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."

Preschool jitters!

I don't know who was more nervous and excited this morning. Riley seemed really excited, until we got  to Mrs. Morris's house. When I told him to run into class he froze at the door. With Lorelei screaming from the car, I popped out, assured Riley that he was okay and to enjoy his day. Eventually he bounded up the stairs and was warmly greeted by his teacher. Such a flood of emotions come with a day like today. You try to teach your child at home how to talk and treat people. How to sit and listen. Then comes the day when you have to let them be their own people and trust that you have taught them all that you can. It's almost a helpless situation, but exciting to see them grow. 

Lorelei, had a little bit of a complex. She did not understand why Riley got to stay and play while she couldn't. (Hence the reason for her screaming in the car.) Hopefully, she learns and discovers her new independence while Riley is gone. It's nice not to be bossed two and half hours out of the day.

Riley on his first day of Preschool

Riley's first preschool artwork. Obviously he did not need the right side of his body.

BLURB time!

Yesterday, I broke down and told Riley to clean his room. The condition was he could not come out until it was done. He of course did not take it well and began to cry. As I was sitting in the living room with Lolie I heard him singing "I'm only gonna break break your Break break your heart." He sang it over and over in between his little sobs. That's when I realized,  I had officially made the mean mom list. It was only a matter of time.

 Lorelei decided to have fun with my makeup bag. Today her speciality was my mascara. She even put a few punk rock streaks of black in her hair. It's fun to see how girly she can be. When I paint my nails she always asks if I can paint hers as well. The other day she put on her tutu and dress up jewelry and pretended to go to the airport with Riley and her babies.

These two little stinkers have been as thick as thieves lately. They are either totally loving each other, hating each other, or creating mischief of some kind. They always keep me on my toes.

The past couple of Sunday's with Lolie have been most trying. One Sunday she managed to turn the drinking fountain in the hall into a water park. For the couple of minutes I was distracted she soaked herself completely through. Then last Sunday she decided that the entrance doors were fun to open and close. After three warnings and many physical removals she continued to pursue these doors. Unfortunately the story ended in tragedy. Another kid joined the fun, Lolie's finger got slammed, and three hours later at the hospital it turned out to be a sprained finger. After that she noticed every door and hopefully it will be the last.

Monochromatic

There is something to be said about monochromatic photography. I absolutely love color, but there is something timeless and enhancing about the monochromatic world. The focal point of the image pops out, making the personality and feelings almost tangible. 

  Riley above looks a little creepy... It almost looks like I used a fish eye lens. Unfortunately, I don't have one of those yet, but hope to in the near future.

 I love how these photo's turned out. Most of all I love the subjects in them. 

Blog Restored!

I have been contemplating the thought of shutting down my blog. I even deleted it for a week. The digital age has brought a way for people to stay connected, but has also created another pathway for unwanted advice and rejection. I would love to keep my blog up for family members to keep connected. It's a fun way to peek into each others lives and share happy memories. It also serves as a journal for me and my children. With that said, some day they will be reading this and I hope only positive things enter this site. 

With summer here already coming to close, I thought I would share some fun memories. First we love the fresh produce summer brings. My kids make tomatoes look like the best fruit on earth. Lorelei and Riley both found a love for watermelon, blueberries and strawberries this year. Lorelei, is finally getting her 2 year old molars (which explains her terrible two attitude lately) and is talking up a storm! Riley, is starting preschool in two and half weeks and I'm not sure how I will take it. He is really excited and asks me many times a day to go.

 Above is Riley's first day of swimming lessons. Since then, we got passes to the Grange here in the meadows, and found we love the pool. Lorelei, however, will need a life jacket. She thinks she can swim all by herself and has pushed me away many times. Luckily, they have a shallow pool area.

 Have I already mentioned we love splash pads? With water prices so high this year, we have not been able to turn on our sprinklers. Instead, we have become addicted to Sonic drink runs and many hours at different water pads. Luckily, there will be a free community one opening here in Castle Rock next summer.

 Riley's take on "The Scream". The water fall is where he spent most of his time.

The coolest cumulus cloud I have ever seen!

Cziep Family Reunion

My parents have decided that it's time to start their own family reunions now that they have grandkids. Luckily, Mindy graduated with a Bachelors in speech pathology, giving my parents a great excuse to turn it into a shin dig. We even got to see aunt Dorothy and Gram again! 

Above is Mindy thinking and i'd like to think she's debating grad school here in Denver. Please Mindy, please!

Gram reprimanding me for taking her picture.

Gram really tried to stop Riley from picking his nose in this picture. Unfortunately she lost.

Mindy's friends

Mindy couldn't join us the whole time due to her multiple jobs, and Brandon was in Korea, so we had to do some things without them like the Rose Garden, Beach, and Enchanted Forest.

Lorelei and Riley's first Ferris wheel ride. Everything went well the first two times around and by the last time Lorelei was in tears. Riley however enjoyed it. 

 

Above Grandpa is pretending to be a Zombie. Riley really wanted to go into the Haunted house, but quickly changed his mind as soon as Opa opened the door. Instead Opa went through the house with Alex and I and returned as a zombie. Riley didn't believe the gig. However I love that I got a picture of my kids in the witches mouth. I believe my parents have one of me and my siblings when we were young. 

 Alex became a great horse

Our day at the beach was a success! The fog cleared out and it was a bombing 65 degrees. The water was even warm that day, which all Oregonians know is rare. We were so lucky and we thoroughly enjoyed it!

 Love, love, love, my Oregon and hope to someday move back. It may not be for a while, but it's not far from our minds either. Thanks Nana and Opa for all of your help, loves, and kisses. We can't wait to see you in two months!