Leaves!

Unlike at our old house, we actually have leaves to rake this fall. Of course, one can't rake a pile of leaves without inviting a kid to jump into them! Eli loved it, and even got his "girlfriend" next door, Chloe, in on the action.

Fall fun

Fall has always been my favorite time of year, even if it is so short. Fall in Colorado finds me missing the amazing colors of the midwest, but loving the unique Aspen features in our mountains.
Last weekend we took advantage of the great weather to visit the Colorado Railroad Museum for a "Day Out with Thomas". Eli and his buddies Caleb and Micah and their families had a blast riding the train and exploring the sights.
This weekend we ventured west to the gorgeous mountains of Glenwood Springs and Aspen. We stayed at the Hot Springs Lodge in Glenwood, which is conveniently across from the world's largest hot springs pool. It was fun swimming in late Sept. in a 90+ degree pool! It was the highlight of Eli's weekend.
The highlight of the trip for me was visitng the beautiful Maroon Bells outside of Aspen. My pics just don't do it justice! Jon had to work at the college fair all day, so Eli and I enjoyed the chance to explore the outdoor "playground" (he kept asking where the swings and slides were). I told him that the playgrounds that God makes don't need those things. (I did end up appeasing his desire for a playground with a slide when we ventured back into Aspen).
On Saturday we rode the gondola up Aspen (Ajax) mountain to an elevation of over 11,000 feet. Although it was cloudy and drizzly at times, the views were still amazing.
After such an amazing weekend, it's hard to get back to work. But stay tuned for more fall fun as I'm hoping to get us to a corn maze/pumpkin patch soon.

Birthday Celebrations!

Wow, it's been over a month since our last entry. Guess we've been busy with life...and I've been exhausted with the first trimester of pregnancy. But at twelve weeks now, I'm finally getting some energy back!
September has been a fun month of birthday celebrations for the Mires "men". Jon celebrated his 30-something on Labor Day and his folks were in town for the holiday weekend as well. Grandma/MJ made him a "cake" (sourdough loaves, as Jon's been on a strict low-carb diet and didn't even enjoy his bday loaves) complete with 30+ candles!
On Labor Day we took in a Rockies/Giants game and Eli enjoyed posing in the player scenes, as well as the ice cream cone!
This afternoon we turned our back yard into a sports-themed toddler mayhem for Eli's 3rd birthday party. 20 of his closest friends, neighbors, church buddies, and daycare pals turned out, along with their families. It was quite a crazy time, but the kids really enjoyed the bounce house we rented. Fortunately, no one got hurt too seriously so we won't have to call Grandpa Cross for legal help.
Eli wore a "Big Brother" shirt for the occasion, as it's become nearly impossible to hide the "evidence" of my pregnancy at this point! He's still not sure what being a big brother is all about, but he knows there is a baby in mommy's tummy. Friday we will take him with us to the doc to hear the heartbeat, so hopefully that will help things sink in for him. We'll keep you posted on the excitement on our end!

(End of Summer) Fun!

It's been another long time since the last post, and since I (Whitney) go back to school tomorow (GASP!), thought I'd better get some pics up here! We enjoyed a family camping trip last weekend, our first two-nighter. It was complete with Kip and "Uncle" Kevin. Eli loved checking out the campground's amenities, like the playground and miniature golf course.(Quote of the experience: "I did better than Tiger!" proclaimed Eli after his round!) He also ventured into the delicious world of s'more making.
After over three weeks of 90+ degree days, we are finally getting some relief. The heatwave stretch broke an over 100-year old record. We tried to beat the heat with Eli's backyard pool (compliments of the Mires grandparents), which Jon found himself in after a hot mowing session. Later, the same pool was a great bathtub for Kip.
Now that we're finally settled into our house, we'd love to have some visitors. Guess I still need to post some pics of this house, but they're not as fun as people pics! Now it's off to bed for some needed rest before a big "first" day of school!

AHH Alaska!

Wow! It's been over a month since our last post. Guess we've been busy packing up, moving and going on vacation. Our Alaskan cruise was AMAZING, too wonderful for words. So for now here are a few pics of our vacation of a lifetime!

Indiana/Ohio Trip

We took off the day after Whitney finished with work to visit family in Indiana and Ohio. The primary purpose of our trip was Tasha's high school graduation, but we were also able to visit lots of other family members. On Thursday we drove to Cincinnati to our cousin Rhonda's house. There we got to spend time with Whitney's Mom,Stepdad, Aunt, Uncle, and several cousins. It was a beautiful day and Eli loved jumping on the trampoline. It was too short of a visit, but very nice to see family who live too far away :-(
There is never enough time when we are in town to see everyone, but we did enjoy seeing the Cross family (Grandma and Papa and Melanie's family) as well as our friends the Arndts (Grady is 3 1/2 and Macy is 18 months). Some highlights included Eli's exploring of the pool, fishing (he caught "fwee fish" with hot dogs!) in the backyard pond, and celebrating Tasha's graduation. Even though it was a long commencement ceremony, Eli was a trooper and on the way home announced that he was "Very patient!". What a talker! (This was after he pointed to his play watch and said it was getting dark soon).
Now that we are home it's time to start some serious packing! Yes! We FINALLY got a good offer on our house, so we're closing on June 26 and moving about 3.5 miles away to a larger home. Pics to follow!

May Day!

Happy May Day! Although around here it felt more like Christmas! It was snowing most of the day (after 80 degrees yesterday) so it left a nice covering on the grass and slush in the road. But most of it is gone already!
I don't have any pics to post, but thought I'd blog about our crazy Colorado weather.
I also had an interesting professional day. I took the afternoon off to go to a "Multiple Pathways to Graduation" (dropout prevention)seminar downtown. After enjoying a lunch at Olive Garden with Jon, I was dropped off at the Light Rail station to take the train (cheaper than driving given the cost of gas and parking!). I was pleasantly surprised upon arriving at the seminar to see the opening speech being given by Colorado's Governor Bill Ritter. I'm not a Democrat but voted for him anyway since he is a champion for public education and pro-life! After several engaging and though-provoking speeches by various professionals in the community, the session closed with a speech by Denver's Mayor Hickenlooper. So I heard two politicians in one afternoon, all in a small conference area. And all free! With no political agendas being pushed! Unheard of these days!
The train ride home was also interesting, as it was packed with commuters but was virtually silent as they sat and read, did business on laptops, etc.
Our family squeezed in a quick dinner together before I dashed back to school to attend 8th grade parent night. So today I accrued 8 more hours towards my 100 hours of practicum...I'm well on the way on my path to graduation.
Tomorrow I will accompany our senior class to Dave and Buster's and the Zoo, which will hopefully be warmer than it was today. Then I get the pleasure of chaperoning prom from 10-12 Saturday night, so it's a working weekend. I'm sure I'll have some good pics to post of those soon. Stay tuned...