Camping at Pearl Lake

We had a great time camping at Pearl Lake this weekend.  I'll let the pictures tell the story:

 We were fortunate to see quite a bit of wildlife:  elk, deer, moose antlers (on a sleeping moose), a snake, fish, and ducklings.

 Pearl Lake is located outside of Steamboat Springs.  It's one of our most favorite areas in Colorado.

 Camp Barber

 Justin made this lovely fire just before the heavens opened and we experienced a tremendous mountain thunderstorm and a deluge of rain.  Needless to say, we scavenged through the coolers for dinner and spent time playing cards in the tent, since it was a very soggy evening.  The boys are really good campers though, and they just kind of roll with whatever comes our way.

 They love their headlamps.

 There was a balloon festival in Steamboat Springs so we got up really early to go to the balloon launch.  The weather wasn't entirely cooperative, but we got to see a few go up.

 This guy pilots without a basket

 The balloons were very pretty

 Northwest Colorado is dotted with beautiful ranches, so we suddenly found ourselves in the middle of a cattle drive.  Lots of mamas and babies.

 Morgan snoozing with his carton of worms, which he called his "gummy worms"

 My three fishermen on the opposite shore

 Morgan casting away

 Happy campers

 Team Daddy/Jacoby caught a cutthroat trout!

 Checking out their catch

 It was such a fun experience for them

 He was about 12 inches long

 Morgan taking care of some potty business, and Jacoby giving him some big brother advice

 Playing with the worms

 Playing on the beach at Steamboat Lake

 Nothing but their birthday suits underneath their fleeces, after an impromptu swim at Steamboat Lake. (:

 Working on their camp journals while we got supper going

 Morgan wrapping up his hobo dinner...yummy!  And lucky for us, no thunderstorm or rain this evening!

 The brothers

 Roasting marshmallows

 Fishing at the end of the day

 Here we are...a tired, smelly bunch.  But it was a very good time.

 One last snack before bedtime

 Enjoying the camp fire and looking at the stars

Jacoby read to us every night, by headlamp, of course

 

 Moose antlers

This was our trip home up over Trail Ridge Road...not great driving conditions, especially when you're driving on the edge of a mountain at 12,000 ft.  But we made it home safe and sound.

Fourth of July and Other Adventures

We enjoyed a quiet fourth of July at home.  The boys lit sparklers and a few other (mostly) legal fire works with Justin.  I made ribs, corn on the cob, and grilled peaches.  Peaches, you ask?  Why yes, we're happy to have these back in our diet, along with oats, coconut, pumpkin, plums, cherries, olives, and a few others.  Anyways, we also went out to see the city fireworks, which were quite impressive.

Justin flew to Pittsburgh on Friday, so the boys and I decided to set out on our own adventure.  As a meeting planner, I frequently get asked to visit hotels and about a month ago I received an invitation to stay at a newly renovated hotel in Louisville.  I initially thought it was silly, but when Justin booked his trip to see Jared, I decided the boys and I would have a sleepover and visit some of their favorite places in our old neighborhood.  We had a great time at the library and their favorite park, and we spent most of the evening at the pool.  It was a great time.

Here are some pics:

 Trying out sparklers with Daddy

 They had a good time with these

 I left the boys a note before leaving for work about our adventure...

 They were thrilled to visit some of their favorite places, including the library.

 They've asked to visit this park several times, so we went before dinner and before going home the next morning.

 Having a picnic dinner in our hotel room

 And a picnic breakfast too...

 And then we decided to have a little holiday cheer in July, so we got out the Polar Express train for a few days.

 And we of course had to watch the movie too...with hot chocolate and marshmallows

 Play dough time

I had to take a sample of our ghetto grass to the local nursery to get a diagnosis, so the boys explored the fountains.  Ghetto grass has been diagnosed with a fungus.  Sigh.  I'm about over trying to grow grass in Colorado.  But I do love spending time at this nursery!

I got a wild hair this weekend and decided to do something about this bathroom.  I blame the curtain rod.  The old one broke and fell down, so I bought a new curved one.  And then noticed our almost 12-year old shower curtain didn't look quite right.  So out came my paint brushes and a can of paint given to us by my parents!  I sort of go into withdrawal if I haven't painted in a month or so.  (:

I think it's off to a good start so far.  More to come on this space!

Summer Activities

Happy summer to all of you!  All is well in the Barber household.  We're busy with summer activities and enjoying some unscheduled days now that our medical appointments are behind us.  

We went camping last weekend.  Jacoby came down with a croupy cough the night before we were supposed to leave.  And since the croupy cough has landed us in urgent care on more than one occasion, we decided that Morgan and I would head to camp and Justin and Jacoby would come the following day.  I donned my girl scout britches and Morgan and I set up our tent, ate dinner outside, and really enjoyed some good one-on-one time together (although, by morning he was definitely anxious for his brother to arrive).  Mother Nature brought rain, hail, thunder, and wind part of the day, but then it cleared up nicely.  We had a good time.

Other than that, the boys enjoy being home together.  Jacoby continues to advance his reading skills.  We're trying to keep up with math and writing, but it's clear reading is his favorite.  Justin leaves for Pittsburgh on Friday.  He's helping Uncle Jared move into a new place.  Speaking of moving, we've been in our home for one year already!  The boys and I have a couple of fun activities planned while we're on our own.

Here are a few pics from the week:

 Morgan and Mommy's handiwork.  He was a great helper with the tent!

 The headlamps were a big hit.

 This child has a relationship with dirt the likes of which I've never seen before.  I literally had to scrub him down when we got home...there was dirt in all sorts of interesting crevices! (:

 The brothers together and playing by water, of course.

 The tall and the small...all my favorites.

When thunder was rumbling, the boys preferred the car to the tent.  Morgan and I played silly games, which he requested even when there wasn't thunder.

I took today off of work to spend some quality time in my house...b.y. m.y.s.e.l.f.  This was my first attempt at freezer cooking.  I think it went pretty well and stocked our freezer with enough meals to last us through Labor Day, more or less.  I'm hoping this is both a money and time saving effort.

And here's the mess that accompanied all of the great food.  But it was well worth it!

Justin went to a Rockies game with friends tonight, and since I'd spent all day in the kitchen, the boys and I went for a picnic and some fresh air after I picked them up from school.  

It was a lovely evening on the Boulder Creek.