Raegan's 5th Flamingo Birthday

Raegan has been obsessed with flamingos for quite some time. So, naturally, she wanted a flamingo themed party for her 5th birthday and probably every birthday hereafter.

I had fun with her flamingo cake using flowers for the first time. It was a dense sugar cookie cake with pink buttercream. The kids still say it was the best cake they've ever tasted. We didn't have a single slice left over.

Mom and Dad were in town and we had the cousins over too for a BBQ and party.

The kids had a great time taking a swing at the flamingo pinata.

This was Raegan's first birthday party aside from our little family. She loved having everyone there to help celebrate.

It was a fun day that turned into a great evening.
Another successful birthday!

Estes Park- Day 2

The next day we hit the ground running again. We stopped in the tundra region of the park which is something I've never seen. The atmosphere, landscape, plant and animal life was incredibly unique at over 12,000 feet! It's a different world up here!

This bowl was carved from glaciers and continues to be covered in snow in July.

This is the highest lookout point in the park.

Once we came down out of the mountains, we went to the Alluvial Fan.

This waterfall was created when a dam broke up the mountain and the rush of water swept huge boulders and rocks down the mountain side and deposited most of them in the bottom of the valley below. This made for the best climbing playground for the kids. We spent a lot of time here climbing up the falls and playing in the water.

Ayden climbed to a boulder in the middle.

Do you see the kids with their hands up at the top? 

Raegan loved these pretty purple flowers.

It was an easy walk around Bear Lake but a spectacular one.

This lake was the definition of picturesque.

We finished up the day with a hike to another waterfall.

The drive back to the cabin was filled with more beautiful scenery.

We stayed in Grand Lake and fit in one more waterfall before heading home.

The kids did so awesome on this trip. We had long, very physical days and they kept up and seemed to enjoy it every step of the way. It is such a great experience to share these memories as a family. I hope there will be many more to come.

Estes Park- Day 1

I have wanted to see Estes Park since we moved here 5 years ago. So, after our southern Colorado trip went so well with the kids, I figured it was worth a shot. It was impressive in so many ways but not as impressive as the kids' hiking abilities! They hiked 9 miles in one day, some of that in cold rain! They were awesome and this place was awesome at every turn.

The first hike was to a series of 3 waterfalls.

Then we hiked to a series of 3 lakes.

The weather turned cold and rainy part way through the hike but the kids were troopers. They even found a spot to take cover.

Nana Camp

The most anticipated event of the year has arrived! The kids look forward to Nana Camp all year. And this year was extra exciting because it was Raegan's first year. She was over the moon and the other kids were just as enthused she was joining them. Their shirts were on and we were ready to go!

After Nana Camp concluded, Patrick, Aislin, and I joined them in Wyoming for July 4th and some camping in the Big Horns.

We did some BB gun target practice.

Climbed a lot of rocks.

Hung out by the camp fire.

And tried to sleep.

A lot of badges equals a lot of fun!
Another great year at Nana Camp.