Late summer stuff

Just a few shots from the last week or so. The pictures of the boys were taken this morning. It was such a cool morning that I had to put them in long-sleeve shirts. I love this time of year in Colorado when you can wear shorts and sandals with a nice warm shirt.

Not much going on. The boys continue to love their school and we're just enjoying being here. Betty and I get to take long hikes in the surrounding open space a few times a week and, as you can tell from the last photo in this post, if often wears her out. Her tongue length when panting is directly proportionate to the length of the hike and the temperature out. She's learning what it means to be a Colorado dog!

I anxiously await this weekend. We're packing up after Jer gets off work on Friday to head to Beulah, a little mountain town west (I think) of Pueblo. On Sunday or Saturday afternoon, we're borrowing our Beulah friends' Eurovan and taking the boys to Grand Sand Dunes National Park. I've never been, despite my many Colorado stints ... always nice to see things through the boys eyes, but particularly nice to see NEW things through their eyes. EuroVan camping AND the dunes ... I'm hoping for epic awesomeness!

xoxo. k.

How cool is this?

Two pictures from our playdate today with Reagan, 5, and Peyton, 2.



Reagan and Peyton's mom is my oldest friend and one of my best friends, Karen. On one of my first days of first grade, in walks this little tow-headed munchkin that no one had ever seen before. My teacher, whom I think was named Mrs. Leininger (Karen, am I right?) says: "Kristi, can you please show Karen where the milk is at lunch?"

And there you have it. We've been friends pretty much ever since, even through my many moves to Colorado and then Texas and then back to Colorado (that doesn't even count the latest moves between these two states ... sheesh!) In fact, Karen and I were roommates for most of college, and she lived a few doors down from me in Apartment P (I was in "L") when I met Jerry. When we bought our first homes, we were but a couple miles apart. We used to joke that we'd probably live together when we're 90 years old, taking turns risking our lives driving to the grocery store.

So today, it was pretty awesome to see our four kids playing together. And even better that they all got along so well. I forsee many more such days of four little tow-heads from a different generation bobbing around the playgrounds north of Denver.

We're baaaaaaack

*sneaks back in the room; tries to pretend like she never went anywhere ...*

Well hello everyone. Yes, seems I took a little hiatus from blogging. Things happen, right? I mean, I think in the realm of excuses, I have some pretty good ones. I had a hangnail, after all. And it was a really hot summer. So hard to type when those things happen.

So anyway ... we moved to Colorado. Wait, let me retype that: WE MOVED TO COLORADO!!!!!

(OK, I'm back. I had to change my pants.) Yep, after many, many years of little prayers sent up into what felt like the void a lot of the time, and many, many discussions with Jerry, and then another couple of years thrown in for good measure and just to make sure I properly appreciated what we were getting ourselves into, we're here.

Every single day I get to turn left onto 112th in this new town we live in, Westminster, and see pretty much the entire Front Range laid out before me.

Thank you, Void. You have been more than kind to me.

Anyway, I don't want to get too ambitious with this, my first blog post since the Cretaceous Era. (Translation: The boys need breakfast.) I just wanted to say that this morning, I had one of those mornings that contained within it a scene that will no doubt be among those scenes that play out before your eyes when you're being delivered into the Great Beyond. The boys had climbed into bed with me and wanted to make a tent with the bed sheet. We were "hiding" from Papa, and they just had such sweet and excited smiles on their faces there in that soft, sheet-darkened morning light. I watched them, squeezed my eyes shut tight to imprint the image on my brain. And then I got my camera phone out to take some pictures. Here they are:

(PS. And oh, btw, if you're reading this, let me know in the comments below. I'd like to know if anyone still comes here. If not, I'll make sure to strong-arm ya'll into coming back ... much love.)