We support the BLUE!

We are taking advantage of these chaotic times to teach our kiddos a valuable lesson. A lesson about personal responsibility and law and order. We support our cops and decided that they may need a morale boost. We spent the morning making blue M&M cookies and they also colored pictures for the precinct. We believe that all lives are important (to include the often forgotten unborn) and these are the values we are teaching them. We are praying for their safety!

SGT Dixon was awesome!

The kids received some police badge stickers

Epic tug of war...

Bruno will fetch with me and always brings the ball back. With the kids it’s a different story. It’s always a game of chase and a bit of tug o’ war.

Hiking and Fishing

It was another beautiful day in sunny Durango and we wanted to spend the day outdoors.  Some of us wanted to hike and some of us wanted to fish so we split up!  Joe, Maddie, Evelyn, Scarlet, Joseph and I went on a hike by our house while Papa Joe and Lorelai went fishing in our community lake.  The hike was the longest yet!  It was about 4 miles round trip and took a little over 2 hours to complete.  I was very impressed with how well the kids did, especially Scarlet!!  She really kept up well!  Joseph made it the whole way to the waterfall at the end, but rode back in the backpack carrier.

Lorelai got to spent some one on one time (always her favorite) with Papa Joe and they fished for hours!  They were pretty successful too!!  The biggest catch of the day was a rainbow trout that was so big, Lorelai had a hard time holding it!

Almost at the halfway mark, standing on a cliff overlooking the view.  Making my Momma heart beat too fast with them so close to the edge!

Joseph got nervous at the edge.  "I'm outta here!"

It's difficult to tell with all the vegetation but they're sitting on the edge of a drop off.  It's a long way down!

After the hike we came home and fed the kids lunch.  Scarlet and Joseph went down for a nap after that.  Scarlet does not usually take naps anymore so she wasn't too happy about it.  I went to check on her about ten minutes after I put her down....  I think the hike was a success in tiring her out....

Here are some pictures of Lorelai's fishing adventure.  She's fished a couple times before but always in the ocean.  It was a new experience!  Look at the joy on her face!

Lorelai's rainbow trout

It’s OPEN!!!!

Durango has had some strict lock down orders. No deaths here in town and very few cases but nonetheless it is much stricter here than where we moved from in Tennessee. It’s been hard on the kids. But today, for the first day, the caution tape was down at the playground!  The kids took off running. It was amazing!  We couldn’t stay long because we had somewhere to be but I couldn’t pass up the chance to let them play!

Running toward Utopia!

Wild boy!

Joseph is a wild boy, going nonstop everyday!

Bow to me!

Scarlet is very much into dress up and her new accessory is wigs!  In this video she wanted to be Queen Elsa but her sisters were not playing along with her imagination and she was getting frustrated.

May wrap-up...

Some leftover pictures from May...

I've got little hands helping me to make some pie!

If you know me, you know that PIE is one of my favorite things to bake. Teaching these girls how to roll out the dough because homemade crust is a must!

Look how proud this big boy is of his new big boy bed!

Scarlet has been in a toddler bed for far too long.  We just didn't have the space at our last house for her to get a big kid bed.  She is happy she has graduated into a bunk bed!

Scarlet's new dress up accessory? WIGS!

Addie (now 10.5yrs old) is trying to enjoy some sun...but she does have company

I am amazed to say that Lorelai is obsessed with bugs.  She likes to catch them and study them and has a constant supply in her bug catcher kit.  I'm ok with it as long as it remains an outdoor activity!

Scarlet asked to have her hair curled.  She also wanted mascara so I complied.  She is the girliest of them all!

You don't have to convince this girl to do a photo shoot!

Lorelai is a budding artist.... We found this Durango coloring book and she spent days on this picture.  She's very proud!

The best part of this new house is the QUIET!  I love stealing away to the backyard by myself to enjoy it.  

He even brings cars to the breakfast table

This little boy loves his Daddy

A little family fun!

Scarlet has piled on the jewelry.  Earrings, necklaces and bracelets galore.  I had to stop her from piling on more!  At last she added a unicorn headband and I guess she's fully accessorized.  I don't even know what to do with such a girly girl!

Joseph wanted to read the paper like his Daddy.  He sat at the table with me for quite some time, studying the pictures and asking questions.  It was pretty cute

Joseph kept asking if the people wearing masks were "bad guys"

This is usually how I look when I read the news lately.  No good news today...