Elk Season at Estes...

We were so excited to have Dan's parents come stay with us from Arizona last weekend! They hadn't seen our home yet and after living so close to them, the past 3 months without them have felt like forever! We pulled the kids out of school after lunch on Friday so we could meet Dan's brother Ken up in Estes Park, which is fast becoming our favorite weekend getaway. A friend mentioned that it was elk season in town, but little did I know that we'd see so many!

My brother-on-law lives in Loveland, which is about 40 minutes North of us. We hadn't seen him on a few years and it was great to catch up.  We LOVE the girl he's dating and her daughter, who is Ashlyn's age. Ken suggested that we all rent a pontoon boat and go out on the lake to see if we could see some elk. On our way to the lake, a herd of elk walked right across the freeway, as if they owned it!                                                  

(Above): Ken and Linda  

                                                         Corey, Ashlyn and Fantasia all got to drive the boat. After our boat ride, we headed out to the parking lot, where there was another herd of elk just sleeping in the sun! It was crazy to see them so comfortable around people!

Okay, so in retrospect, taking these pictures so close to a large herd of wild elk that are almost in rutting season may not have been the brightest idea! They looked so peaceful and sleepy, but that little fence would not have protected us at all if one of them decided to attack us. We snapped a few pictures, then backed up to watch them from a safer distance.

(Above): Ken, Sky and Fantasia with the bull elk...

In the meantime, some other people thought they'd get a little closer and walked right up to them. We were just waiting for the bull elk to decide he didn't like that and use his amazing rack on them! I've seen one too many episodes of "When Animals Attack."    

Check out the big bull elk giving these people the evil eye!  (below)                     

After all of our elk watching, we headed into town to check out some of the little shops and to get some ice cream. Ashlyn and Fantasia hit it off so well that we invited her to come sleep over at our house that night. Ken and Sky met us the next morning and came to Ashlyn's volleyball game with us.

(Above): Corey made a book about our weekend. I LOVE his drawing of the elk!

Is 2 so terrible???

                                                       Claire has liked to twist her finger in her hair since she was a few months old and unfortunately, she still does it. This is normally not a problem, since it comforts her but I often have to cut her hair because she gets knots in it. Last week she woke up crying, which is unusual, and Ashlyn came downstairs to tell me that Claire needed my help. Being the attentive photo-crazy Mother that I am, I grabbed my camera and took these pictures of her with her finger stuck in her hair!!!

Later that week, I was folding laundry when she came to get me.
She held my hand and pulled me over to show me what she'd just done with her doll......

WOW! I guess it's time to teach her about plug safety!!!

"Eight Days a Week"

Ashlyn and Corey usually get along well, but the past few days, I've felt like a referee! I had to stop and appreciate this moment last week when I saw them playing "Beatles' Rock Band" together. (Fabulous game, by the way) If only their theme song could be "Come Together" or
"All You Need is Love,"
I'd be one happy Mamma!

Back to sports...

It's volleyball season and Dan is coaching Ashlyn's team again, which she loves. I love it too, because Corey has soccer practice at the same time as Ashlyn's volleyball practice and it would be nearly impossible without Dan's help. They both have 2 practices and a game each week, so we are busy! Ashlyn is the only one on her team who has played before, but the girls are progressing each week. Most of the girls can serve consistently, but at this age, there are still very few "rallies."  We travel all over for the games and I'm learning how many small towns there are in Northern Colorado! Ashlyn has her Dad's competitive spirit and was devastated when they lost their first set of games last week, even though the games were close. It took her about an hour to cheer up after their loss, but lunch at Famous Dave's seemed to do the trick:-) Corey has his first soccer game in October and I'm just hoping we don't freeze! It's getting chilly here and we are still getting used to it!

Have wheels, will travel!

When we first arrived in Colorado, we immediately noticed how many bike riders there were. Everywhere you go, there are great bike trails and the mild weather makes it more appealing. We bought a bike trailer for Claire to ride in and recently spray-painted Ashlyn's too-small purple bike black so Corey won't be embarrassed to ride it. I ride with the kids to school, when the weather's nice and we've enjoyed frequent family bike rides lately. The trail from our neighborhood to the kids' school is beautiful! We ride over a bridge, past cornfields, a few horses and goats. One night last week when Dan was working late, we took a bike ride right after dinner.  The sun was just setting and the cornfields looked golden. We stopped to see the horse Ashlyn's come to know as "Chestnut" and we played at the school playground. Now, if we could just get rid of the mosquitoes.....

There's a chill in the air!

There's been a real chill in the air the past few days and it's gotten me so excited about FALL! I vaguely remember the season...leaves change, then fall off the trees, I get to wear socks and maybe even sweaters and it gets me craving warm comfort foods like soup and scones! It's been 8 years since we've lived somewhere with a real Fall season, so I can't wait! It's my very favorite time of year and I'm wondering if I'll look confused if I hung my autumn wreath up on my door now.

It IS September!

The kids are enjoying school so far and I'm enjoying having more of a schedule and more to do. Both Ashlyn and Corey like their teachers and have made a few friends.

Ashlyn's first week was highlighted by a classmate that shut his hand in the door of the the boys' bathroom and almost completely severed a finger.... well, that and the fact that one of her friends found a toad and a cicada bug out at recess and her teacher now has them as the class "pets." Fun, fun! I took homemade cupcakes to Ashlyn's class this week because her birthday was the week before school began. Ashlyn loved telling everyone about her baby sister and I loved making her day and seeing her interact with her classmates.

This week I made my last batches of strawberry & raspberry freezer jam for the year, so we should have enough to make it through the winter:-) It would be a shame to buy Smuckers!

Also, I am pleased to say that I am feeling much happier these days. I'm not sure what's changed, but I am a little less frustrated by our ward boundary situation and am feeling more like myself again. I invited a friend over this morning and we let our kids play and we spent the day making jewelry. It was nice to have some interaction with another adult, especially since Dan's out of town. I am really trying to make the effort to get involved and make friends here, so no more excuses!