We DOMINATED that vacation...

Wow, that was fun! We had an amazing week or so travelling to Denver, Atlanta, Aruba, Bonaire and back again. We have so many wonderful memories and new experiences to add to our collection. Trevor and I actually feel like real scuba divers now, not just tourists that dive. We were able to go on 15 or so dives between the two of us and they were all shore dives where we learned to use all of our computers and scuba equipment with no help from instructors or dive masters. Usually, we go out on boats where the guides take care of most of the work and show us the entire dive. We have been diving in some spectacular places like Belize, Cozumel, Australia, New Zealand, Fiji and the diving just off the shores of Bonaire is by far the most convenient that we have done. It had fish life comparable to the Great Barrier and a very healthy reef system. We saw sea turtles, rays, all of my favorite tropical fish and Trevor and Lester had two large tarpin follow them for most of one night dive. Each dive was special in some way and we will definately go back. Instead of showing up at a certain time and then being gone for several hours, we were able to dive around naps and nursing.
My Aunt Bonnie, Uncle Lester and their entire family were there with us and we enjoyed travelling with them. Truth be told, they did most of the planning (Bonnie and Lester visited a few years ago and had everything dialed in) and we just showed up to enjoy. Lots of laughs and chats. Dinners were a group event every night and we ate overlooking the ocean with waves lapping the shore. Colter spent hours chasing any sea creature that he could including crabs, snails, little fish, seaweed..whateever he could find. We even had a few cats running around the neighborhood that he fed and took care of, naming most of them Izzy. He gained more confidence swimming and entertained everyone with his three year oldness. He learned many new words including "bored" "dominated" and his favorite "britches" which makes him giggle uncontrollably everytime-thank you Stevie. Dylan stepped up his "mama's boy" status a bit on this trip, but was still full of smiles and giggles. He loved playing at the beach in the shallow water and in the swimming pool, most of the time. Dylan is a climbing machine and will try to "dominate" (in case you were wondering how that word fit in) anything in his path. It was a big journey and overall the kids were troopers. I cannot possibly put into words all that we did and how much we enjoyed this vacation, I will finish by saying that we are very happy we decided to go!
Now it's back to the grind, digging out from the hole of leaving for two weeks and looking forward to the rest of summer.

Bon Bini, part 3

1. Bonaire is a semi-arid island, which means not much vegetation and 20 foot cactus! That is Lester in the picture and he is 6'7" 2. Micheal and Colter playing with the snails and crabs, a favorite activity for the week. 3. Mommy and Dylan enjoying a sunset at Captain Don's 4. Same sunset with Bonnie and Carrie 5. Our backyard that stepped to the ocean. The awning on the left is where our dinners took place.

Bon Bini, Part 2

1. Our house in Bonaire was literally steps from a scuba site. 2. We dined either at this table on the covered porch or at a table that was overlooking the ocean--rough life! 3. The family photo in water was at the windsurfing beach. It was knee to waist deep forever! We played there alot. 4. Pirate night at the house was fun, Colter made place mats for everyone. 5. This is the garden in the backyard.

Bon Bini, Welcome to Bonaire..Diver's Paradise

1. Daddy and Colter enjoying Eagle Beach in Aruba 2. Colter's favorite swimming pool-ever! 3. Dylan showing Daddy the sights at the windsurfing bay 4. The boys enjoying some shaalow water beach play 5. Christi giving Colter his first windsurfing lesson, next time with the sail.

Summer is here, kind of...

Colter had a great week. He can ride his two wheeler-straight with no turns (yes that is a backwards Power Ranger suit and his ski helmet), he helped Daddy wash- well everything- with his rollerskates, wetsuit and the famous ski helmet and we had a nice lunch by the courthouse with some rock climbing. Colter is our little costume kid, he loves to dress up for anything and everything, a true Tellurider. He is enjoying his summer activities at Rainbow Preschool and is looking forward to our trip next week.

Dylan cut two more teeth this week, that makes six. Our visit to the doctor revealed that Dylan is taller than average and skinnier than average- go figure. He is healthy and doing great! Off to the races.

Are you riding a chicken?

I love this picture. In our family of very tall thin people, it is not uncommon to be asked if you are riding a chicken or just wearing shorts. Unfortunately, it looks like Dylan got his legs from my side! So far, he is tall and thin. He is a very good cuddler these days and often just flops down to rest where ever he is.

It has been a beautiful week here in paradise. We have had several days of 70 to 75 with blue bird skies and melting snow. The rivers and streams are rockin' and we are watching some of the highest water levels in memory. This past weekend consisted of sleepovers, playdates, birthday/neighborhood parties, swimming and sunning at the Peaks and cleaning the house. It was fun and social from beginning to end. Colter is a non stop bike rider and is now trying to learn to ride a "two wheeler". Crazy, I know. I don't think I even had a bike with training wheels at age three. He is so physically talanted and always wants to keep up with the big kids. We spent time at Rob and Sheila's where the boys chased the baby chickens around. Eli has about 20 names for 4 birds, it is hilarious to listen to the boys talk to and about the chickens. Colter had a sleepover at Modee and Pappy's and then it was time for Roark's birthday party. We shut down the neighborhood and turned 30 or so kids loose. It was total chaos! Colter went to bed early that night. We are hoping to get on the river this weekend and then start packing for Bonaire. Colter has his pirate costume ready, he can't wait to get on a real pirate ship. It is turning into a busy June and time is flying by faster than ever. Dylan is moving so fast, he can cruise back and forth between furniture and races across the floor behind his little car/walker thing. He likes any toy that Colter is playing with, outlets, toilets, cabinets, dishwashers and stairs. He keeps us on our toes.