RMNP Friends Camping Trip + Mutton Bustin'

 We started the week off with a Mutton Bustin' Monday!

Camden was lucky to win the Mutton Bustin' lottery so we went to the rodeo to cheer him on. We also found cotton candy first because we recently learned he's never had that before? Michael is a big fan, I am not, but Michael is also only going to eat cotton candy at a place that cotton candy really belongs. The country fair definitely meets the mark.

Camden didn't last long at that sheep but it was so cute. He was excited and brave and we liked watching the whole rodeo. Rodeo kind of feels like people vs. animals and honestly, we're team animals and that team won that night. The cowboys were having a hard time with every event, and we kind of prefer when those calves stick it to the man.

I listed all the furniture in the little boy's room this week and we're about to get them set up with twin beds and a new dresser and redo the walls and carpet. It's time. But it's been the same nursery furniture since I redid it all way back in Manchester Village before Westin came, and it's been good to us. Change is so interesting as these boys grow up. Each new stage is SO FUN and comes with new great parts but you can't help but mourn what leaves.

This weekend was one of our favorites of the year -- our annual camping trip with ward friends. This time we did it in Rocky Mountain National Park and the campsite was beautiful. I love our Fort Collins friends so much! The boys basically disappear into a weekend of card games, tag, good food, exploring, etc. Asher sticks close by though :) And we do so well with our two-tent set up -- everyone just goes to sleep when it's time to go to sleep! I'll never take that for granted after trying to get those babies to sleep during our rougher camping years. We were not always successful and sometimes I just drove home :) But now we've got it down!

I love it here.

Rodeo and County Fair

We recently learned Camden had never had cotton candy?
No better place to fix that than the fair.

Ready to ride that sheep!

A new belt for Benny boy!

I love this little road crew that waits for me at corners.

Time to sell the little boys' furniture and given them a big boy room.
I bought this on Craigslist before Westin was born and painted it.

The little toddler bed we've had since Westin was 2.

The little couch the boys have had in their room for a while.

Camping with friends is one of our favorite weekends of the year.

I really love this crew. It's so fun to camp together, especially when summer is winding down and school is about to start, and we've all been traveling different weeks all summer.

The nature equivalent of laying on the cement to warm up at the pool.

We did this hike with Michael's family in the summer of 2017. I love that we live here now.

I loved this little walk with Michael and Asher while the older boys were playing tag at the campsite.
We saw a weasel carrying a fish, and had fun just chatting with little Asher boy.

I did an extra loop around the lake with Jamie, Debbie, and Lindsey.

The best part of camping is waking up to these cute views.

We took the long way home to drive up Trail Ridge Road.

That littlest turtle was Asher's chosen treasure when helping with the Youth Rummage Sale at our church.
I'm shocked it has stuck around so long, and he even found a friend for it.

Elk Bugling

The boys had no school Monday and we had a good day together. I think year-round school would be really wonderful. That night we did a mystery shop all together at BJs and they thought that was so fun. Mystery shopping takes me back, it's so funny to do it with four kids in tow when we started doing that just the two of us.

Tuesday we did yoga and made smoothies for Young Womens and I loved that calm activity :) I need to do more Yoga in my life. Bennett and Westin LOVE when they have activity days during Young Womens and I think they have the greatest leaders ever, they're so lucky.

Michael chaperoned Camden's preschool field trip on Wednesday to the pond and he said the kids were really cute. One little girl held his hand the whole time and it just cracked him up, preschoolers just love.

I went to my young women's orchestra concert Thursday and one of them did a cello solo for It Is Well With My Soul and I just think that song is so beautiful. She did such a wonderful job. 

Friday we took the boys to the Canvas Community Classic, which is when the high school teams play each other in the CSU stadium. Westin loves football so much. I think I've written that sentence in 100+ blog posts but it's just really true. 

Michael volunteered all day Saturday at a free dental clinic that Colorado does every year. I took the boys to watch the BYU game with friends, then to Westin's football game, then we got ready for Bennett's party that night. We grabbed pizza and cake from Costco and he had a bunch of friends come jump with him that night at Fly High. Michael met us there and the boys had fun jumping with him. Bennett is so stoked about turning 8!

My favorite part of the weekend was Sunday night -- we drove the boys up to Rocky Mountain National Park after nap time for a dinner picnic and a dusk drive during the weeks the elk are super active. There were so many, and they were bugling so much! Which is such an interesting sound and nothing like what you'd picture it to be. We even saw a couple males fighting and the sound of their antlers hitting was amazing to hear. I loved it up there, and it was such a pretty night. We stole the idea from some friends and saw them there for a few minutes. Westin said he wanted it to be a tradition, which means it was a good time :) 

The boys had a Monday off of school for a teacher work day and Bennett did every puzzle he could find.

Got Westin involved by the end.
I love how Bennett can entertain himself so well,
he's always been like that.

Such a cute scene to spy on while I do dishes.

"Jim and Nancy give me it!"
Lucky little boys to have such nice neighbors.

They had some inflatable obstacle courses at the Canvas Community Classic football game,
and Westin and Bennett thought they were so fun.

Bennett can't be bothered by the picture,
and Asher actually was really bothered by the picture,
but you can find his legs if you try hard.

Team photo! Westin liked flag football this season so much.

We recently acquired a wagon and I feel the same way about it I felt about my play kitchen.
Which is, I wish I bought this two years ago.

Have you ever ordered a cake from Costco?
What a weird way they still do it? But can't beat it!

Asher was all about this cake.
My favorite thing lately is when they say, "Can I have some more?" I just say, "Sure!" and give them the tiniest bit. And he did that like four times, which didn't even equal a whole slice of cake really, but he was just soo happy to feel like he had full access to this cake haha.

Sometimes you just need to hold hands while you eat cake.

Trying to get some candy from the bishop with some memorized Articles of Faith...
he needed some big help from daddy ;)

Sunday drive through Rocky Mountain National Park 

We ran into the Baileys there and she gets full credit for the everyone-looking-and-smiling photo,
my boys all love her so much so it was achievable for her.

This little deer came right over to eat dinner by us!
The boys loved seeing it so close.

So many elk.
And so much bugling!
We even saw two large males fighting and the sound of their antlers hitting was really awesome.