Car issue

Walt returned from a trip and went to retrieve his car from the lot. That's when he learned that cars in the area...particularly new and well-sealed ones...are subject to " heat expansion". End result is when the heat builds up and/or there are dramatic temp changes, a window may explode. Normally it's a side window but not in this case. Insurance covered it but getting the shards out of the door took the repair guy over an hour and involved dismantling the whole rear hatch. Good way for one/all to spend a Friday afternoon!

Nana Rose's visit

Nana Rose was able to come out for a long weekend. Sending gifts just isn't as much fun as spoiling her in person. This included a trip to the local zoo and a new telephone toy. Caroline wasn't feeling very good one morning and was quite content to snuggle with Nana Rose on the couch.

Aunt Holly's visit

Hi all,

Sorry for the delays. Here are some updates.

Caroline's Aunt Holly was able to visit Colorado thanks to a conference. Fortunately, she was able to spend some time visiting Cindy and spoiling Caroline...who was only too happy to accept!

Here are some pictures from the visit.

Summer Fun

I finally figured out how to get the videos from my iphone to this blog page. So here are some of Caroline having fun this summer. Sorry if the quality isn't the best, it is from an iphone. Watch Caroline trying to get onto the slide. It is hysterical because she will only go down that one backwards. -Cindy

New Video

Cicily was able to tape Caroline when she was here recently. We had just come back from Pikes Peak and Caroline was in a mood to show off.

New toys!

Caroline was able to make use of some new toys this past week.

We bought a kiddie pool during last summer's clearance and finally made use of it. Unfortunately, the water was a little cold but she still liked it and we'll keep it inflated for later use. An unanticipated hazard was Barkley drinking out of it. At least he didn't climb in.

Also, friends of ours gave us a kid's kitchen set since their daughter has outgrown it. Caroline loves to play with it. The various buttons make sounds so she imitates turning on the stove, pouring water from the fridge and putting things in the dishwasher. She tries to unload the real dishwasher which presents certain issues but we'll deal with that later.

The kitchen also came with a toy phone. When the house phone rings, she sprints for her phone and tries talking to whoever is on the other end.

Granny visited Colorado!

Cicily was able to come out and spend a week with us. Caroline was (naturally) a little shy at first but warmed up to her Granny within a couple days. By the end of her visit, we were even able to get a night out with Granny babysitting and no tantrums! Caroline also assisted in making a batch of cookies. A bath may have followed. Cicily took more pictures than us so if you want more shots, she'll have to provide them.

We were able to explore some of the tourist places here in C-Springs like Pikes Peak, Garden of the Gods and a few other places. Note: we learned we will NOT be taking a squirming toddler on future trips up Pikes Peak (3.5 hr round trip on the train with less room than airline coach seats). Any future visitors will only get one of us!

Cicily also received a tour of the AF Academy - arriving just in time to see a recent (like 3 days) graduate come out of the chapel after getting married. Fortunately for all, the weather finally improved. Until the 3rd week in May, it had been in the 40's.

San Diego Trip

I know we've been horrible about updates so here's the first in a mass blast.

First a couple shots from St. Patty's Day. No surprise one is now my screen background at work. She put the hat on herself!

We also went to San Diego for our 5th Anniversary. If you're looking for a place to go for a long weekend, it's a great choice. We didn't see everything since we didn't have a rental car but it's just an excuse to come back again. Our main must-do was a trip to the Zoo. Caroline, riding in a backpack, had the best view in the house. Not sure if she liked the pandas, koalas or other animals more. We also hit the waterfront shops, took a trolley tour of the area (highly recommend it) and took a tour of the harbor (like a duck tour just with no annoying squeakers).

San Diego:

Winter Fun

Unlike the East Coast we have had very little snow so far this winter. We did get about 3-4 inches one night so Caroline and Barkley got to see what snow is.

Even though we haven't had much snow, it has been cold and we were missing the beach so we signed Caroline up for swimming lessons. She learned to kick, reach with her arms and put her face in and blow bubbles. She loved it. She is not afraid of the water and will jump right into the pool into Mom's arms without any coaxing.

Christmas 2009

Caroline had fun over Christmas visiting all of her cousins, aunts, uncles and grandparents. Here is a picture of 3 of her cousins, Cassidy, Brielle and Alex.

When we got home she had fun playing with all of her toys. Here she is already learning to multi-task while driving. She can ride her bike, read a book and talk on the phone.

She loves climbing through her new tunnel . . . .

And pushing her baby around, but a girl can't be without her purse.