Well, to keep up with the months is proving to be difficult! We had a very busy month of Sept. and now trying to recall everything is a difficult process!
One of the best things we did this month was to take the kids camping...actually I did...Ehren was suppose to be climbing a 14-er...get to that later. We had never taken the kids on a full on overnight, over the campfire camping trip. I decided (with a couple girlfriends of mine) to take the kids to a nearby lake to camp for the night. We were quite a site...3 Mom's with 9 kids...all between 3 and 9. :-) We arrived in the morning and set up our two tents. Took us about 1 1/4hrs start to finish, including unloading the cars...no bad right? We got camp set up and had some lunch. Our kids spent most of the time (and stands for the rest of the trip) down at the water...this was about a 75 yard walk from the campsite...DOWNHILL. We had a great view of the water from where we were (see our pics) and needless to say, the kids all got a LOT of exercise walking up and down this dirt trail. We had a bit of a sprinkle and wind followed by a great sunny and calm evening. Campfire, hot dogs, smores, and talk of everyone's favorite part of the day followed. We had two out at fireside by 8.45 and the other 7 kids were all asleep for the NIGHT by 9.15 or so. We really didn't hear from anyone til about 7 a.m. or maybe just before...a wonderful night and couldn't have asked for any better if we would've been at a house! It had been a mild night (and actually used our firewood) so we made some hot chocolate and had some breakfast...and no need for a fire. The kids were off playing again until the Dad's arrived and the Mom's packed up camp!! Whew! Now, the Dad's...drove 7 hours to hike in to a 14-er. After being delayed due to rain and snow they did attempt the hike and some made it to about 13000ft. Bad weather made them turn back and with not being able to make a fire (was so wet) they decided to make the drive home saturday night. Everyone was soaked to the bone...including backpacks, sleeping bags, tents, etc. Probably the worst luck they could've had but we were glad they were in their right mind to know when to turn back. They arrived back in Longmont around 12.30 or so and sacked out...and decided to come check out our campsite the next day. I secretly think they were expecting to see us struggle (and not be able to make a fire for ourselves), but wasn't quite the case. It was fun to have them back and the kids enjoyed showing them where they had been playing and getting filthy for the last 24 hours. After a bit of time at the lake we packed up and decided to head to town for brunch. IHop! :-) Yum.
Sept. also started soccer and karate full on. The kids have kept me busy with all their activities and I've been working 1-2 days a week. We have one more month of soccer then it will stop for the winter.
We had a last minute, surprise visitor this month...Opa! Ehren's Dad decided to make a marathon drive down here last month. He drove the 19 hours straight to arrive and the kids (and us) enjoyed his company. We took him to Estes Park to see the Elk (many were out since it was mating season). We didn't get to hear them bugling but we did see them up close and personal! We also found a great area to hike in...Lumpy Ridge...we all really enjoyed it and next time we'll take a lunch so we can spend more time there! We kept him busy with our schedule and after his 5 days he did the return drive home. It had been almost 5 years since he'd been here so it was nice to have him back...hopefully sooner next time. :-)
I did a 10K in Denver this month. Fans on the Field it's called...took us through the football, hockey and baseball stadiums downtown. It was a great run, nothing to try and do a PR with, but fun. We got a voucher for a couple Avalanche tickets as part of our player amenities this year. One of my girlfriends decided she wasn't going to use hers so she gave hers to me. We decided to take the kids to their first avalanche game...since 4 of the tickets were free! When we got there we found out the vouchers were for $102/ticket!! The nice gentleman at the counter gave me a free voucher when he saw my jaw drop...so we got all 5 of us in for free...for $510 worth of seats! The kids had a blast. Jaelynn got tired but Emily and Evan bounced to the music, hopped up to see the fights, and tried to catch the give-aways. It helped that we were in row 18...kept it all interesting. :-)
That is most of it for Sept. We are now waiting for Blair and Dar to come through on their way to Mexico this year....oh, and Halloween...yes, the kids are stoked!!
