Birthday # 27

Rusty threw me an awesome birthday party this year. We went down to the tennis courts by the community center and taught all our friends how to play nerfis. Everyone loved it, and we need to do it again soon. It got dark a lot more quickly than we would have liked, so we ate cake and snacks in the complete pitch black. Thanks to everyone for coming!
There is only one pic of me, and my mouth is full of cake, so I don't think I'm going to post it. You'll just have to imagine how great I look.

We also had a very fun FHE last night. Last weekend Sara and I went out to dinner and then to Women's Conference at her Stake Center. (It was also awesome to have a girls night away from the kids) Well, on our way we passed this awesome park I'd never seen before. It had a cute lake and a huge playground. So for FHE last night we packed up a picnic and headed over. The kids loved wading in the freezing lake and feeding the ducks. Josh is obsessed with music right now, so his favorite part was the "piano" (see pic below). Halle's favorite part was playing on the swings. It's amazing that you can live somewhere 3 years, drive very near this park A LOT, and not even know it exists. So if anyone is needing a change of scenery let me know.

10k, new car, and firefighter museum

On Sept 4 I finished my last race of the "Erie Series"--the 10k. I made my best time yet, and finished 2nd overall in the series. This was the first race where I really feel like I hit my stride, and I had so much fun, and it felt great. Running the 10k was my goal for the summer, so I'm glad to check it off my list. Now I'm looking forward to the "Erie Erie" in Oct!


We also got a new car this month! (Well, new to us anyway) It's a 2003 Toyota Sequoia and WE LOVE IT. Sara and Brian got one a few months ago and we fell in love with it on our drive to Estes Park. Now, we didn't mean to copy them so completely, but theirs happens to be white, and of course the one we found and liked was also white. So we are twinners. Now we need to have about 3 more kids so we can fill the car up! (triplets anyone?)


Now on to the firefighter museum. Sara and I took the kids to downtown Denver to the firefighter museum. We were all in need of a distraction, and the kids were glad to get out of the house and go on a little adventure. Well, it wasn't quite as great as we imagined it might be. I should qualify--Sara and I weren't that impressed, but the kids seemed to have a great time. The favorite part was the firetruck the kids could climb on and "drive," as well as the cool outfits they could dress up in. We thought we'd be there all day, but after about 1 1/2 hrs we were pretty much done. So then we took them to Chic-fil-A where they had a blast in the kids area and probably would have stayed all day! but I guess the day must have been somewhat of a success b/c every night since then Josh says "Thank you for Firetruck" in his prayers.

In Loving Memory....

I feel like I can't do another post until I mention the biggest thing that's happened in our lives this month, the loss of Sara's sweet little baby Peter. Sara has a beautiful post in honor of his sweet memory. Although is has been such a hard time with many questions and many tears, it has also been one of the most faith promoting times. There have been so many amazing stories associated with this tragedy that have made me sure that we have a loving Heavenly Father who has a plan for our lives. I had the opportunity to go out to Utah for the funeral, and in seeing Peter's perfect little body I was filled with a sense of his spirit, and what an amazing, strong, courageous soul he his. I am so thankful for our knowledge of eternal families and the eternal perspective the gospel gives our lives. Our hearts and prayers are always with Sara, Brian, Braxton and Bree and we know little Peter is keeping a close eye on them from above.

Weekend of Water

We had a fantastic, fun, water filled Labor Day weekend. It all started on Sat with a trip to the Boulder Reservoir. Umm...Native Coloradens, WHY HAVE WE NEVER HEARD OF THIS PLACE UNTIL NOW??? It was AWESOME! There is a sandy beach for the kids to play, and you can rent canoes, paddle boats, etc. This was like a little bit of Heaven to Halle and Josh. Halle kept insisting that it was the ocean, and no amount of reason could convince her otherwise. We rented a canoe and paddled around the lake. Josh was a little nervous, but by the end he was sticking his hands in the water and rocking the boat. He is now totally obsessed with watching the little video we took of the boat. We have probably watched it 200 times since Sat. I have a feeling that next summer this will be one of our favorite hangouts. (Boat Video is on the sidebar)

Then Monday we went to bid a fond farewell to pool season. Vista Ridge was holding their annual Labor Day pool party, but we tried to get there early to avoid the annoying DJ they hire every year. The kids LOVE going down the slide (also on the video sidebar) and Halle can swim from the slide to the edge of the pool by herself. She must have a GREAT swim teacher ;). But the fun didn't last--Josh was running up to the slide and of course he slipped and konked his head. He cried forever and never fully recovered enough to have a good time. So we cut our losses and headed home for LONG naps.
After a delicious BBQ dinner we headed over the Anthem, a neighborhood near us, to walk around their beautiful pond. The kids loved throwing rocks and wading in the water and mud. We are sad that summer is winding down, but Halle is looking forward to Fall so she can wear all her new, funky tights.