Play Time

Taylor is one of Mae's favorite friends! She lives down the street and we often go see them at their home. They are so sweet together!

Owen's idea of fun is anything cars, trucks, bikes, airplanes or tractors. :)

Pumpkin Patch

We've always heard how great the Buena Vista Pumpkin Patch was and we completely agree. It's held at a community farm that feels like a family farm where you take a wagon ride to a field with the pumpkins are waiting for you to pick them out. Goats, calves, and chickens to visit along with face painting, pony rides and old fashioned games. Mae and Owen had a blast for three hours! Hooray for Fall Festivals!

Mae + soccer = ?

Mae has started soccer in Buena Vista. A bit more of a princess than a rough and tough girl, Mae's favorite part is running around and making sure we are watching her. :) When balls come her way she runs out of it's path. She runs around just enough that it almost looks like she knows what she is doing but if you watch her longer than a minute or two you will realize she doesn't quite get the concept yet. But she is so fun to watch!! Usually picking at her fingers, watching the other players, looking for mom and dad, or eagerly anticipating her end of game treat is what she is more likely up to.
Go Mae!

Owen's 2nd Birthday!

Our day was spent driving down to the Hooper Pool by the Sand Dunes! We swam in the 98 degree water, went down the slide, jumped off the diving board, and ate that beautiful jeep birthday cake that Betty made for Owen! Grandma and Grandpa Blazer joined in on the fun and we were all worn out by that afternoon. Owen came home to open gifts of trains, tools, and a new Strider bike! We are ready for more boy fun. :) I am so grateful for this sweet boy in my life.

Exploring

One day we all loaded up in Dave's jeep and headed to 11,500 feet on Mount Princeton! We discovered a beautiful chalet that Young Life build many decades ago where we had a great picnic and enjoyed a Saturday morning together. Mae and Owen both have been able to experience their first raft trips this summer! They were in awe the first trip...and loved being so close to the water. We've checked out a local farm, goat dairy, and often go on bear hikes. A light dusting of snow is now on the mountains and the kids cannot wait for the 'real' snow to set in...they are fired up about winter. :)

Slide Fun

Enjoying the outdoors at Mountain Meadows is a family favorite past time! Mae and Owen spend LOTS of time on the fort at the cabin. We play hide and seek in the grass, visit the cows and horses nearby, go on golfcart and jeep rides, jump on the tramp, bathe Noah, and play in the creeks. Mae is about to start Busy Bee's in a few weeks...Owen and I get to walk Mae to school as it is just around the corner from our house. Mae and Owen are enjoying the river and have been out twice for raft trips! On our most recent hike we got to see a bear! Owen can't stop saying 'see bear' to everyone we talk to. Noah's Ark is just about to close down for the winter...we are sad to not have staff dinners with our new friends and will miss playing with the other staff kids in the evenings. Julie, Kimberly, my dad, Melissa, George and Gracie made it up for a visit! We toured Noah's, went climbing, ate treats and K's, and enjoyed one another's company. So thankful to have family come from far away to visit.
Fall is around the corner and we can't wait for more family time together and for fun outings with friends. Always thinking of our friends and family! Love to all of you reading this!

Mae is 4!

Mae had an exciting fourth birthday celebrating with her mom and dad, brother Owen, and Grandpa and Grandma at her new home in Buena Vista. Swimming at the Salida pool is one of her favorite things to do and we all headed down to swim with the birthday girl. Mae mentioned a few days after she turned four that she doesn't feel any different than before. :) Owen loved watching Mae opened her gifts and singing happy birthday to his big sister! His big day is next in our family!

St Elmo Play Day!

Feeding chipmunks who will come sit on your lap, eating yummy snacks on the bank of a mountain stream, and strolling through a neat old mining town made for a memorable day! Mae and Owen are getting used to the freezing water they get to play in. We are really enjoying our trips around Buena Vista during the week while Dave is hard at work!

Independence Day

4th of July in Buena Vista...we knew we were in for a treat when we showed up for the big parade downtown and all the kids were holding empty grocery bags. After a few minutes into the parade, Mae and Owen were delighted to see flying candy landing at their feet coming from all the cars, horse riders, fire trucks, and tractors who were parading through the streets! Kids were frantically gathering all the candy they could when it was thrown their way, stashing it in their bags. Needless to say, 4th of July was a hit for us. Later that night we celebrated with the Noah's staff by playing basketball, football, soccer, volleyball, eating ice cream, and played with sparklers. Can't wait for next year!

A New Start

We are official residents of Buena Vista, Colorado! So far Mae and Owen love their new home...they have a neat basement to keep their toys in and we are all close and cozy. :) Owen's favorite part of his day is when we visit our neighbors across the street who are two darling girls ages 7 and 9. He hollers, 'Hi McKenna' from our window when he sees them outside. Mae is enjoying the park, has been swimming in the hot springs around town, and takes care of her little girls (dolls) every day. The photo is of our big hike on the Midland Trail just outside Buena Vista. The kids were so excited to put on their hiking shoes, find hiking sticks, and have Noah along on the journey. We made it a whole 45 minutes of hiking and everyone had a great time!
Missing friends and family in Tulsa...Mae often talks about those in our lives from home. Start planning your visits with us soon!

Saying Goodbye

The time has arrived for the Blazers to move...again! Headed back to the mountains, our little family will be packing up in four months to embrace a new adventure. It will be hard to leave family and friends here as relationships were becoming so sweet. Remembering that love is not held within the walls of a house, a coffee shop frequented, or familiar neighborhood street but that love is cultivated within relationships is what will get me through this goodbye.
A beautiful 3 years have been lived out here, with so many memories to look back on. We have so much to look forward to come July but I'm remaining here in this bittersweet phase in order to end our time well. Hoping for lots of good conversations, times with family and friends, enjoying all that this town has to offer, and remembering my childhood...and praying for underlying trust that God is behind this move and will be the one to hold these relationships together.