Is it summer or fall?

The last few months are one massive blur! The kids have grown up so much in the last couple months and I find myself constantly asking where the time went!  We had such a busy and incredible summer, and we packed every last minute we could, enjoying friends and family.

The kids and I spent our last full day of summer together (before I headed back to work) at the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo.  Such a different experience from when they were both in strollers....

One of their pre-back-to-school highlights was going to Broncos preseason practice at the new field with Grandma and John Elway, himself!

I had to capture this: Emma Rose spent so many days under the shade tree doing her very favorite thing: artwork!

Porter headed back to school - FIRST GRADE!!!! He absolutely loves his teacher, Mrs. North. She loves the Broncos and encourages kindness, and reportedly, gives out a lot of candy!  When Porter found out that I got wind of the candy, he told me, "I know, mom, you want me to switch classes, don't you?" That kid... We LOVE Mrs. North, and Mrs. North loves Porter!

Emma Rose started big-girl preschool and is reportedly "a really good friend," "a quiet, gentle leader," and "the sweetest girl I've ever met," by her teacher, Mrs. Olson.  To be sure, she has turned out to be the sweetest, easiest, happiest little girl (for now....)

Speaking of friendship, Emma Rose looks up to this sweet girl, Sofia, almost as much as I look up to her mama, Tarrah!  We were blessed to have some special days this summer with the positive influence of the Garcia girls!

This summer-to-fall season has been fun around our house as we've observed all kinds of wildlife!  Red hawks landing in our front yard to eat the prey right off of our roof, praying mantises on our trees, and snakes... EEEEEEK!!!!

Corey and I got to see nature at its finest when we got to squeeze in our annual 14-er.  This year we settled for Mt. Bross - we chose a nasty cold day, but we did it!!!

And as the final days of summer ended, we spent one last day at Nana and Papa's lake with the cousins.

We headed to Breckenridge in late September and got a little more wildlife in our back yards:

...and more importantly, shopping!!!

(The ski resort was fun, too!)

The weather was so great in September that we were able to have some s'mores fun on the back patio.

Now that the kids are in full swing of school, and fall is in full-throttle, we're feeling a little bit more of a routine (that's about to get slightly interrupted, nonetheless...)

Porter was "Scientist of the Week" last week, and demonstrated an experiment on water cycles, showing how heat and cold contribute to evaporation, condensation, precipitation, and accumulation.

Here's a cute picture of the kids, as they are 50% of the time.  This has been such a fun age...

This video makes me cry, laughing.  I love the kids' imaginary play:

The cousins met up for the pumpkin patch this past weekend.  So much fun!

 And one big change to interrupt our schedules, our fall, our lives as we know it....

Corey and I just bought a new-build home, just north of Golden. It's been a long-time dream for Corey and I (since we met in Golden, I suppose) to live near this area.  Though I'm sad to leave my friends and neighborhood (you should have seen the tears as I signed the contract....) we are excited about this new venture and life as a family.  God knows we have prayed, cried, and loved each other as a family through this process!

Happy Fall, all!