springtime and the livin' is easy

Well, I swore after all the time and effort that went into the sandbox cover that I'd find something divine to put on top of it.  Monday after Easter I did just that and the Heimer Haus has been in the full swing of relaxation ever since.  Ok, that statement might be a stretch but we've all enjoyed time in the hammock, Ben most of all. 
When I began my hammock hunt, I thought cost might be a prohibiting factor.  Enter Ikea.  I must say after "investing" in certain other furniture brands and seeing how well they do and don't wear, I am a big fan of Ikea if their items match my wishes.  In this case, the hammock stand is very moveable (many are not) with a big front wheel and the whole thing cost $89.

I couldn't resist making lots of pea jokes via text and social media this night right after Ryan assembled it.

Ben LOVES hammock snuggles.  Ryan and I love the still variety but are frequently calming the requested hammock tickle-fights.

This blossoming cherry tree is right above and showers us with petals when the wind blows.

Ben discovering the no-longer secret pocket.

The tow truck wasn't invited back.

Morning snuggles with Dad. 

As the weather warms, I plan to make a habit of this. :)

PLEASE say "hi!"

As I've said here before, Ben has an IEP at school to receive extra services from speech and occupational therapists.  This help is incredible and I still believe his early intervention speech services made ALL the difference.  His vocabulary and articulation are now on par but he still takes a little longer in conversation to form questions and responses.  

IEP's and school services are priceless, but they also put the kiddos who have them under micro-scopes and often place expectations on these kids that their peers don't face.  One of those expectations for Ben is around conversations with peers and a certain amount of back and forth exchanges.  Now in a very unbiased, take off my mama hat way, I can tell you Ben is one of the most out-going kids in his class and goes out of his way to greet friends and strangers alike more than lots of other kiddos.  His greetings often fall on deaf ears and blank faces and the "conversation" ends.  I remind those watching him so closely of this frequently repeated scenario and encourage help for all the kids in this conversing department.

More than with peers though, Ben is very outgoing with adults.  Never was this more clear than a year ago when he patted a gentlemen in Home Depot on his rather rotund belly and quipped, "hey big guy.  How ya doin'?,"  as I ducked behind some boxes and feigned ownership of the too-forward child.  In this case, the kind man giggled and shook his head at me still smiling each time we happened to cross paths.  

Sadly, I'm shocked multiple times a week when Ben's greetings of adults are flat-out ignored.  Yesterday my eyes filled with tears of sadness and rage when his MANY (20+) waves and greetings to a "Papa" on the playground were not acknowledged.   He had watched from above on the play structure as this man played with his granddaughter, and finally started saying and waving "Hi!" "Hi guys. How ya doin?" from above.  It's no surprise to those that know him that Ben sought out the Papa on the playground and I thought for sure he'd be rewarded for it.  After the many salutations went ignored, Ben took the Loooooong route down from where he was to stand directly next to the man and repeat his greeting.  Sadly, the man barely turned his head towards Ben and muttered a quiet "hi" back.  Ben's, "how you guys doin'?" yielded no response at all and I encouraged him to move to another favorite area.  It was no surprise when they left that Ben's "bye guys! thanks for playing with me!" also yielded no response.  

When my frustration subsided, I pulled Ben aside and praised him for his efforts in a big way.  We do encounter this scenario a lot.  It's not always quite so extreme, but I see young kids being ignored all the time.  Whether it's a teenager who is "too-cool," or a business person much to busy to be bothered, or even a Papa at the playground, these people just don't care enough for a simple 30 second exchange with a little person.  Sometimes these same people criticize these growing beings who have their faces glued to their electronics, but hey, at least the games give feedback!  

I admit that because Ben is under scrutiny for this skill, I'm hyper-aware of this too-frequent scenario. Fortunately the situation yesterday moved me to make my plea to a broader audience. So please, please, please, when you're out in the world, take a minute to be aware, especially to the little people, and give them the respect you want them to grow to treat the world with.  Remind your teenagers and your aging parents about the surprising impact just a few of their words can have.  Not all kiddos have people standing by and encouraging them to try, try again.  Simple actions can make or break the most important little spirits and leave a much bigger impact than you might imagine.

easter

As is becoming tradition, the Heimer Haus hosted Easter this year.  The weather gods blessed us once again and the day was delightful from start to finish. We enjoyed delicious food, LOTS of strawberry-gin smash, (this year's signature cocktail), and TONS of giggles.
I got the parachute out for Grant and Luke, the little boys, but Ben and Ian quickly took it over and had all the adults at their mercy for twirling and shaking galore. 

Before everyone arrived, Ben found a big heap of goodies the Easter bunny had left.  His hunting skills need some refining. ;) You can watch a video here.

As per usual, I failed to snap pics of the tables before we dug in.

Thank goodness for tiny Tante the slide-wonder.

baby Luke

The new sandbox cover coming in handy for the "big boys" table.  

They took a break for scones and lemonade.

awww!

more love at the kids table

Heimer Kitten enjoyed a lot of the fun.

It's all fun and games when Jess gets the parachute out......

(continued thanks to the TS fam for this great gift)

sweet baby Grant

 Then the hunt began........

Ben would've been very content to stop after discovering this one candy.

MeeMee helped encourage him to keep hunting.

Jim requested some 4 generation pics with Great Grandma Lola so we got a group pic too.

(Blake, Betsy and Grant had already departed)

;)

I should've re-arranged my falling carrots.  

It's not often you actually get 3 little boys to look at the camera.

We had ham sandwiches and snacks throughout the afternoon and the fun didn't wrap up until after 6pm.  I am so thankful for the blessings of family and friends and especially the beautiful Spring weather that allowed us to gather outside and enjoy long-lasting fun and laughter.

spring mini-break

Not too shabby a view from our balcony

Thanks to our trip to Arizona in February with Papa Ken, I didn't feel too bad about not having any elaborate spring break plans.  I did keep my eyes peeled for bonus time at Grand Lodge in Breckenridge and the week before, was able to score a night.  I told Ryan that Ben and I were going with or without him and he managed to get a day off work so he and Ben could ski.  Ben and I could have extended our time a bit had Ryan not joined us, but we were thrilled he could.  We headed up early Tuesday morning, having been smart enough this time to rent skis in advance.  We were thinking about just getting Ryan a half day ticket, but at a whopping value of $118 instead of the full-day price of $149, Ryan got to ski all day.  Ben still skis free until he's 5 when tickets are $85!!!  Thankfully there's a new program where Colorado kids get 16 free days a year and as Ben skis more, Ryan will have to take advantage of a season pass.  I would NEVER spend $150 for a day of skiing, so I will likely one day have to jump back on the pass bandwagon.  I keep telling Ryan I have a pass to the hot-tub and that's all I need, but he won't buy it. ;)

We arrived just after the lifts opened and the boys got right after it.

Ben had to get his "ski-legs."

They make fabulous clips to keep kiddos ski's in the pizza shape.  Unfortunately, the brand-new ones we brought with us were broken.  I ran all over town and eventually borrowed the personal pair of a ski shop manager.  Thank-you to that angel who turned our whole day around!

Ben didn't particularly enjoy the pommel lift.

After the big lift, the day took a big turn in the positive direction.

There's a video with a little of Ben and a lot of Ryan skiing here. ;)

 The boys made two long runs using the big lift and Ben made great improvements.  We hit up a favorite spot, Empire Burger, for lunch and headed to Grand Lodge.  Ben and I headed for the pools and hot-tubs and Ryan skied right out the back door all afternoon until the lifts closed.  We I enjoyed drinks by the pool and we all enjoyed pizza and salad at the pool for dinner.  Swimming and pizza at the same time meant Ben was in hog heaven.

60 degrees and sunny made for perfect ski-watching.

 

Here's a clip of Ben enjoying the water slide face-first, just as someone directed him not to do. ;)

We did have to rise early and head back to Denver so Ryan could go to work but the escape was delightful and remarkably refreshing for such a short getaway.  I might just have to plan another Grand Lodge adventure soon.

A nice sunrise to bid us adieu