Autumn has arrived!

Yesterday we went to the cabin hoping some leaves would be changing and were overjoyed to find the forest bathed in gold. It wasn't as beautiful as some years in the past, but my gosh, stunning nonetheless.

E and I have been loving our bikes as of late. After our bikes were stollen last week out of our garage (sob!) we were "forced" to upgrade and buy new.

These two play the entire day at the cabin. They like to play in the meadow, take short walks, scramble on rocks and play in the caves I played in as a kid.

Lots and lots of silly faces when I asked for a picture.

The rock field is their favorite. Lots of places to hide and climb.

As the sun dipped lower into the sky the forest turned even more gold.

Lots of silly smiles while daddy danced and sang "Shake Sanora" behind me.

Winter is on its way, but I can't complain when I get this to enjoy beforehand.

Overnight cabin trip

Summer is truly finally here after a few weeks of lovely weather that wasn't too hot. But suddenly it is hot and summery and it means one thing: the mountains are calling and we must go.

We asked the kids what they wanted to do this weekend, giving them the choice between the cabin and the farmhouse. They happily cheered "the cabin!" and couldn't wait to go. We asked them if they wanted to stay the night and they got so excited they could hardly contain themselves.

Once there we went directly to "our meadow" to play in the water. The stream only runs in the early summer, quickly drying up when the snow is gone. The water wasn't cold or deep. Both kids could not wait to get in, and quickly chose to strip to their undies so they could get totally wet.

This meadow holds a piece of my heart. I large piece. No place makes me happier than "our meadow". I know every inch of it and have memories spanning over 30 years of playing in the same stream. I certainly hope it never ever changes.

Back at the cabin we explored and played. Both the kids love the swing on the patio. (Look how much Juliet has grown since this shot was taken in the same spot!)

After a hot dog roast followed by s'mores, we decided to take an evening walk. Whenever I spot beautiful golden light I ask the kids as nicely as I can for a photo. What they choose to do in that photo is totally up to them, as you can see.

Three meadows beyond "our meadow" stands this beautiful treehouse in the middle of the aspen grove. The kids were so psyched to see it.

E and Juliet scrambled up while James and I looked at the spring. Seeing them up there, smiling down at us was magic. I love giving these kids this childhood. It's amazing. 

So fun.

I love the panorama feature on my phone. Click for a bigger image.

One of my favorite flowers of all are wild bluebells.

This kid and I spend lots of time exploring together.

Sigh. Pictures don't do it justice. Sunset in an aspen forest may be my favorite thing ever.

Back at the cabin we set up our sleeping bags and settled down for the night.

Cabin season is here, and we can't wait to go back.

PS - I blogging has slowed way down. I am sorry. Sherlock is still taking much of my obsession, and goodness I love it more every day. Ha. I'm crazy. But it's just so good. So so good. ;)

Sunset on the beach {Maui!}

We were lucky enough to catch some amazing sunsets while in Maui, but the best by far just happened to be the night we decided to spend sunset on the beach. We let the kids romp in the water and soon they moved up to the sand once the sky began to grow darker.

Really, nobody needs two dozen sunset photos, but it was so epic I really had a hard time narrowing these down. This night, in particular, stands out like a shining jewel in all the beautiful Maui memories.

 If you're still with me, I applaud you. Seriously, lots of photos.

The colors were out of this world. So saturated it didn't look real.

Fantastic.

Spring header

Today there is sun! And warmth! And spring fever.

After a nasty bought of the sickies for Juliet, today she is finally feeling 85%. She didn't just have something on Saturday at the farmhouse, her sickness lasted through the weekend and into yesterday. So today when she woke up with most of her pep back I felt so relieved.

I've been wanting to take a few spring header photos since March came along, and today was just the perfect day. My mom joined me at a small local park that has some nice green grass. Every March I notice how green and beautiful the grass is in this little wooded park, and it played the perfect backdrop.

Happy happy spring! Onto healthier and warmer days ahead.

James and his crazy eyes. He makes me laugh so much. And I'm savoring his little mouth full of baby teeth. Many of his friends have already started loosing their baby teeth, but I am so not ready to give up this last remaining remnant of his babyhood.

Lots of silly faces and falling over.

We got a winner!

Love these two with more depth than I will ever find the words to convey.