Knitting Grandma: My trip to Denver

I just spent the most wonderful six days in Denver taking care of my granddaughter, Ruthie. What a little doll! She was such a good girl while her mommy and daddy were vacationing in Hawaii. And what fun we had! Grandma Kate, Jon's mom, was there until Wednesday. I arrived on Tuesday. A 19 month old sure can keep you busy - it was pretty much non-stop.

Wednesday, after our trip to take Grandma Kate to the airport, we stopped at WalMart on the way home. Oh dear, I should have known not to take Ruthie down the toy aisles, but what are grandmas for if they can't spoil the kids a bit. We ended up getting a really cute Fischer Price chair with a side table and lamp that has a story book on it. It plays music and does counting and alphabet too. To go along with that, we got the cutest Leap Frog train - all the cars connect by magnets and it, too, is a learning toy. Ruthie loves sitting in her chair - it's just her size.

On Thursday, I took Ruthie to the zoo. This was her second time in a few days, but of course, she didn't mind. It was a beautiful day and we spent over three hours walking around and looking at all the animals. We rode on the train and the carousel and ate animal cookies. I am certain that Ruthie's favorite area was a huge room with a step where you could go up to the glass and watch the Orangutans and the Gorillas. She was fascinated by what was going on and with the step. Up and down, up and down - for an hour! It wasn't easy getting her out of there.

On Friday, we went to the Denver Children's Museum. Oh my goodness, this place was wonderful. Ruthie's curiosity and sense of adventure is fabulous to watch. She tried out everything. The museum has different rooms with different activities. In one room, there is a veterinary office with stuffed dogs and cats and "medical equipment." Here is our "Dr. Ruth"!

We also saw a real fire engine there. Here is Ruthie - the fireman...

Last but, not least, Ruthie had her first painting experience. To my surprise, she is quite the little artist and here is her first painting, which I framed for her mommy and daddy.