Where Do I Even Begin!!!

I just can't believe my last post was for Connor's Birthday in April. I am partially blaming my lack of blogging on our computer ;) It was having a lot of problems, and we have since gotten a new one. I am overwhelmed by the amount of posts I need to do to catch up, so I am just starting with the pictures we have on our new computer. I hate to leave so much out, but I think it's the only way!!! Trust me, you'll be exhausted just looking at the part I am going to post.

So much has happened since April! We have had a fun summer with lots and lots of travels. I think that is all we did in May and June. We went to Flagstaff to watch Chris's brother, Scott graduate as a Physical Therapist; Chris and Connor attempted their first "boys only" camping trip, but had to come home in the night because of rain and freezing cold temperatures; we went to Evergreen for Memorial Day, where Chris and Laura ran the Bolder Boulder 10K!! They both did great and we are proud of them for taking it on!

That trip will also always hold a special place in our hearts because it was the last visit we had with my Grandpa Budd. He passed away suddenly of a heart attack on June 9th. It is still hard to believe he is gone and we will miss him so very, very much. He wanted a celebration instead of a funeral, so we did just that.

Somewhere in the mix, the kids and I met my Mom, her sister (my Aunt Pam), my Uncle Chris and my cousin, Angelina in Glenwood Springs to go to the Hot Springs pool. Meanwhile, my amazing husband was hiking to Havasupai, a waterfall in the Grand Canyon! Yes, that Grand Canyon. It was the trip of a lifetime for him.

The other BIG trip we took in June was to Phoenix to celebrate Father's Day and Chris's Dad turning 65!! It was great to be with his family and our two little nieces. We drove down to Tucson, stopped by the U of A bookstore, the Pima Air and Space Museum, Kartchner Caverns, and even all the way to Tombstone. It was all very interesting and I am sad to leave those pictures out.

The kids are doing great. Cora just turned 10 months. She is crawling and pulling herself up to standing. I know she will be walking soon. She started waving and saying Bye Bye the other day.

Connor is still 110% boy and we love him for that. He is learning to deal with Cora being in his space all the time too. We are excited for him to start preschool in August... and I mean that in the best way possible ;)

So here it goes... you might want to grab a snack... this is a loooonnnggg update:)

Music In The Park

They have a "Music in the Park" series here

in Fruita every summer that we like to try to

go to as often as we can. Here we are enjoying

the "Pineapple Crackers" last week.

Connor in a blanket swing:)

Connor and Daddy

Mommy and Cora

Riding in the wagon to the park.

Little Crawler

She's always on the move....

Blueberry Pancakes

Cora has loved just about every food I have offered her, minus

a few of the greenish baby food mixtures out there (but yuck,

who can blame her!) These blueberry pancakes were no exception...

She could not get enough!

Daddy Time

Chris took the kids to Kidzplex the other day. They love

it, and they love being with their Daddy:)




Cora in the ball pit




Thanks for the fun times Dad:)

Movie Under the Stars

The Glade Park Fire Department puts on a "Movie

Under the Stars" every Friday night during the summer.

We tried it for the first time and really enjoyed it. They

had so much to do while you wait for it to get dark.

Here we are on a hayride...

Connor Lee:)




Getting in movie watching position.

Testing out an old fire engine.

The Dentist

Connor had his first visit to the dentist last week
and he did AWESOME! I didn't know what to expect,
but he just climbed up there like a big boy and let
them do whatever they needed to do.

He was cavity free too!

Yay Connor!

The Botanical Gardens

The kids and I went to the Botanical Gardens here
in Grand Junction with our friend Nicole and her
two little ones Ella and Owen. I am always pleased
when I find a new activity to do here in our little
town!


Connor and Ella, best buddies:)


A rare picture of Connor sitting with Mommy




Looking at the turtles

Fourth Of July

Our friends from Arizona, the Williams' (Chris's old boss, in fact)
have some land up in Ridgway, CO that they come visit with
their family every summer. They were kind enough to invite
us up to celebrate the Fourth with them on their beautiful
property, less than 2 hours from our house. Of course we jumped
at the chance, and it was so worth it. The next picture sums up
the wonderful surroundings. Their whole family is so kind and
welcoming. We had a great time, and so did all the kids. Connor,
Emma, and Owen were just babies when we lived in Arizona,
so it was fun to watch them interact as big kids now. We are
thankful for such good friends.


The GORGEOUS scenery heading out of Ridgway
and up to the cabin.

All of the kids (minus Cora) making silly faces!

(Owen, Connor, Sophie, Emma)

Cora and Mommy

We drove down to Telluride for the fireworks that

night. They were amazing, with the big BOOMS

resounding off the canyon walls.

We rode up the gondola in Telluride while we

waited for it to get dark.

Connor doing his first sparkler!!

Chris and Connor watching the fireworks.

Backyard Fun

This is how we've been staying cool this summer...

Down At Grandpa Paul's

I always love visiting my Grandpa, not only because he
is super fun to just hang out and chat with, but I have so
many amazing memories of days spent at Piney Creek, it's
fun to re-live them with my kids. I want to give them as
many chances as possible to get to know Grandpa and all
that his little piece of the world has to offer.


He took us on a tractor ride down to the creek, and let me tell
you, there is no better place to spend a lazy summer afternoon.
Next time I will remember our swim suits! Thank you always
for all you do, Grandpa... We miss you and we'll be back to visit
soon!


Heading down to the barn


Loaded up on the tractor

Cora and her Great Grandpa Paul

Feet in the water, what could be better on

a hot summer day

Connor Lee loving life

Cora getting her toes wet

Throwing sticks down the creek

Play Time In Evergreen

After the Memorial we had a little down time to just

hang out with family which was so nice.

Fun in a tub... who needs toys anyways?!!!

Meema and the kids on the trampoline

Cora getting a lift

Connor giving the baby bear a kiss outside the

Rec Center

Walking in Elk Meadow

A HORRIBLE accident we witnessed at one of the boys

softball games. We actually saw the blue truck do a

complete flip in the air and land on top of the red one.

Thankfully everyone was ok!

In Honor Of (Great) Grandpa Budd

Here we are at Grandpa Budd's memorial "celebration"
with my Mom and my other Grandpa, Paul.




The fire truck they brought over in honor of Grandpa
and his service at the department.


Connor carrying on tradition:)

The celebration tent. We will miss you Grandpa Budd.