Fall

It seems that our weekend was overtaken by fall. 

We saw some aspens turning, went on a hike and went to a pumpkin patch. 

 At the pumpkin patch Leland rode a pony, rode in an airplane ride all by himself (it went around in a circle and then lifted up off the ground a bit), picked a pumpkin out, ate funnel cake and kettle corn. 

Leland enjoyed all of it, he was actually wonderful this weekend.  I think we might be turning a corner on toddlerhood and this momma is extra thankful for that. 

weekend

 This week has been a bit busy.  So I am just getting around to this weekend post. 

 Grandma Patty was in town and Leland didn't want to cooperate and take a photo with her. 

This is the life of a toddler. 

Good things from the weekend:
Going out to dinner with friends sans baby.  Leland enjoyed his time with Grandma Patty, and now expect to watch a video every time the computer is on. 
There was some good food involved throughout the weekend as well.

Only one more day until the weekend starts again (they start on Thursday for me.)

When did he get so old?

This past weekend my mom (Grandma Patty) was in town to help since Jeff was getting some oral surgery done.

And it was really nice having her here to help because L took a couple of naps on her which meant mommy had free time! That also means I wasted lots of time on the internet, what else would it mean?

And Grandma Patty was sure glad L wasn't afraid of her yet, babies tend to not like her. But once the kid can walk and talk they like her again.

And with Grandma Patty came some stuff...another lazy boy chair (which the cats have claimed for their own), a fake light up pumpkin (that Jeff and I have both agreed is going bye-bye, I mean did she not see my post about how there is too much stuff in this house already!?), and a massive stuffed Winnie-the-Pooh (which baby LOVES).

Stick that Pooh Bear in his face and sing the Winnie-the-Pooh theme song and he will start laughing.

( See the cats have claimed it. Usually Heath is on top in this style and MJ is in the seat.)

And this last photo. I was trying to slice up apples and put them in the crockpot to make applesauce and L was wanting attention. So I stuck him in his booster seat (and OMG he can almost sit up by himself, he has moments where he will be sitting up and then proceed to arch his back and fall over or do a face plant, but he is soooo close) and gave him some toys. And then I took a picture and realized how old he looks. My baby is growing up!

... and he really needs to stop.

Grandparents

My parents were in town for the weekend. I feel like we didn't do much, but I am still exhausted from it. Visitors wear me out. On Saturday we did go to Estes Park for the day and met up with my cousin for lunch. I didn't take any pictures there except for this hummingbird.

We also took a family photo tonight.

And of course a picture with Grandma Patty and Papa.

I feel like summer is escaping me and soon enough I will be having to do school stuff again. Summers always happen too quickly and I never get to do everything I had hoped for. I was just telling Jeff today how awesome it was in high school during the summer. I barely worked and I just hung out with friends most of the time. The same was true for college for the most part, I just was working more hours. Sometimes it is nice to remember those days and mainly nights. I really need to get a porch swing or hammock. Sitting outside at night or when the sun in setting is sooo nice and relaxing. Having a baby changes that but when it happens (which is very infrequent) it is so nice. And camping, I really need to go camping. Too many things and too little time.

Life

Sorry for the lack of posting lately, life has gotten a bit busy.  Since being back from Breckenridge I have felt a little overwhelemed.  I was covering for my boss that was gone for a week and a half right when I returned to work.  It wasn't that the job itself is hard but we have been short staffed with many people on vacations and I have a certain co-worker that makes every job difficult.  But he is back now so I don't have to really deal with her anymore, thank goodness. 

Mt. Evans

My parents visited us this past weekend.  One day while they were here we went to Eldorado Canyon State Park and walked around.  The next day we decided to drive up Mt. Evans, which happens to be the highest highway in US.  It was awesome.  If you ever have the chance to drive up Mt. Evans you should.  At the top you can walk up a little ways to the actual peak.  One the way up there were many mountain goats.

Gardening and Father's Day

So last week over Father's Day weekend my dad and brother came out for a visit.  With them they brought an old patio set from the Stilleys.

It use to have cushions but the mold kind of took over and they had to be thrown out.  There was also some nasty mold all over the chairs but we went to a car wash and now they look much better. 

That weekend we also deep fried an 18lb heritage turkey and has some people over, but of course no photos were taken.  And as you can see in the photo above my dad went on a rampage around the yard and cleaned up the limbs.  They also took random metal parts in the yard out and took off the gaudy antenna on top of the house.  So it looks so much better now.

They also bought wood and set an area for the garden.

Visitors and a Trip

This past weekend we had some visitors, the in-laws to be exact.  Friday night they arrived and we welcomed them by making some real fried chicken and it was delicious.  Saturday they enjoyed the Denver Art Museum and that night we went to dinner at Solera, in celebration of my graduate school admission and Jeff's birthday.  Solera was wonderful as usual, I had the truffle macaroni and cheese with scallops, and oh my goodness it was amazing. 

Sunday we went to Estes Park, walked around their art fair.  Bought a photograph to add to our art collection.  Then went driving through the Rocky Mountain National Park.  There was an insane amount of elk!  You can see how close they were in the photo below.   

We then went on a hike.

The hike ended up at a massive waterfall.  That night we stayed in Estes and ate at Mama Rosa's, some very good Italian.  Then relaxed in the hotel room.

Monday we woke up early and went on another hike, this time not in the park but right next to it.  It was Lily Mountain and at the top there were some very impressive views, and awesome 360 view of the entire area.

Then we took the scenic route back to Denver.  That night we had some amazing asparagus pesto and relaxed some more.

Overall a good weekend, but a tiny bit sore now.  If you wish to see all the photos, you can visit our Shutterfly site.

Family

We have had some guest this week which is why there has not been any updates recently.  Haven't really been cooking but that will go back to normal tomorrow.  My birthday was this Monday and my family is in town for that and to just visit.  It has been nice.  The best day has been going to Cheyenne Mountain Zoo in Colorado Springs, this is one of the best zoos.  Seriously, you can feed giraffes!  Weather has been beautiful lately, so enjoy the pictures.

Parents Weekend

This past weekend my parents came out for a visit. We didn't do a whole lot but it was still nice.

Saturday we got up to meet them for breakfast (they stayed Friday night in Colorado Springs).  Then headed back to the apartment to drop Jeff off, since he had to go to work.
My parents and I the proceeded to go to a wine tasting at a winery close to us.  It is the Balistreri Vineyards.  Most of their wines are made from Colorado grapes with some from California.  They were pretty decent wines but the best part was the owners, they were very nice and informative about everything.  They also have their wines available at Il Posto, our favorite restaurant. 
After that we drove to Lookout Mountain but it was very windy and cold so we didn't stay long.

To the West

To the East

We had lunch in Morrison and then stopped by the VC to see Jeffy.
That night we had sushi and Blue Fin a place very close by and has really good sushi.

Sunday we woke up at a decent time to go to Rocky Mountain National Park.  We stopped in Boulder for breakfast at The Buffs Restaurant, it was really good. We then drove around the park.  It was also very cold and windy there. 

Then we came back and had lunch at the Berkshire while watching football.

Came home and made some side dishes for dinner with the Howarths.

Monday Jeff and the parents went to Snooze for breakfast while I was at work.  And then they went back to Kansas City.

It was good having them for a few days.  My mom will be back in April for Taylor Swift!

Megan

Life goes on

Jeff and I have now been in Denver for about 2.5 months. Life is great here! We love seeing the mountains everyday. We love being able to go on hikes on Sundays and only driving 30 minutes to get to the trail head. Both of our jobs are going okay, they are jobs and are good for now. We can pay our bills plus have extra for some fun.
We are currently working on our outdoor collection. We recently bought hiking boots, and a tent. We hope to soon add some sleeping bags and backpacks to that collection.
I have been getting into yoga, there is a studio very close to our apartment which is very nice.
We have had some visitors since moving out here and those visits have been very nice. My parents came out for a weekend, same with Christine and Ryan, also my cousin was in Denver for a day. Jeff's parents will be making a trip soon too. We love having visitors, so anyone reading this, don't be shy!
I am really looking forward to going to Wakarusa this summer, it will probably be my only real vacation, but it will worth it.
I think that is all for now, I will try to update this more often and start updating our picture site too.

Megan