We've had a lot of stuff going on recently that I've wanted to blog about but haven't had the time or the empty arms (I love holding my son!). But as he sleeps next to me, I thought I'd try to catch up.
Jack turned one month old on Oct. 14th, and my mom and stepdad flew into Colorado that day for a visit. I was only expecting the two of them, but when I opened my front door, my sister, Sarah, her son, Peter, and my youngest brother, Zach had come too! All I could do was scream - I was sooo excited. I'm not one for surprises. If anyone were to throw me a surprise party, I think I'd run away and cry. I just don't like that sort of thing. But I was very happy to see my family. My other brother, Micah, had just started a new job, so I wasn't surprised not to see him. But then later that night, mom and my stepdad, Dave, called and told me to go hang out with my siblings at their hotel room for a while. They said the airport had lost one of their bags, but that they had called and said it had been found. So they were going to drive to the airport, pick it up and then take us all out for dinner when they got back. The thing is, this was at 7pm. My kids are usually in bed by 7:30pm. (Ben and I NEED some time to ourselves at night before we hit the sack to bond. It's essential to our marriage that we have that down time by ourselves. So yes, our kids go to bed early.) Anyway, it was going to take an hour to drive to Denver, an hour to drive back, and however much time it took at the airport before we'd even leave for dinner. I was a bit upset. That is until they returned, and my brother Micah walked up and gave me a hug! How awesome that they tricked me once again?! I don't like not being in the know, but I felt like a princess who was being bombarded with love! It was lovely!
That was a Friday, then Saturday, we went hiking in Rocky Mountain National Park. Well, everyone except Jack and me. It was so bitter cold and windy to get him out, so he and I stayed in the car and watched the sunset while the others walked around Bear Lake. Sunday morning, Ben, the kids and I went to church and waited to hear back from my family. They had said they were going on a more strenuous hike, and that we'd meet up after lunch. Well, 2pm rolled around - no word from my folks. 4pm - still no word. I'm getting worried. I don't know how to check to make sure they weren't in an accident or stranded in the snow drenched mountains without a signal to call for help. Then just after 5pm, my mom calls and says that they were just then leaving the park, that the snow and ice had caused the hike to become doubly long and difficult, that they were all freezing with wet socks and shoes, that they were starving because they had anticipated being out of the park by lunch and hadn't brought enough snacks to sustain them. My mom and Dave hike this particular hike (typically 4-5 hours to complete) in June when they come to Colorado for their anniversary. This time with the wintery conditions, it took them over 8 hours, and they had Peter with them, who even though he's four, I'm told was a trooper on the hike! Way to go, Champ! So they all went straight to their hotel room after that to eat, shower and sleep.
Here are some shots from that trip that my mom sent me.
The next morning, I dropped Gillian off at school and headed to Panera Bread with the boys. Actually, I was trying to find a coat for me now that it's getting cooler, but the stores weren't open yet, so we popped in for some breakfast and coffee (and chocolate milk). Right as I was packing up our stuff to leave, my mom and brothers walk by. We sat with them as they had their breakfast, and then we all walked over to Gillian's school to pick her up. To say that she was excited to have us all there is an understatement. She was nearly bursting out of her skin to show off her Gramie and Papaw to her teacher and classmates. It was awesome. After that, we picked up some Chick-fil-A for lunch, and said our goodbyes as they had to get to the airport for their flight back to Texas. I was so grateful to have been able to have that time with all of them. I've lived away from my hometown for many years now, so get togethers with all of us have been few and far between. As hard as that hike was for them all, my siblings fell in love with Colorado, so we're hoping to have lots more visits in the future. I look forward to it!
Here are some pictures from the weekend.
I'd like to introduce you to Super Papaw. He's seriously super.
Saving the world - one grandkid at a time.
We're having Thanksgiving at my house this year. We have the most square footage, so we got volunteered. I'm looking forward to having Ben's family over. I've always wanted to be the 'get-together house.' My goal is for my house to be my kids' friends' favorite hang out. It's a lofty goal, I know, but I'm going to try. I've already started - we frequently have Gillie's best friend from school and her mom over. I love that!
So in preparation for the big day, I wanted to try my hand at decorating a table. I found out we're renting tables, so this will end up mostly being for show somewhere in the room, but it was so fun to make. I took some old Gatorade and Folgers cans, painted them gold and distressed them, tied some yarn around the tops and cut off some branches from our tree out front. Now our house smells like pine. l o v e t h a t !!! I put some candles around it and voila! On the wall is a craft I did over the summer where I decoupaged some photoshopped pictures of us onto painted wood plagues. Neat, right?
man o man. I have a ton more to write about, but I'm pooped and lunch ain't gonna fix itself! More later.
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