Mother/Daughter Field Trip

Cassidy didn't have pre-school on Friday so we decided to take a field trip together. We packed a lunch and headed west to the mountains. I thought it would be a perfect time to go see the changing colors of fall. The Aspen trees were beautiful. I think we'll try to go again next weekend. It was so peaceful and quiet being in nature. It was time to eat our lunch and Cassidy enjoyed climbing the rocks at our picnic spot. I enjoyed watching the Aspen tree leaves quake in the breeze.

Below you will see some pictures of what we saw on our adventure:

As much as we liked the cute abandoned cabin, we were too scared to go inside.

Picnic Spot

As we were heading home we came across a sign on the side of the road that read: Colorado Wolf and Wildlife Center with their contact information. This is their website if you're interested to learn more: http://wolfeducation.org/

Spontaneously, we thought it would be neat to go check it out. So we called them and found out that we had missed the last tour. But the kind gentleman asked his boss if we could have a private tour during the wolves feeding time. They never do this, especially at feeding time. She said yes, and for a fee we were able to watch the wolves eat their dinner. We learned so much and since it was feeding time we had the chance to see every wolf there up close. It was an unforgettable experience.


The bridge you walk under at the entrance, as the foxes watch you from their bridge

Dinner time! The wolves eat their meat frozen

Special Company

It's been exactly 3 years since we have seen Kaley (Cassidy's Birthmother). The last time we saw Kaley was on her wedding day when she got married to her prince charming, Clint. Since then they have been living in Utah and had a beautiful little boy, Skyler. He is so adorable!!

Well, Clint got a job in North Carolina so they packed their stuff and started their road trip to their new home. On their way they stopped in Denver so they could spend a day with us. We met them in Denver the night before and stayed at the same hotel. As soon as we got to the hotel Cassidy didn't want to waste any time to go swimming. She loves the water. Unfortunately, they didn't arrive until 10pm so they couldn't join us at the pool. But instead we invited them over to our hotel room to visit before everyone went to bed. It was so much fun to hang out in our pj's and talk. Cassidy and Skyler (2 yrs. old) had fun with the pillows. Everyone was pretty tired so we didn't stay up too long.

Before Kaley and Clint checked in to the hotel we tried to upgrade Kaley and Clint's hotel room since it was their anniversary the next day. The manager was going to give them a suite but they didn't have any available. Ah shucks! So instead they gave them a room with a mountain view. Not sure if they even had time to enjoy it.


Cassidy getting use to the cold water with just her piggy toes. The best part was after swimming watching Derek and Cassidy doing karate kicks on the deck. They were playing kung fu. Cassidy couldn't stop giggling so of course it was contagious.


The next morning we all went out to breakfast and had a feast. We had the chance to hang out with Clint's Dad too, he was helping them move to North Carolina. We ate at Delectable Egg. Never eaten there before. It was my first time trying hollandaise sauce. It was pretty bland. I of course enjoyed my french toast.

Then we drove over to the Denver Zoo. None of us had been to this zoo before so it was exciting. We had fun watching some of the animals do tricks like the seal jumping up to touch the ball with his nose, watching the lion's feeding time, the penguins and Polar Bear swimming in the water, the monkey talking to Skyler and Clint through the glass, the elephants throwing dirt on their backs, the gila monster staring at Skyler like he wanted him for lunch, and more.

We are Family!
Clint, Kaley, & Skyler

The kids making silly faces, and Clint's Dad

Trainers feeding the seals and making them do tricks

Dads teaching the kids how to play the drums

Here Kitty, Kitty!

Just a little short

Cassidy's hand may be a little smaller

Face to Face

Cassidy commanding Polar Bear to sit!

Little Skyler, What a Giant

Beautiful Kaley & Cassidy

After the zoo we found a Mexican restaurant. We were pretty lucky to find it. It was pretty good. After dinner it was time for us to go our separate ways. It was hard to say good-bye, none of us wanted it to end. It was such a magical day!

We have such a strong bond and we consider each other family. Kaley will always be like a sister. I'm so grateful for our relationship. On a side note: For the entire day Cassidy wore the pretty hair clip that Kaley made for her. Kaley made her one of every color to match every outfit. Cassidy calls them her "special" hair clips. Thanks, Kaley!

We hope to take a trip to North Carolina someday to visit some of our favorite people. We love you "T" family! Thanks for taking the time to stop and visit, even on your Anniversary. We enjoyed every minute of it.

"Cassidy's Day"

September holds a lot of memories. One of the memories is when the 3 of us became a forever family. We were sealed to Cassidy in the Mesa Temple on September 2nd, 2006.

We have a special day and name it "Cassidy's Day". This means we let Cassidy decide what we will do as a family for the entire day.

This year she wanted to hike up Helen Hunt Falls. We love being in the outdoors and the scenery is so beautiful! We hike up to the top and enjoy the view. It's been fun taking family up there when they visit. Cassidy enjoys the flowers and sitting on the rocks. At this time of year the park's office is still open so we had the chance to learn more about the animals, rocks, and other facts about this park.








After our hike we got some lunch and then Cassidy wanted to head to the pool to go swimming. Cassidy has become more and more confident in swimming. She loves her blue noodle. Her noodle has given her more practice of swimming in the deep end of the pool rather than just holding onto me. The other day she actually let me take her noodle and she tried swimming to me on her own. She's getting better and better. Derek and I enjoyed swimming in the pool too. Derek even gave his girls a ride on his back with both of us holding on. Of course we also have to play a game of shark and minnows.




For dinner Cassidy wanted to go to Texas Roadhouse.

Labor Day Weekend

Every Labor Day weekend we get up EARLY and go to the Balloon Festival. We really liked the Energizer Bunny balloon, it was HUGE. It's always fun to see so many different colored/character balloons. It's nice to be surrounded by them and to watch them take off. Wouldn't it be cool to be one of the people who gets to take off in a balloon?

The best part is watching some of the balloons touch down on the lake. It's so magical.

Cassidy's dolly even came with us

Literally surrounded by balloons

Touchdown on the Lake

Daddy's Little Girl

We always look forward to going out to breakfast after watching the balloons.

So Brave

Cassidy had the opportunity to give her very first talk at church last month. She was so excited! Her topic was: Jesus heals the sick

After Sacrament meeting she realized her good friend Aly was visiting and so hand in hand they walked together to class. The primary teacher asked Cassidy to sit up front since she was giving the talk. She spotted me out in the crowd and I gave her the "I love you" sign, in sign language and then she gave me one back. It was so sweet! She was so brave and walked with the teacher to the microphone and whispered "My mom is going to help me."

I stood next to her and whispered the words of her talk in her ear. Her voice sounded so cute over the microphone as she repeated the words I read to her. She shared some examples in the scriptures of Jesus healing the sick: the blind man and the ten lepers. Then Cassidy wanted to share the story of her cousin Cooper (he was diagnosed with a cervical spinal condition) and his miracle story. As she gave her talk she would twirl my hair with her finger. I didn't pay much attention to this Derek told me after the fact.

I was so happy and proud of my little girl. Derek was able to find someone to teach his class so he could be there too. After Cassidy said, "Amen" I gave her a hug and kiss and had tears in my eyes as I walked out of the room. She did so good and she was so brave! I was so proud of her especially since she usually gets shy in front of big groups of people.

(picture taken after church, not during her talk) :)

Summer Fun

Some highlights to our summer fun...

Pikes Peak or Bust Rodeo Parade with friends

Movie Night Outdoors
(Movie: Chipmunks Sequel)

Friends Visiting from Mississippi

Friends Visiting from Virginia

Cassidy's 1st Roller Skating Experience
(She had to wear a dress and her Hello Kitty socks)

Playing soccer games every Saturday morning with friends

Swimming Lessons

Sky Sox Baseball Game

Swimming and More Swimming
(Practically everyday of the summer)