A Day at Heritage Square

We are still finding new places to explore... this particular day, we checked out Heritage Square - a quaint little amusement park that is a paradise for 3 little boys! First up is the little train... Maddox saw it right away and being as I'm the smallest adult in our group, I get the pleasure of accompanying him on most of these rides since they require an adult to ride with the little ones... you'll see more of me later. This one wasn't too bad - he chose the cart in the front of the train which gave me some extra leg room. You should've seen the poor sap that got stuck in the back cart with his little girl!

The big boys chose to take the Tilt-a-Whirl for a spin... made me sick just watching them!

Okay, so it's my turn again... Maddox wanted to ride the hot air balloons. Seems tame enough...

Still doing okay...

Alright, I gotta get OFF this thing NOW!

Just to rub it in, Michael decided to ride the Scrambler with the big boys... Look at him smiling as if it's nothing! The operator kept making it go faster and faster and it didn't phase him one bit!

Fortunately, the Tea Cup operator let Morgan take Maddox on that one... I probably embarrassed them, though, because I was standing at the rail the whole time hollering for Morgan to take it easy... Michael finally told me to let them be. He said that Maddox looked bored and told Morgan, "Go for it!"... that's when Morgan let loose and really started spinning that thing. I cringed, but that's also when Maddox really started smiling. Obviously I know nothing when it comes to boys and their pleasure at feeling dizzy.

Then the big boys took a spin on this... thing. All I know is it went round and round really fast.

I must be getting old when I don't even care to ride the Ferris Wheel!!

The big boys were tall enough to ride the go-karts, but Maddox had to sit that one out.


I promised him one last ride of his choice, though... and he chose this. Once again, he had to be accompanied by an adult... and once again, Michael laughed as I squished myself into the pint-size cart.

Okay, I can do this... it's just a simple little roller coaster, right?!

...well, Good Lord, I had to hang on for all I was worth!

At least Maddox had a soft thing to lean against! He had a blast and wanted to do it, "just one more time!"... but Mama said we're done. Doggone that Mama.

Before we left, however, Mason & Morgan forked over a couple dollars of their own money so they could ride this same little roller coaster... they thought it looked like fun! I don't know how my expressions can be construed as "fun", but who am I to spoil it for them?!

There... at least Morgan is looking a little green!

What a fun, fun day! Tomorrow, I'll show you photos from our adventures on the Alpine Slide!! As for right now, I gotta go lay down... I got dizzy just reliving these photos.

Michele

Father & Son

On the hike we took the Readhimer's on, I snapped these two adorable photos of Michael & Maddox... I like them so much that I think they deserve their own post.

Look how high that little guy climbed... you can see for miles and miles.

But it's always nice to have a strong shoulder to lean on for the way down. :)

Life is good...

Michele

The Readhimer's Visit

Our friends from Dallas, Don & Ann Readhimer, came to stay with us for a couple nights this past weekend. It was so good to see them and show them where we live now. I hope they had a nice time... from these first couple of pictures, I think you'll agree that at least DON had a good time!



He's just a big kid, isn't he?! Look at the contrast... Ann is all cool & collected. :)

Alright, now Don is sharing the finer points of beer drinking with Maddox.

Our little guy couldn't get enough of his new "friends"... he followed them everywhere! When we went on a hike, he wouldn't even let me take a picture of Ann & Don by themselves!

And, oh, how that little boy likes to run. He would grab anyone's hand and say, "Run with me!" Don and Ann were certainly not exempt...


Here's some more shots from the hike we went on.





Don & Ann, it was wonderful having you with us! We hope you'll stop in again the next time you're in Colorado!

Michele

Michele's 20th High School Reunion

I went to St. Louis earlier this month for my 20th (yes, 20th) high school reunion. Here are some photos of me with my long-time friends - these may be boring for some of you, but for my own immediate family, I'm sure these will be some familiar faces.

This first one is of me and my wonderful friend, Trish. Just like in high school, I spent most of my weekend with her and it was fantastic to hang out again together. The trip was worth it just to see her...

This next one is of me and Barb Gaines Porter. We roomed together in college for one semester before I ditched her and moved to Texas permanently... a decision I have regrets over to this day. (Not the moving to Texas part, but the leaving her part).

Next is me and my high school rival, Tony Fussner. He was our valedictorian and a good friend of mine for many, many years. I have fond memories of our grade competitions throughout school.

This one is of me and Tony Glass. Tony and I went to grade school together and I can't get over how much he reminds me of my brother, Mark. The resemblance to me is uncanny... and he even treats me like a kid sister! Tony married my friend, Tami LaBeau, pictured later.

Here's one my family should all recognize... me and Eric Vorst! Of everyone I saw at the reunion, I've known Eric the longest. We went to preschool together and remained friends ever since. He has a beautiful wife named Chrissy, whom I enjoyed getting to know.

Obviously, Eric and I had a good time together on the dance floor...

This next one is of me and my good friend, Bill Tracy. He was such a terrific friend and it's been 20 years since we've seen each other. I teased him before the reunion that the only reason I'd fly to St. Louis that weekend would be to see him, and if he bailed, he'd owe me the cost of my flight. Obviously, he didn't let me down.

Here I am with Sue Virgen Exler... my lab partner from Biology. Okay, okay, we have more memories together than just Biology, but we both vividly remember when our teacher bought some squid from a seafood shoppe and brought it in for us to dissect and then EAT.

This is me with Tom Brown - another good friend. Tom and I were in a play together and he always made me laugh. I certainly like Tom just fine...

...but I must say, I REALLY enjoyed meeting his wife, Shellie!

This next one is of Tony Glass and Dori Abram Busby... she's as beautiful as ever!!

And here are a couple of my band friends, Karen Willenberg and Nancy Straubmuller. They were my "dates" since I left Michael at home with the boys. :)

On my way to the airport on Sunday, I stopped by the picnic for a final goodbye... here's me and Tami LaBeau Glass:

...and me with the ever sweet Thao Dang (I forgot her married name):

Such a wonderful reunion - the best one yet! I look forward to keeping in touch with all of these people (thank goodness for Facebook!) and seeing them again in 5 years... or BEFORE if anyone is game to come out and visit me in the mountains!

Michele

Rex Is One!

Yesterday, August 8th, marked a special day in the Force household... Our beloved bearded dragon, Rexie, turned ONE year old! Just to refresh your memory, here is Rex when we first got him last year:


And here he is NOW on that same rock:



Rex is such a sweet pet... the boys love to hold him and let him run around, they still love to watch him eat crickets, and they help me take good care of him. Michael even likes the old guy... here's the home he built for him:

You can see Rex's head over on the left behind the log.

Happy Birthday, Rex!!
Michele

The Boogeyman!!

We had a terrible fright a couple weeks ago as this thing came stomping through the kitchen...

...oh, the horror. It was awful - we were scared out of our wits...

...as it came closer, we felt our pulse quicken and beads of sweat began to appear on our brow...

...we had nothing to do but cling to each other in desperation and hope it was a friendly beast.

OH! It IS a friendly beast!! Silly Maddox!

Michele

Morgan's Sewing Lesson

I have been working on flannel quilts for the boys, and in doing so, Morgan decided that he'd like to learn how to sew. He bugged me for days about it until I agreed to show him some basics... threading the machine, loading the bobbin, straight stitching, etc. I taught him to make a simple seam while he listened intently, and he did a very good job.



Of course, once he was done with this lesson, his appetite must've been satisfied because he hasn't bothered me about it since!

Michele