Adventureland

Despite the cloudy skies and forecasted thunderstorms on Sunday we made use of the Adventureland tickets that I got at work and had a fun-filled day. The kids loved all of the rides, the circus and the magic show. 

 

Colorado Springs

Jason and I were lucky enough to vacation in Colorado Springs last week. It was an amazing, fun-filled three days of hiking, biking and enjoying the gorgeous scenery. 

The first day we headed to Garden of the Gods and hiked around the trails that circled these giant red rocks. The paths were easy and it was a nice and relaxing way to start the trip.  

And then...for some reason we decided to tackle "The Incline", which is thousands of railroad ties that lead to the top. It was definitely one of the most challenging physical things I have ever done!

 But the view from the top was incredible and we were both glad we defeated the beast!

On the second day we met up with a tour group who took us to the top of Pikes Peak to bike down the mountain on the highway.  

 The top was freezing (10* without windchill), but once again the view was phenomenal. 

 The beginning of the ride was numbingly cold, but with each stop it got warmer. We reached speeds of 30 miles per hour on the bikes which was quite exhilarating, and we were thankful to have the guides' vans in front and behind our group.  

That afternoon we watched some World Cup Soccer, and then headed to another hike leading to a  waterfall and more scenic views. 

On our final day, we drove 45 minutes or so out of town for one last hike to Pancakes Rock. 

We are so thankful to both sets of grandparents for entertaining the kids while we were awat. We had a wonderful time and couldn't have asked for a better trip!

Lemonade Stand

After {literal} months of planning, yesterday we finally had a lemonade & homemade bookmark stand with our friends!

 We spent the morning making brightly colored signs to advertise for business...

 And then headed down the street where we decided there would be more traffic and customers! 

Apparently, advertisement was SO good that we got customers before we were even opened! Thanks to Grandma C & Aunt Alisha for helping us get the kinks out before the mobs came!

 

Once the stand was opened, some worked hard...

...and some drank most of the profits. 

 Ok, most drank most of the profits. 

The kids had a blast and we were lucky that so many neighbors stopped on their way home from work.  Kate had the idea to take our next one downtown...not sure if mama is ready for that type of expansion. ;) 

Relay Iowa

Last weekend Jason participated in Relay Iowa with seven other runners. As a team they covered 339 miles, running from Sioux City to Dubuque, in 45 straight hours!

Jason at the start line in Sioux City.

 Finish line in Dubuque with his team (can you believe how good they all look!?)

The race had an app that allowed us to follow the team to locate with where they were in real-time. There were several times during the middle of the night that I checked in on them (and then snuggled back into my warm, dry bed with a feeling of gratitude that I wasn't out running on a dark highway!)

 After being gone for three days, Kate & Andrew were very excited to greet daddy when he got home, complete with a congratulations banner! 

 We are so proud of our crazy, awesome daddy!

Lately

A few random photos off my phone...

More kayaking, this time with little paddles for the kids which they LOVE!

 This is how Andrew comes down the stairs every.morning. He has to bring ALL of his favorite things and always has to care Micky in his mouth because he's out of hands. Such a sweet face to see each morning. 

 A few weekends ago, Kate and I went to Davenport for a family get together. When she found out we were going to be so close to Illinois she said we HAD to go. So we crossed the Mississippi and checked that off her bucket list. 

 That same day, Andrew and Daddy had a boys' day which included lots of fun things like hiking over fallen logs. 

 In other news, Kate climbs doorways now. 

 Monthly kids project at Home Depot which we all love. 

 A random note that I found one day.

 And lots of climbing!