Monday, July 28, 2008

Lesson Learned

I won't leave my glasses lying around where the kids can reach them. Not only are the lenses out, but one of the nose pieces is MIA. Good thing our new insurance starts on Friday and includes vision.

Sunday, July 27, 2008

Jeepin

Yesterday, Andy (Cody's boss) let us borrow his jeep to go off-roading up in the mountains. It was a blast! The kids loved the fact that there were no windows or doors. Tucker is always begging to roll down his window, so this was a real treat for him. We went back to the place that Cody and Andy went on Friday. It was beautiful. It felt like the Sound of Music to me. You know, at the end, when they are crossing the mountains. It was awesome!

In the background is Colorado Springs. The views were great! We hiked to a tiny reservoir that was just a bit more up the mountain.

We rarely get a picture together anymore. Tucker did a pretty good job with this one don't ya think?
Aubrey was bounced right to sleep as we drove up the mountain.
We thought it would be fun to get in some shooting practice while we were out.
I love the smell of gunpowder and fireworks and thought it was cool that you can see the smoke in the pictures.

Friday, July 25, 2008

Viva la Vida

Ah the life of a dentist. I have the greatest job ever. I get to work with my hands every day, I get to use medical knowledge for diagnosis and treatment, I help people get out of pain and have beautiful smiles, the pay isn't too shabby, and I have a 4 day work week. My weekend starts at 3:00 Thursday afternoon. Not too bad.
Today my boss Andy and I took his new Polaris Rzr up to the south side of Pikes Peak. That thing can scream around the corners. It's a blast.
We took it through stream crossings, over boulders, and up the steepest inclines we could find. At one point we even tipped it over. Here's Andy hanging loose as I got out to tip it back over.

It was a fun morning in the mountains, smelling the pines and aspens while enjoying the views and wheeling around in the Rzr.

Thursday, July 24, 2008

Meet Tommy

Meet Tommy. Tommy is a box turtle. He was found in some rocks at Daddy's work. Daddy's boss told him he could take Tommy home. Mommy was so excited. I like to hold Tommy and take him out of his tank. I played with him in the grass with my friends.
Isn't he cute?
Aubrey and I think Tommy is the best pet. I fed him carrots, broccoli, tomatoes and some sprinkles. Tommy doesn't really like his tank though. He keeps trying to get out, but can't go anywhere because it's glass. Mommy says we need to take him back to his family. His Mommy and Daddy are missing him.
Mommy took us on a run to an open space. I took Tommy out of his box and set him on the ground.
Tommy walked away to find his family. We went back later to see if Tommy was still there. He wasn't. Tommy must have found his Mommy and Daddy.
Now I am sad. I want Tommy back, but Mommy says he is happier with his family. Daddy says he'll buy me another turtle. I can't wait until he gets home from work today!

No Water Fun

I thought I'd be a fun mom and take my kids to a water spray ground. This is what they should have been doing. This is what they did. Not quite like I had pictured it. Maybe next year.

Friday, July 18, 2008

Poppa on airpane!

Poppa is how Tucker affectionately likes to call my mom. For some reason he will never say "Grandma". So, all his grandparents are "Poppa's". Oh well, hopefully someday he'll get the names right. Anyway, my Mom flew into town Tuesday night to come for a visit. We've been having tons of fun showing off our new city to her.

**By the way, I have completely forgotten to mention this in previous posts, but for those that remember or know my sister, Heather, she's engaged! Yeah! She's getting married on August 19th in the Bountiful Temple. The main reason for my mom to come out was to fit me for my dress. My mom is making all the bridesmaid and family dresses and since she wants everything to be done before we arrive, we had her come out and visit.**

Wednesday, we went by Cody's office, (which by the way, we received our first paycheck yesterday! Hurray! Money!) then we went to Garden of the Gods and walked around and had lunch. When Cody got home from work (3:00 baby!) I took my mom to go get her first pedicure. It was so fun! Now we have pretty toes, although I don't think I have cute feet at all, at least my toes are cute!
Thursday we went shopping and then after the kids naps we drove up to the top of Pikes Peak. We wanted to finally try their famous donuts, but apparently they ran out of vegetable oil and couldn't make any. Duh! How do you run out of vegetable oil when you are a tourist attraction and advertise for donuts!
For those of you that don't know, America the Beautiful was written atop Pikes Peak.
This morning we went to the zoo. It was fun like always. Tucker finally got the courage to feed the "baby" giraffes today. Notice how he is sticking his tongue out as well.
They had a bird exhibit where they had hundreds of birds flying all around you. You could buy a seed stick and the birds would come and sit on it and eat. Tucker was terrified!
The birds liked Cody, they went from his hand and arm to his neck and started pecking at him.
Aubrey couldn't get enough of the birds. She tried her best to catch the birds.
That's about it for now. We've been having fun and the kids love having someone to play with. Cody and I are going on our first Colorado date tonight and are going to see Dark Knight! Can't wait!

Wednesday, July 16, 2008

Such A Geek

Ok, I know many of you think that I am the coolest guy in the world, and I understand that in Bryce's eyes I can do no wrong. What, with my styling buzzed hair do, my glowing white skin, and my bulging muscles. As much as I hate to shatter the super suave image that everyone has of me, there is a dorkier, geeky side to me.
I have had a TON of spare time the past several months. I finished up all my requirements essentially last December for graduation and by early January had finished all my board exams. In January I found that the multiple hours a week I had previously dedicated to studying, now needed to be filled with a new hobby. With that extra time I had on my hands, I decided that I would give in to the temptations of my friend Jeremy and dive into the World Of Warcraft. I have always wanted to play it since it came out, but I didn't want to sacrifice my study time while in college or dental school by doing so. Now that I didn't have to worry about failing any courses or exams I immersed myself into WoW as it is called. And it is a whole lot of fun, if you are the gaming type.
I chose to play a human paladin. Mostly because horde is ugly and evil, and the players who choose that faction are generally 30 something dorks who live in their parents basement and wear an XXL t-shirt that they shoplifted from the store.
In the last 6 months that I have been playing I have been able to level up my paladin to the max (level 70) and get him some sweet, epic gear for both healing and damage. Meaning that I can go into a big group and be either a healer or killer.
Those days of no responsibilities outside my wife and children are now gone though, as I have begun work full time. I can no longer play mid-day when the kids are napping, so I am forced to scale back on my playing. But, the purpose of this post was to come out of the closet, so to speak. That's right, I am a gaming geek, and I admit it.

Monday, July 14, 2008

The day has FINALLY arrived!

After months of waiting around for graduation and lately for his license to come in, Cody has officially started working! Hurray! His start date was supposed to be 2 weeks ago, but was pushed back because the NERBS (northeast regional boards) messed up on sending all his scores to Colorado. But finally the day is here. Cody is now a working dentist! I'm so proud of him and all the hardwork he put in to earn his degree. Now he can bring home the bacon instead of me with my measly clogging paychecks!

Last night we were invited to the Egberts home here in Colorado Springs. They graduated 2 years ago from dental school at the University of Maryland. They invited 2 other couples that graduated then as well. It was so fun to see our old friends and catch up on everybody's lives. The picture below is of the Adams family.
This is the Egbert family. And unfortunately I was changing a dirty diaper when the Sonntags left. Everyone looked great and hopefully we'll be able to get together often.

Saturday, July 12, 2008

Fun Festivities

Every year my family (Foster's) goes to the Oakley 4th of July parade and rodeo. Unfortunately we missed out this year. We decided to catch the Pikes Peak Parade and Rodeo instead. The parade was actually held in the evening, which was a first for me. Cody absolutely hates parades, so it was nice that he wanted to go and take the family. Tucker had a bit of a listening problem the night of the parade and once he had his candy, he spent his time in the bottom of the stroller, his choice. Now that we live in the land of armed servicemen it's been really neat to see how patriotic the people get. When these guys marched by you, everyone stood up and applauded to show their respect and gratitude.
Just a neat picture of men riding Texas longhorns.
Thursday night we headed to the rodeo. We had extremely crappy seats because we only bought our tickets the day before, but the before festivities were what the kids loved anyway. Here they are petting the "piggies".

The Cheyenne Mountain Zoo had a booth and they brought some of their animals. Apparently Tucker and Cody are holding the "friendliest" rattlesnake. I was impressed the kids even touched it. I am behind the camera for a reason!
I take the kids on a run about 3 times a week (post to come later)and we usually see "bunny rabbits" along the way. They loved the fact that they could get in the cage and pet this one. Aubrey is not so gentle in her petting, but loves the animals!
The rodeo was entertaining but not a very good show. There wasn't hardly anyone who actually rode an animal for 8 seconds or roped a cow, etc. The nice thing was they started with Bull Riding, which is my favorite part, the Oakley rodeo ends with it. Again, no one stayed on the bulls, but oh well, still fun. We lasted about an hour into the event and then decided to take the kids home. When I asked Tucker the next day if he had fun at the rodeo seeing all the horses, he kept talking about the pigs, snakes and bunny rabbits. I guess I should just keep taking him to the zoo!

Thursday, July 10, 2008

Aubrey

Our little girl is now 15 months old. She went in for her checkup yesterday and surprisingly only weighed 21lbs. 8 oz. I thought for sure she would weigh over 25lbs. At her 1 year checkup she weighed 22lbs. 4oz. I guess she's thinning out. Not that she was ever chunky, but all her running around and going up and down stairs has thinned her out a bit. She's the same height also. 31 inches. Of course, we saw a new doctor, their scales could be different, etc. but it looks like Aubrey is just the same. The only outward physical difference you can see in her is probably her hair. It is getting so long and I LOVE it!


I have been having a blast trying fun new things for her hair. Of course, it only lasts until she takes a nap or we go anywhere in the car. Then her hands automatically reach up and start pulling the rubberbands out. It drives me crazy! She kind of is getting a mullet look because of it. All the hairs in the front of her head are short because she pulls her hair out and her back hair is long, long, long! I've thought about just not doing rubberbands for awhile, but then her hair would be in her eyes all day long. That drives me crazy too.

This is a typical Aubrey look at the end of the day. Hair is everywhere and she's goofing off with Tucker.
Apparently they thought they were hilarious and started eating their shoes. Aubrey loves dogs and is always barking when she sees one, she knows the sounds for a duck and cow and probably lots of others, but those are the most common. She is climbing everywhere, which is fine with me because she is 15 months old and not 12 like Tucker was. She eats great! Loves all fruits and veggies. She is a screamer and if she doesn't get her way that's what you frequently hear in our house. We're trying to help her learn to stop that habit, but all that does is produce a round of crying. She usually plays well with Tucker with some exceptions like when Tucker wrestles her down and lays on her. She's not a fan of that and more screams follow. She also loves to give kisses and she's been so fun to have in our house!

Wednesday, July 9, 2008

All Sides

I'm really excited for the release of the new O.A.R. album - All Sides. I have been anxious for this release since some of these songs were first recorded on the live album at Madison Square Gardens. Even though the album doesn't hit the stores until July 15th, you can listen to the entire thing on VH1's The Leak. It has some great songs on it that I think most people would really like if they give it a chance. Some of my personal favorites are Shattered and Something Coming Over. Enjoy the tunes from the boys out of Rockville, Maryland!

Saturday, July 5, 2008

the 4th

We started our 4th of July out by attending our ward's annual breakfast. We are slowly starting to meet some couple's in our ward and had a fun time socializing and enjoying good food that we didn't have to prepare!
We hungout at home for most of the rest of the day. I did some shopping at Joann's (by the way I have updates on Pieces by Lisa), and then after dinner we headed to Memorial Park which is in downtown Colorado Springs. It is next to Prospect Lake which is an actual lake you can go boating on. We walked around, people watched (have to admit the people were kind of trashy), and settled down on the grass for a bit to let the kids run around and play.


Click on Cody's picture and notice his nice scratched up nose. He went mountain biking the previous day and had a run in with a tree!
After the kids played for a bit we walked back to our car, got some ice cream and headed to our friends house the Christensen's to watch the fireworks from their back deck. They were out of town, but graciously told us that they didn't mind if we used their deck. We were able to see fireworks from all over the Springs and had fun with our little family.

Thursday, July 3, 2008

Scenic

This is what I get to see when I go mt. biking/hiking. Only 15 minutes from our house too. What are your trails like?