Colorado Boys Come to Visit - Days 2 & 3

Good morning!  We are up and out of the house.  It is TRAIN time.  After being picked up at home by the DART bus, we are now anxiously awaiting the arrival of our train.  It's a ZOO day!  Woohoo.  I do so love the zoo.  Here comes the train.

At lest one of us is pretty dang excited to be traveling this way.  I let Raef head to the front of the car while we are in the tunnel so that he can watch out the front windows by the driver.  At our exchange stop, we meet up with some missionaries and stop to visit while waiting for our train.  They are off to the zoo as well so I help them out by taking them in on my membership so they get a discounted rate.  As I am telling them about Telluride and the fact that the boys get to ski as part of their P.E. class, Raef is nodding like, "Yeah, it's pretty dang cool."  A little head bobbing going on.



We arrive and there is no stopping this group.  They are on a mission to see the dinosaurs.  We don't even make a stop at the lemurs.  Wow.  A quick peek at the flamingoes is all I get before I am being urged forward.

Oh wait -- apparently there IS Time to play on the warthog.  Yes, this is a posed picture.  Ryan is such a ham right now.  I love it.  And then -- just like that -- we have dinosaurs.  Oh yeah.  First up is a Tyrannosaurus Rex.  It is are dang cool and the eyes follow us as we walk.

We go from exhibit to exhibit and while in the center one, Caleb starts removing the sticks and logs so that he can get to the dinosaur.  I take a few minutes to explain that the sticks are there so we DON'T touch them.  Tough for a young one.  As we round the corner, we are met by a brontosaurus with what we consider to be the silliest grin ever.  Raef jokes that he keeps following me with his eyes and grinning at me.  Just me.

The next display has spitters!  Yep, the boys are being spit at by the dinosaurs and loving every minute of it.

We have just discovered that there is a dinosaur show starting shortly so we grab some seats up front and wait for it to start.  Caleb decides that it is a good time for a little rest.  It's showtime.

Near the beginning of the show, they ask for volunteers to come and pet a baby dinosaur.  Calebs arm shoots straight up and he is soon brought on stage for some memorable moments.

Later in the show a T-Rex is brought out and I'll be danged if it doesn't scare absolutely everyone when it comes running in from back stage.  Wow -- pretty dang cool puppet.

Once the show is over, it is time to head to the other side of the zoo and see how many cool things we can find.  Right away we are lucky to find the penguins actually swimming around.  This rarely happens and the boys are fascinated.

Next, the baby mandrill entertains at the window and Caleb mimics him.

Oh goodness, it is savanna time.  Yes!  My absolute favorite part of the zoo.  Let's go see what the giraffes are up to.  Are they hungry today?  It is sooooo fun to get to pet them.  What cool animals they are.

Ah yes, the obligatory stop for pictures on the elephants.  I think someday I will be able to do an album of just these shots and chart my grands growth.  Actually, that could be pretty fun to do.

Let's hit the gorilla trail and see if they are out and about today before we start our trek back home.  Yep they are playing and putting on a nice show for us.

It's time to leave -- ah, sigh.  So sad, but it's been a great time.  At the exit there is a dinosaur to climb and play on.  Well, can't leave without having a bit of fun, can we?

This time Caleb wants to stand like the big boys but has strict instructions to hold on at all times.  I am so pleased when he doesn't even try to test it.

After our morning adventure, it is quiet time and we bring out all the Legos that we were gifted from Mister's nephew.  There are a TON of them.  First up, Caleb wants a fire truck and Raef is wanting an airplane.  This means I must crawl on the floor too --- naturally.    We build for quite awhile and Grandpa helps get the airplane finished.  It's been a great day - but, whew, I'm tired.  Night all.


Today is LEGO day.  The boys have requested to just stay home and play.  We can do that.  They find the Harry Potter Legos and are soon creating their own buildings.

The last time the boys were here, we watched a movie series in the afternoons and they want a repeat performance only with different programming.  What to watch -- what to watch.  How about Harry Potter since we are having so much fun with the Lego set?  That meets a resounding YES!  They are soon set up in the den and we have 8 days of movies ahead of us.  I'm pretty excited as well.

We take a walk down to the dollar store so they can spend their money from the Easter eggs.  Gammy becomes the sherpa and the boys are off and running home leaving me in the dust.  When Grandpa arrives home he offers to take everyone for pizza and we are quickly out the door to Tony's for dinner.

I'm thrilled for an easy meal and everyone is all smiles.

It is such a gorgeous night that we decide to go down to the lake for a walk.  Mister parks in a new spot and we are soon off to see what we can discover.  Raef is determined to climb a tree and tries to get into each and every one that has a low branch.  Finally, he is successful.

Yep, this is Ryan just about to hit the ground.  No, he isn't hurt --- but a great picture, huh?

Ah yes, must pose again.

As we cross the bridge, everyone gets a chance to climb up and check out the birds below us.  The wind is really blowing and the bridge is full of activity so we have to be extra cautious to stay out of the bikers way.

Caleb and I make a run out to the dock and check out the waterfowl right below us while looking back at Grandpa, Raef, and Ryan.

The water is splashing up on shore and the boys keep busy seeing how close they can get before getting soaked.  It's amazing what will occupy them.  I love just watching their minds work and the fact that they all get along so well.  It's been another fun day but time to head home for baths and bedtime.  See ya tomorrow.