September 2020

September came in with a final swim in the lake over Labor Day. We love where we live and we try our best to enjoy as much time as we can on and in the water. These two crazy boys below also that it would be fun to do a long 100 mile ride - their faces say it all! 

         

  

We said Happy Birthday to Grandma Nel and spent the day with her helping to redecorate and create a large family photo wall. 

We were also excited to finally meeting Josie in person! Katie, Greg, and Josie made the long trip from D.C. to visit us all this fall. We were able to enjoy time with the whole family as well as get our family photos taken with everyone home. What's a backyard BBQ without a game of football right? 

      

        

September also brought in flag football for the boys and volleyball for Marie. Our kids know how to stay active and watching them learn and play with teammates is a blessing. Coaching them has been pretty fun too - Andy coached the boys and I tried my hand at coaching volleyball - I came home with a smile on my face after every practice - I love that game! We picked apples, picked pumpkins, celebrated Homecoming, and took as many fall walks as we could.

We also said goodbye to Andy's Uncle Tom. He passed away late September and celebrating his life at the farm where Karen grew up was just what we all needed. Time together hearing stories, playing with the animals was good for our souls.

 

Back to School 2020

 Like every other family, all summer long we were hoping and praying for school to come back in the fall.  Our district took every precaution and literally left no stone unturned as they prepared for students to come back.  We are so fortunate to live where we live for so many reasons.  One of which is space.  Our district spread kids and grade levels out among the buildings and even buildings off campus in order to provide the proper social distancing measures for optimum learning space and following guidelines. So, when back to school came, we were ready!  

Our kids put on the masks and back packs and were so excited to be able to play with friends, learn in the classroom, and even eat school lunch. 

Marie is a 5th grader - middle school...ahhh!

 

Bennett is a 2nd grader

Brooks is a kindergartner.

All three are having wonderful years, all three have amazing teachers excited to be back and give our kids hands on learning, and all 3 are waking to their own alarms now!  

This is the first time mom doesn't have someone at home with me ever during the week...it can get a little quiet every now and then but thankfully the dogs and my kiddos at work are still keeping me busy!

Going Up!

We like to pack as much into a trip while trying to relax...it's a balance.  So the one morning we took our time and just drove up the mountain to the top, stopping to take in the views and the changing air temps as we went.  

 

The views were breath taking...every stop was better than the last.  We made it to the top, put on our warmer gear, and went for a hike.  We didn't make it far, everyone could tell that the elevation was making it much harder to breathe.  Seeing the snow was so much fun for us all.  

 

After we made our way down the mountain, we realized it was a balmy 90 degrees! Next up, horse back riding!

A highlight of our trip, we spent a few hours on back of beautiful horses in a beautiful setting.  It was considered an easy ride, but it did take some skill and horsemanship to stay on the horses as we navigated through a few switchbacks up and down the mountainside.   Brooks was on his own horse too but he was being led by the guide.  He kept our guide busy with all his questions. Our eyes were full of the surroundings and this afternoon will forever be etched in my mind.

We finished that day with a double scooped ice cream cone and another dip in our hot tub. 

Another day in CO was spent climbing rock formations close to our cabin,  we pushed limits and mom and dad were a little nervous watching these three mountain goats go up and down the rocks but it was thrilling.

We hit up some shops, Marie got a henna tattoo, boys went golfing, and we all ended the day with fishing at Trout Haven.  We had a slow start but then we caught our dinner and then some!  Andy grilled it to perfection that evening as we ate on our deck. 

This trip was more than what we needed.  Time away as a family in the outdoors is always how we reconnect and recharge.  We hope to go back again!

Colorado was calling

 The week before Covid precautions hit, Andy and I booked a vacation for the 5 of us in Estes Park, CO.  We reserved a house with a hot tub, close to the mountains, and looked forward to heading west for some quality family time in CO. As the world changed and shut down, we were unsure if we would get to go on this trip.  Thankfully, as things began to open up, we were able to see how we could still stay safe, yet get out of town to the open spaces of our planned vacation!

We drove first to Kearney, NE where we were able to catch up safely with Uncle Richard and Aunt Pat.  The kids ate up Pat's corn dogs, ice cream cones, and all of Richard's stories.  It was so great to get a visit in with them and it was the perfect way to break up the long trip to CO. 

The next day we drove the rest of the way to Estes Park.  The kids did great in the car as they read, watched movies, and played games.  

It was so fun to watch the horizon as we inched closer and closer to the mountains.  The kids had fun spotting the ridge line up ahead but not so much fun feeling the elevation and winding roads...good thing we had some car sickness meds along. 

Our house was found easily and we were thankful to get out of the car, spread out, and hop into the hot tub!

beautiful views from our deck

trying steamed artichoke with lemon butter...a favorite from my childhood

elk outside our cabin

Brooks quickly made sure I knew how lucky we were to have running water and bathrooms, he was certain that our cabin would be "roughing it" but he was happy to see all the amenities. 

 After a home cooked meal (we were able to cook nearly all our meals), we headed to bed so we were ready for our first day in the mountains!

 2nd Day 

Our first full day started early with coffee on the deck - my favorite thing, followed by breakfast, packing of lunches, and heading out to the Rocky Mountain National Park.  

We chose a family friendly trail to hike the first day.  The kids were tired when we called it hiking, but as soon as we called it climbing and allowed them to go off the trail their energy was back!

They loved climbing the rocks and finding beautiful views along with little creatures who wanted our food. The cool temp of the mountain streams and lakes was a highlight. 

spotted an elk on our way out of park

freezing our feet in the mountain pond

mom and baby mule deer outside cabin

can't get much better than this