oh, the wildflowers.

 I must confess. 

I am a wee bit taken over by the amount of wildflowers around our neighborhood. 

I know we are new here and everybody must be used to these... but seriously- have you really ever stopped to SEE those little gems in your yard or neighborhood? They are particularly marvelous here, indeed. Almost fake looking. I have always loved wildflowers. The way they are free, uninhibited, unorganized, incredibly detailed and full of color. These little miracles pop up anywhere they feel like it. I have often mentioned to H and L after picking one from the grass in our old yard and marveling at their style,etc..."How is there NOT a God, girls?" 

So were were off on some strolls with my camera. I couldn't help not posting these in this "journal".

One more- the Columbine...state flower. that's all folks :)

making stories.

Daddy Day Weekend

The girls discovered that they have ginormous camping marshmallows here. Crazy big!

Josh wanted to go to the river again for Daddy's Day. Just a 20 min drive? let's go.

we hung out with "the gang" and hopped/jumped/skipped on rocks

tubed.  kayaked.

tried out fly-fishing. And we got hooked. L-o-v-e-d it.

cherished the views and eAcH oThER

aww.

grilled out and had s'more time. 

It was a lovely-fresh air-take-in-all-the-senses kind of day with family. Josh is the most fun-filled, devoted, one of a kind Daddy. He shares his big teddy bear heart with all that know him and especially with two very special little girls. They couldn't be more blessed.

This weekend and every day,

We remember all Dad's. 

With deep and never-ending love.

Red Rocks Amphitheater

About six weeks ago I found out that "Peter Gabriel and the New Blood Orchestra" was coming to the high up unforgettable outside-all-weather concert hall here. Peter G. has been one of Josh's all time favorite artists ever. Soooo, certainly I booked tickets. A kind of early Happy Father's Day/Happy Birthday thing for him. We went with my bro and Heather and chowed at a famous restaurant, then headed over. 

Well, we started climbing to the concert and boom- lightning and rain. Luckily, my Boy-Scout-of-a-hubby packed a couple jackets in his backpack. We stayed dry a bit and the pour down stopped. It ended up being the neatest evening. The rain and thunder just added to the mystery and coolness of Gabriel. 

Really a night not to forget.

Golden and Boulder...and The Pinery

Golden: Coors Brewery...cool tour and free beer taste testing. Yes, even the girls had fun!

 Boulder: The coolest city. Some one-of-a-kind shops and one-of-a-kind street performers.

Can we fit any more in a two week period after we move in? Bring it.

Golf. I've loved it since I started playing when I was 12. It's always been a part of our family in one way or another. It's relaxing, fun and I have the most precious memories when my Dad and I would play. We went to my brothers totally incredible 27-hole golf course he runs here and played last week. It was delightful and I can always seem to keep up with "the boys". Amazing views and who doesn't love breathing in fresh air? 

Denver: Sidewalk Chalk Arts Festival

 We went to this awesome festival last weekend. It was in a historical part of downtown Denver and tons and tons of artists just having fun with pastels (artsy chalk) on concrete. I so enjoyed it. Should I dare try next year?!

more happenings

Josh's folks drove down for a visit several days after we moved in for Lauren's birthday. They were thrilled to see the girls after waaay too long not. The girls were surprised and equally thrilled to see Grandma/Grandpa! They survived along with us and all the mess around here. We tried to balance some fun in the middle of it all.

 Platte River+picnic+ kayaking+sunshine= relaxation.

The girls+bathing suits+any kind of water= instant total bliss all day.

Planting in our garden= really sore muscles+really sunburned.

Heather's birthday celebration!

Lauren's birthday.... celebration?

Let me explain Lauren's 9th birthday celebration. It didn't start off as a celebration. She was so looking forward and talking about going to one of the state parks here to hike, eat lunch and play in the river/rock climbing.
We packed up and headed out.
We didn't get very far.
She fell hard on a rock and busted her arm up. Josh glanced at me and softly said "it looks like it's broken". Oh no. She was teary, pale, faint, cold sweating. Not good. For a birthday girl or not. We headed to spend 3 hours at the nearest hospital ER and prayed.
Her arm/elbow ended being fine! Just a contusion (internal bruising). The day ended up being much better. She was shaken up and sore but Nana made her traditional cake and we finally celebrated sweetie Lauren.
An unfortunate and unforgettable 9th birthday for sure.
She's a tough cookie. Always has been. Always will be.
I'm so in love with this little blondie.

we moved (again)

I know I have been MIBW (Missing In Blog World) lately. We moved a couple weeks ago and amongst the busyness (as if we could sit and watch television lately) we needed to decide on cable vs. satellite. Cable won yesterday. Several of you have said you've looked for some pictures on here lately. So here goes. These pictures are just a few for now, more to come.

The girls and Polly have done great with all the big changes. Kiddos transition so well and can have fun anywhere.

Did I mention exhausted? Josh has been working a ton. Work and home.

We had all 12,000 lbs of our stuff that was crammed into our apartment transferred into our new-to-us-place. We have cleaned, painted, painted more and more and more to come, gardened-n-gussied up the yard, unpacked, cleaned more, moved more, shuffled, shifted...you get the idea here. It has been chaotic and exhausting. Although fully worn out on every level, we are crazy excited about our butterscotch house and this sweet neighborhood. The girls can walk/bike/scooter to their school, my Mom's house, church and the pool. Seriously cool. I am loving sidewalks (never had sidewalks at our previous 2 homes) and there are miles and miles of trails and mountain views around the neighborhood. I must add that the weather is perfect too. We don't even have air conditioning in this house! A big jump from Texas heat for sure. Our deck and front porch swing have been the breath and relaxation between the yawns. We are finding our way around and looking forward to the roads ahead.