Telluride 2016

Our trip to Telluride this year was restful, fun and too short. It was our fifth year visiting this beautiful mountain town and Charlie's first. We spent the week throwing rocks in mountain streams, hiking, riding the gondola and eating ice cream. 

For the second year in a row, Kent drove with Grant and Miles—16 hours! And Charlie and I flew, which was definitely the right decision. Charlie was much happier on the airplane than he would have been on a two-day car ride. We timed it so that Kent, Grant and Miles could pick up Charlie and me at the Montrose airport and ride the last 1.5 hours together to Telluride. 

Our first stop was a ride on the gondola and lunch at a favorite local spot.

Our first few days were cool and rainy, but the rest of the week was gorgeous—sunny and mid-70s. It was probably the best weather we've had yet. 

Our fifth year in Telluride, and we finally figured out how to get a front row seat at the 4th of July parade—set up chairs at 4:30 a.m. Kent secured our spot while the rest of us slept. He came back to bed, and then we almost overslept, getting to the parade just as it was starting. But our seats were pretty great, and the boys had a lot of fun catching candy and dodging water fights. 

This year we tried a new hiking trail, which ended up being nearly 6 miles and a pretty steep climb. But the boys did remarkably well, and the views were worth it. 

We promised Miles we would climb a "snow mountain," and when we did find a little patch of snow, he was ecstatic. 

We made it to 11,500 feet! That's Telluride down below the boys. This picture shows just how steep it was, considering we started climbing from well below the tree line. 

Did I mention that I was also carrying a 17-pound baby? He was a good little hiking buddy.

We went in search of a waterfall another day. The boys found a log to cross the stream and lots of rocks to throw in. Charlie fell asleep the moment he heard the rushing waterfall. 

But the elusive search of the week was for a single red gondola. Of about 40 gondolas, there was only one red one, painted in honor of the 20th anniversary of Telluride's gondola system. One day we happened to walk in to the station just as it was coming down the mountain. Grant and Miles felt so lucky, they grinned the entire ride down the mountain. 

Other days we wandered or biked around town, enjoying the beauty of Colorado in the summertime. 

Until next year! 

Summer!

The boys and their cousins kicked off summer with a slip and slide on the hill at Grandma and Grandpa's house.

Charlie at 8 Months

The theme for this last month has been baby on the move. Charlie is everywhere these days, and he isn't even technically crawling. I'm slightly devastated that we never got the phase where he sits still and plays quietly with toys.

New this past month, Charlie:

• Became a very fast and determined army crawler.
• Is fully sitting up without support—though he has little interest in sitting still.
• Has started to pull himself up into a kneeling position. When I go in to get him up in the morning, I often find him on his knees looking over the top of the railing. Time to move the crib mattress down!
• Is feeding himself Cheerios and puffs. He continue to be a good eater, loving homemade zucchini, millet and green bean purees. The only thing he hasn't been so fond of is carrots. 
• Has two more teeth and still virtually no hair.
• Can maneuver from sitting position to his tummy and vice versa. 
• Is getting extremely difficult to change and get dressed because he squirms so much.
• Is showing more favoritism to me, which you know, is the worst. 

Previously monthly photos are here.

Miles' monthly photos are here.

On the Go

This little guy is everywhere these days and getting into everything.

Weekend in New York

The last time we were in New York, Grant was 13 months old. He crawled around the Egyptian room at the Met, squealed at the sea lions at the Central Park Zoo, and fell asleep in Times Square. This time, he led us around the Museum of Natural History, climbed every rock in Central Park, and zoomed around the Statue of Liberty island. 

We got in early Friday morning and took a taxi to the Museum of Natural History. G loved the giant whale and dinosaur rooms. 

Afterward, we walked through Central Park on our way to our hotel. It was a beautiful spring day, and Grant wanted to climb the rocks and touch the turtle on the banks of the pond. 

When we weren't out exploring, we enjoyed the rooftop pool and deck of our hotel, where G felt like he was swimming among the skyscrapers. 

On Saturday we took the ferry to the Statue of Liberty island and enjoyed the views of the new Freedom Tower, which had transformed the skyline since our last visit.

We had a fun, fast weekend just the three of us. Special thanks to Grandma and Grandpa for watching Miles and Charlie so we could have some special bonding time with G. 

Swingin' Baby

Memorial Day Weekend

We spent Memorial Day weekend in Chicago, our first road trip since becoming a family of five. In fact, an entire year had passed since our last visit to Chicago. The weekend, like many aspects of life lately, was exhausting but fun.  

On Saturday we went to Millennium Park, which now has the playground of every kid's dream. It had acres of climbing structures and slides, water features and even a pirate ship. So. Much. Fun. And so many people. 

On Sunday, we hit up Brookfield Zoo and their new children's zoo. The big boys had fun grooming and feeding the goats. Miles also loved the seals and lions.

We survived!