Just like most people this summer we have been itching to get away and camping has seemed like the safest way to get away from home.

Camping is always a popular option in Colorado but this year it’s even more in demand than ever. We were trying to plan a last minute trip and couldn’t find any spots open in Colorado. We expanded our search a bit and found Hog Park just north of the Colorado – Wyoming boarder.

It was about a five hour drive but the scenery was beautiful.

We took plenty of breaks for a picnic lunch and a playground along the way.

We were so happy and impressed with the views from our campsite.

This was also our first trip with our camper. The Sienna towed like a dream and the kids loved it, it’s like a clubhouse to them.

The lake was cold like most mountain lakes but so beautiful and great for kayaking or paddle boarding.

We spent our time playing by the lake, hiking and chatting with our neighbors (who ended up living just a few miles from us in Erie).

We stayed for two nights and wished we had more!

The mist on the lake was incredible.

The camper was great for cold mornings.

(and hot chocolate)

As well as nap time for Emmy.

If you are near Colorado and are looking for an amazing camp site we can’t recommend Hog Park more!

Happy camping!

AAAANNNNDDDD just like that July is over and we are moving into August! July flew by and this weird in-between (upside-down?)

Currently Buying – A couple big purchases this month:

I am completely in LOVE with this car. It has been so fun running around in our Sienna.

Also we jumped on the bandwagon and bought a camper.

Currently Spending All Our Time – Camping. Cory and I both grew up camping with our families and love being outdoors. And while we LOVE car camping in tents we want to travel more and fell in love with the camper lifestyle when we spent a couple weeks RVing around Germany, Switzerland and Austria (posts here).

We are easing in with a pop-up for now to make sure that we actually use it, then plan to upgrade to a travel trailer in a few years. We have big plans for a September trip but have already enjoyed some trips closer to home and Wyoming.

Currently Loving – Smoothies!

Love that these kids are into green smoothies.

We have also been loving playgrounds, pools and popsicles.

Looking forward we still haven’t heard what Cannon’s school will be doing this fall. And we don’t really know if we will send him regardless.

So many things to decide, so many unknowns. Head up friends, we are going to get through this.

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What’s current with you?

So much has changed in the last six months. We went from a pretty normal routine to complete isolation due to Corona Virus and now semi social distancing with an uncertain future. The six months between Cannon turning three and three and a half was so exciting and fun (recapped here)

Cannon LOVED going to school until mid march when schools went online. Online preschool was NOT a great match for Cannon. Zoom meetings usually ended in meltdowns (Cannon is usually a really steady kid so that was not fun) we did our best to keep his learning going but we were not home schooling.

Before the lock down we enjoyed story and play time at the library.

Emmy enjoyed extra time with her brother, I love how close these two are.

In February we got Cannon all ready to play his first season of soccer, unfortunately the spring season was cancelled but we are hopeful he might play this fall.

We celebrated Valentine’s day with friends, I love how much this kiddo enjoys celebrating even the “little holidays”

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Mid February, Cannon got his last haircut. I can’t decide if I love or hate his long floppy hair.

In March we traveled to Dillion for the Ice Castles with my parents. (remember going places with people?!?)

In March we started our quarantine and did our best to stay happy and active.

We did kids yoga

We played in the backyard no matter how cold it was.

We went for walks every morning.

This was our life on repeat for weeks.

We visited grandparents through windows

And celebrated Easter without our friends or family.

Things definitely started to improve when the weather got warmer.

Cannon finished up school and said goodbye to his classmates over Zoom.

Cannon is a very social kid so being isolated was hard for him, but he kept his sweet, upbeat attitude.

With the start of summer came mountain hikes, camping, playgrounds and friends (some of Cannon’s favorite things)

We decided to lift our quarantine a bit and let Cannon play with some family and close friends.

It was so so good.

Cannon has grown and learned so much in the last six months. Even in these uncertain times he remains my little ray of sunshine.

Past Updates

1 Month

2 Months

3 Months

4 Months 

5 Months

6 Months

7 Months

8 Months

9 Months

10 Months

11 Months

12 Months

2.5 years

3 Years

3.5 Years

A little new to us fun is getting to watch movies in the car.

We had to run some errands this morning finishing up selling two cars and buying a new one (it was a long week). The kids think it’s pretty fun to hang in the car and watch a movie together.

The day was really low-key, cleaning, grocery shopping and playing.

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Some things never change, popsicles in the backyard, this year vs. last year (tears).

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I put off running again this morning as I woke up and my knee was already hurting ( I think I slept on it funky). Try try again, tomorrow.

Also been missing my July tradition of watching Le Tour de France.

This year the tour was put off until late August, hopefully this will keep everyone participating safe. We should also be looking forward to the Olympics (thanks Corona). Hopefully this will just make 2021 extra awesome.

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Is there anything you are missing right now?

On a running front I am still resting and trying to recover. The plan is to try out a short run on the treadmill so I can stop if anything starts to hurt.

I guess if Des can take a month off I can take time to heal from this injury.

We found a splash pad that was open and enjoyed getting out of the heat.

This park is about a 20 minute drive from our house but it was worth it since it’s been getting so hot here.

We hit our first 100 degree day this week.

The big task of the week was finally pulled the trigger and bought a mini-van.

We have been talking about getting one for such a long time and we have some other fun ideas that the new van will facilitate. Here’s to more family adventures and completely embracing the soccer mom life.

Welp…..I tried running this morning and it was a bit of a failure. About a half a mile in it was hurting more than I was comfortable pushing it so I turned around and dragged my sorry butt home.

Cory and the kids joined me for the first part and then finished up another 2 miles without me.

So now I think I need to accept that I won’t be running for awhile and need to find other forms of exercise. I would love to get on the elliptical and our gym is open with limited number of people allowed. I am not sure how I feel about exercising indoors. Anyone know anything about gyms? Seems like it could be an unnecessary risk. My other options are riding my bike and swimming in the outdoor pool.

After the failed run, we met some friends at a playground. It was already getting hot at 9am!

It’s always nice when we can meet friends, the time went by so quickly.

After playing we dropped by Goodwill to make some donations. We have been trying hard to simplify and declutter. It’s amazing how much stuff we have collected over the last few years.

I’ve been thinking a lot about what we are going to do about school. Fall seems so far away but school should be starting in just over a month! Our school district hasn’t officially announced what the plan is but signs are pointing to at least some in person instruction.

Cannon will be going into his second year of pre-school so he does not HAVE to go so that is making the decision harder. Talking with my friends we all agree that kids need social interaction so it’s weighing that with the additional risk and exposure to COVID.

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What’s going on where you live? Are school districts opening up? If you had a choice would you send your kids back to school?

Anyone have any advice for recovering from Runner’s Knee? I am still just trying to RICE as much as I can. Also considering calling my PT.

Today was day four of resting my knee, my plan is to test out a couple miles tomorrow to see how things go. I am clinging to hope that this will heal quickly.

Since I wasn’t running I got to let Cory sleep in and hang with the kids this morning. Cannon thought it was a great idea to wake up at 5am instead of 6am.

Cannon and Emmy had been asking to play with puppy Desi so we went to hang out with my parents for a little bit and took Humphry with us to meet his new doggy buddy. At one point between my parents, us and my brother we had six dogs, we were down to two back up to three now and my brother will be getting a puppy soon and it makes me so happy.

Then it was off to Costco for a few things we missed on our last trip.

Anyone really really love Costco?

After lunch we played in the backyard, one last day on the water slide before we dry it out and pack it away.

For the evening we spent some time at the neighborhood pool. A storm rolled through so we were actually really cold but that will be made up for later this week.

Photo is from last year, this year the water features are not running.

I am not sure I am ready for this kind of heat yet, especially with most of our pools and splash pads closed this year. We get to go once a week to our neighborhood pool if we are lucky enough to get reservations.

Please wish me luck with my knee tomorrow!

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How is your summer going?

When I thought of summer 2020 I was really excited to keep the kids up past their bed-times for a big fireworks show.

Last year we had to leave early to avoid a storm and Emmy was just too little to stay out past bed time. This year proved to be different and more low-key but still a great weekend.

On Friday was spent the day at the river with Cory’s family. The kids enjoyed splashing around, paddling in the kayak and grilling. I took ZERO pictures and was just on full alert with kids near water. When we finally got home we were all exhausted but happy.

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Emmy has become so expressive it’s so funny, she wears all her emotions on her face and has mastered the eye roll.

On the Fourth of July we had a couple friends over to play.

The kids played, we grilled delicious food and lit baby fireworks in the driveway.

Today we got to see my parents, and played more on the water slide in the backyard.

The kids also helped me pick some tomatoes from our garden.

I love how proud they are and how much they love eating right out of the garden.

Can’t beat these summer nights, having fun, up past our bedtimes.

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How was your weekend?

I am struggling to accept that I really do have an injury and it is NOT good. I know this is oh so dramatic but running has kept me sane with everything that is going on and the thought of having to give it up is not sitting well. The panic will subside but for now I am feeling all the sads.

My knee has been not feeling good for the last week or so and has been steadily getting worse. This morning I ran four miles, it didn’t hurt much while running (although it didn’t feel great). As the day wore on it felt worse and worse and I am having to accept that I am doing dealing with a true injury and ignoring won’t help.

Thanks to Dr. Google I think I have runners knee or Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome specifically. The description sounds exactly like what I am experiencing and you know….diagnosing yourself is a great idea 😉

Runner’s Knee 101: The Burning Answers Behind Your Aching Pain

The above website had some great information and steps to treat the injury. My immediate plan is to stay off it and rest as much as possible this weekend, RICE and see how it feels on Monday. If it hasn’t improved I will call my favorite PT for help. I am really really hoping this is a one week recovery not a 4-6 week recovery.

After my run (home before the kids got up, which is always a win in my book) we had breakfast then made our way to a neighborhood park. It was already over 80 degrees and full sun so there wasn’t anyone else there.

They decided to roll down a hill, I felt itchy just watching them, but they loved it!

It was a teaching night for me (5:30pm to 8:30pm) so we needed a quick meal. Cory whipped up a salad that was delicious.

I am always impressed how Cory can make a kid version of our dinner as they aren’t quite lettuce eater yet.

Also we got a new pump for our SUP (our old one has been giving us trouble for years) so we can finally use it! So that was a win for the day.

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Anyone else currently injured?

Have any positive stories about knees healing quickly?

Cannon turned four and my mama heart is barley holding on. Cannon turning four was okay, but I know next year when he turns five I will be a mess, I am not ready!

Having another birthday during a pandemic is difficult but it was easier then Emmy’s second birthday when we were really locked down.

We had a “party” for Cannon the weekend before his actual birthday and invited Cannon’s cousins to come play in our backyard for a Fiesta.

Even with a smaller than normal party, Cannon was happy to be around some of his favorite people.

Grandma and Grandpa spoiled him with an inflatable water slide, the kids LOVED it!

On Cannon’s actual birthday we took him to do one of his favorite activities, camping!

We found a spot at Turquoise lake just outside of Leadville. It was so beautiful.

The lake was beautiful but COLD.

For dinner Cannon requested pizza so we headed to town for High Mountain Pies

We got the Crocodile, it was amazing, this is probably my favorite pizza place. This was also our first time at a restaurant, we called in our order and ate in their large back patio. It felt very safe, there was only a couple other parties there.

We then settled into our tent and had a somewhat restful night. Cannon is a great camper but we are still working with Emmy to sleep well.

The next day we enjoyed the morning then packed up to head home.

Overall I think Cannon enjoyed his birthday and is definitely looking forward to camping more this summer!

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