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.

Day After Day...

So much of motherhood (and parenting in general) can feel so repetitive. It's a struggle for me to find joy in the daily tasks, to not let exhaustion cloud the beauty of the moment. On this day I spent time with just my two kids and Dave. It was an hour where no one else in the world mattered and we were fully present in our surroundings..soaking up these precious moments with Mae and Owen. They both continue to teach me how to let go and embrace them as they are, embrace what life brings you. Being content with less, running around less, and realizing what you thought you wanted to do really doesn't bring fulfillment are a few other things I am being taught. Thank goodness we have these little ones in our lives to bring perspective to our complicated adult worlds!

Happy Birthday, Owen!

Owen is finally one year old! This year has flown by...yet with many long days and nights. Owen was thrilled with his first cupcake..red velvet with cream cheese frosting (and sprinkles compliments of Mae). Owen keeps us smiling as we watch him half crawl/half walk to the sandbox, as he digs in the garden, as he obsessively picks up leaves by the stem, and as he eats like a horse. (He tries to whinney like a horse, too!) Owen still loves animals with horses, dogs, and cows being his favorite. He has many loves in his life: dad, Mae's favorite stuffed toy Ted, his blankey, his new wolf, any and all food, his squeaky lamb, finding the moon in the sky, his dad's soccer ball, the red wagon we pull him in daily, food, crawling into Mae's room to wake her up from her nap, and his favorite part of the day is when his dad coming home in the evenings.
Thank you, Owen, for being our little boy...and thank you, God, for letting Dave and I be his mom and dad while on earth. Love you, boy!

Goodbye, Hoppy!

Sweet Hoppy. We had over a year of life with you. Mae and Owen LOVED bringing you carrots, visiting you in your hutch, and watching you hop around the house. A favorite memory was watching you jump into our fireplace while a fire was going! Luckily you survived! A crazy day for you was when you had 10 kids chasing you around the back yard during our spring party! Owen misses watching you through the cage but Noah will miss his little friend the most.
Thank you for being part of our family!