Jr is back!  Hello, all!  I hope you have been having a pleasant change of weather.  Now that we’re starting to see some real Fall weather I almost want Summer back… almost.

Can you believe we’re writing again so soon!?  We have some fun highlights to show you – the most memorable ones are our camping trip, our vacation and All Saints Day!  Let’s get started. "

We went camping for one night (we weren’t sure if Mom and Dad could handle us out in the “wild” for more than one night, hehe) a couple weeks before the particular camping site closed for the season.  It was the first time Dad has been camping since he was a teenager, and it was the first time ever for the rest of us except Mom, who used to go with her family when she was a lot younger. We camped right next to a little playground, which was great, because Bumblebee, Squeaker and I all took advantage of it many times, which gave Mom and Dad the chance to set up the tent, make the food, clean up messes, chase Cruz all over the place and so on. Here are some pics we took.

Dad and Cruz enjoying their bottles…

Dad cooking meat over the campfire – we had a tasty dinner!

Mom washing dishes by lantern-light, and the fire Dad built.

 

 

 

Here are the girls helping Dad set up beds in the huge tent we got, and Squeaker proudly pushing the stroller around to content Cruz for awhile (and keep him from eating the gravel – yuck!).

 

In between our camping trip and our vacation to Colorado, we had some quality time – I read to Squeaker and Bumblebee counts poker chips for Dad.  Cruz just hangs out waiting for a snack.

 

And now for some fun pics from our trip to Colorado.  It was a blast!

The first pic is the mountains on the horizon as we approached Denver.  Then there are a few of us kids enjoying the motionless “wildlife” in Winter Park, as we window-shopped and found some neat postcards.

 

 

Here are Mom and Dad (I think Dad has her in a choke hold) on the balcony/porch to our cabin with Snow Mountain in the background.  Then there is a picture of Bumblebee and I hiking up a mountain with Dad – we made it to the top!  So neat!

 

On the last full day of our trip Mom and Dad went on the waterfall hike – Mom, being 6 months pregnant at the time, wasn’t sure she’d make it, but she did. And even though it wasn’t THAT cold out, there was ice on the falls. It started raining on the way back down, but since it was only a light mist for the most part they didn’t get too wet.

 

 

 

Next are a few pictures of us when dad was having one of his photo-bug moments. Mom thought it would be fun to put our heads together for one shot. It sure was hard to keep Cruz from wandering away. Crazy boy is just so squirmy.

 

 

 

Here is a picture from the All Saints Day party. I was St. Patrick, Bumblebee was St. Elizabeth of Hungary, Squeaker was St. Rose of Viterbo.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The next picture was just a random sappy moment between Bumblebee and me, and then there’s a funny picture of me that mom couldn’t resist taking after I dressed myself as a… well, someone ready to work, at Grandma’s house.

 

Last but not least here’s Dad painting the very hard-to-reach places on the entryway ceiling just a couple days ago (the whole living room was done!). Mom says he’s her hero. There’s nothing like a clean, white ceiling to brighten up a room. The walls will be painted in the coming weeks – we’re so excited for a fresh, new look.

Well, that’s all for now.  Hope you enjoyed this post.  We’ll try to have some videos for next time.  God bless you all!