Summer Time Check Up!

Today we are almost to the very end of July and I thought it would be a great time to do a Summer Time Check Up! It's about halfway through the summer and I can't wait to see where everyone stands on the bucket lists and goals you have set for yourselves and your family. I have to admit I am disappointed we have visited the apartment pool more than anything else this summer. Just felt nice to be home and not travel a ton. We have been reading a ton and utilizing a lot of our money saving experiences like the $1 movies, parks and gym.

Cinemark Summer Movie Club:

COMPLETED

Cheyenne Mountain Zoo:

We bought season passes so we can enjoy this amazing zoo year round! There are Halloween, Christmas and other events that we are really excited to check out.

Focus on the Family Visitor Center:

NOT ON THE ORIGINAL BUCKET LIST BUT SHOULD HAVE

Seven Falls Hike:

Strawberry Moon Night Hike:

Colorado Rockies Baseball Game:

Birthday Pie Fight:

Little Man and my husband share the same birthday month so to celebrate we had a huge pie fight! My husband had his face pushed into the cake first then we took the "pie fight" outside and threw cool whip everywhere. It was a really great family memory.

Aga Splash Park:

NOT COMPLETED (YET)

Denver Zoo 

Royal Gorge Train 

Royal Gorge Bridge and Park 

Berry Patch Farms 

Patsy Candy Tour 

Peterson Air and Space Museum 

Colorado Springs Pioneer Museum 

Williams Fire Museum

Canon Balloon Classic 

*Missed this completely so we will have to wait until next year* 

Manitou Springs Cliff Dwelling 

Manitou Springs Incline 

Miramont Castle 

Cave of the Winds 

Aquarium 

Arkansas River Rafting Trip 

Camping Trip

Visit a Lake

OH MAN! That is a LONG list! At least some of these activities are in close vicinity to each other so I can hopefully knock out several in one day. If not, we will get to it eventually. I realized that my aspirations for the summer were quite large to say the least! We have had an amazing summer so far and I'm sure it will continue to be great until school starts. This week we will be celebrating Christmas in July and several other fun feasts. I have already begun working on our Fall Bucket List too! How has your summer been so far? 

Mid Year 2016 Reading Challenge

I came across this amazing a blog about books called Modern Mrs. Darcy. In one of her posts she shares a Reading Challenge for the year, however, it is not the beginning of the year anymore. However, I believe avid book lovers could finish this challenge in 6 months. I would love to have some friends, family and fellow bloggers join me in this Reading Challenge for the rest of the year. You can download a copy of the Reading Challenge at the link above.

Here are the books I plan to read (listed in order of the Reading Challenge):

This post contains sponsored links from Amazon.

The Girl On The Train by Paula Hawkins

The Crucible by Arthur Miller

Go Set A Watchman by Harper Lee

Ghost by Alan Lightman

The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne

Rising Strong: The Reckoning. The Rumble. The Revolution. by Brené Brown

Illusions of Love by Cynthia Freeman

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou

The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin

The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory

Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

I hope you decide to join me and if you do please comment with the books you are reading. I am always looking for good books and I would love to hear about your book suggestions. If you need help creating a list, you are welcome to use some of my suggestions or you can checkout the ones Modern Mrs. Darcy suggests. Cloud Atlas and I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings in my list came from hers!

I am linking this to Booknificent Thursdays at Mommynificent

{pretty, happy, funny, real} Independence Day Edition

~Captuing the context of contentment in everyday life

every Thursday Like Mother Like Daughter~

This Independence Day was our 240th Celebration. That means parades, picnics and fireworks for all! My husband is an Army Veteran and he loves quizzing the children on the meaning of Independence Day, the symbolism or our flags and our American traditions in general. How does your family get into Independence Day?

This summer has been filled with so many great memories and this Independence Day was no different. The boys were so ready for this Independence Day! Wearing their homemade shirts and red and white sunglasses. The link to the instructions for our DIY shirts is listed at the bottom of the post. We had also purchased some little flags to bring during the fireworks display but we forgot them in the car. This picture was right before we arrived at my cousin's house for a potluck and relaxing day at the pool. 

This picture makes me laugh because Goalie would't take off dad's jacket and Little Man is still holding our trash from our snacks while attempting to hide them. Little Man's eyes are closed again too! This poor kid was so confused with the extra flashes on the camera because it was so dark on the Golf Course!

The boys were laying on the picnic blanket and snuggling while patiently waiting on the fireworks. I thought Goalie was going to fall asleep because we stick to a routine when we are home at the boys are in bed no later than 9pm normally. The firework show didn't even start until 9:30pm and you can see the sleepiness in both of the kids faces.

This is such a bad quality picture but it was one of the only pictures we were able to take together as a family. We took this picture as we arrived at the golf course from my cousins house to enjoy the Louisville, CO fireworks. As we waited for the patriotic display, there was a band playing beautiful music and vendors selling food, drinks and tickets for games. Goalie really enjoyed the music because he is a huge fan of Curious George and there is an episode where they make a "wind symphony". He kept telling us that he was waiting for Curious George to arrive!

As you can see from our pictures, we made our own patriotic star shirts for our 4th of July Celebration. We found this neat shirt on Pinterest. Everyone had a blast making these shirts... including my husband! My husbands shirt is pictured above and mine is below. The kids shirts came out unique as well as you can see from the other pictures throughout the post. The shirts were super easy to make. All you need are some plain white t-shirts, pencils with nice erasers and paint. It's a little difficult to see in the pictures but I purchased metallic paints so they would sparkle.

The fireworks show we watched was the best we have ever experienced! The weather was perfect: No humidity, rain or bugs! Louisville did such a great job creating a family fun atmosphere with the bouncy house, music and food vendors. We were able to lay on our blanket and look up at the display and enjoy the whole show.

Here is that amazing band I spoke about earlier. They were amazing! They played such a great assortment of songs including patriotic and musicals. The background music really set the mood and they continued to play music until after the fireworks started. Goalie was in awe! I think I must have a musician on my hands. 

The only thing I wish I could have changed about our 4TH of July Celebration is that I would have taken more pictures! I realized I didn't take any pictures of our potluck or while we were at the pool when I started this post yesterday. 

I hope you all enjoyed Independence Day as much as we did and that your summer continues to be amazing.

God Bless America!

Seven Falls

Colorado is a gorgeous state with amazing scenery. This is a picture diary of the beautiful mountains and waterfalls in Seven Falls, also known as the most beautiful mile in Colorado. The pictures here do not do it justice.

The best remedy for those who are afraid, lonely or unhappy is to go outside, somewhere where they can be quiet, alone with the heavens, nature and God.

Because only then does one feel that all is as it should be and that God wishes to see people happy, amidst the simple beauty of nature.  I firmly believe that nature brings solace in all troubles. 

- Anne Frank   

There is a nice little restaurant in Seven Falls called 1858. My husband and I have plans to go visit this cute little restaurant during a date night sometime in the future. This sign is placed outside and it explains the meaning behind the restaurant's name and the history behind this beautiful area.

Never lose an opportunity to see anything that is beautiful. It is God's handwriting - a wayside sacrament. Welcome it in every fair face, every fair sky, every fair flower.  

- Ralph Waldo Emerson

The powers of water are immeasurable. 
In the form of ice, it can chisel rock as effectively as steel. Unloosed in a river, it can slice through
 layers of volcanic ash like a knife through a cake.

 Meandering in a shady stream, 
it can make a home for green growing things.
                                                                                        - Peggy Wayburn

'So it was beautiful in its greatness, in the length of its branches; For its roots extended to many waters. 'The cedars in God's garden could not match it; The cypresses could not compare with its boughs, And the plane trees could not match its branches No tree in God's garden could compare with it in its beauty. 'I made it beautiful with the multitude of its branches, And all the trees of Eden, which were in the garden of God, were jealous of it. 

Ezekiel 31:7-9

Climb the mountains and get their good tidings. Nature's peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into trees.  The winds will blow their own freshness into you, and the storms their energy, while cares will drop away from you like the leaves of Autumn. 

-John Muir