Lair 'O the Bear and Buffalo Bill

While in Denver, we've been attending a weekly moms' group and it has been a great thing for us - we have been all over the area with people who know where to go: swimming, parks, movies, splashpads, etc. Last Friday we went hiking in Lair 'O the Bear park, and you couldn't ask for a prettier hike. For one thing, it was green. Most of our hikes have been around the red sandstone, which is beautiful, but, what can I say - I'm from VA. So it was nice to spend some time in a really lush, forested park for a change. Riley and Joe stopped every ten feet to shovel gravel in their buckets, which drove me nuts a little, I confess. When I hike I like to just go for it, but whatever. Patience, I guess.

 We picnic'd and played by the stream for a long while till loud cracks of thunder had us wrapping things up, but it was several hours worth of fun before all was said and done. It was our last day going with this group and we are going to miss the friends that we've made there! This week we are moving into a hotel by Dave's work, and then next week we'll be leaving CO for good, and I'm glad I can say we will truly miss this place - what a wonderful summer it's been!

Saturday we went to a church breakfast to celebrate Pioneer Day, which is an LDS church holiday to commemorate the crossing of the plains by the Mormon pioneers back in the 1850's to escape religious persecution and settle in the West where they could worship freely. Dave and I spoke about it in church a couple Sundays ago and I really enjoyed researching the miracles and sacrifices that occurred to make it all happen.

Following the social, the kids and I went to Golden for the Farmer's Market. Not Dave, because he was gone this weekend on a crazy hike with his work peoples. They had to start at 5am and got hailed and rained on and hiked 5,000 feet up, and I don't think Dave appreciated it, but he took some pictures at the top and it looked phenomenal so I hope he'll post them here - they really are something to see. Anyways...

The kids and I went to Golden but the market was closed because they were having their Buffalo Bill Parade (Buffalo Bill was buried there) so we went ahead and stayed for that instead and I'm so glad we did!

Bill!

Yup, hookers in a jail cell. I...ok.

Lots of local talent.

 It was HOT. Eventually I wised up and we found an ice cream parlor on the parade route and watched the rest of the parade from the air-conditioned comfort of their window seats.

 After the parade we walked down to the river where they were having a big festival - vendors, rides, games, and an 80's tribute band that had Joe dancing within an inch of his life. Oh it was lovely. And you better believe it got me a lovely long nap time after! The only draw back was that I lost our beloved stroller!

Try not to cry, but it really is sad. I was in a hurry getting the fussy, tired children buckled into car seats and then I pulled forward through our parking space and left it there in the parking lot, lonely and free to whoever took it home (of course I went back for it, but alas, too late). It was the handiest stroller, we have used it at least daily for two years, and it was at the perfect level of rickety-ness and tension - always gave me such a good work out wrangling it around corners and up and down hills and then having to practically drop kick it to get it to collapse before I could put it back in the car. I went on an early morning run today in anticipation of being stroller-less and unable to get our usual walk in, and I kid you not, I ran four miles and it did not even feel as strenuous as our usual stroller walk, up and down steep hills with two babies in it. We will get a new one asap - I am following up a few leads on Craigslist today, actually, but whoa is me and all that. At least early-morning runs have amazing sunrises:

 PS: To those who we'll be seeing at the beach in less than two weeks: I made the mistake of mentioning our flight last night and Riley perked right up and said, "The beach!" She ran to her room and got her swimsuit and cover up on and tried to get us to do the same. Boy are we excited!

PPS: I have been reading a Jillian Michaels' book, which I love, but she said child-rearing doesn't count in the "high-activity" level lifestyle and I must humbly disagree. Maybe her stroller isn't as rickety as mine.