Dean Boys part 2

While the Dean boys were visiting, Grandma Willy and Grandpa Mark also came to visit. We all drove up to Rocky Mountain National Park for a walk around Sprague Lake and a picnic. For a few days before we went Christopher had been telling Connor about how the hills in Ohio were much bigger than our hills but he took that back at some point when we were driving in the mountains :)

Connor, Christopher, Jonathan, Logan


Eating a snack and watching the ducks who quickly swam over to look for crumbs


Christopher and Connor on the trail


The whole group minus me (taking the picture) and Grandma Willy


Connor and Jonathan holding hands


Connor took this picture of Christopher and it makes me smile!



Waiting for us slow pokes

After a picnic lunch we split up with Jeremy, Logan, Willy and Mark heading back to Longmont and the rest of us (me, Ben, Christopher, Connor and Jonathan) continuing up with the goal of reaching the top of Trail Ridge Road.
An elk we saw along the way


Posing at one of the overlooks


We made it above tree line!


We stopped at a bathroom before the top and decided that was good enough to call "the top" given that we were all gasping for breath after each little walk at the overlooks :) It didn't take long for everyone but me to fall asleep on the way back! (I may have taken a picture of Ben sleeping too but I'll save that for later blackmail! haha)

Tomorrow: pictures from the Rockies game!

Dean Boys!

Jeremy's brother Ben and their boys Christopher and Jonathan visited us in June. Sadly Naomi had to go back to work before continuing on to the Colorado part of their vacation but we were glad to have at least the boys! With the two adult boys and the four little ones in this house, though, Bailey and I had to stick together :)
Bailey

It was a VERY busy week with the three oldest boys going to VBS for five nights and Christopher and Connor going to Lego camp five mornings! It seemed like we were constantly on the go but with that many boys under 6 it probably would have felt that way no matter what our plans were :) Here are some pictures from the slower times...
Riding in Connor's jeep


Running in the sprinklers and playing in the backyard (Connor and Christopher)

Logan and Connor in a slide at a local park (the park has a water feature which is why their shirts are off!)


Connor at the top of the rope climbing structure at the same park


Just before eating dinner one night


We also went to Rocky Mountain National Park and a Rockies game but I'll drag this whole story out and make you wait for the pictures :)

Peaceful Valley

On June 7th we went for a hike near Papa and Grandma's house. We weren't sure how far we would make it with the unpredictable weather but we pushed through the graupel* and had a great time! Connor probably hiked about twice as far as the rest of us ("stay on the trail" is such a boring concept!) and Logan only hiked about 5 minutes and rode the rest of the way on Daddy's shoulders.
Taking a break on a big fallen tree


This is one of my favorite pictures so far this summer which is kind of funny since they're wearing jackets and it was about to graupel. :)

* Defined by the handy 9News.com Weather Glossary as "Graupel: Small pellets of ice created when supercooled water droplets coat, or rime, a snowflake. The pellets are cloudy or white, not clear like sleet, and often are mistaken for hail." Yes, it was June 7th :)

Pella Crossing

We've been trying to have a picnic and go on a hike of some sort every weekend since Memorial Day. Well, that worked up until about two weeks ago. More on that later (ooh the suspense).

Anyway, here are some pictures from our walk around the Pella Crossing ponds near Hygiene. This is where Connor and Logan first discovered the joys of rock plooking. Plooking, you ask? Well, plook is the sound that tiny little rocks make when they're thrown in the water when attempting to learn how to skip rocks :)

Did I say tomorrow?

Yeah, I said I'd post the answer to the question below "tomorrow". Well, in my world, tomorrow is a new word for a period of time equal to about three of your old fashioned weeks. :)

Beth was correct with her first guess - Logan and Lachlan are boys; Jaana, Reece, and Elliott are girls. Crazy, huh? Reece isn't too surprising (think Reese Witherspoon, of course) but the spelling with a c is a decidedly male spelling, ranking 415th most popular baby boy name in 2008. In case you care, and cause I took the time to look it up so I must share it, Reese with an s was the 154th most popular baby girl name in 2008 (per the Social Security Administration's baby name site). Elliott on the other hand...I can't explain that one.

I have lots of pictures to post and just no time to do it! Here are a few to whet your appetite and hopefully I'll post more....tomorrow. :) Right.

These were taken on Memorial Day on our hike up Bald Mountain. Surprisingly, it was not named after Jeremy after all. LOL