Long Weekend in Breck

This weekend was a real treat! We got to get away to the mountains for a 3 day weekend as a gift from Leo's residency graduation:) Thanks mom and dad!!! And thank you Leo for working so hard... you deserved a break!

Lorelei and I at the final destination to our McCullough Gulch Trail hike:)

Lorelei was famished after so much hiking with me and needed to wet her whistle... and no worries.... no one will catch a peek:)

Your eyes do not decieve you....that is a double rock throw! Only for the advanced:)

Leo with our little people at the hike's destination... a goregous alpine lake:)
A pretty waterfall on the hike up....

A view of the valley.... or is it the gulch?!? Whatever it was it was pretty:)

There were countless rocks thrown in the water this weekend:)

We went on a drive to check out the Aspen trees turning color for fall. It was so pretty! Fall has arrived:)

At the boxcar that is at the top of Boreas Pass.... looks like we have another train lover in the family:)

In the thick of the Aspen trees!

You could say that the Aspen trees were not bad too look at;)

Leo on one of his fishing outings for the weekend....

Fishing parnters for life:)

Adrian learned two phrases after fishing with his dad.... "C'mon fish!" and "Oh Man!" .... not too many fish were caught this trip if you can tell from Adrian's learned dialouge.... but it sure was pretty!

My little Miss giggles:)

The boys at the start of another morning hike....

Adrian is understanding basic survival skills. Hiking stick in one hand....check! Cookie in the other hand.....check!

The girls on the hike to Rainbow Lake...

The final destination of one of our hikes this weekend.... Rainbow Lake....Goregous!!!

Not my proudest parenting moment when I realized that I had taken my 4 month old into a gold mine.... where she has to wear a helmet.... and she is hungry. Not a great combination but we survived:)

Adrian riding the cart outside of the mine....

The boys finished the weekend panning for gold.... needless to say we are both going to work tomorrow:(

Dada's helper, the botanic gardens and my cuties

I am finally downloading pics after a while.... which is honestly becoming more of the norm these days:( We have had a busy but a great few weeks that have included the kids making the change from day care to a nanny. I think that they have done great with the transition and it has been loads of help to Leo and I.

Here is my baby blue eyes giving me the stare down! My kids can take on anyone in a staring battle:)

Adrian helping out Dada in the morning by giving his sister a bottle. He may not be 2 yet but he can be helpful if he wants to be:) We finally became members to the Denver Botanic Gardens and decided to go for the first time one Saturday morning. They have an awesome kids garden that Adrian loved! They have already been back for more:)

Both kids totally enthralled by who else?!?! Mickey Mouse Clubhouse before leaving for the Botanic Gardens

Lorelei found the gardens to be very relaxing and decided that it was the perfect time for a snooze....

Leo and the little man by the entry to the rose garden

My handsome fella strutting his stuff running down a hill at the garden....

Poll question: Is the last photo a result of my influence or Leo's influence?

Anyone that did not guess Leo needs to hang out with us more:)

Kuplink, kuplank, kuplunk

Blueberries for Sal is one of my all time favorite children's books.... so naturally I also love pick your own berry farms. After a long work stretch that included the installation of a totally new computer program for the University of Colorado Hospital and numerous open globe surgeries we decided that this crew needed to get out and feel some dirt in between our toes..... our destination.... Berry Patch Farms:) None of us had ever been to a pick your own farm that included raspberries but we will definitely go back! Adrian was not really sure what to think initially when we got to the farm but he saw that there were tractors and he was all grins:) He did get a bit fussy as we were starting to go down the rows of raspberry bushes with the tractors getting farther away..... then I put one of those little rubies of yumminess into his paw. You should have seen his face light up once it hit his taste buds and all of a sudden he was asking for more and looking in the bushes for more berries. It was priceless! We left with tummies full of berries and plenty to take home and share.

And my apologies but the camera died before our little lady could get in any of the photos:( Your photo ops are limited when the photographer is wearing you on her chest I guess;)

Here is our take home from the farm....2 quarts of strawberries, 5 pints of raspberries and fresh cut flowers.

Checking out the best row to pick with dada....

Adrian was our version of little Sal with picking berries.... I do not think that a single berry that he picked ended up in the buckets.... only in his mouth!

Chowing on raspberries!

Meeting the farm pet pig "bacon bits".... Adrian kept a cautious distance;)

This hat was placed totally by Adrian without any involvement of his parents posing.... we think that he has the heart of a 70 year old farmer in a 2 year old body:)
A random pick of one of my blue eyed cuties