Wrapping up Summer

We have been slowly rearranging our daily routine, as we have been getting accustomed to our school schedule again. We took a much longer summer break from school than I anticipated, but Ella was definitely ready and asking to start school again. You can read more about our homeschool adventures here: The Swift Schoolhouse.

We are still trying to take advantage of the beautiful weather, while it's around though. The joys of homeschooling allows us to be flexible in our plans and enjoy the times we can spend as a family more. This past weekend we took a a long weekend trip up to Gunnison and Taylor Canyon. Ella was still recuperating from a cold, so we a little more limited on our outings. Regardless, we all had fun being together and away from all the house work. An extra bonus, the kids were able to spend some quality time with Grandma and Grandpa Swift as they are traveling the Colorado mountains in their motorhome (AKA "The Buggy").

We visited "Tin Cup," an old mining town where the kids were able to visit one of the oldest cemeteries in Colorado. I think it was a bit eye opening for Ella to see tombstones and graves of young children and entire families. It even reminded me to be thankful for all the time we have together and cherish each moment.

We ventured over to Abbeyville, an old gold mining town from 1880-1886.

We took Grandma and Grandpa's Jeep Liberty and went 4 wheeling up the dirt road and rocks to see what was left of the mine. 

Eric and Ella was thrilled to see the old railroad tracks and was fascinated by all the big structures and machines left by the mine workers.

The kids fished at a small pond (for kids only),

 Ella caught her first trout. I missed getting a picture, as he was a bit small to keep and Ken threw him back in the water before I could get the camera out. Nevertheless, Ella caught the only fish this weekend. She was so happy!

We tried fishing by the river, but we just watched the schools of fish swim right by our bait!

We spent much of the rest of our trip relaxing at our campsite, riding bikes, coloring, and visiting with Grandma and Grandpa. A wonderfully relaxing trip!

What a beautiful view to take in, as we stepped out to stretch our legs on the way home!

 We weren't expecting to purchase a travel trailer this year, but we are sure happy we did!  We've had some wonderful times together as a family, been able to see some beautiful views throughout Colorado, and are already making plans for next year.  We couldn't of asked for a better family gift and are so blessed!

Taking in Nature

I can't believe how fast these summer months are passing us by! We have enjoyed some great times outside, butt with the heat wave these last few weeks have been looking for ways to stay a bit cooler.

We decided to head to the Nature and Science Museum, since we hadn't visited in awhile.

The kids had a great time and were happy that our friends the Hightowers could join us. We checked out the new Sesame Street Planetarium show, which was great for the kids. They enjoyed learning about the stars and constellations. The entire space exhibit is always a big hit, as the kids try and navigate their own space shuttle. Unfortunately, chasing two kids around a very busy museum means no real time to break the camera out for pictures. Hopefully, I'll catch some next time.

Ella's love and interest in horses has really grown this past summer. I'm sure our time at the rodeo's and new riding instructor has really helped with that. The art school which she has attended in the past was holding a summer camp with a horse theme, so I thought it would be perfect for her.

She had a great time and came home with some wonderful drawings!

Her last day, she even made a clay piece which we can't wait to pick up (they still have to put in the kiln, which will really add a nice shine to it).

Last week, Ella noticed a Butterfly injured and left in the grass. Running inside she asked Ken to help. The wings were eaten off, probably by a bird. She tried to fly but could not leave the ground. Instead of leaving her to become bird food, Ken made a makeshift cage for "Beauty" and she became our class project for the next couple days.

We studied about the Swallow Tail Butterfly, which she was and what she needed to eat. We were able to get up close and notice the different features and parts, Ella drew many butterfly pictures; depicting others to try and make our little Butterfly at home.

Unfortunately, we learned pretty quickly that God did not intend for these beautiful creatures to live in captivity as she only lived a couple days in her make shift cage, within our school room. A hard life lesson and one I don't think Ella will forget.

Ella has a passion for animals and nature.  She has such a soft spot for both.  Ella and I had some fun one on one time and decided to head to the neighborhood park.  We were just finishing at the swings and heading to the car, when she saw how weed infested the sand box had become and decided to spend her time with Mom pulling weeds, instead of playing. I'm not sure how many 5 year olds would choose such a chore, but I was very proud of our girl.  She didn't think twice, just kept working to make the park cleaner for others to play.  What an awesome kid!  

The summer has quickly come to an end for us, as we dusted off (literally) our old school books and headed back to the school room for the year. We took a rather longer vacation than planned, but it seems we learned a lot this summer. We learned about the world around us and that God is everywhere, that we were put here on this earth to protect this beautiful land and all the wonderful animals. 

Independence Day!

The weather has been extremely warm these past few weeks and what better way to stay cool than ice skating! Ella's last class was over six months ago, but that hasn't hindered her at all. She's right back on the ice and loving every minute. The skills are getting harder, but I think she loves the challenge.

Eric loves the ice rink, as there is a large indoor carnival as you walk through the facility. Since he can't skate yet, we usually hang out there as we wait for Ella's short 30 minute lesson. His favorite is riding the bus.

We have been working diligently on Eric's potty training. To say boys are harder than girls is definitely an understatement. We were off to a bumpy start, but it's slowly gaining ground. We went cold turkey and decided to forget the pull-ups during the day and go straight to big boy briefs. A good week of reminders and lots of accidents, we are finally making headway. I promised Eric that if he goes a whole week without accidents he can ride all the rides at the ice arena's indoor carnival. I think this might be well within reach. 

Ella started horse back riding again this summer. We took her to the rodeo this past month and now she has been all about riding in the rodeo. She says she wants to start competing for ribbons and wants to race around the barrels and fly the flags during intermission. She and Eric have been racing around the house on their hobby horse, pretending they are at the rodeo.

We've had to reevaluate her current riding school, as we have been concerned that her weekly lessons have turned into more of a pony ride than a riding lesson. After finding out that Ella had actually forgotten some of her earlier skills, we decided to start our search for a new riding school.

While we were at the rodeo, we met a wonderful lady who has a riding school not too far from our home. She starts children as young as 2 on the horses and seemed very knowledgeable about working with young ones. So, we tried a lesson and were thrilled with the instruction and the horse she had available for Ella to ride.

Brenner, is an older Thoroughbred and was once a show horse. He had a wonderful personality and obeyed Ella's every command. A quick tap of the heel and he was off trotting. Ella is excited about her new horse and that her instructor says she could start competing soon, but is going to miss her old horse Jubee from her old riding school.

After Ella's lesson, Brenner even gave Ella a good nuzzle. I guess he liked her too! I think they will make a great team.

Eric has been asking to ride horses too, so we hope to start him in the fall. Ella had outgrown her old boots and we found out with English riding boots, boys and girls start off in the same kind of boots. So, we passed Ella's old boots down to Eric and now he wants to wear them all the time. He put them on the first time this past week and immediately said, "Me ride too?" He is so excited to start riding, just hoping he can wait a few more months. I'm thinking this might make a good birthday gift, his first lesson on his birthday.

The Independence day weekend was beautiful in Estes Park. We spent the weekend at a county campground. We lucked out and managed to get one of the better spots in the campground, so had a nice view from at least one side of the trailer. We were met by Grandma and Grandpa Swift (Ken's parents) and staying just down the road was Aunt Teresa (Maria's sister) and her family.

We had a great time fishing, spending at least an hour on the water a day trying to catch our fish for breakfast.

The "breakfast" fish seemed to escape us every time.  However, we did manage to catch a couple of baby fish.

Rocky Mountain National Park was beautiful as always 

and we enjoyed a wonderful afternoon with Grandma and Grandpa, hiking

then finding a nice shady spot for a picnic lunch.

Ella and Eric absolutely loved being in the mountains and made excellent hikers. We couldn't keep Eric from charging down the hills with Grandpa.

We enjoyed a nice evening campfire with Cousin Seth and family. The kids had a great time eating all the s'mores, so much we had to cut them off after their third round of marshmallows.

The riverwalk was a huge hit with the kids, as they enjoyed a morning bike ride from the Visitors center to the park.

They had so much fun and especially loved going through the tunnel.

The fireworks show was beautiful!

It was nice to be able to spend the evening with The Taylor's (Maria's Sister & Family), Grandma and Grandpa Swift. The kids had a blast playing at the large playground and rock formations.

It was so cute to hear the kids talking about the fireworks as each one went off. How wonderful and blessed we were to be able to spend this holiday with extended family. We are so grateful to be able to have the freedom to celebrate!

We wrapped up our long weekend with one last hike around Bear Lake at Rocky Mountain National Park.

We had such a wonderful time and are excited to come back again, before the season ends.

A Beautiful View!

There are days I wake up and realize what a beautiful place it is we live in. The tall trees, sounds of wildlife, and smell of flowers just wows the senses and really reminds us of the blessings God has given all of his people to enjoy and to care for. Each morning I awaken to this beautiful view.

I had heard the dogs barking one morning, rather aggressively. Rather put off, I ran outside to gather up the dogs and bring them inside and see what the commotion was all about. I was completely surprised to find two baby fawns sitting behind our fence. Apparently, Mama deer thought it was safe to leave these little ones laying here.

I ran inside and grabbed the kids in their pj's to see this beautiful sight too!

We all wanted to pet and hold the deer, but I knew it was against the laws of nature to intervene. We told Ken about the deer, but just a few minutes after we came inside they had already been taken away by their Mama's.

A beautiful sight to see, was my little princess in her dance recital. She had been practicing all year for her ballet and tap performances in her recital, entitled "Thumbelina." Her favorite was her ballet dance to the music, "Thumbelina." (She is the little one on the far left).

She absolutely loved being on stage!

Her "Fish" tap number was just darling!

She sure made a beautiful princess!

The kids have been enjoying lots outdoor playtime lately, as the weather has been just hot and dry. Even the swim spa, has been rather warm to swim in at 85 degrees. It has been so hot, we broke down and purchased a dual slip and slide for the kids.

They enjoyed the cool water, but were a bit apprehensive about sliding. They had more fun running through the sprinklers.

We had our weekend trip planned for Buena Vista and anticipated leaving mid afternoon, after we attended a birthday party. Well, we arrived home and Ken was under the trailer (not a good sign). Four stops and five hours later, Ken figured out that a fuse was out. A quick replacement fuse, a stop over at Maria's parents for dinner and we were finally on our way.

We arrived around midnight and were awakened to highway traffic. Apparently, being the last ones to check in at the campground left us with a less than ideal camp site. Regardless, we had a great time. Kids were up early as usual, ready to go. We enjoyed a relaxing morning, before we decided to head into town for a picnic lunch at the park.

Just this week, Ella mastered swinging all by herself. She was quick to show us how high she could go!

Eric met another little boy at the park and they had fun playing through the tunnels.

What a fun afternoon, but we were still all tired from our long evening the day before. So, we headed back for an afternoon nap. While Eric and Ken were sleeping, Ella and I had a fun time playing outside. We played a little "UNO" at our picnic table and took pictures by the tree on our campsite.  There was a perfect place for her to sit in the tree and she enjoyed playing for the camera.

We ventured over to the campground park, where they had a huge wooden pirate boat to play on.

We woke up the boys for the ice cream social, that was held for all the campers. Ella enjoyed chocolate, while Eric downed his Vanilla with Chocolate chip. They scarfed it down in time to head out a trip to the nearby Goat Dairy Farm, "Jumpin Good Goat Dairy." We learned all about the cheese making process, different breeds of goats, and goat milk. We visited an underground cheese aging cave.

The kids were not afraid to pet the goats and left thinking goats need to be our next pet. (Don't worry, we'd have to move to Denver to have goats).

We were even able to see day old kids, hold and cuddle them.

Of course, there was lots of cheese tasting at the end of the tour. The kids absolutely loved the cheese and asked if they could try goat's milk too. We just might have to give it a try, as they didn't have any available for us to try. I was amazed at how many different cheeses and spreads there were available. I even learned that I like goat cheese too!

We spent the rest of the evening relaxing. The kids were able to ride their bikes and we took in the beautiful music and campfire put on for all the campers. A nice relaxing day, it's exactly what we needed.

We left the campground prior to checkout as we were hoping to stop at Fairplay to do some fishing. However, in search of a rest area for lunch we ended up heading toward Breckenridge. The detour turned out to be a blessing in disguise, as we were able to stop for lunch at Hoosier Pass and even enjoyed a hike with all the "kids."

Ella and Eric were excited to see snow on the hike up.

God sure knew what he was doing when he created this beautiful view!

What a blessings to be able to enjoy such a sight and share it with the kids!

Memory Lane

It's always fun when you can take your children to places that are full of fond memories, hoping they too will remember these trips years later. Well, our camping trip brought us full circle to Breckenridge, Colorado. Where Ken and I visited many times as a young dating couple and where we were married almost 9 years ago. It was a surreal experience to walk down these same streets, with many of the same shops just put me  back in time. However, this time it wasn't just Ken and I. I'm not sure the kids understand the meaning of it all yet, but I hope someday they will look to this small town and think that this is where it all began almost 9 years ago.

We ventured into Breckenridge and couldn't help but get a picture of the kids in front of "The Village."

 This is where Ken and I used to stay on our many weekend getaways as a young couple (thanks to his parents, who had the cutest and comfiest little condos).

We stayed at Heaton Bay National Park, right by Lake Dillon. The Lake was extremely low in anticipation of all the snow melt coming in from the mountains. However, we still wanted to take the kids fishing. It was so much fun to have Eric join us this year, as last year he was just too little to really take part. He kept watching that bobber and so wanted to catch a fish. 

Ella was extremely good about handing out worms for everyone.

 Ella didn't want to leave until she caught a fish.

However, as it was getting dark we had to resign ourselves that the fish weren't biting tonight.  Ella said she was sad we didn't catch any fish and Daddy simply replied, "If everyone caught fish every time, it would be called catching and not fishing." We were all determined to try again the next day.

The weather held out beautifully on our first night out and we took a short walk around our loop, while the kids rode their bikes. Eric kepts doing laps all afternoon and evening on his little Hotwalk. He wouldn't even stop to eat dinner, just riding all night long and around our fire pit. Too cute!

We couldn't have a fire without marshmallows, so we took some time cooking (really burning) marshmallows.

 Ella says the best part is the crispy part!

We were amazed the kids actually slept in Sunday morning, but were definitely ready to get going!  We headed up to Sapphire Point, to see where Mommy and Daddy were married.  Little did we know how much it had changed.  The horrid Pine Beetle had really consumed much of the forest around Sapphire Point and it really did not look as beautiful as it once had.

However, we also didn't realize what a treat we were in for.  We had planned to have a snack at the Point, but instead we found ourselves feeding the chipmunks!  The kids had a glorious time watching and feeding the chipmunks.

The chipmunks would eat right out of our hands!

It's funny that Lake Dillon even looked just as naked as it did years ago, for our wedding.  However, due to much different circumstances.  We were in a drought almost 9 years ago, when we stood on Sapphire Point and said our vows.  This weekend, the city is worried about flooding from all the extra snow and so they drained much of Lake Dillon to prepare for the incoming snow melt.  What  a difference!

We had so much fun at the gold mine tour in Cripple Creek, that we decided to take the kids Gold Panning at the Country Boy Mine.  Some of you may remember, the "Country Boy Mine" was where Ken and I had our rehearsal dinner for our wedding.  The kids loved petting the donkey's!  We had to reassure Ella that they weren't using these donkey's to pull carts any longer.

Ella was finally able to find some gold (fool's gold).

We all turned up empty handed gold panning, but we sure had fun trying!

We took our time leaving the next morning, as we were in no hurry to make it home.  We decided to take the kids to the Mountaintop Children's Museum in Breckenridge. The museum was small, but had lots of interactive activities for the kids.

Ella was finally able to catch her fish.

and loved the art center.

The kids loved riding in the helicopter

and Eric was very interested in the doctors kit.

The kids didn't want to leave, but we promised them we would be back again.  We had so much fun riding down memory lane with the kids.  We can't wait to come back!