Big News

A brief hiatus from blogging, because it's been CRAZY around here! If you haven't heard by now, we are being relocated to Tennessee. Spring City to be exact. Except we won't be living there! We flew in last week to look around and we are leaving again tomorrow to drive the dogs. Yes, drive the dogs. Michael will be staying in TN, while Olivia and I fly back here to man the fort until the final move. Sooooooo, it will be me, Michael, Olivia, Bodine, Rambler, our assorted luggage, and items the moving company told us they wouldn't transport (important stuff like fingernail polish remover) in the car. I will be sure to take lots of pictures!

We've been doing some "lasts" around Denver. Like the zoo! Olivia asked if Rohen could come and they had so much fun.
Waiting for the train. I cannot accurately explain how much Rohen loves trains. This was BIG for him!



And the carousel (this was before it started!):



Sooooo much sugar! They each drank 2 of the slushies and split a bag of cotton candy!



It was really hot, but the zoo just opened an area called North Shore. It's a wading area, so they got to cool off:



My favorite part of the day was watching them with this bird. The bird was mimicking them. They would stand up and the bird would stand up. They would squat down and the bird would squat down. It was really cute, but the funniest thing is at the end of this video. Listen to Rohen after I tell them to say good-bye:



I was rolling and so were a few people around us- too cute!

Olivia and Rohen have also been going to a music class at one of the rec centers. We will definitely miss the rec centers and all they offer! Here they are getting ready to sing Twinkle, Twinkle:



They get a stamp at the end and they always ask for it on their bellies:



Cuties!

While we were in TN last week, Olivia and I went to the Tennessee Aquarium in Chattanooga. She loved it!
Miss Priss, telling me to hurry:



She liked to watch the stingrays, but not touch:





The penguins were by far her favorite. She didn't take her eyes off of them for a good 15 minutes:



Love the end of that video, when the penguin startles her!

We have a few more fun things plan for when we return! Today we've been getting ready for our drive, including taking the dogs for baths. There is a Wag N Wash right down the street from us. Pretty neat, there are several different areas set up for you to give your own dog a bath. Less expensive than a groomer, plus you don't soak your bathroom! Olivia was very excited to have her own apron (I took Bodine by myself, but she wanted to help with Rambler!):



Fingers crossed we have an uneventful (ha!) drive AND that we find a house this weekend!

Elephant Rock 2011

Well, Michael and I survived our first bike race! We finished 34 miles in 2 hours and 28 minutes. We were hoping for a little faster time, but the course was pretty hilly. One hill in particular, 85% of the people around us got off and pushed their bikes. We managed to stay on our bikes, but had to rest at the top of that one! It was a great experience. The first 2 miles were pretty much straight uphill and I was worried, but then we settled into a pretty good pace. Around mile 5, we hit one particularly steep hill going downhill. I'm not particularly fond of going extremely fast on a bike with wheels the size of my finger, but Michael loves it. I was holding my brakes as much as possible without wrecking and got up to 41 mph. Michael hit 48! I'm accident prone enough to worry about wrecking going that fast! Shew, luckily the wind was blowing towards us on the other steep downhill, so it wasn't as fast!

Some pics from the race (I took some of these while riding, so they aren't the best!):



Michael on the left:



Start/Finish line:



One of the rest stops along the route. Port-a-potties, water, and energy bars!



There were something like 5000 cyclists at the event (there were 100, 62, 34, 25, and 7 mile routes):



See how skinny the tires are?



This was right after we finished, which is why we're not looking our best:





We're already looking for another race! The atmosphere was fun and having the police help and so many volunteers cheering you on was great! It also helped with the traffic aspect, which is what we like least about our road bikes. There are plenty of bike lanes around here, but it's not so fun to be riding with cars flying beside you.


Which brings me to mountain biking!



There are some great mountain bike trails about 5 miles from our house. The ride to get to them is steep and hard, but it's worth it! One day last week we were on a ride, when we passed another cyclist who told us there was a "big snake" up ahead. I am not a fan of snakes. The worst part is we weren't even on the mountain bike trail yet, this was on the sidewalk right in front of a high school! When we saw it, we realized it was actually 2 snakes wrapped around each other. I happened to have my little camera in my pocket(this is zoomed way in, I didn't get anywhere near them!):




Nice.

The mountain bike trails have great scenery (No, I'm not talking about Michael!):






Plus, it's fun!


Wow, a whole post without a picture of Olivia! That's a first, ha! She stayed with our friends Steve and Yarelys. She loves their little boy, Caden. They claim she was very good for them!

1st Dentist Visit!

Olivia had her first dentist appointment yesterday and I was so proud of her! She did GREAT. We have been talking about the dentist for over a week, about getting her teeth cleaned and counting them. Her hygienist has a little boy close to her age, so she was awesome and let her hold all the instruments before using them. The TV above her head helped, too!
This is right before we left, she insisted on bringing her dolly with us:



Checking things out:





Holding her bag with a new toothbrush and stickers:




We also made it to the pool this week. We've had a pretty mild spring (unlike some of you!) and this week has actually stayed pretty warm. It took her some time to get used to the pool again. She wanted to sit by me for a little bit first:



A little closer:



Finally, happy in the water!



And, as in years past, she showed a particular interest in her snacks:




Her little friend Caden was there by chance and they had a blast, splashing around in the shallow end. She loves the pool and has asked every day to go back, so I for see lots of pool days this summer!

Much to my dismay, she has taken much more interest in her clothes lately. She went through a stage last weekend where she would only wear the color pink. We've finally hit on a compromise, where I bring 2 or 3 outfits for her to pick from in the mornings and that seems to help. Sigh.

This was the outfit she picked out during one of her pink days:




Our bike race is Sunday! I'm just hoping I finish, ha! (Michael will have no problems, I'm the one that's worried!)