One weekend it’s Isla’s birthday, then the next it’s Sasha’s, only to be followed by Father’s Day the following weekend! What a happy month. Sasha’s birthday celebrations were very low key, and since he really wants a new road bike for Christmas, I was off the hook for a gift (apparently it’s being combined in December!). I asked him no less than twenty times, “When you say you don’t want a gift, does that mean you really want something but are just saying that? Or you’ll be okay if you wake up on Saturday with just a card?” I think this is quintessentially the difference between males and females – when they say they’re okay without getting a gift, they actually mean it! Ha. 

We roadtripped to Moab on Friday – and ohmygoodness, the views. It is one of the most spectacular places. We even noted that the car ride was one of our favorite parts because it was just gorgeous view after gorgeous view after gorgeous view. I’m so in love with Colorado and Utah.

Other highlights from the week were getting Isla’s new bike (a gift from my parents) and watch Isla gain confidence as she strode along the sidewalks. We also went to the Rec Center to swim, which was fun (Isla loves going down the big slide with her dad!). We drove to meet Sasha mid-ride at Baker’s Bridge, which is about 15 minutes away and is a gorgeous part of the Animas River. Last, but not least, a highlight only because it ended well – Sasha’s treacherous journey down the river on a two-man raft. The river is going to quickly right now (and it’s freezing!). So when Sasha said he wanted to go down himself, I thought he was crazy. But he loves adventure, so it wasn’t that shocking. I dropped him upriver and then the girls and I drove down to White Water Park, where all the crazy rapids are, to take photos. We were only there for a few minutes when I saw his duckie floating without him on it, just past the craziest rapids. I literally thought he had drown and was panicking. The sweet man next to me started looking for him and spotted him on the other side of the river, walking along the bank to get the duckie. I managed to call him, then watched him walk with the raft over his head to avoid more rapids before embarking on a journey across the river without paddles! The crazy man used his hands as oars. He was freezing cold when I got him in the car, and his GoPro footage has us crying laughing. What a day! We won’t forget about that journey down the Animas.

I hope you had a great week too! We are leaving Colorado next Wednesday, and we plan to enjoy every second we have left in this gorgeous weather. xo

June is here! The month of Isla’s and Sasha’s birthdays and Father’s Day… and the beginning of summer (which truly came circa March in Houston). We celebrated Isla turning three yesterday (update coming soon!) with a very fun, relaxed day in Durango. We opened gifts, played outside, went and fed the fish, rode our bikes to the ‘big park’ (it’s furthest away, but the best!!), ate a dinner of her choice – salmon (it’s her favorite), then finished the big day with Moana, of course. We typically only watch a movie on Friday night, but made an exception for her birthday!

As for the rest of the week, we had a few encounters with deer (in our yard!), celebrated Memorial Day and Emi’s four month-iversary, made many trips to feed the fish, ate at Thai Kitchen, Grassburger and Fired Up Pizza, spent many hours playing with Isla’s new dollhouse and took a much needed walk across town to get a Diet Strawberry Limeade at Sonic (my constant craving!). We only have two weeks left in Colorado, and we trying to make the most of it! I hope y’all are enjoying the beginning of summer too! xo

Happiest Monday! Aren’t holiday weekends the best? Why aren’t all weekends three days? Doesn’t three and four seem more well-balanced for a week to weekend split? Anyways, I digress. Our best friends, the Behennas, headed back to Oklahoma today after spending a week here in Durango. This was their third trip, so we’re now in the “annual” territory. I cannot believe the first time they came, Lillian was only 6 weeks old, and Isla 10! 

They arrived on Kirby’s birthday, so naturally I had to try to make a Funfetti recipe healthy, so we celebrated the best we could with dry, vegan, gluten free cupcakes. We got into a daily routine of walking down to the Fish Hatchery to feed the fish in the morning, then would go to the park, play outside, walk through town, etc. until lunchtime. Then nap time, and another activity in the evening. We went to the Rec Center to swim, Kirby and I escaped for ‘Mother’s Day Out’ spa treatments, we frequented many parks, ate at our favorite restaurants (Himalayan Kitchen, Carver’s, Grassburger – to name a few), had lots of Cream Bean Berry ice cream, roasted s’mores, played bean bag toss, waved as a zillion trains went by, browsed the goods at the Saturday Farmer’s Market, celebrated Isla’s third birthday (party photos here), and cheered Sasha on during his big mountain bike race (the Iron Horse Classic). In the evenings, we played games (Monikers and Butt Head were favorites!), drank wine by the fire pit, and had some deep belly laughs while catching up. Needless to say, we made amazing memories and I cannot wait until next year’s trip.

And to prove it, there are a zillion photos below (unfortunately not in any sort of chronological order)! Ha. Totally a shutterbug when these four kiddos are together.