Miscellaneous "before school starts" adventures

After our Sundance and South Dakota commitments, there was one week before we had to return to our regularly scheduled programming. Actually, as I write this, we have already had our "orientation day" as well as our first "official day"--more on that to come.

But during the week leading up to Labor Day weekend, we enjoyed some down time. We got the girls' haircuts, checked out a few parks, met up with some old Denver playgroup friends. All in all, took it easy in every which way possible.

At the CSU garden

Notice new haircut--with very short bangs

The elusive "both kids together" photo

You can see the flowers are arranged in this rainbow of colors

This was Ruby's first time, essentially, because when we went last year I'm pretty sure she was in a stroller. Both girls did remarkably well considering the temptation that pretty flowers are for them! "Only looking and smelling!"

At the Butterfly Pavillion--against a mural in a largely-not-related-to-butterflies-exhibit. Fact: All clownfish start as males and some will become females. Fact: When a starfish loses a limb, there is a small chance that the severed "leg" will regenerate as an entire fish.

Hayden and Ruby check out the large praying mantis. I'm pretty sure the sign says not to climb on him. What a ridiculous sign to put up, since I'm sure the only people who can actually read it would never attempt it and the ones that need to read it seem to largely ignore that advice anyway.

There's a butterfly, as captured with my super old point-and-click. It is really crazy how many butterflies there are, and also how HOT it was in that greenhouse exhibit that day. Aye, I'm a Wisconsin girl, but even that humidity was too much for me for those 20 minutes or so!

Hilary and Lachlan

Hayden and Scout

Hayden and Scout, after our picnic lunch, enjoying the landscaping

Scout had a small owie and she insisted on a bandaid

Cute lil' Lachlan

Guess who else insisted on a band aid?