Colorado-Day 5

It's hard to believe that we have been in Denver for 5 days. We have kept pretty busy, seen a lot of the city and eaten A LOT! When planning the trip, I kept today open so that we could rest and catch anything we hadn't seen or done earlier in the week. We both slept in- almost to 9! Walt headed out for a bike ride while I stayed at the hotel watching some tv and reading a little bit. We headed to lunch at the Wazee Supper Club. We decided on the combo appetizer and a pizza- they claimed to be the best pizza in the civilized world. Everything was very good!

Walt wanted to look for a new work hat, so we walked down the street to a local western store. As we were leaving the store, I heard a man talking and his voice made me turn around because it sounded familiar. He looked familiar and I told Walt to hurry and look at him before we left the store. We got outside and I asked Walt if the guy looked familiar to him- I tend to see people that I think are famous, but usually are not. Just yesterday I thought maybe I passed Carmelo Anthony at the mall- Walt said he didn't think that he traveled without a posse. Back to today- the guy we saw at the western store was Larry Miller- an actor who has been in several movies and tv shows. He was the dad in 10 Things I Hate About You. Who knew we would see a famous actor in Denver,CO.

We spent the rest of the afternoon chillin' back at the hotel. We called up Lauren and headed down to Littleton for dinner. We had some good Italian food at Romano's and then went to see Denver Seminary. We hung out at Lauren's condo for awhile and watched some more tv. This trip has been fun and a good chance for Walt & I to get away from the craziness of everyday life. I have missed the girls terribly and Walt says that I am stalking his mom while she keeps them. It sounds like they have also had a great week, and I'm sure that I will have to do some serious work to entertain them when we get home. Next week they start MDO, so I think they will have fun.

Colorado-Day 4

Started the day at Adagio Baking Company with yummy breakfast sandwich on challa roll. Headed to the Denver Museum of Nature and Science to check out the Expedition Health exhibit. We got there a few minutes early so we spent some time looking at the Space exhibit and the Wildlife exhibit. This is an impressive museum with great displays. They use the skeleton and hair of the animals then make the body out of plaster (taxidermy). The backdrops and the surrounding environments to the animals were very impressive also.

On to the main exhibit. We entered the exhibit and were given a plastic card (think credit card) that we would use at the various stations to keep track of our specific information. Basically you go through different stations that tell you about the different systems in the human body. There was a "Biology Lab" that you could go into and do different experiments- we didn't try it, but the kids looked like they were having fun. They had a 13 minute interactive video that tells you how your body would respond to a 14,000 foot hike up a mountain here in Denver. This was cool- they had devices at all the seats to record oxygen level and heart rate. They even had real snow blowing around at one point. Another station took your picture then showed you what you would look like at 70 years- the line was too long and it was taking forever. At the end of the exhibit you enter your card into a computer and then you get a print out of all your information that was taken. There is also a website we could go to and get even more information about ourselves.

We ended our time at the museum with the dinosaur exhibit- you can't go to a museum without looking at the dinosaurs. At the end of this exhibit there was an area were you can watch employees working on the fossils- pretty neat.

We then headed down to Cherry Creek Shopping Center ( think North Park Mall in Dallas) for some lunch and shopping. We had some great lunch at Kona Grill- I had the white pizza (alfredo sauce, spinach, mushrooms, bacon crumbs) and Walt had sushi. We spent the afternoon shopping- mainly separately. I stayed at the mall while Walt ventured off across the street to some other stores. I found cute outfits for the girls at Janie and Jack, some gifts for the girls and a birthday gift for cousin Anna. We also picked up a little pre-graduate school gift for Aunt LaLa.

For dinner we went to a local sushi bar, Sushi Sasa. I have never been to a sushi bar.. come to think of it, I haven't had sushi before. I knew Walt liked sushi so I had researched places to try on the trip. The atmosphere was very calm and a little intimidating for someone who has never done this before. The tables to either side of us had people who obviously knew what they were doing. We got everything ordered and ended up with some shrimp, Japanese-style chicken nuggets and California rolls. Did I mention that they only had chopsticks to eat with- never used them, successfully, before. Everything was good- if I had to rank from most to least favorite 1. California rolls 2. chicken 3. shrimp. We are now watching the Cowboys at the hotel. Another good day in the mountains.

Colorado-Day 3

Walt started off the day with a 10.5 mi bike ride along a river down from our hotel. Once I got up and ready, we went down to the 16th St Mall to get some breakfast. We ate at The Corner Bakery before setting out to walk around the "mall". This is basically about 16 blocks that are blocked off to traffic and lined with various stores and restaurants. We did visit Niketown and I found some things at the Brighton store. My sister came up from Littleton, and we all had lunch a The Cheesecake Factory- yummy! After lunch we caught the bus down to the other end of the "mall" so that we could make sure Lauren's car hadn't been towed. You have to pay to park everywhere and she wasn't sure if she had done this correctly. Her car was still there so we headed to the hotel for some rest. After resting most of the afternoon, Walt and I headed out to dinner at the Denver Chophouse & Brewery. I had a great salad with turkey, Gonzalo cheese, baked pumpkin seeds, sun dried blueberries, avocado, garbanzo beans and an herb vinaigrette! It was a huge salad and so tasty. Walt had the Filet Mignon and we split a crab cake for an appetizer. We decided to walk-off dinner and stopped by a bookstore, Tattered Cover Book Store. I picked up a copy of The Time Traveler's Wife- I wanted to read it before seeing the movie. Today was definitely a "food day", but we did a good amount of walking... so maybe we'll call it even. Tomorrow we are going to the Museum of Nature and Science to see the Expedition Health exhibit.

Colorado-Day 2

We headed to The Market for breakfast his morning, in Lairmer Square. Walt actually made it there before I did- only about 1 hour! I had a yummy piece of quiche and some fresh fruit. We spent the later part of the morning at the Aquarium. It was a good exhibit and we got to see some really neat underwater creatures. I took pics but I don't have my cord with me so I can download. I touched a stingray- Walt chose to skip this activity. They are slimy little things. We then headed to lunch at My Brother's Bar- recommended to us by one of the doormen at the hotel. He said they had the best burgers in Denver, so it was a no-brainer decision for Walt. The burgers were yummy and the onion rings were good too. We then walked over to REI. This was probably the one place Walt would like to spend all the vacation at. It was a huge store (3 stories) filled with any and all outdoor equipment you could ever want (or need). We decided to walk back to the hotel and stopped at a few more shops along the way. We ate some yummy Mexican food at The Rio Grande. We talked about going to a movie, but we were pretty tired and decided to go to sleep.

Colorado-Day 1

We packed up today and headed for Denver for a late anniversary trip. We stopped off in Littleton to unload my sister, Lauren. She will be starting graduate school next week at Denver Seminary. Despite a hail storm in Pueblo the trip was pretty uneventful. We found our hotel, Hotel Teatro, and headed out to find some dinner. We found square a few blocks from the hotel that had several choices to choose from. We decided on Rioja and had good food. I'm still not sure exactly what all was in my entree, but it was good. They give after-dinner candy-covered mint leaves.... real, organic leaves. Interesting. We got some hot drink from the bakery down the road, and headed back to the hotel. Time for some shut-eye. Planning on going to the aquarium and REI tomorrow followed by mexican food at The Rio Grande.

Potty Training- Day 3

I'm struggling with how to write about all that happened today. It started out pretty much the same as the past two days. Again, the girls held their pee for 2 hours before all hell broke loose. I have no other way to describe it. Both girls were crying while sitting on their potties and I was almost in tears sitting there trying to keep them happy. They just aren't getting it. I came to the executive decision (Walt says that I am CEO of our household) to re-evaluate the girls' readiness for potty training. During nap time I realized that I had ben pushing this on them. The literature I had read talked about kids needing to be ready, developmentally, for training. As I read through the author's explanation of 'readiness' I thought that girls were 50-75% 'ready'. I guess I told myself that would be enough. Even after this short amount of time, I can see that I wanted them to be more ready than they actually are. They did just turn 2 in June.

I am really using this post to work through my own issues with starting something and not being able to finish it (at this time). If you are still reading this post, forgive me for the 'venting'. I will continue to talk about using the potty and even offer it to the girls- just not as pushy as the past few days. I know they will get it in time. Thanks for all the encouraging words from everyone on fb.

We had a great afternoon in Amarillo playing and hanging out just the four of us. It was a good day. The best part was when I was in the bathroom getting reading to leave and Gracie came up to me, hugged my leg and just smiled. I really am a lucky girl!

Potty Training- Day 2

Today started out much like yesterday. The girls ate breakfast and then started playing. I think to day they actually got to play more because I wasn't taking them to the potty every 5 min. The morning went well, but the girls weren't peeing... anywhere. I gave them more juice in hopes to assist the process. After 2 hours I decided that I would put on their Elmo potty video and just have them sit on the potty in front of the tv. Gracie got up and at some point and was standing across the room when she began peeing in her panties- I 'excitedly' told her to go to the bathroom. Apparently this scared her instead of encouraging her and for the next 45-60 minutes were spent with her is hysterics. She didn't want to sit on the potty, but I could tell that she still needed to go. Finally my sister stepped up and took her to put on a diaper. We figured the whole day was a wash for her. Lily on the other hand finally went on the 'big' potty vs the 'little' potty. I found throughout the rest of the day that this was her preference.

The afternoon went pretty well. Lily had only 3 accidents (compared to the double digits yesterday)! Gracie stayed in a pull-up the rest of the day. She would tell you when she needed to go, and would actually sit on the 'big' potty- but nothing. From what I could tell, she would get the sensation that she needed to go and that would be when she wanted to get off the potty and back in the pull-up. I have no idea what to do- I feel like it's not right to force her on the potty when she is crying. I guess I will start saving now for the counseling bill because of this traumatic potty training! :) Lily also gets fidgety with the sensations, but is willing to sit and will eventually go if she sits long enough.

Needless to say I am exhausted after only 2 days! I don't know if we will make it through this. Lauren went to Lubbock today, so my wing man is gone. Walt has to go to work at least part of the time over the weekend, so I am predicting a rough few days. I'll keep you posted. I am leaving you with a picture of my cute girls that reminds me why all this hard work is worth it!

Potty Training- Day 1

Toady marked the first day of the journey called, "Potty Training". I have been reading a few books and anxiously awaiting a break in our schedule that would allow us the chance to give it a try. After reading the books, I decided that a focused and intense plan would be the best plan of attack. I bought everything we would need, outlined the steps with Walt, and set the date on the calendar to start. Last night we did a "run-through" with the girls and their dolls. They did GREAT- followed everything on cue and even 'role-played' more than I was expecting. I was pumped and ready for this morning to come.

I got the girls up and put on 'big-girl' panties while Walt made some breakfast. We got the girls eating and drinking and then waited for something to happen. I won't bore you with everything that happened throughout the day. My sister happened to come into town last night so she was gracious enough to help me- I couldn't have made it without her. Walt would have found me balled up in the corner crying when he got home from work if I had been by myself. Let's just say that it didn't go exactly how I envisioned it. I kept telling myself to have low expectations because they are barely 2 and there are 2 of them! I have done 4 loads of wash today with a total of 24 pairs of panties washed!

Gracie was catching on much better by the end of the day with only about 3 accidents between nap time and baths. Lily had a more difficult afternoon and I was starting to think that she was afraid of the potty. She would sit for an extended time and then about 30 seconds after getting up, she would go wherever she was. She can be hard-headed, so my other theory is that she knows exactly what she is doing and is having accidents on purpose. I'm hoping that isn't the case!

We'll see how it goes tomorrow- I will be by myself for most of the day!