Approaching the sliding glass window after playing outside…

Annie Mom can I please come in now?  Hudson is trying to rule the world!

Me…speechless

Driving in the car to pick up Hudson from school…

Annie Hey Mommy, I think Papa knows Conner.

Me You do?!  How would they know each other?

Annie  Because Papa teaches, Potions!

Me Oh, no, Annie.  Papa use to teach Chemistry, but now he is on a mission with Nana.  And Conner never got to be in Papa’s class.  There is no Potions…just chemistry…just chemistry…

Annie Oh…

…so we met some friends at the Children’s Science Museum in Denver.  The kids had a blast with the rockets…hahaha…get it?…a blast. *sigh*  They were given the opportunity to shop, paint, and organize.  Suction tubes and parachutes were heavy favorites.  Annie kept going back to the tap shoe area so we may be having some of that in our future.

Who doesn’t love gigantic bubbles?!  Whether you are inside them, creating them or in the business of popping them, they continue to provide hours of entertainment.

…That’s what we would be to Sue, the T-Rex, considering a snack for her was about 500lbs. of meat.  GG got the kids tickets to the Museum of Nature and Science this year for Christmas.  What a wonderful time we had!  Egyptian Mummies, Rocks, Gems, Animals of every kind, Astronomy, Dinosaurs, the museum had it all.  Hudson and Annie even got to collect health information on themselves and test their fitness levels.  The kids were so angry with my when we finally had to leave.

The kids got to extract some of their own cells, dye them and examine them under the microscope.

Three levels of awesomeness!

Thanks GG!  We have some great memories!

I realized Will and I don’t have any recent pictures together so you are getting a picture of the guy I fell in love with.

Will and I hit 9 years of marriage today.  We had a wonderful anniversary in Denver to celebrate.  The story is quite comical so if you feel obliged, feel free to step into the comical world of me.

Will informed me that my parents were going to watch the kids and he had planned a fun date.  I was expecting a show and dinner or something to that effect.  In the car, headed for downtown Denver, Will announces that we are going to walk around the 16th street mall(He seemed VERY excited about this).  I got a little huffy. A slight chastising of Will and his planning ensued(For the record: I have since, apologized profusely).    I believe my words rang to the effect of, “We have got to start delegating anniversaries for planning, because this just isn’t cutting it.”  We get downtown and Will tries to park in some hotel’s parking garage.  I tell him that the parking meter is open across the street and it will be a lot cheaper, but I let it go thinking that this might be the only place he felt comfortable with in his planning.  We park and he is asking about validation and what I think is blah, blah, blah, so I go sit by the fire waiting for it all to be over.  At this point, you might be savvy to his plotting, but I was oblivious.  He tells me the inside elevator of the hotel takes us shopping, which I think he is crazy, but I follow.  Then he punches the top floor saying he wants to see if there is a restaurant or at least a view.  I tell him there is NO restaurant on top of The Magnolia and they aren’t going to waste the awesome view on the halls, but he ignores me, stepping out into the hall.  He then replies, “What about the view from in here?”  Then he swipes a card for one of the suites and I about jump out of my skin.  The first words out of my are, “Does my mother know about this?!” You would think I was 16 at this point, right?  Aside: I know that was a completely embarrassing comment, but that is just what came out.  I retrospect, I hear myself commenting, boy was I a brat!

My parents had indeed schemed with Will so we could get away.  He patiently endured me.  There isn’t a better guy than that!  We all know life is about enduring to the end.  Rarely, do we think it is enduring another person, but he does it so well.  Regardless, the view was breathtaking and the fire inside was cozy.  After checking in, we went down and out on the town for a night filled with little stops that laced so nicely together making such a beautiful memory.  We wandered the 16th street mall in LoDo.  We got chocolates and steamed milk.  We listened to the street performers.  Pianos placed up and down the street have become an artist’s canvas both on the pianos themselves as well as the music that resonates from them.   We did some fun shopping and even ended up at a wonderful bookstore.  We read in the library of the hotel while enjoying their nightly milk and cookies.  We even managed to squeeze in some games of pool.  I love Will and I know just how lucky I am to have him.  He is so patient, thoughtful and kind.  I consider myself, one lucky gal.  Happy Anniversary Will!

It took a village this year to make our tummies happy.  Now that the kids are getting older, they aren’t satisfied teaming up for competitions anymore.  This year we featured a house, a bakery, a chalet, a toy shop, and a gabled house. If I do say so myself, the kids managed to hold their own.