The Doggie Drag

Winter Park has an annual 5K run that you can bring your dog to (elev. roughly 8600 ft). There is also a 2k Run/Walk. My Dad's wife and her dog came up and ran the 5K with me. The doctor and the kids ran and walked the 2K. I finished in less time than the last two 5K's at 31 min 48 sec. Of course I had to stop halfway through the run for Daisy Duke to take a swim. She also stopped and laid down twice.(lazy dog, actually she wanted off the lead) At the end we were running through grass and she kept trying to get her gentle lead off. We almost caught up to the Dude and the Doctor. Daisy Duke received a free massage after we finished. My dad's wife finished shortly after us as Lily had to make a stop shortly after the race started. She finished just after the third place winner for her age group. Daisy Duke was getting her massage when we realized that the Napster wasn't with the other girls. The doctor went looking for her while I asked around if anyone had seen her. Just after they announced that she was missing I saw the Doctor walking with her. She was originally running with the girls but didn't realize that those running the 2K turned off and made a loop back. So she ran the 5K. The people she was running with said that she ran most of the way (which is very impressive at 5). They all thought she was running with a different group until they were too far to turn around. Thankfully she kept going and we found her. It was a blast. The Dude placed third for eighteen and under. The Princess also placed third. Her friend placed second as they were running together. If we has signed the Naptser up for the 5K she would have placed third also. I also placed third for 19 to 39 year olds. The kids receieved an award and a dog treat for placing. Daisy Duke received a bag of treats and a dog treat. The girls had so much fun that they want to run a 5K down in Denver in two weeks with my Dad's wife and I. If we can find someone to run with them as the Doctor has to watch Cute Stuff and he doesn't run, then they can do it. It was a great way for the family to do something fun together.

BRRRRRR.........

Friday morning we wake up to a phone call from one of the Dude's friends telling us that he can go camping that night or the next. As we were still asleep we said we would call him back. We then asked the Dude who was camping. He forgot to mention to us that he had invited his friend to go camping or even to ask if we were camping. As we haven't been camping this year we decided that we could go. Then the Princess's friend wants to go camping also. I wasn't going to go because I was running a 5k the next day and wanted some sleep as Cute Stuff kept us up most of the night before. The Doctor kindly volunteered to take all of the kids and their friends camping if I stayed for the campfire. He left with the boys to set up camp and then the girls and I went up a few minutes later. On the way up the road can get pretty narrow and people just fly down it. We came around a corner going uphill when a car came flying around the next corner. There was very littile room but I pulled to the edge of the road which is on the side of a hill and stopped. They barely missed us. Anyway I started to go again and the car died. I had forgotten that I was driving the Doctors car which is a manual. So we start rolling down hill. I rolled to the middle of the road and got started again. After this I decided that I was going to stay the night to avoid this happening again. the campfire was great the kids tried to tell scary stories but they were funny. The Doctor told a real life story that to me was scary but they said it wasn't scary at all. After a ton of marshmallows we all crammed into a five or six person tent with an air mattress, a port a crib and 5 five sleeping bags. Needless to say we need a bigger tent. It was starting to cool off when we went to bed. It took awhile for the kids to settle in and go to sleep. At around two the Doctor and I realize that neither one of us could sleep as it was freezing cold. We were both concerned with Cute Stuff being to cold. The Princess had climbed into our bed hours earrlier as she was also freezing. At this point we were trying to decide whether or not we should stay and tough it out or not. I wanted some sleep for the race and we didn't want Cute Stuff to freeze. Fifteen minutes later we decided it was way to cold and woke up the remaining three kids who were actually very warm. Cute Stuff was also warm. There are millions of stars out at two in the morning. We threw everything in our cars and headed home. When we left it my car said it was 39 degrees when we got home it said 36. Way to cold for California campers. We put everyone to bed and I fell asleep. The Doctor couldn't fall asleep for a few hours and the boys never went back to sleep. Lesson learned: Buy warmer sleeping bags. Just because they are warm enough for California doesn't mean that they are warm enough for Colorado.

The Great Outdoors

Friday the Doctor was off so we decided to take the kids for a hike behind the reservoir. New hiking shoes are not always a good choice. I have wide feet and my toes were asleep before we even started. The Princess brought her friend with us. And of course we took Daisy Duke who absolutely loves living here. We hiked up to some very old cabins that are falling apart. The kids were excited to see a falling down port a potty (outhouse) a few hundred feet away. There was also a creek behind the cabins. The kids went skipping across the rocks. The Napster and Princess of course fell in and soaked their shoes. Cute Stuff enjoyed throwing rocks into the water that the Doctor handed her. It was a blast. The kids were such hams constantly wanting their pictures taken. The Dude even posed for a lot of them. After the hike we rushed home made dinner and prepared for a night of camping.

Back to school. Yeah

The kids all started school today. The dude in Fourth grade, the Princess in third and the Napster in Kindergarten(which is all day. How nice is that). Their teachers are all really nice. The Princess said that it was her best day ever which is always a good sign. The Princess has the Dude's teacher from last year so we know what to expect for her this year which is nice. The parents were asked to come to the first 1 1/2 hours of school for the new Kindergartners. This was really difficult as the Doctor had to be in Denver today for a managers meeting. So I took Cute Stuff with me and she proceeded to get into everything she could find. She also tried to take down everything from the walls and when things weren't going well she decided to scream. Which anyone who has heard her knows that it is very loud. The Napster's teacher had set up a scavenger hunt with stickers for them to find their way around the school which was a lot of fun and then they made a hand print with a poem on the other side. It was very cute. I was very proud of her as she did not cry when it was time for me to leave even though we both wanted to. I then had to hunt down cute stuffs cup which I found in the classroom after searching the school. When I retrieved it there were a lot of crying kids in the room. I felt bad for all of the parents and most especially the teacher. I admire anyone who can handle things like this.Once back in the hall I remembered that she also had my phone so back to the classroom I went. Cute Stuff and I then walked to the park for a little fun and then came home. After school the kids stated that they all had a fun day and were excited that they had no homework. I also included a pic of the Napster's blanket that I made for resting time.

Just plain fun

On Friday the kids all had a friend over except for cute stuff of course. First the boys played wii fit while the princess and her friend asked if they could wash the dogs feet in a bucket of water, as they were muddy. The next thing that I see is Daisy Duke running by the window with dog shampoo all over her. She was giving the girls a run for their money. I felt bad for her as well water can get very cold. We usually bathe her in the tub and she doesn't like baths in the first place. Next the guys decided that it would be fun to have a water fight and the girls all joined in. Of course the girls would get upset when the guys soaked them but I think that they all had a great time. The evening was finished with the Princess' friend staying the night.

Steamboat Springs

On the way back from Utah we drove through a lot of small towns and everytime we passed a park Cute Stuff would announce loudly that there was a slide or park. So we decided to stop in Steamboat Springs which is another resort town. It is extremely pretty there. We stopped at a park and let the kids play at the park we saw on the way into town. It was right next to the river. Cute stuff loved going down the slides and the others enjoyed the jungle gym. Daisy Duke even enjoyed the river a little. The Doctor saw the dog he would eventually like to have walking on the trail by the park. Before we realized we had been there almost an hour so we hit the road.

Utah

On the weekend of the thirteenth we took the Doctor's brother back to Utah and had a great time. On Friday Kerry helped me pick out material for the Napsters rest blanket for school. On Saturday we met up with the Doctor's older brother and family for breakfast and a morning at Hill Aerospace Museum. The kids had a great time. The Princess and her cousin Ashlin quickly reacquainted themselves with each other and became inseparable the rest of the time. They are like two peas in a pod very sociable and outgoing. The Doctor and his oldest brother decided that the Dude needed a flying lesson. The kids also all took turns in the ejection seat and different simulators.

The Rodeo

The kids received free tickets to the rodeo from the school so we thought we would take them to one. First we took the Doctor's brother to a German restaurant that he had wanted to go too. It was overpriced and according to them not worth it but we had fun. Then off to the rodeo. It was great. The kids got to see bucking bronco's, bulls, calf ropers both men women and teams and barrel racers. They also got to go out and try to catch cows that had ribbons on their tails. It was family fun night and if we had been a little bit earlier we could have signed the kids up for sheep riding. The doctor bought Cute Stuff cotton candy which made a huge sticky mess. The kids had a lot of fun. We all enjoyed our first live rodeo.

Cute Stuff on Dew

Two weeks ago we had the Doctor's intern (now pharmacist) and his family came over for dinner as they were in town from Kansas. We barbecued and had a great time. His brother's girls got along very well with ours and so the entertained each other very well. Meanwhile the Doctors brother (still adjusting to the fact that nothing is safe from a baby) had left his mountain dew down in the living room. When he went to get it Cute Stuff was drinking it as fast as she could. She was extremely hyper the rest of the night running around all over, dancing and being very loud. She finally crashed around ten thirty that night. I thought we had pictures of her being goofy but I can't find them. The one I have is just before she crashed for the night.

The Reservoir

A couple of weeks ago the Doctor got of work and decided we should go to the reservoir. He and his brother put the canoe on top of the car and off we went. The reservoir is absolutely beautiful. We also took the princess's friend from around the corner. It was really great. Very peaceful when cute stuff wasn't screaming to get into the water. Daisy Duke likes to get her feet wet as well as cute stuff. By the end my shoes and pant legs were soaked from chasing cute stuff to keep her from going in too far. The kids had a lot of fun walking around while the Doctor and his brother tried fishing. Only the Doctor's brother caught a fish which he cooked and ate a few days later. The princess and her friend found a stick, a hook and some string and were trying to make their own fishing pole. We then took them out on the reservoir in the Canoe while the Doctor listened to Cute Stuff scream. They took turns rowing and then when they were tired and bored they counted fish until we headed in. When we got back the two girls were having a sleepover at the Princess's friends house. We had decided to walk them there which was a mistake because the Princess packed soo much stuff we were constantly picking up things she dropped. Overall it was a great night to relax and fish.