31

Yesterday was my *gulp* 31st birthday. Despite that depressing bit of news, it was a great day! The kids and I went to work as normal, and my lovely co-worker and friend, Kim, got me a yummy lunch to celebrate. Thanks, Kim! Then, in the evening, we met up with my cousin, Stephanie, and her family at Cheddar's for a fun dinner.

And here is Steph and I.

After dinner, Stephanie and her husband watched the kids so that Andrew and I could go to a movie. Thanks, guys! Now on to another year....

Colorful Colorado!

This past weekend, we went to the Buena Vista area to visit Andrew's grandparents. While there, we enjoyed some of the surrounding sights.

On the evening we arrived, we enjoyed a peaceful walk around their campsite.

We also went and checked out the fish hatchery where they have been working all summer. While there, we stopped to see a blue trout, a one-in-a-million occurence.

The exhausted kids watched a movie that evening while the adults played games.

The next morning, we decided to go for a drive and check out some ghost towns. Here are Sadie and I ready to roll!

We saw lot of really cool things while on the road. Here are remnants of an old mining community.

You may have to squint to see it since the picture is small, but check out the rainbow in between the trees.

Remains of an old bridge.

Entrance to a mine shaft.

Locals call this the "Tiltin' Hilton".

Very cool old railroad car that has been covered in a effort to preserve what is left of it.

Ghost town of Hancock. The sign reads "This saloon is the last remaining structure in the townsite of Hancock. Please do not destroy it."

We also returned to St. Elmo where we visited back in May. It was quite cold and Sadie was a little under the weather, so she sat in the Jeep with Gram....

....and enjoyed some Skittles....

....while the rest of us got out to see the chipmunks! Remember them? They are so much fun and were very hungry.

After our drive, we grabbed a burger at a place called Quincy's in Buena Vista. Best. Burger. Ever. Seriously. The rest of the afternoon was spent with the girls hanging out in the camper and the guys going fishing. We were sad to have to go home, but we had such a good time. Bye, Papa and Gram!

A family picture before leaving!

Randomness

So I haven't written in a while, partly because we've been busy lately and partly because our laptop has been acting a bit sketchy the last couple of weeks. As a result, this post is going to be a completely random.

One night last week, Parker played the Wii....

....while Sadie and Daddy cuddled on the couch.

Another night last week, Andrew's grandparents came over to Colorado Springs from Buena Vista and spent the evening with us. Here is Papa with Parker....

....and Gram with Sadie.

Waiting in line at Bird Dog BBQ = worth the wait.

Leaving Bird Dog, we saw a rainbow!

A couple of days ago.... a familiar look from Miss Priss.

From our front yard....just last night, we saw this incredible sunset.

And last but not least, a cute video of the kids singing their "A B C's" another night last week....be sure and watch all the way to the end.

Boomer Sooner!

As many of you may know, Andrew is an avid college football fan....in particular, the Oklahoma Sooners. This past Saturday their fooball season kicked off, and before the game, there were some pre-game warm-ups in our backyard....

....and here are Andrew, Parker, and Sadie all dressed up and ready to watch the game!