Backpacking with the Girls

Last weekend the girls had a day off school so Eric also took the day off and took Rachel and Elizabeth backpacking in Golden Gate State Park.  They got a little bit of a late start due to traffic but the girls hiked the two miles speedy fast to get up to the campsite before it got pitch black outside.

The little hikers.

Being silly with the camera

The Hilton accommodations for the night.

The reason one goes backpacking, the view.

Hopefully next year we'll get these girls training earlier in the summer season to take them up a 14er!

Six is great!

My baby keeps on growing up even if I don't give her permission to do so.  Evelyn is now not only an all-day first grader but is 6 and has lost one of her top teeth.  She acts older everyday and it's fun but sometimes sad.

This was her first year for a friend's birthday party so after her early afternoon soccer game we had a pink and purple birthday party with ten cute six year old girls.

The pink & purple party decorations.  I was very glad to have my sister help me with setup and during the party.

 The birthday girl with her pink and purple.

 We started out jumping on the trampoline with pink and purple balloons since it was a beautiful day outside.

 The girls got to play pin the tail on the donkey, make necklaces,

 decorate cookies, and get their faces painted by Melissa (she's taking bookings now if you want her :)

They ate ice cream on pink and purple balloons, played more on the trampoline, and went home all sugared up.

Sunday was Evelyn's actual birthday and she dressed up in a dress Aunt Lynne gave her for church.

 Then changed into another dressup she got from Aunt Lisa during a family dinner party.

 And then put on another dressup (kimono) for presents and cake.

Some of the things we love about Evelyn:

• She's sweet and always smiling (if not I know she's sick)
• A great and loving sister
• She loves to dressup and be a princess, a pirate, sometimes both, or anything from our dress-up closet which continues to get bigger
• She's always excited about school and seeing friends there
• Eric and I thought she would be a shy girl but according to her teacher she is very talkative and friendly
• She's cute and her secret power is big eyes, they seriously make you want to give her anything
• She loves music and breaks out singing or dancing when a favorite song comes on
• She still loves her purple & white blankie Grandma B made her at birth
• She's a great cuddler

Happy 6th Birthday Evelyn Rose!

Fall Colors

Last weekend we were blessed to have my sister Melissa in town to visit after not seeing her for two years!  She was in the Peace Corps in Cambodia but is back stateside and ready to move on to the next big adventure.  She came at the perfect time for us to show off the fall colors of our beautiful Colorado Mountains.  We went up I-70 to Georgetown and drove up Guanella Pass to see the colors.

We had to meet up with Eric, Elizabeth, and Rachel in Idaho Springs and this is the waterfall across the freeway.

 At the top of Guanella Pass is Mt. Bierstadt which Eric hiked last month and now we're talking about taking the older girls up next year.

 Evelyn Posing

 A view of the canyon we drove up.

 Looking up at the beautiful gold of the aspens.

 I made Melissa take this picture--I'm queen of this mountain!

 And the selfie.

And Rachel being queen of the rock with her crazy evil face.

 Playing around after lunch.

 Where we ate lunch.

 Another shot of the canyon.

In Georgetown we stopped at a cute little bakery.

 And admired their fairy gardens.

 I wanted to show the Girls Redrocks Amphiteatre where we went to our concert on the way home but they had closed it for a concert later on so they settled for these little caves nearby.

I love fall, our Colorado mountains, and having my sister join us on the adventure!

Aiming High: 14,000 feet or more!

 This August/September Eric made up for lost time as previous years of knee injuries hindered hiking.  He managed to knock out three 14ers (mountain peaks over 14,000 feet for the layman) within a month's time.

First trip solo to test the knee up Mt. Bierstadt--piece of cake!

14er #2 Mt. Humboldt 

 

14er #3 Mt. Princeton

 How would you like to be hiking and run across this sign?  I would double check the sky and weather apps for any potential lightning!

Another "high experience" biking High Grade Road with me on Labor Day.  A long, steep climb up =  an easy and fast ride down.

I can't stop with the "high" references as we also went to our first real music concert to see the Arctic Monkeys where if you really wanted to get high, you could off second hand smoke. It was still fun, even with the rain.

A Day of Firsts

This summer I finally threw in the towel, bought a wetsuit, took a swimming class and trained for a triathlon.  I have done a few duathlons (run bike run) but thought it would be more fun to ditch the first run for a wet swim and I was right.  I did My Way or the Tri Way at the Aurora reservoir and it was great as many from our swim class came to cheer us on.

Ready to go for a swim with the fishies!

 My transition area.

 My triathlon buddies Alla and Becca.

I ended up getting first in my age group and got a nice cup to add to my collection.  This may have been my first triathlon but will definitely not be my last!

First Day of School

This year is a new chapter in the lives of the girls and me.  They are all in school all day and I am working a few days during school hours at a CPA's office.  These girls were so excited and ready to go to school this year and I hope they make great memories with new teachers and classmates!

Top of the food chain in elementary school, my growing taller everyday 5th grader Elizabeth!

My purple loving, quiet at school but not at home 3rd grader Rachel!

Rachel wanted me to take a picture of her "still asleep" the first morning of school but she was definitely awake and anxious to go.

 

My baby who's not a baby anymore but still so sweet 1st grader Evelyn!

 

She just walked in so confidently that I teared up a little at how grown up she really is getting.

  The group obliging me with yet more pictures.

 

I love my silly girls!