August Wrap

A lot to catch-up on, here goes:

BIRTHDAYS
August is always a busy month for us with Katie and Andy having back to back Birthdays on the 15th and 16th. In the middle of all of this, I had to take 2 business trips, so we had to really pack in the fun in the time we had. We had a crazy slumber party with the cousins accompanied by a trip to ChuckECheese, and finished off the morning with a dozen KrispeKreme doughnuts. Andy and Katie got lots of wonderful presents and are proud to inform everyone of their new 5 and 7 ages.







Grandma Kari went crazy with the cakes this year, and you can see the neat-o Sandals for Katie and the Inter-planetary Star Wars cake for Andy. Very creative and very yummy.

MODEL ROCKET


One of Andy's gifts this year was a model rocket. I used to make them as a kid so I picked up a kit at the local Michael's. I guess I should have been a bit more conservative when I chose the engines cause I went with the biggest they had... when we finally went out to launch this thing in the backcountry, we counted down... and ZOOM! The rocket must have gone about 2000' up in the air cause none if us could even SEE it. We finally saw the parachute as a little white speck and the rocket drifted from the breeze to come down about a mile away. Heartbroken on losing his cool new rocket, I had to take Andy (and Zoe who was there to watch) home empty handed.
I went back out later and was determined to find the darn rocket and wandered around the open trails for about an hour looking. I was heading back, and had given-up when I noticed a small white patch in the distance, and sure enough it was the rocket.
We did a second launch a few days later and were sure to wait for a completely non-windy time for blast-off. We tried a different location too... daddy though it would be good to use what APPEARED to be an unused pasture near our home. After launching the rocket, and recovering it shortly after, we started to head back to the car. Just then a pick-up comes zooming across the dirt at us and some rancher/cowboy tells us "you 'ought not be here, there a pair o' bull over that there hill."
Thankful that we steered clear of the steer, we quickly headed back to the car. I tell ya, this rocket stuff is exciting business!

FIRST HAIL
September 17 marked out first ever HAIL STORM as a family. From out of nowhere (as most weather usually occurs in Colorado) we began to get pelted by half-inch sized ice pellets. Loud, fascinating, and kinda-scary -- we continue to build respect for Mother Nature's presence in this part of the world.



GARDEN OF THE GODS
We made a trek down to the "Garden of the Gods" late in August. A beautiful private park, which is open to the public, boasts beautiful crimson rock formations which are a particular attraction to outdoor enthusiasts, especially climbers. It was really hot that day but incredibly beautiful as well. The kids climbed on the rocks and reminded me of trips with TL when I was a kid.
I also had the opportunity to marvel at Pike's Peak, which was climbed and descended in 5h47m on the previous weekend by my brother-in-law in the Pike's Peak Marathon. (Woody, after seeing it in person, I think you are even crazier now!)
We finished the afternoon with a picnic in the shade and then a quiet drive home.



ASPEN CELEBRATION
The final chapter of this mega post is about the weekend we just spent in Aspen to celebrate our 10th Year Anniversary. Having never been, I was simply amazed at the beauty of that place. It has a posh ritzy character to it (like Santa Barbara) and a backdrop that is unmatched in anything I have ever seen.

We arrived Friday afternoon and enjoyed live music in an outdoor restaurant in the middle of downtown. The next day we set off to climb the Ute Trail which leads to a beautiful view of the Aspen area. The trail was very aggressive, about a 2000' climb, and STEEP and ROCKY. We were quickly winded with and our hearts pounding as we made the climb -- but we persisted to the top to enjoy an amazing view and a delicious picnic.

On the way down however, we had a bit of a 'slip'. While descending the lower half of a rocky, gravel-laden steep section of switchbacks, Jen lost her footing and began sliding on her butt down the hill. Keep in mind that if it were any steeper here, it would be a sheer cliff. Being ahead on the trail, I raced to intercept her on the switchback below. I arrived just in time to stop Jen from continuing her slide (it was more like a bad football block). However, in stopping Jen, the force of her hitting me knocked ME over onto my back upside down on the hill, clinging to a small tree with one foot to prevent me from dropping into the valley below. I gave Jen about 10 seconds to collect herself and then pleased with her to grab my other foot so I could get back to the trail. It was scary, and if not for that lovely little tree, I might now be blogging this right now.
We counted our many raspberries and bruises, thanked god for the second chance at life, and headed down the trail with a higher level of care.

Feeling like we needed to be a little more careful, we decided to spend the afternoon on a nice safe bike-ride. We grabbed some rented mountain cruisers and enjoyed a stunning trail that follows the Aspen river crossing unique bridges and groves on the western edge of town. We visited the John Denver memorial and decided to explore a dirt path that headed to a place called "Aspen Meadows..."

About 5 minutes onto the dirt path, we come around a corner and find ourselves 20 yards from a 500 pound BLACK BEAR. He was sitting RIGHT in the middle of the path. I calmly slow down to advise Jen to do the same but was remiss to find her burning rubber and kicking up dust as she tore off at about 30 MPH in the other direction. I was able to get a glimpse of her saucer sized eyes just before she left me to be eaten by the Kodiak. All this commotion alerted the bear who began to get up while looking in our direction.
That was the last moment I looked at the bear. I emulated my wife and a few minutes later we were panting near the main path, having a laugh over our second close encounter for the day.

On Sunday we headed to Maroon Bells for a final hike before heading home. Called "The most photographed spot in Colorado" the bells are everything people claim them to be. Mirror-like mountain lakes, endless Aspen groves, and stunning mountains encase every inch of this area. We hiked for about 4 miles, took many photos, and 'ooohed' and 'aaahed' a lot. Incredible.

Old School and New School

The Old School...

Nana is in town, and you know what that means, early birthday presents! Andy got a brand new GREEN MACHINE 2! Very similar to the old school Green machine, this Big-Wheel on steroids is a lot of fun and prone to crazy slides. See Andy on in the pic, he actually stacked on that turn but I caught it just before he tipped. Lots of fun, thanks Nana!

The New School...

Katie began first grade on Friday. New school, new backpack, and new friends. Two other girls in her class are named Katherine/Katie and they ALL have "S" as a last initial. That's going to be confusing... On top of this, the teacher's name is Katie as well! Even with the surname silliness, Katie loved her school and quickly made a couple new friends, both of which live in our neighborhood. She seems to be adjusting better than expected.

The Projects...

Been a rough week for the handyman, I was on travel a few days and have some more coming-up. We did get a new TV stand today that I am really starting to like. And I have started some painting with Acrylics, will keep you posted on that as it develops. On the horizon, I have a lot of pictures to deal with....

Triathalon

Today we went down to Cherry Creek State Park to watch my sister and my cousin's wife compete in a Triathlon. It was to benefit the fight against breast cancer -- a very inspirational setting and experience.

I'm so proud of my sis! She really cranked and it was great having so many family and friends (and mom) there to cheer her across the finish. It was hot but the kids were effectively distracted with Popsicles and pink party beads.

I find myself thinking I might consider doing one of these events. I think it's required by law here in Colorado. I heard a statistic the other day that Co is the only state in the Country that is not clinically obese -- and I'm starting to notice that the combination of mountain air and frequent sunshine seems to have a healthy effect on people.

On another note, Andy said something funny today while at the pool. A lady came up to him and Katie (and since they look about the same size) she says:

Lady: (to Andy) "Are you and your sister twins?"

Andy: (looking irritated and responding defiantly) "NO! I'm a boy!!!"

Clearly Andy did not understand that you can have twins that are not identical, and was insulted that he lady suggested he might resemble a girl. Too funny.

SS

Projects this week

Going to try and track the projects im doing here, and you guys can also see why Im not calling anyone...

Hung Pendant Lights in Kitchen
Built Workbench Storage in Garage
Installed Overhead Lights in Garage
Installed Racks and Hangars in Garage for Wood, Garden Stuff, Bikes, etc
Repaired some Scratches on Hardwood Floor
Tried to Fix our old Tivo, Fail
Immortalized Grandpa in Andy's Room, soon to be a post

POW!

As promised, pics of Andy's room:

The Vision in Sketchup...

The bed and desk, (yes I had to build these too!)

POW! Super Hero themed, Andy has mini heros on his walls (From left to right: The Torch, Thor, Mr. Fantastic, Daredevil, Ironman, and the Silver Surfer)

Above the wondows there is a 3d montage of Marvel heroes. Can you click on the photo and look closely at the HULK? Andy was scared of the face on him at night, so we augmented things a little...

BAM! Wolverine, Captain America and Spiderman.

The biggest project here was the storage-box version of Gotham City. Some peices I bought, some I made by hand, hand painted. Its where he can live out his action figure fantasies and stage massive conflicts for world domination.

We're still missing some peices. A dresser and some other paint I intend to do someday, as well as the BATSIGNAL!

SHUBYS

I can't believe it's already been a month since we left California.

In all that time, we haven't gone out to dinner ONCE. I spend pretty much every day at the house, I go to Home Depot a lot for lunch breaks and after the kids are in bed. We are going out for dinner tomorrow to my sister's so that will be a nice treat to get out. All these projects are consuming me. Thankfully Jen and the kids are able to be more ambulatory than myself.

I finally finished Andy's room (mostly) and so ill have to take some photos and post. Im really happy with it, and he tells me that he is as well. He's sleeping tomorrow so you will have to remind me.

This weekend was very busy, mainly because we had our first sleep over guests... THE SHUBYS!

Yes yes, the Shuby's were on world tour -- Rick was dragging them all in a Suburban across the states, they had been up to Glacier National Park, and so they 'swung by' Colorado for a few days. It was awesome. We always have such a great time with them, and we seem to share many of the same values. Even when we don't see each other for over a year, we click when we are together like we haven't missed a minute.

Highlights:

-- Going to Red Rocks and planning fantasy concerts we are going to attend in the future

-- Our first Rockies game vs the Giants

-- Watching the put on dancing shows int he basement

-- The boys playing "target" a game they invented by rolling a ball on our new rug and getting points for different spot (gee the Sandos must have a real fun house if that's the youth entertainment)

-- Sitting on the porch and watching the lightning, listening to Jack J

-- And of course, drinking good wine, listening to good music, and playing Shanghai for the crown. We always play cards at night with Rick and Vic and this trip was no exception. We have always held a healthy competition around winning so Rick finally made a real 'crown' made from cards that the winner of the last night's game gets to keep until the next meeting.

Here's hoping that I get a chance to lose it back real soon. Thanks for visiting guys.

Roxborough

Projects, projects, work, work...

Been so busy making the house livable, while trying to acclimate to my remote job that it's been very busy here at Backcoutnry Lane.

The good news is we are making some real progress on the house, it almost feels like we have moved in. I have installed 5 ceiling fans, routed a cable through a wall and created jack, hung dozens of pictures and stuff, built 2 kid's bedroom sets, wired the whole house for music and Internet, set-up a TiVo in the master, applied frosted window tint in the shower, built the kitchen table and chairs, hooked-up rope lighting above the kitchen, built some garage storage, am half-way done with a special storage project in Andy's room, and about a hundred other small projects.

That doesn't even count the basic moving stuff around and unpacking.

Whew, I am sore a lot.

So we got a chance to break-away from the house and take a short field trip to Roxborough State Park. It's very close, about 15 minutes, and totally stunning. I now have been officially bitten by the Colorado State Park bug, and plan to visit every one of them.

We also got our for our first Krispe Kreme in Colorado the other am. We walked in through 2 sets of double doors, and Katie asked why they have 2 set of doors... I said, 'when it snows, you need that extra set of door to keep it warm inside' -- man, we have no idea what we are in for here, but it sure has been an adventure so far.

Rocky Mountain High

After a few nights in our new home, we went to a local outdoor 'concert in the park'. Met with TL, Woody, Megan and Zoey.

The scene was packed with families. The air was warm with patchy clouds. The music was by a really great John Denver cover band.

We ate, drank, danced, and swayed to classic JD songs that TL and I had learned as kids -- all against the outdoor backdrop of the Rockies.

The second half of the concert was marked with fairly significant rain, but the band was vigilant (playing under a tent) and I didn't see a single one of the audience pack-up or leave. Everyone just sat and got wet, while enjoying the music. We huddled together and covered the kids with tents made of blankets, supported by poles made from parents. Giggling sardines tickled my toes and the air never smelt so good.

(Yes, those lumps under the blankets are the heads of 4 little children -- Thanks Woody for the pics, your smart-phone has better ninja-photo skills than my iPhone.)

Everyone knew that they'd be poorer if they left when they were dry.
Rocky Mountain High.

Cha cha cha CHANGES!

For those of you who have not yet heard, we moved to COLORADO!

It has certainly been the MOST crazy month for us accompanied by the MOST change we have ever experienced. Let me take you all back to the time of my last post...

Um, oh yeah, Blogging! I haven't forgotten about you loyal readers out there (all 3 of you). But after this post I'm hoping you will have some sympathy for my lack of scribing, or at least a better understanding of why Sandpics has been in a temporary coma.

Let's see, right about the end of May, I had this bright idea of applying for a new job at HP. Now keep in mind, they had already let me take my old job remote to Colorado, and I was all set... but NO! I had to take on more responsibility, you see moving my family across the country just isn't enough stress for me, no sir. A week or so later, I come to find that I am the new Marketing Manager for HPs Media business. And HP is so cool that they let me keep my old Job for about a month while also doing my new job... Yay!

So working double duty, learning the ropes for this new gig, packing, doing all the mayhem associated with moving totally blasted my life into survival mode, and alas, blogging seemed to have fallen of the list of things I could manage. (I debated dropping more sleep or maybe skipping more meals but you cant subtract from zero)

In addition to stress, June was a very emotional month. Saying goodbye to all our friends in SD was really hard. We miss all of you already.

Saying goodbye to the Pacific was also difficult -- I have already used my windshield wipers here more than I ever did in my entire life in SD! I had this weird moment at one point when I sold my longboard on Craig's List. The guy walked out of the house with it and I saw my future in California go with him. Suddenly it was very real.

The few weeks before we left were filled with goodbye parties and PACKING. Boxes boxes boxes. I took 2 weeks off work and spent 5 of them packing up stuff, and saved the rest for the drive and unpacking.

We had movers come and haul everything for us. That was also eventful. The Semi truck driver decided not to take Jen's advice to back-in to our street. So he then gets STUCK trying to leave! This totally blocked our street resulting in police and tow-trucks to remedy the situation... crazy stuff.

But finally we made it on the road. On day one we drove to Vegas and stayed at the MGM. We decided to take an extra day there and soak up some sun and play. That was a really nice day as I hadn't had a break in soooo long.

Day three we drove 7 hours to Grand Junction. Along the way we noticed the tires on the 300 were looking bad and dropped a bundle on a couple of new tires.... yuck. At least it was fast.

Day 4 took us to Denver! It was July 1 when we pulled into our new home. Our stuff in the truck was still coming, so we spent a few days at Dick and Kari's making trips to and from the house working on some little stuff. Finally the truck came on the 3rd and we started the unload.

More boxes...

And now about 3 days later I sit here in my new den writing this post. We have done most of the 'opening' of boxes at this point, but there still is a TON to do, including getting the kids furniture assembled and delivered. Today is also my last day of vacation, and I face the music of my job tomorrow. It all went so fast as it always does.

I'll leave you with this last photo of the Denver fireworks as seen from our house. Unfortunatley my camera could only capture about half of the panorama but it was quite a show.

See you soon.

Arborous Amusement #2

Tree Joke #2 from Katie:

Katie: "What did the Tree say to the Woodpecker?"

Me: "Ummmm, I give up."

Katie: "LEAF me alone!"

*She will be here all week, please tip your waitress*

Arborous Amusement

Katie told me a joke today:

Katie: "What kind of tree fits in your hand?"

Me: "I dunno..."

Katie: "A PALM tree!"

*followed by endless giggling*

Palomar Maountain

We went on what is likely to be our last camping trip in California this last weekend -- certainly the last one for a while. We had never been to Palomar Mountain before and we had been told that was beautiful. I would say that beautiful doesn't do it justice.

We arrived at the park about dusk, and the roads were very quiet. We started to descend into the camping area through a windy road that was lined with oaks that gave the effect of a natural tunnel of brown and green. About half-way in, we were greeted and stopped by 6 deer that appeared to be out for their evening walk. We stopped the car and got watched as they tried to decide if crossing in front of us was safe or not. It was a really great moment.

Shortly after we reach the site and met-up with our camping partners, the Loys. Always a blast to spend time with them and we quickly fell into the comfort of old friends. We cooked, we played, we hiked, we fished, and had an awesome time.

We were able to take a field-trip up to the Observatory as well. Palomar's 200" telescope is something to behold for anyone who appreciates the frontier elements of science. You walk into this gigantic white dome structure which is literally in the middle of nowhere. Inside is the very 50's-ish feel of gigantic metal parts of old mainframe-looking computers -- it's almost like a time capsule of mid-century science.

Highly recommend the trip for anyone thinking about San Diego area camping.

The Grouchy Ladybug

Katie's Kindergarten class recently put on a play called "The Grouchy Ladybug". They had been practicing for months, there were dress rehearsals, and a surprising amount of production value. Katie was selected to be the narrator of the play.

We didn't practice too much with her, she seemed very competent and confident with a couple of read-throughs. I was however, a bit nervous to see how she would perform with a microphone in front of a crowd.

Of course she was totally awesome, beautiful, and made us all very proud. The way she would regularly primp her dress and sit so gracefully on stage was particularly endearing. The best was how she would use her hands to animate her lines while she was narrating. Ill have to upload a small vid for you guys to check out.

39!

I can't believe this is my last year of the 30s. It pains me how fast the time goes. And worse yet, it seems to be accelerating. This year I aged a great deal mentally and emotionally -- more than any year I can remember.

On the bright side, Jen and my mom really made my birthday a lot of fun. There were lots of great presents, and a special scavenger hunt! My mom really deserves some credit for all the detailed work she put into it, and it was a blast. And Jen got me ice cream cake! That is going to have to become a tradition -- yummy.

Mother's Day

We had a double Mother's Day here with Nana and Mommy. In addition to a nice breakfast cooked by daddy and some homemade gifts from the kids, Katie had a couple of ideas that really carried the day. She made mommy a book on animals, which she put a LOT of work into. She made a cover for it, authored and illustrated over a dozen pages -- her opus so far. For Nana, Katie had the idea of creating a birdhouse. Where she came up with this idea, I have no clue. But we set to work one afternoon and using some scrap wood and paints, made a pretty nice little birdie home.

Later that afternoon, mommy was treated to a massage. During this time, daddy took Nana and the kids to see Planet Earth the movie.

Catching-Up

My apologies to anyone who is still checking my blog, it's been a very hectic month. Let's try and catch-up.

It looks like we have been taking a good amount of pictures so I will try and post some eventful recaps over the past few weeks.

Lets start with Fiesta Island. Katie and I had a great daddy-daughter camping date at our local city-park called Fiesta Island. Its one of the world's largest man made water-parks, composed of large bays and camping areas. We went as a part of the Adventure Guides program. It was a lot of fun spending time 1:1 with Katie. And since the destination was less than a few miles from the house, it was easy peasey.

The Adventure Guide trips often turn out to be competitions between the dads to see who can outdo the other with the best food preparations. Each of the fathers was given a meal to provide for. I drew breakfast. Knowing that I am not the world's greatest cook, I decided to use a secret weapon, Krispe Kreme doughnuts! A winner every-time. The other dads prepared everything from King Crab Legs, Tri-tip, and Apple Cobbler.

We also got a chance to do some canoe-ing. I dont think I have been in a canoe since I was like 7. It was lots of fun rowing around the bay and I think Katie enjoyed it even more than me.

Coming up next: Birthday, Mother's Day, The Grouchy Ladybug, and Mount Palomar...

When will I ever learn

Last post I promised to work less and move slower. At least I am moving slower. This is mainly due to the fact that I have been working so hard, and that I am too tired to move quickly.

Going camping this weekend, will be good.

slow down, live long

We went to Krispy Kreme this weekend for our regular sugar fix. While we were there, I bought one of those Snapple drinks. Snapple does this cool thing where they put a fun fact in side the lid to entertain yourself while you drink. As I was reading...

Katie: "Daddy, what does it say inside the lid?"

Me: "It says, 'The longest living animal on the planet is the Tortoise, which has been recorded to live up to 125 years."

Katie: "125 Years? Wow! How much older is that than you?"

Me: "Alot."

Andy: "Maybe they live so longly because they move so slowly."

Me: (Impressed with my son's highly insightful comment.) "You know Andy, I am pretty sure you are right. Animals that move slowly, save their energy, and also take better care of their bodies."

Katie: "WELL, yeah daddy, that's why YOU should move slowly."


Now, you have to have seen the wonderfully sincere look in my daughters eyes as she made this comment, clearly concerned about her daddy sticking around for the long haul. I was perfectly touched, laughed, and promised to do as little work as possible! I told her I wasn't planning on going anywhere until I got to take HER kids to Krispy Kreme too. I promptly limited myself to just one doughnut that day, and only worked a little. ;)

Through the Eyes of a Child

One of the best part about having kids is watching how they creatively respond to new situations.

My kids have been doing some printing lately. We try to manage it, like all parents,(cause it's no secret that my employer squeezes us pretty hard when it comes to the cost of ink.) Anyways, sometimes the printer is low on ink, and you have to press a button on it in order for it to continue to print. Andy, who can't read the control panel warning, does not know that his print is not coming, and decides he needs to get a better view inside the printer (where the paper comes out) to see why things are taking so long. So he stands on his head and waits, and waits, and waits.

Now, this makes perfect sense to him, its the best view of where the paper comes from, but I just don't see too many adults standing on their heads, peering into the mouth of a printer, anxiously waiting for their print to arrive.

By the way, I sent this photo on to our customer experience team and told them we need a better experience for low on ink warnings...

Pinewood Derby: The Final Finish

Well, I have some good news to report from the races... 'Heart and Soul" Placed 3rd in the La Jolla Pinewood Derby!

It was quite an exciting series of races for us, to be certain. There were over 200 cars entered into competition. Each car races in 4 heats against 4 other cars, and the 16 fastest cars advance to the finals for a single-elimination series to determine the fastest ride.

Remember how I mentioned in the previous post the level of competition here? Well, to accentuate that story, imagine a track that uses lasers to measure time and finishes. Imagine guys with levels making sure the track is set just right. imagine roped off areas around the track to keep meddlers out of the pits. Imagine projection screens with finish times, and computers to track the whole shebang. I mean, it was crazy.

So our little car goes up in in first heat... and we win! We were surprised, delighted. Then the second heat, we win again, and the third and fourth heats... all 1st place finishes...

At this point I'm starting to think we might have a shot at this thing. So we wait it out in the hot sun to find out that we made it to the sweet sixteen! Katie is actually posted as the 3rd fastest car at this point.

So the finals go down... Single elimination 4 car heats with the top 2 advancing to the elite eight, and then top 2 from there advance to the finals. We win our first heat and advance to the elite eight. We come in second on the next heat and advance to the final four! Holey moley we are exited now. At this point, Katie realizes that no matter what happens, she gets a trophy (which was her fantasy.)

The finals go off and we come in 3rd place. What a rush. I am now properly motivated for next year... look out Pinewood, I caught the bug!

Pinewood Derby

Katie's Adventure Guide Program is running the "Pinewood Derby" this weekend. This is a long standing traditional event within the scouting and adventure guide groups that dates back to when I was a kid and before.

Basically, you are given a small block of wood and some wheels, are are expected to make a car that will race in the Derby. Now, for those of you who have never been exposed to this experience, I dare you to google 'pinewood derby' and see what you find out there. If you want me to save you some time, i'll tell you here -- this event is hardcore. I was shocked to see how much time and effort people put into these cars. Clearly it's the dads that are driving the enthusiasm here, and it reminds me of the days when modeling and hobbyshops used to dominate the spare time of kids/men (before the invention of video games I think).

Anyhow, Katie and I worked on our car, as you can see in the photo above. I did the building part, Katie picked the colors and design, and we painted it together. Katie named it, "Heart and Soul".

Back to the hardcore part, so we take the car down to the YMCA today to get it entered in the race, which is tomorrow. You have to weigh it to make sure it is regulation and appropriately sized. When we got there, there was a line of like 20 fathers and kids checking these things in. I was AMAZED to see some of the cars. I mean, here were dads with really professional looking cars, and full-on toolboxes that made me feel like I was in the pit of a NASCAR race. There were incredibly creative entries as well -- cars that looked like everything from sushi rolls to Spongebob Squarepants.

Needless to say, I was feeling quite intimidated and trying to anticipate excuses I would have to tell Katie for why we dont have a car that looks like it costs $500 and took a year to build. But Katie was awesome, and just said, "Dad, maybe next year we can make a car that looks like my Webkinz."

So we checked in our car, (they impound it overnight) and we go back tomorrow to race against the masses. I give us about a 1:50 chance of even winning our first heat. Ill post back soon with the outcome!

'Old' Friends

The Easter bunny gave us a very special treat this weekend. He dropped off the Wards!

We got to spend a couple fantastic days with Amy, Alex, Amanda, and Nicki. Amy has been such a long-time friend to Jennifer since the college days. I got to know her while Jen and I were dating and consider her a very dear friend as well. We missed Harry this time around but hoping we get to see him soon.

The kids were awesome, funny, wonderful. Sleep-overs and sleeping bags, and french toast for breakfast. As with everyone that gets to spend time with the Wards, we only wish we could have more of it.

Easter

Had a pretty typical Easter. Kids woke-up to find a pair of Easter bags with a note, and a trail of jelly beans leading-off downstairs. The note read:

"Dear Katie and Andy,

I left you some presents.

Please wake up your mommy and daddy before you start.

Love,

The Easter Bunny"

(Signed with a paw print)

And so Jen and I (and grandma and grandpa) were quickly woken as well to the sounds of excited kids frantic to start collecting sweets that were hidden around the house. The trail of jelly beans led downstairs to many hidden eggs, and a couple of 'jackpot' surprises.

Then there was the crazy sugar rush.

Now grandma and grandpa have gone home, and we already have new guests tonight -- old friends. Will update you on that soon.

Disneyland!

As you can see we went to the Magic Kingdom this week. Grandma Kari was able to join us for the trip. I think she was a little shell-shocked by how aggro we are at the park. Daddy morphs into a 5 year-old and drags everyone around at a rather break-neck pace. We got to try out the Nemo ride finally, and I must say, I was surprisingly impressed with it. Some notable moments:

Day 1 at California Adventure -- Decided to ride 'Grizzly River Run' at the end of the day. It's one of those round-rafted water rides. It was getting a bit cold and the sun was setting... well, after a gnarly spinning waterfall drop, daddy managed to get completely soaked on his back and well into his underwear. Made for a squishy, uncomfortable walk back to the hotel.

All of us having a blast on Big Thunder Mountain.

Andy getting rejected on Indianna Jones cause he was literally a hair too short. I mean, his hair was touching the pole. At one point I had his head in both my hands and I was moving it around and stretching him to try and make contact but there was like this 1mm invisible barrier... Those Disney facists wouldn't give us a break. So Andy and I went and ate some yummy pancakes while we waited for the girls, which turned out to be quite a great little dad/son time.

Watching Kari experience the park. She hadn't been in 25+ years. Many smiles.

Katie in the Pirate's Island caves. They have this maze network of cave tunnels too small for adults. She tore off in there and was gone for so long we were getting worried. When I finally found her, she was glowing with that intrinsic Katie look of mischief and joy: the wrinkled nose, the huge smile, and the wide eyes. Reminded me of how much I used to love caves and rock climbing as a kid.

Great fun.

Slurp-a-thon

Grandma has been making milkshakes for the kids. Andy goes through a LOT of effort to avoid missing a single drop. Click below for proof...

SLURP

...

1st Beach of '09

Good grief work has been nothing short of madness. I have been putting in some very long hours and I need a break!

Luckily, I got to take a small one this weekend with a trip to the beach, our first family beach outing of the year actually. As we were heading out the door for our outing, I glanced at my iPhone which shows weather for SD, Denver, and a few other choice locations for me... Denver was showing 30 degrees. Yikes! That information helped me really savor the afternoon and soak up as much sun as I could.

Grandma and Grandpa are also visiting right now and joined us. The weather was perfect. The tide was low, and we got to do some great sand castle-ing, boce-ball, tide-pooling, and of course general sun worshiping.

Best moment for me was when Katie and I went out far into the tide pools and managed to find an octopus! Lots and lots to see out there.