June Fun

Gulliver is busy, busy, busy this summer. In addition to starting school one morning per week, we also go to music class and Sporties for Shorties.

This is our third session of music class. It's so fun to watch how much Gulliver has grown during this time! He used to be very hesitant to go in the room, and he would often lay down on the floor and grunt in disagreement. Sometimes he would have a great time in class, and other times he would just have a so-so time in class. For awhile he would cry when the lights went off for quiet time.

Now he walks right in and starts hopping all around. In fact, he pretty much jumps around during the entire class.  He'll respond to different questions asked in class and say some of the words to the songs. And he lays down during quiet time while I lay next to him and rub his back. I really like Munchkin Music.

We started Sporties for Shorties for the first time. This is a 45-minute class for 2 - 5 year olds in Gunnison where the kids are introduced to a new sport each week. So far we have done football, soccer, basketball, and baseball. Gulliver has really, really taken to this class. He bounds into the room all ready to "throw a ball" or "catch a ball" or "kick a ball." The hardest adjustment has been the warmup and stretching that takes place before we get into the sport. He's fired up and ready to play with the ball… not stretch.

One of the days, we all formed a circle and rolled the ball around, saying our name and then favorite color as an introduction. It was so rewarding to hear Gulliver shout out "Guh-guh" and roll the ball when it was his turn. Then when we did colors, he kept telling me, "orange, orange." But when his turn came, he shouted out, "Pink!" I think the girls before him got into his head.

The class has different stations setup and we go to each one -- throwing at a target, shooting baskets, kicking, passing to each other, etc. Then at the end of the class, everyone sits down to take their turn at an activity. Gulliver has adapted to this really well. For football, he got up in front of everyone, kicked the ball, chased it, and then threw it through the hoop. He did great!

For soccer, he was the very first one to roll the ball down the ramp, chase it, and then kick it into the net. And he successfully hit the ball, set down the bat and ran all the bases for a homerun on baseball day. It's so cute to see him growing up and doing things on his own.

My birthday was last week. Gulliver made me brownies and we had pizza dinner out. Birthdays are fun!

We spend our other days playing at several parks around town, riding his Strider bike, playing in the yard, and just enjoying summer.

We've been working hard on our yard and garden. It's amazing to see the difference between this year and last. In 2011, summer got a late start after a snowy winter. Everything was really, really green, but not very far along in the growing cycle. This year, it warmed up early but it is so incredibly dry. The garden got started much earlier, so everything is bigger.

Rock Garden: Jun 13, 2011

Rock Garden: Jun 13, 2012

Garden: Jun 13, 2011

Garden: Jun 13, 2012

Happy Father's Day!

We celebrated a delightful Fathers Day today.  Gulliver is becoming an awesome helper in the kitchen. We made dad blueberry pancakes and bacon for breakfast. He loves to pour all the ingredients into the bowl and stir them all up. His favorite part of today's breakfast were the fresh blueberries. He loves berries… raspberries, blueberries, strawberries… one is better than the next.

We all went on a little hike -- even the girls. We went to a trail just a few miles down from where we live. It's a favorite that we've been doing for many, many years. We used to take Cocoa and Cassie there when they were puppies. It's a great place to just let them off leash and run. They love this trail toady as much as they did 7 years ago. But their age is starting to show… both dogs were pretty tired after we got home. Cocoa is limping around a bit, but hopefully some dinner and a glucosamine pill will perk her up.

Gulliver continues to amaze us with his hiking skills. Even with many offers to be carried, he insists on walking it all on his own. And he wanted to carry his water bottle all the way there. So independent. He enjoyed throwing rocks in to the creek and splashing his hands in the cold water. We cooled off in the shade for a quick picnic lunch, and then headed home.

We thought Gulliver would be ready for a nice, long nap. But that didn't happen. He babbled and sang and babbled some more in his crib until we finally got him out at 4:00. But by bedtime, he was more than ready! A big day of sun, fresh air, exercise, and good company. It's tough to beat.

Happy Father's Day!

You've got a GREAT dad, Gulliver!

On a side note, Mark and I celebrated our 6th wedding anniversary today as well. Time flies, but it just keeps getting better and better!  Love you, Sweetie!!!

Little Red Schoolhouse

Gulliver started the Little Red Schoolhouse last week. He'll go 1 morning per week from 9 - 1 this summer. It's right down the street, which makes it very familiar and super convenient. Wasn't sure who it would be harder for on the first day… him or me.  I'm happy to say we both did quite well.

This is the first time we have left Gulliver in the hands of anyone outside of family. All our friends have such wonderful things to say about Little Red. It certainly gives Gulliver a chance to interact with kids his age in a totally different way than when he's with Mark or me.

All three of us visited the school together one afternoon earlier this month to get a feel for the environment. Since we walk by the school often, he knows about the playground in the back. He made a beeline for it and we had a casual meeting with the director while he played. He thought that was great.

On his first day, he kept saying over and over again, "playground, playground, playground." So he was disappointed when we walked in and went into a classroom. After 10 minutes of trying to convince him that he would get to go to the playground later, I finally gave up reason and just said it's time for mommy to go and I'd be back to pick him up later. Hugs and kisses and bye. Left him in the hands of the teacher.

I hung around for a short while, and snuck a peek when he wasn't looking. He wasn't thrilled, but he wasn't upset either. Just standing back and taking everything in Gulliver-style. But he seemed liked he'd do okay.

When I picked him up at 1:00 that afternoon, he was on the playground playing happily. I managed to snap a few pics before he knew I was there. It was an odd feeling seeing him out there on his own without me. We both grew a little that day.

His second day of school was fairly uneventful. He was excited to go. When I dropped him off yesterday, we kept it brief. He seemed fine. When I picked him up later, the teacher told me he cried for about 20 minutes after I left. They tried to comfort him, but he wasn't into it. They invited him into the "soft room" to calm down which he didn't care for. Then they remembered that he likes things that go. So they gave him a truck to play with and that snapped him out of it for the remainder of the morning. He must have had an active morning because he went down without a peep for naptime at 2:00pm. Here is what he looked like at 6:00pm...

Moab

We headed to Moab, Utah for an extended holiday vacation on Tuesday. Gulliver and I loaded up, picked up Mark at the office, and we hit the road to Montrose to pick up a pop-up camper to use for 5 nights.

Loaded up and ready to go!
(The scrape on his head was from the week before)

We decided to spend the night at the RV Park where we rented the camper since we got a late start. They had putt-putt golf there and Gulliver was a natural! He played all 18 holes. And then we played another round the next morning before we left.

We weren't sure how the sleeping arrangements would work out, but everything went so smoothly. We stuck to our usual nighttime routine -- pi's, brush, read books -- and then tucked Gulliver into his side of the camper for the night. He instructed me to "schlose" (close) the curtain and then put his head down and sucked his thumb. We didn't hear a peep out of him until 8:00 the next morning.

Getting ready for night night

It was so sweet how every morning he would pop his head out of the curtain, bust out a huge grin, and shout, "Mom! Dad!" And then we would all crawl into bed together and snuggle or wrestle, depending on the day.

We departed for Moab late Wednesday morning and arrived in the afternoon. After scouting around for a nice campsite, we settled on one just a few miles outside of the town of Moab. It was convenient and offered a very scenic setting surrounded by tall, red canyon walls. Very different than the mountains we are so accustomed to. We settled in fairly quickly. Gulliver loved exploring the campsite and throwing the ball around and chasing after it. Bubbles and the squirt bottle were a big hit, too.

The camper

Enjoying a snack at the campsite

Exploring the campsite with Dad

Retrieving the "blue ball" and playing catch

Mark making breakfast

Chilling out with Cooties and Goldfish

On Thursday, we set out to explore Arches National Park. Pretty impressive place. We drove from end-to-end (about 25 miles each way, with a few short off-shoot roads) and stopped along the way to hike and have a picnic lunch. Then Gulliver napped in the car for about 45 minutes while Mark and I drove around and enjoyed the scenery.

Fresh water

Hiking at Arches National Park

Sand Dune Arch

Exploring a narrow canyon; Gulliver carrying his weight on the hike

"Mom. Dad. Gull-i-guh." (Said by Gulliver at least 200 times during the trip)

Checking out a cactus

Later that afternoon, we went on another hike and the girls were able to come along, too. We found a nice place in the stream to wade around in. I was crossing in one place while holding Gulliver in my arms. Totally wiped out. My feet completely slipped out from under me (not used to slick rock) and I fell flat on my back, holding tight to my baby the whole time. Amazingly, neither one of us had so much as a scratch. Guess I used up my free pass on that one. Phew!

Tired, dirty Cassie

Tired, dirty Cocoa

Gulliver never ceases to amaze me by how much he likes to walk. We went a long way that day, and he never once complained or wanted to be carried. He is such a trooper!

On Friday, we checked out one of the local parks, played on the playground, and enjoyed a neat feature with large instruments. It was a really cool part of the park.

We cooled off that afternoon in the swimming pool. We don't have an outdoor pool in Crested Butte, so it was a treat to swim outdoors. Gulliver LOVED it and kept saying "fwimming" over and over and over again.

The wind started picking up on Friday, and we were introduced to desert conditions. Suffice it to say, Mark and I prefer the mountains! Gulliver was not the least bit bothered by the sand and dirt blowing all over the place. I was so impressed with my little outdoor dude. He just goes with the flow. During nap time, he didn't even make a peep when the camper was blowing like crazy and the flaps were flying all over the place.

By Saturday, we were trying to come up with ways to stay entertained out of the wind. We checked out an art fair that was taking place in the town park, listened to some live music, ate ice cream, and played at the playground. Back at the campsite, we decided to head down to the river and throw rocks (another favorite activity). On the way there -- just a couple of campsites down from us -- we saw a popup camper like ours had collapsed from the wind. Suffice it to say, it was really windy. I knew then and there that NO WAY was my family sleeping in the camper that night. We reached the river at 3:30. I asked Mark if he was open to heading to Grand Junction and getting a hotel room that night. We were packed up and on the road by 5:00.

So even though we cut our camping trip short by one night, it turned out to be a really nice end to the vacation. Gulliver had such a fun time on his first camping adventure. But the white, fluffy towels and sheets that awaited us at our favorite hotel were a welcome luxury. Gulliver leaped into the bathtub and left a layer of sand behind after the tub drained. He bounced around the hotel and I didn't have to worry about him falling on a rock or smashing his face on the benches in the camper (which he almost did about a half dozen times). We ordered pizza. Everyone slept well that night.  We got to go swimming again before we headed back to CB on Sunday, arriving home safe and sound after our lovely family vacation.

Fresh and clean at the hotel

Carefree and enjoying pizza!

Night night