Take a Hike (and then eat Pizza)

We have been soooooo overdue a day trip (like the beach trips of olden days) with everything else we've had going on, that the Saturday just after Thanksgiving had a HUGE target on it. It was set apart for something special-- a reserved, non-negotiable Cardon Family Fun Day.

We loaded up the car bright and early that morning, picnic lunch packed, winter clothes piled on, gorgeous Colorado sun at our backs, and Christmas carols blasting on the radio. Boy were we ready to hit the road and explore some mountains! 

We picked to do the St. Mary's Glacier Lake hike, which is about a 1.5 mile out-and-back trail with  1,200 feet of elevation gain, to an alpine lake with stunning panoramic views of the Rockies. The trail was mostly snowpack, with obviously some steep elevation gain but the kids did awesome. The weather was incredible too-- probably 50 degrees and sunny and clear skies.

Miss Lizzie is the only one who got a free ride, but she loved hiking in the backpack as long as I was moving. If I stopped she wanted to get out and explore for herself.

Some winter sun on that little face! We definitely met our vitamin D quota for the day.

The lake was completely frozen solid, and the kids had a blast "ice skating" and being pulled by Zach on this mat like a sled.

Lucy and Zach wandered out all over the lake and found some cool fishing holes people had drilled out, but that had already frozen over again.

Sunbathing on the rocks. I guess the "beach" is still in these kids just a little... 

Enjoying our picnic lunch of crackers and cheese and smoked salmon. Yum!

There were lots of other hikers and people enjoying the weather. I'd love to go back in the summer and see the alpine lake thawed out-- supposedly it's just clear and pristine. Also, we could probably hike across the lake (we didn't have snowshoes and the snow was much deeper on the other side) so we could enjoy those panoramic views of the Rockies right in front of us.

After our hike we headed down the mountain to Idaho Springs, an old mining town with a semi-famous pizza restaurant called BeaJo's. It's the stuff of backpacking lore! It's in an old abandoned boarding house, with hot water pipes, exposed brick walls, and it pretty much looks like a total dive. But the pizza is legendary, and every mountain-man worth his weight eats there when coming down off the mountain after a tackling a 14-er.

And dang, that pizza was GOOD! It was like a stuffed pizza with layers of toppings, and it was deep dish-- so their thing is you're supposed to eat the pizza part and then take the crust and dip it in their signature Colorado honey. We'll definitely be going back!

Right by the restaurant there was this amazing frozen waterfall. I think they look so cool-- and the kids couldn't believe it could get cold enough for something as powerful as a waterfall to freeze over.

That night we got home just in time to decorate our house for Christmas, and the kids basically decorated our Christmas tree for me. They did a great job and have such a fun time pulling out all the ornaments and remembering the stories associated with each one. It was an amazing festive finish to an already amazing day!

Turkey Time Is Here Again!

I love Thanksgiving. The kids get the entire week of school off, and Jon always has Thursday and Friday off from work, so it means lots of family time and a chance to go do fun things together. This year Jon's parents flew in from Washington and joined us for a Colorado Thanksgiving. We had a week jam-packed with fun activities for the grandkids, and they sure couldn't wait to spend every single second with grandma and grandpa!

Sunday night we had dinner and dessert over at our house right after church. Monday everyone met for lunch at Cafe Rio in Castle Rock, and while I got some long overdue dental work done (try 11 years overdue, ha ha) being Jon's patient, everyone else went back to Jeremy and Kylene's house to decorate gingerbread houses. The kids had a blast and they turned out so cute! My naughty kids have since eaten about 75% of the candy off of their houses, but they still smell wonderful!

Tuesday grandma and grandpa spent some one-on-one time with cousins Sophie, Isaac, and Jameson, while we ran errands and got things done around the house. Wednesday morning they officially "moved" over to our house for the rest of the week, and bright and early they took Lucy and Zach to the movie "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them" and had a wonderful time! They spent the rest of the afternoon making Harry Potter crafts like these wands, as well as some fun potion bottles they bought at Michael's. 

As soon as Jon got home from work Lucy decided to open the birthday presents grandma had brought from Washington. She turns 10 this week, and she can't wait for her birthday to come! She was sure excited to have a reason to get to celebrate a little early while they were still in town.

Such a sweet picture of Lizzie and Grandpa from that afternoon. She is definitely happiest when she is being held and sweet-talked to! She loved all the extra attention happening last week!

That night we got some killer Mexican food from Casa Mariachi for dinner. Lizzie stole her very own quesadilla and wouldn't give it up for anything. I got all of my Thanksgiving sides prepped and finished for the big feast, and Jon, Jeremy, and his Dad took a "mans date" to the gun range to go shooting. 

Thursday was so relaxing and low-key for us. I taught a special Thanksgiving Body Pump class that morning, and ended up staying home with Lizzie so she could nap while everyone else headed over to Jeremy and Kylene's house to help get ready for dinner. Between grandma, Kylene, and myself, we had quite a delicious spread! Yum! Kylene took some cute pictures of my little pilgrims and wild Indians:

Leah Gene, age 4 (definitely wild Indian)

Zachary Jonathan, age 7 1/2 (wild Indian)

Lucy Debora, age ((almost)) 10 (pilgrim)

Elizabeth Mid, age 10 months (not sure yet...)

We had a lovely feast with family-- the first one we realized since 2009, when we'd all been together in Washington, Jon's last year of dental school.  I think we've added a few new family members since then! It was sure nice to be able to sit back and reflect on how much has changed, and how very, very blessed we are!

The kids decided to put on a special Thanksgiving play for us after dinner, which was more like an Indian massacre led by Squanto (Zach's role), than the educational drama Lucy had hoped for. This is the pilgrims sailing together on the Mayflower-- but the play had 13 scenes so I can't really remember anything else, ha ha. 

Lizzie wants to be just like the big kids so this was her being funny and making everyone laugh.

She loved playing with baby Jameson, too. We finished up by having our banana cream pie and playing some fun games and then called it a night! Thanks to Jeremy and Kylene for hosting.

Later that night Jon and I had tickets to go see "Dr. Strange" while the kids were in bed. It was so fun to be out late and not worried about getting home in time for a babysitter! I thought we looked pretty cool for some old guys, and with the theater all to ourselves.

Black Friday was our last day of fun before grandma and grandpa had to fly back to Washington, so while I taught my normal Body Pump class, basically everyone else went to go see "Moana" which was reportedly super cute! Jon did some speed shopping with his Dad at Cabella's that afternoon, and then everyone met up at Red Robin for dinner.

These cousins sure get along well and never really seem to fight (knock on wood). They really love being together!

Right after dinner we headed to downtown Parker for a free carriage ride and to see them light the Christmas lights. Zach got a free martial arts lesson in the park and was pretty proud of himself for learning how to chop through a board. What a tough guy!

I absolutely love this Christmas carriage ride tradition! We started it last year with my parents, and hopefully will get to continue it every year from now on. Mainstreet is all lit up with snowflakes and Christmas lights and is just beautiful-- so much Christmas spirit!

The gang is all here! Six adults and seven kids crammed into a one horse open sleigh two horse open wagon. Merry Christmas!

The view of Mainstreet. I t is definitely starting to look a lot like Christmas in Parker!

Me and my "mans." (Oof, I guess the flash was a little too bright for Jonathan....)

Zach and grandma and grandpa.

Miss Lizzie was all bundled up against the Colorado cold and totally fascinated by the horses! She watched them almost the whole time.

I just LOVE these cute Cardon girls and think this picture turned out so sweet. They sang Christmas carols the whole time and had a blast together all week long.

We had such a nice time observing Thanksgiving with Jon's family and are so very thankful his parents were able to travel all the way to Colorado to be here with us. We are also SO thankful for all of the people in our lives who love and support us and bring so much happiness into our lives-- and realize what a blessing it is to get to share our journey not only with each other, but you too. 

HAPPY THANKSGIVING 2016

Nifty November

 With so much going on, and the holiday season officially here, time is just flying by--- I can't believe Christmas is literally just around the corner. December is always one of our busiest months, with birthdays and anniversaries, recitals and concerts, parties and church activities, and of course Christmas and New Years.  We'd better wrap up November before it gets too late!

Zach and Lucy's school does an award's ceremony each quarter called the "Outstanding Buffalo Assembly." Each teacher selects one boy, and one girl to be recognized for going the extra mile and representing their HERD values (Honesty, Excellence, Respect, and Dedication). Last year Lucy was selected and Zach was soooooo jealous! It is a BIG deal at school. We told him to set a goal for next year to be the Outstanding Buffalo, and sure enough, his awesome teacher really saw how hard he was trying and made his dream come true! 

WAY TO GO, ZACH! Jon had to work, but I was able to go to the assembly and watch him get called up, and hear his teacher say such great things about him. It's so hard because things come so much easier for Lucy than Zach-- and she gets recognized all the time (and deservedly so!), but I feel like Zach works twice as hard sometimes, and hardly ever gets praised for it. It's hard to keep him motivated. I so appreciate his teacher for seeing Zach, and understanding that all that extra effort was a big deal for him. He was so excited for the special lunch they get.

The K-2nd grade Outstanding Buffalos from each class.

The following weekend I got to have a dream of my own come true when I attended a Les Mills Super Quarterly here in Denver. Les Mills is an international group exercise program with master trainers and presenters from all around the world, who travel near and far to teach local instructors (like myself) how to be better. 

They have classes and education sessions that run all day long, so I picked to do a master Body Pump class, Body Step, CX Worx, and Body Flow classes throughout the day. This picture doesn't do it justice, but there were probably about 150 people participating in Body Pump that morning. 

I also got to hang out with my friend Colleen all day, who I teach with at the CAC. Les Mills originated in New Zealand, so most of the presenters have really thick accents, and Colleen happens to be from Australia so taking her classes is just like watching the choreography DVDs I get. This was at the end of the day after Flow and we were both exhausted!

Here's Miss Lizzie in some Sunday best pictures. She is at such a fun age! She is so expressive and happy and her little personality is just getting bigger and bigger. She babbles all day long, fights to keep up with the big kids and go wherever they are going, and loves to growl. She's still not walking, but every now and then she gets brave and takes a few steps in a row-- four being her record so far. She's also gotten four new teeth this month-- her incisors and her two front teeth are coming in.

She is just loved wherever we go! I wish I could freeze time (at least for a little while) because it is SO fun to have a baby in the house. We recently switched her into Lucy's room at night (and Lucy into Zach and Leah's room) so she can sleep alone and it's done wonders for her and I! She sleeps through the night from about 9 p.m. to 7 a.m. and it's amazing.

Here is her 10 month picture. See that little snaggle-tooth peeking out right there at the top? She is adorable (and so fun to dress up), if I do say so myself.

Leah is our little preschool girl and just thriving away on Tuesday and Thursday mornings. Here she is practicing writing her name and the letter L.

I'm so glad she loves school! It gives me a nice little break, and her one too.

They had a yummy Thanksgiving feast at school right before break and Leah loved the pumpkin pie with whipped cream (obvs). They did a thankful tree and Leah said she was thankful for "her body," and her "toys." We are thankful for preschool!   

FVE had a Thanksgiving Feast that parents were invited to, so before Jon headed in to work, we stopped by the school and met the kids for lunch. Zach was so excited to see us! It was sure fun to see his friends and how well he's getting along in 2nd grade.

Lucy was thrilled to see us too! She was sure we'd get to Zach's first and not want to wait until it was her class's turn for lunch. She is such a sweet 4th grader and just has everyone (students and teachers alike) tell her "hi" wherever we go.

And last but not least, Jon finally FINALLY bought a new car! Well, a truck to be exact. He bought a black 2016 Toyota Tacoma with leather seats and 4WD, and it is one sweet ride. I think his rearview mirror breaking (along with just about everything else in his Corolla) was the last straw and he finally decided it'd be okay if he rolled up to work in something a little nicer than his '98 Corolla. It was getting a little awkward when patients asked him what car he drives, ha ha. I'm so thankful he's such a hard worker day in and day out-- he stays late and goes in early, and gives 150% to this practice, and he absolutely deserves something nice for himself for a change! Happy November!