Colorado Adventures: Lair o' the Bear

In keeping with our family goal to enjoy where we live a little more, we headed out to hike the first of a lengthy list of easy, kid-friendly trails I had gathered from friends. We started out at Lair o' the Bear today, savoring a warm winter day.

The paths were a little snowy, icy, and muddy, but it was an adventure, and we had a blast.

If it weren't for the snow/ice/mud, it would have been a super simple hike, which is a major plus for when Colette is hiking along with us rather than riding in the carrier.

Bear Creek runs through the park, and the girls were fascinated by the sparkling, crystal clear water.

Once she knew there were Lara Bars tucked away, Anni made sure to let us know that she was "weeewwy hungwy". She felt like waiting for a bench to sit and have our snack took waaaay too long. Other than that, she was a trooper of a little hiker.

Near the end, we let Miss Lettie down for a little hiking of her own. She ran along in her adorable toddle yelling, "Wun wun wun wun wun!" as she chased after Daddy and Anni.

Yep, ridiculously adorable.

Happy Adventuring!

St. Colette Goes to the Zoo

Today was one of St. Colette's feast days (the one not during Lent, so way easier to celebrate with brownies for dessert), and an unseasonably warm day, so we celebrated with a trip to the zoo with some of our best friends. Of course, our little wooden St. Colette doll had to come with us.

I'm pretty sure there is nothing cuter than these three girls holding hands and making their way through the (super busy) zoo. 

Except maybe adding in Mama Amy and the littelest one... because that's ridiculously cute.

It was a good day. Thank heavens for sunny Colorado in the middle of the winter, and for our sweet friends. Such a happy way to spend a day!

and then, this happened last night, so, I'll just leave this cuteness right here:

Quotables #4

"The ice cream in their tummies will build the church?"


"Is there going to be a pretend monkey in our house? With shoes on his foots?"
"Why do you ask that?"
"Because I like that!"


"Regardless Annie, it's time to brush your teeth."
"Okay regardless Daddy..."


"RES Help! RES Help!"
"RES? Help is spelled H-E-L-P... Or do you mean SOS?"
"Yeah! SOS help!"


"I'm trying to do an estimated God thingie, right here."


"Mommy. You know what? Dancing helps me not eat people's breakfast."


"I don't want Colette to be sad. and dejected."


"So we can still drive?"
"Yes"
"To places?"

"Dad is the husband, right?
And you're the womens?"

"I have to get Jesus out of my pantie drawer!"

Pruning

2015 has already been a year of announcements: babies, engagements, moves, and exciting changes for so many people. I don't have anything exciting to share, but I did spend part of today "trimming" the lilac bush right by our back door while the girls enjoyed the almost warm weather. By trimming I mean, I'm working my way to hacking the thing down to six inches, because it needed some serious pruning. It's beautiful, but in the summer it blocks half of the steps coming out of the house into the backyard and interrupts my view from the kitchen window to the patio area. So while I hope it survives my brutality, I'm also welcoming the breathing room it's going to give us.

Sometimes, I feel the same way about my life: the desire to strip away everything and start at the beginning, or at least, with the basics. I often feel so far from where I want to be, from where God wants me to be. I think that desire is God's way of reminding me that the center, the root of my life needs to be in Him, and all the other stuff is just getting in the way if I'm not focusing on that. I think that may be the focus of this year, letting God trim (or hack away, as may be necessary) all those things that distract me from my vocation, and from Him.

While I was at SEEK the first few days of this year, there was a schedule packed with amazing speakers and events. I got to hear snippets and the entirety of several talks as I flitted from room to room to get the shots I needed. I heard a lot of incredible things, and even plan on going back to listen to more when I'm able (because my husband is awesome and bought the talks so we could listen to them when we aren't working like crazy).

That being said, there was a singular event of those five days that truly moved my heart and brought things into focus for me: adoration with 9300 people on their knees worshiping Christ in the Eucharist. Not only was it one of those moments where, if we allow it, our hearts leap in joy at being in the presence of the True Presence, but it was a beautiful representation of the truly universal Catholic church and a reminder of something I think we all long to be reminded of: You are not alone. The diversity of emotion can probably only be imagined, but I'm sure there was not only joy, ecstasy, and excitement, but also fear, confusion, and anxiety in those thousands of hearts that night. I know a recent catchphrase is "You are enough." This in itself is such a salve to so many souls, but I want to add to it. "I don't have to be enough, because You, God, are enough."

Here's to a year of bringing things back to where they belong, to stripping out the excess and the distractions, to a year of hope.

365 Photos in 365 Days: Weeks 49-52

Here we have the last few stragglers in my 365 project. I'm a wee bit overwhelmed with the work built up from our three weeks away (shooting photos but not being able to edit), so they aren't numbered, and I may be missing a few here and there from days I only shot for work, but I love these. It has been a lovely, if a bit hectic year. I'm proud of this project, and looking forward to another year filled with my sweet husband and babes.