Pike's Peak and a Master's Degree from DU

Ryan finally graduated from DU with a master’s degree!! Whoo-hoo…on the weekends, I’ve been hanging out with the boys as Ryan was a busy bee at any library or any bookstore that had wi-fi.

Well, he finally completed his graduate studies and DU had a little reception on the back patio of a beautiful and regal building prior to the ceremony which was very nice. I was on my low-iodine diet (a two-week diet that one with thyroid cancer needs to adhere to prior to radiation treatment) so I couldn’t partake in any of the food.

So - the good news is that I have my husband back. YEAH!

Prior to his graduation, Funny Grandpa took us on another train trip as the Georgetown Loop one was so successful. We headed down to Manitou Springs (outside of Colorado Springs) to the base of Pike’s Peak to take the cog railway to the top. This is a long trip as it’s an hour and a half trip down, the train trip is three and a half hours (to go up and down), and then the road trip back home to Denver.

We met up at my father’s favorite haunt called “The Cracker Barrel” prior to going to the depot. Jack peed on the potty at the restaurant so the boys were rewarded with large orange swirly pops (that they could have upon our return home).

We went through the tony little town of Manitou Springs (I’m in love with the façade of the quaint and historic town), and found the train station without fail. We boarded the train for our three and a half hour adventure. The boys were very intrigued and loved all the varying views, new climates, and the stories that the conductor shared. I had to admit that the stories were fun and interesting, and the views were spectacular…from being in the foliage to looking out at magnificent vistas to being above the clouds…it was amazing. We saw a house that had a 17 mile driveway (imagine that drive if you forgot the milk at the store) as it was the caretaker’s house to a water treatment facility. We saw an old outpost (Windy Point) for those who used to hike to the top of Pike’s Peak back in the day and they maintained the exterior very well…overall it was beautiful! Many marveled at how the weather was so different at the bottom of the mountain versus the top but I knew that would happened so we were well prepared with multiple layers - - another key to our success of the day unlike other visitors to the train. We knew it would be cold….

At the top, Eban was very nervous unlike Jack. The role reversal was fun to see as Eban is usually my adventurer. We went into the store at the top of the mountain and had their world-famous donuts (they did - - I didn’t due to my lovely diet). Then we walked over to get a picture on the boulders, but Eban wanted no part of it as he was afraid that I was going to push him over the mountain. I felt so bad for his innate fear, but Jack was bragging and saying that he wasn’t afraid. Funny stuff.

So we took a picture at the ‘sign’ as the boulders near the edge were out of the question unless everyone and their parties wanted to hear Eban howl like mad. The boys also liked another part of the top of the mountain as there’s a little place where it honors America the Beautiful as it was written on the top of Pike’s Peak. Coming down the mountain was fun for the boys as they ate apples and gummy worms…what a treat! Grandpa enjoyed eating these things with the boys and they laughed and laughed. I’m sure the other riders appreciated this fact while they took in the sights. Oh well…at least we were laughing and not arguing.

The Dentist

Last year, the boys had their first dentist appointment and it’ll suffice to say that I was not looking forward to the next visit. While I practiced with the boys to say, “open wide” and let’s count teeth, I didn’t trust them to do it for the doctor as they screamed and hollered the entire time the last time we were there.

I nervously approached the doctor’s office and got there with plenty of time to spare.
Get this - - the boys each sat long enough to get their teeth cleaned with cookie dough toothpaste (blech) and they were angels. They were different animals on their first visit and they were so pleasant and congenial on this visit. Ahhhh…what a relief!

Anyway, the doc told me we had to work better on brushing Eban’s top teeth and the threat of cavities has him brushing so that was a great technique. Jack…well…the doctor explained that he had an “open bite” which means his top row of teeth do not go over his bottom teeth and instead rest on one another. This ailment is most likely caused by a pacifier or bottle use and can lead to long-term issues, etc. This scared me so we immediately removed the bottle and pacifier and it wasn’t as painful as I envisioned. He did fuss for the pacifier at night but not with the crazy head-strong attitude that he can muster up. Jack really surprised me with accepting this new way of life and he’s been pacifier and bottle free since August! It's now the end of September and I'm so happy to let you know that Jack's open bite corrected itself and he now possesses a standard bite/smile...thank goodness!

One weekend, the boys and I ended up at the opening of the City of Westminster Skate Park. We were there to watch kids skate as the boys are intrigued with skating and we stumbled upon the grand opening. What a blast to see skate performances and to obtain some little skate goodies. Eban already decorated his bike helmet with all the giveaway skater stickers and Jack - - well, he took to two skateboard keychains. He liked them so much that he slept with them for several nights. Nice.


Funny Grandpa (that’s what the boys call my father) gave the boys water guns for Eban’s birthday and they love squirting things. The rule is that they aren’t allowed to squirt each other or the dogs and they adhere to that really well. I’m sure you can imagine why we had to instill this rule - - squirting each other’s eyeballs got to be very hectic for me. The dogs enjoy the squirt guns as they get to be outside too and romp around. The dogs are the best of friends and it’s sweet to see how well they’ve taken to each other…Harriet has been with us for a year now and she certainly has acclimated to us and the boys. AND I love the pictures of Eban with his dog and they just kept acting like each other and it was so darn funny…see the below pics.

Next up - - Pike’s Peak and Ryan's graduation!

Random Video of the Boys and Dogs

A City of Westminster official trying to get people to come to the podium or listen to the accolades for the new skate park unveiling on a HOT day - - I felt bad for her.

Camping in the Never Summer Forest and Georgetown Loop

After two months off, it’ll be hard to remember all the funny things of the summer.

The boys continue to grow like weeds and Jack is still not interested in being potty trained. He actually pleaded with me and begged the question, “Mom, why do you want me to grow up so fast?” Talk about guilt trip. Meanwhile, deep down I’m thinking savings on diapers, savings on wipes, savings on having the boys at one school instead of two…but then again, he’ll grow up fast enough and I’ll want this stage back, so I’ve eased up on him. Smart kid to ask such a meaningful question.

After Tutu left after helping me to recuperate (even though I feel as though it was a faster recuperation than my other surgeries), we decided to go camping. I can’t remember if Ryan was out writing his thesis or where he was, but the boys and I headed up to the Never Summer Mountains in Colorado to go camping with four other neighbors and their respective families.

The easy drive was only a five hour commute. The mountain range was northwest of Granby and due west of Rocky Mountain National Park. Eban constantly provided feedback that he did not like the brown trees he was seeing. I had to explain that the pine beetle was ruining a lot of Colorado’s forests and he said he was going to make a plan to fix it. I asked him his plan and he said, “I’m going to take leaves and green needles from other trees and glue them to the brown trees when I’m five and a big boy. Once I’m done with fixing all the trees, you can just pick me up.” He mentioned this plan over and over and over as he was really dead set on fixing the state’s problem with the pine beetle. I thought it was quite empathetic of him as I typically don’t see that with him too much. Jack tends to be the empathetic child.

Once we got to the campground (Click on this to see where it was on Bing Maps), the first thing Eban wanted to do was ride the quad bikes. He hopped on with one of the neighbor’s and off they went. Jack said the four-wheelers were scary so he stayed with me at the camp. We set up our tent, our bags and helped with the rest of the camp.
Eban returned more jazzed than ever as the quad bikes were “SO COOL MOM” and then we went on a little hike. After than we collected wood for the campfire and the kids enjoyed this piece of the campout as well. After lunch, we headed up to a little creek to futz around and the kids LOVED it. The horse flies and the mosquitoes were horrendous, but the kids loved it. Jack had the biggest welt on his upper shoulder blade and he boasted that a big blackfly bit him. Eban boasted that the bugs didn’t get him. I guess they each had appropriate bragging rights.

After dinner, we drove around the national forest (I think it was Routt National Forest), and looked for wild life. We saw several moose, badgers, and some other critters. The moose were certainly the highlight and I learned that when moose were introduced to Colorado, that they were introduced in the area where we were camping and thus that is why we saw so many. I wish my pictures were better but the two that we saw at dusk were simply massive….and I was trying to alter the setting on my camera so I could capture the image for all to see. You’ll have to settle for the attached pictures of our night time moose hunt…yet again, this was another huge highlight for the boys.

After dinner, the boys melted down around 9pm. We entered our tents and the boys crashed. I thought they’d be scared but I guess they were too tired to be scared. Later on, I was awakened by folks screaming at the fire about an animal and learned that it was a huge fox who was trying to steal the garbage that we didn’t have locked up in a car. It was a good lesson learned that I need to be more hands-on with that stuff as it’s a good thing it wasn’t a hungry bear rummaging through camp due to the smells.

We left early the next morning after Eban rode around on the quad bike with another neighbor. The boys couldn’t stop talking about how awesome camping was on the long drive home and I now know that they can do it. I also know that I need to be more prepared and bring a tad more toys so that they are more entertained at camp….

In late July or early August, Grandpa took the boys and me on a little train ride via the Georgetown Loop. It’s an old steam train that goes from Georgetown, Colo., to a little town called Silver Plume and back. This is an open air car and a covered car, and it’s a sweet little trip talking about mining and the area. It was Jack’s first trip and he’s our little homebody so I didn’t know how he’d do.
Well, lo and behold, both boys LOVED it and they each had their heads stuck out the window looking at the sights. The trip is particularly pretty in the fall when the leaves are changing colors, but it was still well worth it. The boys would cover their ears at each toot of the train whistle and then they giggle like mad. The also loved the white steam and the fact that we could see the conductor the whole trip as he stayed in our train car.

Following the trip, we headed down to Idaho Springs for pizza as they are known for their “pie”. The trusted spot had a 30 minute wait, and well…that wasn’t going to do so we found another little mom and pop place to have a pizza. We polished off a large pizza and my father was floored…he couldn’t believe how much my two little ones ate, but they were starving after the early morning excitement of the train trip. I wish I took a picture of this huge pizza so you could marvel in my boys’ stomachs, but you’ll have to trust me when I tell you it was GINORMOUS.