Aspen Grove

We have been very fortunate to have a photographer here with us on our assignment. Annie is on YL staff in San Antonio and she and her husband do photography as a side business. Here are a few pictures from the hike the other day...

Ummm... there are no words for this precious little smiley face... makes me laugh everytime I see this picture.

I've come to realize that one of my very favorite things about Colorado are the Aspen trees. They are just beautiful! So, I was thrilled to have Annie take pictures of our family in the Aspen Grove at Trailwest.

For those of you who live in San Antonio and looking for a photographer give Annie a call!

Bunnies, Ponies and Goats, Oh My!

Week 2 is already half way over... can't believe it. The days are going FAST... too fast in my opionion. We've continued to have some cold weather but we are not letting that stop us!
We took Logan down to the barn a couple of days ago and she got to see some animals.

Logan checking out the bunnies... not too sure what to think just yet!

I think she decided that she liked it...

Just had to include this picture... so serious! For those of you that know Logan, you know that she is rarely this serious!

Now it is on to the ponies and goats.

She was okay with pony as long as I was close.

But she is not okay with this pony.

Earlier today we went on a hike with the entire camp. It was just about a 2 hour hike and it was chilly!! Logan did great through most of it...

On the descent, Logan decided she had seen enough and took a nap...

Gosh, there is just something about being at a Young Life camp... I can't even come close to explaining it but to say that it is GOOD! Good for my heart, good for my family... just GOOD!

Yea for Pictures!

Here are couple of quick highlights of this past week....

One day, Logan and I were able to go with Kyle out on a Jeep tour. They take a group of folks up and around some beautiful areas around Mt. Princeton. We stop at St. Elmo, an old ghost town. There they have these super friendly chipmunks that will come eat of your hand. Logan wasn't so sure about it at first but started to warm up to them after a while!

Logan enjoying her peanut butter crackers in the jeep!!

Logan was very curious about these horses.

Logan and Daddy!

Here is Logan with Melissa - one of the summer staff girls. Just for those worried about sweet little Logan, she is getting PLENTY of attention from all of the summer staff and work crew. She is LOVING every bit of it, too!!

At the "Welcome" for the guests arriving at camp. Kyle is playing the Mayor of Trail West. Logan and I were some of the town folk.

Pardon my wardrobe malfunction. These overalls were in the costume closet and they were awesome except that they didn't have buckles so I used bobby pins (the only thing I had). Needless to say, they didn't work.

Here is more proof that Logan is having a ball...

Playing with Melissa and Annie...

Hanging with her new friend, Kyle.

The first week was amazing. We had some pretty crummy weather at the beginning of the week but then it cleared up and was absolutely perfect for the rest of the week. I will post a separate post about the families that came this past week and what makes "Military Week" so special. Today started Week 2 of campers and this weeks is also strictly military families.

Stay tuned...

New Post But No Pictures

We are having some technical difficulties, so unfortunately, I am unable to post pictures this time around. We are working on it though and hopefully we can get it resolved soon! We've got some great pictures to share!

It has been a great week! Our first camp week officially ends tomorrow as the families leave in the morning. Kyle has been having a great time with his Summer Staff. For those not familiar with the way that YL works their camps, here's the run down. The summer is broken into three sessions pretty much by month (so June is Session 1, July is Session 2, etc.). Field staff (which is what Kyle is considered) is sent to the camps during the summer as the "Assigned Team". Our assigned team consists of approximately 12 staff members from across the country and their families. There is also Summer Staff which is made up college age kids who volunteer for a month (or a session). And then there is Work Crew which is made up high school age kids who also volunteer for a session. So, we are working Session 1. Kyle's job is "Summer Staff Coordinator" which means that he oversees/disciples/hangs out with the college aged kids that are here for the month. So there is a brief overview of the vocabulary regarding YL camp!

We'll keep working on the pics but in the mean time... be anticipating pictures of Logan feeding chipmunks out of her hand, the Johnson fam in full western gear and pics of our Jeep tour! Fun times!

Elevator Fun

While in Breckenridge, Logan discovered how much fun you can have on an elevator... watch to find out for yourself!

oh... wait... 3 quick disclaimers:

For some reason, I turned the camera once I started filming so you'll have to turn your head to view SORRY!

That is Kyle's voice you here squealing along with Logan - not mine!

It ends rather abruptly as someone gets on the elevator at one of the floors.

ENJOY!

Breckenridge and Trail West

Thursday was our last morning in Breckenridge. I got up that morning and took a yoga class in town at a small studio. It was an interesting experience. I knew better than to assume that it was like my normal class that I take at home... and I was right. The class was full on yoga... with the "Om" and sanskrit chants... the works. Anyway, I probably won't forget that anytime soon!!

We didn't take very many pics while in Breckenridge but here are the few that we did take...

Logan would yell "Hi!" everytime we walked past these sculptures... pretty sure that she thought that they were real.

This is outside of the studio where I took my yoga class.

We did a little shopping in Breck before heading to Buena Vista. Kyle got the bargain of the day with a pair of Earl Jeans (which he so could care less about the brand, but I was shocked at the price!). They were originally $190 and he got them for $25!! So he got a few pair. I got a pair of Uggs since I have been wanting some for a while. They were on sale but definitely not $25.

Outside of Buena Vista on our way into town, there is an amazing overlook that we stopped to check out. The Collegiate Mountain Range is just behind us.

Logan decided to climb a tree...

Our first full day in Trailwest... Logan is checking things out!

Check out her new Nalgene sippy cup. A must have for Young Life camp.

Logan loves these little chairs that are just her size. She climbs in and out constantly.

We are starting our third day here. Work Crew and Summer Staff arrived last night and our first camp week starts tomorrow when the families arrive. The first two weeks are reserved especially for Military families. I am not fully aware of what to expect but I am anxious to see Family Camp at work!

Logan is hopefully making progress in the sleep department. Yesterday she woke up at a painful 4am. Lord, have mercy! Today she woke up at 5:30am and we were so excited!!

No Rest for the Weary

We left on Saturday morning for Colorado. Every summer Kyle gets an "assignment" which is a month working at one of the camp properties for Young Life. Now for those of you who have never been to a Young Life camp, you are probably envisioning what your childhood camp was like. Well... no, no, no, Young Life does camp like no other. They believe in making it the best week of your life which means that not only is it set in one of the most beautiful places you can imagine but they also serve amazing food (Which is why I gained 8 pounds on our last assignment! But I was also pregnant and that accounted for a 1/3 of the total weight I gained, but still... it's a testament to the quality of food!) and they also provide some amazing experiences for the camper. This year we are serving at Trail West in Buena Vista, Colorado, which is a family camp (the only one for YL!) set amongst the the Collegiate Mountain Range.

So back to the original purpose of this post... we left town on Saturday morning and stayed in Amarillo with our friends, the Ratliff's. Logan had a great time with their kiddos, Molly and Noah. We so enjoyed our time with them. I cannot say thank you enough to Julie for what we will refer to as the "Poop Incident of 2009" and just leave it at that. (Logan is the main character in "The Incident", just for clarification.) After two baths for Logan, due to the aforementioned "Incident" and a nice little plastic diaper cover to help protect her carseat from any encore performances, we left Sunday morning for two nights' stay in Colorado Springs.

Luckily, "The Incident" didn't follow us across state line and we have been safe from a reoccurance thus far. But that was just in time for Logan to enter her new phase called "Sleep is for Suckers". Seriously, we are struggling on the sleep front. Note the time of this posting as I type sitting up in bed with Logan sitting next to me reading her books and playing with her dolly. The first morning (Monday) in Colorado Springs, Logan woke up at 3:30am ready for the day. Today we stretched it out until 4:30 a.m. Seeing as though it's almost 1:00 am right now, surely we will be able to make it to 6am...maybe? Regardless, we are having lots of fun. Here are a couple of pics of our time in Colorado Springs.

At Garden of the Gods

Busy, busy, busy...

Smelling the flowers with Daddy.

Snuggling with her dolly.

We were able to have lunch with Tony B today while in Colorado Springs.

Tony took us to a great lookout area overlooking the Garden of the Gods.

As you can see, it was pretty overcast today and it was COLD.

We left CS and headed to Breckenridge after lunch. It was overcast the whole way and as we approached Breckenridge we were met with snow!!

That's all for now...I'll be back soon with some pics of our time in Breckenridge. I am off to try to get Logan to bed... again.