More Summer Fun

July 14

Our church put on a family fun day with a bbq and outdoor activities, and it happened to land on my birthday. If I remember correctly, Hattie was sick so she and Matt stayed home while the big three and I went to the party. For a few years now, the church has organized the event and one of the most genius things there is the no-whack piñata. Instead of swinging at a piñata, it comes with strings attached to the bottom. Each kid gets to choose a string and pull it to see if it's the one that releases the bottom so the candy falls out. It's pretty smart! Molly is in the middle on the left. It really is a good way to do a piñata for this age of kids! Added bonus - I won a $10 gift card to Home Depot from the raffle drawing! Happy birthday to me!

Charlie went on a Lego binge and was building things like mad. He put together a truck and camper. 

 July 15

We were invited to celebrate the adoption of Winter and her two brothers into the McIntyre family. The kids and I went to the actual adoption hearing, something I had never experienced before. It was such a special moment! I didn't cry, YOU cried. ;) After the hearing, we celebrated with pizza and a bouncy house and a snow cone truck at the McIntyre's home. 

 Macy Paschall, Hattie, Winter, and Alanna

 Alanna and Elliyah Donald

July 16

One thing that I was hoping to do this summer was to take in the summer musical at the Sangre de Cristo Arts Center in Pueblo. This summer's show was Hello, Dolly! We had a really fun evening at the show, and the kids had a great time with their favorite babysitter, Alyssa Thomas (next picture). Everybody wins!  

July 17

 Charlie and his friend Bryce Smeins participated in a summer program at the Dinosaur Museum in town. I dropped them off for an hour or two and they did a project, heard a talk given by a BLM employee, and had a snack. There were a few programs throughout the summer but we only managed to get in on one of them. After the program, we all went swimming at Jen's pool. 

 Hattie's photobomb is HILARIOUS! 

 Alanna went over to Alex Piquette's house one afternoon and they played in Alex's pool. Apparently they were laying down on the turf to warm up after their swim! Silly girls. 

 One thing I really wanted to do this summer was hike the Manitou Incline. It's pretty iconic in Colorado and I had never done it before. I went by myself and enjoyed a morning hiking up 1600 steps and then taking a trail back down. It was a beautiful morning! The cut-off trail that I took is probably 2/3 of the way to the top. I stopped there because of time; I read that the hike down from the very top of the incline is a few hours long. Of course, a person could always hike down the incline, but I don't think many people do. 

 The Manitou Incline is just stairs straight up the mountain. I think it gains 2000 feet in elevation from bottom to top. 

 And then after hiking the incline, I took the kids ice skating that afternoon. HA! What a switch! If I remember correctly, It was something like 105 degrees that day - the very reason why we went ice skating! What else is there to do when it's that hot? So we spent a few hours in a cool 50-degree building, and probably cooler on the ice. I'm not dumb, folks.