Finally, after a week of computer glitches, we want to thank cousin Bryan for helping us get the blog updated! Woo-hoo! Gotta love computer geeks :) Here is the latest......
Two weeks ago, our parents were lured by our old neighbors to New Mexico. Dan and Nancy have been living in NM for 2 years and have been asking our parents for a long-awaited visit. Our parents couldn't refuse free airline tickets from Dan and Nancy (which was totally uncalled for and so generous), so they headed Southwest. Before they left, Mommy was laying on the whole sappy "goodbye" deal, you know the one where parents will tell you how much they love you and will miss you? Well, my response was, "I probably won't miss you because we will be having too much fun." She just stared at me and didn't respond. Anyhow, we spent 2 nights with UncleBen/Auntie Erin/Kyra and Bennett and 2 nights with Grandma and Grandpa. At Ben and Erin's house, we watched Kyra's soccer team win their soccer division state championship game and Kyra scored the winning goal....we are so proud of her! We had a golf cart ride in their neighborhood, played at the park, went to a movie and even went to dinner with Kyra's entire soccer team. Auntie Erin told our parents that we were so easy... they are still scratching their heads over that comment.
This is the view from Dan and Nancy's backyard. They overlook the Sandia Mountains which are breathtaking. The above photo is just a small section of their house, the casita. The casita connects to the main house via the courtyard and was a guest house complete with a bedroom, garage, kitchen, bathroom and living room. They had their own little house while in Dan and Nancy's beautiful home. They loved it!
Mom and Dad's first day was to Old Town Albuquerque. There they went into quaint shops, visited a neat chapel, and then drove a scenic route to an old mining town where they enjoyed lunch on the patio.
Our 2 days at Grandma and Grandpa's house was BUSY too! Uncle Jim, Auntie Karri, and Jimmy are living at Grandma and Grandpa's house until this Wednesday because their new house is near completion. We spent a lot of time with them including a trip to the Mall of America! Uncle Jim did some creative arranging and fit us into the backseat of Mommy's Jeep.
They treated us to our favorite restaurant, Buffalo Wild Wings! Our parents think Uncle Jim and Auntie Karri look great with 3 boys... they think otherwise :)
Time for rides.... Dora's Bus
Semi-trucks
Rollercoaster
Carousel
Some exhausted kids except for me, because as I told Uncle Jim, "I am the only person in the world who yawns but it DOESN'T mean that I am tired." I am growing out of naps, which Mommy is devastated about. Our parents continue to scratch their heads as Uncle Jim and Auntie Karri told them that they hope Jimmy grows up to as good of a boy as Cooper and I. This sure made them proud!
Another daily adventure included a trip across a Pueblo Native American Reservation that was beautiful and amazing. Here are some (snore) landscape photos from their day of exploring.
The above photo is Dan and Daddy standing next to a Virgin Mary memorial. Daddy and Dan are Catholics (well, Daddy is no longer technically) so they like to talk religion and joke about putting a Virgin Mary in a bathtub in each other's backyard someday, blue light shining at it and all.
Meanwhile, our parents received this text of Liberty walking with Uncle Matt, Auntie Jill and Emmett. See, it takes an entire village to take care of the family when our parents are away (and they are SOOO thankful for everyone's help!)
Horsin' around in the backyard at Grandma and Grandpa's house
We helped Grandpa fix the pocket door in the laundry room and since the drill was so loud, we had to think safety first with earplugs!
The last two days of Mommy and Daddy's trip was spent in Santa Fe, NM. There, they had their annual Spanish Market which is the main reason they chose to visit when they did. The Spanish Market has a huge variety of art, mostly religious art, but some neat jewelry as well! They loved Santa Fe as it is a thriving little city set in the mountains.
One of the churches they visited was Loretto Chapel. Their major claim to fame is the miraculous staircase. As you can see, the staircase was built unsupported (no center beam, just a free standing staircase). The staircase was built by a mysterious carpenter. The staircase was used by the nuns of the chapel as they would go up the steps to the balcony area for services. The handrail was not built originally and was eventually requested years down the road by the sisters as they needed more support going up and down the steps in their "gowns." Can you imagine!?!?
Another beautiful cathedral in the center of Santa Fe's market square
And the oldest church in the US, nothing fancy about it, but it is OLD!
Enough about chapels, our parents stopped by the Santa Fe Brewing Company to taste their local brew. It was surprisingly tasty according to them (not that I would know).
They toasted to a great vacation, great friends, and to the family that cared for me and Cooper, along with Liberty too! Also, a special thanks to Papa and Grandma Sharon who took us to Como Park but sadly forgot the camera. We had a blast at the zoo with you guys... especially the endless rides!
In other news, I finished instructional t-ball. This picture made Mommy giggle, I am showing off my amazing abs while chewing on my shirt, nice!
Running the bases might be my favorite part of t-ball. Maybe track is calling my name!
T-ball Group Photo, notice the enthusiastic group of 5 year-olds?!?!
A participant ribbon= one proud boy!
We will post soon with our weekend events (camping, Farmer's Market, and blueberry picking) as we know this post is already LONG enough! Thanks for being patient with us!
