Games and such

That is our life during fall and spring rec sports seasons.  For 8 weeks, we got to lots of practices and games and such.  It is great fun!

Along with soccer (Rachel), volleyball (Ella), and flag football (Caleb), we've been lucky to play/attend some other games as well...like this game called "Let's see who can lay still the longest!"  invented by Rachel at the playground.  I am a BIG fan!  They both lost though, once I pulled out the camera they decided they wanted to get up and run around some more. teehee. :)

We also had the chance to see a Colorado Avalanche (hockey) game last week!  Someone from Kip's work gave us fabulous 5th row tickets, it was great fun!  We took the older two kids, leaving the younger two to go to bed at a decent time, which they did not do.  Silly girls were still up happily waiting for us to come get them at 10:30.  Doh!  We all had a blast! 

 

Too bad the Avs lost, though.  Caleb is pretty convinced that we are bad luck for sports teams; every Rockies game we've gone to, they've lost.  Nuggets game?  They lost.  Kip went to a Broncos game.  Lost.  Avs game. Lost.  Maybe we should stop cheering for our hometown teams...

Finally, this last week Kip took two days off (YAY! what a long summer!) and we traveled south to visit the Great Sand Dunes National Park just for funsies.  Huge, naturally occurring sand dunes in the middle of the mountains?  Yes please!

Only... McKinley did not  get the memo to remain healthy away from home, so 3 hours into the 3.5 hour drive, she threw up all over herself and her car seat.  We pulled over and used most of the water we brought with us for camping to wash off her and the seat while she kept tossing her cookies into more bushes.  Kip fashioned her a "throw up bucket" out of the bottom of a gallon of water, which she dutifully held in her lap and used for the last bit of drive to the campground.  Nasty!  But effective.  Poor little thing!

Our delays put us into the campground later than expected, so we set up quickly and ate dinner in the dark before crashing into sleeping bags at 8:30.  Yay for dark!

The next morning we packed up and went to the dunes.  So cool!  They are an amazing natural wonder out there.   After we solved the immediate "sand in the eye" problem with McKinley, who stuck her face right in the sand, it was AWESOME! The sand is soft and cool (under the top layer), and the kids had so much fun rolling, running, sliding, jumping, and scooting up and down all over the place.

McKinley did not throw up any more on day 2, but was a little lethargic and passed out cold (asleep).  I had to carry her all the way back to the car.  (Kip hiked to the summit with Caleb and Ella).  Let me tell you, those sand dunes are beautiful at first, like you're at the beach, woohoo!  By about minute 4 your feet are burning and you feel like you are crossing the Sahara and you MIGHT DIE.  Maybe that was only me. :)  It was definitely hard hiking back to the car over hot shifting sand holding a limp 3 year old, but we all had a great time!

 

 The lump face down in the sand on the left is Kinley. :)  She was happy, really!  As was everyone.

 McKinley scooting along making a bum trail. :)

 Ella running along a ridge before going down a dune.

 The man , the legend. :)

There they are - panoramic! You can see Ella sliding down and Kinley at the bottom making her trail.

We've also done plenty of normal things too, like can beets and pick apples and complete school work and NOT get the AC fixed again.  We are getting some cooler days though so we are not having heat strokes upstairs.  The kids are already stoked for Halloween; Kip was released a the scout committee chair and called instead as a youth sunday schoool teacher; for work he is heading to Silverthone next to build a hotel, which means we might get to visit the mountains a lot over the winter, as he will have an apartment there.  Silver lining, right?! :)  We are grateful that he is employed in a profession that he enjoys.