A Simple Pumpkin~

Well, another eventful month has flown by and Halloween is just around the corner. This morning we visited the pumpkin farm and went a little different route this year. Usually the pumpkin farm is an event.... an expensive, exhausting event! This year, we decided to visit a local farm to get our pumpkins.... no rides, no petting zoos, no bounce houses, no entrance fee and no crowds.....just a farm selling their produce. Pumpkins were $4 each, which is cheaper then at King Soopers, plus we also got some fruits, vegetables, and tamales!! The kids still had a great time picking their pumpkins, even without all the extra hoopla of past pumpkin farms. This is not to say that we will never visit the pumpkin farm with all the extra hoopla again, but this year simple was nice.

Changing seasons, changing times......

I haven't posted in over a month and now it's October! School is in full swing and fall is finally here. Don't get me wrong, Summers are amazing and we love the constant barbecues, swimming, camping, and the refreshing nature of "no school" that comes along with it. However, I will admit that I am excited for the less busy nature that fall brings. The weekends are now filled with football and crock-pots, homework and baking, Bloody Marys, movies and a possible nap every now and then.

Blake is having a great year and is loving life as a fourth grader. He recently took a rock climbing class, went fishing with dad, and he is playing fall baseball.

Alyssa has fully adjusted to Kindergarten and is back to her happy, independent self. She is starting to read and write and she is loving every minute of it! Alyssa is still taking gymnastics once a week and she is officially a pro on her bike!

Jacob is............well, Jacob is 2. He makes me wanna laugh and cry every day. Jacob is learning every minute of the day and the smarter he gets, the more independent he wishes to be. His fascination with trucks is growing and he is in love with his truck picture book! Listening to him say, car transporter, excavator, and big rig might just be the cutest thing ever! Recently, Jacob has found a new love, which we are trying to understand, watching golf?!?

Seth and I were able to spend a long weekend in Arizona while Seth was on business. Since Seth worked during the day, I was able to enjoy the sun and the pool, and we were able to spend some wonderful quality time together each evening. We are so grateful for everyone who helped us be able to get away and relax!

As far as Seth and I, we have been busy keeping up with our everyday juggling act. Seth has been working hard on a huge project at work and 14 credits is keeping me plenty busy. While we haven't had too much time for ourselves, Seth was able to go on a 4 day fishing trip near Aspen with Kevin and I attempted to hike to the top of Longs Peak.

I had talked about doing this all Summer, but when it came down to it it didn't look like it was going to happen. Luckily, Abby and her friend had decided to do the hike over Labor Day weekend and I was able to join them! It was mentally and physically exhausting, but one of the most gratifying experiences I have had in a long time. We left the house at 2 in the morning and signed the ranger station book shortly after 3, hiking in the dark with our headlamps. Since this was the first attempt at a hike of this nature we really didn't know what to expect, we set out hoping to reach the top but also knowing that there was a good chance that we wouldn't (only 30% of those who attempt, summit). We seemed to stop and go during the first half hour or so while our nerves continued to settle. Once we passed the tree line, we came into wind that none of us had anticipated, it was intense and not to mention there was still no sign of the sun. Needless to say, we were all pretty relieved when the sun peeked over the horizon. We needed it to warm up and we were hoping that it would help the wind to die down a bit.

We reached the Boulder Field (the 1st and 2nd picture above) around 7 and prepared to hike up to the keyhole, we were on schedule and felt confident that we would be able to summit at this point. However, as we hiked up the huge boulders we began to pass hikers on their way down, turned around by the wind. As we peeked through the keyhole, we were given a glimpse into the beauty that comes with hiking a 14er. It was breathtaking, not only the scenery but the view of the "trail" we still had ahead of us. The wind was fierce and after talking with more experienced hikers, we decided that today just wasn't our day. Although we were all a little disappointed, we also knew that it was the right decision. Many hikers we encountered along the way were on their second or third attempt to summit and we knew when we decided to turn around that we would be back. The way down was long and was more mentally trying, we no longer had the unknown ahead of us or the excitement of reaching the top. We finally reached the ranger station, exactly 8 hours after we had left.

The pictures don't do justice to the beauty of nature we saw, the quietness we encountered by being so far from civilization, and the extreme challenges we faced mentally and physically, but above are 4 pictures from the hike. The first two pictures are of the Boulder field, at the top of the 2nd picture you can see what looks like a keyhole. The 3rd picture is of the view past the keyhole. The 4th picture is a view on our way back down and the last picture is us starting our hike!

First day of Fourth Grade and Kindergarten!

Wow, It is hard to imagine that this day has really come and gone! Alyssa is in full day Kindergarten and Blake is in the fourth grade! How this happened, I don't know, but bittersweet is the best word I can come up with to describe it. It is so sad to see them grow up so quickly. However, we are so proud of them and just feel honored to be a part of this incredible journey!

Jacob still has another year and some potty training to do before Preschool, but like always he wants to do anything that the older kids. So, he got a new backpack and he likes to says that he is going to Grandma school! He gets to spend the day with Grandma Judy on Tuesday and Thursdays and on Friday mornings while I go to school!

Blake applied for, and was accepted as a member of the school's safety patrol team. He is so responsible and helpful, this is the perfect job for him! Alyssa has had a harder time than we expected adjusting to such a long day away from home. However, everyday gets a little bit easier for her and we know that in no time she will be her independent, joyful self at school!

Camping @ 11 Mile!!

We were able to go camping up 11 Mile Canyon again this year and it was absolutely beautiful! This years campground was the farthest up the canyon and it was breathtaking! The kids loved being able to walk down the road to visit Grandma Candy, Papa Tom, and Aunt Emily's camp site. The river provided hours of tubing and fishing entertainment for everyone and the massive rocks surrounding us were a great playground for the kids! We were also able to bring the kids bikes this trip and quickly realized we need to bring them every time! There was a hiking trail in the campground that led us to the tallest point surrounding us. The view was absolutely amazing and unlike anything I have ever seen face to face before!

Another wonderful camping trip this summer! Our last trip for of the year, but as sad as it is to say that, we has such a wonderful camping season! We camped more than we ever have in one Summer! The adventures were priceless and the natural beauty we got to spend time in was humbling to say the least, and we didn't even have to leave Colorado!

More Rocky Grass Pictures and Fishing Too!

Rock sculptures that were made throughout the day!





























The kids loved Rich's hat!















































The next morning we went on the Hope Floats fishing trip with my sister and parents!

Rocky Grass Pictures!

Giant hula hoops!
























Blake's raft he built in the craft tent!


















































Much need ice cream after a hard day of play!

Rocky Grass Festival

Kate and I would like to call ourselves true festivarians after this year's Rocky Grass Festival! What an amazing weekend, with amazing friends!








Friday was just for the big girls, Kate and I went to the festival and then camped nearby that night. It was some much needed quality time and was thoroughly enjoyed! We even had a rare encounter with a flamingo, which provided hours of entertainment in itself (it's a great story, you'll have to ask us about it!).

Saturday morning Seth, Rich, and the kids headed up to meet us at the festival. Kate and I got there early and set up camp for the day in an amazing spot next to the river. We were also able to snag a spot in the grass for when the sun went down.

The kids had a blast playing in the river and we all enjoyed the great blue grass music in such an awesome venue! They also had a kid's tent that provided crafts, face painting, hula hops, and what not. Not to mention, the whole festival was promoting sustainability, providing compost and recycling bins with people checking each item before it is allowed to be "thrown" away! It was a great group of people promoting great ideals, plus kids under 12 get free, always a plus in my book when you provide affordable family events!

Even more Pictures!

Seth's biggest fish yet, as you can see by his excited facial expression!





























































New Lego headlamps were a hit, thanks Kevin and Kristi!

More Pictures!

The view was literally breathtaking all around us! Not sure if the pictures do justice, but here they are!

Our not so perfect camping trip

We can add another memorable camping trip to the list! They can't all be perfect, in fact none are, and in reality these are the trips that we will always remember and wonder how we made it through! These are the trips that slow us down and in the end make us stronger and more appreciative for the little things we often take for granted.... like our health!

This year we decided to venture to the Rio Grande National Forest outside of Alamosa, our longest car trip by far at 6 hours of driving plus bathroom breaks. The kids did great which proved to us that longer car trips are now a possibility, an exciting prospect for many future trips!

This area was the most beautiful landscape I have ever seen in person! It was so peaceful and the campsite we finally decided on was perfect (We visited 4 other campgrounds before reaching our final destination, Camp Fork)! Besides the large amount of constantly swarming bugs, we were literally in a paradise.

Well, Alyssa was our first sickie...... some type of stomach bug hit her during our first night there. Luckily, she was able to rest and recover within about 12 hours and was back to herself in no time! Jacob was our second little sickie and unfortunately he didn't have as quick of a recovery..... he had a fever for about 12 hours and had no energy. The next morning we discovered that Jacob had blisters all over the back of his bright red throat (he kept saying his tongue hurt while eating)!! We were able to keep him hydrated with Gatorade, hot chocolate, and oatmeal which was somewhat bearable for him to swallow! Finally, the bug hit me on our last night and let's just say that the drive home was made even longer by my need for sudden stops along the side of the road! Although we were exhausted and feeling somewhat defeated by all of the excitement, we finally made it home! (Blake got sick the following night, Seth was the only one to escape the bug~ and luckily Kevin and Kristi too!)

Despite what I have made sound like an awful trip, overall we actually had a great time.... the kids were amazing and really proved what troopers they are! Seth, Kevin, and Blake caught a lot of fish on the Conejos River and although Kristi and I we were pretty much stuck at our campsite with one sickie after another, we still managed to enjoy the beauty around us and somehow stay sane despite all of the bugs, crazed chipmunks, and our loss of a wine opener when it was needed the most! In fact, the humming bird feeder and river provided hours of entertainment for all of us!

I think that we were all forced to enjoy a different side of camping this year. Although we didn't get to hike and explore much of the surrounding area like we normally do, we were able to savor our time lying around and relaxing with one another, which is unfortunately a hard thing to come by nowadays with our busy grown up schedules!

Thanks to Kevin and Kristi who still stick with us year after year, we have another adventure to add to our long list that will continue to grow over the years. We are so thankful for our friendship, which is much more like a family thanks to experiences like these! We all love you both and can't imagine our lives without you! Here is to many more memorable trips and experiences!