Pueblo Zoo

Tiffany and I took a day trip to Pueblo to take the kids to the Pueblo Zoo. It is a small zoo but it was the perfect size for these guys and not crowded at all...we practically had the whole place to ourselves. We took along our all-terrain wagon and the kids had fun riding in it and taking turns pulling it.

this little guy was so cute!

Ashely, Jamie, Jessica

They also had a little museum/discovery center that we went to after we were finished with the animal exhibits. Jessica had fun doing some of the hands on experiments but Ashley & Jamie were totally enthralled with the mirrors. They could have played (and laughed) all day!

my little J-Bear!

Swimming Lessons

We did two weeks of swimming lessons this summer. It was an introductory class for kids who were three years old and younger. The teachers were Crystal and Tiffany and the class started out with six kids but by the last three days, we were the only ones left. Jamie has always liked the water but wasn't too thrilled about getting his face wet. In this class, Jamie learned to do front floats, back floats, blow bubbles and to "bob" underwater. Jamie seemed to get braver everyday and was willing to try all of the new techniques, although he didn't like doing back floats. He especially liked doing "bobs" and jumping in off of the side of the pool. This was a fun way for the three of us to go swimming everyday for two weeks and Jamie developed more confidence about being in the water. All indications are that he will love the water and become a great swimmer.

Vacation Bible School

Alamosa Christian Reformed Church (June 6-10)

Jamie went with his friends, Spencer and Ashley, to the Vacation Bible School held at the Alamosa Christian Reformed Church. Julie participates in a Women's Bible Study at this church and was asked to help teach the kindergarten class with Michelle. The VBS theme was "Prayer Safari" and we learned the Lord's Prayer. We also learned some cool new songs. Jamie had fun in Mrs. Sinclair's class playing with the kids and doing fun craft projects. Julie enjoyed her small, but enthusiastic, group of kindergartners.

Trinity Lutheran Church (June 13-17)

Jamie started out this week of Vacation Bible School with only his friend, Ashley. He found that he had other friends there (Hunter, Danielle and Aaron) but he really missed Spencer. So, we made some phone calls and Spencer started coming on Wednesday. The theme for this week was also safari related and they followed the life, death and resurrection of Jesus. Some of their cool craft projects included making soap, decorating their VBS T-shirt and decorating a safari hat. Jamie's teacher was Mrs. Gaunt and he really enjoyed himself, even knowing that mom was not across the hall in another class. Everyday we asked him what he learned that day and his response was, "learned about God". When we questioned further, he say, "and Jesus". We figure that those are good things to learn about when you're three years old and going to Vacation Bible School. On Friday, the parents were invited to a program and hot dog lunch.

Arts & Crafts

Day Out With Thomas

We spent Father's Day in Durango with Thomas. We met up with the Holland's so Jamie was able to share his Thomas enthusiasm with his friend, Ryan. It was a beautiful day and we enjoyed our 30 minute train ride on Thomas that went along the Animas River (the same rail that they use for the Durango-Silverton Narrow Gauge) and back. Once we were back at the station, the fun was just beginning. We watched Thomas videos, listened to the Conductor read a Thomas storybook and sing Thomas songs, played with the Thomas train sets, got our Thomas tattoos, took our turn in the petting zoo and met up with Sir Topham Hatt. We stayed and played all day and waited until the steam engine trains returned from their day trip to Silverton. We ended our time in Durango with a visit to Cold Stone for ice cream. It was a great way to celebrate Father's Day!

The Circus Came to Town

The Al Kaly Shrine Circus came to Monte Vista. Jamie has watched different videos that had circus stories (Dumbo & Thomas The Tank Engine) so he was excited to go to his first circus. It didn't start until 8:00p.m. (What were they thinking?) and it was outdoors. Translation: it was very cold and very late by the time it was over. Jamie was a trooper, though, and stayed awake for the entire show. We splurged and bought cotton candy but couldn't bring ourselves to spend money on the silly inflatable toys and glow light toys. Jamie didn't seem too disappointed. It was a small circus but they did have lions and tigers, camels, horses, elephants, acrobats, a tight-rope walker and a BMX stunt rider. It was too dark to take many photos but Jamie enjoyed the show.

Summerfest on the Rio

The 1st weekend in June can only mean one thing...SUMMERFEST!

Cole Park is THE place to be on the first weekend in June. It is the unofficial kick-off to summer in Alamosa. Summerfest on the Rio (formerly known as The Sunshine Festival) is an arts and crafts fair/carnival and the entire town comes out to eat, shop, listen to live bands, socialize and just hang out. Everyone goes to Summerfest, even people who have moved away from Alamosa come back every year for this big event. This year the weather was perfect! We spent a few hours at the park on Saturday and again on Sunday. The highlight for Jamie was, of course, the train. He rode it twice on Saturday and once on Sunday. On Sunday, Jamie visited the children's booth where we watched a magician/balloon artist. He made a fun dinosaur hat out of balloons that Jamie wore all day. (We convinced him to take it off to ride the train, fearing that it might blow away.) We snacked on yummy kettle corn and ate enormous crepe wraps for lunch.

A Day at the Dunes

Memorial Day 2005

Great Sand Dunes National Park

The Great Sand Dunes National Park is in the middle of the San Luis Valley in Colorado but when Medano Creek is running in the spring, it is the closest thing to the ocean and the beach that we'll ever have. We invited the Hamilton's to join us for a day at the dunes on Memorial Day. The weather was a little bit cold (we all wore jackets or sweatshirts) and breezy, and reminded us of spending a day on the Oregon coast.

We ate our picnic lunch in the parking lot and then loaded the wagon with boys and toys.. Jamie and Spencer had so much fun digging holes, building (and destroying) sandcastles and playing in the sand, mud and water. The water was cold but that didn't keep us from getting our feet wet. We did draw the line at body-surfing, however. It was fun to wiggle our toes in the sand. We saw people riding the waves on inner tubes, others were flying kites and still others carried their old snowboards across the creek to the dunes to do some sand boarding. There are lots of things to do at the Sand Dunes!
*NOTE* Our fun day was also educational as we learned that with the new "National Park" designation came a "Wilderness Area" designation A friendly ranger stopped by to tell us that our wagon (a wheeled conveyance) was prohibited. Oops!