We had our first visitors for the summer come when Grandma and Grandpa Cardon drove down from Washington state for 10 days. The kids were SOOOOO excited to see them and we had a million fun things planned! They got here early Saturday afternoon, and took us all out to eat at Red Robin for dinner. The next day everyone came over to our house after church for a barbecue and games.
These cousins absolutely love spending time together! Lucy asks me multiple times a week when we're going to see Isaac and Sophie.
Leah and Mr. Bud enjoying strawberry shortcake and rootbeer floats for dessert. Yum!
And it was baby Jameson's first time over at our house for dinner! Zach loved snuggling this little guy and has added one more boy to his ever-growing list of minions.
Tuesday we met everybody downtown at the Denver Science Museum and decided to check out the dinosaurs first. They're one of the kids' favorite exhibits (and mine too).
Zach with one of the very first triceratops fossils ever found.
We also visited the mummies (which Lucy is now able to semi-tolerate), the gems and minerals collection, and upstairs to the kids part where they have some fun hands-on activities my kids love. Leah worked a long time coloring this masterpiece to give to Grandma!
Lunchtime was right around the corner, so after a quick Google search we found The Chop House just a mile away with lots of great reviews. Elizabeth was such a trooper on our long morning outing and had a great time with all the extra attention.
The food was yummy! I tried the reuben sandwich with smoked chicken, and Jon tried the veggie burger which was also very good.
Lucy and Zach shared chicken fingers and loved their hipster lunch.
That night I tried to convince Elizabeth that she really does indeed like binkies. She will suck on anything and everything within a 1-foot radius of her mouth, especially fingers, but just doesn't like pacifiers, darn it!
Wednesday morning Grandma and Grandpa came over to babysit my kids so I could teach a Body Pump class downtown. The next time we saw them was Thursday at Cafe Rio for lunch. This is Grandpa being a good sport and holding Lizzie so I could eat my salad.
Who doesn't love Cafe Rio?? We'd been to the outlet malls nearby just before this and Lucy bought a new pair of fashionista sunglasses she was super excited about. She is growing up way too fast.
After a quick lunch we headed up to the MAC park in Castle Rock to play on the equipment and at the splash pad. Grandpa had the daunting task of spinning everybody on this merry-go-round, and it was one super hot afternoon! Later that evening Grandma and Grandpa packed up and came to stay at our house for the remainder of their trip. Friday was spent doing yard work, changing light fixtures, and taking the older three to see the new "Finding Dory" movie in the theater.
Saturday morning bright and early we headed down south to Larkspur for the Colorado Renaissance Festival. It was AMAZING! The venue was huge-- much bigger than in Pennsylvania, and there was tons to do and see. These guys greeted us at the entrance.
Zach wanted a picture with this knight guarding the entrance. They did a really great job of hiring lots of people to look and act the part of medieval characters. Everywhere we'd go there were people in costumes and speaking with accents.
Lucy with the Owl Lady in her nest. She even gave Lucy a souvenir of a little bird feather.
Leah was totally freaked out by her at first, but when she saw her give Lucy the feather she jumped right in that nest as quick as she could! I guess she figured she couldn't be all bad.
We also got sprinkled with pixie dust on our way to the children's petting zoo by this kind fairy.
They had a cute butterfly merry-go-round that had to be turned by hand (medieval times, remember?).
And llamas, goats, sheep, chickens, and cows to pet. I like how Zach is just staring this guy down. He used to be a goat-whisperer as a boy, you know.
Watching the Royal Court pass as they headed over to the joust!
The kids were super excited for the joust-- they'd all seen episodes of Merlin where the knights are knocked off their horses and it's pretty violent with poor Prince Arthur taking a beating. This joust however was pretty tame. They basically just did tricks with their horses and didn't have any fighting. I'm sure you can guess who was disappointed!
They had this beautiful water wheel right in the middle of the food court where we stopped for lunch. It was a beautiful blue-skied day with perfect temperatures in the shade.
Lucy and Leah picked sausages on a stick, and Grandma Cardon and I tried the fish and chips. The prices weren't too bad for the amount of food and I thought it was all pretty tasty! There were lots of other menu choices I'd like to try someday when we go back.
Yum! Happy camper with her medieval sausage, and she ate almost the whole thing!
Ahhh, but the pies resistance was the turkey leg Jon and Zachary ate! Now that's a drumstick y'all! Zach is my little carnivore and made quick work of that.
Our visit was short and sweet since we had to be back for Zach's baseball game at 2 o'clock. I'm so glad we finally checked it out though, and I know we'll be visiting many more times to make merry and shout "Huzzah!" at our renaissance friends.
Zach did awesome at his game-- he got great hits both times up to bat and had fun showing off for Grandma and Grandpa who stayed to watch, despite the 90 degree heat and relentless sun!
Sunday was Father's Day so we got to celebrate this AMAZING dad and thank him for all he does for us!! I often marvel that this man who grew up basically as an only child (Jeremy is 6 years older than him), is able to navigate and control and mange being daddy to FOUR kids ages 9 and under!!! Our lives can be total CHAOS at times! He is so patient and kind and makes sure they all know he loves and cares about them. He works tirelessly to provide for our family, and makes sure we have a roof over our heads, food on the table, clothes to wear, cars to drive, and nice vacations to look forward to. He is my hero and keeps our household running, and me sane.
That morning we got to attend little Jameson's baby blessing at Jeremy and Kylene's ward, and then head back to their new house for a nice brunch. We had ham, funeral potatoes, fruit and veggies, and some yummy chocolate pie for dessert. Here's Grandpa playing with Elizabeth.
Grandma and Grandpa with all seven grandkids-- and I think it's safe to say we're 99.9% sure the gang is all here (wink, wink). Such a cute bunch who love their grandparents so much!
And hopefully these two hard working dentists/brothers/best friends/uncles/dads/husbands had a nice Father's Day and got to relax a little and play a few rounds of pool.
Happy blessing day sweet Jameson!
How adorable are these little cousins, just three months apart??? Jameson is barely 6 weeks old and already smiling--and they're only 1 pound apart in weight. I think Elizabeth has him by just a little bit. It will be fun to see them grow up together.
That night Jon and I went on a stroll to the Denver temple just like old times when we'd walk the temple grounds in Provo on nice summer nights. It was beautiful and shady and a great way to finish out the day. Monday Grandma and Grandpa Cardon helped us finish up some yard work, and let Jon and I see the new X-Men movie in the theater sans babies. They headed back home to Washington early Tuesday morning and we're so grateful they came to visit during our summer break. The kids had a blast and can't wait to visit them on THEIR turf in just a few days!!
