Fall Break Fabulosity!

I absolutely love that they do Fall Break here! We never got that living in North Carolina, nor in Idaho when I was growing up. The weather here in October (as opposed to Spring Break) is what you would call PERFECTION, and since we start school so early on in August it comes just when you need it. Thanksgiving break doesn't seem so far away now.... 

On Leah's last day of preschool before Fall Break, she received her class's "Hoot Hoot Hooray" award. She was thrilled! She earned it for "always being kind and for helping her friends finish their puzzles." Boy is it nice having all these award-winning kids! 

Jon flew to Utah Thursday night the 6th, for a 2-day CE course in Sandy. Fall Break started Friday the 7th, so I was on my own with 4 kids all day Friday and Saturday. Let's just say that single parenting isn't for the faint of heart! Both Lucy and Zach had their last soccer and football games, respectively, and both their teams won! A great high note to end a fun season on.

Jon got home super late Saturday night, and by Sunday morning I was sure glad to have reinforcements! This little beauty was also pretty excited to see her daddy. I love dressing her up for church on Sundays.

After church I hurried downtown to pick up Whitney who'd flown in to Denver on Saturday and was staying with her old college roommate Katie. She was also on Fall Break and decided to come spend part of it with us. Woohoo! I think these happy faces say it all! 

We'd bought stuff to make caramel apples so as soon as dinner was cleaned up and put away we pulled out the apples and melted the caramel and divvied out all the fixin's. The kids were on a MAJOR Dad's-home-Whitney's-here-sugar-rush-fall-break-kick-off-party high! 

Yum! As soon as the chocolate and caramel set we dug right in and my little sugar bug Zach was in heaven with our Sunday treat. Whitney and I spent Monday running errands, getting pedicures, going out to lunch, and hitting my favorite Body Step class at the gym. She made a yummy dinner that night of enchiladas and we ended with some good ol' Bohnanza. 

Tuesday was another busy day, but we managed to do some power shopping at Old Navy that afternoon, as well as a Body Pump class I was subbing in downtown Denver that night. Wednesday we woke everybody up bright and early so we could meet the Cardon cousins and hit the Nature and Science Museum right when it opened. They had a special exhibit on crazy and unique mammals, and the kids were fascinated by this life- sized (prehistoric but once real) cross between a rhino and an elephant-- the largest land mammal ever.

Lucy found some 10,000 year old wooly mammoth hair found in Denver a few years ago. Still looks pretty well preserved for being so old if you ask me!

Here's Sophie and Lucy dressing up as their own unique mammals with the props the museum provided. We got such a cool group picture on one of the free green screens, and for some reason it never sent to Whitney's phone and we were SO bummed! Oh well. Just another excuse to go back....

Right after the museum we decided to get lunch at a place Katie had recommended, called Uber Sausage. It offers homemade sausages on French baguettes, with crazy good toppings and tator tots. It's basically just a hipster dive with so much greasy goodness we were in heaven! I got the "Hatch" which had pork hatch green chile sausage, pepper jack cheese,  cilantro, cabbage, Colorado green chiles, and crema fresca. YUM. 

Whitney tried the "Vietnam" which was sort of like a bahn mi, and the kids got mac and cheese hotdogs, which were beef sausages with mac and cheese inside. They were actually awesome! We all loved this little place.

Wednesday was the coldest day of the fall so far-- it was only in the low 40's and windy! Brrrrr.

Uber Sausage was only about 1/2 a mile away from VooDoo Donuts and we simply couldn't be that far away without stopping for a box. They had some seasonal pumpkin-spiced old fashioned donuts  that I'm still dreaming about...

Whitney will just sit down at the piano, no sheet music, and just play and sing and it's wonderful. I love when our piano is utilized and the house is full of music!

Elizabeth took a monster nap when we got home, so as soon as she woke up we headed down to the trail behind our house before the sunset so Whitney could see some fall foliage. She doesn't get much fall in Arizona. We came across these two deer at the bottom of the hill.

The kids were so excited to be on a fall walk! Normally I have to beg and bribe Leah into the stroller, but I guess if you label something "fall" then suddenly it's way more fun. The colors were awesome!

We had a lovely walk checking out all the fall colors and then watching the sunset over the Rockies. Whitney wanted to make a flight to SLC super early the next morning so we left at 4:15 a.m.-- and of course I was up even earlier feeding Elizabeth at 3:30 a.m. Thankfully I was able to hop back in bed when I got home at 5 a.m. and snooze for another hour or two before it was really time to get up!

Lucy and Zach's elementary school did a fundraiser at the Corn Maze/Pumpkin Patch at the Denver Botanic Gardens in Chatfield (it's their farm location out by Littleton) that day, so since Jon had the morning off we all headed out to support their school! The weather, in true Colorado style, was completely opposite what it had been the day before. Blue skies, 80 degrees, and tons of sunshine!

It's tradition to make my kids wear their Halloween shirts whenever we go to the pumpkin patch! How adorable is this little jack o'lantern baby?!? She was for sure the cutest pumpkin there.

The gardens had a pumpkin patch, corn maze, hay ride, pillow jump, barrel train, and lots of different food trucks, plus all of their normal garden walks and exhibits. We decided to do the hayride first before the lines got too long!

We love fall!!

Next was the barrel train! All the kids said it was super bumpy and dusty, so they only did it once. Glad I didn't send Lizzie on it!

It was such a beautiful fall day! It almost felt like summer it was so warm.

The kids had a blast jumping on the big pillow. There was hardly anyone there, which was great for us, but probably not so great since it was a fundraiser. 

By that point it was almost time for Jon to head in to work, so we bought the kids a funnel cake and some limemade to share and had a picnic under the trees. How fun is this picture of the kids posing like scarecrows?? I think they blend right in. I was so glad we found a way better pumpkin patch than last year's, had perfect weather, and basically had the most fabulous fall break these kids could ever ask for-- with Whitney coming to play, and so many fun things we got to do!  

Fall Fun + a Family Camping Trip!

Happy October! Fall is definitely in the air, and we are needing our jackets more and more in the mornings and evenings as there is a definite chill in the air. Preschool is in full swing and is awesome. Leah LOVES it, like I was pretty sure she would! They had an apple party this week and taste-tested several different types, and did lots of cute artwork with apples. I love when I get to see pictures from her teacher, since I can't get too much information out of her at pick-up.

The other day I saw this absolutely perfect Lizzie handprint on our dishwasher. Normally I'd pull out the stainless steel cleaner and polish it away, but as she is our last little baby, I left it there for a few days and just admired it. Such a tiny, sweet little hand! Jon thinks I'm nuts, but I can hardly bear to think that there won't be anymore of those, as this phase of life starts to come to an end!

Mr. Zach-O is doing amazing in second grade this year! It is a night and day difference between this year and last-- thanks mainly, to his teacher. She is SO positive and encouraging with him, and he feels smart and confident, and consequently he is thriving. He got a "Positive Phone Call Home" award last week, which is a pretty big deal. The principal called me and told me how proud she was of Zach because his teacher had caught him doing something awesome. It said, "Zach was so polite and patient when I was working with another friend. He didn't want to interrupt so he politely apologized and stood to the side to wait for me to finish, while so many other kids were interrupting and not being patient. Thank you, Zach!"

Busy Lizzie is an indiscriminate, all-the-time, eat-whatever-is-in-front-of-her kinda gal. She LOVES food. And we can't figure out where it all goes because she is still just tiny!! The other day for lunch she ate a whole string cheese, half a pear, a handful of Cheerios, 2 graham crackers, and some noodles from Leah's lunch...and then still nursed. She prefers to feed herself which gets messy-- this morning she ate two pancakes, and by the time she was done she couldn't open one eye because it was stuck shut from the syrup!

Lucy and I got to attend the General Women's Session last weekend, as well as have a little girls' date. We met Kylene and Sophie at Mod Pizza for dinner, and then drove to the Stake Center for the broadcast. As she enters the dreaded "preteen stage" I'm just so thankful she's not embarrassed of me yet, and she still thinks it's fun to hang out with her mom!

Lizzie turned 8 months old on September 25th and she is absolutely the cutest baby EVER (but I'm  biased). She is crawling 90 mph, pulling herself up onto the furniture trying to walk, waving, and just figured out how to clap. She gets attention pretty much everywhere we go. And did you notice her two little teeth?? What a blessing this little "surprise" baby has been!!

She feels very grown-up sitting in the grocery cart like a big girl!

This week we bought the kids fro-yo after dinner to celebrate Zach's positive phone call home award. They are growing up way too fast....

The kids had their school Fun Run this Friday-- which is normally held in the spring, but since they usually have such bad luck with yucky weather, they switched it to the fall this year. It was a beautiful day, not too hot, and we got to the school just in time to see their last few laps!

Every time Zach would pass where we were standing he would put on a big burst of speed to show-off for us. We loved it! They both ended up running about 6 miles that day which is AMAZING. They will have no trouble with the 5k I signed us up to do this Thanksgiving....

As soon as they completed their Fun Run, since Jon had the day off we checked the kids out of school and we headed for the hills. We wanted to try one last time to sneak a camping trip in before it gets too cold. We headed up to Black Hawk and literally snagged the LAST available spot in the whole campground. Phew! That was a tender mercy after our last attempt was such a disaster. And what a beautiful spot it was!

The aspens were aglow and "on fire," as they say. 

While Jon set up the tent, the kids and I hiked down this nearby hill to check out all the pretty fall foliage. It was such a lovely evening!

Unfortunately we couldn't find a good lookout spot for the sunset, but we just knew it would have been breathtaking. We could see pink and orange clouds so we'll have to catch it in a better spot next time we're up in the Rockies again.

Can you see our little orange tent there between the trees? What a spot, what a spot!

After a dinner Jon got the fire started and we roasted marshmallows for s'mores. It got totally dark around 8 p.m., so shortly after I headed to bed with the baby in the minivan, and Jon got the other three to sleep in the tent. Lizzie was sure mesmerized by the campfire!

Good morning fall! We woke up bright and early October 1st-- and what a way to celebrate the beginning of this month.  It didn't get too cold the night before, down into the low 40's, and the kids stayed warm and slept really good. The adults on the other hand, that was a different story...

Jon made everyone a delicious breakfast of eggs and sausage, and hot chocolate. 

Lizzie just got bananas and Cheerios, though. 

Lucy and I headed down with our hot chocolate to our "spot" to enjoy the sunrise and marvel at nature in all of its splendor. How lucky are we??

Although it was a whirlwind camping trip-- we didn't get up there until about 5:30 p.m. with the traffic, and we left by 10:30 a.m. because Zach had two football games and Lucy had a soccer game, I'm so glad we went! As usual, we headed back to the whirlwind of real life-- but at least for a minute we got to enjoy some family time together, unplugged, uninterrupted, and at one with nature! In the long-lost words of North Carolina, Happy Fall Y'all!

"Come Visit Colorado!"

We LOVE when visitors come. It is so fun to have an excuse to find fun things to do, and to show off all the great things our new home has to offer! From aunts and uncles to grandmas and grandpas we're always telling people to "Come visit Colorado!"

Grandma Joanie and Grandpa Tom Tom are two such visitors who are always game to do just that-- come visit and let me (mom) check out new fun things to do! Grandma flew in Wednesday morning just after I'd dropped Lucy and Zach off at school. We spent the rest of the morning grabbing groceries at Trader Joe's, eating lunch at Chick fil A, and getting pedicures that afternoon at our favorite place. Thursday afternoon we were in store for a huge treat. I'd researched a really cool place down in Colorado Springs that does an authentic "High Tea" every afternoon at the Glen Eyrie Castle (built in 1871).  

It's located just before the entrance of the Garden of the Gods and was built by General William Jackson Palmer, the founder of Colorado Springs. It is BEAUTIFUL! This is just inside the entrance hall leading to the parlor where they do the afternoon tea.

We were so glad Grandma Joanie was with us!

Oh my goodness, can I just say how very excited these little girls were for tea at the castle??? Not only did Lucy get pulled out of school early, they got to borrow tea hats (they are provided if you want one), and they looooove tea parties!

Leah was on her absolute best behavior!! She was being so careful with all of the pretty china and minding all of her manners.

This little Monster Baby however, was NOT on her best behavior. I had really debated whether or not to bring her, but with Jon working until 3, and then needing to go pick Zach up from school, and then needing to go pick Grandpa Tom Tom up from the airport, I just felt it'd be too much for the baby and for him... But then she did not nap in the car on the way down and she was WIRED! Holy moly!

Thankfully there was a sitting room adjacent from the parlor so I could sneak out whenever she got too rowdy (which was pretty much the entire time) and have my mom take turns so we could both try all of the delicious tea things and not miss out!

First we got to pick two pots of tea. We chose an herbal strawberry tea that was sweet and delicious and the girls' favorite. We also picked a caffiene-free rooibos vanilla tea that was lovely.

They were still serving their "Summer" menu (they switch for each season) and there were 3 courses. First was a grilled peach with creme fraiche and balsamic. Second we had tea sandwiches-- cucumber tuna boats, ham and swiss cheese on rye, curried chicken salad on croissants, and hummus and caramelized onions on white bread. Yum!  

The last course was the pies de resistance with fresh scones, key lime shortbread cookies, strawberry rhubarb hand-pies, and Victorian sandwiches with fresh whipped cream. After watching "The Great British Baking Show" all summer on PBS, I was totally digging all of these thoroughly British tea staples.

We had so much fun getting to do girly things with Grandma!

It wasn't that expensive either compared to other hotels that offer tea times, only $25/person and worth every penny. I think we'll definitely be going back (minus the Baby Monster)!

The castle grounds were so pretty we took a few pictures before heading back to Parker to see Grandpa who'd flown in that evening.

Baby Monster was just happy to be outside and able to roam free! Naturally as soon as she got in her car seat she was out like a light. Sigh....

Friday morning Jon took my dad mountain biking over at the MAC in Castle Rock. They met us at the gym at 11 a.m. so my parents could do my Body Pump class (woot, woot!). We then hurried down to the Denver Biscuit Company for lunch in downtown Denver because they're only open until 2.  

My dad is an ol' biscuit-lover-connoisseur-kinda-guy so I knew this place would be right up his alley. Sure enough these little biscuit sandwiches hit a home run! I got the DBC Club which had fried chicken, cheese, lettuce and tomato all piled up high on an amazing baking powder biscuit.  That night, Jon and I even got to go shooting at the gun range and to the new Star Trek movie for date night. Thanks for babysitting guys!

Saturday morning at 9 a.m. Zach had a flag football game. He was pretty excited to show off for grandma and grandpa who were cheering from the sidelines! 

Go Zach! He's getting better each game, learning as he plays, and really starting to love football.

As soon as his game ended we loaded all 8 of us up into the minivan and headed back down to Colorado Springs to check out Garden of the Gods. We got lucky and found a parking spot AND a picnic table which is amazing for a nice Saturday afternoon. We sure love fall picnics!

Hiking around on the red rocks after the picnic.

We hiked the 1-mile loop trail through some of the big rock formations and it was just beautiful!

Here's how Busy Lizzie hiked. She rode on her dad's back in style!

Such gorgeous country and such a pleasant day! We'd tangled with the idea of possibly doing the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo right after, but we were under strict orders from Grandma Joanie that we HAD to be back in time for the BYU-Utah game at 5 p.m. The kids were hot and tired by that point so we were definitely okay with that. We made it back with time to spare, ordered some pizza, and watched the Cougars lose. Oh well. Maybe next year!

Monday was busy-- with a date at a golf course for my dad, and an emergency root canal for my mom (I mean really, could she have been in a better place or had better connections for something like that to happen??), and then a concert at Red Rocks to Hall and Oates for them that night. Tuesday morning after I dropped the kiddos off at school we stopped for breakfast at Waffle House (it's tradition!) and then I dropped them off at the airport to head back home to Boise. We're SO thankful they wanted to "Come Visit Colorado" and were game to go check out so many fun things and new places. And I think they definitely got the full Colorado experience!