October 2020

 October is one of my favorite months.  Not only do we still get outside time but we also get the crisp fall air mixed in with the crunching of leaves and Halloween.  This year we weren't sure what Halloween would look like, we still went to a few houses but ended our night with neighbors and a pizza party.  

October brought school pictures, wrapping up fall sports, traveling to see Liz, Andrew, and the kids as well as hunting, caramel apple making, pumpkin carving, leaf raking and jumping.   Our days were busy in October rushing to sports and school and getting used to being back in the school groove. 

Marie 5th Grade - 11 years old

Bennett 2nd Grade - 8 years old

Brooks Kindergarten - 5 1/2 years old 

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!