For our first day in Denver, mom, Dad, Bella and I went to Elway's (where else!!) for lunch. I couldn't resist this photo. I was sure to walk Bella through the bar area of the restaurant, where much of Elway's top paraphernalia is captured. Throughout the week, we practiced --
Daddy: "Isabella, who is the best QB of all time?"
Isabella (promptly): "ELWAY!!!"
Lesson 1 of any CO visit -- learned :)
Wednesday
The next day we headed up to my Grandma Isom's house (Isabella's great grandmother), as I wanted Isabella to have the chance to get to know her before the hectic nature of Thanksgiving day ensued.
Soon after arriving, we headed down to my grandma's basement, where she has been adamant about keeping all my toys / books / etc. Easily, the most meaningful toy is my tractor, which I rode around for hours and hours as a kid on my grandparent's farm, trying to chase down my grandpa's much-larger tractor. Isabella was skeptical at first, but soon got the hang of it.
She rode for a good 30 minutes
Steering was a bit of an issue (as it lacks the BMW 'driving performance'), but Daddy helped guide her around.
Soon after, grandma opened a box that was full of all kinds of fun, old school games. Life was so simple back then!
Bella was not too impressed, but did enjoy this block game.
In the basement, grandma had kept a table that I used to sit at when they had their place on the farm. Bella immediately had the idea that we could use it to have lunch. I did not think this was a great idea, but always the trooper, Grandma wanted to make it happen. ..so we lugged it upstairs, and set it up for lunch. One problem however -- we only had two seats! No worries -- Grandma offered the fireplace platform as the 3rd seat. Problem solved.
As I had been many times, Bella was in a daze with the smell of Grandma's sweet and sour chicken.
As usual, Bella was slow to warm to a new face, but Grandma's charm eventually overcame any shyness.
Thursday -- Turkey Day!!:
For as long as I can remember, Thanksgiving has always been the same tradition. My mom cooks, and my relatively small family (currently -- 2 cousins, aunt, uncle, grandma, mom, dad, and now Bella!) all head over to our house for a day of Football, Turkey, Pool, wine -- a great tradition. The next group of photos capture the story of this year's Turkey day:
My mom had bought Bella two 100-piece puzzles earlier in the week. Bella had never tried a puzzle before this week, but learned quickly, and thoroughly enjoyed them (even though these puzzles were meant for ages 6-8). Shortly after my cousin (John) arrived, Bella wanted to do a puzzle, so John, being the sport that he is, immediately obliged.
'Grandma Sherry' soon jumped in.
After finishing the first activity, and while waiting for dinner, Bella lined up her plethora of dolls for a TV viewing session. My dad couldn't have been too pleased with this mess, but he played along.
Aunt Sharon was once again a huge hit in Bella's eyes. When Bella visited two years back, she played with Aunt Sharon for hours, and this time was no different. She is great with kids. Thanks Aunt Sharon!
After dinner, it was Christmas time!! 
The biggest HIT in Bella's eyes came from, not surprisingly, Aunt Sharon. This bear, quickly named Roger (why? -- no idea), soon became part of her every move ..and to my pleasant surprise, began to replace her Barbies, who had not left her side since arriving in CO. Hopefully, Roger sticks around for awhile.
This face is priceless. I know every parent says it, but she is truly a beautiful girl.
The anticipation was palpable...
...
She was quite happy with this gift, from Grandma Sherry I believe
The madness and melee continued with Daddy's gift ..
..and as an enjoyable day came to an end, we took a few family photos. Here is my grandma, Aunt Sharon, John, and of course, my beautiful little girl.
..and a classic. Four generations of my family -- Grandma Isom, 'Grandma Sherry', myself, and my little girl.
This face is priceless
Friday
..and she was quite fond of Rachel as well.
Rach is great with kids, as she has two younger sisters.
Getting the dog and Bella to both look at the camera was not easy. This was the best we could do.
She was having fun, as usual.
..but I fear for the puppy. Can a dog be 'too-loved'?? Rach has a lot of love to give, and in the absence of a boyfriend, this little guy is going to get all his little heart desired.
By this point of the trip, Bella had mastered the art of taking digital photos. I think she could teach a few things to my mother :)
Saturday
..and was not the least bit afraid. She ventured away from Daddy -- no problem.
She quickly learned the act of tossing snow balls at Daddy.
She was clearly enjoying the acitivity, but the winner at the end was undisputed :)
This shot is quality.
Bella soon became enfatuated wtih all the footprints of small animals that led ...somwhere!?!? The hunt began. ..
She was Sherlock. I was Dr. Watson. She was determined to find these animals.
"Maybed these pink flags will provide a clue??"
You have to admire her perserverance
"Ummm -- sure -- the animals could be in the bushes!!"
After our hunt had ended unsuccessfully, we decided it was time to pose with a snowy background.
'Daddy' lets Bella take more risks than her mother. My mom made it clear she was not comfortable with this situation. ..but she survived :)
We had a great time, and hopefully, if all goes well, we have many quality Thanksgiving visits upcoming!!
Aunt Sharon was once again a huge hit in Bella's eyes. When Bella visited two years back, she played with Aunt Sharon for hours, and this time was no different. She is great with kids. Thanks Aunt Sharon!
After dinner, it was Christmas time!!
..but why so soon? My cousin, John and I are heading to Argentina / Uruguay for two weeks at Christmas time, and being that it is increasingly difficult to get the entire family together, it seemed like the perfect chance. Many years ago, my cousin and I were the center of attention ..
..but those days have long passed. Bella is the new focus!
..and the madness begins
The biggest HIT in Bella's eyes came from, not surprisingly, Aunt Sharon. This bear, quickly named Roger (why? -- no idea), soon became part of her every move ..and to my pleasant surprise, began to replace her Barbies, who had not left her side since arriving in CO. Hopefully, Roger sticks around for awhile.
This face is priceless. I know every parent says it, but she is truly a beautiful girl.
The anticipation was palpable...
...
She was quite happy with this gift, from Grandma Sherry I believe
The madness and melee continued with Daddy's gift ..
No surprise here -- Nike (or as Bella says -- "Miiikkkkeeee") pants and a shirt. This girl really has no choice but live and breathe the 'swoosh'
..and as an enjoyable day came to an end, we took a few family photos. Here is my grandma, Aunt Sharon, John, and of course, my beautiful little girl.
..and a classic. Four generations of my family -- Grandma Isom, 'Grandma Sherry', myself, and my little girl.
Bella closes every day with a bath, which usually helps wind her down and start the process of going to bed. However, after a long day, I agreed to let Bella use my parent's whirlpool, ..which, to my chagrin, had the complete opposite effect!! ..but was good fun, especially for her, so no worries. To get a true view of the excitement, see a ~1 minute video of her in the bathtub at the bottom of this blog.
She was clearly enjoying herself and found the swirling jets fascinating. I doubt taking baths will ever be the same!!
She was in heaven. However, putting her to bed this evening required a little more effort than usual ..
..but no worries, it was well worth it given her smile.
This face is priceless
Friday
The next day, I told her we had 3 adventures planned -- a visit to Rachel's house, her 2nd trip to the ice skating rink, and a visit with my friend's, Kevin and Brian. She was excited. The adventures started off with a relaxing trip to Rachel's house, which went well (story / photos below). However, the trip to the skating rink ended with an emotional outburst. This was surprising, especially considering her first ice skating trip in Portland, OR had gone so well. During her 1st trip, she struggled for the first 30 minutes and wouldn't let 'Daddy' leave her side. However, after 30 minutes, she had the basics down, and wanted 'Daddy' to "Get AWAY!!". I was impressed with how well she picked it up. She left the rink claiming she was going to be a 'Hockey player!'. Her call on this one. However, this 2nd trip ended with her exclaiming, "I never want to skate again". Instead of building upon her initial experience, she struggled and was clearly not in the right mindset for something a little uncomfortable. No worries -- we'll have her out again soon enough. The day ended with a fantastic visit with Brian and Kevin. After enjoying a few beers at the bar (yes, they let Isabella in without ID --hmmm), we went over to Brian's Dad's house, where quite a party everntually ensued. We ended up at a 'Parade of Lights' nearby, and Bella waved to Santa who was parading by. Good times, but unfortunately no photos here.
In the morning, we visited Rachel's moms house. A few days prior, Rachel had just bought a new dog, or least that's what she was calling it. Admittedly, it was cute, but I've always struggled with dogs that can fit in the palm of my hand. Bella loved her though.
..and she was quite fond of Rachel as well.
Rach is great with kids, as she has two younger sisters.
Getting the dog and Bella to both look at the camera was not easy. This was the best we could do.
She was having fun, as usual.
..but I fear for the puppy. Can a dog be 'too-loved'?? Rach has a lot of love to give, and in the absence of a boyfriend, this little guy is going to get all his little heart desired.
By this point of the trip, Bella had mastered the art of taking digital photos. I think she could teach a few things to my mother :)
Saturday
After an adventurous day, it was finally time to fly home, and leave CO ...but there was one more surprise waiting!! Our last night in CO, we had about 4-6 inches of snow. It started dumping the night before in classic CO form -- light and flaky. that night, Bella was tired, so I told her I get her up early, so we could play before she flew home. After getting her stuff packed, I woke her up, dressed in proper snow attire, and let her loose! She had never seen snow before, so this was quite an experience for her.
She jumped right in...
..and was not the least bit afraid. She ventured away from Daddy -- no problem.
She quickly learned the act of tossing snow balls at Daddy.
She was clearly enjoying the acitivity, but the winner at the end was undisputed :)
This shot is quality.
Bella soon became enfatuated wtih all the footprints of small animals that led ...somwhere!?!? The hunt began. ..
She was Sherlock. I was Dr. Watson. She was determined to find these animals.
"Maybed these pink flags will provide a clue??"
You have to admire her perserverance
"Ummm -- sure -- the animals could be in the bushes!!"
After our hunt had ended unsuccessfully, we decided it was time to pose with a snowy background.
'Daddy' lets Bella take more risks than her mother. My mom made it clear she was not comfortable with this situation. ..but she survived :)
We had a great time, and hopefully, if all goes well, we have many quality Thanksgiving visits upcoming!!
Videos:
1) This is the video of Isabella in the bathtub. (note: the video starts out horizontal, but eventually straightens out)
2) here is a video of Bella and I having a little fun with each other. We have a great relationship, and she seems to appreciate the 'fun' side of Daddy.
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