Happy 4th Birthday, Drew!!!

We had a fun day as a family today celebrating Drew with things he loves. A spontaneous ride up the Peninsula on CalTrain. Presents and playing with fast cars and track. And a birthday shave ice--Hawaiian style!--perfect for our near 100 degree day.

Our "little guy" is so big!


He even sounds big - "It's kinda cool...".



Look for the car mid-loop!

Not a bad birthday treat!

Not done with trains yet...

Drew's loyalty has seemed to pass from Thomas-the-Train to Lightning McQueen the fast red race car in the last few months. From time-to-time he'll tell us that he doesn't like trains anymore. However, we took a 2.5 hour train ride in Leadville this week. Does this look like a little guy done with trains?

A Mountain Man in the Making?

Drew has been very focused on being "in the mountains" here in Colorado. There's been lots of conversation about whether we're in the mountains yet...whether Denver is "the mountains" or only Keystone (the ski resort we visited for 5 days)...whether we can drive to the very top of the mountains that we see. Drew and Papa drove to one high pass one afternoon and walked awhile. Surprisingly for our guy who still asks to be carried and likes the stroller often, he was the one who wanted to keep going when Papa suggested they turn back.

Family Time

The best thing about vacation is unhurried family time. Lingering in Starbucks...Long bike rides...Or, Mama's favorite: Drew and Derek amusing each other and laughing and laughing in the backseat of the car as we drive along.

Game-Player Drew

We've been on vacation in Colorado this week, and one of the fun things has been to watch Drew get excited about playing games. He's loved kicking and throwing balls in the Benda's backyard...Playing air hockey in Uncle Brian and Aunt Vic's arcade-like basement...Playing pool and mini-golf with Papa in Keystone...And, even making up games like rolling balls between shoes with Mama in the living room of our condo! We're going to have to find ways to play games like these more at home...