Waiting for the School Bus

It's Official.... She's a Kindergartener!

Almost six years ago, Brandon held Meredith for the first time, and today he held her hand as she started her school career . On both occasions dad couldn't have been more proud. It's hard for us as parents to grasp the fact that time goes by so fast (our one true complaint about parenthood) and we understand that every moment that we have together with our girls must be cherished.

The journey from bus stop to classroom was very uneventful and some of the uneasiness was forgotten once Meredith found her best chum Justine. There were only a few tears shed when we had to say good-bye (from both mom and the new scholar) but when it was time to return home a few hours later Meredith was quoted saying "I love Kindergarten!"

So, a chapter has come to an end and yet another one starts...

Meredith's Last Day of Summer

Although we've been in Gunnison for 15 years, we've never taken the time to go on the Morrow Point boat tour. With one day left of summer (for Meredith), we decided it would be a nice treat to take the tour. There are three bodies of water above the Black Canyon of the Gunnison: Blue Mesa, Morrow Point, and Crystal. We loved it, Meredith loved it, and Delaney would've loved it if she hadn't been so grouchy and then fallen asleep. It was a very special day!

Pro Cycling Challenge comes to Gunnison

It was crowded this week in Gunnison, with the pro-cycling challenge in town. Some of the best bikers in the world came through in a race that went over Monarch, Cottonwood, and Independence Passes. The girls were in the thick of it when the bikes came through- they blinked and almost missed the ball of riders go by!

Another Busy Week....

It's hard to believe but after almost five years at Stepping Stone's, Meredith is finally moving on and will be going to Kindergarten in Gunnison. Last week she had her final day in Crested Butte and did her best to say goodbye to all her friends and teachers. Hopefully she'll always remember the good times she had up in the north end of the valley.

There are always things going on in Gunnison during the summer; last weekend was the car show, so we rode our bikes down to check it out. Meredith always seems intrigued with the cars we never see anymore. They had a good band playing oldies during the show, and Delaney made quite a spectacle of herself dancing in the street.

People have been asking us what the girls are holding in the lower pictures. When we have the time, it's always fun to head out together to pick up radio collars that are part of Brandon's mule deer survival study. The fawns are equipped with collars that are designed to fall off during the summer so there are a lot of collars to pick up this time of year. It is definitely fall in our part of the world, so we're trying to soak up the season and get out as much as we can before the snow falls...

August brings hints of fall to our world, and it's a special time to be out and about. On a recent camping trip, we were fortunate to stumble upon a natural bounty - wild strawberries. It was the absolute mother-load of berries; a crop that we'll likely not see again any time soon. We were trying to do some exploring, but our trip was slowed down considerably by the abundant strawberries that we just couldn't ignore.

The mini-blonds continue to grow strong, and Meredith is becoming quite the hiker. She's too big now to carry (and dad has to carry Delaney), so she's having to pull her own weight around the mountains (literally). Hopefully she'll keep her dad company over the long-haul.

Uncompahgre Deer Crew Reunion

We spent last weekend in Taylor Park for our long-awaited Uncompahgre reunion. Folks are scattered far and wide these days, but everyone made the trip and we were able to enjoy a few days in the mountains. Delaney and Meredith had a fun time playing with the other kids and searching for wild strawberries. This was the first time they slept on the same bed together, which actually went pretty well. Our friends Brad & Tanya have a newborn daughter that was of great interest to Delaney. It seemed like her baby dolls, but it moved and made noises which made it extra entertaining. Too bad there isn't more time in life to hang out with good friends around a campfire...