Wednesday, April 18, 2012

Aunt Joanne

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When we moved here we were welcomed by the open arms of Great Aunt Joanne and Uncle Fritz. Aunt Joanne's face lit up when she met Maddie and Gavin - she liked us, too, but Maddie and Gavin were definitely her favorites.

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She loved that Maddie wanted to read on her sofa.

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She was amused by us even as the kids ate up her sweets, spun in her chair, ran around the house, and caused general chaos wherever they went.

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In February, Aunt Joanne joined us all for a trendy breakfast at Snooze in Boulder, and afterward she took Maddie for a ride on her lap in the wheelchair, which Maddie thought was the best thing ever.

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That day as Fritz and Joanne pulled away in their car, Maddie began to cry, "I miss Aunt Joanne." We told her not to worry, that she'd see her the next weekend. And she did, and she loved it.

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But I don't know what to tell her now. We'll all miss you, Aunt Joanne. Your feistiness, your laughter, your ready smile, your hugs. We'll all miss you.

Sunday, April 8, 2012

This is Why We Moved to CO

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On Easter morning, we packed up the kids (and their sippy cups and their extra clothes and their new trains from their Easter baskets and their snacks...) and headed to Deer Creek Canyon, about 40 minutes away.

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It was our first real hike as a family...

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...and it was breathtaking and amazing.

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Everyone hiked for a while,

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and there was so much to explore...

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and to climb!

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Our littlest hiker was pretty serious about showing us he could handle the hike, and he vehemently protested being carried...at all.

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There were so many moments where we just stopped and looked at each other and said, "THIS is why we moved to Colorado. Right here."

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And right here.

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And right here.

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After we reached the top (whoohoo!) we had a little picnic lunch.

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And after filling their tummies, the kids were both ready to be carried down the mountain.

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Could the two of them be any cuter?

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It was an amazing day - a perfect, blue skies, mountain kind of day. The kind of day you just want to have again. And again. And again.

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And we can...because THIS is why we moved to Colorado.