October's Official!

We welcomed October this week! Hooray! Bring on the holidays! It's also about this time of year, at least for the last 7 years, that I start work on compiling and printing our family's "blog book." I do them from Labor Day to Labor Day, and this year's no exception. It's so fun to look back through our old blog posts-- from last Fall 2014 to the end of this Summer 2015. What an amazing, exciting, fun year we had that was just full of changes! I've just finished editing the entries covering our Disney World trip, and man, I've got the Disney itch! One thing I noticed was that although I loved how much time I spend on vacation/travel posts, my favorite posts were just the ordinary, everyday ones, where I got to see what we were up to in our "regular ol' lives."   

In honor of that, here are some fun pics I took of the ordinary, every day stuff from last week! Jon and I took Leah to Chick fil A for lunch one afternoon. We were bored, she was bored, and we all needed a little trip out of the house. She is too cute! 

Zachary is extremely artistic-- he loves to draw and color, and can spend hours working on what he calls his "masterpieces." He made this one for his teacher, who is a Bronco's fan. I love his little football players! He is great at to add details. I need to post more of his work. 

Since last month Jon and I visited Zach at lunch, it was only fair to visit Lucy as soon as I could! I didn't tell her beforehand, so she was super surprised when I showed up waiting in front of her cafeteria door! I love this 3rd grader!

They did a letter writing unit in school, and this is what we got in the mail: "Dear Mom and Dad, Thank you for cheering me up when I was crying because I missed Josh and Luke. I am so thankful that you are my Mom and Dad. You have been very comforting and special to me. I love you very much even when I'm mad! I appreciate you especially when you give great and wonderful things for my birthday. You're brilliant in every way. Yours Truly, Lucy" 

I'll take a letter like that ANY day!

For General Conference weekend, Lucy got to spend the night Saturday night at cousin Sophie's house. She was thrilled!! Jon went to the Priesthood session, so I took Zach on a date (with Leah too, of course) to dinner. He picked Kneaders, which is also what Lucy had picked the Saturday before incidentally, but I didn't mind because it's close and we love their food. He was thrilled to get this Halloween cookie as his treat!

We went home and watched a Halloween movie together, and then I made an overnight pumpkin french toast bake-- that turned out more like a bread pudding. We put it in the oven Sunday morning before Conference and had a delicious fall breakfast in no time! 

This goofy kid loved it, and his hot chocolate!

We listened to the awesome messages of Conference, and worked on this Christmas pendant banner for the piano.

And Lucy and Zach made this cute felt Halloween banner for our counter. They did awesome!

That night after Conference we invited Jeremy and Kylene's family over for dinner, which happened to be an Oktoberfest feast! I pulled out my old wiener schnitzel recipe from my rusty bag of Study Abroad tricks (Jon swears I haven't made it since we were dating back in 2004-- and he's probably right), whipped up some German potato salad, a Greek salad (that's European, right?), threw in some pretzel rolls, and we had ourselves a meal to remember!  

My kids loved their first wiener schnitzel! But really, who doesn't love a deep fried piece of pork?? 

Miss Leah, waiting for her dinner!

I even baked up a Sachertorte for dessert. It's an old cake (like the recipe dates back to the 1700's-- made by a 16 year old baker's apprentice to impress the King, or so the story goes) that you can really only find in Vienna. It's a bittersweet chocolate cake with an apricot glaze in between layers, and then a dark chocolate ganache on top. Traditionally it's  served with fresh unsweetened whipped cream on top. We used to buy a piece before heading home late at night after attending the opera, because the Hotel Sacher is right across the street from the Opera House. The taste brought back lots of fun memories. Maybe we'll just have to make our impromptu Oktoberfest a tradition!

A ColoRADo Camping Trip!

Yes! You read that correctly. We went CAMPING-- and I even did so without fear and trepidation mostly willingly!! I feel like my Dad would be proud. Jon says I owe him for every time we went to the beach while living in NC, but I am in no way agreeing to that (at least not yet) so I think he'd better take what he can get.

We left Friday right after school and headed towards Arapahoe National Forest near Black Hawk, CO. We hit rush hour weekend traffic, and didn't get to the campsite until almost 6:30 p.m. We'd picked up Jimmy John's on the way up and before we'd done anything, we enjoyed our picnic dinner before the sun set!

Jon was a beast and got the tent and most of our camp set up while the kids and I were eating dinner, so by the time we were done I wanted to walk over to the vista really quick to see if we could catch the sunset. We knew the fall colors would be pretty this time of year, but in fact, they were SPECTACULAR!

There were aspens interspersed everywhere with all the evergreens, and when the sun would hit the gold leaves, the whole tree would just GLOW. It was breathtaking!

Walking right into the sunset with the aspens on fire! It is truly such a shame to not have a good camera that can do these kinds of pictures justice! The majesty of those mountains (which were much closer in real life) is totally lost in these flat, 1-dimensional pictures. The whole sky was just glowing gold and pink. Alas!

We headed back to camp and Jon made us a roaring fire and we bundled the kids up against the chilly mountain air! We roasted s'mores and told ((semi))-scary ghost stories (Zach has bad dreams) and Leah reminded us all several times that "there are NO bears in Colorado!" The older kids had seen signs posted all over the campground warning about bears so every time we heard ANY noise.... Well, you get the picture. Leah was totally freaked out. 

We made our s'mores with these pumpkin marshmallows I'd found at Target. They were still vanilla flavored, but I don't know if it was their size or shape or the extra food dye, but they made the BEST s'mores I've ever had!! They roasted up so perfectly and were just the right size! Highly recommend.

Leah wasn't feeling great that day-- a mild fever and a little cranky, so she and I headed to bed in the back of the van pretty early. The other kids and Jon stayed up longer and played card games and told more stories--and they slept in the tent. My least favorite thing about camping is that you just never seem to sleep very good! Despite being plenty warm, and having a nice cozy bed, Leah woke up probably 10 times-- partly due to noisy neighbors, and partly due to the full moon being so super bright (the almost super moon)! It was literally like someone was shining a flashlight into the car! She kept saying, "Mom! Turn that light out!" it was that bright. Jon said he woke up in the middle of the night to get some water and he didn't even need his flashlight to see outside.

Rise and shine! Jon enjoying another pumpkin mallow s'more as an early breakfast horderves. 

We had a fantastic breakfast with pancakes, eggs, bacon, and hot chocolate. We'd brought up a propane burner but it was not working very well, so we ended up cooking everything over an open fire and despite the eggs getting a little overdone, it turned out great.

Once we'd packed up camp (I know, I know! So much work for hardly even being there!) we hiked up this little hill to an overlook at the top of the mountain. We got a great view of the surrounding mountains and the fall colors!

Here's the sleep-deprived Naughtykins herself! On our hike she also reminded us that there are "NO snakes or crocodiles in Colorado either." Well, she is right about the crocodiles. 

Even though short and sweet I'd like to suggest that our first Colorado camp-out was in fact, a roaring success.

Before heading back home, we wanted to check out Black Hawk and Central City, which were both booming mining towns during the silver and gold rushes, but have become old "ghost towns" that have been preserved and revitalized into some pretty cool historical locations. Back in its heyday Central City was home to thousands of miners, but now has a population of about 500 people. This was the Teller House, which was one of the first hotels in Colorado-- and where President Grant came to stay shortly after the Civil War.

The Central City Opera House built in 1878 by local gold miners-- which attracted performances by legends such as Buffalo Bill and PT Barnum's Circus.

The once-abandoned Presbyterian Church located right off Main Street. 

 Main Street, USA! Just kidding-- but it really did kind of look like Main Street USA at Disney World. It was a very picturesque ghost town-- I think my kids were picturing something a bit more decrepit! Lucy loved learning about it though.

Coeur d'Alene Mine Shaft which operated from 1885-1940, harvesting gold, silver, copper, and lead. Tours were closed for the summer, but I'm sure we'll be back!

We decided we'd better stop for lunch at Cafe Rio since we happened to be driving right by on our way home. I don't know for certain, but I think it's safe to say that any camping trip that involves Cafe Rio at the end of it will definitely get my stamp of approval!

The Rhythm of Life!

We've made our official entrance into that most-blessed season of fall, and as the seasons march on, we are slowly but surely beginning to really fall into the rhythm of life over here in Colorado. We're naturally beginning to get into the swing of things, establishing a schedule, meeting more and more new friends and neighbors, settling into school, and making the most of our time here in the Rockies. 

With Jon off work every couple of days due to their rotating schedule, it's given us way more opportunities to do things together during the day-- which also includes the kids! We stopped by Zach's lunch time to surprise him and say "hi" before he rushed out to recess.

He was totally surprised to see us, but not embarrassed enough to not give us hugs and kisses. I just can't even express how proud I am of this little man! He is trying SO hard in first grade-- and really growing up and maturing. We love him! We'll have to surprise Lucy next time...

I finally got my house all decorated for Halloween, which the kids had been asking for since probably about mid-August. They loooooove Halloween, and Leah has known since day one that she's going to be Rapunzel, but the other two are still thinking carefully about it. They'd better hurry up! October is just around the corner.

Last Saturday was Jon's weekend to work, so while he headed off bright and early to the office, the kids and I had a super busy morning! Before we dropped Lucy off at her sewing class, we had our traditional Saturday morning breakfast of pancakes and hot chocolate (nevermind Leah's grumpy face and refusal to get dressed, ha, ha!).

Lucy attended my friend Laura's beginner sewing class where they learned to make their own fold-up wallets, and she absolutely loved it. She's been bit by the sewing bug and has been experimenting with my sewing machine all week. The class was in Aurora, so while we waited for her the kids and I ran errands to Old Navy.

While I was shopping for maternity jeans, Zach snapped this picture of Leah, which I thought was hilarious. She is SUCH a character, and now that she's talking more and more she says some of the funniest things (see the sidebar for examples)! 

We ran a few more errands, got Lucy picked up, and then we headed to one of our gyms (we are in the midst of a gym crisis trying to figure which one is the best fit!) where they have free rock climbing on Saturdays.  

The kids absolutely LOVE it. This is the second time we've been and they basically know now how to clip themselves in, and the ropes automatically rappel, so they get right down to business. I am amazed how strong and coordinated they both are! Zach gets about halfway up and could go further, but chickens out when he looks down. I bet he'll get to the top next time.

Lucy is our daredevil and can make it all the way to the top. Such adventurous kids we have! It's great exercise and really gives them a sense of accomplishment. 

Jon finished up work, and we met Jeremy and Kylene (and cousins) for Parker's annual Oktoberfest. Unfortunately it was basically just booths with alcohol and beer tastings and a lot of drunk people, so we decided to head down the road and get some frozen yogurt instead. Doesn't Leah look so grown up?

Cheese! Zach and mommy (+baby belly) selfie! It was super yummy frozen yogurt and an awesome way to end our Saturday.

Sunday morning beauty shot! She looks like she could have fit right in at the Oktoberfest in one of Lucy's old dresses. She has been a TERROR lately! Ughh. Not sleeping well at night, super ornery during the day, refusing to nap, refusing to eat, refusing to put her buckles on in the car, basically just being a normal 2-year old. I'm hoping it's just her subconscious getting it ALL out before she turns 3 in a month and transforms into a little angel again!

Such lovely children!! I swear they get bigger by the minute. Am I lucky or what?? (And no, Zach's cheesy grin is not lost on me. Ha Ha!)

Speaking of children, I had my first full ultrasound this past week and they dropped the bombshell that this baby is a GIRL!! I was TOTALLY shocked. Dumbfounded. I have "guessed" the gender with all 3 of my babies and up and until this point, was 3 for 3 at guessing correctly! I have felt since day one that my "mother's intuition" on this baby was that it was a boy, had dreams about it being a boy, the pregnancy was most similar to Zach's, even the kids all said it was a boy, etc. etc. etc. But when Heavenly Father gives you a surprise, it really IS a surprise!! We are THRILLED to have another sweet little baby girl join the fam!

Here's her cute little mug shot. She is totally healthy and looks great-- 10 fingers, 10 toes, adorable little nose and lips, and all curled up with crossed legs and hands over her face the whole time. Can't wait to meet her!

Jon, Leah, and I went on an impromptu breakfast date when Jon had Wednesday morning off, down in Denver at the "Denver Biscuit Company." It was featured on Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives for its "mile high" monster biscuits.

They're only open for breakfast and lunch, and they have lots of wacky sandwich combinations-- as well as biscuit cinnamon rolls that looked amazing. We stayed pretty traditional and got the "Dahlia" which had housemade sausage, apple butter, a fried egg, and maple syrup. Yum!

They failed to mention their housemade sausage was really, really spicy-- or at least too spicy for a pregnant lady, because I only made it about halfway through before I cried uncle. I think it was just right for Jon though!

As I mentioned before, we're in a bit of a gym dilemma. We joined Lifetime Fitness which is close to home and has TONS of amenities (the rock climbing, swim team, water park, kids yoga, etc.), but doesn't feature any of the Les Mills group classes I teach and is super expensive. So I kept looking, and found the Colorado Athletic Club which is much further away, but DOES have the classes I teach, and they hired me as a sub, so it's FREE for me! I just taught my FIRST Body Pump class since June this week, and even though it was just as a sub-- it felt GREAT to teach again! Hopefully it works its way into something a little more permanent.... Fingers crossed!

Last night was the first time I got to take Lucy to the General Women's Broadcast since in North Carolina it didn't start until 8 and was just too late to have her out. We met Kylene and Sophie for a "girls" dinner at Kneaders before it started.

We took a selfie in the church parking lot since we were matchers in our orange dresses. She is SUCH a lovely young woman! I LOVED having her there and getting to sit by her as the speakers celebrated women!

I taught my second Gospel Doctrine class this morning, and even though it is super intimidating and totally stresses me out, I've really enjoyed taking time out during the week to prepare a lesson. I'm sure it's more for me than anything else, but it just goes to show Heavenly Father helps us do really hard things. Like get up in front of a packed room full of people twice your age and twice as smart, 5+ months pregnant, and teach a class about 2nd Corinthians when all you've ever taught before is nursery. Or move across the country, or say goodbye to friends again for the 4th time in 8 years, or settle into a new life in Colorado-- all things are possible. And wasn't this a beautiful sunset to end our week with?