Denver Zoo

The wedding we attended in Denver was performed at the Denver Zoo. I love to take pictures and what a better place then the zoo. Just a couple of the animals I thought were fun.

Charlie

We have been adopted by this cat. His name is Charlie. He has been around since we started living here and is a beautiful and super sweet cat. He is not bothered by kids, dogs, or other cats. Our neighbor who moved maybe 1/2 mile away has not been able to keep him at home as Charlie keeps coming back. For a while he would run into our house every time we opened any door and just want to hang out. On the day of Karen's service he got in when we were leaving and unbeknown to us spent about 12hrs in our home. When I walked into the house that evening in the dark I spotted a large white fluffy ball on our sofa. It was him just snoozing away.

Charlie has spent the last 4 days, in rain and shine, at our house on our back porch. We don't know what to do with him but have decided to feed him. His owners haven't been around to collect him and he looks and acts hungry. I think I also have a lot of sympathy for him because he looks like our 2 cats (Philo & Deacon) we had before we lost them to sickness and coyotes. Our kids love Charlie as do I. Travis likes him as long as he stays outside. Much to Travis's dismay we may now have a third cat.

Oh the shame

Here I am on the weight loss journey yet again. Last night I had pizza and now have an enormous amount of guilt. I have lost 46lbs since the birth of Sam but I need to be more accountable. I am going to track my progress weekly and post pictures monthly. I know I can do it because between Ben and Sam I lost 92lbs. To reach my goal weight I have 97 to go and will plan a huge trip to a place that is warm to reward myself for all my hard work when I reach my goal. I think that if I can loose a total of 143lbs I should reward myself. I know I can do it and I want to teach our kids that health is very important. Size doesn't matter but I am not in the best health at this weight and that IS going to change.

I am scared out of my pants about posting pictures of myself in skin tight clothes on a weekly basis on fear of being judged. Everyone will now know what I really look like. I am not happy with the way I look or feel and am extremely self conscious. I am on the border of crying because of the pictures but I think it is the motivation I need to keep on track. I will be brave. Here I go!

Soda - Gone

Chips - Gone

Dairy - Gone (Sam has a problem with dairy so that is an easy one)

Sweets - Gone

Bring on the fruits, veggies, and whole grains! I hope the sun is out to play a lot this summer so I can get out and walk.

Am I a pretty girl?

Ben came up to me a few days ago asking me if he could get out the dress up clothes. "Sure" I told him. "You can totally dress up". I assumed that he would want to dress up in his dinosaur costume and heels (He loves to wear a pair of Claire's purple sparkle heels) or just heels. Not quite. Today he wanted the whole kitchen caboodle. Heels, dress, earings, crown, and a ring. Not being able to resist I got out the camera and snapped a couple of shots. These will be so fun to pull out at a later date when all his friends are here and he is about 15. I also had to ask if he was the prettiest girl in all the land and he replied with "I am the prettiest BOY!" Sorry. How could I have made that mistake?

Of course Travis wasn't home yet but none the less this would have happened anyway. He did however come in the door shortly after this all transpired. He took one look at Ben and couldn't help but burst out laughing. It was pretty funny.

Tom Thumb

Our first child took a pacifier very well. She loved it and it worked. It kept her quiet and happy most of the time. With the second it was refused. He hated it and never wanted it. It didn't matter what brand or shape. He was loud and fussy. The third took it and enjoyed up until 4 days ago when his thumb was discovered. It doesn't seem to matter how many times I pull it out and give him the pacifier. It doesn't seem to matter how many I give him and keep in his bed his thumb now trumps everything. We now have a thumb sucker.

Beach Fun

After our whirlwind Denver trip we agreed that we needed a vacation from that vacation to relax. We got home on Sunday, repacked Monday morning, and went to meet our friends the Groths at the beach. None of us were sure if this was going to be a relaxing vacation in a house with 10 people, 6 of which are kids, but we love being at the beach house so off we went!

The kids got along wonderfully and the weather was fabulous the entire week with the exception of the day we left for home. The husbands let Katie and I (We are both named Katie) spend the day out with just Sam. We went to the outlets and had lunch. The husbands spent one afternoon tasting beers at the Rogue Brewery and play Frisbee golf. The kids played on the beach, went swimming, fed the seagulls, and got to go to the Aquarium. In the evenings after all the kids were in bed we took advantage of out kid free time. We played cards, had a drink, and listened to music every night. It may not sound like a roaring good time to all but we had a blast. There is nothing better than sitting around with the greatest friends in your pj's laughing and having a great time.

The pictures are of our time at the aquarium and feeding the seagulls at Nye beach. Even though we took several pictures with our friends they are not fans of having their kids photos on the internet so it's just our brood.