Friday, October 28, 2011

Mondays should always be like this...

We've been blessed with one of the most magnificent late Summer / early Fall periods that I can remember. Like all good things, this too was coming to an end and the writing was on the wall. With 70s for the weekend and me scheduled to head back to Casper, I caught a glimpse of the weather forecast which showed an 80 degree Monday followed by 8 - 10 inches of snow on Wednesday. Having stockpiled some vacation, I decided to take a day off and enjoy what could be the last fling for Summer temps.

We started the morning off with a trip to the local pumpkin patch, hoping to catch small crowds. Here are some pics from our adventure to the Rocky Mountain Pumpkin Patch on the west side of Longmont.

Cooper posing

From Pumpkin Patch Visit


Jill smiles while the kids obviously see something more interesting to the left

From Pumpkin Patch Visit


Lauren still not convinced she is happy to be here

From Pumpkin Patch Visit


On to the petting zoo where Cooper got to feed some sheep and goats

From Pumpkin Patch Visit



From Pumpkin Patch Visit



From Pumpkin Patch Visit



From Pumpkin Patch Visit


Still not so pleased...

From Pumpkin Patch Visit



From Pumpkin Patch Visit


The its time to go ring some bells and make loud noises

From Pumpkin Patch Visit


Blue skies and big smiles

From Pumpkin Patch Visit


Even found a tractor to drive

From Pumpkin Patch Visit



From Pumpkin Patch Visit


Then time to measure up on the pumpkin height meter

From Pumpkin Patch Visit


Jill helps Lauren measure up

From Pumpkin Patch Visit


Then the whole gang hangs out together

From Pumpkin Patch Visit


All aboard!

From Pumpkin Patch Visit


Then into the hay bale maze

From Pumpkin Patch Visit


Next to pumpkin painting

From Pumpkin Patch Visit



From Pumpkin Patch Visit



From Pumpkin Patch Visit


Then we grabbed a wagon and headed out to load up a few pumpkins

From Pumpkin Patch Visit


Plenty of pumpkins to choose from

From Pumpkin Patch Visit



From Pumpkin Patch Visit



From Pumpkin Patch Visit



From Pumpkin Patch Visit



From Pumpkin Patch Visit



From Pumpkin Patch Visit


Back to the tractor

From Pumpkin Patch Visit


And of course the bouncy house

From Pumpkin Patch Visit


And finally Lauren decides she is happy to be here after all

From Pumpkin Patch Visit



Thursday, October 27, 2011

My baby girl

Having a girl and a boy are two uniquely separate experiences. While Cooper was all about moving and action and never much of a cuddly kid, Lauren is cuddly and still not quite crawling while approaching 8 months. She rolls around and coos at us a lot, which just makes me smile thinking about it. When you walk into the room, she just grins.


From October 16, 2011



From October 16, 2011



From October 16, 2011



From October 16, 2011



From October 16, 2011



From October 16, 2011



From October 16, 2011



Wednesday, October 26, 2011

Pumpkin patching

I'll admit, before kids I just didn't get the pumpkin patch business. And to be honest, I'm not sure I personally get it but the kids sure seem to love it. Cooper talks about "pumpkin patches" for about 3 months a year. Located about between Sarah and our house is a massive "pick from the field" pumpkin patch. This time of year it can be a traffic jam but while I snuck away for an early morning mountain bike ride, Sarah and Reese met up with Jill, Cooper and Lauren for some pumpkin patching.

No pumpkin patch would be complete without an inflatable slide. Reese leads Cooper down

From October 16, 2011


And then some time in the bouncy house

From October 16, 2011


Posing for pics

From October 16, 2011


The scarecrow and the pumpkin

From October 16, 2011


Lauren not real thrilled to be a pumpkin

From October 16, 2011


More slide time

From October 16, 2011



Tuesday, October 25, 2011

Quick Trip to Casper

Winter is coming to Wyoming quickly, wait I think its already here as of today, so a couple weeks back we made an impromptu decision to all load up and go to Casper for work for me and some exploration for the family. I tried to temper expectations as Casper doesn't have tons of activities, but it was a chance for everyone to get out of the house and see another one of my work stops.

Some sights from the adventures around town...
A brief stop at the "mall"

Casper did have some really cool playgrounds that Cooper was excited to check out

Cooper showing off his gymnastics skills

Lauren was enthralled with the wood chips

Cooper checking out the falls. Evidently this is raging in the Spring, but late in the year it was but a trickle

An attempt at a family picture (minus poor Joel who was busy working)

Checking out some trails

Lots of history of the early Western settlers happened in these parts. Its pretty mind blowing to think about the struggles and the enormous task of getting West in the early days. I guess I can't complain about my 3 hour drive each week. Jill took the kiddos to a museum with lots of history and exhibits about the Oregon Trail.

Cooper checking out a wagon
From October 16, 2011


Playing with an exhibit

A first class wagon

Cooper does photo duty to get a picture of Jill

No battling crowds on a Wednesday afternoon in Casper