Hiking the Incline

(As an introduction to The Incline, I'm borrowing the following  text from this website) 

"There is a vertical scar on a hill behind Manitou Springs. The trees part in a skinny stripe littered with aged railroad ties that climb steeply to the top of this small mountain. A railroad line was constructed on this slope in 1907 to aid in construction of a hydroelectric plant, and later used to take visitors to an overlook of the town. Today, these are the proving grounds. If your competitive fire burns white hot, the Incline beckons. It will torment and punish you, then stoke that fire to come back for more."

Ummm...maybe not so much the last part of that sentence. But climb the Incline I did. It is not quite a mile in distance (easy, you'd think, right?) but has a vertical climb of just over 2000 feet

(6530'-8550'). I'm a work in progress when it comes to physical fitness. I'm not a novice hiker. And this was a serious challenge! It did indeed torment and punish. The closer I got to the top, the more difficult it became. Because of the decrease in oxygen level as the altitude increased, it was literally one step at a time. But it was also exhilarating to reach the top and feel the satisfaction of accomplishing something so difficult.

 The beginning of the trail, made entirely of railroad ties. If you look closely, you can see the line that goes up through the trees. That is The Incline trail.



A few feet from the top. You can see just how high we climbed.

Alicia, Ashley, Heidi, Starr, Lisa, Jennifer

We did it!!!



First Camping Trip

Jacob spent many months talking about camping, reading stories about camping trips, playing pretend in his little indoor tent, and asking, "When can we go camping??" The little man got his wish in early June when he and Daddy participated in the church-sponsored father & son campout. Though the GPS sent them on a wild goose chase and they almost didn't find the campground, and the car just about ran out of gas on the way there, father and son had a wonderful experience. After all, when you're almost four years old, what could be better than dinner AND breakfast at a picnic table, eating roasted marshmallows, staying up way too late, and sleeping in a sleeping bag in a tent because your CAMPING??? Absolutely nothing.

Trip to Breckenridge

We spent Memorial Day weekend up in the mountains, in the lovely little town of Breckenridge. The ski and snow season is over, and springtime activities abound. Though vacationing with small children doesn't always afford me the freedom to do what I'd like to do, at least we got out of the house for a few days. We wandered through town on the bike path, watched people fly fishing in the river, hiked the loop above Dillon Lake, ate at a restaurant every day (very important to Jacob!), and played at the local children's museum.  Despite the daily interruptions necessary for my little one (i.e. naptime) we had a wonderful time and would love to return.

 Fishing on the dock of the bay, wasting time...

 Jake found bear scat!

 Fireman Jake!

 A rhinoscerous and a deer

 I don't think Makenna liked it

Dr. Jacob, about to give the patient a shot

 the Little Miss

 Brian & Lisa--always the self portrait...guess that's how it goes when I'm the one who's always behind the camera.

The view overlooking Dillon Lake

Jake says, "I loved being a dragon!"

Preschool

Jake absolutely LOVED attending preschool this year. It was always the highlight of the week. "Mom, what day is it?"--always hoping the answer would be a school day. It really was an overall wonderful experience for him. He learned a ton academically, got to spend time with friends, and had many opportunities to grow and mature.

Jake with his classmates and teacher Miss Denice.  

The kids performed a couple of songs that they had learned for the parents on the last day of school.  This was one about a choo choo train (hence, the engineer hats).

Jake and Miss Denice.

One day when I picked him up from school, Jake ran out to the car and emphatically said to me, "Mom! I LOVE my teacher!"



Happy 1st Birthday Baby Girl!

Time flies when you're having fun! And fly right by this last year has. Makenna celebrated her first birthday, complete with cupcakes, homemade ice cream, presents and balloons. From her reactions, I'm guessing the balloons were the winner.

We chose a butterfly theme, complete with butterfly cupcakes. Aren't they cute?

Opening presents with big brother, who was all too willing to help with the arduous task.

I'm pretty sure this is Makenna's.

Jake picked out this ball especially for his little sister.

Time for cake...at least we hoped for a good show!

Even after Daddy tried to encourage Makenna to eat the cake, she really wanted nothing to do with it!

Balloon!!!!!

This little man had no problem eating his plate full of cake and ice cream.

These Boots are made for WALKING!

Not to be outdone by his little sister...

Jake had to demonstrate (on camera!) his version of how Makenna walks. Thank you, son, for that Academy Award winning performance.