A return to school

September 7, 2015 By

We’re now a few weeks into school and life is going about as well as expected. Bode has seamlessly transitioned into fourth grade with several of his besties and a solid teacher.  He begged me to come to lunch last week so I obliged and happily won several rounds at Four Square (though it wasn’t my world domination of last spring; I’m out of practice). He’s juggling soccer, Cub Scouts and piano.

Their elementary school has a X-Country team that I convinced Hadley to join because she’s a great runner (though she’s better at sprints and middle distance). I was surprised when Bode said he wanted to become a part of it and that he’d recruited several of his buddies.

“You know that X-Country is running, right?” I queried.

He responded affirmatively and he has somehow forgotten he hates running because they’re now up to 1.5 miles.

I’ve been worried about Hadley adapting back to her public school and being really far behind after her three-year stint with Waldorf. The jury is still out on that but we’ve been blessed with the best teacher in the school and that is making a huge difference. Her bestie Alex is in her class and has been loads of help.

Hadley is a kid who needs time to just be. To create. To dream. Though she loves being with friends, she treasures her alone-time and will spend hours on the trampoline and in her room by herself; if we lived on a big property with trees,trails and streams, I’m sure I’d never see her.

I’ve never once heard her say she’d bored (one of the blessings of an imaginative visual-spatial kid) and she hates being rushed from activity-to-activity so piano and X-country are her only activities. I’ve been thrilled she’s also been helping with the VBC, the school’s broadcast journalism program that teaches how to write scripts, film and interview.

Last week was back-to-school night, during which time I had a nice chat with her teacher who is attempting to fill in the learning gaps between the two schools.  I was surprised when she told me the area in which she is most behind is technology. And yes, it’s pretty ironic that two computer-savvy parents have a computer-illiterate kid but that has been by design.

Waldorf schools are anti-technology and I’m anti-social media for kids/tweens so between those two, she has had little-to-no exposure. So, though I’m still vehemently opposed to social media/cell phones/texting, I’ve started helping her with typing programs and Microsoft Word today.

She was doing fine until we turned to geography. Rote memorization is tough (and flash cards are her worst nightmare) so I tried to find some fun websites to help her learn the 50 states but that fueled her frustration because she hates the computer. This made me frustrated about her bad attitude and unwillingness to learn. After she stormed off, I sat thinking about her struggles. It’s not that she doesn’t want to learn, it’s that she doesn’t know how to learn.

Imagine being stuck in a world that values round holes when you’re a square peg. I know there are thousands of kids like her but you’d think there would be more options to help. If I had a million dollars, I wouldn’t blow it on a fancy house or cars but on yanking her from school and hiring a private tutor who can teach to how she learns because I certainly don’t know how to do it– otherwise I’d homeschool her. It’s not her failing, it’s my own.

All the sixth graders had a self-portrait and description hanging around the classroom:

I found her quick biography fascinating. “Fast, creative. Curious.” She is curious but how to foster that curiosity in an educational system that quells the creative, out-of-box kid who can’t sit in a classroom all day?

We’ve both got a lot to figure out regarding how to go beyond just surviving but thriving the next six years.

Filed Under: Bode, Hadley

A farewell to summer!

September 1, 2015 By

Sure, the kids went back to school a couple of weeks ago but my summer officially ended on Sunday. Between all our travels, kids at home, my girl’s trip to Aspen and then entertaining my brother and his wife last week, I’m hoping I’ll finally get caught up on life soon.

If we had a theme to our summer, it was Get Outdoors. I can’t remember ever spending so much time hiking, boating and playing with friends and family–it truly was our best summer ever! But now it’s time to batten down the hatches. I’m one who sucks the marrow out of life and love to work and play harder but as Jamie reminded me during our walk this week, I’ve been playing waaaaaay more than working. Though I have kept Mile High Mamas going strong, this here blog has suffered from lack of attention.

The last few weeks, I’ve actually been looking for additional work and was interviewed for a digital manager/content position for an inspiring non-profit and I was excited…until I learned it was 40 hours/week with no flexibility to work from home. Add that to a 45-minute commute (one way) and I politely (though sadly) turned it down because our home would fall apart if I was gone 50 hours a week on a non-profit salary.

So, if anyone hears of a great part-time position in social media/writing/blogging/events management/kick-butt marketing, let me know! We have some big expenses coming up like needing a new car and braces for Hadley. And she needs a new bike. Her tutor isn’t cheap, nor is Bode’s dental bill. Now that I mention it, our 11-year-old carpet desperately needs to be replaced and don’t ask me the last time I went to the dentist. Our list–like so many others–is long.

Then I received a query last weekend from someone wanting to do a homeswap with us for a few weeks next summer in Southern England and I was ready to ignore all our expenses and go. Hadley was all-in but then there were Bode and Jamie: our voices of reason. “Mom, we need a new car. Be realistic,”40-year-old Bode reminded me. So, we’re two against two with Fat Kitty as the deciding factor. You know: the feline that freaks out every time we leave him for more than five hours.

We’re doomed. At least we’ll (hopefully) have a new car as consolation.

 

Filed Under: Bode, Humor

And so it (school) begins

August 21, 2015 By

The first day of school for the kids was a success! Or rather, it wasn’t a complete failure, which is almost the same as being a success, right?

Both kids have excellent teachers, which is such a relief after Hadley’s academic nightmare last year. Bode was excited about everything regarding fourth grade while Hadley was just excited to come home after. They were both excited about doughnuts for breakfast.

Their mid-morning sugar crash is no longer my problem.

They usually take the bus but I took them to school. Bode happily posed with his teacher. 

  You can get away with this in fourth grade but not in oh-so cool sixth grade.
I waited outside the doors with Hadley until the bell rang as she nervously surveyed the crowd. She was one of the tallest girls but some boys are finally starting to catch up. It’s been three years since she was at this school and though she recognized a lot of kids, she wasn’t really friends with any of them. How do I know? She would have ditched me in a heartbeat. The good news is one of her best friends Alex is in her class and I’m hoping she gets settled sooner than later.
As for Bode, he had the time of his life and knows every single kid in his class (a bonus of being at the same school since kindergarten). He’s reunited with his bestie Brody as well as his friends Curtis and Noah.
Each of the kids was asked to share two interesting things about their summer. He talked about going to Canada to visit his cousins. Fine. That makes sense. And then he could have divulged any number of things. Doing an Adventure Race. His birthday. Going to Cub Scout Twilight Camp. Flying home from Utah all by himself on an airplane.
But noooooo, Item No. 2 was that he was bitten at the same time by two different wasps on my parent’s deck.
I guess he was going for dramatic effect.
Filed Under: Bode, Hadley

The final countdown

August 19, 2015 By

The kids are finally back in school, which means I’ll be able to spend some much-needed time getting caught up on this blog about all our summer travels, right? Probably not. I’m celebrating my friends’ birthday tomorrow with lunch and a hike, I leave Friday morning with some other friends to do Mudderella in Aspen and then next week, my brother Pat and his wife Jane are FINALLY coming to visit us in Denver. The only other time they’ve been here was for our wedding so it’s long overdue.

Better luck next month on updates.

The kids and I have spent our last few days cramming in all the ugly things we should have spread out all summer like assessment testing, organizing their rooms, the dentist and a failed attempt at Water World.

Le Dentist

I’m exceedingly thrilled that Bode has 3–maybe 4–cavities and that Hadley needs braces. When two self-employed people pay almost as much for health insurance as they do their mortgage, that leaves no room for dental insurance. Can you say: payment plan.

Hadley’s crooked teeth are a mess so we knew they’d need an overhaul. But sweet, responsible Bode was devastated over his prognosis and has since been hypervigilant about flossing (too little, too late). But I sure appreciate all his prayers that we’ll have enough money to pay for his rotting mouth. Not that I can talk; we just barely finished paying off my last visit to the dentist 18 months ago. 

Water World Fail

How exactly can one fail at Water World, one of the country’s premier waterparks with 50+ attractions? Allow me to divulge:

1) You wait for your husband to get off work so don’t leave until 1 p.m.

2) You get stuck in I-76 traffic for about a half an hour and don’t arrive until after 2 p.m.

3) When you finally arrive, you wait in line for a long time for two rides. For kicks and giggles, you cut your leg on one of them.

4) You wait in line for an hour for Mile High Flyer. When you’re about 15 minutes from the front of the line, the park closes for 60 minutes due to lightning/rain.

5) You cut your losses (it’s already 4 p.m.) and you go home after only riding two rides.

6) Better luck next year.

So Long, Farewell

Jamie’s sister sold her house quit her job and has been living with us this summer. I wasn’t sure how it would work out (we’re a lot to handle) but she was a delight to hang out with, she helped clean, took the kids out and even babysat for us one night so we could go on a dinner and movie night to Mission Impossible.

It was like we were almost human again!

Lisa is soon embarking on a month-long trip to Europe so for her self-off/birthday celebration, we had two fondues: One with rib-eye steak and the other was this Gouda Cheese Fondue with Herbed Crostini beef. Jamie smoked the Gouda in his smoker and the result was Out. Of. This. World. 

She’ll be sorely missed by everyone but Fat Kitty is taking it particularly hard. During all our summer travels, he’s been glued to her side, snuggled up in her soft blanket. She was his one constant and now she’s gone, gone, gone. His only solace is to rip off the heads of mice and leave their innards all over our yard.

We all have our coping mechanisms.

Filed Under: Bode, Family, Hadley, Humor

Kids Adventure Games in Vail, Colorado!

August 17, 2015 By

“Mom, stop being part of the paparazzi. You’re taking too many pictures!” My daughter Hadley joked as I snapped my camera yet again while she soared across Gore Creek on a zipline.

But I couldn’t stop because she kept right on going in the Kids Adventure Games where kids, ages 6 through 14, experience the thrill of adventure racing in Vail, Colo. And believe me, it was thrilling as you can see from our video:

My children have participated in a number of sporting events but never anything that pushed them to their limits while emphasizing the important of teamwork, problem solving and fun as teams of two tackled a variety of challenges.  From the get-go, this race was different. Prior to getting outfitted in their harnesses, a kids-only safety meeting was held as the racers were debriefed on the race course and equipped with a map. Race founder Bill Mattison later told parents  ”Your kids are capable of doing great things if you just let them go it alone.”

Tyrolean Traverse

Tyrolean Traverse

And great things they did.  My son Bode and his buddy Seamus were ”Team Awesome” while Hadley competed with his sister Maeve as “Adventure Girls.” Anticipation was palpable as they lined up with their bikes at the starting gate beside Vail Resort’s Gondola One. Racers of all ability levels were staggered a few minutes apart. Adventure Girls started 15 minutes before Team Awesome so the boy’s goal was to catch them while the girls vowed not to be caught.

Parents can observe as much of the race as they want but are discouraged from helping; there were race volunteers at literally every turn in the seamlessly organized race. My plan was to follow the girls while my husband Jamie stuck with the boys. At least that was the plan until Adventure Girls raced their bikes along the Gore Valley Trail leaving me in their dust. A fellow helicopter parent pointed up. “There’s no way to keep up with them on their bikes but you can meet them at Gopher Hill Lift.” I took off up the hill, remiss I wasn’t able to witness the first three checkpoints: Ride through Hay Tunnel, watch them navigate the Slick Wall and then carry their bikes through the Skier Tunnel Obstacles.

heavenWhen I saw Hadley and Maeve round the hill, they were covered in mud and delved into the Tyrolean Traverse where they clipped onto a fixed line and pulled themselves across a river. From there, it was onto the Underground River Hike, a Blow Dart Challenge, Jungle Walk and Balloon Launch. I was breathless trying to keep up as they ditched their bikes, grabbed a tube and PDFs as they wound through the village  to the Covered Bridge where they ziplined across Gore Creek before tubing down the icy water. From there, it was onto a climbing wall, mud pit, a cargo net, and they ended with a Slope-N-Slide where all their mud was washed away in their frothy landing (on behalf of mothers everywhere, thank you for that).

My kids had the time of their lives but was it all smooth-sailing? Absolutely not. Seamus crashed his bike as he attempted to descend the loose gravel trail. Maeve hated crawling through the mud. Hadley dismounted her bike to walk down steep sections of the trail while Bode struggled figuring out his technique on the Tyrolean Traverse. The fastest time from some “seasoned veterans” was 45 minutes. My kids posted times that were right in the mix: Adventure Girls finished in 1:16 while the boys were just one minute behind at 1:17.

As they rested and basked in the midday suns electrifying verdant Vail Mountain’, I asked Bode if he wanted to do it again in 2016.teams

“Yes, but next time we’re beating the girls.”

[Kids Adventure] Game On.

Filed Under: Bode, Colorado, Hadley, outdoors

Camping, hiking and redemption at Brainard Lake

August 15, 2015 By

It seemed like a good idea at the time. Booking the camping trip early, that is. Brainard Lake Recreation Area is a popular outdoor Mecca for locals but you will rarely find any out-of-state license plate in the parking lot–tourists congregate at nearby Rocky Mountain National Park and I’d prefer to keep it that way.

We’ve long wanted to camp at Brainard Lake but the problem is the Pawnee Campground fills up several months in advance. There are a few first-come, first-served campsites but unless you can come mid-week (we never can), you’re out of luck. So, on Dec. 31, 2014, my good husband somehow finagled us a campsite before the reservations opened for 2015. Don’t ask me how he did it; he has his ways.

Set in a glacially-carved valley, the craggy peaks of the Continental Divide are the backdrop for this azure lake that boasts a variety of year-round recreation opportunities in the Boulder Ranger District. It is open year-round but Jamie had reserved the campground’s opening day. There was still quite a bit of snow on the ground and the early-season weather was iffy. Our last several camping trips have either been rained, hailed or pooped out so I braced myself for whatever catastrophe would come our way. Though the temperatures were cooler and the sky overcast when we arrived, the weather held out.

The problem with booking something for June 26 six months in advance is he had no idea that the kids and I would leave early for Canada that year, just one day after camping. It’s rare that I have a bad attitude about getting outdoors but I had one about this trip. I was busy prepping for our month away and to throw in camping on top of it? I got over it really, really quickly.

 

Moose in the trees

Following our hot dogs and s’mores dinner, Jamie and I ditched the kids and went for a romantic stroll through the subalpine forest set in a glacially-carved valley.

That’s my kind of date night.

Brainard Lake at dusk

There are two things I hate about tent camping and hundreds of things I love. Hate: Sleeping on the ground in a sleeping bag and inclement weather. If we had a trailer/RV, crummy weather wouldn’t be such a big deal but I have never been able to sleep through the night in a sleeping bag. Stomach sleepers of the world can assuredly relate.

Despite a sleepless night, the next morning dawned bright, clear and beautiful as Brainard Lake looked like a completely different place.

We’ve had four attempts at hiking 6 miles round-trip to 11,355′ Blue Lake.

First Attempt

Jamie and I were newly married and we successfully hiked to this gorgeous area.

Second Attempt

Late-June 2014. There was still a fair amount of snow during our daytrip, which put a kibosh on our high-elevation hiking plans. Hadley used to throw tantrums when she wouldn’t get her way. Now, those fits are about our refusal to hike through muck and snow. We made it as far as the moderate 1-mile hike to Mitchell Lake, which occupies a broad, marshy flat at the base of Mount Audubon before we made her turn back. Cue: Bode’s relief.

Third Attempt

Our trip in June was officially Hadley’s second attempt and I prayed the trail would be more clear so as to avoid tween tantrums. It didn’t happen. Upon reaching Mitchell Lake again, snow was a concern but a ranger we met en route warned us of the dangerous, icy conditions ahead getting to Blue Lake. It was like an episode of Groundhog Day and we made her turn back.  I promised her we’d return late-July and even invited some of her friends to join us. Cue: Bode’s Relief Part II.

 

Mitchell Lake

 

Trail conditions

A girl in her element? No, a tween tantrum

Fourth Attempt

Upon returning from a road-trip to Canada, Bode stayed an extra week in Canada with Grandma. Despite the fact that Hadley bagged her first 14er on that Saturday, she practically begged me to make the 1.5 hour drive back to Brainard Lake to hike Blue a few days later. Our friends we’d originally invited just happened to be camping in the area at the same time but were non-committal about their plans so we decided to go it alone because it was too difficult to coordinate schedules.

The hike to Blue Lake is 6 miles round-trip but the problem is the Mitchell Lake Trailhead has either been closed or full every time we’ve attempt to hike it. So in keeping with our luck, the parking lot  was full so we had to park 1 mile down the mountain. Because why hike 6 miles when you can do 8?

I debated making a final outhouse stop in the parking lot but opted to wait until we reached the trailhead and wouldn’t you know it, my bladder was inspired. As I walked to the outhouse, I heard my friend Lisa call out to me–they were waiting in a wooded grove to hike Blue Lake! Finding the parking lot was full, their husbands had dropped the families off, driven back to the Brainard Lake parking lot and biked back up the road (stroke of genius).

We had such a great time hiking with friends! As soon as we passed Mitchell Lake, Hadley caught fire–we were finally going to summit! There was a profusions of wildflowers as we passed through patchy krummholz before catching our first few of Mount Toll’s conical summit.

After a series of switch backs, we cleared treeline and we were greeted with 11,355′ Blue Lake, which frames a large rocky cirque with Mount Toll, Mt Audubon and Paiute Peak standing sentry.

Hadley and I stayed for about an hour as we soaked our feet in the blue-green water while lunching and watching a lovely waterfall flowing down from the south-side cliffs.

As we hiked the four miles back to the car, I observed, “Aren’t you glad you have finally done Blue Lake?”

“Yes, but now we have to come back and do Upper Blue Lake,” she said, referring to the 0.6-mile scramble up a steep traverse through thick willows, across the snow field, and up the rocky mountainside to see the smaller hidden lake.

I started to protest that she isn’t ever satisfied until I realized she finally *gets* what mountaineering is all about: you’re never really done as there are always mountains to climb.

Filed Under: Bode, Colorado, Hadley, hiking, outdoors

Servitude in the pumpkin patch

August 10, 2015 By

I haven’t posted many updates on our giant pumpkin growing season because there’s not much to tell. We definitely won’t have any record-breaking 1,000+ pound pumpkins.

What a week of no water looks like

The season started great and the plants had never looked better prior to pollination despite a month of non-stop rain.  Then due to a plethora of reasons like cracked vines, dogs eating the pumpkins and other fun things, pollination on the plants was late, which means we’re really far behind on growth.

The first pollination (early July) was cranking along nicely and then one day, dropped off dramatically when Jamie figured out the sprinklers hadn’t been working for an entire week! The second pollination was super late (only two weeks ago) and the pumpkin is only the size of a volleyball right now–usually our plants should be gaining 35-40 pounds per day.

Oh, the heartbreak that is Giant Pumpkin Growing.

The kids’ plants aren’t faring much better. Bode’s pumpkin was pollinated a week before Hadley’s but her pumpkin is rapidly catching up due to good genetics and the fact she actually weeds her patch. Though Bode is diligent in watering, he was on vacation for the entire month of July so his patch is a jungle–there are literally weeds as tall as he is. I helped him weed this morning and it was nearly impossible because many of the weeds are actually wrapped around the pumpkin vines so I was nervous to pull anything that might be detrimental to the pumpkin’s growth.

Weeding was a tedious, thankless task. It’s a good thing Bode is smart because he was not made for manual labor.

“Mom, I want to have a butler like Aunt Lisa.

“Aunt Lisa has a butler?”

“No, I want Aunt Lisa to be my butler.”

Filed Under: Bode, Humor, pumpkins

Happy 9th birthday Bode!

July 18, 2015 By

Bode Boy,

Happy birthday! Your eighth year of life has been all about Four Square, BYU’s Studio C comedy troupe, Clash of Clans and training for American Ninja Warrior (ANW) as the entire world has become your obstacle course. Why walk up the stairs when you can shimmy along the walls? I don’t know the answer but apparently you do.

Third grade has been the best year ever because your three closest buddies–Nicky, Curtis and Kyler–are together for the first time. You’re continuing to excel in math, computers and accumulating Star Awards (the school’s recognition awards). You love piano  and Sister Mauger is not only your piano teacher but also your Cub Scout Wolf leader. You’ve delved into Scouting as I knew you would–what could be better than hanging out with your buddies and getting dirty?  You quickly earned your Bobcat Rank and Grandma and Grandpa J. came from Utah to see you early your Wolf. Apologies for taking almost a year to sew on your badges; we can’t all be Scouting overachievers.

You just finished your eighth season playing soccer and I love picking you up after practice, flush with excitement. You are a true team player–rarely out for your own glory and the best passer on the team because when you’re able to make a friend successful, that is your success. Your coach paid you a nice compliment, saying “Bode is the only kid who can listen to the advice I’m giving and implement it right away” so here’s for hoping that translates into chores at home. But I can’t complain. You’re a pleaser and when I have to remind you to do something, it’s because you got caught up playing or just didn’t hear me. Apologies to your future wife: you have already perfected the art of Selective Hearing.

You’ve become quite the pumpkin grower and yours clocked in at 325 pounds. I chuckled when I found you at the weigh-off mingling with the crowd, answering questions about your growing techniques. In the future when I have to pinpoint the exact moment your life started going downhill, that was it.

I appreciate how silly, easy-going and responsible you are–I can always trust you to make good, cautious choices. And that’s why you have a mother like me to constantly push you out of your comfort zone. When we were at The Broadmoor, you went rock climbing for the first time (not on some wussy indoor wall). You were so dang nervous but after channeling Mount Midoriyama from ANW, you practically flew up and down that rock face in Garden of the Gods. When I took you mountain biking in Moab, you overcame your fears on some pretty tough terrain and pushed forward long after Hadley had turned back. And this winter at Buttermilk, you skied your first black-diamond (advanced) run and it won’t be long before you’re leaving Mom and Dad in your (white powder) dust.

We’ve had some awesome travels this year. Canada. Mexico. Aspen. Crested Butte. Utah. Even though you enjoy the finer things in life (who doesn’t), when it comes down to it, you’re happiest with the simple things. After spending a few pampered days at The Broadmoor, it was as we were snuggling in the basement watching a movie that you said “Snuggles. Family. A Movie and Apple Pie. There’s nothing better in the world than this.”

Mother-son trip to Beaver Creek

I couldn’t agree with you more, except maybe room and chef service would have been a nice addition. Side note: You’re pretty famous at The Broadmoor as your Emerald Valley “selfie” was published in their magazine. Talk about a legend!

One of our funny-not-funny experiences was when I took you on our First Annual Mother-Son Ski Trip. We had a glorious first night: We checked into the Westin, skied down Beaver Creek with our glow lights in their torchlight parade and dined fireside. And then you got sick so we went home early. But no worries–we rescheduled our vacation over Spring Break. The night before we were supposed to leave as a family, Hadley got the stomach flu so you and Mom left, with the plan that Dad and Hadley would join us when she was feeling better. We had a glorious first night: We checked into the Westin and had a delicious steak dinner at the Beaver Creek Chophouse. Then, it was like a bad nightmare all over again when you threw up that night and we spent the rest of the next day recovering in our fancy hotel room. I demand a redo for next year! For the skiing, not the getting sick; we already redid that twice in a row.

Panty-hose balloon hat

My most treasured time with you is nighttime snuggles in your bed where we just lie there looking at the glow-in-the-dark stars and download our day. Sometimes we’re silly, like when you suggested we play Telephone with your stuffed animals. I started with “Mammoth smells like Fat Kitty,” which they passed along without a hiccup until that silly Orangy the Cat whispered, “Mammoth smells like poop,” sending us into gales of laughter. I treasure the serious times, too when you share your anxieties, usually around finishing your school work and doing your very best. You are driven and it stresses you out to no end when you are not performing at the top of your class. I appreciate that you’re learning early to pour your heart out to Heavenly Father for help and getting baptized was one of the highlights of your year.

As I write this, you are celebrating birthday No. 9 at Lake Okanogan in British Columbia. With Timbits. And family. What could be better? Oh yeah room service and a personal chef. Oh wait. That’s me. I’m so happy to have you as a part of our family.

Love,
Mom
P.S. For a stroll down memory lane, see birthday letters 1, 2, 3, 4,  5,  6, and 7, and 8.


Mrs. Acosta

Pinewood Derby

School buddies

Filed Under: birthday, Bode

The Adventure Converts

July 2, 2015 By

In some instances, I’m really good at saying “no.”  Altogether now:

“Mom, can I play eight hours of video games?”

No.

“Mom, can I have my tenth cookie in an hour?”

No.

Easy, right? Where I struggle is when my kiddos are begging for an adventure which, quite frankly, rarely happens. We’re usually just active enough that they enjoy their downtime but on the second week of summer break, Bode came to me complaining he and his buddy Sean had nothing to do.

“Do you want to bike to our nearby open space park, play in the creek and get Slurpees after?”

Slurpees? Creek? Bike? You betcha!

We invited Sean’s sisters Sydney and Maddie, Hadley and our neighbor Sadie to join us. We’re only a 15-minute bike ride away from a glorious 133-acre park with wetlands providing habitat for waterfowl, amphibians and insects, open meadows and a creek. The water is usually very shallow but with all of our rain, it’s a knee-to-waist-deep river.

This picture right here? This. Is. Summer.

Hadley and Bode delved right in but our friends were tentative, not wanting to get their clothes wet, skirting bugs, losing flip flips, squealing about mud. However, after forging through the river, climbing over branches and logs, their adventurous spirits kicked in and they started having a blast.  I took this video at the beginning and I chuckle at their reaction:

And this at the end. They all attempted the river on their bikes except for Bode who was having mechanical difficulties. He won’t get off so easily next time. Here’s Hadley:

Yes, they are obsessed with slow-motion videos and made me capture each of them.

“Next time, I’ll more prepared to get wet,” Sadie exclaimed.

“Yeah, I have some old tennis shoes I’ll wear instead,” proposed Maddie.

“I told you guys we were going to the creek and we’d be getting wet,” I countered.

“I know,” said Sadie. “I just wasn’t expecting this.”

This meaning mud, water, bugs and zero inhibitions. It’s called Adventure 101. Give me your kids and I’ll dirty and toughen them up for the day, so long as you promise to do arts and crafts with mine.

Filed Under: biking, Bode, Colorado, Hadley, outdoors

Summer Fun in Colorado

June 29, 2015 By

For the next several weeks, posting will be sporadic as the kids and I embark upon our month-long adventure to Canada and back again.  Summer is flying by waaaaaay too quickly and when we return we’ll already be planning back-to-school.

A few highlights: Taking Hadley to KURIOS - Cabinet of Curiosities. It was a crazy, stormy night and we were warmly tucked away inside. This was my fourth Cirque du Soleil performance but my favorite part was watching Hadley’s reaction. She’s such a creative, imaginative kid who’s constantly shot down in a linear world. It was magic to see this dreamscape unfold where creativity is rewarded and heralded.

Now that it’s summer, I’m not super strict with bedtime and she’d stay up all night creating and drawing if I’d let her.

Adventures near Clear Creek following Avid4 Adventure day camp. Sadly, they weren’t in Clear Creek…the water levels as just too high!

And yep, Avid4 Adventure was a blast!

Summer hiking group at Evergreen Lake

and another at Maxwell Falls.

We had an amazing trip to pickup Hadley from Camp Chief Ouray. More details next week but we had a blast ziplining, canoeing, summer tubing and more at our beloved YMCA of the Rockies! First, at Snow Mountain Ranch.

Zipline

Trail Ridge Road, the highest continuous paved road in the U.S.

Then, at the Estes Park Center.

Gaga Ball

Bode: ruining iconic photos

We had a blast previewing the Children’s Museum of Denver’s new 30,000-square foot outdoors playscape Joy Park. Bode and his buddy Porter were the very first kids to ride the mini zipline!


The favorite features were that zipline, building a dam in the stream and digging a volcano in the sand dunes and filling it with water. My kids were the dirtiest and messiest out of anyone. I’ve decided to view it was a talent, not a curse.


Until laundry time.

White Fence Farm opened up Granny’s, a new candy shop, that we just had to check out as well.

Here’s for hoping the hoping the rest of our summer is just as sweet.

Filed Under: Bode, Colorado, Family travel, Hadley, hiking, Humor
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