Georgetown

Last weekend we took the kids up into the mountains to an old mining town. Yo had found a deal on tickets for a train ride up there so we decided to make a day of it. I'm so glad that we did. The weather was beautiful. The air was so fresh and crisp. The kids loved being out in nature. And I was reminded of why so many people fall in love with Colorado and can't imagine living anywhere else. I'm hoping we can back a lot more excursions like this one before the weather gets cold. Because I'm going to need a wealth of love for this state to get me through February (and March, and April).

The boys getting excited about the train on their ride up:

Kai checking out the amazing scenery:

 Here comes the train!

A cute one of Pappa and Ari:

The picture on the right makes me laugh...

The water below this bridge was rushing by so swiftly and all I could is picture one of my kids (ok, just this one) falling in and being swept away. And me wondering how I would dive in after him pregnant and all. #momworries

Both kids loved just getting to be outside, climbing around, finding sticks and rocks, watching bugs. They were in heaven.

My sweet Kai seems so big recently. But I take solace in the fact that he still has cheeks for days and that I get to squeeze them and kiss them anytime I want.

Yo looking extra "Colorado" for the occasion:

Oh how I love my Ari:

A passer-by offered to take a picture of the four of us. I couldn't refuse. We have so few pics of the whole family. That is one thing I have to Colorado credit for.... the people here are generally so nice and considerate. It takes me back to my Mid-Western roots. (And is refreshing after living in California for so long.)

Kai has been a bundle of anxiety recently about things that never used to phase him. He was so excited about the train until we got closer and then he kept asking about whether it was going to be safe, how fast it was going to go, how high it was going to climb, if there was ice on the tracks. And then when we got to the train station and he saw water rushing below and the skinny bridge above with no safety rails to boot, we all but had to drag him on board. Afterward he thanked us for making him get on the train and said that now he knows it isn't scary. (Maybe this means that he'll forgive us for the Pirates of the Caribbean ride....some day.)

Yo splurged and got us fancy parlor seats. Ok, it wasn't fancy, but we got to ride inside an enclosed car with tables. And they served us a beverage and some snacks. We were highfalutin with the best of them. (Never mind the fact that we let our true colors show by sneaking extra snacks and stashing them away in our diaper bag for later.)

The boys living the good life. I'm a little obsessed with these two faces.

Here's a picture I took out the train window that gives you a better idea of just how quickly that water was a-rushing. I could give myself a panic attack just thinking about it. (In the end Yo and I talked it out and agreed that he simply would have to be the one to jump in after Ari. And that he would undoubtedly die in the process. It was a tough decision, but I we felt better once it had been made.)

Ari's front seat view. We wisely chose a table not located in front of a wide open window.

As luck would have it, it wasn't just any ol' day up in Georgetown--we happened to book our train ride during their "Mining Days" (festival?). I'm not sure what exactly to call it. All I know is that there were some seriously authentic mountain people up there and the kids got to eat free hot dogs, pan for gold, and pet some donkeys. It was good times.

The guy who taught us how to pan for gold was pretty intense. And obviously took his task seriously. Yo managed to pay attention and refrain from laughing (out loud). I was proud of him on both accounts. Turns out our teacher is one of very few professional gold miners who makes this is full-time job. I think he could have talked about his passion for panning all night long, so I tried to make a graceful exit by thanking him for his time and wishing him luck with his mining venture. He replied, "I don't need luck because I have know how."

Serious. Business.

Pappa and the kids putting their skills to the test. For all of Yo's mocking of the other dude later, he looks like he's pretty serious in this picture, doesn't he? ;)

Kai and Pappa were still going strong with their gold panning long after Ari had lost interest.

So I left them to their work, while I followed Ari around the mountain snapping pictures of his cute mug and trying to keep him away from the hazards that come with mining towns.... open mining shafts and donkey poop. Mostly not in that order.

When he started high jacking a mule, I decided it was time for us to mozy on back to the train station. 

It took a while...

We had a few minutes at the station to snap a couple more photos before we took a short train ride to finish the loop. Yo and I enjoyed a quiet ride home. Both boys slept the whole time. Turns out all that fresh air is not only good for the soul, but tiring too.

Preschool "graduation"

When you move in the middle of the school year, and you have a preschooler with high social needs, you're basically ready to enroll him in any licensed institution that is welling to take him off your hands 3 days a week. Which is basically how Kai ended up in a pre-k class this past January.

While I was a little worried at the time, putting him in this class has been one of the best decisions I've made since moving to Parker. Kai has made some amazing strides this year thanks to his awesome teachers and type A personality. So we are happily keeping him in the same program with the same teachers next year... while the rest of his peers go off to kindergarten.

Which means he is going to be ready to rock kindergarten by the time he finally goes. But it also means that it felt a little funny to attend his preschool graduation while we know that he will be attending the exact same ceremony next year. Ah well!  He looked cute in his hat and got a scrolled up piece of paper and we cheered just as loud as the next parents and ate twice as much celebratory chocolate cake. Overall it was a successful event and we couldn't be prouder of our pre-pre-kindergartner.