Yesterday . . . yuck!! I slept in until 10:30, I don't know why!! So when I got up Mommy gave me my normal Cheerios and a Sippy cup of milk for breakfast. (I drink whole milk, not 2% like Mommy and Daddy!) I was so hungry from not eating much before when I was sick I drank all that milk up! But then I didn't feel so good. I just sat on Mommy's lap and watched PBS until lunch time. At lunch Mommy tried to give me a taste of her yogurt, but I didn't want any. She put a little on my lips, and as soon as I tasted it . . . ALL THAT MILK I DRANK CAME RIGHT BACK AT MOMMY!!!! It was so yucky!! It got all over me and Mommy and the couch. She tried to catch most of it in the blankets, but not all of it stayed there! It looked like cottage cheese, but smelled HORRIBLE!!! (in fact mommy's still trying to get the smell out of the couch!) Needless to say, I got a bath, but when I was all done I felt fine again. In fact, we went back down stairs and that yogurt looked so good by then I started eating it!! And I haven't gotten sick again!! Mommy and Daddy think it was just some bad milk, since they didn't taste any, but they just hope it's not a milk allergy. I don't think it is, cuz I still like my cheese, and yogurt!! oh well, I'm just glad I'm not throwing up anymore.
So that's the crazy week we've had!! All of that on top of trying to pack and get things ready for the next couple weeks. Mommy's friend Katie is going to stay with Kitty and the Doggies. She's so nice! I hope she babysits for me again! Anyways - We leave tomorrow for Indy, then on Saturday I go to Aunt Janice's!!! Mommy says she probably won't be able to update until we get back, so start looking for stuff around the 24-25th. I'm sure there will be LOTS of pictures and videos!! Talk to ya all later!!

BLIZZARD!!!

Hey Everyone!!! I got to experience my First Blizzard yesterday!!! It wasn't as bad as the one over Christmas when I was in Mommy's tummy, but this one was still a lot of blowing snow!! It started early morning yesterday, there was already over an inch by the time we woke up!

Then by 10 o'clock we had nearly 5 inches!!

Mommy had planned a babysitter for me weeks ago so that she could get her hair cut and run other errands, so we had to go out and brave the storm!! (Mommy said she wasn't going to give up her "Me Time" just for some snow!!) So at 10:00 we left for the sitter, and it took Mommy over an hour to drop me off and drive to her appointment!! (needless to say she skipped the running errands part!!)

When we got home after 2:00, it didn't look like much more snow had fallen, even though it had, because it had all blown around!! We got up to 50 mph wind gusts, and the whiteout conditions mixed with the 2 in/hour snowfall is what made this a "Blizzard"!!! And the snow just kept on Falling!! Daddy got home early, at about 4:00, and it took him over an hour to shovel our driveway and side walks. By that time we had about 9 inches. When he was done he took me out to play in the snow - but I didn't like the wind too much!!

Then Mommy made Chili for dinner!! MMMMMMMM!!!! Even I ate every last bit of it!! It was good to warm up, but not enough for Daddy!! He wanted to go Snowshoeing!!! So he strapped on his snowshoes and went tromping around the nieghborhood playing in the snowdrifts!! Mommy and I stayed inside where it was warm, I think we'll go out today though since the wind has stopped!! It snowed all the way up until this morning!! I don't know what the total is, but it looks like we got another inch or so last night after Daddy shoveled. It was so much that Mommy got today off work!! Her boss said that most likely it won't be busy since the foothills got way more snow than we did!

Well, let's see, other stuff to tell you about! Mommy and Daddy have spent the last couple of weekends painting! They painted their bedroom and bathroom. Here are some pictures of the finished products!

They still have to hang some stuff up on the walls in their room, but overall they turned out really good. Mommy thinks that the bedroom is a little bit dark, but hopefully getting some other colors on the walls will help with that. And the bathroom was a pain to finish, mostly because they had to fix some texturing that the warranty guys didn't do right, and then paint ALL those corners!!

One more thing to tell you about!! Mommy's Friend from school Erin came over on Wednesday to get some Mary Kay make-up from Mommy. I liked watching them play with it all, so I took some brushes from Mommy and pretended I was like Erin putting on the make-up!!

Mommy said it was so cute that she gave me a Mirror too!! Daddy wasn't too happy about this, but I don't care, I had fun!! And all I can say it it take a real man to be this in touch with his feminine side!!

Have a good weekend everyone!! In 2 weeks, we will be in Indy for a VERY short visit before Mommy and Daddy go to China with Grandma & Grandpa Louie, Uncle Dale, Uncle Stan, and Aunt Tina. I get to stay with Aunt Janice and Caleb, Maddie, and Vanessa!!! I'm so excited!! I'm sure I'll miss Mommy and Daddy, but I'll get to play with my cousins ALL THE TIME!!! YAY!! Talk to ya all later!!

New Haircut

Well, we finally got Riley's Haircut!! Here's a before and after picture, just excuse the grilled cheese teeth in the after shot! The only time I can get face shots are when he's strapped in a chair!! Such a wiggle worm, and the lady that cuts his hair is starting to realize that (note the snakelike bangs)!!

As you can see from the pictures his black eye is getting better too. Although now it's more of a "Green eye" - just in time for St. Patty's day!

I thought you guys might like to see some of the pictures of my new "office". Most of my patrols have been focused on the Southern District of the county, because that's the area that I need to learn the most. My Headquarters are now at Fossil Creek Reservoir, a Bird sanctuary where there are a lot of Bald Eagle winter nesting sites. Here's a sunset over the Reservoir a couple of weeks ago.

Also at Fossil Creek we had a pier collapse. The ice and wind were so bad this year on the reservoir that it sliced the concrete pillars holding it up in half!! So we had to bring in a crane and remove it.

This picture is taken from Rimrock Trail looking south over Devil's Backbone Trail. Rimrock and Devil's backbone trails meet about half way between Loveland and Horsetooth Mountain Park.

This picture is taken from the Hunter Loop on The Devil's Backbone. The rock formation you see is the actual "Devil's Backbone".

Another shot of the Backbone:

This is a shot of the Backbone from the northern end of it.

The Devil's Backbone is really a fascinating formation if you've never seen it. There is one area called the Keyhole where the trail goes right up to the rock (and there's a hole to see the other side). But that section is closed off right now because there are some ravens nesting on the western side of the Keyhole. So I'll try to get some pictures of that later on when it opens up again. The open space is about 10 miles long and connects the "Devil's Backbone" in Loveland to Horsetooth Mountain park. So you can actually hike or mountain bike from one to the other! And if you don't want to go the whole distance, Coyote Ridge (a Fort Collins Natural Area) is connected into it by Rimrock Trail near the halfway point! (so that's a lot of trail for me to cover in my patrols!!)

I'm really enjoying this job!! There is so much to see and do! Last weekend I hiked over 17 miles in 2 days and didn't even realize it until I got home and tallied it up from a map! I loved working at Horsetooth Mountain, and I'm glad that I still get to be there, But I'm so excited about see the other Open Spaces!! More pictures to come!

New Videos!!

Hey all!! Guess what - Mommy FINALLY uploaded some new videos of me!! Check them out! Some are pretty silly! Not a whole lot going on here, it's been really warm out the last week. So we played outside a lot. We even ate lunch out there quite a bit!

And I got some new stuff, cuz I'm growing up to be a big boy!! I got a Booster seat instead of my high chair now!! (cuz I kept using my highchair as a stepping stool around the kitchen to get on stuff - hehe) So now I sit at the table with Mommy and Daddy, and eat off of plates instead of trays - that's the hard part - keeping my food on such a small area!

And I got some new shoes too!! They are sandals for spring and summer, so I can't wear them yet, but they were so cute that Mommy just couldn't pass them up (especially at $3)!! Don't worry - I don't usually wear flood pants - they are just rolled up so you can see my sandals in the picture!

And as you can see from the pictures, I'm due for another haircut! Mommy's working on getting me an appointment for next week. Other stuff going on: Mommy started working on Fridays, so I got to play with Greg all day at his house last Friday!! It was so much fun!! We got to play outside most of the day in his playhouse, I can't wait to go back this Friday!!

Also, I gotta say Happy Birthday to Aunt Anna and Grandma Louie!! Aunt Anna's Birthday was last week, and Grandma Louie's is Tomorrow!! Happy Birthday!! Well, I guess I'll say bye-bye to you all - Don't forget to watch all the new videos!!

Hi Everyone!! I hope you all had a really good Valentine's Day! We did!! We ended up going to the Home & Garden Show in Denver, it was so much fun! There were all these cool things to see, and some of the people gave me balloons and candy!! They even had a display of yard toys that I could play on!! There was a turtle, and bridge, and a bunch of flowers, and fake grass that everyone there was trying to sell!! Mommy and Daddy said I was a really good boy!! I stayed in the stroller almost the whole time, and didn't complain!!! (which almost never happens!) Especially surprising because I didn't take a nap the whole time, but I slept the whole way home! Here's some pictures of me playing on the turtle, and Me and Mommy in front of the pirate ship. Yes, I'm wearing my Valentine's shirt - it says Heart Breaker!!

Not much else has been going on the past couple of weeks. Mommy and I have been playing outside a lot, it's been really warm. This week it's suppose to be in the 60's all week again!! We go to the park some times, but we play in the back yard a lot too, with the doggies. I like to play outside! I can run, and run, and run!!! I like to RUN!!!

Here's a picture that Mommy finally got of me and Daddy vacuuming. Mommy calls it "Battle of the Vacuums"! See how much ours look alike!! Everytime Mommy and Daddy get it out, I have to help them with mine!

Well, after many phone calls and emails, and a couple of interviews, Mommy and Daddy finally found a new babysitter for me when Mommy starts working weekdays again! And it's Lacey - My friend Greg's Mommy that lives across the street!! It worked out really well, because she's a kindergarten teacher, and her school only goes 4 days a week. So she has Fridays off, when Mommy works. And, Mommy's boss is going to start her full time later (not til June because they need her later since another guy is going away in July for Police Academy), So I get to stay with Greg and Lacey all summer too!! YEAH!!! I'm so excited that I get to play with Greg all the time, and Mommy's excited cuz she only has to take me across the street!! Everything worked out really well!! Mommy starts working Fridays and Saturdays next weekend (in March) so I don't get to stay with Greg until then, but I can't wait!! I'll let you all know how much fun it is!! talk to ya later!!

Slide Time!!

Check out my new slide everyone!!! Mommy got it for cheap off of craigslist for me this week. I have been playing on it everyday!! I love to slide down it, and slide my toys down it! It is so much fun - I can't wait until it's warm enough that we can take it outside and play with it! In other news, Mommy starts the new part of her job at the end of this month. She is still only working two days a week until May, but now it will be Friday and Saturday, instead of Saturday and Sunday. This means it's time to find a new babysitter again! But that's ok, cuz Mommy will get Sundays off, which is so exciting!! We can spend the whole day as a family, and still go to church!! And it looks like when she starts full-time in May she will still get Sundays off!! Yeah!! This summer is going to be way better than last summer!!
Daddy is still fixing the Jeep!! It's been almost two weeks (or maybe longer) now, and Mommy and I have been stuck at home so Daddy can drive the Xterra while the Jeep is sitting in pieces in the garage waiting for a part. Hopefully it will come in today, so Daddy can fix it tonight, and Mommy and I can get out of the house tomorrow! If not, maybe we will just drop Daddy off in the morning and go do something!
Yesterday was Grandma Wilson's Birthday!! Mommy and Daddy and I sent her some really warm socks (Smartwools - just like mine!!) cuz Mommy let her borrow some when she was here and she loved them so much!! We called her yesterday and she was so happy to get them!! Happy Birthday Grammy!!
Valentine's Day is coming up, and I don't know what Mommy and Daddy have planned (hehe - I don't think they do either!!) We were going to go to the Denver Zoo (cuz it's a Free-Day) but it looks like it will be too cold. Darn! So I don't know. Maybe we will go snowshoeing, or something. I don't really care - as long as I get to spend it with Mommy and Daddy!! Happy Valentine's Day everyone - I love all of you!!!

New Toy, New Job

Daddy's Friend at his work gave me one of her son's old toys this week, and I love it!! I wouldn't let it out of my sight for nearly three days!! In fact, I screamed the night I got it because I wanted to take it to bed with me, and then the next morning Mommy had a meeting at her work and I carried it on my lap in the car (and took it in with me!) I'm doing better now, I can go almost an hour with out playing with it, or screaming because I want it. But this weekend when Daddy was Vacuuming, I got mine and helped him!! I went downstairs with him and upstairs with him!! It was so much fun helping Daddy!! The best part is the vacuum is the same as Mommy and Daddy's (except theirs is green not red, and theirs has dirt in it where mine has pretty balls that spin around!)

Mommy wants me to tell you about her meeting at work this week. Apparently the Larimer County Department of Natural Resources is getting re-organized (whatever that means!!) So she has been moved to the Open Lands Division instead of the Parks Division. That happened because Horsetooth Mountain Park (where she works) has been moved and is Now Horsetooth Mountain Open Space. Which doesn't mean a whole lot except now the rangers will be focusing on resource protection and not as much on visitor experience (at least that's what Mommy says!) Also that means that she is in charge of ALL the Larimer County Open Spaces, not just Horsetooth. So starting March 1 (when all this goes into effect) she will be patrolling the entire Larimer County, from Devil's Backbone in Loveland to Red Mountain up at the Wyoming Border!! She is very excited, because she really wanted to work at Red Mountain, and now she gest too (along with all of the other open spaces!!) She works with 4 other people, and all of her bosses have changed too. Plus she has to go through a lot more training since she will be driving a lot (how to handle things that she encounters on the road like accidents, and medicals in the backcountry up to an hour away from ambulance help). But overall she's really excited!! So that means she will only spend this month sitting in the gatehouse, then it's back to patrolling the trails!! Yeah!! Well, it's time for me to go to bed. Have a Happy Groundhog's day tomorrow!! (I wonder how much longer winter will last . . . )

Winters back!

We had a really nice preview of Spring this week, but now winter is rearing it's ugly head again!!I know that all of you in Indy, and the rest of the mid-west will be sad to hear this, but we've had such warm temperatures this week. Tuesday and Thursday we were one degree away from breaking record highs and Wednesday we did - it was 71 degrees!!! Mommy and I did a lot of playing outside!! We went on walks, we went to the park, we played in the backyard, all with T-shirts and light jackets!! One day it was so nice, and I was so tired from all the outside playing that I fell asleep in my wagon on the way home!!

But today it's snowing again!! So we are playing inside. Mommy let me watch some of a Disney movie too. It's not every day I get to do that!! Other than that, not a whole lot has been going on, Monday Mommy went to her MOPS meeting, and I got to play with lots of other kids! Mommy really liked it, she did Yoga and made a really neat light up snowman out of a big jar!! (but I already pulled off the painted marshmallow eyes!) When we came home and told Daddy all about it, he said, so Mops is for Moms not kids? and Mommy was like DUH!! Isn't that funny!! Let's see. . . what else have we been up to? Oh we went to the library a couple of times. I'm still too little for the story times, but we got some really neat books!! And some movies too. And I'm getting really good at hide and go seek!! Whenever I get in trouble, or don't want to do something (like bedtime) I hide behind the shades on the sliding door!! It's a great spot - See - you can't even see me!!!

Tonight Mommy and Daddy are going on a date, I don't know what that means, but I know that I get to go back to the church nursery and play with my friends again!! Mommy called it, Parents Night Out, and said it was great because it's only $10 for 3 hours. Ok Mommy, if you say so!! She said that they wanted to go see a movie, but the only one out that they want to see lasts for almost 3 hours, so they don't have time, plus it's not scheduled right either. So I think they are just going to go to dinner and spend some time by themselves. I don't really care, cuz I get to play all night with some people my age!! (no offense Mommy!!) Well, Mommy says it's time for my nap, since I'm going to be staying up late at church (yay). See ya all later!!

Just Chillin' with the Doggies

Hey again, how is everyone's New Year going? Mines going pretty good, if I do say so myself!! I love having all this time with Mommy!! We spend all day together, every day!! I love it, although I know she could probably use a break sometimes! But there's lots of stuff for us to do, especially with all my new toys, and since it's been really warm we've been on lots of walks in my new red wagon! Yesterday it was 63 degrees, and so we even took Mowgli on a walk with us!! That was fun, but a little challenging for Mommy to hold the doggie with one hand and pull the wagon with the other! One thing I really like to do is play on the computer with my new computer games that Aunt Anna got me!! I love being able to push all the buttons that I have never been able to push before!!

And when it's Mommy's turn on the computer, I just curl up with the Doggies and a good magazine!

Sometimes it's just me and Piper, other times I can squeeze in with both Piper and Mowgli!!

Mommy's looking into some more stuff for us to do, like a MOPS class, or something at the Windsor Rec Center, so that we don't get so bored at home all the time!! I better go, I get to see my old babysitter again tonight so that Mommy and Daddy can have a Date Night!! I'm so excited to play with my friend Sophia again!! See ya all later!!