Busy and Back to School!!

It's September 1st!  Wow!  It has been a little hectic getting back into the school routine (mostly just for me!), but God is good and we are just taking it a day at a time!  Here are a couple of recent photos.

Today we took a drive up into the mountains, near Nederland and into a State Park.  

It was beautiful!! (a bit windy and definitely getting chilly, feeling less like summer and more like fall!)

This morning we took Aliana's training wheels off her bike and within minutes she was riding like a pro! (high heels and all!!)

Last Thursday we started back to school!  Aliana had to wait until this past Tuesday but now we are all back into the groove!  The kids have wonderful teachers and some sweet friends in their classes - we feel very blessed!!

Finally, the weekend before school started, I competed in my first triathlon!  It was an all-women's / sprint distance.  I loved it!!  I trained most of the summer, borrowed all my gear from a girlfriend, and really enjoyed competing in something a little different!  Brian and the kids were a great cheer team :)

July Wrap-Up

Here's a look at what we've been up to in July!


1.  The month started out with a new pet!!  Carson saved up his money and bought a mouse!  (yes, we actually own a creature that most people spend a lot of time trying to keep out of their house)  His name is Lightning Bolt, he's a black mouse with a white stripe down his nose.

2.  My dad and stepmom came to visit over 4th of July.  We had a great time with them going for day hikes, swimming at the pool, and enjoying the local 4th of July festivities.

3.  In the middle of the month I spent a weekend in LA with my brother, sister-in-law and beautiful niece and nephew - they are getting so big!  We had a fun weekend of outlet shopping, attending a Japanese Festival, going to dance class and eating amazing food!  

4.  During the rest of the month we've been busy with house projects and enjoying some beautiful hikes around the area.  Yesterday we got back from a 2-night camping trip out west.  It was wet and rainy the first day, but God graced us with some gorgeous sunshine the second day and we really enjoyed our trip!

A few weeks left of summer... then it's back to school!! :)

Colorado Springs

Brian was in Colorado Springs (about an hour and a half south of Lafayette) for the past 2 weeks for a class.  The kids and I took a trip to see him over the weekend and had a great time!  We had a mini-vacation and did lots of fun touristy things!

Friday - we packed up after lunch on Friday and drove south to Colorado Springs. The kids were so excited to see daddy after being away from him all week!  We swam at the hotel pool and then drove to the Garden of the gods (or as Aliana named it:  The Garden of God :)

Saturday - today we drove to the little town of Manitou Springs.  We went to Cave of the Winds and went underground on a tour of the caves - it was so cool!  After the tour the kids used sluice boxes to find gems in a bag of sand and dirt.  We walked around the town and had lunch and had planned to swim at the pool again in the afternoon.  Since it was pouring rain, Brian and the kids ran around in their suits!

Sunday - for our last morning we drove to the TOP of Pike's Peak, 14,110 feet!!  It was quite the view from the top!  Colorado Springs is absolutely beautiful and we really enjoyed getting to see more of God's amazing creation!

First Grandparent visit for the summer!

My mom and stepdad stayed with us this week.  The kids loved the time with them and all the fun activities!  Here's what we were up to...

Getting dizzy at the park, rolling down a big hill :)

Nana helped the kids set up and run a lemonade stand, they had some very generous customers and 

got some awesome tips!

Tree  climbing in the backyard, Aliana is taking a little rest 

 

More backyard playtime

This baby bunny was down in one of our window wells, so Grandpa John helped Carson move it out into the field.  It was VERY cute :)

A visit to the local Children's Museum

And the week would not be complete without some good cuddle time on the couch watching a show and reading stories!  Thanks Nana and Grandpa John for coming to see us!

Summer Time

It's summer!!  Daddy and Mommy are excited to be done with school for the year.  However,  I think the kids feel a bit differently... We may have talked up kindergarten a little too much, because on the Saturday after school ended Aliana asked if she got to go to kindergarten now.  When I told her she had to wait until after summer break was over she was not happy!  And Carson said that in PE at the end of the year the teacher told all the kids "whoever is ready for summer, run!"  Carson did not run and said he liked school better than summer.  Who's kids are these?!  Well, I guess we can be thankful they like school for time being :)

Memorial Weekend fishing at a local lake.  Aliana did not like the worms, but she did catch a little fish!  And Carson was a casting-pro by the end of the day!

Bedtime Twister

Denver's Mid-Air Adventures - Carson got to go with a couple boys from school, the mom that took them said Carson was quite a dare devil!!

Aliana got to go to a morning dance camp with three sweet friends from preschool.  The 3 other girls have one more year of pre-K, and I know she is going to miss them so much!

And we have been enjoying lots of bike-riding, playing in the backyard and swimming at the neighborhood pool!  Summer is AWESOME!! :)