The Vilski Family

Sunday, August 14, 2011

Date Night and Family Outing Day

For our anniversary we found a sitter and went out for drinks and appetizers then saw the final Harry Potter movie. It was a great time and Coen enjoyed all the attention the babysitter gave him.

We started a tradition of a Rocky Mountain National Park trip each year before the school year starts. The first one was a huge success! We slept in (thanks, Coen!), got some breakfast and coffee and enjoyed the beautiful drive to the touristy town of Estes Park, where the entrance of Rocky Mountain National Park (RMNP) is located.

Heading from Longmont to Estes Park

Justin and Coen ready to window shop downtown

A tunnel! Coen thought the echo was very fun.

One of the first stops once you get into RMNP.

Headed to use the bathroom. Justin still can’t get over how amazing Colorado water is. Every time he drinks from a water fountain he is in awe all over again. Silly.

Coen was smiling for someone else’s camera, apparently. This is one of the scenic overlooks on the way up the mountain.

A moose! It was a mama with her baby nearby. I didn’t stay close for long.

The snow was dirty but fun to play in and slide on. It was also very refreshing to have to wear a sweatshirt and long pants. The fun ended when Coen’s hands got too cold and he let out a few blood-curdling screams. He always does like to make a dramatic exit.

Coen sure was hard to walk with at over 12,000 feet high.

Justin took over. I’m making this one bigger because I think their expressions are hilarious.

What a fun family day trip! And so close to home (under an hour). We are so blessed to live in Colorado, although it may be rocky at some points. (ha ha! get it??!)

Just another view of a mountain lake (bottom right-ish) over the tundra.
PS Learn more about tundras, they are so fascinating!!

The School/Church

The school and church are a wonderful group of people who have been very welcoming. Registration this year is 11 students in 3-year-old-preschool up to 1st grade. The church and school are using this as an opportunity to “revamp” the school and rework it by adding a new grade each year. There is also a big push for outreach to the community and getting our “face” out there to make our presence known in the neighborhood and in the city.

Justin (and I) are very excited about this school year and I hope he can keep his enthusiasm, since the middle of the school year can be a drag. (Speaking from experience.) We are looking to get to know more and more people around here and I have given out my phone number and e-mail address to lots of potential-friends. So far Coen and I have had playdates/meals with a couple families and have gotten to know some very friendly Longmontians. Coloradoans. Coloradans. People from this area.

We’ll keep you updated as things progress. Right now we’re working on a brochure to pass out in the area with more information about our school. Pray that God blesses our work, as we know He does!

Buster “Chad” Vilski

We adopted Buster “Chad” on our fifth wedding anniversary, July 16th. He has been a wonderful pet and is becoming more of a “normal” dog.

“Normal”, you ask? What isn’t/wasn’t normal about him?

Well, Buster was a stray in Oklahoma and so his past is unknown. When Coen and I met him at the Boulder County Humane Society (which is an incredible place), he was calm, very good with Coen, and loved to be pet.

Things Buster has learned since his homecoming to the Vilski household:

How to go up and down stairs
How to eat a rawhide bone treat
How to clean up the floor (he still needs help doing it on his own, but with direction he’s a good vacuum)
How to pee and poop outside (we only had a few small accident incidents)
How to run and have fun with other dogs
How to eat and drink out of doggy dishes
How to “do his duty” in a timely fashion outside
How to sit
How to ignore Coen
How to jump into the back of our car (he knows it’s doggy park time now)

Things Buster has yet to learn since his homecoming:

How to stay
How to come on command every time
How to bark (we’re not going to teach him)
How to hear the sound of food falling to run and eat it
How to eat while there are people around (he’s a very private eater)
How to whine (not teaching this one, either)
How to fetch a ball (or even show a small amount of interest in retrieving)

All in all, he’s wonderful for our family. Here is a photo of the guy:

Fun in the Summer Sun

It’s always sunny here!! A couple mornings ago I woke up to clouds and was shocked. How quickly one gets spoiled, no? Here are the fun things we did during the remainder of July.

Coen cooking some breakfast for me out on the patio

He figured out how to use the squirt tube too quickly! Justin and I have both been unexpectedly soaked on a number of occasions.

That little stinker is back there drinking out of the hose.

Yogurt moustache! And his bandaid is off so you can see his stitches.

Playing Elefun with his friend Evan. This is what they did for part of the game “playing”…

…and the other part of the time they ran in circles opposite ways around the elephant until they bonked heads.

No more stitches! Just a “cool hockey scar” Justin says.

Coco took my picture. He’s getting good at aiming and then pushing the button.

Buster the doggy on the way to walk downtown.

At a free concert downtown. It was a Doobie Brothers tribute band

Me and boy!

Coen was rocking the dance floor and crowded the stage to dance…all by himself.

A sculpture downtown.

We went to Denver one morning to see the “downtown”. This is a huge fountain in a beautiful park where we went to the farmers’ market.

Coen enjoyed watching the green water pour out

I stayed in the shade while Coen and Justin played on the playground. Then we found a cute Denver diner for lunch. We all shared a french toast milkshake; it was AMAZING!

Skip ahead to the zoo! We went with the Freys (Coen’s friend Evan) to the Denver Zoo. It was very fun.

Watching the (lame-o) seal show

Sunday, July 17, 2011

Yet Another Vilski Update

We are getting settled in! Coen calls our house here “home”, which is a good sign.

The weather has been pretty wonderful, with the exception of nightly storms or the nightly appearance (and oftentimes disappearance) of said storms.

Some highlights of our almost two weeks here are Coen’s seven stitches and adopting a dog….And, after looking through my photos, Coen’s second birthday adventures, and our fifth wedding anniversary.

Coen’s first professional haircut….and his foot.

Another view of the haircut (and our family room)

The dark gray storm cloud over the neighbor’s house

The contrast between storm and sunny

At least we can see some blue sky!

Coen’s battle wounds (his hockey scars as his father calls them)

Another view of his stitches. The cut was in the shape of the middle of a peace symbol.

On Coen’s birthday, he and I went to WOW, which is a children’s museum that is very close. It had WONDERFUL things to do, like this pulley machine. Older kids could pull themselves up, but I did it for Coen.

There he is at the top!

Fun with a light pen and board in the “shadow and lights” room.

Coen mostly wanted to watch the toy/model train. The buttons around the case stopped and started the train.

Playing with some magnetic trains. It was the hardest to share and take turns at this table (for everyone, it seemed.)

Coen up on the pirate ship yelling “See you!” while looking through the telescope

This was the coolest bubble maker ever! There was a pulley/lever on the inside that you lifted while a huge bubble went around the person in the ring. Coen popped his before I could get a photo of it.