Tuesday, November 14, 2023

From the prairie, to the mountains (and back again)

Last month, we traveled to Estes Park, CO to celebrate the marriage of my cousin and her new husband.  They had a beautiful private ceremony in RMNP, and we got to help them celebrate at a reception afterward.  We were able to stop in Denver on the way to (to visit a cousin from the other side of my family) and from (to visit a friend from college), which made the trip extra-worth-it.

The Airbnb we rented (something we had not really done before) housed us, my parents, my brother and sister-in-law and kids, my aunt and uncle and cousin, and my grandpa!  It was such a great location and came fully furnished - everyone had a bed and (mostly) their own room.  The kids got to have a big sleepover, and they did really well.  There were games and books and movies on location, a huge deck with a fire pit, and a hot tub, which the kids enjoyed in the mornings and adults took advantage of in the evening!  We took enough food to feed an army for a week, but also ordered some local pizza for one meal.  The space felt luxurious and truly could not have been better.

While there was fresh snow in the highlands, the weather where we were was perfect - we really lucked out!  During our short time there, we were able to get in a visit to RMNP, go on a couple hikes, and do a bit of shopping in downtown Estes.  I have such fond memories of several different family vacations to Estes, and it was fun to relive those a bit with my parents and brother and share it all with our kids, as well!  Bryant and I had also traveled there for our first anniversary (his first time), so it was doubly special to revisit some places we had visited on that trip with our kids on this trip.  I'll start the photo montage with some then-and-now shots. ;)


As mentioned in a recent IG/FB post, we saw a herd of elk (50+) in our backyard the first morning we were there.  We'd heard them bugling in the distance, and about a half hour after Lydia asked if they would "come out from hiding," they did.  It was truly amazing and definitely provided some early-morning entertainment for those still on CST.  ;)
One of my very favorite hikes. ♥
Uncle Quinton relived his childhood by making all the kids' off-the-trail dreams come true.
If you build it (a mountain stream through a downtown district) they (kids throwing golden aspen leaves in the water) will come.
Jacob found a Junie B. Jones book on one of the bookshelves and polished it off in about an hour.
The kids had spent part of the afternoon prior to the reception practicing (and planning) their dance moves.  It was precious to watch them all together - they literally danced the night away.


Speaking of precious...this is my 89-year-old grandpa with all of his great-grandchildren.  It was wonderful to have him there and even more wonderful to get to witness this:



This trip felt different than past vacations with kids, and in a good way.  It was refreshing to travel without a lot of the baby gear we had in the past and with so many hands on deck to help with kiddos (food, entertainment, etc.).  We were blessed with good health, great travelers, and (mostly) willing hikers.

Looking forward to future trips,
Kensy  

Favorites of the day:
fall party with our sweet homeschool group

having that same group (20+ kids and 8+ adults) over to play in the leaves
(This is the before and after, but hardly does it justice - it was magical (the perfect weather didn't hurt).  A "during" picture would have shown the gigantic pile of leaves they made at the bottom of the slide, the line of kids waiting to climb the ladder to slide into it, and everyone working together to help fill the ten bags you can see in the bottom picture.)

Jacob initiating cleaning his room
(This is probably something I could write a whole other post about.  It was something I had wanted to work on together for a long time, but did not really want to force it...and was waiting till we had some solid time during a holiday break, or something.  After taking the diaper changing station off his dresser for the first time in his life, however (hooray for Lydia's potty-training really taking off), he asked if we could make some other changes.  Initially, I said we would need to wait till we had a full day, but I realized I would be silly not to capitalize on his willingness and enthusiasm, so we skipped school in favor of doing this (literally) all day.  He did not complain once and is still telling people about and wanting to show off his clean room - a huge win, all around.)
This is the "before" - the seeming-pile of cardboard is a "camper" he's been working on (and collecting pieces for) for a while.
This is "during" - we cleared out everything but the Lego table, including what was in the drawers under his bed, and he chose what to keep, throw away, and give away.  While the predominant decision was "keep" (that pile landed on our bed), he made some good decisions about things to throw away, and we put logical systems in place for when he put everything back.
"After!"
The cardboard camper is still there, but before we moved it back in, he had a taste of how much more floor space he could have, so we'll see how long it lasts.  The new orientation of Lego City (not only creating access to more of it, but also creating a "cozy corner" with easy access to all his Lego books) blew his mind most.  This reorganization has also led to him playing with toys he had likely forgotten about, because they are no longer shoved at the back of a drawer.


Wednesday, September 13, 2023

6 and 3

As we wrapped up Lydia's birthday celebrations last week, I realized I had never shared about Jacob's. Woops! Historically, I have shared about the kids' birthdays here, because one of the purposes of this blog is to curate some core family memories. So, this post is a two-for-one as I share about how we celebrated both our six-year-old and our three-year-old.

Jacob started planning his birthday party in January. (This may be a slight exaggeration, but we were certainly in party-planning mode for a long time.)  While it still has not occurred to him that he could invite friends (as in peer-friends) to his parties (his short guest list included family and a couple friends who are family), the plans he had for this party were definitely with kid-centric.

For a long time now, Jacob has planned to be a police officer when he grows up.  He will talk at length about the other plans surrounding this, if asked, and one of these plans is to have a motorcycle as one of his work vehicle options.  So, the "police motorcycle" theme was not at all a surprise.  The birthday boy was involved in most of the plans, but I was still able to pull off a few surprises.

The shirt was one of few surprises.
He was thrilled I used glow-in-the dark vinyl!

donuts instead of cake, by choice
The chocolate motorcycles in the favor bags were another surprise.
first activity as guests arrived
Red Light, Green Light
"Chief" Says
(As the official Chief of Police, Jacob had planned to be the only one in charge the whole day, but we talked him into letting everyone take turns.  Lydia, obviously, also loves to be the one in command... ☺)
writing traffic tickets
taking a tour of the jail and trying "green bean gruel" for real
(We read a book once upon a time in which the criminals in jail were served only green bean gruel, and ever since, this is what we have talked about prisoners eating when we play pretend jail.)
trying out the hard bed (another component of jail in our pretend play)
This kids sure thrives as the center of attention - haha.
strawberry was that day's donut flavor of choice

One of his gifts was a police siren to put on his bike.
The best part, in his own words: "It's removable, so I can move it to any bike!"
He tested it out right away and claims to have slowed down at least one speeding vehicle.
One reason he was ok to have donuts as cake for his party was that he would also get to have his requested "salted caramel with vanilla and chocolate" cupcakes on his actual birthday.


In stark contrast to her brother, Lydia had one request for her birthday party theme: pink.  I think this was a product of the pink funfetti cake mix she got to pick out for her birthday last year, because she more often names "purple" as her favorite color.  Anyway, she copied Jacob's guest list and asked after the party, "When is my motorcycle birthday?" so I think it is safe to say she does not quite have the concept down, yet.  Regardless, she was thrilled with her simple, sweet pink party.

the highlight of birthday preparations
This was her requested birthday breakfast...before she was reminded we could go get donuts, if she wanted. ;)
They do not always have sprinkle or pink donuts, so we tried to minimize her expectations going in, but we were all so delighted her donut dreams came true.
When the garden is still providing on-theme decor, you take advantage. ;)
favor bags
The bendy tube toys have been a favorite for road trips, esp.
Peep Jacob's decoration contribution on the far right.  ☺♥
She requested "animals and flowers" to color. 
Of course, I found a baby deer for her.  ☺
Thankfully, the kiddie pool we got at the beginning of this season was pink, so it fit in well to house all the bubble gear on theme. ;)
Bubbles were followed by a round of follow-the-leader (mostly to allow the bubble solution everyone soaked up to dry a bit before coming inside...).
Girl loves to have her nails painted.
I just can't even with her sweet smile. ♥
The tutu was one of her birthday gifts (that I knew was coming, so let her open first thing, before the festivities commenced).
When I asked what she wanted to eat at the party, her only request was "broccoli" - she loves it ("warm" i.e. cooked) so much.  So, we had it then, and she got it a second time that day when we went out for a birthday supper.
After a run-in with her bday candle last year, she was unsure about the "fire" on her party cupcakes, but with the help of Daddy, pushed through (with no tears!). 
I'm happy to report she confidently blew this one out all by herself!

I admittedly do more than is necessary for these parties, but it is just so fun and enjoyable for me to create a space and experience that celebrates these sweet kiddos with the things they love, with the people they love.  (I also admittedly need to work on the "enjoyable" part being a little more outwardly evident in the throes of preparations...haha.)  We are glad to celebrate them and so thankful to be their parents!

Celebratorily,
Kensy



Favorites of the day:
the early birthday gift of a "Kensy day" - thanks Mom and Dad ♥
fall (Cliché, I know, but as much as we loved summer, I'm ready for the new season/weather).
stamping weekend (This was a couple weeks ago, but I'm still just so grateful for it!)