Some Mores

It's hard to beat a cool summer evening in Colorado. Tonight we had a fire in our pit and made s'mores. Holli calls them "some mores". Whatever you call them, they're fun to make and fun to eat.

River Days

We had a great day on the river. The four of us, along with Deron and the 2 Harms' families went rafting and kayking on the Animas River. Our friend, Tom, has a 16ft Aire raft, tandem ducky and single ducky. Holli and I started off in the tandem ducky, Deron was in the single ducky and everyone else was in the raft. The river is pretty mellow right after you put in so I felt comfortable with Holli and I in a Ducky. Drew and I have been shopping around for a boat so it was nice for Drew to get some experience guiding the raft. After a couple of breaks Holli moved to the raft and Drew and I decided that we could do the most difficult rapid, Smelter, in the ducky together. Deron was still in the single ducky and as we got closer to the rapid we were all getting a bit nervous. Drew and I have both been passengers on a raft but never had to navigate the rapid ourselves before. Once we got into the rapid, it was so much fun. We got very wet but never had any problems. It was nice to have our experienced friends giving us advice on how to handle the rapids. We had a great time and are really excited about getting our own boat.

Holli, Dylan and Trevor waiting to take off.

Taking a lunch break on a sand bar. The kids really enjoyed digging in the sand and playing with the water guns.

Holli and Deron going through a rapid. After this Holli decided she'd rather be in the raft. You get pretty wet in the duckys and the water is very cold.

Abby, Drew and Dylan in the tandem ducky. This was a very mellow section towards the end of the trip. Dylan, like Holli, preferred the big raft.

Uncle Deron

Uncle Deron is coming today and the kids are soooooooo excited! The kids say that Deron is the bravest person in the world because he fought in the war in Afghanistan. Dylan already set the table for dinner tonight and they're arguing over who gets to sit next to him. We have a fun weekend planned with river rafting, mountain biking and hopefully a little relaxing.

Last few days

We've had a lot of deer in our yard lately. This evening there were a couple eating down by the trampoline. I prefer the deer over the cows.



Today, the kids and I went for a little hike at Falls Creek. This is just outside of town and very easy. We have a friend that lives near the trailhead and she's been having a bear visit their house every day. I took Chewy with us to be safe but we never saw any bears.


Here's Holli climbing our rope in the backyard. She's like a monkey. I can't believe how well she can climb.

Father's Day Weekend

We've had a really fun, full weekend. There was so much to do in Durango. Yesterday afternoon we went to see and ride Thomas the Train. This is always a fun activity. There was a petting zoo, crafts station, juggling, singing and of course the train ride. This is a short 30 minute ride to the edge of town and back. Perfect for the kids. After the train ride and a big lunch at Carvers we went to the Whos Your Daddy. This is a fund raiser for the Durango Children's Museum. There were lots of old cars on display, water games, food, live music and more. We had a really great time and were very tired at the end of the day.

Holli and Dylan with Sir Toppin Hat.

For Father's Day we went out for a nice breakfast and then did a short hike. The hike was up to Spud Lake. This is an easy 2 mile hike just North of Durango Mountain Resort. Perfect for the kids. Dylan complained some on the way up but he was very happy once we made it to the lake and he was able to eat some M&M's. The only wildlife we saw were a few snakes. After the hike we went swimming at the Rec Center. While we were in Florida Dylan decided he really likes wearing his life jacket when he's swimming. Today, with his life jacket on, he was able to go down the slide all by himself.

I wish we were able to spend Father's Day with my Dad in Kansas City. This is one of the draw backs of living in Durango. We had a great time with him in Florida and look forward to seeing Grandma and Grandpa in a few weeks.

Close Encounters of the Cow Kind

I was awoken in the middle of the night by what sounded like cows mooing. This is not something I'm used to hearing. It's not unusual to hear cats fighting, coyotes howling or birds chirping but we don't normally hear cows mooing. We heard the cows again this morning so after breakfast the kids and I ventured out to look for the cows. Our house backs to green space. There is a valley with hiking trails and a couple of creeks. We go down there almost every day for a little hike. Today, when we got to the bottom of the hill we were greeted by approximately 30 cows. They must have gotten lose from a nearby ranch. Holli loved them and wanted to pet them. Winnie was scared to death. As soon as she saw one move she tucked her tail and took off running in the opposite direction. Nice of her to look out the for rest of us. Once she figured out the cows where not a danger she thought it would be a good idea to roll in some of the droppings they left all over the ground. I think cows are pretty cute but very stinky. I'm a little bummed that our nice valley is now covered in cow pies. Hopefully their owner will find them soon.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, HOLLI!

Holli is 6 years old today! I can't believe how much she's grown in 6 years. She already knows everything, wants her own apartment and has been in love with 2 different boys. Geez, I wonder what next year will be like? I'm sure she'll continue to make us laugh and be just as sweet as ever. Happy Birthday, Holli!

Weekend Project

This past weekend Drew built a loft bed in Dylan's room. The kids bedrooms here aren't quite as big as their old ones. We thought this would give them some more space and loft beds are just fun. So far the kids love it. They've hung sheets to turn the bottom part into a cave and have been sleeping together up top. We plan to build one for Holli's room in the next couple of weeks.

Dylan helping to drill a hole.

Day Camp

Yesterday was Holli's first day at the Purgatory Adventure Camp for Kids. She'll be going 6 times throughout the summer. She has several friends that are going the same days as her so that makes it more fun. She picked up the bus at 8am and was gone until 4pm. We had a list of everything she needed to bring with her - sunscreen, lunch, snacks, 2 quarts of water, sun hat, knit hat, rain gear and whistle. Her backpack was so heavy but she didn't complain. Yesterday was a hiking day. They spent the day hiking, looking at animal tracks, finding bugs and just having fun. She said her favorite part of the day was hiking. I guess that's good since they spent most of the day hiking. She came home with a mostly dead grasshopper in a plastic bag. As soon as we got home she found a cardboard box and began making a home for the grasshopper.

Next week when she goes they will be doing a ropes course. Sounds like fun!

Family

I asked Holli what her favorite part of our Florida vacation was. She said her favorite part was being with all of her family. Awwww... she's so sweet!

Earrings

We celebrated Holli and Ethan's birthdays while we were in Florida. Ethan just turned 8 and Holli turns 6 in a couple of weeks. One thing that Holli asked for for her birthday was to get her ears pierced. On our last day we took her to Alvin's Island to get her ears pierced. She wasn't too happy after the first ear was done but she didn't put up much of a fight when it was time to do the second ear. She said it hurt a lot more that I told her it would. Ooops.

Panama City Beach

This week we've been vacationing in Panama City Beach, Fl. We've been here with Grandma and Grandpa, Mimi and the Pompas. The last time the kids were at a beach was in 2006 so neither of them remember it. They both love catching crabs, looking for seashells and digging in the sand. We're staying at Sunnyside Beach and Tennis Resort which is the same place we always stayed for family vacations when I was growing up. The place looks pretty much the same.

Walking to the beach from our condo. The kids love the walk. The beach is across the street so you walk through a tunnel under the road.

Holli and Dylan with Sponge Bob Square pants.

Holli and Drew on our boat, the Melanie Dawn.

Dylan has his belt on and is ready to fish. You put the fishing pole in this belt and it makes reeling in the fish a bit easier.

Holli catching some bait fish.

We chartered a boat and went deep sea fishing. All together we caught 23 Red Snapper and 3 Trigger fish. Holli called the fish Red Floppers because they flopped around on the deck. Some of the fish were pretty hard to reel in but we had a great crew that was so helpful. That evening we grilled some for dinner. I'm not a big fish eater but this fish was really good. It feels so good to eat the fish we caught. We have more left that we froze to take home to Colorado.

When we were out on the boat the captain got a message that tar balls had been spotted in Pensacola. Unfortunately, because of the BP oil spill, we may have been one of his last fishing trips.

You can't come to Florida and not get an airbrush shirt. Here are the kids in their personalized t-shirts.