Megan Lake backpacking trip - June 2013

In mid-June, the Hobgood 5 set out on our first family backpacking trip.  Our plan was to hike to Megan Lake, an alpine lake in the Sangre de Cristos, which was a 2.5 mile hike from the trailhead.  However, the road was a little too much for our car, so we parked about 1.5 miles from the trailhead, put on our packs and headed into the mountains.

 

We made it to the trailhead!

 

Wyatt was chillin' during a snack break.

We had to do one stream crossing by foot.  Josh and I carried the packs, plus the kids.  It was cold!

You can see from the sky in this picture that some smoke started rolling in, towards evening, from all the fires in Colorado.  Luckily, we camped near some trail guides who had called the Forest Service and we knew that the fires were quite far away.

Almost bedtime! We camped a little short of our original destination, opting to stay in the forest
rather than hike all the way up to the lake.

The next morning, the smoke had cleared and we headed out for Megan Lake.  It was gorgeous and well worth the hike.

 

Owen was incredibly independent on the hike.  He carried his own sleeping bag and crossed log bridges all by himself.  When we got back to the car, he told us that backpacking was one of the coolest things he had ever done, because he loves hiking and camping so much.

This is what a 2-year old looks like after 2 days outside:-)  Dirty, but happy!

Great Sand Dunes 2013

 In early June, we met up with all the Hobgoods and Closes for a trip to the Sand Dunes. 

 The first three pictures are my favorites of each kiddo.

Owen and Logan are inseparable and the best of friends.  Josh said "this is one for the record books", which I think means that it's the cutest picture of all time for these buddies.

 Molly loved the playground.

Wyatt loved stomping and dancing in the creek.

 We spent two long afternoons playing in the creek at the base of the Sand Dunes.  Owen was engrossed in a game that involved digging, kicking, running and laughing maniacally.  This is the digging phase of the game.

On the right, Owen is about the enter the kicking phase of his game.  Josh, Molly and Wyatt are building a big pool, called a "hot tub".

 The dads started constructing a sand castle almost immediately.  This is the sand castle from Day 1, which they dubbed "King's Landing".

Josh thought he should try to jump over the castle from Day 2.  

 

 Then everyone got in on the jumping action...

Then, Molly decided to try to jump, too.  Her jump was really just a run around the castle, but the older kids jumped over the bridge.

 

Everyone chipped in on the second castle, as you can see.

 

Since this was our second trip to the Dunes, we added in a couple of new adventures.  We hiked a short distance to Zapata Falls, which was actually really cool.  We also went to the Gator Farm, but did not get any good pictures.  I love this picture because Molly looks like such a goofball.  She was so happy to be walking and to be getting alot of attention:-)

 

Molly ended the hike on Josh's shoulders.

Most of the kids and adults made it up to the falls.  It was a pretty intense hike at the end, with some wading in ice cold water, but the dads did a great job of hauling the kids!

 

We spent both nights at the Alamosa KOA, which was great fun for the kids because of the playground.  The boys ADORED playing tether ball.  Wyatt did not even mind getting hit in the head!

 

 Molly, Wyatt, and Laila really loved the merry-go-round.

 I love this picture!  Laila is concentrating SO HARD on pushing and Molly is clearly having a blast!

Owen and Logan rode their bikes all over the campground.  Owen was quite sad to leave because he wanted to ride with Logan for hours and hours more.

Spring Update...

It's been a busy spring, but I wanted to drop in and update this space with a few new pictures.  We spent Mother's Day morning at Helen Hunt Falls, which is a popular and BEAUTIFUL hike in Colorado Springs.  It has everything that kids need for a fun day.  Several waterfalls....

 awesome stone stairs....

 some awesome wooden stairs....

 and a cool stone overlook at the top (with more small falls).

At the end of April, Owen had his 1st grade musical, called "Bugz!"  He was a bee.  It was adorable.

 

Owen had a day off of school in May, so we headed to Rock Ledge Ranch, which is one of our favorite places to explore.  All the kids were really excited to go see the farm animals and wildlife, especially Molly.

We found a couple new areas that we had never visited, which included this natural teepee.

 

 

Spring Break 2013

We spent the last half of our Spring Break in Los Alamos, NM with Becky, Devin, Logan and Laila.  If you asked our kids, the highlight of the trip was playing non-stop with their cousins, especially on the trampoline.  One the other highlights was this fun hike...

 

Owen is really concentrating on his solo trip up the ladder.

 

 Molly didn't worry one bit about climbing a ladder by herself.  Devin made sure she stayed safe:-)

Laila and Wyatt are little kindred spirits and had a blast the entire time, both on and off the hike.

Owen and Logan are best friends, too.  Owen suggested that we all move into the same house.

Molly is an adventurous little trailblazer.  Despite being pretty tired from the long car ride the day before, she walked most of the 2-mile hike herself.

She and Laila sang the "Wonder Pets" theme song together on the way out.  Holding hands was Molly's idea.

We were in New Mexico for Easter, so we dyed eggs in the backyard.  Easter morning was pretty chaotic with 5 kids and Easter baskets and hidden eggs, so we'll save those pictures to be posted by the Close family...if they got any...

Picture Roundup!

When looking through the pictures for Owen's birthday post, I came across so many cute pictures (mostly of Molly!), that I just had to do a little picture roundup post.

 

This was Molly's washing-the-car outfit one morning. 

 Laila and Wyatt are the best of friends.  They laughed through an entire meal when visiting in late February. 

Molly tried on some spring pjs and did a little dance.

This is what Molly did when she first met the baby chicks that hatched at Josh's school.  She was in love!

Molly loves books and reads to herself for big chunks of each day.

Happy 7th Birthday, Owen!

Our sweet Owen turned 7 this month.  It's hard to believe that it's been so many years since we first became parents!  This year, Owen really wanted a party where his school friends came over to play.  We stuck to a simple Lego-theme, with a Lego building activity at the beginning and Lego-shaped brownies, but the boys mostly just had fun playing in the backyard.  

 

 

 

Here are our little 3 Musketeers before all the friends arrived... 

 Seven candles on one little brownie!

 

On Owen's real birthday, we went to Josh's school to see some baby chicks that had recently hatched, he got a birthday crown at school...

 ...and we opened presents from the family.