Pre-School, Frogs, and more Camping

Well, we are finally settling back into the routine of school!  Things are going off without a hitch! 

Riley loves his class, and his teacher. She is really great, and I think she's going to be really great for him.  Jayce also loves school!!  He started preschool last week and hates the days he doesn't go.  He's always asking if today is the day he goes to school.  He goes on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons (which has been a battle for naptimes) and his teacher is wonderful!  Miss Jessica, which he has a LOT of trouble saying but it's so cute!!  It usually comes out in one big garbled word - mis-sessima, or something like it.  I really hope he grows a lot this year.  He is such a social butterfly, I know he's going to really benefit from being around so many other kids. 

Other things we've been up to . . . catching frogs.  Apparently they are in abundance this year because of all the wetness we've had.  So the favorite evening activity (or afternoon even) is catching frogs (or toads I guess is the correct term).  The boys catch them and put them in buckets with grass and rocks trying to make a little home for them. Jayce even catches roly-poly bugs to put in there for them to eat!  Amara is just as intrigued by them as the boys are.  (I'm glad she won't be a scardy-cat when it comes to things like bugs, frogs, and snakes. Her big brothers will cure her of any fear early on!) They even let them loose on the trampoline and let them jump around!!  One day they caught 9 of them!!  It was crazy, but after an hour Mom and Dad decided it was time to release them back into the wild so they wouldn't be stressed out any more. 

A few nights after this we had a fun end of summer BBQ for a bunch of friends (including 13 kids - 9 of them boys) and they caught a total of 15 in just around an hour at dusk.  They had such a blast, and were entertained very well by all the toads!  It was a fun evening for adults and kids alike!

We didn't do much over Labor Day Weekend.  The small town next to ours (Windsor) usually does a BIG Hoopla for the weekend.  There are hot air balloon launches, parades, festivals with food and booths, Fireworks, and so much going on!  We've gone to quite a few of the events in the past.  But this year I decided to get a vendor booth for Baby Bear Designs.  I split it with my friend Trista, who sews and owns Sweet Pea Boutique, and it ended up being a GREAT weekend for us.  We were there with another friend who sells Pink Papaya.  She had done this event in the past and said it was really good, so we thought we would give it a go.  And good thing we did!!  We both DOUBLED our past top sales at vendor events!!  It was such an amazing weekend for us all!  I sold so many things, and even out of some things!!  Cam got to spend some time with the kids, he took them to the parade, festival, and to some other things for me so they didn't miss out.  So now I'm crazy crocheting again so that I can have enough for my next show in a couple weeks!!  YAY!!!

Then last weekend we did one last Summer Blowout Trip!  Cam had been wanting to run a race in Telluride/Ouray Colorado.  It's called the Imogene Pass Run.  Imogene Pass road starts in Ouray (or it did for the race) and it's a Jeep trail.  We drove it a few years ago (before Jayce and Amara) in the Xterra.  If you want to see what the trail is like you can see the pictures here on my Shutterfly page.  Anyways, it's 10 miles up from the Ouray side, and another 7 miles down into Telluride.  Given all the trouble Cam has had this summer with the hyperthyroidism, he kept going back and forth on whether or not to run in this race.  Since he's been feeling better lately, and has been on some heart rate medication to keep his heart rate down, he decided to give it a go.  They have plenty of aid stations up there, and cutoff times (so if he's going too slow they won't let him go any further).  So we went.  We camped just outside Ouray in Ridgeway State Park, a gorgeous little park. The kids had a blast just hanging around in the tent and playing at the campsite - but Mom and Dad had some other things lined up!!  We pulled Riley out of school and drove down Thursday night. So Friday we rented a Jeep for the day and did some long overdue Wheelin'!!!  It was Amara's first real wheelin' trip and she did great! She's a natural just like the boys!  When we first started out on the trail they were all laughing and bouncing around as we bounced over all the rocky spots in the trail.  They loved it!  We drove the Alpine Loop.  A 65 mile loop that starts in Ouray, goes over Engineer's Pass to Lake City, then back over Cinnamon Pass and down into Silverton, CO.  It was another gorgeous trail (as most of them are down there).  We didn't stop much and take a lot of pictures because we were on a time crunch to get the Jeep back in time.  But we still enjoyed it, and I think Cam has been bitten by the Jeep Bug again!!  lol 

At home again in a Jeep

Our Jeep for the day

At Engineer's Pass

Jeep Girl!

Yes, the sky really was that blue!! - No editing in any of these photos!!

Sheep were grazing everywhere, it was really neat to see!

Shelf roads!

Don't worry, this section was closed.

More Sheep

Look at all of them!!

Pretty waterfall

Cinnamon Pass

Ghost Town of Animas Forks

Duncan House, Animas Forks

Duncan House (newly restored)

Animas River

Animas River

Saturday was Race Day!  We got up super early (and disturbed all our camping neighbors too I'm sure) and headed out to see Daddy off.  He started off on a great note, and couldn't ask for a more beautiful day to run!!  The kids and I went back to the campsite to get cleaned up and then headed back out to meet him in Telluride. He told me he was hoping to finish in about 5-6 hours. So my goal was to get there and be waiting for him at the 5 hour mark.  Well, with three kids in tow it took a little longer to get there than anticipated.  Of course!!  Between tantrums, making lunch from the back of the car, forgetting the camera, and having to park a bazillion miles from the finish line we got there just in time to hear the people coming in at 4 hours and 57 minutes.  I thought, Good!! We made it in time to see him!! So we find a spot in the shade and start watching.  Just as my friend sends me a message asking how he's doing, he comes up behind us.  Apparently he finish at 4:55.  Which was great for him, because it was under his goal time, but a bummer for us because we JUST missed seeing him finish.  But he did an amazing job, ran better than he had expected to. His legs were really tired and sore from lack of training, but he still ran strong, and I'm so proud of him for pushing through the sickness and lack of preparation and doing an amazing job!  I really wish I had half of the determination that he has!! 

Start line

And They are OFF!

Go Daddy!!

Heading up the hill

Finish In Telluride!!

Sunday was another long drive home, but it was worth it for such a great weekend!! Only next time we go to that area it needs to be for much longer than just a few days!  It's such a beautiful part of the state, I wish I could spend all my free time there. 

Today was my first MOPS meeting for the year.  We have a great new leadership team, and I'm playing backup for most of the roles.  It's a great way for me to be a part of steering without committing to a lot.  I get to fill in as needed, and play a backstage part.  I love being apart of steering, and such a close-knit group of women.  I'm so excited for this year!! So many fun things to come!  That's what we've been up to the last few weeks!  Hope everyone had a great beginning to the month!