Fall in Colorado

We spent most weekends climbing out in Rifle, CO this fall. Luckily Rifle is a beautiful spot and pretty good for the kids. Its flat and there are no cliffs for them to fall off of. There is a river, just big enough that it would be trouble if the kids fell in, and of course Amelie's favorite place to hang out was on the narrow little bridges crossing it. There's also a road that people drive way too fast on. But other than that, it's a kid-friendly place, and they had lots of opportunities to collect rocks and sticks and shells and build forts. They had lots of opportunities to play the Kindle/iPad too... its a balance:).

Logan takes lots of pictures with my phone.  Usually they're blurry pictures of his foot or the inside of the car... but sometimes they seem to represent Logan's view of the world to me.  Like this one, where front and center is his latest lego creation.

Xander's birthday party-- Mark got in the jumpy house and was a kid-magnet

Ama at Tammy's house. Around me she always looks like a ragamuffin, but she'll let Tammy do her hair.

Pine Valley Ranch Open Space.  After 7 years in CO, this is the first time we've been here! I love that we can still find places we've never been close to home.

My kids eat plenty of junk food.  But every once in a while they surprise me-- like when Amelie wanted broccoli for her treat at the grocery store.

Neighborhood volleyball game at the Gulland's

Kenny & Ama hiking on the trails behind Marshdale (another recent discovery of new trails near home)

Aspens at Kenosha Pass.  We took a very traffic-y detour home from Rifle to see these. It was definitely not worth it. (Note to self for future years)

A rest day trip to Aspen to see the last of the fall leaves

Ama in Rifle Canyon

Ama & Daddy taking a break at Rifle

Playing in the woods

Logan trying to be like Daddy, doing arm exercises with the stretchy band

in Rifle Canyon

Swings at Rifle

Axel & Logan playing minecraft at Rifle

Ama & Uncle Mike

Lucas & ama playing drums in their fort

"Wuke" and Ama.  Amelie LOVES Lucas.

At the park in Glenwood.  I taught Ama the joy of crunching leaves.

Running through the corn maze

Ama so proud of herself for climbing all the way to the top by herself at the corn maze/ pumpkin patch

Pumpkin patch

Happy Halloween!

This year Logan dressed up as Ironman (and has already planned Captain America and Batman for the next two Halloweens). Amelie was a monkey, which was just the next costume up in line from Logan's hand-me-downs. I figure next year she might have an opinion about what she wants to be, but so far we've gotten away with the hand me downs. After a morning Halloween hike with Auntie Kenny, we headed down to Colorado Springs to trick-or-treat with Lucas & Axel. Their neighborhood is perfect for it, and we came home with tons of loot. Amelie loved it. While Logan & Axel tended to thrust their candy bucket in the face of whoever opened the door and then race to the next house, Amelie gave every one a "Twicka-Tweet" or "Happy Hawoween!" (or sometimes she would get confused about who was giving who candy and say "Here woo go"). She would have kept going long after Logan was tired and wanted to go home.

Ironman & monkey hiking

With Auntie Kenny

And mommy

Lucas (mad scientist), Axel (creeper from Minecraft), and Logan

The whole crew

Fall in Newtown

I used to go home every year in October to have a New England fall-- maple trees, apple picking, hayrides, and the pumpkin patch. It's been a few years, but this year we went home for Ginny's memorial service. We no longer have the house I grew up in on Rowledge Pond, but we were fortunate that our neighbors, the Jackson's, lent us their house for the weekend. It was so nice to be back in our old neighborhood on the pond. We got to see lots of old friends and neighbors, get in the requisite apple picking with cinnamon donuts and pumpkin picking, and celebrate Kenny & Andrew's birthday. There are actually a few houses for sale in our neighborbood right now... and as much as Colorado is home now, it's still tempting!

View from the Jackson's out to the pond

Looking at the ducks on the pond

The swimming pond

Ama & Kenny on the dock at the swimming pond

Jumping in leaf piles... this is something my kids really miss out on in Colorado. But I don't miss raking them!

The water is never too cold for Logan

Testing the water

Maddie & Ama coloring

LoLo & Maddie rocking

Apple picking

Apple picking

Not sure exactly what's happening here, but its super cute

Pumpkins! We had a rule that you had to be able to carry whatever pumpkin you chose...

Birthday cake!

Happy birthday to Andrew & Kenny!

The flagpole and Trinity

Polar Star Inn hut trip

We went on one more hut trip this year, this time with friends to the Polar Star Inn near Eagle, CO. Last time we went on a hut trip with this group, Logan was not quite 1, and it was a winter trip.  We hiked in about a mile and a half through the wind and snow and spent one sleepless night before hightailing it out the next morning. This time we chose a nice warm fall weekend and drove most of the way there-- the Honda Civic proving itself once again to be the ultimate off-roading machine.  The kids had fun tramping in the woods around the hut, while the parents took turns hiking up New York Mountain.  On our way out, we stopped and did a gorgeous hike to Fulford Cave through the fall foliage.

The whole gang at the hut

Chopping wood to keep us warm. No one was harmed in the taking of this picture

Dinner at the hut

Dinner at the hut

Hiking up NY Mountain

Somewhere along the way to the top

The Summit!

One more group photo... you can never have enough

Hiking to Fulford Cave

The aspen leaves were falling around us.  It was glorious.

Everyone else took a nice family photo on this rock.  Our family was not in the mood for that.  This is the best I got.

The family photo that could have been

Hike to Fulford Cave

Group photo

Logan & mommy selfies

Logan & mommy selfies