Hanging Lake

To kick off summer this year we took a weekend trip to Glenwood Springs where we hiked up to a beautiful lake called Hanging Lake.  We've been wanting to do this as a family for a while and we enjoyed every minute of our trip.  These are some of my favorite shot of the trip.  One thing that I love about our adventure was how fun the boys were.  Caleb was teasing me on the way up and I caught his mischievous smile on camera.

 Doesn't get much cooler then this.  The water was spectacularly clear and the waterfall were so refreshing. 

    
Every since Tyler was born, Blake has loved to share rides in my arms with him.  Together we created a little saying, "Two boys, one named Blake and the other named Tyler.  Two boys, are they to heavy...Nope!  Every so often Blake runs up to me asking for a two boy ride.  Unfortunately for me, he had the idea at the top of the mountain after I'd been hiking with one boy and a backpack for a couple hours.  Really, though, how could I resist a request like this?

 

Tyler didn't quite make it all the way, but he was a trooper for the most part.  The whole way up the mountain he waved to the passing hikers and "hi, Hi, HI" until they acknowledged him.  He also pointed  out every dog that passed and said hello and goodbye to the river water as it crossed our path.  He is a sweetheart.

School is Out!

        Summer vacation officially began this Friday for the boys.  We are sooooo excited!  Caleb had his buddy, Nico, over to play after school to celebrate and kick off the summer break.  We got some Jamba Juice and then they spent the afternoon climbing trees and jumping on the trampoline in our backyard.  I think there will be alot of summer days spent doing the same ... it's gonna be fun:)

Steamboat Springs Ice Castles

         As a family we drove to Steamboat Springs and spent the day exploring.  One of the sights that was most remarkable was the Ice Castles created in the town center.  Every night throughout the winter they spray this structure so that it grows and in doing so create a beautiful display.  We were able to walk through the caves and slide around the different paths. 

 I zoomed in and caught this.  Kind of gross, but so typical.  I was glad it didn't stick!

 Tyler enjoyed touching the ice and giggled saying, "it's burrr, sooo cowd."

These two are such buddies.  I think Blake is a mini version of his dad in looks and personality.  He always tries to get a laugh with a silly expression...very like is dad. 

The Park at Dillon Lake

Dillon Lake

When I Turned my Back

Tyler is such a busy little guy. He spends his days following big brothers around and trying keep up with them. I love how curious he is and enjoy watching him explore, but sometimes he's hard to keep up with. Today I turned my back and discovered he'd gotten into my make-up.

When the Blackburn's came for a visit we had tons of fun. One of my favorite days was when they allowed me to practice/play with my new camera while taking their family photos. We then went to lunch and enjoyed a little ice cream as a treat.

Ice Skating Downtown

Last year, when Mom and Dad visited us for Christmas, we stumbled on a downtown ice skating rink. That evening we took the boys skating for the first time. We really enjoyed this outing in the city and decided to try in again this year with Steve, Kim, and their girls. Caleb and Dallin remember it well and were able to get around pretty well on the ice. The little guys were not as sure on their feet. Mike and I took turns pushing them around the ice.

As I was skating around the rink with the little guys, Caleb asked me if I would like to dance with him in the center of the rink. The music was playing, there were other (much more skilled) skaters already dancing, and I knew if I tried I'd end up on my butt. However, I just couldn't resist Caleb's sweet request. We danced, very poorly, and I did end up on my butt. It was incredibly fun and very memorable. I love that boy.

While we all had fun, Ty spent the afternoon frustrated. He wanted to ice skate, but there weren't any his size. He wasn't allowed to run around the rink in his shoes or be carried by an adult skater so he was forced to sit back and watch the fun. As the youngest of four boys, this has become his challenge. He thinks he can keep up with the big bro's, but is often held back by his age/size. Kim snapped this photo at the end and although I shouldn't love it...I do.

A Snowy Day w/ Tyler

This morning it snowed and the cars were covered. As I headed out to clear the car before school this little guy wanted to join. We through on a hat and sweatshirt and he walked around eating snow till we were ready to go. Couldn't resist this picture (inspired by my sister). Therefore, we just wanted to give a shout out to little cuz L. J. Parry. Looking forward to snowboarding with you buddy:)

The other evening, I was juggling boys between their different activities (scouts, basketball, and a friends house). On the drive home, Caleb casually mentioned that on that very evening his class was having an open house to display their semester's writing samples. Somewhere in the back of my mind I remember reading a flier about this, but I never committed it to the calender and so it had slipped my mind. It was the last thing I wanted to do at that time. Boys were hungry, tired and still needing baths. I wanted to go home to relax. However, we were driving by the school and we could make the last fifteen minutes of the open house if we raced in. I decided to go for it and I am so glad. The class was assigned to write on a topic of their individual choices. Caleb chose to write about his family. I had to share. I love this boy!