Pumpkin Patch Fun!

Jordyn and i spent the weekend in Denver with her Godmom, Christy, and we had a ball! Jordyn refused to nap on the loooooong drive(i should note here, the drive isnt really that long, but when your kid doesnt stop talking the ENTIRE time, it tends to feel longer), so no nap=cranky kid and cranky mom :) Thankfully she went to bed early the first night, and then took a lengthy nap the next day...and woke up as the angel i know her to be ;) It was great to get off the mountain for a few days and spend time with my best friend...a much needed break! Anyways, somehow we didnt take any photos while we were out there (i know, hard to believe)...but on our way home, i surprised Jordyn with a trip to the pumpkin patch, so ill share those photos instead.

Thankfully i had several coats in the car, because it was much colder than i anticipated, and Jordyn ended up wearing one of my coats over hers. We went to the same farm as last year, but this time they had different animals to look at...so that was a lot of fun! Jordyn perused the entire pumpkin patch looking for the perfect pumpkin, but in the end, she had more fun choosing a basket full of tiny gourds.

Hope your weekend was full of Fall fun!
On another note, today is my sister, Teresa's birthday....Happy Birthday TJ! xoxoxo

Queen of the Canyon

Its that time of year again...the annual Halloween portraits of Jordyn. We were given a giant bag of costumes from a friend, and this one fit her perfectly, so this year, she will be Queen Jordyn! We purchased a cute kitty cat costume, but since it was a little big, she can wear it next year. In fact, there were so many wonderful costumes in the bag, that i think she is set for quite a while! :)

Jordyn is going thru that silly stage, where...when you ask her to smile...she squints her eyes and shows all her teeth...and almost looks more frightened than anything else. It was hard to get a relaxed look out of her, but i think some of these shots came out kind of nice. At any rate, it was good practice for Tuesday, when she had her school photos taken. I hope they turn out cute...but im sure ill love them regardless.

With the early snow this year, we sort of missed Fall and all its beautiful colors, but i think these photos still work. Happy Wednesday!

Please Vote for Red Feather Lakes Elementary School!!!

As many of you know, Jordyn started her first day of school last month at Red Feather Lakes Elementary school. She attends preschool 2 days a week, and she LOVES it! The school is wonderful! There are 13 preschoolers and 34 elementary kids. The student/teacher ratio is great, so the kids are getting a wonderful education. The school is surrounded by national forest, with a nature trail right outside the door...beautiful surroundings to inspire the children! (click on the photo to see a larger image of the school)

Anyways, a few weeks ago, we received news that they are planning to close the school and bus the kids to (what will be the last surviving mountain school up here) another school. That bus ride for some kids will be almost 2 hours long, and there isnt even enough room for them at the other location, so they will have to slap up trailers to accommodate the students. Because of our location, Jordyn wont even be able to attend that school...she'll have to be driven down the canyon to catch a bus to take her to school in the city. While that was the plan for junior high and high school, we wanted her to have to opportunity to attend a mountain school for elementary school to give her a solid start on her education. So why am i posting on here about it? I know many of you have kids at school, so you would like to vote for theirs, but if your kids are grown then perhaps you wouldnt mind voting for Red Feather Lakes as your favorite school :) There is a contest at Care2.com, and they will be donating $36,000 to schools across America. Our school could certainly use the exposure...as well as the money, so if you are inspired...then please vote for Red Feather Lakes Elementary School! Thanks :)

P.S. The last day to vote is November 8th

Catch and Release...

Look what Justin pulled out of the pond with his bare hands. This big guy wouldnt last thru the winter in our pond...too big...so Justin and Jordyn decided to save him.

They placed him in this bucket and walked over to the main river to let him go there...

and now he's a happy trout! :)
Have a fabulous weekend~

Wordless Wednesday

Autumn Fun ~

I know its early, but Jordyn has been begging me for two weeks now to get out the Halloween decorations...and since it was such a gorgeous day, we decided to go for it!

Jordyn and Daddy had fun decorating our pirate pumpkin...the nice thing about these little plastic pieces, besides the fact that its like having a giant Mr. Potato Head, is that you can enjoy a decorated pumpkin all month without fear of it rotting!

They look rather pleased with the results...what do you think?

Afterwards it was time for a snack...so we cut into some of the pomegranates sent to us from friend and enjoyed them in the meadow.

Jordyn confiscated the bowl from Daddy, deciding she REALLY liked pomegranates!

She was soooo excited to drag out all the Halloween decorations, and immediately put on a pair of her holiday socks! Its very enjoyable for me to watch her tear into the boxes with excitement. It reminds me of my childhood...how excited we were to get out the decorations, playing with everything, and having fun deciding where to put it. How colorful and festive the house would look afterwards, and the joy it brought us. I see it all in her eyes, and its magical to me! After all...Halloween is my favorite holiday! :)

It was a wonderful weekend, filled with fabulous weather and some surprise visits from friends and family. This time of year always brings folks up here....the beautiful Fall colors, the crisp clean air, the last of the warm weather and a fun drive before winter approaches. I LOVE FALL!!! Hope you all had a wonderful weekend~

1% Well Read Challenge ~ A Room With A View

Book 4 of the 1% Well Read Challenge : A Room With A View by E.M. Forster
i tried to read this book several years ago, and just couldnt get into it. i decided to give it another try...after all, i hadnt seen the movie yet, and thought it would be fun to read the book first.
Well, im glad i stuck with it...once again, it started out really slow for me, but then it really picked up and i found i couldnt put the book down. Its hard to imagine living as they did then...the way women were treated, the pompous high society folk, their prudish ways...so it was fun to see Lucy's behavior in all of it. I loved the settings, and i look forward to seeing Forster's vision portrayed in the movie. Im glad i gave this book another try :) This was by far the best of the 4 books i have read for this challenge so far!