Fall Fun!

We awoke about a week ago to find our grass covered in leaves and our trees just bare as a bone. It seems to happen overnight! Fall has definitely arrived and it's one of our favorite times of year. Watching the leaves change colors, the leaves fall and the welcomed cooler weather all signal changes not only in the season.

The kids have changed so much in the last year. They are both so much more independent and free spririted. They each have very distinct and unique personalities. I think even in pictures you can see their personalities come to life.

Aunt Teresa took some great pictures of the kids, for our Mom to take back to Taiwan. Can you guess who's the life of the party? How about who is the introspective one? Which is the quiet leader? These three cousins couldn't be more different, but when they come together they all love each other and enjoy each others company.

After the official photo shoot, the kids had so much fun playing in the leaves!

They even helped rake them up, when they were done. 

 They each made their own leaf house and jumped right in!  Ella decided to take a little nap in her, "house."

We headed to the Pumpkin Patch this weekend and the kids had more fall fun picking pumpkins.  The highlight for Eric was the tractor hay ride.  He would describe it as, "bumpy."  We managed to grab the last tractor ride of the day and made it just in time.

While we were waiting for the tractor ride,  Eric picked the cutest little baby pumpkin.

Ella found this GIANT pumpkin and wanted to take it home, but I'm pretty sure we couldn't haul this one home!  So, we opted for a picture instead.

Eric saw this little miniature pony at the petting zoo and wanted to, "take him."  I have to admit, he was pretty cute!

Ella had fun leading Eric through the hay bale and snake maze. 

The kids had a great time and it was definitely the highlight of their day!  It was so much fun and we can't wait to carve pumpkins later this week.

Gotta Be a "Deere"

I am always surprised by how time speeds up after having children.  The kids birthday's seem to be coming faster and the years are just flying by.  My little baby boy is no longer a baby!

Eric had his 3rd birthday and he was very adamant about having a John Deere birthday party.  He absolutely loves watching and spying tractors as we're driving around town.  He is just mesmerized by them. 

I was a little nervous the party supplies wouldn't arrive in time, as the online company I ordered from seemed to have missed my order and I had to request expedited shipping with it arriving on Eric's birthday.  

Prayers were answered when our shipment arrived by noon on Saturday, just in time for his party that evening.  Ella was right on the ball and so excited to help set up for the party.  I almost think she was more excited than Eric at times.

We had a small family gathering and certainly enjoy the smaller gatherings, for events like these.  We  enjoy the quality time everyone gets to spend with each other, rather than putting on a big show for the kids.  We know it will only be a matter of time, before these small gatherings, become a BIG bash!

The kids had a blast with the John Deere Pinata!  Cousin Seth looked like a pro baseball hitter 

and looks like Eric was taking notes!

Ella had a pretty mean arm as well!

A birthday isn't quite complete without a cake of course and Eric requested carrot cake this year, but it had to be a Deere of course.

I am happy to report that he loved it!  It's always priceless to see your child's face just light up when you bring out the cake (especially, one that you made).  He was all a glow and so excited to see the tractor and animals on the cake. It's worth all those late night hours in the kitchen! 

Eric knew just what to do with the candle and blew it out all by himself this year!  What a BIG boy!  He couldn't help but drive the tractor around the cake, once the candle was blown out.  

He received quite the collection of large vehicles, that the kids had so much fun playing with.

Eric enjoys flying this Coast Guard Helicopter around the house, saving people!  

Ella and Seth were saving vehicles that were stranded, with Eric's new Bruder Crane!

The kids played for over an hour, before we noticed how late it was getting. The kids were completely wired at bedtime.  We finally got the kids to bed and when I asked Eric what he enjoyed most about his birthday; he said, "my cake!"

Happy Birthday, Eric! 

We can't wait to see what the new year brings!

You are such a gift and a blessing!

Egg-cellent!

Ella is absolutely loving her karate class.  She has already earned three stripes to her belt and that means she's half way to earning her Jr. Yellow Belt.  

At least once a week, she tells me how glad we chose this karate school and how much she enjoys the classes.  

Ella is not the only one cruising around on two wheels.  Eric has taken off on his balance bike and no longer needs his feet to keep him going.  

Gravity is his best friend now, as he cruises down the driveway with no feet!  This guy is definitely ready for a full fledged big boy bike!  You can find him jumping down the steps of our walkway, riding straight into ravines and dirt roads.  I just hope I can keep him off the half pipes for a few years!

We finally found a weekend we were home to put together a small garage sale, before the cold weather really set in.  The kids kept themselves entertained and enjoyed announcing when shoppers arrived.  "Mom, people are coming!" I think I need to work on their sales skills.  We managed to sell quite a bit and decided to use the money to buy Ella a pair of skis for the winter and Eric a play kitchen.

Ella and Eric's cafe is open for business on a daily basis now. 

Ella doesn't need to play kitchen much these days, as she is enjoying cooking right alongside me in the mornings.  Ella cooks some great scrambled eggs in the morning.  

Occasionally, she needs help reaching a bowl or cooking spray.  However, she does all the cooking and it's so fun to watch her feeling so at ease in the kitchen.

Speaking of eggs, we awoke to a wonderful surprise this morning!  Our hens are starting to lay their first eggs!  I found a small perfectly smooth brown egg, laying so nicely in the nesting box this am.  

Ella had scrambled eggs and said they were the best eggs ever!

In anticipation of eggs, we put the boxes in just a couple weeks ago.  Looks like we put them in, just in time!  Even better, we found a second brown egg this evening too!  Can't wait to see what color eggs we get next!

Fun with Friends!

We enjoyed a wonderfully cool Labor Day weekend in Colorado Springs, camping with our friends the Hightower's.  We had a great time showing them some of the attractions and visiting Santa's Workshop.

The kids especially loved the Candy Cane Coaster, braving the bumpy ride twice.

I think Ella could of ridden it all day!  It's always amazing to me that Ella can go round and round in circles all day without getting the least bit sick.  However, put her in a car for a few hours and she's car sick.  Go Figure!

Eric liked all the vehicles (planes, traines, boats, motorcycles).  We always love our visit to Santa's Workshop for all the rides even the youngest kids can enjoy by themselves.  

The little kids feel like big kids at Santa's Workshop!

We ventured back to the campground for some much needed downtime and followed up dinner with an Ice Cream Social at the clubhouse.  We really enjoyed our stay at the Mountaindale RV Park, even though it was a bit farther from town.

Ella had been wanting to make it to the top of Pikes Peak, since we moved back to Colorado.  Well, we finally decided to give it a go.  A long ride up, but the kids did awesome!  Ella even commented that it was a nice relaxing ride, she really enjoyed the views.  

I could definitely see Ella and Eric climbing Pikes Peak some day.  

We had to stop at Balance Rock in Garden of the Gods. 

Our kids are fearless!  They wanted to climb every rock, even ones that made my knees weak.  Luckily, Ken was there to assist.  Amazingly, no one was severely injured on this trip.  However, Eric met rock after he was running down a dirt/rock hill while heading to the car.  Scraped up his knee pretty good, but the boy is tough and kept on going.

The kids didn't get quite enough climbing in at Garden of the Gods, so they were climbing dirt piles all evening long at the campground.  They were caked in dirt!  Eric kept up with the big kids and seemed to have forgotten all about his early brush with the rocks.  I even caught him tossing his bike over a dirt hill!  Boys will be boys!

After a long day, we were happy to unwind with a campfire and smore's.

It was so nice camping with friends!  The kids even had their first trailer sleepover, as 6yr old Blake spent the night in our trailer so his Mom and Dad could enjoy an Anniversary night to themselves.  The kids had fun and chatted for quite awhile, but eventually drifted off to sleep.  They awoke early, but kept themselves busy playing in their bunk room.

We wrapped up our trip on Monday, with lunch at The Airplane Restaurant. The kids had so much fun getting to sit in a real cockpit!  

We sure are going to miss camping this winter.  However, Ella and Ken are already talking about skiing.  Eric will be starting ski school this year as well, so they can't wait!  We hope to have at least one more opportunity to break the trailer out before the cold weather really sets in, so stay tuned.

Kids in Motion!

We have been so busy with our camping trips, that I haven't had time to really write about what the kids have been up to this summer.

In an effort to stay cool this summer, we enrolled Ella in another Ice Skating class (level 3).  We had to miss a few classes, due to camping so we'll have to retry the level again.  However, she absolutely loves to skate and did very well.  

A perfect sunny Colorado day, seemed like a great time this summer to break out the bikes for the kids. No wind and an early morning bike ride was just what the kids needed to burn some energy. Ella had been wondering when she would be able to ride a two-wheeler, so we decided it was time for those training wheels to come off.  We arrived at the park and turf, not a soul in sight.  Perfect!  Ella hopped right on, I gave a good push and immediately she was off.  First just a few feet, but she never gave up and kept on trying! 

The end of our outing and she was already riding back and forth across the field.  Ella is quite determined when she puts her mind to something!  

I know she can be determined, but we have been wanting to find an activity to help build her confidence.  I spent many years in the martial arts as a child and thought this would be really good for Ella.  We visited four different karate schools, spoke with many more.  We finally decided on a local Kempo Karate school, where Cousin Seth attends.  This school offered the best class to help teach discipline, focus, and confidence with a fun spin.  It's great that Ella already has a short term goal to look forward to (White Belt, Yellow Stripe).  She really loves this class as it's a blend of traditional martial arts, focus and following direction drills, as well as self-control.  

Just tonight, Ella earned her first stripe.  She had to demonstrate her basic knowledge of blocks, stances, and classroom etiquette.  She was so excited and very proud of her accomplishment!!

Eric has really been interested in Karate as well and throws a pretty good front kick.  However, he has to be 4 to join.  In the mean time, Ella has been teaching Eric everything she learns.  

In my quest to find Ella a good Karate school, I realized how much I had missed the martial arts myself.  I found a wonderful Christian based traditional karate school, in the same style I learned years ago (over 20 years ago).  I started training just a week ago, meeting just twice a week in the evening. I am so glad to have found this school and an added bonus, I encouraged my father to join with me.  I hope Ella and Eric will be able to join us, when they are a bit older (they have to be 7).  

After Labor Day, the kids will be picking up even more classes.  Ella will also start a homeschool Dance and PE class, while Eric will be attending The Little Gym once a week.  The kids are definitely moving in all sorts of directions, keeping me moving as well!

This past weekend, Ella enjoyed a Daddy day at Elitches.  Actually, our friends the Hightower's invited Ella on their company outing to Elitches (they had two extra tickets).  Ken had been gone that week, so I thought it would be a good opportunity for them to spend some quality Daddy and daughter time.  They had a blast!  The kids couldn't get enough of the roller coasters!

Ella & Blake giving a Thumbs Up

The kids road the roller coast three times, each time they gave a thumbs up indicating they wanted to ride again!  Although, she would tell you her favorite ride was the Lazy River at the Water Park.  She definitely enjoyed her day with Daddy.

Eric and I invited Mimi and Pa out for the morning and we ventured over to Southland's Outdoor Mall, where he could play and run through the sprinklers.

He had so much fun, just full of energy and loved the freedom to run and play in the water to his little heart's content.  I even caught him dancing and singing, "You can't see me, I'm in the water fall!"  Too Cute!

We wrapped up the morning with a much needed haircut, which he loves as well.

What can I say, our boy loves the attention!

We had a great time and enjoyed spending some quality time with the kids that are always keeping us moving!

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.