Life's Helmet

Sunday, July 5, 2015

Celebrating The 4th In Steamboat Springs

This year we celebrated Independence Day in Steamboat Springs, Colorado with my family. The day began with a morning at the 4th of July parade where the kids got sprayed by water guns and showered with candy & other goodies.

4th of July Parade

In the evening we headed to the rodeo to watch some intense roping and barrel racing. The kids loved getting to run around with their cousins and annoy their uncles. The highlight was getting to watch the kids participate in the Ram & Calf Scramble where hoards of kids chased after a sheep and calf with a ribbon tied around it. Maeli, Milo, & their cousin Zaya participated in the Ram Scramble which came to an abrupt end when one of the parents got too excited and pulled the ribbon off the ram. This parental faux pas ended up becoming a big topic of conversation throughout the night.

4th of July Rodeo

Ram Scramble

The night ended with a great fireworks show at the rodeo grounds. Cooley was in awe with the fireworks, Milo was cautiously interested, and Maeli would occasionally let out a blood-curdling scream when the fireworks blasted into the sky.

The night ended with an exciting round of Beanboozled on the way home to the house. The kids' reactions to the disgusting jelly beans were priceless. I don't even remember the last time I laughed that hard. From the beginning to the end, this 4th of July was a success!!

Friday, June 12, 2015

A Day In Seattle

Grandma & Grandpa bought a fish (Which ended up costing $170!!!!).

The kids had fun getting to take a picture with their fish.

Thursday, June 11, 2015

Bug Finder

The North Cascades

When Ryan's parents offered to watch the kids, we decided to spend a day hiking Washington's famous North Cascades. In preparing for the hike, we researched the trails and chose a 16-mile loop which would take us through various parts of the mountains.

As we began the hike, we quickly realized it would be a very "wet" day as our shoes were soaked with water in the first 10 minutes. The weather was fairly nice with the exception of the occassional "mist" that showered us throughout the day. When we finally reached the 7.5 mile point, we ran into snow and our trail ended up disappearing into several inches of snow. Not being able to see the trail, we turned around and began our trek back to the beginning. I was in awe with how beautiful and green the mountains were. Who knew that Washington could be as green as Ireland?!