Chiefs Game

Derek was able to get 5 free tickets to the Chiefs vs Vikings preseason game so we jumped at the opportunity to go without being out too much money since we were pretty sure we would not make it through the whole game.  Jan, Kristen and Ashton were able to join us, which was great.  It was very hot but so much fun.  Once we got to our seats we were somewhat in the shade and could see pretty well.  Asher enjoyed some cotton candy and Annika had a great big snow cone.  Once those were done, so were the kids.  So about 1/2 way through the 2nd quarter we took off.  We all had a great time and were very grateful for the tickets.

American Ninja Warrior

So, anyone who knows me, knows that I loved to climb and do obstacles when I was a kid, and that hasn't really gone away as I love the new trend of obstacle 5ks, Warrior Dash and Rugged Maniac.

One of Annika's new favorite shows is American Ninja Warrior, where contestants run various obstacle courses.  She has gotten to the point of asking me to set up obstacles for her, and has begun climbing the door frames.  She loves it.  I love it.  Asher, of course, has to do everything his big sister does :)

Date Night #8

So, this is a couple days late, but we did our August date so early in the month, and then school started and I forgot that I hadn't posted about it.  For our August date, we were went to Dave and Busters to play video games.  I prefer shooting and racing games, Monica is great at the skill games where you get tickets.  I mean, freakishly good, she once won over a 1000 tickets from one game that involved balancing a pile of blocks.  It was fun to grab a drink, enjoy some games, and just hang out with each other before school got into full swing.

Random Pics

Annika has discovered how to use the camera on our phones.  She has also practiced many poses.  She's goofy and I hope she doesn't lose that.

The Sound of Music

The Sound of Music live musical was played on TV, so we watched it as a family.  Annika loved it. We must have watched it 100 times since.  She knows many of the songs, and sings along when she watches.  When we saw that the musical was coming to the Starlight, an outdoor theater in KC, Monica wanted to take her.  They decided to make it a girls night out, inviting Glenda to go with.  It was a pleasant night and as you can see, they all had a blast.

Asher's Surgery

When Asher was an infant we thought he was this great sleeper.  He would sleep 3-4 hours at a time then wake up.  Sounds pretty great to me for a newborn.  Fast forward 20 months later and he was still waking up every 3-4 hours, sometimes every 2 hours.  Not so great.  We tried everything, and nothing worked.  The most he slept was one or two nights every few months.  So in April when he went in for his 18 month check up and had an ear infection in both ears we started thinking something was up.  He acted completely normal but would be up all night.  Between April and June he had 4 ear infections and our doctor referred us to an ENT.  It came as no surprise to us that he needed tubes.  As much as I didn't want him to have surgery, no matter how routine and minor, I was secretly doing a happy dance because he might finally sleep!  It took one night of him waking up and he has started sleeping all night.  Consistently.  Since July!  I cannot say how much better life is around here with consistent sleep.  For everyone.  Remember he shares a room with Annika so he was always waking her up.  He also hasn't had another ear infection since the surgery, which is really the best part since he isn't in pain anymore.  

 My family sent Asher this super cute Snoopy doll for his surgery.  here he is kissing and hugging it.  He loves it and it is really a darling stuffed animal. 

4th of July

We got back from vacation just in time for 4th of July.  In the morning we headed to our towns festival and had a great time.  The kids got their face painted, played on the inflatables, and Annika got a new bike helmet.  The rest of the day was spent relaxing then we went to Jan & Greg's for dinner.  We didn't make it to any fireworks but that didn't bother any of us.  We were all tired and had an early night.

The Town

These are some shots of Downtown Ouray.  There are a couple of coffee shops, a candy shop, plenty of tourist shops for trinkets, and a very friendly, relaxed atmosphere.  It was nice to stroll, grab a cup of coffee and just hang out.  The entire town is surrounded by mountains, you can't see anything but mountain peaks all around from this part of town, offering views that can't be overstated.  

This is the view of the 3 blocks from the end of the street where our cabin was to the main street.  It is very misleading, as you can see that it is very steep.

This is the view back up the road, standing on main street looking back towards our cabin.  Again, you can see it is steep, but it's deceptive how hard it was to walk up and down.

Waterfall

On our last day in Ouray, we hiked back up to the waterfall by the cabin so I could play in the water.  I just wore my sandals, knowing I was going to get wet, but I should have either worn shoes or just popped my sandals off and gone barefoot.  The water was cold and the rocks were pretty slick in spots, but it was a blast, I could have spent the whole week there, playing like a kid again :)

Is that bigfoot?