Hiking in Estes Park

We were able to do a little bit of hiking while we were in the mountains! YEAH! (We couldn't do more, just because Chris broke his toe/foot the first evening at the YMCA... so walking around too much for him or as a family just wasn't in the cards). Never the less, we had a great time on the small hikes we did do.

We ventured to Rocky Mountain National Park one afternoon. It was suggested that we visit Bear Lake- a very easy trail that goes around the lake. The scenery was spectacular and the kids enjoyed climbing on rocks and throwing sticks into the water.

Another thing we did often during our stay, was "hike" around our cabin. It was situated on a hill with lots and lots of trees. Again, the kids enjoyed finding rocks, pinecones, sticks, etc... We even found a fort that someone had built!

Jonathan and Catherine were convinced they could move this branch!

Here's the fort!

At the start of one of the adventures, Catherine thought it would be fun to carry this rock the entire way... ten steps later she decided that it was too heavy.

YMCA of the Rockies

Last week we took our first family vacation! We traveled up to Estes Park (only about an hour from our house) for the week. We were able to stay in cabin at the YMCA of the Rockies to enjoy the outdoors, the fun activities offered and bask in the peace and quiet of the mountains. We all came back refreshed and thankful for the time we had!

Here is a picture of the cabin we stayed in:Tuesday morning, our first morning there we walked down to the pond/little lake on the premises to go fishing. Well, Jonathan and Chris went fishing- as they are the ones with the fishing poles. It was fun to see Jonathan really work hard at trying to catch a fish and at the same time trying to contain Catherine's excitment about the possiblity of Jonthan catching a fish. They gave it a good try... but to no avail, no fish.Catherine enjoyed climbing on the rocks and tree stumps around the water, too!

new furniture = box = kids fun

We are currently working on rearranging/re-organizing parts of our home. The first "big" move was to hang our television up on the wall downstairs in our basement- which would also give us a lot more room in our main living room. Chris and a friend moved and hung the television downstairs a couple of weeks ago. The move has been wonderful! It's great to have the extra room on our main level and some quiet during the 5:00 hour each day as I am preparing dinner (as the kids watch a video during that time). Though, moving the TV meant that we would have to purchase a new TV console (to keep little kiddy fingers away from the DVD player) and something comfortable to sit on. Chris was willing to put together a console that I purchased from Target on Saturday, then on Sunday visited Costco to get a new love seat. It's coming together quite nicely, it still needs some finishing touches, though:With the new love seat came the ginormous box it was in. Of course, kids love boxes! So for the past several days it has been the highlight of the kids playtime. This box has been a rocket ship, fort, house, etc... Their imaginations just soar with it!
It may appear that Catherine is not having fun, but she is!

"The Hike"

Last Friday, Jonathan and Catherine woke up from their nap excited to go on a hike... I have NO IDEA where they got the idea from, as you know I'm not the outdoorsy type. But, for the remainder of the afternoon/evening they packed bags (literally) to go hiking and camping. At first, I thought it was cute and that they were just pretending, but it turned out that they weren't! They were truly convinced that we were going hiking/camping. A babysitter came over that evening and when we returned she asked where we were going hiking the next day- as the kids had convinced her that we were! Chris, then, graciously decided that he would take the kids to a nearby lake for a "hike." They had a great time:

Banana "Ice Cream"

My sister-in-law shared with me the other day she had found a great new dessert... Banana "ice cream." Last night I decided to give it a try, and I think that you might want to try it too as it's a nice (healthy) substitution for ice cream, that's also yummy!

First, freeze some bananas that are getting a bit too ripe. Once frozen throw them in a blender or food processor with some chocolate sauce (a tablespoon or two) and maybe some peanut butter. Blend the goodies until smooth, the consistency of soft-serve ice cream. (note: I did add a splash of milk to aid in the blending) Surprisingly it was delicious! It was creamy just like soft serve- but hardly any calories or fat.

Now, you might say that you're not a big fan of bananas... well neither is my sister-in-law and she enjoyed it too! Come on, you know you have over-ripe bananas sitting on your counter right now. Give it a whirl!

Me and Catherine time

On Wednesday mornings, Jonathan goes to his preschool for some "summer fun" activities. I drop him off, come home to lay Abby down for a nap and then it's just me a Catherine together for a couple of hours. It's been great getting some one-on-one time with her (as it doesn't happen often). Not that we do anything "extravagant," but we try to have some fun together. Last week after picking out a temporary tattoo to put on her hand, we had snacks and then created with play-dough. We have also had fun cooking/baking, playing board games, painting finger and toe nails and braiding her hair.

It looks like she was having fun this day!

Abby is 6 months old!

Yes, it's true that Abby is now 6 months old! The time has truly flown by. I think that I am finally- truly- in a good little routine here. She is still an easy going baby and seems to love all the attention that Jonathan and Catherine give her. She is rolling around and has started to be interested in eating "food," if you can call rice crackers and rice cereal food. She weighs just over 16 pounds, keeping her in the 50th percentile. She measures 27.75 inches in length- putting her in the 90th percentile. So, she is a good little eater!