Stay-cation Continued!

On September 11th we headed out to explore the Red Rock Amphitheater. When we arrived an event was closing down. There were lots of people in running cloths and a ton of fireman. My mom later found out that every September 11th they hold a 9-11 stair climb. The firefighters wear their outfits and carry names of those firefighters who died. The climb is designed to equal 110 stories the same height of the World Trade Center's Twin Towers. The proceeds of the event go towards all of the families effected by September 11th. I hope to be a part of it next year! 

 After our soggy morning at the rocks we headed into downtown.

 There we spent our afternoon indoors at the Science and Nature Museum. Riley's favorite place was the space exhibits, Brandon's was the minerals, and Lorlerei's the stuffed animals. 

 Loved this view of downtown Denver!

Riley's favorite animal!

 At the end of our vacation we wanted to take a train ride up to Pikes Peak. Unfortunately the weather became worse and flooding was rampant. Plus the mountain was socked in by clouds making the point of trip irrelevant. When you pay good money to ride a train and take in the scenery it better be a clear day. Hopefully when Nana and Opa come again next year we can make that trip a reality. 

Georgetown Colorado!

My parents recently came into town. Actually, they came during the 7 day rain fest. Luckily the rain did not stop most of our plans. Tuesday we went to Georgetown. One of the many small mining towns being restored. The main peak of interest was the amount of Victorians in this town. 

We took a free tour of this (still operating) energy museum. It was erected in 1900 and is the second oldest operating hydroelectric facility in the state. 

Below is the house of my dreams! :)

We found the cutest park after lunch and had to try it out.

They are currently restoring this old public school built in 1874. I wish we could have gone inside. The stair case was gorgeous and the ceilings were incredibly high.

Over all it was the best gloomy wet day we could have asked for. 

7 days of rain!

As a true Oregonian I welcomed the 7 days of rain. I as long as many others have been praying for rain all summer. Unfortunately the state of Colorado had never seen so much rain over the course of 7 days. The ground isn't very porous, and our Mountains are large rocks creating a nice slick surface to run off of. This caused raging waters, damn breaks, and pooling water in places that have never seen water. The hardest hit places were Boulder, Jamestown, Aurora, Longmont, Greeley, Estes park, parts of Littleton and many more . 

Below are pictures from Saturday. I was at Michaels when the storm started. You could hear the weather warning signal over the PA system and then a couple of seconds later the rain came down in sheets. You could barely hear other people talking. I quickly purchased my items and made my way to Walmart. The hail started to come down as I walked into the store. Thinking I was safe I wondered through the store grabbing a couple of things and then the electricity started to flicker. That's when I decided to head home. The electrical storm was amazing! Have you ever seen a ball of lightning? Well, I did, and it made me scream while I was driving. It was like a bright explosion in the sky fallowed by a cracking blast sound.  As soon as I got home I had to take these pictures. 

I realize that my pictures are nothing compared to the others reported on the news. It's crazy to look at pictures I have of Estes park and Boulder compared to the images on the TV. I can't believe the bike path we were on is now covered in water. All I can say is wow.

Labor Day/ BLRB

Today was Labor Day, so we went out for a day trip to Estes Park. Everybody I have ever talked to raves about this town. We packed up our bikes and jogging stroller and set out. It took us a good hour and a half to get there. Being in the Rocky Mountains is amazing. There are so many Valley's tucked between these incredible peaks. We had so much fun exploring the bike path around Lake Estes.

 Riley and Brandon came back many times to make sure Lorelei and I were still alive!

 The first picture above shows a man fishing in the middle of the lake (left). The second shows a stuffed Coyote on a golf course (right). They had three of those bad boys out there. At first I thought they were real, and then realized they weren't going to move.

 Riley did an awesome job riding with Brandon. We did 4 miles in the heat! Hence his overly red face. 

If you know me well, you would know that I have a thing for old buildings. It's only natural that I should take a picture of the famous Stanley Hotel!

 Fun fact: Stephen King was inspired by this place to write "The Shinning."

 A picture of the sun!

BLRB TIME!

Riley has been enjoying his days in preschool. Each day they learn one color, shape, number and practice drawing and writing. Riley's teachers tells them what color to wear for the next class. So far he has remembered every day. Tomorrow is purple. Hopefully, I have a purple sticker somewhere. I asked Riley what his favorite shape was and he held up a square. Most of the time when I ask him what he has learned it's usually answered with "Nothing." Of course he begins to play and little bits of information of what he learns comes out.

Last night Riley said his prayers. This time he prayed to grow up and become a Robot. I guess they discussed professions in school recently.

Lorelei is going through a new phase (not sure if I have shared this new phase or not) at church. She has now decided to cry every time we take her to nursery. This past Sunday Brandon picked her up and brought her to me. While holding her in my arms, she grabbed my face, looked into my eyes and said, "Mommy you came back! You're a good girl."