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Golden Gate Bridge

Goat Rock Beach, CA

Half Moon Bay, CA

We returned Sunday afternoon from our Thanksgiving weekend visiting Pat's family in California. There were a few bumps, such as the kids not going getting to bed until midnight (CO time) on Tuesday night due to airplane issues and me getting another round of strep throat. I'm also pretty sure Niamh was feverish for a few days. In spite of all that it was a pretty good trip. Most of the photos I took are all still on my camera; these are from my iPhone. We are slowly, slowly getting back to normal here, so hopefully I can get some more pictures up this week.

Muriel & The Big Red Thomas Book

Friday, 11.12.10

misty sunrise

egg-free chocolate chip pancakes for breakfast

sick boy

potty practice (I think Niamh was as excited about this as Muriel)

preparing for Rowan's birthday party next week

trying on her big brother's hat & backpack

playing in the melting snow

Niamh loves the snow

poor mitten-less Muriel

Muriel + Paint

First Snow in Colorado

We woke up to a bit of snow this morning. It's melting now, but the kids had fun playing in it this morning. Even our little sickling, Rowan. He is in the midst of another one of his bouts of fever, where he has no symptoms except for a high fever which comes and goes.

Halloween 2010

We had a great Halloween and the kids are super sad this morning that it is all over. There was a visit from the Great Pumpkin, deliciously spooky stories, haunting music, time spent with friends, roasted pumpkin seeds, eyeball soup, mummy dogs, costumes, and trick-or-treating, which of course ended with a lot of candy. Muriel was a little scared at the beginning of the night when everyone started getting into their costumes, but warmed up once she got into the spirit of trick-or-treating. My only regret is that in all the chaos I did not get a photo of Pat, John, and Jennifer dressed up in their costumes (Darth Vader, and two characters from Mario Kart). I did not have a costume, but have big plans for next year. As do the children. They are already dreaming of next Halloween!

Pumpkin Patch 2010

The weekend before last we got to go to a pumpkin patch for the first time in three years. There was quite a bit of excitement leading up to this event, but it ended up being kind of a let-down. Muriel screamed off and on for the first hour we were there until we put her in the stroller with a bag of goldfish. The Rocky Mountain Pumpkin Ranch turned out to not being quite like a traditional pumpkin patch. More like a fall festival, I suppose. A very expensive fall festival. There was no pumpkin patch, just a field where pre-picked pumpkins were lined up. There were also food stands and lots of rides and activities for the kids (all costing $, of course). Rowan ended the morning with a lovely meltdown because we told him he couldn't go on the firetruck slide. Between him and Muriel there was a very small window of time where everyone was happy. But, at least we got our pumpkins at someplace other than a grocery store!

More pictures on Flickr.

Bear Lake Trailhead

On the first weekend in October we took the kids back to Rocky Mountain National Park to do some hiking starting at the Bear Lake Trailhead. We initially skipped over Bear Lake, which is just off the beginning of the trailhead, and headed straight for the trail that leads to Nymph Lake, Dream Lake, and Lake Haiyaha (there are at least several more lakes around along this trail, but these are just the ones we hit). We started out pretty early, and on the return trip realized what a good idea that had been, as once we got closer to the parking lot the trail started to feel a bit like walking the streets of a big city. Anyway, it was a beautiful hike. The kids did about 4.5 miles without too much trouble. The only problem we ran into was that Lake Haiyaha was completely unsuitable for children under the age of about 3.5-4. It was surrounded by very large boulders, and impossible for Muriel to walk around. Niamh did fine, though she was a little scared. Rowan thought it was great fun and pretended he was a great horn sheep climbing over the rocks. Oh, on the way back to the parking lot we did peek in at Bear Lake, but it was just too crowded at that point (somewhere around noon), so we didn't spend much time there.

More pictures on Flickr.

Fun With Uncle Mike

A few weekends ago (actually, the same weekend we went to see Thomas) Uncle Mike came to town for one last fling before he becomes a father.

It was a great weekend! The kids had fun with Thomas, picnics, stomp rockets, and playing (or pestering. It's a fine line.) with Uncle Mike. And I believe a good time was also had by the big boys, revisiting favorite college past times.

Day Out With Thomas 2010

A couple of weeks ago we headed back to the Colorado Railroad Museum with the Metcalfs for the museum's Day Out With Thomas event.

The kids all had a great time, though I think the thirty minute ride on Thomas, in which the train circled the museum four times at an agonizingly slow speed, was probably not a highlight. There was much more fun to be had sifting through gravel, playing with trains, petting ponies, sitting in fire engines, and eating ice cream.

There are a few more photos up on Flickr.

Muriel and Her Bike Helmet

Muriel has been wearing her bike helmet constantly the past couple of days. When I try and take it off she screams like it's the end of the world.

Nevermind that I couldn't get her to wear a sun hat all summer!

Life in Colorado

This morning we looked out the back window of the house to see a small herd of elk wandering around in the field.

Definitely not something you'd see in Morges!