Destination: Denver

We’ve been to Denver 3 times now for work/play. This time, instead of chronicling our week there, I thought I’d just share some our favorite things we did this time around. We didn’t really take any pictures.

Family Activities:

The Denver Zoo
I’m not someone who likes to throw money away on random activities just for the sake of staying busy, they have to be worth their weight in debit card sliding. The zoo actually had one of their 8 free days per year the week we were there, so OF COURSE we went. But, I will say, if I had to pay full price to go, I wouldn’t have been annoyed. It’s a good, solid zoo. It always helps a ton when literally all of the animals were awake and active (I even saw an exotic bird lay an egg on the ground right next to me). I loved the that they have many animals that we don’t have at Hogle Zoo. We saw cheetahs and bears and anacondas and Nate’s favorite, two monitor lizards among other things.

Kazoo Toys
LOVE this toy store. First of all, it’s in the hippest, most beautiful part of town, Cherry Creek. The streets are lined with gorgeous (aka expensive) shops and homes. They are filled to the brim (but not overwhelmingly or chaotically so) with creative, cool, imaginative, nostalgic toys for kids of all ages. There are lots of classics and lots of new toys and there are lots of variety and options in each category. They even have many things out for the kids to play with while the parent tries not to blow their Christmas budget. The people are so friendly and helpful. I can’t recommend this place enough.

Westlands Park
I wish we had known about this park sooner. It is right in the middle of the Denver Tech Center so it is easy to pick up Rob, grab a to-go lunch, and take the kids to the park to burn some energy. It has a really tall slide, toddler play area, two large playgrounds, and a duck pond. Fun stuff.

Cherry Creek Shopping Center Play Area
This mall has a lot of high-end stores but we go there for the indoor play area. It is so much bigger than the play areas in Utah malls…which seems ironic since there are so many more kids here. The kids have a blast, though, and all of the parents whom I have met there are very friendly. It’s a good place to go when it’s cold outside.

Park Meadows Mall
Here we like to visit and play at the American Doll Store and the Lego Store.

 

Food:
I love finding stellar local food fare wherever we go. It’s kind of a hobby. We’ve had a lot of good food in Denver, but listed below are the places we will go to every time we visit.

Darcy’s Bistro & Pub
Oh, dear. The Dubliner sandwich (sourdough, house roast beef, grilled onions, white cheddar) is so good that we got it twice this time around.

Yanni’s
The best Lamb Souvlaki (marinated kebobs and assorted vegetables grilled to perfection and served with rice and Greek-style vegetables) we’ve ever had. We took this to-go to eat at the park and every time I looked over at Rob he was stuffing his face. We ate in-restaurant last time with our three crazy kids and the owners/managers were so very sweet and friendly to us. I’m sure they don’t see kids in their restaurant very often and were pleased to see us.

The Original Pancake House
They have a very fun creative menu. The kids love the playful pancake faces and Rob and I LOVE their good bacon and the Apple Pancake (oven baked with fresh granny smith apples and pure Sinkiang cinnamon glaze). It’s huge, gooey, and so delicious.

Crepes ‘n Crepes, a French Creperie
Rob and Caroline really enjoyed the ham and goat cheese crepe. Rob and I really REALLY enjoyed Heather’s Favorite Strawberry Crepe (strawberries, cream cheese, lemon, and brown sugar). We will be replicating this at home.

Grind
This is located in Glenwood Springs on the way to Denver. We’ve eaten at quite a few of the restaurants in this little community and this is the best we’ve had. “It' is using grass fed and finished beef, keeping your health at the forefront. 'It' is sourcing that grass fed beef locally, supporting our local economy.'It' is grinding every single patty we serve ourselves, knowing exactly what is going into the burgers and sandwiches you enjoy.” The wait for our order to be ready was long, but it was a very good burger.

 

I think that’s it for this trip. If you ever find yourself in Denver, do yourself a favor and try some of these. Tell them Julie sent you…

Therapy Sessions

I thought I’d give an update on Caroline’s therapy; such as who is coming, how often, what we’re working on, and what they say about her.

First we have a Behavioral Therapist coming for 1-2 hours twice a month. She observes Caroline in her natural environment at home with her mom and sister. Any behavioral concerns I have are addressed. The therapist gives me suggestions on how to teach Caroline proper behavior and teaches me how to properly discipline. She has taught me how to set and enforce limits. It’s not that I haven’t been doing these things, she just teaches me how to do it more effectively for Caroline’s needs and temperament.  In January the therapist is going to be here during a typical hard time, getting ready in the morning, and accompanying us to the library. We go every week and this is a notorious location for power struggles and behavioral issues. I will be getting more “tips” on how to deal with these and other problem times. I’ve already learned a lot and can see that it is going to help with our frustrations.

Next we have an Occupational Therapist who is coming for an hour once a month. He is addressing Caroline’s sensory needs. I’ve been suspicious of her craving more input, specifically vestibular and oral. She loves to be upside-down and not only in a “this is fun!” kind of way but a “Ohhhh, yeah. That feels gooood” kind of way. It seems to relax her. Many times throughout the day she is trying to get me or Rob to hold her upside-down or she will sometimes do it on her own.

His suggestions are to increase her ability to focus and calm down by lengthening the amount of time that she gets vestibular sensory input. For example, instead of just letting her sporadically run wild and bounce and be crazy whenever she feels like it, give her at minimum a good solid 20 minutes of stimuli after she wakes up in the morning, after lunch, and after she wakes up from her nap. Maybe again before bedtime. Then in between those times she will be more relaxed, amicable, and able to focus. The stimuli could be going to the park, pedaling a bike, jumping on a trampoline, etc. We will be using a yoga ball to help her to be upside-down more comfortably and a swiveling swing to help her get some unpredictable vestibular movement.

He also explained to me her hyposensitivity to oral input. He affirmed that she needs extra mouth input to be able to feel what is going on in there. He compared it to being numb after visiting the dentist. She can feel things and kind of knows what she is doing with her tongue and cheeks, but they’re not as sensitive as they should be. That’s why she drools, stuffs her mouth, chews on very hard things (breaking pens this week), and has a hard time speaking. He also asked me if she likes to taste hand sanitizer, since it’s also very common with these kids. Just yesterday I had to call Poison Control after finding she had climbed onto the counter to reach a small bottle of hand sanitizer, dumped it out, then licked it up!!

The third is a speech therapist that will be coming a couple of times a month beginning in January. Speech therapy comes after we take care of some of the behavioral issues so she can focus better.

This all sounds overwhelming and a little scary. But, in fact, the therapists are very optimistic. Caroline isn’t a major case (that’s rare) and most kids with these needs tend to get better and better with maturity. Even without therapy, most symptoms are lessened drastically by the time kindergarten comes around. It seems to be a factor of the neurological system maturing to a satisfactory level. The therapy mostly just helps in the interim. It reduces the frustration of both the parents and the child, lessens the severity, and usually decreases the amount of time it takes the system to mature.

I do have to say that I feel a little vindicated. All this time I had these suspicions and now I know that all my worrying and researching was for a reason and I was actually correct in what I thought was going on with her. Knowing her condition has increased our patience for her. She’s not just being a stinker or crazy, she has a need that isn’t being met. I’m happy with the therapists and their positive outlook. It’s reassuring to know that it’s not uncommon and is mostly temporary. I know she can function just fine without their help, but I want Caroline to feel great, not just fine.

If you have any questions regarding Caroline or any other child you know, I’m happy to talk about it and I can point you in the right direction if you need more information.

Landscape: Valley of Fire

Atlatl Rock

The Cabins

Other Views

Valley of Fire with Grandma

As part of our visit to Nevada, we stopped to play at Valley of Fire minutes away from Great Grandma Allred’s house. This is such a fun place to play.

I can’t wait for the day when Nate can just do a normal smile again!

Video Link 

This is a typical “Cara” look. It is her obstinate self.

But here she is all playful.

 

She insisted on climbing the stairs barefoot.

 

In a couple more years he will completely fill up this void.

Looking out over the vast landscape.

 

We were so glad to spend this fun little weekend with my mom. We enjoyed nice conversation and the kids got some good one-on-one time.

Meeting Great Grandma

I believe it is important for my kids to get to know as many of their relatives as they can. I didn’t grow up with an extensive extended family but I’m proud that my kids have one.

I have quite a few memories of my Grandma Allred (mom Raines’ mother). We visited her and grandpa in Seaside, California a few times when I was a child and those are good memories. I was mesmerized by both the German cuckoo clock and the artillery training at the nearby military base. Both were unfamiliar sounds. Both were consistent and methodical, one ticking and cuckooing and the other a deep, low rumble.

The backyard was odd. They didn’t have any grass! There was concrete and sand and strange plants. But they had the most awesome thing in abundant. Snails! Hundreds of snails! My brothers and sisters loved finding and playing with them.

There were two parks we played at and both of them strange. First was a small neighborhood park. It didn’t have a playground, only a gigantic concrete mound to climb on and slide down. It had a tunnel through it to hide in. The second park was Dennis the Menace Park. Everything here was huge. I remember the most a metal tower to climb on. It had an arm that you could hang down from and spin on. I’m sure that’s gone now.

Well, the last time I saw Grandma Allred was right before she moved to North Carolina a few years ago. I think Madeleine was a newborn and Nate was two. Recently, she moved back to Logandale, Nevada (1/2 way between Mesquite and Las Vegas) to live with her sister and her husband. My mom and I thought it would be a really great idea to go on a road trip to visit her. Rob was in New Mexico/Arizona working that week so it was the perfect time. I packed up the kids and we were off.

 

While we were at the house waiting 3 hours for grandma’s 49-page personal history to be printed on the dot-matrix printer, the kids and I played “I Spy” in the tchotchke-filled living room, explored the backyard full of pistachio trees and pomegranate bushes, and took a walk out front on the lazy, small-town street.

Here is Nate trying to figure out what this is. I have no idea.

My great aunt Venita (sp?) crochets and Madeleine found this rainbow-colored washcloth that was just completed. She fell in love with it so Venita (sp?) gave it to her. She carried it around the rest of the day.

On the drive home my mom read grandma’s personal history to me and I enjoyed learning more about her and her life. Here is the link to the videos my mom made of grandma answering some personal history questions.

I’m so glad we were able to visit Grandma Allred! As I’m typing this, Madeleine is coloring a picture of Cinderella to mail her. I love that they now know who she is and will have at least one memory of her. We will have to go back for another visit sometime.

An Afternoon in Zion

While Rob was evaluating some bridges in Virgin, UT the kids and I spent the afternoon in Zion National Park a mere 10 minutes away. But first the kids and I stopped at the Virgin Trading Post for lunch. We waited a little while for our food and I really was only expecting the quality to be on a theme park level. But. Oh, man.

I had .literally. the BEST cheeseburger I believe I have ever had. (Name that character!) Ever. I was stunned by its pure serotonin-inducing goodness. I ordered one for Rob and dropped it off to him because he just HAD to eat one.

After eating the kids and I bought two carrots to feed the onsite burros and play in the makeshift wild west buildings outside. I took a bunch of pictures but haven’t been able to find them :( Somehow they got deleted or I lost the memory card.

Then the kids and I went into the park and took the shuttle to the riverside walk. I like this stop with kids. It’s easy and they love to play in the water. I only took my phone and these are the two pictures I took with it.

The kids were so beat after this. We picked up Rob and went to the hotel in St. George. The next morning we swam a little before picking up Rob on the way back home.

I’m so glad we were able to go with him on this trip. The kids and I always have so much fun exploring and it is SO MUCH BETTER than staying home while he leaves. That is no fun at all. This way we get a little vacation and don’t have to be separated. It’s a win-win.

Driving Down South

I was going to let Rob blog about our drive south to Escalante but he’s just too busy with lame things like work.

Sunday after church we started our 3-hour drive to Escalante, Utah. On the way we stopped at a dive for, according to the kids, the best pancakes in the world.

 

We drove past the red plateaus of Capitol Reef National Park and through the unbelievably cute tree-lined town of Torrey. I think I’d like to stay there next time.

Then we climbed into the pines. I think we slowed down for about 20 deer and 10 cows through these mountains. They were just lining the sides of the road with their young. We reached the top and looked out over the expanse. Wow! Madeleine was even impressed saying, “Wow! It’s so beautiful!”

Down we drove into lower elevations to the Hogsback. I had wanted to make it here for golden hour but it was already getting quite dark by the time we arrived so we couldn’t see much this time. Luckily, we drove back and forth over it a few times over the next few days because this is one of my favorite spots in Utah. We pulled over to the side of the desolate road, turned off the headlights, and watched the lightning in the distance. After a while we decided that we better get to town before the downpour hit us. Not more than a couple of miles later, rain began. No, I correct myself…a faucet was turned on. This happened to be the night of flash floods in St. George and we were witnessing a desert summer thunderstorm in all its fury on our windshield. It was unbelievable. We had to drive 15 mph on a cliff-side road with hardly any site lines. When we were lucky, we could see the water gushing off the hundreds of feet of stone lining the road. After about 25 minutes of this the storm finally started to let up, just as we were leaving the treacherous landscape. What a thrill!

This is another view from the top of the mountain looking down into the terrain below.

Princess Promenade

Our ward held its annual Daddy Daughter Date. Madeleine had been looking forward to this ever since the last one! It’s a fun opportunity for the girls to get all dressed up and spend some special one-on-one time with their dads (or other significant man in their life).

We have cute pics of all the girls but of course our own daughter decides to unknowingly pull a face. This is the look she gives when she knows you are trying to get her to smile for a photograph. She tilts her head, half smiles, and stares into space. I tried a few times but this is the best I got. Nice. I decided I had lots of other cute pictures of her and her dad so I didn’t hold up the line any longer and moved on to the next girl.

They played Pin the Shoe on Cinderella and raced in high heels, made a wand (it was so funny to see all the grown men concentrating so hard on making them!), learned a fairy dance, ate treats, and danced some more. Madeleine tried very hard to do the dance just how they were taught but the other girls were more interested in just running and twirling. She got a little frustrated since it was a dance to be done in pairs.

The table decorations were so fun. Each was themed around a specific princess. Between all us leaders, we had enough princess paraphernalia to pull it off!

The girls had a grand time so we dub the night a success!

If your daughter attended the event, you can see more pictures here and download them at will.

Taking the Kids to the Devil

…Devil’s Garden, that is.

When Rob and I visited this area a few years ago we knew it would be so much fun to take the kids. After Rob quit work for the day in Escalante we drove down Hole in the Rock Road to get to this remote and rocky destination. Serious fun, people.

The kids climbed and climbed and climbed. Here’s the video link.

 

Then slid and slid and slid. Here is the video link.

 

They ran.

They hid.

                       

 

 

One of my favorite things about this part of Utah is just how quiet it is. It’s unpopulated and there are relatively few visitors so when you stop talking, all you hear is NOTHING. It’s so quiet that you take notice and it feels special.

If you’re interested, here is our last post on the garden.