Hey Boo Boo

There's nothing better than enjoying the beautiful Colorado summers roughing it at a campground except "roughing" it at a campground with showers, a pool, playground, and entertainment!  I know it's not "real" camping, but we couldn't resist taking the kids to Jellystone Park with 3 other families and their kiddos.  We were pleasantly surprised at the scenery (yes, it was actually on a mountain) and the amount of activities they have for kids.  

It was our first weekend without rain, and the weather was gorgeous.  Lucky for us it was "Bingo Bonanza" weekend, and it turns out not only do the old folks like their bingo, so do the kids!

The girls with the Hoeltings

 Getting their BINGO on!

 Campfire time complete with smores!

 Marshmallow malfunction

 We even got to meet Yogi himself!

 Swim time

 Wagon ride with Yogi

 They even have a short, beautiful hike that was perfect for the kids!

What a great weekend hanging out with our other "3 kid" counterparts - the Strayers and Hoeltings.  The kids had so much fun just hanging out with each other while us adults even snuck in a little hangout time.

Summer has Officially Begun......Kinda

We've made it our mission this summer to spend most of our weekends camping!  Last summer Chandler played summer soccer every Saturday morning, making it difficult to get away as much as we wanted.  We have a South Dakota, Jellystone Estes Park, and lots of local camping on the docket!

When our friends Andrea and Tracey invited us to a weekend of camping and boating in Guernsey, Wyoming we were game!  The weather had been so cold and rainy until then, but we thought we'd give it a shot, especially with the opportunity to do some water sports.

We headed out of town on a rainy Friday afternoon, ate in beautiful Cheyenne, and landed in camp around 9.  Unfortunately our friends had boat issues and were stuck at a hotel in Chugwater and wouldn't be able to get the boat until Saturday evening.  So we spent a chilly Saturday hiking and checking out the lake.  Who knew Wyoming could be so beautiful? 

Beautiful canyon

Chandler, a.k.a. our monkey rock climber

The girls who use the stairs

Saturday afternoon the kids even got in the frigid water and enjoyed some beach time.  Brrr!

Shore fun on the floatie

They even have beautiful sunsets in Wyoming

Sunday morning the weather turned around and we were ready to go boating!  The girls loved being on the boat and tubing.  Brooklynn kept giving Tracey the thumbs up to go faster!  Little Ady could barely see above the tube, and we'd randomly get a glimpse of her bobbing head.

The weekend was a blast - boating, hiking, and hanging with some awesome friends!  Here we come summer!  Now please cooperate and give us more nice weather!

What a Year!

I was both excited and anxious for Brooklynn to start 1st grade this year.  I knew she was anxious to have new classmates and a new teacher, and I was just hoping we wouldn't have a repeat of the beginning of kindergarten.  Well, now with 1st grade completed I have to admit we have a whole different kid on our hands.  First grade was her year (so far) to shine!  She made so many friends, probably too many (as she became a little chatty by the end of the year).  She adored Mrs. Martinez.  And, most importantly, she LEARNED so much!  

I can't believe her academic and social growth this year.  I loved walking her to school and watching all the girls run up and hug her each morning and her face just beam with happiness.  I loved having lunch in the cafeteria with her and watching her interact and even gossip a little with her friends.  I loved watching her reading just soar every night, going from this "sounding out each word painfully" reader to a reader with expression and fluency excelling even in chapter books.

As always, the end of the year was a blast with all the activities - field trips, field day, and celebrations galore.  What a great way to close out a great year!  We're so proud of our Boo Bear!  We can't wait to see what 2nd grade brings!

She sure looked ready for the 1st day

 One of her many new friends

Having lunch on her birthday

 Movie night at school with her besties (Adilan, Riley, Madison, and Sabrina)

Field Day Funapalooza with Adilan

 Showing her little sissy how to 3-legged race at field day

 And potato sack racing

 More friend time!

And She's Off to Kindergarten!

I feel like I blinked and now we have 2 kiddos in elementary school.  Yikes!  Chandler finished her preschool career with a cute end-of-year program full of singing, diplomas, and a kid ready to get to kindergarten.  Chandler started at TLC's PDO (parents day out) program as a 2 year-old who cried most days and secluded herself from the other kids but left a confident kid with a BFF and ready to conquer kindergarten, as the 2nd tallest in her class (which she would say has been her greatest accomplishment in preschool haha).

Being the 2nd one to go to elementary school we feel more prepared for what's to come and are working hard to get her even more prepared this summer!  She was very emotional leaving her classmates, teacher, school, and mostly her BFF Taylor, but we're confident she'll love kinder and will show the world how smart she is!

Singing it out!

 Receiving her diploma from Mrs. Kingsley

 With Taylor

 And her proud sissies!