Estes Park Weekend–Afternoon Exploring

After our Bear Lake hike we drove around for awhile and when I spotted this fantastic dead tree we pulled over to explore…. and ended up staying to play for awhile.

Estes Park Weekend–Bear Lake

Saturday after breakfast we started out to explore the area.  With a Rocky Mountain National Park pamphlet we decided we’d head up to hike around Bear Lake.  What we weren’t fully prepared for was all the snow that came with all that elevation.  Turns out Bear Lake was completely frozen over.  “We’re doing this” became the phrase of the weekend as we tried to get excited about our Spring-turned-Dead-of-Winter hike.  We felt a little unprepared passing all of the snowshoe hikers, but we carried on and after getting through the windy section really enjoyed our walk around the lake and at the end, determined we wanted to come back again in August.  Below… Matthew and Dad standing by the Beak Lake Sign half buried with snow.

 

Estes Park Weekend

We had timeshare points to use since we had accumulated a bunch while in Germany. We booked a weekend trip as soon as we were back in the states so we wouldn’t lose the points.  We had planned a Steamboat Springs trip in September – but with crazy Colorado weather and some Denver area flooding we cancelled – which was actually a relief to us since we were ‘travelled out’ and anxious to be in our new house for awhile – only having moved in three weeks before.   Instead we exchanged the trip for an Estes Park Retreat at Eastertime.  We alerted five soccer teams that we would be MIA for the weekend and off we went, without almost any plan.  We left Friday after work and arrived about 8:00.  The kids ran around our 3 bedroom cabin and excitedly brought their bags in and chose their rooms.  It wasn’t the newest of accommodations – but it was big enough and a fun place to spend the weekend.

Megan

Just a couple pictures of cute kid #4.  Love this girl.

Super Crazy Dress Up

These kids crack me up.

It’s a Darth Vader kind of a Morning

Boy, this kid loves to dress up.  Inevitably right before we have to leave for school I find him completely dressed as a different character – but today he was Darth Vader right from the get-go.  They sure do love their Star Wars.

 

Boys

I just love the fact that these two little guys are best friends. 

• They love to play Wii together – Super Smash is a favorite.
• They love to battle with their Knight Playmobil.
• Matt loves to do his ‘homework’ when Luke does his.
• They love to squish their fluoride for a long time.
• They love to play Dress Up. 
• They both DON’T love to clean their room.
• They love to wear matching shirts. 
• They love to jump on the trampoline and play outside.
• They love to play with their Star Wars guys.
• They love to be tickled when I’m tucking them in bed.
• They love to take a bath.
• They love saying family prayer – and both do a great job.
• They spend hours together every morning keeping themselves occupied.
• They love to sit on the same little chair and take turns on the computer.
• They are happy far more than they argue.  I love that.

9 Things We Love About This Girl

First of all, we love everything about this girl.  She is absolutely wonderful.

1. Megan is always eager to play sports.  She loves being active and is not only happy but beyond excited to try something new.  She really enjoyed her first basketball season and is loving another soccer season.  She is aggressive, a good runner and puts her heart into it.  She is always asking Dad if he wants to come play Basketball outside in the front yard with her.  She loves to be outside, riding bikes, jumping rope, doing an obstacle course, jumping on the trampoline, playing tag, and shooting baskets.
2. Megan is a Daddy’s Girl.  She loves to snuggle up by Dad to watch movies, is always writing long notes to him about how much she loves him, loves to play sports with him and always calls him Daddy.
3. Megan is sensitive to the Spirit.  I love that when she feels the Spirit she gets a little teary eyed and looks over to me as if to make a silent connection.  We are similar in this regard and I love it.
4. Megan loves music.  She is always asking me for my iPhone so she can turn on music.  She loves all different kinds of music and is quick to memorize lyrics and belt it out.  She has enjoyed being in the 3rd grade Choir at school this year as well.
5. Megan is a card-making / letter-writing thoughtful sweetheart.  She loves writing letters and making cards for her siblings or for someone who doesn’t feel well or just for fun putting a surprise picture or note on Mom and Dad’s pillow.  She has always liked to express her emotions in writing rather than verbally.  Even when she is feeling bad for something she had done wrong, her apology will come in the form of a thoughtful sweet note.  We love them!
6. Megan is a snuggler.  She wants to cozy up to Mom or Dad and loves to have her back rubbed or her hair played with.  She likes to be tucked in at night (and especially loves to hear a story of when mom was little.)
7. Megan is very interested in clothes and picking out cute outfits.  Right now she’s in a ‘skirt/dress + her jean jacket’ phase.  She loves headbands but her preferred hair style is a ponytail.   Second is to have curled hair – but even then it doesn’t stay down for long.  She almost always puts it back into a ponytail by the time I see her in the afternoon.
8. Megan is very responsible.  She does well on her weekly responsibility chart – waking up before 7:00 every morning, always making her bed, doing her zone, practicing piano, getting her homework done, 30 minutes of reading, getting ready for soccer and gymnastics and getting to bed on time – all without having to be reminded.  I sure appreciate her diligence.
9. When Megan was little we used words like sassy and feisty to describe her while clenching our teeth and crossing our fingers for the future.  Now it’s those same characteristics that make her so much fun.  She’s a go-getter.  She’s fearless, aggressive in sports, outgoing, has lots of friends, is a leader, and always wants to try new things.   We love her sense of adventure.  Megan, you are still feisty… and we love it.

Megan’s 9th Birthday

Megan picked French Toast for her birthday breakfast.  Nice to have a Conference Sunday – instead of 9:00 church, so we could enjoy breakfast together. 

After both sessions of Conference Megan opened her presents…

I love that my kids love to give each other cards.  Luke was pretty excited to have Megan read every word.  Man, I love his facial expressions!

Cards from Emily and Katie…

I am a big Little House on the Prairie fan… so is Katie.  I think she and I have watched the entire series through twice… once in Washington and once in Georgia.   Emily remembered bits and pieces but Megan remembered even less.  When we watch the ones recorded on our DVR Megan is always the one saying, “This doesn’t make sense to me.  We need to watch it from the beginning.”  And I couldn’t have agreed more.  Megan got Season 1 and Season 2 of the newly remastered picture quality DVD’s.  Can’t wait to watch them with you Megan!!

A new book, a perfect t-shirt for soccer practice, Disney Headbanz and Twister and a trip to Barnes and Noble with Mom to pick out something special and get her free birthday cupcake!  Happy Birthday, Sweetheart!

The next day I took treats to Megan’s school class.  Ryan and Katie came with Matt and I since they were already home from school.  Megan felt pretty special to have them there – it’s not very often that she gets a little red in the cheeks because of so much attention.   She handed out the cookies while I talked to the class, introduced Megan’s siblings and asked if they could sing Happy Birthday to Megan with me – which they did and then waited patiently for Megan to sit down and take her first bite.  Class tradition.  Then they all dug in.  After a minute Ryan came up to me and said, “Mom, you really were a teacher.”  I looked a little confused as he began again… “Mom, you knew exactly how to talk to the class and what to say and you sounded exactly like a teacher.”  It made me laugh.   “Ryan, I’m sure I use that voice all the time with you guys at home.”  “Nope,” he said, “That was definitely a teacher voice.  That’s so cool.”    Pretty funny – It’s been a long time since I had my own class of 2nd Graders… almost 16 years to be exact – but I guess some things you never forget.

Ryan, Katie, Matt and I visiting Megan at school to celebrate her birthday.