Living in Munchkinland

Last weekend, my mama came to visit! She flew in on Thursday afternoon and we drank wine and visited and walked the dog and were together. It was good. The next morning, Davis didn't have school, so after we dropped Sam off at his school, the three of us drove out to Lair o' the Bear for a hike. It wasn't crowded at all and the cool morning weather was lovely. It was a great hike. Davis really enjoyed taking pictures and looking at all the fancy mountain bikes. After our hike, we ate lunch in Morrison on a rooftop deck. It was pretty great. That evening, we drove over to Carboy Winery which was PACKED. We found a parking spot and eventually maneuvered our way into a table. We did some wine tasting and nibbling which was all good. (wine was okay and the food was great). Paul joined us and we tasted and sipped more. Eventually we moved to the restaurant next door, Angelos, for dinner. The food was really good and we had some great raw oysters. Then we drove home and collap...

Last Sunday we went out with Suzy, Jason, Kara and Ben in order to celebrate Kara and Jason's birthdays. We ate dinner at Smokin' Fins in Littleton and then walked across the street to Jake's where we drank a beautiful rose wine and played Balderdash. I had so much fun ya'll. My friends are so FUN!

Earlier in the summer, I applied for a grant from the city of Littleton for a neighborhood block party. I got the same grant the year before so I was pretty confident we might receive it. We did! So I went to HOA and set up an end of the summer block party for this last weekend. I'm not going to lie, it was a lot of work! But the whole neighborhood pitched in and it was a lot of fun. We had a bike parade and contest with prizes, three grills with burgers and brats going, lawn games, a Kona Ice truck with free kona ice, and an outdoor movie in the green space. It was a hot day, but we had shade and a breeze and it actually felt very comfortable. Everyone seemed to have a good time and there was plenty of food and drink and help so I had a good time too! By the time I filled up my wine glass and settled in my airlounj in front of the movie screen, I felt quite satisfied and in love with my neighborhood. Thanks, Littleton!

Samuel went with his class and the class above him on a school trip this week. He went with a group called Simply Venture into the Rocky Mountain National Park. They camped in tents at the east portal campground in Estes Park. They did a 9 mile hike, slack lined, jumped in the river, roasted smores, visited a glass shop, went to the visitor's center, played mini golf, saw elk, had a pizza party and had a good time. He had some homesickness in the evenings, but his teacher let him call us as much as he wanted. Despite the unhappiness at bedtime, he still said it was a good trip, that he was glad he went and that it was fun. He also made some great friendships. And the pictures! September is a lovely time in Colorado and we live in such a beautiful place. Samuel wrote us a letter while he was there and with his permission, I share it here with you. For Mommy and daddy, Day 1 Today we did lots of fun things but first we got int he bus and stopped at the same place that we went t...

Last weekend we drove up to Estes Park for the Scottish Festival. This was our third year to attend, but the first year to stay at the YMCA Estes Park. Previously, we had stayed at Jellystone, which was fun, but a bit expensive for the teeny tiny cabin. The kids LOVE this festival, mostly because all the children have swords and they all battle around a big boulder in the park. Michael and I love it for the views, the weather, the music, the Belhaven Scottish ale and the scottish highlander games. We all love the dog show, the meat pies, and the jousting. It's a win/win. We spent Friday night at our cabin and around at the YMCA. I cooked dinner, we watched the elk attack a vehicle in our front yard, we roasted marshmallows and played in the sweet memorial game room and then came back to the cabin to play Rivals of Catan and drink red wine. It was nice. Saturday morning we woke up early, made breakfast and drove to the festival. The weather was stunning and we had a great time e...