Labor Day weekend

{As a sidenote, I have come to the realization that I take way too many pictures.  Not good pictures, just a lot of random pictures that no one will ever care about, especially me.  But for some reason, I feel the need to click, click, click.  So my phone - poor guy - has 1000+ pictures on it despite dumping pics as often as I can.  And nevermind the other cameras I tote around from time to time.  My camera/picture life is a MESS.

I say this because I still haven't posted a recap of a fabulous week we had with Mimi and Papa Larson while they were in town along with the great time we had down in Taos for the annual gig at Sipapu.  The problem is ---> too many pictures!!!!!  I'm trying to wade through them, trying to get some from the others who took shots I forgot (shocking that could happen), and desperately trying to organize them.  This process is NOT fun.  Thus, no post for now.} #firstworldproblems

In lieu of that, I'll share about our amazing Labor Day weekend - one that I wish could have gone on for a few more days!

Despite having lots of projects around the house that need completing (and a lawn that screams "my owners hate me!!"), we ditched D-town and headed into the mountains for the weekend.  What an awesome decision that was.  It was just what we needed for God to remind us just how incredibly blessed we are.  We take that for granted far, far too often.  Family time is SO precious, and I was honestly reminded how lucky we are to have each other.  Cheesy, I know, but I had the best time with my boys!

Besides, Benjamin was just dying to ride in the backpack.  He even asked to sit in it while I was packing...

Driving into the mountains on a holiday weekend is no fun at all though... nearly 3 hours for us!!

And after cashing in our free Chipotle vouchers from the festival a few weeks ago at our dinner stop in Dillon, we headed straight to my folks' condo and started our weekend of relaxation and fun.

Saturday morning we headed into Silverthorne to try out a new trail (Ptarmigan).  Not but 15, no, 10 minutes into the hike and we were reminded how drastically out of shape we are!  Once we finally made it past the steep start, we were rewarded with gorgeous views of Lake Dillon and much less incline.  We even had a near-miss with a moose and heard a coyote attack (both semi-scary).

Benjamin had a blast both hiking and riding in the backpack... and by the end he was pooped.  He snoozed the last 20 minutes of the hike down!

After nap time we cruised to the pool (ever since Taos, Benjamin has been obsessed with diving into the water!), swung by the Outlets (of course), and stopped by Backcountry Brewery for dinner.

After Benjamin went to bed, Matt and I got to catch up on old White Collar episodes and promptly fell asleep on the couch.  Not too shabby in my book!

Sunday morning we got dressed and headed into Breckenridge to check out the free summer gondola rides.  It was a beautiful day and the ride was a lot of fun - the "fun park" at the top was awesome... but slightly too advanced for Benjamin.  Almost every ride/activity had a minimum age of 3... so not this time, but someday!  Though, lately he's been seeming SO old... not sure how that happened...

After checking out the art festival and grabbing some coffee in Breck, we headed back into Frisco to see the Marina and grab an early lunch there.  The rain clouds were moving in, but it was fun to sit near the lake!

We also played on the playground at the marina - a great find!  AND we got to meet up with the Westras who we were grateful could come stay with us for the night!  Boaz and Benjamin are such great buds, and we're very blessed to have such a fun boy his age so close by!

And had to wear the Buffs hat - they beat CSU that afternoon!!  Go Buffs!

We met up with some other folks at a different park in Frisco - the boys played a little soccer with their dads :)

We also went to the pool and played a lot at the condo, but I forgot to take pics.  Before we knew it, Monday morning came and we had to clean up and head out!  The boys gave some goodbye hugs:

When we got home, it was off to the grocery store while Matt and Benjamin picked up the yard.  It was time to celebrate Bam Bam's birthday!!  We had the fam over for a bbq and enjoyed a great lunch/dinner together in the backyard.  Somehow, I didn't take a picture with the birthday girl - not sure how that happened!  We sure love her :)

Benjamin's present to Bam Bam: