Are you wondering what has Carlyle's undivided attention?

Well, his father is mowing the lawn.  In his mind, this is probably the coolest thing ever.  He's definitely a Tomlin.

jenny

my sister came for a visit.  isn't that nice?  we had lots of good girl time (t.j. was out of town).   we also spent some time over in boulder and longmont.  like i've said before, the kids love their aunt pounce.  she is so good with them. 

i'm so thankful that jenny is my sister and also my friend. 

zoo

carlyle liked the elephants and the penguins!  luella liked the giraffes!  i liked the tropical fish!  t.j. liked the gigantic snowcones!  

denver getaway

yes, while my parents were here, t.j. and i had ourselves a little date in the big city.  originally, you may recall, we were going to go back to that cute boutique hotel in fort collins.  remember, the one where our kids went berserk over spring break?  well, maybe the memories were just too fresh or something because we decided to go to downtown denver instead. 

it.  was.  aweseome.  

it goes without saying how much we enjoyed the nice hotel.  i mean, that is one of the main themes of this blog: katrina likes hotels.  and, it didn't hurt that we got a great deal on priceline!

then, there was the food.  another theme of the blog: katrina likes good food.  let me just tell you about our dinner...homemade ricotta, homemade cured meats (t.j. did not partake in these), salad greens with gorgonzola, toasted pinenuts, tomatoes, and salami (salami on a salad = genius), shrimp diavola pizza, a bottle of wine, and the best tiramisu of my life.  i loved this restaurant...it made me feel like i was back in italy.  that is a good thing.  t.j. and i must have spent a good two hours on their patio, just relishing in our dining experience. 

the next day at breakfast, i realized how relaxed i felt.  and more than that, how i hadn't felt this kind of relaxed since before the children were born.  obviously, this is not saying that i don't like my job as a fulltime mother...i love it, really really a lot.  but, i had not felt that sense of freedom in a long time...t.j. and i had no timetable.  it wasn't like, "okay, hurry and slurp down your coffee because we need to get home and relieve the babysitter" or "may day may day, we need to go because the kids are freaking out in here and everyone nearby hates us".  we could just sit.  or we could just go.  all i carried was one tiny little purse.  i didn't even have pacifiers in my pockets. 

we finished out our getaway with some shopping in a hip and swanky part of town called cherry creek.  i got some things at the beloved anthropologie.  after being in the store for about a half hour, t.j. approached me and i thought he was going to tell me that he was bored and that we should wrap up this little shopping spree. instead, he told me to take my time and buy myself something extra for mother's day.  how wonderful is that?  he really is the best.  i love him so much and not just because he lets me go shopping for long periods of time.  he is my best friend.  i loved all our time together. 

we had a quick bite to eat and then headed back in the afternoon. both t.j. and i were quite excited to get back home and see our little ones.  a big thank you to mom and dad for allowing this to happen.   i think carlyle and luella enjoyed their vacation from their parents as well.  grandma and grandpa are pretty cool.    

hair salon

luella and carlyle have discovered the joys of coiffure.  luella especially could march around with her little comb brushing everyone's hair for a very, very long time.  her little face looking so intent the whole time.  now, carlyle on the other hand, was a bit more speedy and sometimes a bit too rough.  but, he meant no harm.  beauty is pain, people. 

parents

my parents came for a visit.  what a wonderful treat.  i think my most favorite part of their visit was seeing them be grandparents.  they both light up around carlyle and luella.  and, i must say, car and lu are quite fond of their grandparents as well.  we are missing them a lot this week.

highlights:

*mom, dad, and i took the kiddos to this little baby animal exhibit here in ole greeley.   it was really quite swell.  more than anything, the kids just liked wandering about.  i was kicking myself for forgetting my camera, but oh well.  it seemed as though carlyle liked the goats the most while luella preferred the baby calf.
*there were many trips to the playground.  turning los dos loose on the stairs and slides is really not something i can do on my own.  you can just imagine the frightening chaos.  but, with help, the playground is the most fun.  carlyle and luella cannot get enough.
*going to estes park.  the mountains are always beautiful.  the kiddos were so cute meandering about the wilderness.  luella pretty much stuck to the path and carlyle wanted nothing to do with the trail.  he preferred to make his own way.  i wonder if this is indicative of their personalities.  sadly, i forgot my camera for this too.  but, my mom has some nice shots.  maybe she'll post them on her blog...haha, just kidding, mommy dearest. 
*as usual, we hit some thrift stores and some garage sales.  we found some amazing stuff--cool wooden toys, cowboy snap shirts, a really cute rain jacket for mom, and lovely sweaters for me (which i am still needing even though it's may...yes, it snowed this week...what is this place?)
*and, as always, we had some refreshing conversations.  i sure do love them parents...

mimi, papa, and uncle larry

t.j.'s parents and his uncle larry came for a quick visit.  we had a wonderful time.  carlyle and luella are at a great age for welcoming and entertaining others.  mimi got to help the kiddos explore the library as well as the grocery store.  carlyle got a balloon out of it.  days later, he is still carrying it around.  i think he expects mimi or papa to jump out and play with him. 

luella has taken an especially strong liking to uncle larry.  she frequently stretched her little arms out in his direction.  larry was so sweet with her.  he followed her all around the backyard as she picked up little pebbles. 

it is such a joy to see our family love our children.  it makes my heart full.  thank you so much for coming!!