Our Family Adventures

Virginia

2010-12-15T20:03:00.004-07:00

Chris went to Virginia for training in October and I decided I would meet him out there for the weekend since it was his birthday. We didn't have much time to play tourist because he was in training all day and we were leaving early Sunday morning. So, Friday late afternoon we went to NRA's headquarters in Fairfax and went the National Firearms Museum with Joslyn. Then at sunset we went to the Manassas Battlefield. Then Saturday, we went to Washington DC with Joslyn and Jonathan and saw what we could in one day. We went to the Library of Congress, Capitol, Smithsonian Air and Space, Washington Monument, Vietnam Wall, Lincoln Memorial, WWII Memorial and saw the back side of the White House.

Here's a few pictures from our trip:

More Camping

2010-07-25T22:03:00.003-06:00

We are going camping this weekend with some friends and family. We are going to Jefferson and stay in the campground where the guys stay for their elk hunting trips. I will post more and pictures from our trip when we get back.

*** We had a blast. We stayed in an open camp area. My dad and brother went with us as well as friends Rebecca and Ian. It rained one of the nights, and we all sat around the fire inside trash bags. We also had to doctor up our camper as it leaked from the rain and got the kids bed all wet. We had to put some plastic trash bags over the top of the camper and hold into place with rocks. It has since been sealed with some asphalt tape and silicone.

Summer Time

2010-07-25T19:52:00.009-06:00

We've had a nice summer so far. We went to the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo in Colorado Springs over Memorial Day weekend. I forgot what a nice zoo that is. The boys enjoyed it, but it is a lot of walking so they starting to complain that they had to walk up the side of the mountain too much.

We went camping at the beginning of June up behind Central City. Was nice that the 4 of us went up for the weekend. The weather was nice and cool while it was hot down in town. The boys had fun riding bikes and digging in the dirt. Chris was getting the fire prepped to cook dinner.

Then, we went to Telluride for the 4th celebration. That was an adventure in itself. We were so close to the fireworks, you could feel them rumble off your chest.
When we got there on Friday, we were going to stay at Alta Lake....Well, when we looked at the campground listing it just said for high clearance vehicles. I thought, we have a truck and the camper isn't as low as a car.....what could it hurt? Let me tell you what it hurt - we got stuck in the pouring rain and snotty mess called mud. We got stuck on some rocks trying to get out and it ripped off the stablizer jacks and ripped a hole in the sewer tube. Was a big mess. So, after an hour of standing in the pouring rain, we finally got out. We head down the road a ways and discover all the campgrounds are full, so on down the road we continue. We come up on Lizard Head pass (elev. 10,500 ft) and see an open field with a bunch of other campers in it. We decide to pull in to check it out. Chris decided to try and go up a little too far and got the truck and camper stuck - AGAIN. This time it is in about a foot of wet, gooey mud. We drew a big crowd as we tried to get out. Every time Chris would try to back up, the camper would jack knife and he couldn't get out of the ruts. Eventually, after numerous attempts he got the truck high enough up the hill to get the camper straightened out so he could actually back up straight. We get parked in our spot and begin to set everything up.

Chris had to rig us some stablizer jacks since we tore them off. He used some 2x4's and hammered them tight up against what was left of the supports....Talk about red-neck! (I didn't get a picture of it) The sunset was from the first night up there. It was amazingly beautiful. This was looking out the door of our camper. The other sunset picture is on the back side of our camper.

This is what wideass looked like after we parked. The picture does not show all of the mud, but it was EVERYWHERE! You can see in the distance a camper up at the top of the hill. That is where Chris was trying to go when we got stuck.

Bridal Veil is such a beautiful waterfall. We went back a few times to just sit there and watch and listen to it.

I was dreading how the rest of vacation would turn out, but it turned out just fine....no other incidents. We spent some time in Ouray and went on a horse drawn carriage tour of the town. That was cool because the guy giving the tour had some inside history of the town. His wives relatives migrated to Ouray back in the 1800's when it was a mining town.

Doulas

2010-03-26T21:03:00.002-06:00

I have been taking an online class to be a doula. You ask, "what is a doula?" The word doula comes from the Greek meaning "a woman who serves". A birth doula assists the laboring woman during the birth of her child. She provides emotional and physical support as well as providing the parents-to-be with information to make an informed decision, helps prepare a birth plan, position suggestions during labor, avoid unnecessary interventions, written birth record and help with breastfeeding preparation.

Statistics have shown that having a doula during your birth:
50% reduction in cesarean
25% shorter labor
60% reduction in epidural requests
40% reduction in oxytocin use
30% reduction in analgesia use
40% reduction in forceps delivery

If you are pregnant or know anyone who is and these services would be of benefit feel free to contact me to set up an interview.

Arkansas

2010-02-13T09:32:00.004-07:00

We had to take an unexpected trip to Arkansas this week for Grandpa Fisher's funeral. Despite the purpose of the trip, it was nice to see the family and for the boys to meet their Great Aunt's and Uncle's. The boys also got to meet their Great-Great Uncle and Aunt.

The trip started off a little rough leaving Colorado. A snow storm was moving in as we were trying to leave. As we dropped the dogs off the snow started to pick up. Roads were snow covered and slick, but we managed to get out of Colorado. Kansas was really windy, but at least the roads were just wet. We made it just outside of Kansas City and the GPS started acting up. Kept recalculating then decided it wanted us to keep turning. We finally made it into Missouri and that's when the trip got a little scary again. The wind was blowing and the roads were icy. There was some black ice along the way. After 15 1/2 hours of driving, we finally made it into Arkansas.

I'm so proud of the boys. This is the longest trip they have been on and they did awesome being cooped up in the car. They all had their moments, but they managed to be good.

We had a good time visiting with all the family and telling stories.

Left to Right:
Uncle John, Aunt Terri, Aunt Tamy, Joshua, Uncle Brad, Brandon, Bailey, Great Aunt Val, Great Uncle Roy, Ashleigh & Chris.

Bailey and Brandon with their Great Uncle Brad, Great Aunt Terri and Grandma

Holidays 2009

2010-01-01T23:08:00.004-07:00

Well, we've had some busy holidays this year. Started off in October with Talon's party on Halloween. We had so much fun as we all dressed up in our costumes for the party and then all went trick or treating afterward. I don't have any pictures as they were all taken on Jenna's camera (and I was behind the lens so none of me :) ).

Then there was Thanksgiving. We had a very nice dinner with Mom and Dad. We had ham instead of the usual turkey. Hit the spot for sure.

Then there was December.... had Christmas Eve with the Goodnow's, Christmas breakfast at my parents and then gifts once the Mears clan came over. This year, we decided to celebrate Ember's birthday on New Year's Day with Brandon. It was a good year in whole, but I'm ready to see what the new year has in store for us.

Here is a picture of the 3 Goodnow generations on Christmas Eve.

As soon as I get the birthday pictures downloaded and the rest of the Christmas pictures sized, I will post up some more pictures.

New Truck

2009-08-29T18:48:00.005-06:00

Chris crossed over.....Decided that he doesn't want a Government Motors vehicle any longer, so he got a ..... FORD!!

Better check to see if hell froze over. It's a 2003 F-350 dually.

Cousins

2009-08-29T17:12:00.011-06:00

Today we took the kids to get their pictures taken. We took Sierra and Sienna with us too and had their pictures done as well. Here are a few pictures of the kids:

4th of July

2009-07-05T20:03:00.004-06:00

We watched Sierra and Sienna over night on July 4th. We took them to watch fireworks with us. Sienna slept through it, even the loud bangs and Sierra enjoyed watching all the pretty colors. Here's all four kids sitting in the truck waiting for them to start the show.

Then, this morning before we took the girls back to Jenny, we stopped at the park and took their pictures. Here is a picture of Sierra:

And a picture of Sienna (she just turned 1 on July 2nd):

Visit with Gram

2009-06-28T07:53:00.004-06:00

Chris, Bailey, Brandon, Ember, Talon and I all went to visit Gram last night. They were supposed to have an ice cream social for the residents and their families of the memory unit. We showed up, and they had canceled it without notifying us. So, we signed Gram out and took her for a walk and went on the assisted living side and sat in their court yard for a while. She was so happy to see all of us and see the kids. She was in bed when we got there, and as soon as we walked in the door she got a huge smile on her face. She got right up, put her clothes back on and said lets go somewhere, so that's when we went to the court yard. So, I think next weekend we will go earlier in the day and pick Gram up and take her out for ice cream.

Visit

2009-06-16T19:55:00.003-06:00

Tonight we went to visit Gram. We didn't stay very long as it was her wind down time. She seems to be doing good and enjoys it. Since I am not working on Thursday or Friday I am going to go spend a few hours with Gram during the day and go out to lunch.

Time with Gram

2009-05-26T13:06:00.003-06:00

Today I am spending the day with my Gram. Her and I went shopping for a little bit then went to lunch. Now we are back home and we both are crocheting. She made a big granny square and I am starting on a new afghan. It will be multi-colored as it is made using scraps of yarn. When it is done, I am going to give it to my Gram to lounge around with.

A Few Photos

2009-05-24T17:32:00.006-06:00

These are from today. The boys did really good. We finished the pictures just in time for the skies to open up and start pouring rain.

Schools almost out

2009-05-24T11:00:00.003-06:00

The boys will be done with school on May 28th. I can not believe that the school year is already over. I still haven't figured out what I am going to do with them this summer. I need to make a quick decision though and get them into some kind of program.....Issue is how much they all cost.

Brandon will be in second grade next year. It feels like yesterday that he was starting kindergarten. Bailey will be in fifth grade next year....His last year of elementary school :( He is growing up so fast, I can not believe that is ten now!! We will be switching the kids to a different school for next year. I am not happy with the school they are in now.

We are going to the park today so I can take some pictures of the kids. I hope they will cooperate with me today. Sometimes they do, but most of the time they don't and it is irritating. I will make a post of some pictures when we get back.

Gram is coming home!

2009-05-23T23:19:00.002-06:00

Gram will be coming home tomorrow. I am happy that she will finally be close again and I can go see her whenever I want to. You can follow her progress here. Will update soon.

Lovely

2009-03-27T18:18:00.004-06:00

So, the Friday before spring break (March 20th) I got a call from the kids' school. It was 8:15 and school hadn't started yet. It was the school nurse. She was calling to tell me that Brandon got hurt on the playground. Him and some other kid were racing and this kid decided to trip Brandon. He did a head dive into the concrete and skinned up his face. He did not even get a scrape on his hands or knees.
The picture did not show how purple his cheek was. It looked horrible. The scabs are mostly gone now and he just has a little tiny piece on his cheek.

Holidays

2009-01-05T10:53:00.003-07:00

We had a nice Christmas and New Years. I'm glad the holiday's are over though. We spent time with all of our family and really enjoyed it.

Chris, Bailey, and I all went to Nebraska over New Year's. Chris, Kirk and Rob all went pheasant hunting and only came back with 2 birds. We saw a bunch, but they all were too far away to shoot at. Brandon ended up staying home with my parents as he was not feeling good.

While everyone was hunting, I went and visited Gram. It was a very nice visit and I am hoping to go back again soon. Will be kind of difficult though as I start school on January 20th and will have a class on Saturday's. We'll see how it works out.

I do have a couple pictures from the hunting trip, however they are just of the boys walking thru the field - No birds.

Will make a post of a few Christmas pictures after I get them downloaded.

Estes Park Drive

2008-09-28T18:17:00.010-06:00

Well, today we went for a drive the back way up to Estes Park. It was so nice out today. Mom and Dad went along with us to see the pretty trees. We took Hwy 93 to Hwy 72 (the Peak to Peak highway). Here are some of the pictures from today's car ride.

My car sitting in front of the pretty red aspens.

Car in front of the church.

Chris, Bailey and Brandon standing in front of the beautiful golden colors of Colorado.

Front of the church

Elk on the golf course in Estes Park. There was about 6 females near by and he was sticking his tongue out as he walked closer to the girls.

Grammy, Bailey and Brandon.

Grammy, Papa, Bailey and Brandon

The beautiful sea of gold

Yesterday we went to Boulder Falls and here are a couple pictures from there.

Summer is almost over!!

2008-09-05T07:14:00.004-06:00

Well, summer has come and is almost gone. School has started for the boys and they are really enjoying it. Bailey is in 4th grade this year and it is so hard to believe that my baby is growing so fast. Brandon is in 1st grade this year. I can not believe how fast these kids are growing. Before I know it, they are going to be driving and having girlfriends. We didn't go on any trips this summer. Gas prices were just way too high for us to take the truck out. Not even any camping and that makes me sad. We will be going into the mountains in the next couple weeks though and see all the pretty trees changing. I want to go over Boreas Pass again and drop into Breckenridge like we did last year. That was a beautiful drive!

I took the kids out a few weeks ago to CU and took some pictures. They turned out nice. I didn't know there was a wedding party up there getting their pictures taken. There is this bridge that I really wanted to have the kids stand on for me to take their picture....Well, Chris and the boys walked right into their photo shoot - OOOOPS

Then I took them over to Grandma's and took their picture by the pond. Here is one of the pond pictures. I will have to resize some more and post them up.

Happy 4th!!!

2008-07-05T15:19:00.005-06:00

Happy 4th of July!!

We didn't do too much of anything this year for the 4th. We watched fireworks from the house and didn't go anywhere this year.

This summer we put the boys into a summer camp. They are really enjoying it more than they did daycare. They are getting swimming lessons at camp as well. Bailey is doing really well and enjoys going under the water. Brandon doesn't care for it so much, but they are working on him with it. Brandon freaks out a little bit in the water.

This week we took the car up to Bandimere and raced it down the track. I didn't drive this time, but I will next time. Chris is starting to get the hang of it and loves to race it. Here is a video from the last time at the track. Bailey took this video and you can hear him say "come on Dad."

We haven't done any camping yet this summer and I don't think we will either. We went to Steamboat Springs over Father's Day weekend with Mom and Dad for the Rocky Mountain Mustang Roundup and that was fun. There were TONS of nice mustangs up there. Here are a few pictures from that.

Glasses

2008-05-26T11:38:00.005-06:00

Well, Bailey has recently had to get glasses. He looks so cute with his glasses. They make him look so much older now. Brandon doesn't need them just yet. I am sure he will be needing them some day though.

Updates

2008-03-24T18:35:00.000-06:00

It is starting to warm up out so we decided to go for a ride in the car. The boys are doing good and growing like weeds!

Bailey will be turning 9 in about 6 weeks and I can't believe it.

Brandon is loving Kindergarten this year. He really gets excited over school.

Here is what we went cruising in. We took it up towards Eldorado Canyon just west of Boulder and stopped at a park to take pictures of it.

New Ride

2008-02-21T20:45:00.000-07:00

Well, I traded in the Tahoe and got me a little "Grocery Getter" that is turbo charged. It is a Mazda Speed3. It is a fun car to drive. Gotta stay out of it because it is very easy to go faster than you think you are going.

Merry Christmas!!!

2007-12-25T08:11:00.000-07:00

We are having a white Christmas. It is snowing here today.

The pictures with the blue background were taken a couple weeks ago.

Merry Christmas!

The boys opening their gifts today.

Family Picture

2007-11-23T10:34:00.000-07:00

We took this picture in August in Chris' parents back yard by the barn.

A Few Pictures

2007-11-14T07:44:00.000-07:00

I bought a new background for taking pictures. Tell me what you think.

Just for fun, here is a few of the animals :)

Welcome new Cousin!

2007-11-12T08:36:00.000-07:00

We had a Welcome to the World party for Talon on November 10th. It was nice and the boys enjoyed taking turns holdin their newest cousin.

Happy Halloween!!

2007-11-12T08:21:00.000-07:00

The boys wanted to be devil's for halloween. It was not too cold this year and NO SNOW. Last year it was pretty cold, but nothing like 2005. Bailey actually went trick -or- treating this year too. He hasn't gone since he was probably 2 or 3. He gets a costume every year, just doesn't go out. He said that he had lots of fun!

Summer Adventures

2007-09-29T07:40:00.000-06:00

We had our first camping trip of the year the first weekend in June. It was a blast! Kirk and Dee were there, my brother and one of his friends. We went up Thursday night and everyone else came up Friday. On Friday, we started the fire at 6:30 in the morning and let it burn all day. By dinner time, the fire was so hot our steaks cooked in about 5 minutes. We burned so much wood that day, the pit was filled to the top of the rim with ashes. Rob put a couple beer bottles in the fire and they melted. Next he put a pop can in the fire and it completely melted to a pool in about 2 minutes. The coals glowed purple.

We went over Guenella Pass. It goes from Georgetown over into Grant. We didn't see much, but we did see this deer. You can see the fuzz on its antlers.

We went to Garden of the Gods, Seven Falls and Pikes Peak in July. The boys enjoyed the many different sceneries of Colorado.

The family at Garden of the Gods. I took the tripod and had a remote for my camera.

We only saw a few chipmunks and a couple ducks at Seven Falls.

This is my favorite picture. This is not part of the Seven Falls. It is at the bottom by the elevator.

It was 100 degrees in Denver on the day we went to the top of Pikes Peak. It was 48 degrees at the top and it started snowing while we were up there.

Standing in front of the America the Beautiful sign.

Looking over the side of the road.

Looking down the valley at the top. I wouldn't go near the edge, but Chris took the picture.

Then in August we went to Mount Evans, Coors Brewing Co and Trail Ridge. On this trip is when we saw the most wildlife out of all of our adventures. We had family come in town from Arkansas and we took them to the mountains as they have never been here before.

We saw some Rocky Mountain Goats. We were within about 5 feet of the goats at the top.

Mom is nursing the kid. They were on the side of the road. There was about 20 of them just laying on the rocks watching everyone.

This is one of our stops on the way to the top. It was freezing up there. It was about 56 degrees, but windy. It was especially cold at the top of the mountain. It was really windy at the top. It was so cold that our hands and noses were like ice cubes in the 5 minutes we spent out of the vehicle. It was really pretty though. It was clear enough that we could look out into the skyline and see downtown Denver.

I didn't take many pictures while at Coors. Mostly pictures outside of everyone standing in front of the sign.

Fall Colors

2007-09-23T16:29:00.000-06:00

Saturday, September 22 we went down through South Park and over Boreas Pass into Breckenridge to see the trees changing. It was so pretty and nice. After we left Breckenridge we drove to Vail before turning around. The leaves in Vail were still green and many shades of green with some gold mixed in.