Our little hiker

Aaron has become quite the little hiker! A couple of weekends ago we took him hiking at a nearby trail. We brought the pack thinking he would walk a bit and then want to be carried. Boy were we shocked when he hiked almost four miles! 

What is also impressive it that we weren't hiking slow. It was a little slower than John and I would hike if it were just us. However, we were not just on a little stroll. Nope, Aaron was almost jogging for most of the hike! We were pretty proud of our little guy. A delicious brownie back at the car was the perfect ending to the day!

Hopefully Aaron's love for hiking and the mountains will continue to grow. He has been on many hikes, starting when he was just a few months old. Of course he was carried on those trips! Once he was walking well, we started having him hike a bit on his own. We try to make it fun for him, and we never have too many expectations. The goal is always to get outside and have fun. If we don't make it very far, it's no big deal. If he wants to stop and play in the dirt or throw rocks in the water, great! 

Since Aaron is not even three yet, we obviously haven't been doing this for very long!  So far we have had many successful trips with Aaron. It certainly helps that Aaron seems to naturally enjoy hiking. John and I both grew up hiking. Thanks to our parents, we developed our love for the outdoors as children and we are hoping it will be the same for Aaron. If those of you with children would like to get out for some hikes, here are our ideas, tips and supplies that we find give young kids the best chance for success.

What to bring when hiking with kiddos:

Plenty of warm clothes are a must! Lots of layers are important, a sweatshirt and water resistant jacket work well. We always pack a warm hat, mittens and snow pants, just in case. Good shoes and warm socks. Sun protection is important, we always bring a hat and sunscreen. Sunglasses are good to bring, although Aaron doesn't keep them on very well. Water. We bring a water bottle for each of us. Snacks! Aaron loves to stop for snacks. Salami, cheese and granola bars are some favorites.

Tips for hiking with kids: 

Like I mentioned before, we don't go out for a hike with many expectations. Taking it easy and stopping for plenty of breaks has worked well. Encourage, encourage, encourage. We are very positive with Aaron while hiking. Giving him sticks and rocks to play with and carry seems to help (as does being dragged by the dog when she's on the leash). Pointing out wildlife and wildflowers helps to keep him interested. Playing little games along the way. Sometimes we pretend to be race cars or jeeps while we hike. Don't forget to climb on some rocks!

Things we love for hiking with our little guy:

The Deuter Kid Carrier!  Aaron usually hikes in Keens or the knock off keens from Kolhs. Warm socks that dry quickly such as Smartwool socks. We have always used California Baby sunscreen on Aaron. A water bottle that won't easily spill like the Camelbak Eddy.

Updated family photo!

I just realized that the most recent photo of all three of us was taken almost a year ago! My how time flies! Of course we have quite a few pictures of Aaron. Lots of either John or I with Aaron. I figured it was high time we took another!

Soon we will get some professional photos. I am holding out until it looks a little prettier outside though! My wonderful, talented, amazing friend Becky Young (who is a wedding photographer) will likely do our photos. She graciously did our previous family photos. Until then, here ya go!

Love it!

Aaron update

Our little guy is two and a half! He is becoming more of a little boy and less of a toddler all the time. It's a little bitter sweet to see how fast he is growing up. I'm sure he will be starting school before we know it! We are so thankful for our sweet and loving son.

It has been an exciting few months around here. This year has been the first time Aaron has really understood holidays and Birthdays. Christmas was really exciting and fun for him. He loved making cookies and decorating the tree. We had a New Years party at my parents house. The horns and confetti were tons of fun! My Birthday was last week and Aaron kept singing, "Happy Birthday... Mama, Happy Birthday... Mama!". Now he is looking forward to making cookies for Valentines Day.

We took a trip to Grand Junction. Even though it's a five hour drive Aaron did really really well. He is usually more than happy to patiently sit in the car if it means going to Grand Junction to see his Nan and Pops! We bought a larger vehicle that week. Aaron calls it the truck. He loves trucks so he always wants to ride in the 4runner now!

Then John's sister and her husband stayed with us for several days. They have been living in France. Some other family came to visit as well. Aaron loved it! He had a wonderful time with so many of his aunts and uncles here to play with. He had been talking about missing John and Ingrid (his aunt and uncle who have been in France) so he loved spending time with them!

Aaron has quite a bit of news as of late. He began sleeping in a twin bed just before Christmas. He has done really well with it. Aaron has also grown out of some of his allergies. He can now eat eggs and most milk products. It has opened a whole new world for him as far as food goes! Finally, as of a couple of weeks ago Aaron is potty trained! Just when we wondered if it would ever happen, something clicked for him! He has even been staying dry during naps and nighttime. We are very proud of him!

His vocabulary has also exploded. He talks in complete sentences. Aaron often has little conversations with us. It seems he is always bringing up things that have happened recently and wanting to discuss them. Of course this also means he has become very good at telling us when he is unhappy with something! We have had to work on him talking back to us, and saying "no". It is really amazing to hear all the things on his little mind!

Pretend play is another big thing right now. It is so much fun to watch him playing with his trucks. He comes up with all kinds of little scenarios! Aaron is also quite the animal lover. Any animal he sees he runs up to talk to it and love on it. He is very good with our dog and chickens. He loves to help care for them.

We are so amazed at the little person Aaron has become. God blessed us with such a loving little guy. He brings us so much fun and joy. Our prayer is that we can follow God in parenting him. That God would grant us wisdom in how to deal with his stubborn side. John and I hope to raise a joyful and loving man with a strong faith! With just us, this is impossible. With God, all things are possible.

Turning 30

This past Friday I turned 30! I haven't had many thoughts on this. It seemed a little scary, like now I have to be a real adult. At the same time it just felt like another Birthday. Of course everyone who told me 30 feels no different than 29 is right. I don't feel any different!

This Birthday has been one of the most memorable though. We had a big snow storm on Thursday night and into Friday. My parents were supposed to be driving out from Grand Junction. Because of the storm we didn't know if they would be able to make it. Friday morning they decided to brave the conditions and try to get as far as they could. They made it! However, our plans for going to Denver were out due to the roads being bad.

The snow was actually quite appropriate. 30 years ago there was a blizzard in Colorado Springs. My parents were on the roads that day as well. They were headed to hospital to have me! It's kind fun that on my 30th it was another cold snowy day.

Friday we ate pizza from Cooper Smith's and played games. Saturday we went sledding. Aaron had a blast. He only wanted to ride on the sled by himself, not with anyone. Later my mom and I went to old town to "window" shop. The plan for the evening was for all of us to go out for sushi.

We had parked the cars and were headed in the direction of Suehiro (the sushi resturant). As we we were passing Pueblo Viejo John pointed at it and said "this is where we're going". I sort of just laughed. I thought he might be teasing me. Then he walked in and gave his name. At that point I figured there was probably some sort of surprise waiting for me.

We walked upstairs and I tried to hide behind my brother! I was guessing there would be lots of people and possibly singing. Sure enough! There were about 30 of my family and friends singing Happy Birthday! I was actually quite surprised. John did a really good job of keeping everything from me. I really thought we were headed to the Sushi place!

I feel so special and loved! I can't believe how many people showed up, some of them from out of town. John had everyone write a card/letter for me. I was amazed at the lovely and beautiful things everyone wrote. I feel so incredibly blessed to have such wonderful friends and family.

Thank you so so much to everyone who came! I truly love and appreciate all of you. The biggest thanks goes to my sweet husband! He really made this a memorable and special Birthday. I am so glad I married such a great man. I look forward to many more fun celebrations with him.

2012, one month down

We are one month into the new year. I have to say, I am quite pleased so far! The last year and a half has been difficult to say the least. Around Christmas and shortly after, I felt a strange peace. I really have felt that God is going to do some amazing things in 2012.

So far this year, we have: taken a trip to Grand Junction to see my parents, been mountain biking a couple of times, visited Ouray hot springs, bought a Toyota 4runner, sold our Toyota Corolla, spent time with our families, had an awesome visit with John's sis and her husband, spent time with some friends, found my stolen road bike, were interviewed for a story about bike theft, made some exciting decisions, John re-joined the Larimer County Choral, potty trained our little guy, and re-did Aaron's room!

Not to say that God took a hiatus in 2011! Well, maybe sometimes I felt that way. God watched over us all this past year. So many things could have been much worse. He brought us through a tough time and strengthened John and I in many ways. There is something about going through a difficult time that really shows you who God is. How good he is.

I am really excited about what 2012 will bring. We are so incredibly blessed. All of us are (mostly) healthy, we have a wonderful little boy, a great marriage and we are surrounded by awesome family and friends.

A little late, but here are some pictures from New Years Eve at my parents house:

Happy Halloween

This was the first Halloween that we dressed Aaron in a costume. He was a Zebra! He enjoyed being dressed up quite a bit, he even sat still while I painted his face. I'm pretty sure Aaron wishes everyday was Halloween! He had a blast trick or treating at John's office and around our neighborhood. Like all kiddos on Halloween, he ate way too much candy!

All ready to go!

He was very exited about having his face painted!

Chowing down on the loot at Daddy's office.

Aaron loved the Jack O lanterns! He kept asking us to turn them on!