Kayla Fuller

Leadville with the Sandovals

This week we finally had our friends the Sandovals up for a two night stay at the cabin. The kids were looking forward to sharing their cabin with their good friends. And Kayla was looking forward to spending some quality time with Miss Sheri. The weather has been warming up drastically so we were able to spend a few hours at Turquoise Lake playing in the sand and the freezing lake water.

Day two we decided to be a little adventurous and take the gang to a new (to us) hot springs pool in the Buena Vista area. Mount Princeton Hot Springs was pretty remote. It had upper pools with a large water slide which had more of a "normal" pool setting. The kids swam in the upper pools until they were closed for the day.

Kayla was super excited to see they had a kiddie pool for her to cruise around in. She has to be a big girl with everything these days so she does not want Mommy carrying her around the pool. She wants to be on her own. So while the big kids were busy in the big pool, Kayla had this all to herself.

The lower pools are open into the evening so we talked the gang into giving them a look as well. I was happy we did because they were definitely the better part of the springs. The lower pools run alongside a river. Along the sides of the river there are pockets of shallow slower moving water. As we ventured closer we were told that the hot springs actually seeped into the river along these sides. You were able to sit in these pockets and feel the hot water seeping up from the ground. As you buried your feet into the sand it actually got really hot. But, as it mixed with the river water the temp was great.

My kids loved the rustic feel of the river. The Sandoval kids not so much. So we stayed just a bit and decided to get the kids off for dinner. I could have stayed a few more hours but there is always next time.

Nana and Papa Visit

Well, given that as I sit down to write this blog entry it is actually mid-September, I'd say its safe to say we are behind our blogging duties. So I may not remember all the actual fun details. But, at least its finally up in cyberspace for future reference.

Our summer kicked off its start with a visit from Nana and Papa for the Memorial Day weekend. This would be their first visit up to Leadville. Given, it wasn't quite warmed up all the way our sightseeing would be limited. But, the cabin would be the main attraction this visit anyway. Nana and Papa got to see how the kids mostly entertain themselves in our yard. The fun seems to center around the firewood pile. Or should I say our country store. Kayla especially likes to play store. Here she is waiting for her next customer.

Once a customer is here the log selling can begin. These pieces can be a little big for a two year old so good thing big sis is around to help.

Mom and Dad wanted to take advantage of the free babysitters and take off on a bike ride near the lake. On our way back home Sydney met us on the drive warning us that Nana was going to be in BIG trouble when Mom saw Kayla. Can you see what might be the problem?

Apparently, Kayla was sitting in her little chair and toppled over onto a nearby upright log which was being used as a table. Couldn't have timed everything just right. Its now 4 months later and the scar is still there. Hoping it heals itself up sometime. We might let them babysit again. Still thinking...

After a few days in Leadville we made our way back to the house for some of their favorite actives. Easily enough, they are happy sitting in the garage watching the kids play.

After a bit the kids were getting too crazy so Dad had to try and control the situation. I think he did a fairly good job "tying" them up. It took a good amount of work for them to free themselves. Kayla demanded to be included in the activity. She is a big girl now. Who would of known a little caution tape could make for a full days activities.

Independence Day

This past week was our first week long stay in Leadville. WIth school and other kid activities it just hasn't happened yet. The week started off with Daddy's race. The girls happily went along to cheer Daddy on to the finish line, as long as it would be followed up by another visit to the rock store.

On Sunday we decided to take a small hike so that the two older girls could get in some badge work. Kayla is usually backpacked on hikes but this time we decided to let her walk. She thought this was a great idea. Especially when there are fun things like rivers and bridges to walk across.

The trail was pretty rocky and Kayla would take the opportunity to tackle each and every huge rock. Once the rock was conquered the rest of the family was required to cheer her on. Once she was satisfied with our praise we were able to once again move on.

The big girls brought along their binoculars in case they spotted any birds for their birding badge. Kayla soon demanded that Sydney hand her binoculars off to Kayla. There was not a bird in sight so it ended up being okay. I don't think Kayla quite got the purpose of binoculars. What she did figure out is that you walk around holding them up to your face like this. Notice that you place them right below your eyes so that you can still see past these things in your face.

While Mom and the big girls did our badge work, Daddy often walked behind with Kayla. The pace was definitely slower then he is use to. But I think he liked it just the same. Nothing like seeing the trails through a toddlers eyes now and then. Everything is so new and exciting again.

Soon enough the kids started whining about being hungry so we made our way over to Turquoise Lake. We found a spot on the beach and relaxed for a few hours while the kids played in the freezing water and built this in the sand.

On the 4th we decided to take a little day trip to Breckinridge. None of the girls had ever been to this town and Dad promised lots of shopping. They were in! In town we happened upon a great little furniture store which made all kinds of "cabin" style furniture. The outdoor furniture is what first caught my eye. We lucked out with a great adirondack style tea set bench for the deck.

As well as a nice relaxing swing for the yard. We were also able to finally find a great aspen log bed for the guest room. So as of now I think we are officially done with cabin furniture. Onto the decorations.

Breckinridge was absolutely packed as everyone was in the mountains for the holiday. Didn't matter, we were dedicated to seeing the fireworks in our own little town of Leadville for the first time. We perched ourselves on top of a hill to watch the show. Not a bad show for such a small town. We even had the excitement of seeing the firemen in action as they had to put out a small grass fire caused by some low fireworks. This was Kayla's first time seeing the "Boom-Booms" in which she actually enjoyed them. She would run around sitting with both Mom and Dad to make sure we didn't miss these amazing lights in the sky.

We spent much of the next few days just playing around the house both inside and out. In the moments that Kayla was confined to the inside with Mom. She made herself a little desk so that she could also get some work done. Just her size.