Friday, July 31, 2015

Trip to Cabin

   We spent the rest of our time up at the cabin aside from a few day trips.  We were there from Saturday until Wednesday afternoon.  We decided that next year we will be staying for a full week. It still just wasn't quite enough time up there for us.  I think we could live up there during the summer.
    Times are just so much simpler up at the cabin.  We are surrounded by old mining buildings and artifacts  from long ago.  It almost seems when we go up there we are stepping back in time.  We fill our days with things like hiking, throwing rocks in the river, watching hummingbirds, feeding chipmunks, looking for wildflowers, etc.  We all sit on the porch for hours talking and laughing with one another.  I am glad we don't have much technology up there.  It really does force us to unplug and truly spend quality time with one another without the distractions in our day to day lives.
   Here are some of the pictures from our time up at the cabin during our trip.

Gracie is a nature girl to the max.  She loves to be outside and running and exploring.  

We went on many, many walks and hikes.  It was our attempt to wear the kids out.  Unfortunately, the adults also got quite worn out too.  

A girl on the go

Dawson and I walking to town

We got to feed the chipmunks every morning

Such a nice picture of Ella




My loves

Jameson enjoyed the chipmunks this year

Gracie is really learning how to feed the chipmunks

My dad recently got this tight rope thing for the kids.  They love it and Jameson had to try it out

The cool boys ready to go on a ride

Exploring


Our river dog

These two live for the mountains

Playing by the river


The girls got these wax lips at the general store.  They were pretty silly

The girls are obsessed with the rope swing and spent every chance they got swinging.  


Dawson fell asleep pretty early on night on the couch.  So much fun really wears a boy out!!!

Playing with his cars

More river exploration

Cool stick

The girls picked out some ladybug playgrounds when we went to the toy store in Salida.  When we got back, they immediately had to go ladybug hunting.  Ashlyn has a good eye for spotting them.  

Looking for ladybugs

Bed buds in the whole world
Our view for the week

Ella holding her ladybug playground

Ashlyn showing off her bugs

Thanks to our handy wildflower guide book, we were able to identify a few new types of flower.  This particular one is a wild iris.  It's so much fun to find a flower and try to match it.  We learned the Ute Indians used to eat this flower.  



She really wants to pet one!

Being silly as usual

Too many kids for one chair

Popsicle time.  Boy were they excited!!!

Ashlyn swinging away

  On Wednesday, we left the cabin around 3:00.  We decided to go back to Buena Vista to grab dinner before heading home.  We tried a new restaurant that specializes in healthy food and it was amazing.  They had a really neat outdoor eating space with lots for the kids to do.  This pipe and magnet area entertained them well.  


Lots of building
    We decided to end the trip on a very sweet note and go back to the ice cream place one last time for a final treat.  It was the perfect ending to the perfect trip.

More ice cream

Such a nice brother to share with his sister

Thursday, July 30, 2015

Trip to Buena Vista

     We recently went on our yearly long trip to the cabin.  We had such an amazing time and created so many awesome memories!  We didn't get to go last year because Graceyn was too small.  We were all so excited to go this year and spend more than a weekend at one of our favorite places in the world.  I am breaking our trip up into a few different posts since like usual we took a ton of pictures.
      This year, my sister, niece, and nephew came with us like they did two years ago.  The kids absolutely loved getting to spend so much quality time with one another.  They played from the moment they woke up (usually around 5:00 a.m. unfortunately) until the time they went to bed.  They did some serious playing!  They quite literally can not get enough of one another.  It's very sweet.
     We started our trip on a Saturday and drove up right after we watched my brother run in a race.  We decided to take a slight detour in Buena Vista before heading up to the cabin.  We started at a local food truck that Joey and I recently discovered.  They serve awesome burgers that we can't get enough of.  They have a really neat outdoor eating area which is perfect with our group of kids.
    After we ate lunch, we headed across the street to a new ice cream place.  It is seriously one of the cutest ice cream places in the world and just perfect for those with young kids.  They have a huge outdoor area to enjoy their delicious ice cream with lots for kids to do.  After we had full stomachs, we attempted to go to the huge park in town.  It was so crowded this particular day that we couldn't even find a parking spot.  After making two unsuccessful loops around the parking lot, we decided to just head up the cabin.  The kids didn't mind a bit as they were so anxious to finally get up there.


Lunch stop

Love this boy

Hungry girls

Enjoying a very rare treat of root beer

I had to include a picture of the burger and fresh cut fries.  So good it's making me want one right now!!!

Ready for some ice cream

They have a neat kids area with a special kids table and toys and books for kids.  

ALways happy when he is eating ice cream

I tried to get a good picture of the outdoor eating area

This swing was very popular with the kids

Gracie eating some leftovers.  I don't think she got very much.  

They had a stump with nails and hammers.  The kids got quite the kick out of it.  

Gracie found a stroller just her size.  

Silly girl had to try it out for herself

The kids discovering a cocoon 

Graceyn at 15 Months

   This post is way overdue seeing that Graceyn is already 16 months.  It has just been too hard for me to do much blogging.  The only time I really get a chance is at night when the kids are in bed.  The problem is, Joey is usually on the computer at that time as well.  So, I am just trying to squeeze in posts when I can.  I figure late is better than never.
     Gracie went in for her 15 month check up last month.  She is growing like a week and hitting all of her milestones just perfectly.  She weighed 21.4 pounds (52%) and is 30.8 inches tall (55%).  So, it looks like she is perfectly proportionate.  The doctor said she looked great and was pleased with her growth.
     Gracie is definitely a full on toddler now.  It saddens me so much that she is no longer a baby.  She is such an independent girl who wants to run and play and explore.  She loves to be outside and will often go to the back door asking to go play.  She loves playing with her siblings and cousins.  She has just recently gotten into her sister's dolls and likes holding them and carrying them throughout the house.
     She has also recently really become attached to one of her blankets.  She grabs it out of her crib when she wakes up and likes to hold it throughout the day.
     Gracie continues to be a good eater.  She still remains pretty unpicky.  She loves cheese and yogurt.  She also can't get enough fruit and peas.  The other day, Joey was cutting up a watermelon and she came running into the room saying, "bite" over and over.
      Gracie is talking up a storm.  We hear new words all the time.  Her current favorite words are "out" and "bite".  The funniest part is that she has learned when she says "out" when she is in her highchair that I come and take her out.  So now she says "out" anytime she want somewhere else.  Like if she is behind the baby gate and wants to go upstairs she says "out".  It's pretty funny.  She is the same way with the word "bite".  When she says "bite" when we are eating, we give her some.  Now when she wants anything, she says "bite".  Its pretty humorous when her brother or sister is playing with a toy and she starts saying "bite" over and over.  I love hearing what she has say.
      Sleep has gotten much better.  She is now consistently sleeping from about 7-7 each night.  She may wake up once or twice, but she only cries for a minute and goes back to sleep. We are also down to one long afternoon nap.
      Gracie may be the baby of the family but she doesn't seem it.  She is very assertive and vocal if she doesn't get her way.  If someone takes a toy she is playing with, she makes sure she gets it back.  She definitely is a toddler and has her toddler tantrum moments.
     Gracie is such a ray of sunshine in our lives.  Each day she makes us smile and laugh.  We are so lucky to have this beautiful girl in her lives.
     I'm including some shots from our pictures where she was almost exactly 15 months.  I think they do a great job of capturing her personality.  





This is a favorite because it does a great job showing how active Gracie really is.  Her hair is literally flying in the wind.