Fall Colors mean Fall Fun in the Mountains

Not only was it our 6th Anniversary, it was also the first weekend for good fall color viewing in the mountains here. Our tradition is to pack a lunch, head to the mountains for a hike, drive Peak to Peak highway for the best views of the changing aspen leaves, head into Nederland and end the day in Boulder. In keeping with tradition, that's exactly what our day looked like Saturday.

On our way to Golden Gate State Park, we stopped in Golden to grab lunch to go and then headed up to eat and take our hike. We decided to let McClellan walk on her own instead of putting her in the backpack. That was both a successful choice and a mistake. Successful in that she loved having her freedom. Mistake in that the hike was more like a slooooow stroll that often took detours off the trail, including a few tumbling down the hill moments.

I *love* this photo. I love watching them together; how much McClellan loves her Daddy and how much her Daddy loves her.

Dad tried to teach her how to skip rocks...she thought just throwing them in was a success!

Hiking their way back to our picnic site -she really did pretty well. Of course the trail was fairly flat and we had to lower our expectations A LOT...but it was so much fun. Thank goodness that a few falls, some scrapes and dirt on her hands, face and legs didn't phase her! And yes, I'm serious. At one point she went off the trail and tumbled a bit, flipping head over heels. She just got up, brushed her hands off and kept going-That's Our Girl!!

Blowing kisses to Daddy! **mwah**

After our little hike we went drove the Peak to Peak highway and then went to Nederland to the Carousel of Happiness http://www.carouselofhappiness.org/flashcarousel/flash.html If you haven't been you need to go. Nederland is just a quick drive up if you're in Denver!

Upstairs from the carousel is a little overlook and puppet stage. McClellan & Matt are watching a puppet show that some of the other kids there were putting on-she was fascinated.

There is this cool overlook above the carousel where you can see the whole thing and all the workings of the carousel-here she's telling a perfect stranger all about it. This guy was a great sport and seemed to understand every word. ::wink::

View from the observation overlook.

Matt even got in on the puppet show action and put on a private show just for McClellan.

Our first ride was on the sheep..."Baaaaa" McClellan kept saying.

"Raaaarrrr"

And when it's only a $1 a ride, how can you not keep riding when she loves it so much? Next was the Moose-you can't tell in the photo but she's actually dancing to the music that plays when the carousel is moving. We were cracking up!

And yes...the pig, one last spin.

Time to say "Goodbye"...until next time.

Then we were off to Boulder for the Fall Fest on Pearl Street. McClellan's favorite part was playing with the other kiddos at the little "park" in the middle of the mall area.

She found/stole this ball and would NOT let go.

She would pretend she was going to share ... but this guy ended up empty handed. We had to literally tear the ball out of her hands and pull her away. We're working on the concept of sharing. It's a work in progress.

And, it wouldn't be a trip to Boulder without at least one picture of some hippy display.

Remembrance - Reflection - Respect

Today marked the 10 year Anniversary of the 9/11 attacks on our country.

Today we remember the evil that invaded our country, that took thousands of innocent lives and forever burnt horrible images into our minds. We also remember the countless acts of heroism by both people who were "just doing their jobs" and people who were forced to become selfless heros.

We reflected on the changes this cowardly act has forced upon us; longer lines at the airport, tighter security at courthouses, color coded security warnings and to some degree, our sense of security has been forever challenged. Things that might annoy us but are nothing in comparison to losing a loved one.

We realized 10 years ago the amount of respect we had for those who on a daily basis put their own lives at risk to keep us safe and when necessary, save us. It's a respect that should have always been there, and maybe was, but was taken for granted until 9/11. I hope we never forget the selfless sacrifices those firefighters and their families made that day.

I looked into McClellan's eyes today and watched her wave the flags around; she has no idea what happened 10 years ago today. One day she will learn about this horrible event in a history class. One day the images I saw happening live on tv she will she in a text book.

As we put flags about the yard today we realized that that our 10 flags may seem like "overkill" to some but that number pales in comparison to the true numbers:

• 2,819 total killed
• 343 of those were firefighter/paramedics
• leaving a total of 3,051 children without a parent

10 years ago today I woke up and moments later saw the second plane hit the South Tower of the World Trade Center. I went into the office where we all were huddled around every television available watching the tragedy unfold; tears, and fear on the faces of everyone.

Eventually we were sent home and all court was cancelled for the day. That afternoon and evening friends came over and we all sat around the living room crying, hugging and shaking our heads.

Today, 10 years later I'm still crying and shaking my head.

We have not forgotten. We will never forget.

A Corntastic, Blueberry-licious End of Summer

Labor Day typically marks the end of summer. We decided to take in one last day at the outdoor pool. McClellan maintained her Olympic swimmer reputation; jumping right in, blowing bubbles, going under water on her own and "swimming" back up to the top again. I swear this kid was a fish in her past life!

All good things must come to an end, including summers spent at the pool. So we said goodbye to the outdoor pool, until next summer, and headed home to make dinner.

McClellan decided to join me outside while I was shucking our corn. She climbed in her wagon and started "helping" me.

But what that really meant was she decided to start eating the shucked corn ... raw.

Her face was a complete mess and she kept eating, and eating, and eating.

And at dinner, she still hadn't had enough ... so she ate more, a lot more.

After dinner we had the homemade blueberry/peach popsicles I made yesterday. We used some of the peaches we got in our CSA box and some blueberries we picked up at the market. This was my first time making these and I only wish I'd tried this sooner-YUM!

Maddie got in on the action too, taste testing the drips and puddles but McClellan held on tight to her popsicle not willing to share licks, thankfully.

Thankfully I had thought ahead and removed her shirt. Sadly I chose, wrongly, not to remove her pants.

She finished almost the entire thing on her own!

And...this picture says it all. Mom's homemade popsicles were a HUGE, messy, hit!

Goodbye summer ... thanks for all the good memories. We look forward to seeing you again next year!!

Playdate at the Park

No daycare on Friday meant an afternoon spent with my favorite girl and luckily a play date with Annie and Grace! We met at the Silo Park where the girls spent lots of time swinging, walking around the gardens and playing on the equipment. The weather was perfect and the company even better!

The girls met and in this photo they are realizing "Hey-we both have plaid skirts and pink shirts on...I like your outfit!"

McClellan liked checking out the gardens, and picking up some wood chips along the way, of course.

The pumpkins were HUGE! I don't think I've ever seen pumpkins this big, in person, before.

McClellan wasn't so sure about sitting next to this big pumpkin and kept looking over her shoulder to make sure the pumpkin was keeping to itself.

I'm pretty sure that the "It's a Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown" remake movie could be filmed here-all the pumpkins were HUGE!

Grace and McClellan had fun playing on the playground equipment and climbing in and out of the tube.

McClellan got brave and climbed all the way through to the other end. Such a big, brave girl!!

Grace and McClellan pretending this thing was big enough for both of them!

Ah...what cuties! Thanks for a fun play date Annie and Grace! The pizza afterwards was yummy, too! Looking forward to next time!

McClellan meets Yo Gabba Gabba

Needless to say it was love at first sight. She had to be peeled from the television. I pulled her park bench out and set her down on it and she sat there the entire time watching. The only other time she's sat this still was for a KU basketball game, yes, seriously.

So, I'd say Yo Gabba Gabba may very well be visiting our house more often. I'm thinking I may actually get to make dinner without a 16 month old on my leg the entire time.

This could be a very, very good thing.

(Pardon the poor photo quality - taken with my phone)