First camping trip with the boys

We got to experience camping with the boys for the first time. We were too chicken before to try.

I would say that overall, it was a success. I guess as successful as camping can be, right?

Some rain + no sleep = "typical camping"

We left on Sunday and got back this morning. We drove about 50 minutes from our house and headed towards Estes Park to Camp Dick, or so we thought. 

A couple months ago we made our reservation online. 

When we arrived at the campground on Sunday, it was drizzling a little when we arrived. Since we didn't want to get caught setting up camp in the pouring rain, we hurried. 

After we got EVERYTHING up and out of the cars, one of the camp managers walked over to give us some pamphlets and to welcome us. After a short conversation, she informed us that we were in the wrong place and that Camp Dick Campground was another mile down the road. Bummer.

After checking out the other campground, we found out they could transfer our money over to this campground, Peaceful Valley, and just stay put. Thank God!! And just so you know, they told us we are one of many who make that mistake. They are aware that the signs are horrible 

and they need more.

We ended up liking our spot. We were close to the St. Vrain River and there were less people camping - at least our first night there.

 

We were close to a trail head and it was a beautiful hike. It was pretty short but it was nice for the kids. 

Like I said above, we were close to the river. We played down here a lot!! It was perfect because the place where the boys are playing in is a split off from the main (and very fast) current. So they could play, walk around, splash, and just cool off. 

 If you know me well, you would know that I could spend a lot of time down here too. I loved it. I was in the river right there with them, exploring and jumping into the deeper parts. Although it was COLD. Jamie thought it was around 35, maybe 40 degree water.?? It's run off from the mountains.

Did I mention it got pretty cold at times!? Yes, we were wearing jackets and pants in August. I think it got down to the 40's at night. We were cold, even with our sleeping bags; at least I was.  But it was so much better than it being too hot and sticky. Plus, the upside was that there were less bugs/mosquito's!

Favorite memories: campfires, s'mores, attempting to play a game in the tent while it rained - only to have the boys be restless and want to wrestle/fight, making new friends with our "neighbors", playing in the river, enjoying a hike, seeing a mother moose and her calf walk thru the campsite 2 different times, eating our weight in calories,and using a diaper to go to the bathroom in b/c I didn't walk to the bathrooms in the middle of the night. :)

I hope this is the first year of many in which we get to go camping and make more memories...

Last Day's

We've had some "last day's" around here, if you will. Last week Breeson finished up his last day of VBS at a local church right down the street from us. He really enjoyed it and didn't blink an eye when I dropped him off, even though he didn't know one soul at that church. Our church here is too small to host a VBS, so that is why we let him go to this one. 

You can't even see him in this pic. He's hiding behind another little girl. If you look closely you can see just his face. He's in front of the student-helper in the gray shirt.

 

I snuck in early a couple days to watch him in song time. He said that was his favorite part, 

which was no surprise to me. 

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Then on Saturday, he had his final soccer game with the YMCA. Judging by his (lack of) enthusiasm for the sport, I'd say this was his first and last soccer team to every play on. There was a lot of grass throwing, running in the wrong direction, chasing other kids, and acting like he was shooting an {imaginary} bow & arrow. However, to give him credit, he wasn't the only kid out there doing those things. But to give him some credit, he did get a goal on his very first game, and he put in about 60+%  effort in at least each game. To be honest, I would've been tired too. There were two separate games where he had to play 2 back-to-back games, each being an hour long.

However, this medal that he received totally made his day and may have redeemed soccer as a sport. If he asks to play next summer, it'll only be for the medal.  He has pretty much worn it non-stop.

Toddler Hike

Since moving to Longmont, I've joined up with a mommy's toddler group that goes hiking every Wednesday. It's been good for me for many reasons: it's a good way to meet other mommy's, the kids get to make new friends, we all get to enjoy the outdoors, and it changes up my workout routine. 

Today's hike was by far the hardest. I know this pic below makes it look like an easy hike - but it didn't stay flat like that long. And to add toddlers to the mix, changes everything. 

Plus, I carried Eagan on my back almost 3/4 of the way.

35+ pounds really put my legs and butt muscles to work!!

We hiked the Canyon Loop Trail, just West of Boulder. It's a 3.2 mile loop.

It was a 45 minute drive just to get to the trail head.
The upside to driving so far: the scenery is more beautiful the more you get into the foothills, and there's more shade.
The downside: it's a 45 minute drive.

Today there were 6 mommy's and 8 toddlers (+1 baby). I rode with a new friend, Joanna, and her son. After about 45 minutes of being on the trail, we had to stop due to some meltdowns (which is always normal). But due to time restraints, Joanna needed to get back home by 1, which meant we had to leave the rest of the group and book it.

Let me tell you, hiking in a faster pace with Eagan on my back - remember it's an extra 35 lbs - was not easy!! But we made it back just in time.

Eagan had to be coaxed and encouraged to keep moving!

 so sweet...

 

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This is a glimpse of what we'll be doing Sunday - Tuesday. We're super excited to try camping with the boys for the first time. B keeps asking how many more days 'til we go. I think he's more excited about the s'mores than anything else! :) I don't blame him.
We've been getting a lot of rain here, almost on a daily basis. So it turn out to be quite an adventure! I'll be sure to post pic's and our experience.

Tilapia Dinner

Tonight's dinner was Lemon Garlic Tilapia, with a side dish of Greens with Carrots, Feta Cheese and Brown Rice. Click on the links to get the recipes. 

In our approach to eating healthier, there's this challenge to learn new recipes. 

Jamie and I liked it. Breeson did okay, and Eagan we had to spoon-feed him. At one time when Jamie was about to give him a spoonful, he took his fingers, pointed at the food and acted like he was shooting it!! :) He's a hoot.

(we may and may not have used ice cream to entice them to eat - we are not above bribing)

Visit from Granny

Jamie's mom (aka "Granny") came for a visit from Mississippi. She came last Monday and left today. I'd have to say this was one of the best visits with her. There was a lot of one-on-one time with her and the boys, and we just enjoyed our time together. 

We didn't too much "touristy" stuff this time around. We did go into Estes Park one day and played.
This is the aerial tram we rode. It's worth doing it if you have time. We didn't go into Rocky Mtn National Park this time around. The boys get bored sitting in the car for a few hours looking at scenery. :)  So this took the place of RMNP.

  

We tried Fun City where we rode...

the big slide (several times over)

  bumper cars

 and race cars

Mom was gracious enough to let us slip away for a date night:

 

We went to the last summer concert on Main Street here in Longmont, where eating Gelato and dancing took place...

Granny getting jiggy wit it...

On our way to church and then to the airport for Granny:

I am here, kind of.

Well, it's been a while blog world. I've not only neglected writing on here, but I don't even spend the time reading other blogs as much.
This is not going to be a lengthy blog - but I'm just writing a quick blurb letting you know I'll soon return with an actual post.

Since April, we've bought a house, moved in, and have been doing a lot of remodeling, unpacking, and settling in to our new life, in our new town.

Until next time...

Kudos to stay-at-home moms

Being a stay-at-home mom is SO hard. This is the first time for me to do it, and I'm not quite 2 weeks into it!! :) I applaud all women (and men!) who do it. Even after having Breeson I worked full time. Jamie was actually "Mr. Mom" when I went back to work because he was a part time student at that time. And after having Eagan the boys went to daycare after my maternity leave. I then started working part-time more consistently. It's not like being at home these last 2 weeks is the first time for me with the boys. It's just that knowing the end isn't really in sight. Whereas when I was on maternity leave, or extended vacation days, I knew when I'd go back to work, and where I'd go back to work. Both of those things are unsure right now. We know that I'll stay at home until we get fully settled into our new home. We hope/pray we close mid-May.

I've always told Jamie that I'm happy to become a full time stay-at-home mom when both of the boys are in school full time!! :)

In the meantime, we have our good days and our bad days. The hardest thing for me is keeping them occupied, as well as myself. I'm not the type to just sit around the house. So we try and find places to go. So far we've been to the rec center 2 times, library reading time (which they didn't end up having b/c it's spring break), park several times and lots of trips to the grocery store! Thank goodness for the weather being nice and warm. We enjoy our walks and it's healthy - in more ways than one - for us to get out.
I pray every day that the Lord gives me lots of patience, extra love, and contentment during this season. I'm sure one day I'll look back and be sad that I didn't enjoy it as much as I should. My boys do bring a lot of "joy" to my life and I'm thankful for them.
*side bar: as I'm writing this and saying how wonderful they are, I'm actually shooing them off so I can type this while telling them not to nag me right now. I'm such an awesome mother. insert sarcasm.

Sometimes I'll read other blogs or see "statuses" on FB about how some girls are just so thankful to be full time stay-at-home mothers and how blessed they are. They kinda make me want to cringe but at the same time feel guilty about how I don't desire that. I do have to be careful that I don't let Satan control me in this area and to not let him attack me with his lies. I realize that we're all gifted and desire different things. It seems like such a fine line of trying to learn to be content with where God puts us in different stages in our lives and also realizing that He did wire in me a certain way when He created me. So I do have an inner battle...

So this me just being open and honest about my feelings as a stay-at-home. Please know that I love my boys more than words can describe. But what I don't love is being bored at home with them and all of us getting on each others nerves 7 days a week. And I know that is an exaggeration. But this is my blog and my thoughts.

The end.