Spending the Day with Ryan and girls

Ryan, Chani and their girls were in Denver at a show over Labor Day weekend. We really wanted to see them, so Monday, we arranged to meet them halfway in Loveland, CO. We went to an inflatable bouncing place called Jumpin'. We all climbed, jumped, bounced and ran around like little kids. We left for lunch and a little shopping. The kids were anti shopping, but we all agreed that the kids get to pick one store, and the adults get to pick one store. The kids unanimously chose PetSmart for their pick.
They got to see birds, rodents, fish and kittens. It was pretty entertaining.

Ryan and I picked Jax, it's a huge outdoor store.


After our shopping excursion, we heading back to Jumpin' for more fun. We all got our exercise and had fun doing it. It was so great to spend time with Ava and Gracie. Ryan even brought his 2 nieces Kennadi and Preslie. Our kids had an enjoyable day together. It makes me want to move closer to family so the kids can play together more.

First Day of School

Isaac started 4th grade and Sophia and Savannah started their first day of Kindergarten. It was a day of mixed feelings for me, I was so nervous for the kids. They all did great and I think they'll have a wonderful year. The first day of school, I asked the kids if they wanted hot lunch or cold lunch. Sophia said, "I want warm lunch." I love my kids and miss them while they're at school, but they are having fun learning and making new friends.

Rail Trail

We drove about an hour and a half to Medicine Bow National Forest to enjoy a mountain bike ride. The forest service maintains the trail, which used to be a railroad track. The railroad ties and tracks have been pulled up and gravel was laid. The trail is 21 miles long. We didn't even come close to finishing it, but maybe someday without the kids and Jecca we could do it. It's a beautiful ride along the shore of Lake Owen, and through the forest. We were all going strong, but about an hour into the ride, Jecca and Isaac lost their steam. Isaac was tough enough to keep going, but we ended up putting Jecca in the bike trailer with the girls. Nick and I took turns pulling the approximately 120 pounds. There are Moose frequently spotted on the trail, we didn't spot any Moose, but we did see lots of butterflies, chipmunks and squirrels. We all had a fun time, and I hope we do it again soon.

Isaac's 10th Birthday

Isaac just celebrated his 10th birthday. I can't believe he's in the double digits now!



I took cupcakes to share with his class, and they sang Happy Birthday to him. After school, we had a Pirate Party at the park. It's funny that he requested a pirate themed party considering he didn't exactly love the pirates in Mexico.
He found a cake that he wanted, it looked easy enough, so I agreed. It turned out well for a beginning cake decorator like myself, and Isaac was pleased with it. We ate pizza, had a treasure hunt, a pinata, played pirate ship ring toss, and decorated our own pirate hats.




I think the party turned out fun, and we were lucky enough to have great, warm weather. Isaac has some great friends that are so kind to him, I really appreciate them. Nick was on his way home from Alaska, so we had another party for Isaac the next night, so Daddy could celebrate too. We had cupcakes and Isaac opened a few more presents. Nick gave him an ice cream ball, so we decided to try it out that night. You fill it and shake it and roll it around for 20-30 minutes, and it makes wonderful ice cream. By the time we were done we figured we'd worked off enough calories to enjoy the ice cream, guilt free.