a cow and an elephant

This was Cayle's first year to actually maybe participate in Halloween.  I purchased him a cow outfit a few weeks back, only to have him wake up the next morning and tell me "Cayle not like cows."  This was crazy news to me because the first animal he learned at about age 1 (give or take???) was a cow.  He used to moooo forever.  And since then he's loved cows.  So, I guess it makes sense that when I commit to making him a cow for Halloween, he turns on the poor things.  But, once it's bought online, that's what we're being!  And little Lindy Leighn...no choice for her!  Costco had some cute costumes, and I thought the elephant would be best for her.  Here's my cute animals :)

Cayle didn't want Lindy to sit by him...for good reason!  Approximately three seconds after this photo was taken, she projectile vomited all over him.  It.  Was.  Hilarious. 

Basketball

We started our basketball season last night with a W! It was a nice surprise as I didn't think my team was going to be very competitive. Granted the other team was not very good, but still, I thought we did ok. May be a better season that I had thought, but we def. have a long way to go!!! Tourney in Summit this weekend should be more of an eye opener for the kids, and give me a more realistic view on how the season may play out.

Donkeys and Chickens

We live in such a great place! For one, we have the beautiful mountains all around us. And two, we live in a small enough town (rural) that we still get to see farm animals on a daily basis. We (Cayle) sees horses and cows every day. Today it was chickens and donkeys! We stopped along the side of the road so Cayle and Carter could get out and pet the donkeys. It was a blast! They (the donkeys) loved the attention. (This was just on the way to school) Cayle actually talked to them as well. Hee Haw, and he got a decent scare when they "talked" back to him... 

Getting So Big!

Cayle and Lindy took their first bath together tonight. Lindy has a cool chair we borrowed from Aunt Michelle. Cayle was really gentle with Lindy, helping her wash her soap off and giving her bath toys to play with :)

Never Ending

It has been such a good learning experience putting in our new flooring. That being said, I can definitely understand why you would pay to have it done if that was an option. It just seems like it never ends. Today we were trying to finish up. Trim, Quarter Round, Caulking, and the final closet. Seemed like it should be simple enough. We got Caulking done, most of the quarter round cut, and the closet is done. Still have to nail the quarter round, touch up paint, and put furniture back, then clean the garage of all the scraps. Hopefully a couple more hours tomorrow should take care of it. Will for sure be nice to be done with it! Natalie has done a fantastic job measuring and marking everything for me to cut.

I think it for sure looks great though! Well worth all the time and work!

Home Improvements

 September was a crazy busy month for back yard and home improvements!!! We cleared out all the riverbed rock (sharp and not kid friendly) and moved in 12 tons of pea gravel. Also moved a bunch of the cobbles to open up more play and garden space. Moved the straw bales that were surrounding the fire pit and moved in large wood stumps to sit on. (I will get some more pics of the back yard soon) The goal was to maximize space for gardening and for the kids.

12 Tons of Pea Gravel....

Cayle loves his new play area! He always says, "lets go to my playground daddy."

Justin and Rob beginning to rip carpet

Cayle and Mack "helping"

Boys with tools

Carpet is out!!!

Sub floor

New wood laminate all installed

New floor with new area rug! The kids and dogs love the rug!!!

Lindy really LOVES the rug! Cayle loves Lindy!

We are almost completed with the floor. We have to finish a closet, and then putty a few areas and caulk and paint the baseboards. Almost done!! It was a big project, but we were able to get it done with the help of some good friends!

3rd Annual Oktoberfest Party

Had our 3rd annual Oktoberfest Party last Friday night. We had some unwelcome rain this year, although it wasn't as cold as it has been in the past. The fire was really nice, unfortunately because of the rain we didn't get to enjoy it as much as usual. As always, the food was fantastic. I made Caramel corn for the second year in a row! So Yummy!

Cayle has a s'more. It was a mess!

Standing on the stumps for some reason around the fire.

Last year we had mostly pumpkin beers. This year we had a lot of Oktoberfest beers and some IPA's. Only a one pumpkin brew.

BMX!!!!

Took Cayle to the BMX track tonight for a few laps. Wasn't really too sure what to expect. I thought he would enjoy it, but was also a little concerned he would be scared by the size of the bumps. Turns out, he LOVED it!!!

The look on his face on his first lap was one of pure joy! We did 3 laps, each one faster than the last one. He was saying, "Weeee" like the pig from the Geico commercial.

When we left, he asked when we could come back!

Lindy is 6 months old!

Took Lindy to the dr yesterday for her check-up. Dr. Engle said she looks great and is super-healthy...but she's a peanut :). She weighed 13 lbs 3 oz. and is nowhere near having teeth.

I admitted to Dr. Engle that I didn't wait til 6 months to start Lindy on solids. She started cereal a few weeks ago. Then I tried bananas (which she absolutely hates) before moving on to avocados (which she loves). We are now on to Cheerios and sweet potatoes. And we will continue to add one new food every three days. Side note: our sweet baby girl is sleeping much better now that she's on solids!

Pumpkin Patch

  

We made our annual trip down to the Pumpkin Patch in New Castle this past weekend. The last 3 years we have made the trip by ourselves. This weekend we had company with a couple of friends and their families. A great time was had by all! Cayle really got into it this year. He enjoyed it a lot last year, but this year seemed to understand it a little more. Although he did keep calling it "the pumpkin store." 

Cayle kept wanting to push the wheelbarrow.

"I like this one!!!"

Helping to push the pumpkins to be weighed/

Grandpa's Visits

Grandpa stopped by just over a week ago to spend some time with us before he headed over to Moab to mountain bike.

And now he's visiting again!  Cayle is loving his grandpa time.  And Lindy looks like she's handling it pretty good, too :)

Friends

Work hasn't been off to the greatest start this year.  I have a new schedule of classes to teach, all three grade levels of students (6-8), and lots of drama with regard to being a mentor and the athletic director.  So, a number of days have ended with me in tears, and wondering how long I can handle the stresses.  Friday was one of those such days. 

When we left Springfield, one of the hardest parts of the move was the realization of how far away we were from our awesome friends.  Friends like those don't come along every day!  But I'm thankful for my new friends I've made out here in Eagle County.  One of those friends came over for the Oktoberfest party Friday night and brought me an awesome mum plant.  After listening to my whine-fest on Friday she said she thought I needed it.  I'm so thankful for friends :) And also thankful for weekends that help you forget how the previous day's work...

Busy, Busy, Busy

It has been insane here - so much going on!  And we're tired.  Here are some upcoming blog topics:
backyard renovations
new floor
lindy eats solids
oktoberfest party
thankful for friends
pumpkin patch
grandpa's visits and cayle's bible

All this and more - coming soon!

Tour of Vail Crit

We were lucky enough to have a criterium bike race in Vail recently. I did not race because my fitness is lacking, and we have been doing work on the house. I did however get to take Cayle to the PRO race later on Sunday. He loved it!

Riding around near the race. He loved the bridge in Vail Village.

Cruisin - he may have been the highlight of the race. Everyone was cheering for him!

Local Pro Jake Wells on the front of the peleton

It was chilly at 6pm in Vail.

Riding on the course after the race

Preparing to try out for the Cardinals!!!

First you have to put the bat up in the air (he didn't want to wear any other clothes.)

Then you put the bat onto your shoulder to get ready to swing

Keep your eye on the ball and swing for the fences. He actually hits the fence in the background quite often. The hose is a marker for where to put his feet...

The Barber Shop

Welcome to daddy's barber shop! It's cheap and gets the job done :)

Fresh Garden Salsa

Fresh Onions from the garden (first onions grown for me)

Fresh toms and serrano and jalapeno peppers from the garden

Fresh green peppers from the garden

= Fresh Garden Salsa... all from my garden except for the garlic, lemon juice, salt, and cilantro

Lindy has a bike!!!

Just picked up this bike from a friend for $20!!! Lindy has a bike ready and waiting for her. Of course, she will have to go through the Strider first. The real challenge is going to be keeping Cayle off of it...