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! 

September Speeding Along!

How beautiful is this baby???

Little Lizzie turned 7 months old on August 25th, and just refuses to slow down even though we've asked her nicely to plenty of times. She started solid foods and so far loves everything she's tried-- especially applesauce, cheese, pancakes, and yogurt bites. She also is crawling everywhere and even beginning to pull herself up onto furniture. She is figuring out how to wave and loves to bend her wrists and flap her hands. She even has two brand new teeth right on the bottom and has the cutest, toothiest little jack o'lantern grin ever!

There is a fun oversized Adirondack chair at the park on Main Street in downtown Parker near our house, and I just had to get a picture with my kids on it. We've been here a year after all, so we are officially Coloradans. 

Our little garden continues to thrive, which is so exciting! Despite having the tomato plants crushed and trampled by vermin last month, they've made a comeback and we're getting oodles of fresh tomatoes. This weekend I made and froze a huge batch of pesto using our basil, and then a big batch of marinara sauce also with herbs and tomatoes from our garden. I've also shredded and frozen a fair amount of zucchini to throw in sauces and various baked goods this winter. As it gets colder and further towards fall, and I am realizing how much I'm going to miss all this free, fresh produce!

Our HOA pool closed for the season right after Labor Day, so the weekend before I took the girls swimming one last time. We got there around 7 p.m., and it was only about 70 degrees out, but we had it to ourselves and the sunset that night was GLORIOUS.

The sun just melts behind the Rockies and it is breathtaking!

Short Cut playing outside after our last swim for the summer (cry, cry, cry!).

Like I said, Lizzie is eating solid foods and loving it. Every morning she pounds a big breakfast of cereal, yogurt, toast, bananas, you name it. I basically let her feed herself because I'm busy loading backpacks, making lunches, and getting everyone else breakfast, so when she can't quite get it in her mouth she just eats it off her shirt. Why not?

Labor Day was spent getting the never-ending work caught up around the house (after our monumental Mt. Rushmore trip). We did celebrate a little by grabbing dinner at our favorite Mexican restaurant Casa Mariachi, with Jeremy and Kylene and cousins. Their chili rellenos is to DIE for! 

Right after Labor Day, Leah started preschool on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9-11:30 with Miss Ashley and Miss Coryn. As you can see, she was just a little bit excited! Gotta love a backpack that is as big as she is!

She had her outfit all picked out the night before, allowed me to do her hair (which is rare), and her favorite flower shoes on (on the wrong feet but who's counting?).  This girl was born ready for preschool! She is loving every second so far.

She's in the same class as cousin Isaac. How cute are these little cousins on their first day??

Miss Ashley posted this selfie on their preschool Facebook page.  Love  it!

This week Legend High School (our feeder school just up the road) had their Homecoming parade. The kids always love a parade (who doesn't??), so we were all loaded up and ready to go as soon as the older two got home from school.

Miss Lucy decided that playing soccer, taking piano lessons, singing in choir, participating in the Kindness Club, doing Activity Days at church, and competing in Battle of the Books wasn't enough to keep her busy this year, so she decided to run for Student Council. Sure enough she got elected by her classmates, and she got to march in the parade with the Frontier Valley student council kids. She came home after the election and said, "Mom, everybody voted for me! I guess that means I'm popular!" She's going to be one busy 4th grader.

It did rain a little on our parade, darn it, but the kids had a blast and came away with lots of candy!

Jon had to work all day Friday and Saturday, but as soon as he finished up around 4 p.m. on Saturday afternoon, we headed downtown to the Rockies game. I got $10 tickets from a fundraiser their school was doing, and the kids were SO excited to be at their first big game!

You could not have asked for a better night! It was 80 degrees, slightly breezy, and honestly I would have showed up just for the sunset over the rocky mountains alone. Coors Field was quite a nice place for a baseball game, and since it was "School Night" there were tons of other families.

I was worried we'd freeze so we packed lots of layers with us, but even by 8:30 p.m. it was still just balmy and perfect. You never know what you're going to get with Colorado weather. We bought the kids hot dogs and they had the time of their lives.

We left right after the "7th inning stretch" to beat traffic, plus we were pretty sure the Rockies would win since the score was 8-0. Jon bought his Cracker Jacks on the way out and without any major mishaps or meltdowns, I'd say it was pretty successful outing to the ball game! Go Rockies!