WALL FAMILY

Since we live in the middle of snow central we have to find ways to make it fun.  But there are dangers as well.  This was Christmas Vacation, it was so cold the whole time and the kids couldn't go outside.  It was usually around 10- during the daytime.  One day it was 20 degrees so I had the kids bundle up and go outside for a bit to play in the snow.   I went outside to give the boys hot chocolate while they were playing and to take their picture when I noticed that Rylee had white circles on his cheeks.  I panicked a little brought them all in, put warm washcloths on his face, and called the nurse line to ask what to do.  They said he had frostbite, stick him in the tub to warm his body and get his circulation flowing, and keep using the warm rags. If his skin turned red he was good, if it stayed white or blistered bring him in!  Thank goodness after awhile his cheeks turned red again!  I have no picture of the white patches on Rylee's che...

This year was horrible in Colorado for fires resulting in fire bans all over the state. We feel like a campfire is an important part of camping. We cook with it, stay warm with it and it helps keep Mosquitos away. They finally lifted our fire ban in September so we decided to go one time before it got too cold. We had fun and found a great new area to camp. Maybe we will have more opportunity next summer.

Another year of baseball for Dylan.  He didn't really enjoy it very much this time around.  There were a couple kids on his team that were not real nice.  Dylan loves baseball so this was really disappointing for him.  Hopefully next year will be more enjoyable for him.  This was Rylee's first year to play baseball.  He was on the coach pitch team.  He had alot of fun playing.  And it's so cute to see these little ones swinging a bat! 

Kirk Loves Camping...even if it's in the winter!  Kirk and his friend Taylor decided to go snow caving up in the mountains.  They dug and dug for hours until they had a big enough area for both of them to sleep in.  It turned out great and they were both pretty comfortable (yet maybe a little cold) .  Kirk came home with some major muscle aches from all that digging but he had alot of fun.  He says maybe one day he will get me to go with him, I told him only if the cave is ready to go before we get there!!                            

Jordan went to her homecoming dance with her friend Trevor.  She said they danced the whole time and had alot of fun!!   She looks so cute, doesn't she!  Sure wish we could have been there to see her for ourselves but we are very happy to get to at least see her pictures.  The internet is a wonderful thing sometimes! The boys both participated in the homecoming activites at school.  They had a different dress up day each week.  One day they wear a certain color, another is pajama day or black and orange day and so on.  This is Rylee on pajama day.  The football players came in and signed their shirts that there were going to wear in the parade and read to them too!  How fun!!  There was a homecoming parade and both Rylee and Dylan were in it too. I dont have a picture of Rylee in the parade because they had the Kindergardners in a bus and even though I could see him waving my camera couldn't.  Oh well. Dylan on the other...

This summer has been very busy for us.  I just wish we could have had a more exciting summer.  We did do a few things that were worth remembering but most of the "Busy" was work, work, work.  On his days off, Kirk has been painting the house or doing side jobs for some extra cash.  I also have been working extra hours whenever they were available.  One day soon I will be posting pictures of our house showing all the hard work Kirk has put into it!  Here are some pictures of our August. so you can see it wasn't ALL work :)  .... We did get to get in one small camping trip.  We were only there for one night.  Between our work schedules and Rylee getting sick we had to keep it short.  Except for Rylee being sick we did have a good time though.  It was nice to get away and not be stuck in the every day grind.   Plus we had a very pretty spot.  Tons of wildflowers and a nice view of the mountains!

Kirk's Mom and Richard came to visit us for a few days.  We havent seen them for almost a year so it was nice to have them come visit.                            While they were here we took a day to walk around Steamboat Springs for some shopping, lunch and a good walk. Here is Kirk and the kids taking a break.  Grandma snuck in for a picture with them. A bridge in front of Howelson Hill, the smaller skiing mountain in Steamboat. Later on we played some pool at our house.  There was some very creative tricks going on.  We had a lot of fun!  It's always good to have family come see us.  We had a really good time while they were here and hope we can go visit them soon too. 

Every spring we have runoff from the snow melting in the mountains and usually it results in some flooding but this year we have had an exceptional amount.  Homes have been flooded, roads completely underwater and what used to be feilds of grass and trees now looks like a lake.  Here are a few pictures I have taken of the flooding.  June 1, 2011 Roadway and parking lot of the Steamboat Hotel.  Kirk driving through the flooded parking lot at the Steamboat Hotel. This was June 3rd and as of June 6th there was too much water for him to drive through. This is a picture from up on the Cog in Hayden, CO (where we live) back in 2010.  This is the typical amount that we get during the springtime.  This is when the flooding started getting really bad on June 1st.  (These pics are pretty hazy from the wildfires going on in Arizona) And this picture is from June 6th in the same spot. The rest of pictures are from other people that submitted to ou...