Meet The Rifs

Visit to Tucson

The first weekend of April we went to visit Grandma Rita in Tucson.

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We had a great trip to the zoo!

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Dylan got to ride an elephant and...

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...Feed a giraffe!!

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He really wanted to run around with the rhinos and cranes.

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Jamie and Rita near the lion's den.

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Pensive Dylan.

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Popcorn is now Dylan's absolute favorite snack.

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"PopCORN!"

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Dylan, Daddy and Grandma chased Jamie up Sabino Canyon.

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And Jamie lapped us, twice!

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Dylan logged some good pool time in Tucson. We'll have to make sure we are diligent about bringing him this summer.

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Dylan got to drive Grandma's golf cart! Note to grandparents, get a golf cart!

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Jamie and Dylan looking tres chic in their cart.

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Dylan very ready to go to the pool.

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Dylan and Daddy.

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Rita, Jamie, Ben and Dylan hungry and happy.

Thanks for a fantastic weekend, Grandma Rita!

Warmer Days and Snow Fun in Denver

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When we had a brief warm spell in March, Dylan and Dad took a long bike ride. Dylan loved it! Such a great change of pace from last summer when it was a huge struggle to get Dylan wearing his helmet or into the chariot.

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Getting up close and personal with the bear at the zoo.

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Dylan and Dad sledding at Jefferson Park.

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Dylan, Jamie and Shawn.

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Working on his underhand throws.

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Zack, Dylan and Landon working on a snowman.

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Juice break.

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Dylan relived the thrills of Stair Chute when he went sledding SOLO!

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He loved sledding so much he actually carried his sled back to the top of the hill numerous times.

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Landon, Sofia, Dylan and Zack.

Grandma and Grandpa Rifkin Visit and Trip to Crested Butte

Grandma Laura and Grandpa Michael came to visit at the end of February/beginning of March.

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Dylan dragged Grandpa straight to a Guitar Hero Thunderdome - Two Men Enter, One Man Leaves!

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Grandma and Dylan trying to stay warm on a chilly zoo visit.

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Besides the monkeys and lions, "train" is clearly Dylan's favorite zoo mammal.

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Dylan was tentative to rip down the Headwall at Crested Butte. He preferred wandering in and out of the snow cave near our condo.

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Grandma and Grandpa at the top of the mountain on a crystal clear day.

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Ben and Jamie riding the t-bar on the way to earning their turns - and remembering that it's been awhile since they've skied anything with consequences...

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Wandering around Crested Butte after a long day.

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"HOT!" There were two big firepits in the village at the base of Crested Butte. Dylan loved throwing small chunks of snow into the flames and watching them sizzle and melt. He was very aware that the flames were hot and reminded us incessantly!

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Dylan and Jamie with Mt. Crested Butte in the background.

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"Stair Chute" was Dylan's first foray into freeskiing. Lest you discount this chute for it's carpeted steeps and don't believe it holds muster with more famous runs such as Corbet's Couloir, I'll provide a few points for consideration: while Stair Chute is significantly shorter than Corbet's, it is still a 45-degree pitch, extremely narrow and ended in a mound of electronics and cables. Lest you doubt Dylan's cojones in the matter, neither Ben nor Jamie attempted the run...

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Dylan took his extreme skills to the slopes with Grandpa.

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A word to parents wanting to initiate their young children to skiing: start with the vehicles. Dylan couldn't get enough of the groomer's "beep, beep, beep."

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"Muh SKIIIIIIS!"

Thank you Grandpa and Grandma for an unforgettable week!

"First Day" on Skis

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Dylan had been stomping around the house with his ski boots before his skis actually came and he was pretty excited to start sliding around.

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He really liked getting pulled around. At first, he tried to walk/run as we pulled him, but then he figured out it was easier to just get dragged around.

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And then it was time to go inside. But, not to worry, because in a week we'll be going to Crested Butte.

D-Man Takes D-Town

We've had a weird winter, which is to say normal for Denver, but completely schizophrenic by anyone else's standards. Keeping ourselves and Dylan occupied is a full-time affair.

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Painting at the children's museum.

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Veterinary clinic at the children's museum. Dylan loved pounding away at the keyboard.

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Train room at the museum.

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Post-museum, Dylan trolled the playground for other kids' projects. He found this "car" and promptly tore it apart!

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A stroll in the park.

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Aquarium play room.

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Working on his fastball in the backyard.

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Trying on Dad's shoes... Dylan quickly took them off when he learned of the fiduciary responsibility that comes with big, fancy shoes.

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If pictures generally tell 1,000 words, this one also includes tens of thousands of skin cells. After falling at daycare and getting a cut just below his eye, Dylan came home and gouged Dad's face, and then got in a fight at daycare to get the scratch above his eye. We were a mess for a couple weeks.

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Dylan loves crawling into things - clothes hamper, boxes, dog bed, etc. His toy basket is especially appealing because to climb into it, he first has to empty it out!