Breckenridge 2017

We didn't get much hiking in, but the girls had a good time none the less.  Kara spotted a fox on the lodge play structure and captured it on camera.  The girls thought that was awesome! 



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Breckenridge 2016

Breckenridge was a bit of a blur this year.  We went up the first part of the week this year, instead of the last half of the week like we usually do.  Our plan was to head up Sunday after Emily's nap.  Unfortunately, Emily decided that she wasn't going to take a nap, so at 3, we just packed everyone in the car and headed up.  We hoped that maybe she would sleep in the car (she didn't) or at least that she'd be tired and sleep when we got there (that didn't happen either).  After we got there and got unpacked, we grabbed dinner at the hotel restaurant and then tried to get the girls to wind down for bed.  After a quick bath, we tried to put the girls down together in the same room (gotta give it a try).  Kara was actually pretty good and tried to go to sleep.  Emily, however, kept popping out of bed to check on Kara and everyone else in the other room.  Around 9, we gave up on the experiment and moved Emily to the other room.  Emily just didn't sleep well at all that night, tossing and turning, and waking up hysterical in the middle of the night.  So, our trip didn't get off to the best start...

Sleeping, in general, was a bit of a struggle the whole time we were up there.  Mom swears that the people in the unit above us were doing construction with power tools and work boots every night until 11 pm.  Luckily, Kara and Emily generally slept pretty well after the first night.  Mom and Dad, however, had trouble sleeping every night.

We didn't get a lot of hiking in this year.  We went on a short hike near the lodge the first morning, but that was about it.  Kara was really enthusiastic about hiking, and Emily was a trooper.  We hiked until Emily said she wanted us to carry her, and then we just headed back.  We did get a lot of pool time in.  We went just about every morning.  Kara had a great time practicing her swimming skills.  Emily mostly enjoyed just being in the water and occasionally jumping in to Dad.

We also made our annual trip up to the top of Peak 8 to check out the Breckenridge Summer Fun Park, which was a bit of a bust.  We bought the pass for Kara this year, so she could do just about anything.  She did the bungee bounce and the alpine slide (with Dad).  We also bought a limited pass for Emily.  She got up on the trampoline for the bungee bounce, but decided she just wasn't into it and backed out once they tried to put on the harness.  Unfortunately, the roller coaster they have up there and the zipline were both down, so all the kids funneled into the kids ropes course.  After waiting in line for over an hour, Kara got to go down the kids zipline (which was about a 15 second ride).  By that time, it was almost noon, and Emily was done.  We just headed back to the hotel and took it easy for the afternoon.

We ended up cutting the trip a little short.  We had planned on staying Wednesday night and heading back Thursday morning, but since Mom and Dad were sleeping so poorly, we just headed back home Wednesday afternoon.  The drive back was uneventful.

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Breckenridge 2015

At the end of July, we spent a long weekend with Grandma and Grandpa S. in Breckenridge.  For the most part, we kept it pretty low key. The girls played at the pool almost every afternoon and we did outdoor activities every morning (hiking or going to the adventure park).

The sleeping arrangements were a little interesting.  We had hoped that Emily and Kara could share a room, but it didn't quite work out.  All day, Mom and Dad kept telling Kara that she was going to share a room with Emily, but she was going to have to be quiet and let Emily sleep.  Well, Kara started off all excited and we could hear her whispering things to Emily through the baby monitor.  After about an hour, however, Kara was done and just wanted to go to sleep.  Emily, on the other hand, was just getting going.  She kept asking Kara, "What's that?" To which Kara would reply, "Emily, go to sleep."  That went on for about 30 minutes before Mom and Dad saved Kara and moved Emily's crib to another room.  After the move, everyone slept very well.  Oh well, we'll try again next year. :-)

Kara has started showing quite an interest in hiking.  There's a decent hike path that runs right next to the hotel.  Thursday afternoon Kara just started walking (with Grandpa in tow) and ended up going probably a mile up the trail before getting tired (and then hiked all the way back).  The next day, Dad packed Emily in the backpack and went with Grandpa and Kara on the same hike.  Kara, of course, led the way, and hiked right up the mountain.  Emily, on the other hand, got tired of hiking and was ready to turn back after about 30 minutes of hiking.  Kara and Grandpa were going to keep going up the hill, but Kara decided she was a little tired too and headed back.  A storm moved in Friday afternoon and rained the rest of the day.

On Saturday morning, we got up early and rode the gondola up to Peak 8 to check out the Breck Summer Fun Park.  Emily is still a little too young to do most of the activities, but Kara is getting into the target audience range.  Kara started off by trying out the bouncing trampoline while Emily checked out Ripperoo's Bounce Corral.  Kara had a great time bouncing, but she didn't get to bounce for as long as she did last year (there was quite a long line this year).  After that, Kara headed over to the rock climbing wall, but she was just a little too short to really reach most of the hand-holds, so she didn't get to climb too high.  On the way out, we did a little panning for gemstones, which both girls really enjoyed.

Another successful Breckenridge visit.  Can't wait until next year!

Link to pictures

A Month of Firsts

Our July and August have blurred together in several fun outings and lots of home improvement.

Mommy and Kara went to the Boulder County Fair with some friends at the beginning of August.  It was Kara's first visit to a county fair.  Everyone had a great time visiting all the different farm animals.  The cows were especially docile for the little girls.  Kara also had her first pony ride!  Check out the video to see how she did. :)

Kara also had her first haircut and her first visit to the dentist!  She watched Mommy get her haircut first, then was very excited to get it done herself.  She even insisted on getting a shampoo just like Mommy.  Kara did equally well at the dentist's office.  She loved the chair and the cherry toothpaste, but her favorite part was the video they showed her of dogs going to the dentist before her visit.  She told Daddy all about it that evening.

On the home front, we had new windows installed.  So far we're very happy with them, and they'll definitely be a great addition this winter.  Daddy and Grandpa S. also tore down a wall and an attached deck.  Good times!

Kara will be starting her first classes without parent participation in September.  We'll let you know how that goes!

Some recent Kara Quotes:

"Daddy, you have Kara in your eyes" - looking at her reflection in Daddy's eyes one morning.

"I dreamed about eating cookies today.... Dreams about cookies are good!"

"I am going to draw a picture of you and me!"

"I love you, Mommy" (Mom: "I love you too, Kara")  "I know.  I am in your heart."

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And here's a video of Kara's first pony ride:

Breckenridge 2012

For the 4th of July this year, we headed to Breckenridge in the mountains with Grandma and Grandpa S. Unfortunately, due to the dry weather and wildfires around Colorado, the fireworks were cancelled in Breckenridge, but we had lots of fun doing other things.  On the morning of the 4th, we headed to downtown Breckenridge for the parade.  Kara really enjoyed watching all the cars go by and got really excited once she realized they were throwing candy.  She didn't get much, but she had fun anyway.  After the parade, we stopped at a face painter.  Mommy and Daddy were very surprised that Kara stayed still long enough to get some stars on her face and on her arm. Of course, right after that we headed back to the hotel, and Kara insisted on going to the pool where her stars were promptly washed off.

Speaking of swimming, Kara is starting to get very confident in the water (a little too confident for Daddy's tastes...).  When she's wearing her vest, she can actually kind of move around in the pool.  Not bad for a 2-1/2 year old!

Other than parades and swimming, we had fun going for some hikes and just hanging out in downtown Breckenridge.  Looking forward to next year!

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Summer 2012 Visit from Mimi and Papa

We're a little behind on blog posts...this one is from Mimi and Papa's visit mid-June.

It was a pretty hot couple of weeks while Mimi and Papa were here, but we managed to find some neat indoor activities.  Kara really enjoyed a visit to the Denver Museum, which had an exhibit on snakes and reptiles, along with a kids area, dinosaur skeletons (a favorite), and mummies!  We also watched a planetarium show with Big Bird and Elmo - that was a big hit.  It was Kara's first "show", and she talked about it for days afterwards.  There was a Chinese Muppet character in the show too, who she refers to as "Elmo's China-nese friend."  :)


We also managed a mid-week visit to the Denver Aquarium.  Kara enjoyed all the fish and the "mermaid" show (girls in tails swimming).  She was very brave and pet a stingray too!  "Soft and squishy" - Kara's words.

Mimi and Papa were here to help us pick cherries from our tree!  Kara had a great time picking (and eating) the sour cherries, and Papa enjoyed the fresh pie.

For Mimi and Papa's last weekend in Colorado, we drove to Glenwood Springs.  Unfortunately, it was just as hot there as it was at home, but we still managed to have some fun.  Everyone enjoyed something at the adventure park there (the Alpine coaster was a big hit, and Kara loved the tram ride).  Kara enjoyed the hotel pool, and Mommy, Daddy, and Kara had a nice hike up to Hanging Lake.  Very scenic!

Kara had a wonderful time with Mimi's and Papa's full attention, and we will miss them until next time.


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Pumpkin Patch 2011

This past Saturday, our neighbor from the townhouse, Lu, invited us to go to a pumpkin patch with her. We were all really excited about it. They had caramel popcorn, hayrides, pumpkins, gourds, and even a corn maze. Unfortunately for everyone, the weather didn't cooperate.  It was drizzling most of our time there, and it was pretty chilly (about 40°F).  By the time we left, it was pouring. It's a good thing we got there early!  While we were there, Kara had a great time playing in the mud and picking out pumpkins.  She especially liked the little pumpkins (which she called "tiny pumpkin" in a high voice).  We picked out about 5 good pumpkins.  Mommy got a little carried away with the gourds, and we now have enough to decorate everyone's house in the neighborhood.

Recent conversations with Kara:
Daddy: "I love you, Kara."
Kara: "I love Fifi!" Fifi is her nighttime stuffed dog.

Kara: "What's that?" - Her new favorite phrase

Kara walking to Mommy with her hand cupped (and empty): "Eat this!"
Mommy:  "What am I eating?"
Kara: pause...."Apples! mmm"

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Hiking Fun

Fall has started here in Colorado. The weather is distinctly cooler than it was in August and the leaves on some of the trees are starting to turn yellow. The temperatures at nights are falling down into the mid-40's, so it's quite cool in the mornings. Perfect weather for hiking! The last couple of weekends, Mommy and Daddy have packed Kara up in the hiking backpack and checked out the great outdoors. So far we haven't hiked too far (usually less than 2 miles), but hopefully we can start working up to some more exciting hikes!

Kara is starting to get into the imaginative play.  Mimi bought Kara a horse stable and toy horses when she was here in August.  That has quickly become one of Kara's favorite toys, and she enjoys galloping around the table with the horses and then putting them back in the stable.  At bedtime, Kara and Mommy put the horses to sleep, and Kara says, "Night, night horsies."

Mommy and Daddy have decided to back off a bit on the potty training.  Kara is just not quite ready, but we're still encouraging the use of the potty.  Maybe in a couple of months!  Mommy sure hopes so!

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Potty Training - The Beginning

We have just recently started with potty training. Kara is getting to the point where she doesn't really want to wear diapers and seems to be interested in using the potty. She also starting pointing at the toilet and saying "pee pee, potty." So, Mommy went out and bought Elmo's Potty Time (which Kara watches almost every day) and a training potty. So far, Kara has not gone pee pee in the potty, but she has whizzed all over the bathroom floor on several occasions. Yeah, isn't potty training fun?

We've been keeping ourselves pretty busy for the last month. On the weekend of the 4th of July, our friends Drew and Stacy and their son Dax came over to check out our new house. Kara and Dax had a lot of fun playing in the sprinklers. Later that weekend, Mommy's Uncle Randy, Aunt Tracey, Cousin Brad, and Brad's girlfriend came to visit. Kara had a lot of fun entertaining the crowd.

Temper tantrums are pretty much a daily occurrence these days, with her first "major meltdown" happening today and involving animal crackers and the library...

Kara (who refers to herself as "Tata") has a vocabulary that is expanding quite a bit and she can usually get her point across. "Tata shoes out park!" "Music dance!" "Watch Mickey" "Mama lap sit read" "Tata poot" :) Kara will specify the books she wants to read - as in "Nigh Nigh George" (Curious George), "Chi Chi Boom!" (Chicka Chicka Boom Boom), "Eggs, Ham" (Green Eggs and Ham), "Waan tooo fish" (One Fish Two Fish...). It's pretty cute... when she's not yelling at you. "Bubbles! Bubbles bubbles bubblessssss!!" Ah, toddlerdom.

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Breckenridge 2011

The second half of last week, we went on our first real vacation (where we weren't sleeping at the Grandparents' house) with Kara. Grandma and Grandpa S. go up to Breckenridge for a week every year, so we decided to spend some time with them (we needed the time away from the house after the move).  The weather was beautiful (highs in the mid to high 70's), which meant we could enjoy spending time outside.  Kara had a lot of fun hiking and playing at the pool.  Every morning, Kara climbed into the hiking backpack, and Mommy and Daddy hiked up the mountainside with her.  In the afternoons, she mostly played at the pool.  She particularly enjoyed running through the water fountains.  All in all, it was a great vacation!

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Hiking Around Colorado

The weather has been steadily getting warmer and warmer. This past weekend it got warm enough for us to try out the hiking backpack Grandma and Grandpa S. gave us for Christmas. We decided to try an easy hike first, so we just walked around Harper Lake. The hike was only about two miles, but Daddy's back was getting a little tired by the end. Guess we'll have to keep practicing before we trying anything too strenuous!

Eating has become a bit of an adventure these days. For a while, when Kara was done eating, she would raise her hands and say "Duh". Now, if Mommy and Daddy aren't watching her closely, she'll start taking handfuls of food and plopping them on the ground. Then she'll get an innocent look on her face like she's saying, "I don't know how that food got on the floor." We're hoping this is just a phase and not an indication of things to come. :-)

Kara's starting to talk a lot more these days. She babbles pretty much constantly and can say about 10 words, including please (which was very exciting for Mommy and Daddy).  She's also getting much more demanding. She'll point at the computer and whine until we play her Sesame Street CD. I fear we're getting close to our first temper tantrum...

Well, it looks like we have finally found our house here. It's walking distance to an elementary school, a park, and Daddy's work! We can send pictures to anyone that's interested.

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