Grandma and Grandpa

Cocoa Party with Grandma Marlene.

Thanksgiving dinner at the Golden Corral.

A delicious dessert.

Waiting for the horse-drawn carriage to arrive.

Our Last Week in Colorado

We tried to spend our time doing some of our favorite Colorado/Denver activities during our last week. We weren't able to do all that we wanted, but did manage to fit in a few things.

Anna requested one last trip to the Children's Museum and beignets from Lucille's.

Of course we ate at Benny's one last time. (This picture was taken just down the street from the restaurant.)

Anna and Isaac spent some time playing amid all the boxes.

And after they were gone, they had fun playing in the empty closets.

Lastly, we tried to enjoy the absolutely gorgeous November weather Colorado offered up this year.

Some of our favorite memories and outings while living here:

• Camping and exploring in Rocky Mountain National Park
• Fireworks in Estes Park
• Snowboarding Vail (Jeff)
• Visiting The Royal Gorge, walking the bridge
• Rockies, Nuggets and Bronco games (thanks to Jeff's work we had some sweet seats)
• Drives/snores up the canyon
• Pearl Street and great restaurants in Boulder
• Tattered Cover Bookstore
• Larimer Square (and especially Osterio Marco)
• Bonnie Brae Ice Cream Shop
• The Denver Temple (visiting the grounds with the kids and doing sessions.)
• Red Rock Amphitheater
• Visiting various parks all around town
• The Denver Zoo and the Nature and Science Center
• The Bay Water Park
• Shopping in Silverthorn while Jeff fished the Blue River
• Learning to cycle (Jeff)
• Having so many family members visit and letting us show them around.

We have tried to make the most of living here the past 2 1/2 years, but there are a few things on my "Colorado List" that were never realized.

• Visit Durango/Telluride, CO
• Tour the Molly Brown House
• Complete the downtown sculpture scavenger hunt
• Ski a Colorado Resort
• Hike Boulder Falls
• Have High Tea at the Brown Palace
• Visit Garden of the Gods

Of course the best part about Colorado and what we will miss the most are the friends we've made. They became our family and we already miss them dearly.



Ladies Who Lunch

Kathy, Jeanette, Me, Rebecca, and Kirsta

Right after we moved to Denver I was invited to join a "lunch group." Every Thursday one member of the group hosts a full lunch, including desert, for everyone. The kids all play while the moms enjoy a couple of hours enjoying good food and good conversation. (Kids eat before they come.) Recipes were then uploaded to a community blog where we could all access each others great meals.

This became my most favorite time of the week and where my most dear friendships were formed and I was able to step out of "mommy-mode" and have smart, funny, opinionated conversation. I think I will miss the "Thursday Lunch Bunch" more than any other part of my day-to-day Colorado life.

The group has grown and shrunk and members have changed, and sadly this is the only picture I have from dozens of weekly meetings. Missing from the shot are some amazing friends: Lisa, Brittney, Valerie, Becky, and Rachel.

We Made it to Wichita!

We are so excited to be here!

Jeff's Send Off

We've been so blessed by the people Jeff has worked with over the last two 2 1/2 years. They have been so good to our family and have become dear friends. We all went out to Elway's for one last hurrah. I'm going to miss all the fun dinners and get-togethers with these folks.

Carol (Dir. of HR), Jenn (CEO), Jeff, Erica (CNO), Art (COO), Deb (CFO)

The crew with their significant others.

Halloween 2010

We had a great Halloween this year. A few days before the actual holiday we decorated pumpkins. We opted out of actually carving them this year. Anna was still thrilled and Isaac was able to get in on the sticker fun too.

You may remember from our Disney World posts how much Anna loves Mary Poppins. She was pretty adamant about her Halloween costume. I did the best I could throwing together a costume for her. Anna was so please with how it turned out.

Isaac made a really adorable chimney sweep. He walked around for days with his hat singing, "Chim, chim."

Anna was so excited for the preschool parade. It was so fun. She had such a blast walking through the school and around the playground.

The ward Trunk-or-Treat was fun, although Anna and Isaac thought the best part was hanging out in the trunk.

Halloween night we invited our good friends the Jacobs over for tamales, chili, and donuts (a Sollis tradition). It made the night so much more festive and fun.

Eli, Patrick, Anna, and Isaac ready to hit the streets. The little boys were pooped pretty quick, but Anna was a trick-or-treating animal and wanted to go on and on.

Anna and her spoils.

Happy Halloween!

Cousins

My sister Liz graciously watched our kids while we were in Kansas house-hunting. She brought adorable Lily (also known as the most agreeable baby ever) along. We snapped this the night before they headed home.