Hiking the Poudre River Trail

About half way through Cru15, we had a day off and spent the morning hiking the Poudre River Trail. Jen and Josh Duey joined us on our adventure. The boys hike quickly but they stop at every large rock and fallen tree to climb and play! So it really doesn't end up to be much of a hike but it is entertaining and fun.

Looking through my pictures I realized how they turn every stuck into a sword or gun:)

Lots of opportunities for ninja training!

 The boys all picked flowers for Jen and me along the way. 

 I wonder what he is thinking about?! 

Crosby really did enjoy the trip despite this picture:) What a great day off!

Colorado Road Trip to Cru15

 Every other summer we attend a national Cru conference in Fort Collins, CO. It was much easier this year as the boys are 2 years older!

 We took 2 days to get there with an overnight stop in Grand Island, NE. We made LOTS of stops along the way.

 Happy travelers! Tim took the boys to the library and they each picked out a backpack full of new books. We also got some new treats and surprises for along the way.

 We made it!!!! I was sort of dreading staying for 10 nights in a non-AC dorm room, but it went way better than expected. 

 The dorm had a courtyard in the back and the boys were able to run around after most meals. The bike racks became a ninja training obstacle, of course!

 They always want to climb on the CSU Ram. Fun that they are starting to remember some things. 

Cru Street Fair. The night before the conference began, Cru put on an amazing carnival for the 5000+ staff. The kids LOVED it!! Crosby even braved the huge slide this year.

We had a babysitter each morning during the sessions and then Tim and I tag-teamed the afternoons. The boys loved time with their babysitter and then really enjoyed time with friends in the afternoons. We reconnected with the Higginbothams and the boys adopted Titus into our family. He ate most meals with us and the kids were inseparable! 

 Rock climbing at the CSU gym! This was one of the boys favorite activities and they kept begging us to take them!  

 The meetings were so good! Imagine worshiping with 5000+ co-laborers and friends, hearing from incredible speakers, being challenged but also given space to just be with Jesus. I was so grateful for this time! We also loved connected with some of our dear friends from the past 14 years on staff with Cru.

Home! After 10 days the boys were sort of ready to be home. Within 5 minutes of walking in our door, they had already gathered materials to build a fort! Never a dull moment!

A Fun-Filled June

It's FINALLY summer!!!

How fun is summer when you have two playmates ALL. THE. TIME?? They are best of buddies but fight quite a bit too.

Here are just a couple of things the boys do with the tree in our backyard. I can only imagine what they will come up with in a couple of years!

Ice cream!!

We've spent LOTS of time in our backyard playing soccer, kickball, and baseball. It's been fun having some neighbor kids over to join us too.

Splash parks with friends!

Lowe's puts on workshops for kids in the summer. They get protective eye wear, aprons, a mini hammer and a kit to build something. This summer it was Avenger vehicles!

A post t-ball, pre-lunch, kitchen dance party. Why not?

  

Track night! The boys competed in the softball toss and the 50 yard dash. All 3 of them LOVED it! Mimi, Gramps, and Great Uncle Drew were in town to cheer on the boys!

As I mentioned in an earlier post, we inherited a piano this spring. We decided to let Carter and Cooper start lessons this summer. They both enjoy it but Carter especially loves practicing. If you thought we had a LOUD house before this...well we've taken it to a whole new level!!

The boys asked to color on white t-shirts with washable markers the other day. They caught me in a very flexible moment so we did it:)

Water fights, sprinklers, squirt guns, slip 'n slide...they love it all!

As always, we spend lots of our time in the summer at parks. 

Shopping with Mom. Every once in a while it is actually fun for all of us:)

After watching American Ninja Warrior the other night, I suggested to the boys that they should try climbing the walls. I had NO IDEA that this would turn into a daily activity. We've only added the trampoline once or twice. I'm really trying to work on chilling out. It's hard!

Father's Day 2015

 The boys really get into holidays and celebrations so when they realized that Father's Day was coming up they wanted to decorate for dad:)

 They all wanted individual pictures with Tim. 

 And then all the Spark boys together!! 

 I took them to the dollar store to pick out a couple of gifts and then they wanted to get him a Star Wars "Father and Son" book as well. We had a pretty simple day but fun to celebrate an incredible dad!