Pumpkin patch and COG trail hike

We've had a fun filled and fun packed weekend!  Now that it feels like fall weather (not snowing) we adventured out to the pumpkin patch yesterday with the White's.  We had so much fun and it brought out the kids in ourselves.  There were slides, goats, bunnies, hay stack mazes, fence mazes, tractor hay rides, pumpkins and tons of pictures.  The kids had a great time and we enjoyed  nap time once we got home.  Last night we had movie night and sleep over at our house with Heather and Mathias.  This morning Heather and I conquered the Cog Trail at Pikes Peak.  The Cog Trail is a 2,000 ft elevation climb in 1 mile.  This 1-mile is nothing but stairs and it times we had to use our hands to help pull us up. It did get pretty steep.  Boy!!! This was such a great feeling of accomplishment when we got to the top but during our climb I did say to myself, "Really, really Cortnie?"  Like what was I thinking!  But after the tingling in my back and head, my nose burning and lungs on fire (and there was definitely some panting), I made it to the top.  We will do it again but just wonder if it will be next weekend or if we'll wait a few weeks.  I guess it depends on how we feel tomorrow and during the week.  I have a feeling we are going to be pretty sore.  Once we got to the top, we took our accomplishment photo and started our journey down the 4-mile trail at Barr Trail. 

Ah, what a great weekend!  Now, I wonder if relaxing is somewhere in the cards for this afternoon.  I sure hope so.

a little sickly around the house

Well, I guess with the weather changing on a weekly basis we've managed to become a little sickly around here.  At the beginning of last week we thought Kassie and I were becoming sick..with Kassie coughing often (after coming back from child care at the gym) and I had congestion in the face and ears along with sneezing.  I ended up having a virus.  Come Friday, we all felt great (cold wise) but as of yesterday I am back summoned to the bedroom upstairs to stay away from getting Kassie and Josh sick.  I have been having a bad cough and a fever decided to visit me yesterday afternoon.  I can handle all this, just please God don't let me give my germs to Kassie and Josh.  I want them to stay healthy.  Boy, I sure do miss hanging out with Kassie and hugging on her.  I have to stay out of her sight or she'll cry for me when she sees me.  Aaahhhh, as I write that, I hear her downstaris hollaring, "Momma, momma".  I love it when she says that!  She is such a great blessing God  has given to Josh and me.  I say that all the time.  I can't wait for tomorrow to come when hopefully my fever will be been broken for a while and I can see her again.  It's in the low 99s now, so  hopefully not too much longer.  I got to see Josh for a sec during her nap time when I went outside to catch some fresh air....boy, that felt nice to get outside for a minute.  It's in the 50s today.  Since the weekend, it's been in the 40s and snowing!!! Can you belive it???  It's not sticking, but it's snowing.  It will be back up in the 70s this weekend...back to the fall weather.

So, after Kassie and I bounced back at the end of the week last week, we ventured out to Lowes to get some paint to paint the laundry room while Josh rested on the couch to heal is back that he injured.  Well, I did call for Josh though to come take some pics of Kassie painting...she had such a fun time!!! I gave her her own corner and she had a blast painting with the roller.  She used a couple different kinds and at one point I asked her if she wanted a slightly bigger one and she said yes and started dancing around....SOOOO CUTE!  Ah, it brought back memories of when I was a little kid and got to help paint mine and Lindsay's bedroom!

This weekend we have made plans to take Kassie to the pumpkin patch and maze.  I am looking forward to that as she had a fun time last year when Josh's work put on a hay ride and pumpkin patch party for the kiddos.  She was barely a year old and enjoyed it then, so she's bound to really like it this year.  Josh was deployed at the time and wasn't able to be there with us so this year we get to experience it all as family....that is as long as I am not contagious anymore.

Fall in Colorado

Wow, so it's been a bit since I last blogged. Well, since then, Summer has come to an end and Josh has joined us back here in Colorado. We are taking advantage of Josh being here and us being able to hang out as a family.

There are afternoons that we'll hop in the car and take off...driving where ever the road takes us. One day we found a park that we came back to a couple days later to actually get in a long adventurous hike with Kassie in the Kelty on our backs. What a blast! We all three had a such a great time. Another day, we discovered another park (catching on to our rhythm and what attracts us...parks!), well it's called a park but it's in the mountains nearby and loved the waterfall we saw! We stopped and took pictures and videos at the fall and Kassie enjoyed getting her hands dirty in the dirt and pebbles and then rinsing her hands in the cold water. By now, when we say, "hey, Kassie, let's go for a drive or we're going...", she's quick to go to the car...boy, she's ready! Today we took a scenic drive along the back roads to Breckenridge. Yep, Breck! It's a 2 hour drive and there were plenty of laughs along the road today and pictures taken as well. Shortly after getting out of the Springs (Colorado Springs), we saw people on the side of the road, and Josh and both said to each other, "what the world are they doing?" Well, we ended up on the side of the road too with Josh standing up through the sunroof. Why, you ask...there were Elk on the other side of the road just hanging out. Just like the deer Kassie, Summer, and I passed earlier this summer and oh yeah, the deer Kassie, Josh and I saw, stopped the car and took video of at the Cheyenne Mountain Park. So, back to my story from today, we hung out there for a little bit and took pictures (Kassie called them horses) and then continued our adventure.

Last time we were in Breck was when Josh and I traveled across country in December 2006 during the Colorado snow storm and we hung out in Breck for a few days before driving to the Springs to find a house. This time we enjoyed sharing the experience with Kassie and it was alson a different experience with it being fall. So, we got there, it was 58 degrees outside. The peeps in the south would say that is cold but actually 58 degrees in Colorado is a lil' different and people were wearing shorts and tank tops! Yes. It was beautiful weather. As we were leaving, there were some showers coming in but within 5-10 minutes, it was sunny again and stayed that way during our journey back home. Kassie had a great time at Breck and enjoyed her movies in the car in between seeing the scenery and animals along the way.


We hope everyone is doing well back home and enjoying the fall so far. Oh yeah, and Josh is still continuing his photo log every Thursday morning of his "hair" status. For those of you don't know what I'm talking about, I'll share with you....For the next year, Josh is not going to cut his hair or facial hair. Why, you ask? Because for the last 5 years, he has had to keep shaved and short hair cuts pretty regularly. He is doing this on his terms now. When Josh tells people this, it never fells that person quickly looks to me for my reaction or response. Well, lets just say, he's pretty determined and I am actually curious what his hair is going to look like!!! The facial hair, I may try to persuade him later to trim or something b/c I am not too keen on the whole facial hair thing, but I told him we'll get him some hair styling products for his hair and see what we can do with it! Maybe I'll get his hair to look something like, hmmmm, Keith Urban comes to mind! Well, until next time on our blog...take care. We love you and God Bless you.

So, yesterday afternoon we were in the car and gave Kassie some fingernail polish. I didn't think she would actually get it open (she hasn't even tried before). As we pulled in to Walgreens, she said, "Aaah, toes!!!!". Summer and I looked back there and both let out an "Ahhhh". Kassie had opened the pink toenail polish and had painted her big toe. Yes, not just big toe nail, but big toe. And she was soooo excited. When we got home, we got out her play area tarp and I let her continue to paint her toe nails and toes. She also enjoyed painting aunt summer's toes and my toes too. I hated to have to battle with her when it was time to put the polish away b/c she was having so much fun but that's just part of being a parent, I guess.

Kassie now has her own down comforter, like mommy and daddy's comforter, in hopes that she likes to sleep in her bed again and not her mommy and daddy's bed. We're still working on that. She has never liked sleeping anywhere else except her bed or pack n play when traveling, but since we got to CO and went from the pack n play to her bed, it's been crazy. Last night after I rocked her and aunt summer got in bed with her, she felt at ease and fell asleep in her own bed. We'll see today how nap time goes and then bed time. There's times that she will only cry for three minutes and then lay down for the night, other times, like during nap time, she'll cry until she cries herself to sleep standing up. I know if I can get her to do it three nights in a row, she'll be back to her schedule and routine, it's just a matter of getting there as I try to work and study. I love her so much and there are nights that I have let her sleep in the bed with me, and hey, even aunt Summer will join us too..and I don't mind b/c she's only little once and I remember when I used to hold her on my chest in TN and think, wow, I would love for her to fall asleep with me like she used too but she would only flip flop until she got laid down in her own bed. But of course, I already know that I don't need to start a habit of it because it will be sooo hard to get her out of it. We've got this though!!! Me and Summer! And if we don't, well, when Josh gets here, I'll get his help too!

The Zoo

We went to the zoo last weekend and had a great time! Right off the bat, we stopped at the giraffes and Kassie fed them. She had a blast being that close to them and touching them. She also saw monkeys, chipmunks, zebras, elephants, goats, ponies, and many more. After the zoo, we rode up to the top of Cheyenne Mountain to the shrine and took more pictures of Colorado Springs. Kassie was so worn out, during the 2-1/2 mile drive to the top of the mountain she fell asleep. She woke up while we were taking pictures and decided to partake in the adventure. Kassie is really likes the potty training, likes hitting the chair with her bat to get the mice to come out of it, and enjoys puting on her shorts all by herself and pulling them up! She is growing up so fast. Summer and I say she is getting taller. I am in the process of finding a really good child care program for her. We've toured two places but I'm not stopping yet. Still more to see. We are also still in search for a church to call "home". We are going to another church tomorrow to see if I like this one. It's not too far from where Kassie plays soccer and that's how I came upon this church. Kassie is really thrilled to be playing soccer. She has already advanced to the next age group - ages 2-3 and this past Friday was her first time in that class. There was 3-4 other kids in it too and she liked that. She runs while kicking the ball down the field to the goal, gives high fives when she scores and likes the parachutte. We have a soccer star on our hands!!!

Summer fun in Michigan - May 30th

We went to Michigan at the end of May for a wedding and decided to make a family vacation out of the trip. We stayed at the Homestead Resort near Sleeping Bear Dunes while there and enjoyed all that early summer in Michigan had to offer. Here are a couple of pictures we took while on our trip. Kassie had a really great time seeing new things and running around. She was unsure about the sand on her feet and hands but she enjoyed being at the beach and riding in the Kelty on our hikes!

Transitioning

Hey, it's been a few days since we blogged and here's the current scoop!

Kassie, Summer, and I have been a busy lil' crew with checking out different gyms, getting out and about to get those summer desserts, and putting up Kassie's "big girl" bed. Summer and I put up Kassie's bed a couple of days ago (her baby bed but without the front part so it made it a toddler day bed). Kassie LOVED it. She was super excited about it and would just roll around it, sit on the edge and swing her feet, and pose for pictures! I was so happy for her. Well, come nap time, she wasn't quite ready. She ended up falling asleep while I rocked her in her room and I layed her down. Just as I was thinking to myself that Kassie has been asleep for almost 2 hrs (her typical nap time length) and that she will be getting up soon, I hear a turn of the door knob and her comes lil' Kassie. Once she got in the hallway, she turned and saw me and her eyes grew so big and she had the biggest grin on her face and after I said, well, hello Kassie, she said "Hea Wo". She seemed so excited to be a big girl and have been able to get out of her bed when she awoke and open the door to come see what we were doing! Night time was a different story and so for the past two nights, she has slept in the bed with me. She didn't get her nap time in at home yesterday either, so we stratigically organized our trip to Denver where Kassie will take a nap in the car. I realized at 11pm last night while Kassie slipped off to sweet dreams on my pillow, in mommy and daddy's big bed, that she is going through a lot. She moved across country to a house and bedroom that most likely she did not remember, is potty training, no longer takes the pacifier, is missing her dadda and other family members, is hearing "orders" from mommy and aunt Summer, and wondering why mommy can't always be around (gotta work and study), and now to be made to sleep in a room that has a different bed! Wow, bless her lil' heart! She is having seperation anxiety on top of that. So, at 11pm last night, after Summer and me put all our pillows around her and on the floor, we headed back to Kassie's room and put the front panel on her bed. Today, after a fun filled day at kids club at 24 hr fitness and lunch, it was time for nap time. She had no problem at all going to nap in her own baby bed. So, although our lil' Kassie is growing up, and we thought she would like her "big girl bed", she cleary is going to stay OUR LIL' GIRL.

We have joined a gym and the three of us look forward to doing that on a regular basis. We went to Garden of the Gods this week and took lots of pictures, mainly of us with Kassie, but we managed to take some of the red rocks too. We went to Denver for the afternoon yesterday and strolled the mall there. We decided to wait on riding the Denver trolly but will definitely keep that on our to-do list.

So, that's where we are now! Still plenty of fun things to do and perhaps we'll even make it to Vail or Brekenridge for some summer fun soon too! So keep checking back and feel free to make some posts and comments on our page.

We love all of you and miss you!