Boo-ing

Dressing in dark clothing, sneaking around in neighbor's yards...no, I'm not teaching my boys to be robbers...we're spreading some Halloween cheer by "Boo-ing" our friends.  Making the treats are fun, but the real excitement comes, when we get to sneak up to a doorstep, ring the bell and then run like crazy.  We "boo-ed" several families, but Hayden and Gannon kept begging to do more.  I think they are addicted.  Don't worry, boys, our tradition of doing the 12 Days of Christmas is right around the corner.

The Paint Mines

We love to go exploring and hiking and a really neat place close to our house is the Paint Mines.  It's seems like you are out in the middle of nowhere and then you come upon the coolest rock formations. 

 Come ON, Mom!

 Hayden, the great explorer...

 

Isn't that the saddest face? Poor kid fell and skinned his knee a few times.

 Having a conference...

 white bums...

 A lone man in the wilderness.

 There's a reason they can climb so high.  And that reason is MUSCLE.

Again...a lone man in the wilderness, feeling moved by his surroundings.  Are you moved?  I know I am. :)

The Incline

Jeremy and I celebrated our 12th wedding anniversary this year.  Because we are so "seasoned" now as a couple, we decided to step it up a notch in the celebration department.  No more dinner and a movie nonsense, we wanted this anniversary to stand out.  You are probably thinking we took a cruise in the Caribbean or jetted off to Europe.  No, no...we did something even BETTER than all that.  We hiked the Incline.  Yes, that's right.  Don't be jealous.  What's the Incline, you ask?  The incline is a set of unevenly spaced railroad ties or "stairs" that lead virtually straight up the mountainside.  It begins at about 6,500 feet in elevation and climbs to around 8,500 feet in less than a mile. Two thousand feet in one mile.  Wowzas.  Definitely not a hike for pansies.  But we're no pansies.  So we came...we climbed...and we conquered.  Thanks for 12 adventurous years. Love you, babe!

 The beginning of the trail.  Looks innocent enough right?

 A little over half-way up.  Can you see the trail in the background?  Yikes!

 Jeremy looking studly.

 We made it to the top.  I realize I should have taken the photo with the trail and view behind us.  But cut me some slack.  I was deprived of oxygen after hiking up 2000 ft. in elevation and wasn't thinking clearly.

Best Buddy Reunion

Really great friends are hard to find.  Friends that play "Shark Man, Sticky Man" and know and understand the rules and even draw detailed maps for this very game...well, friends like that are few and far between. :) These cute boys have been best friends since they were in diapers and it crushed Hayden and Gannon's world (and mine too!) when the Probsts moved away last year.  In fact, ALL of their close friends, except for Sam, moved away within the last year.  It's been tough for the boys, but what's kept them going is knowing that Jed and Ian were coming back to visit.  We had such a fun-filled 3 days with the Probsts and we miss them even more now than ever.  Come baaaaaccccckkkkk!

Toads, Glorious Toads

Hayden and Gannon's friend, Sam Erickson, has a field behind his house that is a mecca for little creatures, the most prized being the horny toads.  Many a day has been spent in that field searching for toads and several times, they've been found (poor little toads).  I told the boys that they could keep them for a day or 2 and then we'd take them back to their home.  For 2 glorious days, they played non-stop with these little critters.

School ALREADY?!

We have modified year-round school here and as a result, the school year starts the first of August.  We've been robbed!  Or at least that's how the boys feel having a whole month of Summer snatched away before their very eyes.  Perhaps a bit dramatic, but it just doesn't seem right for kids to be in school when the temperature is still in the 90s.  However, getting to buy new school supplies makes up for the inconvenience of going to school in the sweltering heat...but only just a little.  Here's the school boys.  Gannon is starting 1st Grade and has Ms. Pitchford.  Hayden will be in 3rd grade and has Mr. Potts.

 Doesn't Gannon's backpack look gigantic?!  It's going to swallow him whole.

 I really did comb his hair before this.  I swear.

Sadly, Bridgy Boo doesn't get to go yet, but he stocked his backpack with essentials like cars and tractors...just in case.

Planting Tiny Seeds

I've missed planting a garden ever since we've moved to Colorado.  The growing season is short here and we don't really have room in our yard for a full-fledged garden, so this year, I told the boys that they could each have their own planter pot and choose what to grow in it.  Hayden and Gannon started out with carrots, radishes and Jack-Be-Little pumpkins, while Bridger and I had cilantro and Pumpkins too.  Between Finley knocking over pots and severe rain and hail storms, only the heartiest of our plants (the radishes and pumpkins) made it through.  Here is our miniscule harvest this year.  It may be small, but the boys' smiles were gigantic when they realized that food really does grow out of seeds. We had the cutest little pumpkins at the end of August, but we forgot to take pictures.  But I assure you, they were adorable. :)