Ballerina

Scarlett started ballet lessons last month.  Here she is trying on her leotard and practicing some moves before the first class.

You're a natural, Scarlett.  (Although you might be "voguing" instead of ballet dancing, but whatever moves you ...)

Max does some posing of his own.

Sweet siblings.  (Max LOVES hanging out on Scarlett's big girl bed.)

Kiss from big sister ...

... that was really just a pretense for a followup "hug"/WWF wrestling move.  I'm telling you, Scarlett, you're going to be in for some big-time payback when he gets bigger, especially with all the photographic evidence.

Silly ballerina.

Dramatic ballerina.

Happy ballerina.

Just along for the ride.

Tough cowgirl ballerina.

Ummmmm ... maybe not so much, Max.

One last shot from the first day of ballet class.  The ballerina and her trusty side-kick.

Yucky tacos

Max's current catchphrase is -- inexplicably -- "yucky tacos."  Somewhere along the line he decided it's hilarious, so it's the punchline to most of his jokes.  He says it to new people when he meets them.  He says it to Chris when he walks in the door from work.  He says it when you ask him an innocuous question, like whether he's ready to put on his shoes.  Not to be outdone, Scarlett proclaims, "red, yellow, underpants!" in similar situations.  It's like living with Lucy and Ricky Ricardo around here.  Except there's no actual jokes, just very confusing punchlines.  Over.  And over.

Other recent comments from Scarlett and Max:

* * *

Scarlett:  "How old you are is what's in your mind."

Chris:  "What's in your mind, Scarlett?"

[pause ...]

Scarlett:  "Butterflies."

* * *

Chris:  "How was your first day of ballet class?"

Scarlett:  "When I walked inside I saw lots and lots of ballerinas.  But then I realized they were just kids dressed up like ballerinas."

* * *

Max [as Chris tried to dress him in a Texas Longhorns jersey on TX/OU Saturday]:  "No dirty orange shirt!  No dirty orange shirt!"

The good news:  Max probably isn't colorblind as we previously wondered.  (He typically insists that everything is pink or yellow.)

The bad news:  Max may be an OU fan.  Or (heaven forbid) an Aggie.

* * *

Other cute/sweet things Max is currently saying:

He calls Scarlett "Tarlett" and when he's mad or annoyed with her, he emphasizes the second syllable dramatically... "Stop it, Tar-LETT!"

"Bless you, Mama" whenever I sneeze, burp, cough, etc. (to which Scarlett responds with exasperation, "You only bless SNEEZES, Max!").

And of course, the heart-melting "I luff you, Mama."

Colorado Part 6: The wrap up

Here are some final photos from our Estes Park trip ...

Mini golf!  Let's just say that my winning streak against any and all Schwegmanns remained intact after this round (yeah, I'm talking to you Paw, Chris, Scarlett and Max).  

Firetruck tour around town.

Classic Scarlett move (holding her hair out of her face during a "I don't want a bow or hair clip or ponytail" moment).

Checking out the waterfall at lunch.

The giant slide!  We passed this multiple times a day on the way to and from our cabin, and even though we pointed out it was reaaally high, Scarlett insisted she wanted to go on it.

Max decided to watch from afar with Paw and Grandma.

Building up courage.

And we were off!

The look on her face cracks me up.

There's that smile!

Colorado Part 5: Let Freedom Ring!

We headed up the Trail Ridge Road at the RMNP -- the highest continuous paved road in the U.S. -- in search of scenic views.  The road winds and curves through the length of the entire park starting at Estes Park on the east, reaching a breathtaking (literally) height of around 12,000 feet, crossing the Continental Divide (which marks where water flows east versus west), and ending west side of the park at Grand Lake.

Checking out the views at an overlook.

Another pit stop above the tree-line in the Alpine tundra.  Don't let the sunshine fool you ... it was coooooold and windy way up there.

 Brrrrrrrrrrr!  Max was ready to head back to lower elevations and warmer temperatures!

We headed back down the Trail Ridge Road to the Junior Ranger Headquarters at Hidden Valley.

We were lucky to stumble upon two activities.  First, we arrived just as some park rangers and a group of about 25 visitors where filming a segment for the National Park Service's website.  August 28th was the 50th anniversary of Martin Luther King, Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech.  As I'm sure you recall, a portion of the speech talks about letting freedom ring from various locations across our great nation.  Our group walked up a hill with the beautiful mountains behind us with bells in hand.  One of the rangers read a portion of the speech, and when he got to the part that reads, "Let freedom ring from the snowcapped Rockies of Colorado!", all the kids rang their bells like crazy.  There were a few takes, and the one they ended up using for the website included Scarlett getting bored mid-bell-ringing and asking to be picked up and Max getting hacked off because they ran out of bells and he didn't get to ring one.

[This is where I would insert the link from the National Park Service's website so you could see it for yourself, but the national parks (and website) are currently shut down.  When the Congressional shenanigans are over and the website is back up and running, I'll post a link.]

The next fun activity at the Junior Rangers Headquarters was a presentation by two national park firefighters.  They showed their gear to the kids, did a little fire demonstration, let everyone check out their truck (while some of the moms (and grandmas, I might add) checked out the firefighters), and handed out badges to the kids.

After a picnic lunch, we wandered around Hidden Valley and engaged in Max's favorite activity -- throwing rocks in water.

 Unintentional butt bump while gathering rocks.

On our way back down to Estes Park, we checked out the Alluvial Fan.  In July 1982, Lawn Lake broke through a natural dam and tens of millions of gallons of water rushed down to the valley floor.  The water swept trees and car-sized boulders with it, creating a 42-acre "fan" of debris.    

Chris climbed up to get a closer look.

The water was freezing cold, but Scarlett loved sticking her bare feet in it.

Max ... not so much (which is surprising given that it was the perfect opportunity to engage in rock throwing).

Taking in the beautiful scenery at the Alluvial Fan at the end of a long day.  Note Scarlett's head on Chris's shoulder.  So sweet.

Colorado Part 4: Strawberries, Cupcakes, and Bears -- Oh, my!

You can't go to Colorado without doing some hiking.  But hiking with two toddlers isn't exactly a walk in the (national) park.  So we asked around and decided to do a hike (more like a leisurely stroll) around beautiful Bear Lake in the RMNP (that's the Rocky Mountain National Park if you're not down with the lingo).  Bear Lake delivered with beautiful views, a big snake (!) on the trail, and even a bus ride to the trail head (which may have been Max's favorite part).

Max was ready -- let's do this!

Max points out the sights to Mommy and BB.  (It was drizzling in case you're wondering why BB is dressed like Sponge Bob Square Pants.)

Paw, Grandma, BB, Max, and Scarlett in front of Bear Lake.

The whole gang.

Scarlett points out a big rock she'd like to climb.

Scarlett and Grandma taking cover from the afternoon rain.

Another day we ventured over the YMCA of the Rockies at the base of the RMNP.  That place is amazing.  It has a lodge, cabins, day camp for kids, horseback riding, mini golf, an indoor pool, and all sorts of other fun recreation opportunities in an absolutely gorgeous setting.  Now, I'm no expert on YMCAs, but I'd be shocked if there is a nicer or more scenic YMCA anywhere in the country.

On the agenda for our YMCA visit:  pony rides.  Meet Strawberry ...

... and Cupcake.  (Check out the stylin' hairdo on Cupcake.  Looking good little guy.  Looking good.)

They had a trail that looped through a clearing in the forest for the pony rides.  Scarlett had a blast and would have taken off by herself if we'd let her.  Max was more skeptical and required two handlers (one horse leader and one baby balancer).  Given his reaction to chipmunks and butterflies earlier in the week, I would have expected him to run for cover at the sight of Cupcake, but he managed to hold it together.  

Max decided at some point that he wanted to get down, hold the lead rope, and walk Cupcake around himself.

Max!!!!  Look out for the .... never mind.

"Oh, MAX!!"

Scarlett posing with her trusty steed.  Not sure why Strawberry is giving us the side-eye.

Thanks for the memories, Strawberry!  (Note the sign behind him that says "Please Do Not Pet the Ponies."  While Scarlett pets the pony.  Ok, so that might explain the side-eye.  Strawberry is a stickler for rules, apparently.)