Events of 2010

Follow the links below to the many events that make up our year 2010.

Just Hanging Out

Our first day of the year started off slowly. Stefan decided to pickup the vacuum and clean the kitchen floor. Afterwards we met our friend Phil, Nancy, Trey and LeeAnna at the playground

Photo Gallery from Just Hanging Out

Visit to Dinosaur Resource Center

Following Stefan's newfound love of everything dinosaur, we visited the local dinosaur museum in Woodland Park together with our friends Susan, Trevor and Kayla.

Photo Gallery from Visit to Dinosaur Resource Center

	Walking like a dinosaur

Visit to the Zoo

We just love the Colorado Springs Cheyenne Mountain Zoo. We are members and take every opportunity to visit. It was a beautiful winter day and we arrived at the zoo right as it opened. This is the best time as all the animals are out and we got to see them up close. Stefan was the big helper of the day and got to raise the bridge to let the giraffes into their enclosure, where Jana and Sebastian fed them crackers as quickly as possible. Since it was morning, we got to see a lot more animals than we usually do. It was great watching the tigers, bears and wolfs be very active.

After the fun at the zoo, we drove up the hill to visit the Will Rogers Shrine to the Sun - a small tower high up on Cheyenne Mountain that provides some of the best views of Colorado Springs and the Great Plains.

Photo Gallery from Visit to the Zoo and the Shrine

		Pikes Peak in the background
The Broadmoor Hotel	Downtown Colorado Springs	View straight East onto the Great Plains (can you see Kansas in the background?)	Cheyenne Mountain Zoo

Nicky and Lily Visit

In February, our dear friend Nicky came to visit and brought her daughter Lily with her. Stefan and Sebastian had such a fun time playing with her.

Photo Gallery from Nicky and Lily Visit

Preschool Valentines Party

Stefan's preschool class with Ms. Lynn had a fun party planned for Valentine's Day. Jana was able to attend, too and took the pictures below.

Photo Gallery from Preschool Valentine's Day Party

Marc Becomes an American Citizen

After more than 15 years of setting foot in the United States and going through the entire immigration and naturalization process, Marc finally became an American citizen. A proud family and our friend Jaimee participated in Marc's citizenship ceremony in Denver, including the citizenship oath and the Pledge of Allegiance, which the boys already knew how to recite from their days in preschool and summer school. We also listened to an inspiring message from President Obama. A couple of days later, Jana organized a surprise party for Marc where many of our friends were able to attend and congratulate Marc.

Photo Gallery from Citizenship Ceremony and Surprise Party

Birthday Party at ArtSports

ArtSports is a fun place where many of our friends have their kid's birthday parties. Stefan and Sebastian always have such fun at these parties. And Marc can only look on, wishing he could be a kid again .

Photo Gallery from Birthday Party at ArtSports

My Gym

Stefan and Sebastian continue to have a blast at My Gym. Below are some pictures from a fun class.

Photo Gallery from My Gym

Swim Class

Swim class is also a fun activity for the boys. Stefan has been like a fish in water for a while now and with this class Sebastian also became a lot more comfortable in the water.

Photo Gallery from Swim Class

Easter

Easter was a special time this year. The boys understood the significance of the Easter Bunny and were very excited about an Easter Egg Hunt. Since the day started off very cold, Jana prepared the basement as the hunting grounds. Afterwards we all colored eggs and when it was warmer outside, Stefan and Sebastian played with the bubbles that they found in their eggs. Later in the day, we joined the Easter Egg Hunt at the mall with our friends, the Mellicks, and then went to another Easter Egg Hunt in Black Forest, organized by the local fire department.

Photo Gallery from Easter

Excited to go hunting...	...and they are off.
				Coloring is a lot of fun...
Stefan trying out his new bike
	With the Chick-fil-a cow at the mall			Trey and Stefan
		Trey, Stefan, LeeAnna and Sebastian

Omi and opi Visit

In April, Marc's parents - Omi and Opi for Stefan and Sebastian - came to visit from Germany. They spent a couple of weeks with us, taking Stefan and Sebastian to the zoo and the park, and doing a lot of other fun things. A big present awaited Sebastian one day - his own Toy Story bike. Unfortunately, within a day or two of him receiving that great gift, the weather turned and a surprise snow storm hit Colorado. Opi then built a huge snowman with the boys while Omi spent time reading them their favorite books.

Photo Gallery from Omi and Opi Visit

And the grandparents come bearing gifts				Various faces of Sebastian with Nutella
		A package for Stefan arrives...	...it was from his friend Cody...	...a photobook from their visit together at California Adventure in March

The Olivers and Hoffmanns Make Cookies

Our friends Jaimee, Tyler and Reese joined us for a fun weekend activity of making cookies.

Photo Gallery from Making Cookies

Tyler	Sebastian	Stefan	Reese

Mothers Day

For Mother's Day this year, we decided to treat Mommy to a lunch out at Island's in Boulder. Jaimee and her girls, Tyler and Reese, joined us on the trip. We also took the opportunity to explore Pearl Street Mall in Boulder. The boys joined a few of the street performers and helped them make music.

Photo Gallery from Mother's Day

Fire station Tour

Another anticipated event on the MOMS Club activity plan is the fire station tour with the Colorado Springs Fire Department.

Photo Gallery from Fire Station Tour

Thunderbirds Practicing

Every year, for the graduation of the Air Force Academy Cadets, Colorado Springs is visited by the Thunderbirds. Since the Air Force Academy is in line of sight of our house, we have the splendid opportunity to view the practice runs on the day prior. These pictures were taken standing on our deck.

Photo Gallery from Thunderbirds Practicing

	Not a Thunderbird.

Rob and Angela Goodbye

Our friends Rob and Angela and their children had to leave Colorado Springs for Washington, D.C. as Rob had found a new job there. Shortly before their departure, we spent some time with them, as well as Danielle and Corbett, our friends from My Gym.

Photo Gallery from Rob and Angela Goodbye

Day at the North Pole

In 2010, we purchased season passes to the North Pole amusement park, here in Colorado Springs. It is a really fun place for the kids, and we went several times in 2010 (more pictures below). The first time Jana and the boys went with Jana's MOMS Club for an outing.

Photo Gallery from North Pole

Shrinky Dings and Miniature Golf

One morning the boys wanted to do something fun and so Mommy decided to get them to make and bake Shrinky Dings. And in the afternoon we met with our friends, the Mellick's, for a round of miniature golf.

Photo Gallery from Shrinky Dings and Miniature Golf

North Pole 2nd Visit

As said before, we had to use our season passes to the North Pole.

Photo Gallery from 2nd Visit to the North Pole

Jana 20-Year High school Reunion

At the end of June, Jana returned to her home town of Altus, Oklahoma to celebrate her 20-year high school reunion. Prior to the festivities we took a tour of the town and the Altus High School. Then it was on to the party.

Photo Gallery from High School Reunion

Mater (you know if you have ever seen the movie "Cars")	One of the houses Jana grew up in		Horse in someone's backyard
		Altus High School
	Jana's mom also graduated from AHS

Another Swim Class

Summer time is a great time for the boys to continue to learn how to swim. Stefan had some major breakthroughs and was in class together with kids who were much older than him. Sebastian also took to the water much better this time and was jumping and playing a lot more.

Photo Gallery from another Swim Class

Weekend in Denver

In July we decided to spend a weekend in Denver to explore some of the attractions offered there. On our list were the Museum of Nature and Science and the Children's Museum.

Photo Gallery from Weekend in Denver

	Working on the space program	Enjoying Colorado's wildlife in a safe environment
	Mommy, what does a bear do?	Now, let's all do it.	And we found the dinosaurs	Sebastian as the upcoming doctor in the family
	And lots more dinosaurs
		Stefan participates in the tales of Veggie Man		View from the Museum of downtown Denver
				Children's Museum
			Manufacturing bubbles
	Sebastian's Theatre		Our veterinarians
			At the supermarket
Playtime

McKenzie Visit

Our friends Craig, Angela, Madison and Rylee visited us again this year in July. The visit started with a surprise hail storm. We took the opportunity to visit the Aquarium in Denver and the US Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs with them.

Photo Gallery from the McKenzie Visit

Canyon City Dinosaur Museum

2010 was the year that Stefan wanted to explore everything related to dinosaurs. Canyon City located about an hour south of Colorado Springs has a small dinosaur museum. Upon hearing that information, Stefan had to visit it.

Photo Gallery from Canyon City Dinosaur Museum

Jana Visit to Sacramento

In August Jana sprinted to Sacramento for a short visit with our friends Nicky, Nick and Lily.

Photo Gallery from Jana's Visit to Sacramento

Glenwood Springs

On a glorious weekend in the middle of August, Jana and Marc got the opportunity to get away for a couple of days. We chose to spend some time in beautiful Glenwood Springs. We have been driving through Glenwood Springs several times before, but never stopped. It is located in beautiful Glenwood Canyon, which was formed by the Colorado River. We mixed relaxing times together with more exciting activities like a bike ride through Glenwood Canyon and Rafting. On our return trip, we drove through Aspen and crossed over Independence Pass at over 12,000 feet.

Photo Gallery from Glenwood Springs

	Starting on our bike ride
		Glenwood Hot Springs Pool	Getting ready for Rafting
				View of Glenwood Springs
Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park
	Just outside Aspen

Colorado State Fair

At the end of August, we visited the Colorado State Fair in Pueblo. The kids got to see real livestock, like cows, pigs, horses and turkeys.

Photo Gallery from Colorado State Fair

			Stefan did not want to try on the hat	...compare that face to Sebastian's
			Model railroad exhibit

Georgetown Loop and Rocky Mountain National Park

One of our more spectacular trips this year was our ride on the Georgetown Loop steam train and the visit to Rocky Mountain National Park. The Georgetown Loop is an old railroad that was used to ferry supplies to the mines and mined items back to town. It now offers 1 1/2 hour rides that are short enough for our kids to enjoy.

Afterwards we started our tour of Rocky Mountain National Park in the town of Estes Park, Colorado. We took the shuttle into the park and walked around Bear Lake. The walk was very pretty, but we did not encounter any bears. We overnighted at the Yogi Bear cabins, a cozy little campground that offered miniature golf and other amusements in addition to a cozy little cabin. The next day we drove through the park on the highest paved road until we crossed over to the west side and stopped in Grand Lake on our way home.

Photo Gallery from Georgetown Loop and Rocky Mountain National Park

Visiting Rocky Mountain National Park
Bear Lake
Overnight at the Yogi Bear Cabins
	Driving through Rocky Mountain National Park
	Driving into the clouds
		And the road winds higher and higher
			A nice way to enjoy the scenery
			Grand Lake	A well deserved ice cream

Balloon Classic

One of our favorite events of the year is the Colorado Springs Balloon Classic on Labor Day weekend. Even though it means getting up early, we enjoy watching the sunrise and the colorful balloons taking off. This year our friends Matt and Maria and their kids Owen and Nathan joined us.

Photo Gallery from Balloon Classic

Sand Dunes and Gator Farm

Since this was a year where we explored Colorado, we drove South and visited the Sand Dunes National Park. It is amazing to have a set of very tall sand dunes in the middle of the Rocky Mountains.

The next day we visited an alligator farm where alligators (and other animals) who were rescued from being "pets" in regular homes could live in a good environment.

Photo Gallery from Sand Dunes and Gator Farm

Day Out With Thomas and Dinosaur Ridge

Another staple in our yearly events is the Day Out with Thomas at the local railroad museum, this one in Golden, Colorado. We followed that by stopping at the Dinosaur Ridge in Morrison.

Photo Gallery from Day out with Thomas and Dinosaur Ridge

MOMS Club Fun

Jana and the boys always have fun at MOMS Club events.

Photo Gallery from MOMS Club Fun

DCC Field Day

Discovery Canyon Campus, Sebastian's preschool, hosted a field day and Sebastian's class got to participate with a little help from Mommy.

Photo Gallery from DCC Field Day

basketball and Soccer

Throughout the fall, the boys played basketball and soccer and had great fun at it. Even IB Guy joined the fun at one point.

Photo Gallery from Basketball and Soccer

Serenity Springs Wildlife Center

In October we visited the Serenity Springs Wildlife Center, which is located East of Colorado Springs in Calhan. It is a place for rescued lions, tigers and other large cats. They even rescued cats from Mike Tyson, which he used as "sparring partners".

Photo Gallery from Serenity Springs Wildlife Center

Fall Colors

Fall is one of the great times in Colorado when the trees turn to bright yellow and red colors against the usually blue skies. Jana was able to get these great pictures by just driving around in our neighborhoods.

Photo Gallery from Fall Colors

Another Zoo Visit

We always enjoy going to Cheyenne Mountain Zoo and are usually able to capture some additional sights and pictures that we have not had before.

Photo Gallery from another Zoo Visit

Pumpkin Patch and Halloween

Halloween and all the fun around it is usually a big hit with the boys. This Halloween Stefan "needed" to be a dinosaur and Sebastian followed in his foot steps. It was also great fun when our friends Phil, Nancy, Trey and LeeAnna joined us at the pumpkin patch.

Photo Gallery from Pumpkin Patch and Halloween.

First visit to the pumpkin patch
	Visit to the pumpkin patch with the MOMS Club as a storm was brewing
		Halloween Party at DCC
With face painting...		...crafts...
		...and lots of fun games
		Getting ready to roar at Halloween

Visit to Garden of The Gods

A visit to Garden of the Gods is always a nice and quick getaway for us. On this trip we took the occasion to get some nice family pictures, which our friend Jaimee took for us.

Photo Gallery from Visit to Garden of the Gods

Trey Birthday Party and Skating

Stefan's friend Trey had his birthday party at Skate City and that led to a series of skating outings for the whole family.

Photo Gallery from Trey's Birthday Party and Skating

IB Guy needed to go skating, too	First time with Daddy
Trey, LeeAnna, Sebastian and Stefan
All worn out

Thanksgiving

Our Thanksgiving festivities started off with making a bunch of cookies, followed by a visit to our friend Kelly and her kids Kaitlyn and Kamryn for Thanksgiving dinner. The MOMS Club also gave thanks through a soup project for needy people.

Photo Gallery from Thanksgiving

	IB Guy got some cookies, too
			Pretty music...and a butterfly
...another butterfly	Trying to step into Mommy's footsteps		All the participants in the MOMS Club soup project

Rock Ledge Ranch

We visited the Rock Ledge Ranch near Garden of the Gods with a MOMS Club event. They showcased a horse-drawn hay ride, a real blacksmith making iron ornaments, former American soldiers showing period tents and costumes, and ornament making.

Photo Gallery from Rock Ledge Ranch

Mike and Kim Wedding

In mid-December, Jana attended the wedding of her cousin, Mike, and his fiancé Kim in Tennessee.

Photo Gallery from Mike and Kim Wedding

Christmas Season

A brief snowfall in December signaled the arrival of the Christmas season. It is a time that the boys specifically cherish as the lights sparkle and Mommy and Daddy put up the Christmas decorations. But it all started with a visit to Color Me Mine to create some nice pottery, catch some snowflakes on tongues and finish it off with some ice cream. But even a vast snowfall quickly melts in Colorado and so there was time for a hike with the MOMS Club in Garden of the Gods and visits to Santa.

Photo Gallery from Christmas Season

Stephanie and Shi Visit

Our friends from California, Stephanie and Shianne, visited us shortly before Christmas. They received the full Colorado Springs tour, including Garden of the Gods, Cheyenne Mountain Zoo and North Pole, in just a few days. We even included a frosty morning for good measure.

Photo Gallery from Stephanie and Shi Visit

Christmas

As always, Christmas was a fun and relaxing time in an intimate, family-only setting. We loved seeing the kids enjoy their gifts and unwrapping them with an unheard-of enthusiasm.

Photo Gallery from Christmas

Christmas Eve has arrived		Daddy reads "'Twas the Night Before Christmas"
	Christmas Morning

End of Year Fun

To round out the year, we spent the last few days of 2010 at Artsports, excavating "dinosaur bones" (one of Stefan's Christmas gifts) and enjoying a family day at It'z (a family amusement arena with rides and games).

Photo Gallery from End of Year Fun