Purdue vs. Notre Dame

While in town, Mommy and Daddy snuck away to go to South Bend, IN for the Purdue vs. Notre Dame football game. Unfortunatley, Purdue was not victorious on this day.

Great Grandma Behymer

The boys enjoyed spending time with Great Grandma Behymer in East Lansing, MI. They even joined in for a great family picture.

The boys were a little confused when they saw a giant duck wearing Michigan State gear at the restaurant.....Isn't their mascot a Spartan?

Go Boilers!

Catch & Release

Both Ryder and Taggart caught their first fish over the Labor Day holiday on Lake James in Angola, IN.
Both didn't know what to do with the Bluegill on the end of their lines.

Air Show

Ryder and Daddy went to the Colorado Sport Aviation Airshow on Sunday. Ryder was absolutely enthralled by all that he saw and heard.

He liked walking around and looking at all the different planes and watching all the acrobatic shows.

Echo Lake

On the way down from Mt. Evans, we decided to stop at Echo Lake and have a picnic lunch. The boys had a blast running around and tossing pebbles into the lake.

Mommy and Daddy watch and enjoyed the peace, beauty and temperature (it was about 25 degrees warmer at Echo Lake compared to Mt. Evans summit).

Mt. Evans mountain goats

After Daddy completed the Mt. Evan's Hill Climb he told us all about the mountain goats on the road during the race. We didn't believe him and thought it was funny so we kept asking him if he saw any sheep on his recent rides. Ha, Ha, Ha!
Mt. Evans has the highest paved road in North America allow you to drive to 14,000+ feet. The views are amazing all the way up the mountain but especially at the top mainly because of those mythical mountain goats that Daddy spoke of....
The mountain goat population was a little concerning as they chose to walk right up to us. Ryder and Tagg thought they were cool but both were a little uneasy about their presence. Good thing we did not bring Wilson.

Peaches

We are fortunate (or unfortunate) to have two peach trees in the back yard. Its awesome to have so many peaches within reach at a moments notice. Especially if it is Ryder's reach....

The boys loved picking the peaches today. Now we just need to figure out what in the world we are going to do with all of the peaches. Also, we barely picked any of them so how are we going to find the time to get them all?
Wasn't it The Presidents of the United States of America who sang "Millions of peaches for me. Millions of peaches for free. Millions of peaches for me." Sounds like they had a peach tree or two in the yard.

Mt. Sanitas Loop Hike

This morning Daddy, Ryder and Taggart went on a hike on the Mt. Sanitas Loop west of Boulder. Early into the hike, the "Warning Mountain Lion Habitat" stood out.

Tagg laughed and said, "Kitty Cat, Kitty Cat". Oh well, we pressed on.
We were happy to have pressed on as it was a great day and we found some outstanding views.

First Day of School

Today was Ryder's first day of preschool at the Louisville Montessori School. This is his second year so he not only knew what to expect but was ready to go.
Tagg may actually be old enough to join him next year. Whether he is ready or not is another thing.

Cannot tell if Tagg was so excited because he may be there next year, doesn't have to go now, or because he gets special alone time with Mommy.

Lookout Mountain Trail

Today we headed to Golden, CO to hike/climb on and around Lookout Mountain.

We spent most of our time on Lookout Mountain Trail. Wilson loved it maybe more than the rest of us.
After the hike, we headed in to Golden for lunch.
It was a beautiful day.

Steamboat Springs vacation - VI

After all the hiking one would think the boys would be tired......think again. They decided to chase each other before grabing lunch on the mountain then heading back down on the gondola.
Finally, they took a seat and stopped.

We absolutely love Steamboat Springs, CO and cannot wait to go back. Now that we have experienced summer, we are looking forward to a winter visit.

Steamboat Springs vacation - V

We took the Steamboat Gondola up Mt. Werner. At over 9,000 ft. we had spectacular views of both the mountain and the Yampa Valley.

We decided to embark on a hike on one of the many trails.

Steamboat Springs vacation - IV

The hot springs wore everyone out. Taggart took a nap in the bedroom while Daddy and Ryder fell asleep on the couch.
After our naps, we rode back into town for dinner.

Steamboat Springs vacation - III

The Yampa River was cold, the Steamboat Grand pool was warm but not warm enough, so we sought out something hotter......North of Steamboat we found the Strawberry Park Hot Springs.

Steamboat Springs vacation - II

The Yampa River was a little colder than Ryder had hoped......Back to the Steamboat Grand pool.Or hottub....

Steamboat Springs vacation - I

Weekend getaway to Steamboat, CO.

As soon as we arrived, we decided to head into town and find the Yampa river. Soon after locating the river, Ryder fell in.

St. Vrain River

Daddy and Mr. Goodson rode from Boulder to Ward to Lyons to meet us for a picnic, and fun in the N. St. Vrain River under the sandstones cliffs in Lyons. Let's just say that we waiting for awhile until they arrived. We all had fun while waiting. Funny, they both wanted to go ice themselves in the cold river water.

Mt. Evans Hill Climb - II

When going fast, lean ever so slightly into the turns. And always be on the lookout for crazy fanatics, especially those carrying a golf club and sitting in the middle of the course.
Finally, since you plan on winning, always be prepared to provide a couple of good quotes during a post race interview. Stay composed and don't worry too much that a dog is accompanying the media.

As you can see Ryder has really mastered the Strider Bike. He seems ready to skip training wheels and go right to a big boy bike (in the coming weeks).

Mt. Evans Hill Climb - I

Well, Daddy completed the 45th Annual Bob Cook Memorial Mt. Evans Hill Climb on Saturday. Ryder's first question, "Did you win?". Since the answer was no, Ryder took Daddy's number and attempted to show him how it should be done.

First lesson, never look behind you.
Second lesson, smile and have fun because this is easy. You should consider placing a green alien head on your handle bars.....it helps.

Mommy's coming home

Mommy is coming home? Really? Sorry Daddy, you have been fun but we really miss Mommy!

I understand boys, I too really miss your Mommy.

Daddy Time

Well, Mommy is in California. So, its 'Daddy Time'. We are having so much fun with Daddy. He seems to do some things a little different than Mommy, which we make certain he knows.

Other than Ryder acting odd at breakfast we are having lots of fun.
If you don't believe us, check out those smiles.....it almost hurt to smile so hard.

Swim Lessons

Ryder is doing great at swim lessons.

Daddy and Taggart accompanied Ryder to his lesson. Taggart is a little crazy and needed to be held back the entire lesson.