Zoo Buds

Cole enjoying the Lego exhibit at the Denver Zoo with his buddies, Nico and Caleb.  8/21/2015.

Baby in a Basket

8/16/2015.

Lost

This was one of the scariest days of Mommy's life.  Cole, William, and Mommy took a little trip to the zoo with Nana and Opa, and in just seconds, when no adults were looking, Cole decided to find the train all on his own and became lost.  Seriously, seconds.  Mommy was helping William, Nana was throwing something away, and Opa was looking at an exhibit, then we were all looking at each other, and no Cole.  I (Mommy) will never forget that terrified, heart-stopped feeling--the split-second pause, look-around, and then run.  Opa in one direction, Nana in another, Mommy/Will in yet another, all of us shouting to one another and to complete strangers.  Have you seen...?  Have you seen...?  Finally--and quickly, although it seemed much too long--Nana heard from a family, who heard from another family, who heard from another, that there was a lost little boy down the walk, close to the train, of course.  And there we found you, sweet Cole, crying, scared, being watched over by another mommy and her children.  Another mommy who clearly could feel my own terror.  Who didn't judge, but who protected you while I made my way to you.  To hug you, to wipe your tears, and to never, ever lose you again.  God bless the other mommies.  8/15/2015.

Rain, Rain

Won't you stay?  In your puddles, we will play!  8/12/2015.

Sprague Lake

Little morning hike after the previous day's very long hike!  8/9/2015.

Mountain Family Selfie

8/8/2015.

Happy Mountain Baby

He LOVED it.  8/8/2015.

Bierstadt Lake

Well worth the effort.  8/8/2015.

We Did It!

Bierstadt Lake!  8/8/2015.

A Mountain Goat

8/8/2015.

The Hike

So, we spent the weekend at the cabin and of course wanted to do some hiking at RMNP.  The trails were packed which meant that parking was a nightmare as well, so rather than try to lug the kids on a shuttle, we decided to get creative and hike from a small trailhead starting at one of the lower parking areas.  I have no recollection as to whether we looked at a map or made any kind of reasonable decision regarding how long this hike would take and whether the kids could handle it.  I'm pretty sure we did but managed to mess it up somehow.  So we hiked.  And hiked.  And hiked.  And hiked and hiked and hiked.  We ran into some folks along the way who, I think, probably made us feel like, "Oh!  Just a little bit to go before..." and "Just around the corner" (without specifying which corner, or what qualified as a corner).  I do remember that at some point we made the determination that we were as far in and close to reaching the shuttle bus stop at the top by Bierstadt Lake as we were to our car at the bottom if we turned around, so we kept going.  The whole while, these kids were amazing.  William is very clearly a mountain baby.  He loves the fresh mountain air and riding along, taking in all of the sights.  Despite the look on Cole's face above, he was a mountain goat, full of energy, and did little complaining along the way (it started to increase near the end, of course, and then hit a high when he took a tumble chin-first onto a thankfully flat rock), but really he was a complete champ, even over the more troublesome terrain.  And while they continued to amaze us with their tolerance for the challenge, we of course were fully prepared for a meltdown, or blowout, or wave of uncontrollable hunger, or all of the above all at once.  But none of this happened.  And when our little family made it to the top of our long uphill hike, we felt proud and refreshed.  I think Will even felt it.  And then, we went home to the cabin and napped.  8/8/2015.

Eleven (And Twelve) Months Old!

Dear William, if you can read this, you know, of course, that you are our second child.  Nothing about the order of your birth places you lower in the order of importance as compared to your brother.  In fact, despite all my fears, what they said was true:  When you came into my life, my heart grew bigger and fuller to accommodate the love I have for you.  However, while you do not have to share my love, since I grew a whole new batch of that just for you, you do have to share my attention with your brother, Cole, and he now has to share yours.  So, you see, when I do silly things like forget to post the all-important "___ Months Old!" posts, or lose them so that they appear a month into the next month of your life on this little blog, and when you see that the whole first year of your life is appearing here while we are living the second year of your life, it's because of that slippery thing called time, which is just not as abundant as I wish it could be.  It's true:  I wish I could grow time like I grow my love for my kids, more and more each day.  My garden is bursting with it, so much that as you and Cole grow older, I am feeling more and more ready to share you with the world, even if it is just by baby steps, like taking you to daycare for the first time, or watching your brother walk alone to his friend's house (just four houses down from ours, but it seemed like miles), or spending a much-needed night out with Daddy, which means leaving my precious babies with a (college-aged and well-vetted) babysitter.  And while this of course means sharing our precious time with the world, I know in my heart that it's a part of life, of helping you grow ready to explore the world and to thrive in it, even when there are times that I want nothing more than to stop time, to hold you and your brother so tightly in one unmoving frame.  Sadly, I can't grow time, but I can try my hardest to hold time--in the form of memories--in my mind, and here, on our blog.  So I'll do my best.  But know, sweet one, that even if it's a year (or two, or three, or ten) after the actual occurrence of the moments until I share them here, that I was busy loving you, cuddling you, and watching you grow, with all the love in my bursting, happy heart.  7/4/2015.

Goofy Boys

8/8/2015.

The Greatest Show on Earth

William, your life was on this day, and is every day, an incredible show.  You are so special, and I continue to watch in amazement as your beautiful personality unfolds before our eyes like a brilliant circus:  full of humor, dazzle, magic, and so much joy.  8/2/2015.

PSA

If you don't want your kid's smash cake pictures to look like he slaughtered and devoured a small animal, avoid red icing.  8/2/2015.

When You're One

Sometimes you get gifts bigger than you.  8/2/2015.

Blue-Eyed Birthday Boy

8/2/2015.

Cupcake Decorating

Now this is art.  8/2/2015.