August 2019

Blacker Family Reunion - August 2019

For our reunion this year we stayed at a couple cabins at the YMCA in Estes Park. We had the very best view of the entire area, at the top of the mountain overlooking the forest and Rocky Mountain National Park. Everyone was able to make it except Nathan and Lizi and their family. They were missed!

Happy 60th Birthday, Mom! Surprise Party!

All of the grandkids (even the ones that weren't there) made Grandma a birthday card or piece of artwork for her birthday. There were lots of smiles and tears.

Bryan also put together a book of memories about Mom from everyone in the immediate and extended family.

Lots of helpers to blow out the birthday candles...

Baby Annabeth was mesmerized by the balloons.

Hiking in Rocky Mountain National Park

We did a couple different hikes in the park while we were there. Isn't it beautiful?!

Our little mountain goat.

Macy wanted to join in on the walking, but it took her a little longer than the rest of us.

Russ and Bryce.

Grandma trying to feed Macy snacks while she was backward in the carrier. It was quite the site to watch them walking down the mountain. I'm sure the chipmunks appreciated Macy sharing her snacks.

Painting Ceramics

Mom and Dad brought some ceramics for everyone to paint too. It didn't hold the younger kids attention for super long, but it kept the young at heart busy for quite a while.

Lexi got bored painting her ceramic piece and turned to painting freckles on Grandpa's face.

Riding the Trolly through Estes Park

One of the days we took the trolly through the town center and hopped on and off to stroll through the shops.

Our favorite shop by far was the Rocky Mountain Taffy Shop. Each kid strolled out of their with their own bag of gourmet taffy, all having the same look as Clara about their prize.

We also stopped at a Mexican Restaurant for some lunch. Yummy.

Fun with Lily Before the Reunion

Shantae and Brandon and their family got to our house a little bit before everyone else (we started there and then drove up to Estes Park), so the girls got some one-on-one play time with their cousin Lily. She is adored in our home.

Lily learning at a young age how to repair a flat tire.

The blow up pool in the back was amazing.

Fun with Bryce and Jake after the Reunion

Russ and Katie and their family stayed at our place a few days after the reunion, so we also got to spend some extra time with them. Jake and Bryce are equally adored by our children. Nothing better than ice cream cones outside in the summertime with cousins.

Ropes Course with Russ and Katie

Dave and I went on a double date with Russ and Katie to the Cave of the Winds ropes course. I'm still not sure how they convinced me to get up there or why in the world I did. Let's just say that they were a little more adventurous than me. I declined walking across the section that stuck out over the canyon and looked like you were going to die a horrible death if you fell. I did do the geranamo though (the green poles below).

Dave.

Katie.

Dave.

Dave.

There was a rock wall where you could see the person on the other side climbing at the same time as you. Dave and I raced and I won. I gave him a consolation kiss at the top. ;-)

The Last of Summer Fun

We made a few more fun memories at the zoo before the summer came to a close.

Macy playing in the warm rain.

Sisters enjoying each other after a bath.

Clara lived in this costume between the months of August and October. We found her Halloween costume early and decided to get good use out of it.

Macy's favorite spot for now is in the laundry basket.

We had a massive thunder storm one afternoon and I swear it looked like our basement was going to be flooded over, but fortunately the water stayed outside and just did some damage to the landscaping.

The kids like to eat their breakfast on the porch occasionally in the summertime. Lexi had a bowl of cereal and was going outside, but didn't realize the sliding glass door was closed. Do you see the mad look on her face because she was so embarrassed about the incident? I was laughing so hard that it did not make things better. I thought I would be cleaning off marks from the birds running into the doors, but I didn't realize I would be cleaning off marks from Lexi running into the doors too.

One last day playing with the sprinkler and the pool.

Our raspberries actually grew this year! Now we just have to figure out how to get them started a little sooner so we can harvest all of the berries before the fall frost and snow.

Me and my beautiful daughters.

I used to think that girls being obsessed with shoes was just a social thing that they learned, but Macy came out of the womb loving shoes. I was walking through a store with her and before I knew it she ran down the shoe isle, leaving her bunny in the dust (she never lets go of that thing), tore off her shoes, grabbed the closest pair of cleats and started trying them on. The only was we got out of there was kicking and screaming because I made her leave the cleats behind. I'm such a mean mom.

Back to School!

Cole is officially a 3rd grader, Lexi a 1st grader, and Clara is in Pre-K. They are growing up too fast!

Clara with her carpool buddies, Boston and Solomon.

I love reading Cole's self-reflection work from school. I particularly enjoyed his assessment that he's "Enteligent". I'm pretty sure he knew it started with an "i" but wanted to include it as a description of himself so he got creative with the spelling.

I am constantly amazed at how Cole is never nervous about anything. He doesn't get nervous about performing in front of people, taking tests, speaking, any of it. He does get some social anxiety (which is why the playground is always the hardest part of school for Cole), but he is extremely confident. A trait I wish I had.

Lexi in a nutshell.

In case you need an interpretation, her apple says, "My first day of school was my favorite because I was with my teacher." Lexi LOVES her teacher and will do anything for her. Now if I could just figure out how to harness that feeling at home...

Clara's "Clara" doll for Pre-K. I think her self-portrait is pretty accurate.

She was exhausted after school and fell asleep eating her lunch.

My parents are in the process of moving in with us, and Cole wanted to help them move boxes but had homework, so he multi-tasked and did his homework on the box there. It's a good thing it doesn't take him very long!

Happy 39th Birthday, Davie! We love you!

Dave got a new drill for his solar panel installation. He is excited about it.