pumpkin hunt

Here are some pictures from our trip to Buena Vista for pumpkins. We went there on a whim and I’m glad we did. By the time we left, Adrienne was already wondering if we could move there. We certainly make tradeoffs living up here high in the mountains, and I think the thing Adrienne misses most is gardening; the growing season literally lasts for just a couple of weeks. Although Buena Vista is still in the mountains (around 8,000 feet), it enjoys a much more temperate climate than we have here. Adrienne was pretty much drooling when she saw the variety of plants they were growing there.

As for the pumpkin picking and other festivities, we all enjoyed a great day.

Enjoying a burger while taking a rest in the maze…

Jackpot!!!…

Talk about a genuine-article cowboy…

Junie loved, loved, loved the maze. Here she is running away from me…

Jolee taking her second ride of the day with a wrangler barely her elder…

The farm, the food, the pumpkins, and the trio playing bluegrass…the whole scene felt so much like we were back in North Carolina. What a delightful day…

open for business

The ski season has officially begun here in Breckenridge. With six inches of fresh snow overnight and my girls staying the night with Lauren and Foster in Vail, I decided to head on up the mountain. I had never been to an opening day, so I wasn’t sure what to expect. With a limited amount of terrain open, I thought the crowds might be moderate. I was wrong.

I arrived shortly after 9 a.m. (the first chair lift started at 9) to nearly full parking lots on both sides of the gondola.

The view looking back down to the base of the gondola…

Some of the pretty terrain on the way up the mountain…

Notwithstanding the crowds and the limited open terrain (they were, however, getting ready to open some hike-to terrain later in the day), the conditions were great. I actually ended up skiing in powder deeper than anything I came across during the entirety of last season (note to self: learning how to properly ski in deep powder would be useful). It might be a little while until we get June on the slopes; right now, only Peak 8 is open, and the best terrain for her is undoubtedly on Peak 9.

just off the Colorado chair, looking down the hill before my first run…

The lift lines were a bit long, so I took only two runs before calling it a day. Nevertheless, it was a fun start to what I expect to be a great season.

we're on a train

Once again, we have a huge backlog of photos. Instead of hitting you over the head with ten posts at once, I’m going to try to space them out a day at a time.

Here are some shots from our September trip to the Georgetown Loop Railroad…

Junie had fun playing peek-a-boo with the conductor…

I must confess. I’m the ding-dong that chose the seats right behind the engine. The horn was deafening…

Jolee wasn’t fond of the horn either. She still talks about it. “Train, toot, loud”…

boo!

Jolee the snow storm is fueling up for trick-or-treating with what else—candy…

Adrienne is the master of the precipitation-themed costume. Here is rain cloud June at age 1 in 2007…

a bunny picking berries off the bushes. Junie insisted on her same costume from last year. Still cute as can be…

Just like we did for Junie in 2008, we managed to capture Jolee’s very first trick-or-treat transaction. ever…

Adrienne the bratwurst maker. Brilliant…

young noodler

Remember the Let's Go Fishin' game from when you were younger? Adrienne and I both loved it as kids. June got it for her birthday and it's been a big hit for her and Jolee. Jolee, however, doesn't care for fishing rods; I think we have a noodler on our hands...

just jolee

Adrienne and June have been in Florida for the past four days visiting their 98-year-old grandmother/great-grandmother. Tonight they return from their trip. Even though I know handling one kid is easier than two, before Adrienne left for Florida I wasn't too enthusiastic about the prospect of being on round-the-clock solo parenting duty for four days.

Instead of being a hassle, it has turned out to be such a treat to have Jolee all to myself. I didn't realize it until Adrienne and June were gone, but it's the first time I've been able to spend such an extended period of time with just Jolee. Jolee occasionally gets a few hours of undivided attention on Junie's school days, but she never gets to be our sole focus from morning 'til night. And I've had the most fun with her just before bedtime. Like most kids, as they get tired and it gets towards bedtime, June and Jolee frequently get really wired and silly. It's certainly fun with both of them, but it's been nice the past few nights to give Jolee all my attention. She is one sweet baby.

Today we met Mike, Jenny, and their sons, Owen and Emmett, at the 4-H fundraiser at the stables just down street from our house (the stables are about a two-minute bike ride from our house, so we visit the horses there frequently). For the most part, we just talked and meandered around the event, but before we left we took a carriage ride. I'm really sorry June wasn't here because we see the carriage and its horses, Spike and Maynard, almost everyday around town. Why haven't we taken a carriage ride before? This is Breckenridge and a 20-minute ride is usually $50. Our five-minute ride today cost us only $2—a much more reasonable fee. Jolee loved it, although she let it be known that she wasn't pleased to get off the carriage at the end of the ride.

Jenny and a sleeping Owen…

Mike, Emmett, Jolee, and me…

enjoying the ride…

relaxing at the end of the ride. moments later she was screaming as I pried her off the carriage…

Jolee is now off to bed so our weekend is at an end, but it's one I won't soon forget.

the scrumptious and white grass

Here's the toy that received the "it's the scrumptious" billing from June. It’s a bucket (500 pieces worth!) of snap-together beads. Adrienne had her eye on it at the store for several weeks, if not months, and thought it would be right up June’s alley. She was right.

In a rare moment with June away from her bucket-o-beads, Jolee pounced…

Last night after she went to bed I went back into her room to give June an extra kiss. I found her standing up on her bed sorting through her bin of beads by the dim light of her nightlight that sits on her windowsill. June has always had an ability to stay focused and entertain herself for long stretches of time, but today is extreme as she has already spent no less than four hours creating necklaces, bracelets, and a lovely assortment of collars for a few of her stuffed animals…

And for those interested in wintery precipitation, we received our first dusting of the season at our house this afternoon…

quotes and snow

This morning June jumped into our bed and exclaimed, “I love my new toy! It’s the scrumptious!”

The scrumptious… I like that.

And a day or two before her birthday arrived, Junie asked, “When is the Four Fairy going to come to our house?” She then explained that “the Four Fairy is just like the Tooth Fairy, except that it brings you your fourth birthday.” Brilliant. She’s undoubtedly in the 99th percentile for her theories on aging.

Grandma and Grandpa sent June a great new set of ski clothing for the upcoming season. The way things looked this morning, she might get to use her new gear pretty soon…

our 4-year-old pickle

Today we celebrated. Four years ago today we welcomed Junie into the world. I think she left the ranks of toddlerhood awhile ago, but now it’s official. Hard to believe.

only 4, but she doesn’t seem so little anymore…

Junie getting ready for liftoff…

miraculously no balloons sailed off into the sky…

Jolee’s a balloon enthusiast too…

lighting the candles on Adrienne’s masterful chocolate cupcakes with coconut frosting, per Junie’s request, of course…

the birthday girl…