Molly is 9 months old...

Molly is 9 months old!  She is almost 17 pounds and is getting her top two teeth (she got the bottom two at 6 months).  She is so, so happy, as long as she can get on the floor and play.  One of her favorite places to play is the tunnel.

Molly is super busy, as always.  She crawls, pulls up and holds onto things with just one hand.  She's experimenting with letting go and trying to launch in different directions.  She has not figured out that she can take steps on her own, though.  We just started putting her in the walker in the garage and the push-walker in the house.  These toys have driven her busy behaviour to a whole new level.  She's on the go so often, that I had trouble taking her picture...she never stays still.  The next few pictures made the boys laugh because they are "typical" Molly-is-playing looks.

 Molly and Wyatt are enjoying a little walk through a community garden in downtown Colorado Springs.  We went there on one of Owen's days off school.  Owen said it was the best day ever!  I think he was ready for a day at home with the little ones (and mom).

 I couldn't resist sharing this cute pictures of the boys at Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, from when Lauren and Jerod visited.

Now for the Molly videos...

The first video shows some of Molly's new accomplishments: trying to communicate and trying to walk.

I had the first video made and ready to go, and then she started doing all sorts of other cute things!  The second video is more of a "day in the life" look at Molly...a few snippets of how she acts most of the time.  The little bouncing and launching move cracks us up.  The boys never did anything like that!  We keep thinking that one day she'll just spring up into a standing position:-)  And, yes, we're listening to Handel's Water Music, one of Owen's favorites.  My grandmother would be proud!

Tiny Town 2011

We visited Ben, Brenda, Amelia and Cavan over Labor Day weekend, and, as is becoming tradition, we made a trip to Tiny Town. 

All the kids had fun, but Wyatt just about lost his mind.  He could have explored the little houses for hours and hours.

 Wyatt and Amelia were cute little partners.

Heeeeeeeeeere's Owen....

Molly even got in on the action!

A Morning at the Hobgoods

Molly is 8 months old...

Molly is 8 months old and has been fully crawling since just a few days after she turned 7 months.  The girl is into everything!  She's very, very happy to be exploring around the house.

 She is also becoming an expert at pulling up.  She will stand up on anything and everything.  She even sometimes lets go and tries to stand for a nanosecond.

 She loves getting under and into everything that she will fit inside.  It makes for alot of fun and a bunch of bumps on the head!

Here's a video of our busy little girl:

Cotopaxi

Two years ago, my college friends, Ann and Kylie, and our families met at a KOA in Fort Collins for a college reunion/BBQ.  We had so much fun at the KOA, that we have since tried to make it an annual event.  We couldn't make it last year, but Ann and Kylie's families met in Cortez, CO and visited Mesa Verde.  This year, it was just Kylie's family and the Hobgoods and we met in Cotopaxi, CO, which is just east of Salida in the Arkansas River Canyon. 

Here are the kiddos:  Danika (6), Owen (5), Molly (8 months), Wyatt (2.5) and Tuli (3)

The campsite overlooked the Arkansas River, so we spent time fishing and exploring.

 The kids loved looking at the tackle boxes.

There was a huge boulder by our campsite.  All the kids loved climbing it, but Owen was absolutely obsessed.

He and Josh figured out problems on every side of the boulder.  He LOVED it!

 Molly wanted to get in on the action, too!

 Wyatt just likes to look cute.

Our cabin was right next to a big sandbox, which was really wonderful in helping the kids stay busy while we cooked dinner.  There was also the most delightful, bathtub temperature, pool, but we did not get pictures of it.

Wyatt was so exhausted after our first morning, that he crawled into bed right after lunch and fell instantly asleep.  It's hard work having so much fun!

 Kylie and Brian were kind enough to bring a little gate for Molly to play inside.  She's so busy right now, that we needed somewhere for her to play, without handfuls of sand/grass/dirt/rocks ending up in her mouth. 

A few end-of-summer shots

The three kiddos playing with their dolls in the morning.

 We met Ben, Brenda and family at the coolest park in the world in Woodland Park.

 Somehow, we only took one picture of Wyatt, but I swear that Owen, Amelia, Cavan, and Molly were all having fun, too.

 Wyatt is really into building forts, nests, and anything else he can dream up right now.  This is his baby eagle nest.

Molly fell asleep on my lap one hot afternoon.  This is where I put her.

Kindergarten, Here We Come!

Owen starts kindergarten!!