Golden Farmer's Market

With only a few weekends left of the Farmer's Market in Golden, we finally went.  We met the Martin family there and had a great time.  As we approached the Farmer's Market, the free horse carriage rides were just sitting next to the sidewalk, begging for us to take a ride.  I never see these rides sitting idle, so we jumped on quickly!

The boys were so excited.  They even got to sit by themselves on their own side of the carriage.  They are all getting SO big!

Owen, Oliver, Kellan (Mr Sensitive Eyes and "it's too bright!") and Cole

Owen and Oliver

Kellan, Cole and their Mommy's Aviators.

After the ride, we took the opportunity to take a picture with the horse.  The driver told me his name but do you think that I can remember it now?  No!  What I do remember is that they think that he's the tallest horse in Colorado and he's only 2" shy of the tallest horse (I'm guessing of his kind) in the Guinness Book of World Records.  He also proved to be a very friendly guy as he reached down to give Oliver a smooch.  I can't blame him as I find Oliver to be quite smoochable as well.

Since Mr Horse was so friendly, we moved the boys forward for the photo.  Again, proving that he was the friendly type, Mr Horse posed for the photo as he put his head directly between Oliver and Owen.  That's my kind of horse!

Cole?  Well, he couldn't be bothered with horsing around with more photos as he made a direct line for the ice cream cart.  It's good to know your priorities.

Not to be outdone by Cole, Kellan had ice cream (popsicle) too.

Check out that scowl.

He's giving a thumbs up that it's good, but I don't think that I would attempt to try a lick.

Of course, there were fruits and veggies at the farmers market and Kristi and I bought a bit to take home.  The boys were also intrigued with the eye level goodies.

"Look, Carrie, a Pear.  Take my picture."  (pause... smile... click) "Let me see!"

Thank goodness for digital photos as I notice that the little guys are more apt to pose for photos if they can immediately see the results.

I'm almost embarrassed to show this close up photo of Kellan's long and dirty finger nails.  A true sign that I may put him in clean clothes, but he still finds the dirt to dig in.  Plus, I'm convinced that his finger nails grown over night.  One day, they are fine, then BAM, they need a serious trim.

Kellan was SO excited about these plums that I'm opting to post in and recognize that there were nothing but good times, dirty finger nails and all.

 Even Oliver picked out a couple of plums to purchase.

That afternoon, the boys took a MUCH needed nap.

They are sleepers, these Hamilton boys.

Oliver has always been a good napper, well, since he was about 3 months old and Primrose got him on a good nap schedule (thank heavens!).  With Oliver starting Kindergarten, he no longer gets rest time in the afternoon so we like to take advantage of Saturdays to catch up.  For some time, Kellan would take a 4-5 hour nap and follow it up with 12 hours of sleep at night.  These boys love their sleep, just like their Mama.

They never nap together, but since we read books in Oliver's bed and they were so cozy, it sounded like a fun and easy idea.

I went to check on them 10 minutes after I left them and this is what I saw.

This is also what I saw.  Two blue eyes peeking over Oliver's shoulder.

Yes, we are starting to realize that Kellan's 4-5 hour afternoon naps are a thing of the past.  This kid is showing strong signs that he is outgrowing naps.  He will lay in bed for an hour or two, but he rarely closes his eye in the afternoon on the weekend.

So... Kellan went for a bike ride.

This is new for him.  Up until recently, he wanted nothing to do with riding anything.  Now, he's giving Oliver's old Stryder a try.

Maybe it's the super tough and cool helmet that's giving him new found interest in riding his bike.

Ya... his helmet may have shark teeth, but he's still a charmer underneath.

What a FANTASTIC Saturday!!  We are loving the warm fall weather as we know that the snow will fly before we know it.  Until then, bring on the sun and long live the shorts.

Broncos and all the Fixins

Fall means one thing for certain, it's football season again.

It also means that orange and blue are once again fashionable to wear together.

It also means that these boys are FIRED up for some FOOTBALL!

Owen, Oliver, Kellan, Owen and Cole

Owen, Owen, Cole, Oliver and Kellan

A Broncos game hosted by the Martin's also means that it's time for a wing cook off, again.  Well... not really a cook off to compete against each other, but a cook off to cook great wings together.  Keith and Patrick have met twice before to cook wings and each time the wings didn't stand up to their mouth watering expectations.  Hopefully, with the recruitment of Eric, the third time is the charm.

(us girls... we voted unanimously that Buffalo Wild Wings take out was perfectly acceptable, if we actually ate the things)

The wings had actually been placed in a marinade the night before, prior to the Lumineers concert.  Then, they were relocated to the grill and the oven.

Eric watched in anticipation while Keith poured the magic sauce.

You would have thought it was Christmas morning for these guys.

Even Jennie enjoyed the wafting of the wings.

While the wings settle, a photo is a great idea.

The gals:

Christie, Jennie and Carrie

Carrie and Keith

Ready for some football and chips.

The second batch of wings.

The Wing Chefs

Keith, Eric and Patrick

Dishing up.

Quick taste.

Diving in.

Mmmmm....

Jury Said... Best Wings Ever!

So Good So Good So Good!

Meanwhile, there was something serious going on in the living room between two little toe heads.

Some iPhone games and football action.  Maybe they were checking their fantasy football scores.

Cole, Kellan, Owen and Oliver

The Broncos won over the Giants 41-23.

The boys were their loudest and proudest cheering squad.

The wings were a victory and proved that the third time is a charm.

Us girls looked great in our Broncos shirts and ate our weight in chips and dips.

I would call this Sunday a complete VICTORY!!

Lumineers on The Rocks

There really is nothing like a concert at Red Rocks. Nothing.  Some will try to compare it to other venues, but really, nothing compares.  Large red rocks jetting out of the ground in the perfect arrangement to frame a stage down below.  All of the greats have played Red Rocks until they outgrow the venue only to leave it wide open for the greats who are rising hot on their heels.

All summer I had been anxiously anticipating the Sold Out Lumineers show at Red Rocks.  Then, the 100 year flood came to Colorado.  To say that the rain put a damper on our vision is to put it mildly.  Yet, I wonder if we are in good graces with Mother Nature as she cleared the skies, turned on the moon and stars and left us with a perfect September night.

The Ladies:

Carrie, Gina and Kristi

Our boys brought us together when they were only a few months old and infants at Primrose.  Now, we remain friends.  As Oliver has come to say lately, "isn't it a good thing that I'm friends with Charlie and Owen?"  Yes, yes it is!

The Dudes:

Dan, Patrick and Keith

Keith and Carrie ready for the show.

It not only is a venue beyond compare, but it is likely the only venue that you really have to earn the right to be there.  First, there is the hike from the parking lot.  Then, there is the LONG ramp to get to the ticket gate.  Lastly, there are the stairs to climb to your seats.  Each and every step and stair is worth it.

What a great night!

Thank You Mother Nature for showering us with clear skies before bringing back the rain on Sunday.

Rain Rain Go Away

On Monday, it started to rain.

On Tuesday, it was still raining

On Wednesday, it was STILL RAINING

On Thursday, it WAS STILL RAINING and we were glued to the news reports with images of roads washing away and people in devastation.

If you don't live in Colorado and maybe you live in my home state of Washington, you may think that a week of rain is no big deal.

If you live in Colorado where we might get a sprinkle of rain here and there and you think that if it rains for an hour or two solid, that's a good down pour.

Colorado is not built for mighty rains that fall an inch an hour for days on end.

The Ham Fam was very fortunate to live where we do as we did not have any devastation like our neighbors and friends to the north in Boulder, Longmont and Estes.  We are sad to hear of the loss that people are experiencing in everything from property to loved ones.  It is sad to see the photos and videos on Facebook of our friends who are mucking out basements that were completely engulfed in water, watching rivers that you could never see from their home come right up to the front porch and say hello while threatening to come inside and hearing of friends who are trapped in their homes in Estes because the roads are washed out.  It's hard to see, hard to hear and very hard to comprehend while we watch our trees and grass turn bright green with delight of the rain.

It's hard to comprehend such devastation in a state that is known for all of it's sunshine, fantastic weather and calm living conditions.  The news said that if this was snow, it would have been over 100".  I dare to say that we would have fared better with 100" of snow rather than rain that wouldn't stop.  We are built for snow of epic proportion.

On Thursday, the news was all over the storm and rain damage.  While at work, we could watch on the break room TV the reports of roads washing out and common routes shutting down down in anticipation of structural damage.

We were fortunate that we didn't have any major closures on our routes to and from our desired destinations.  I did manage to get this quick snap of the road that that we take to pick up the boys from school.  We could still travel through but it was a slow go as we waded our way across a common route.

This isn't a normal place for standing water.  After the water went down we discovered that there was a small run off creek/ditch to the far right of this photo.  On this day, the water was across the road like a lake.  There were many places like this on our travels to and from, but this was minor comparison to what so many others were facing.

By Friday, we finally pulled out the rain jackets.  I guess on day five of rain, it's officially rain jacket weather.  Before we took the boys to school, they snuck out to test out their rain jackets.  Survey says... they worked like a dream!  Thank-you Costco $17 London Fog jackets.

When they first went out in the driveway, they were standing and it reminded me of when Oliver got his first rain jacket for our trip to Oregon and he wore it at the end of our driveway

Oliver 2009

Oliver and Kellan 2013

Boys love rain, puddles and rivers that run down the sidewalk.

When I asked the boys what they were doing they said "We are watching the river go by".

Fortunately, this was as big as our river ever got.  It never tried to knock on the door and force it's way in.  We were SO thankful.

We took the boys to school on Friday and the weather report was for clearing skies later in the day.

Sure enough, the sun poked out once or twice in the afternoon, but the rain wasn't done as it returned for the evening.  

Come Saturday morning, we were awakened by the shining sun.

"Hello Mr Sun, we sure did miss you!"

During this week, we heard from our friends in Conifer that they had moved to Evergreen in August.

WHAT WHAT WHAT!!!

We hopped in the car for a morning drive in the sun to Evergreen to say hello and see their new place.

Driving up I-70, my favorite view of the continental divide greeted us as we crested Genessee.

I LOVE this view.  It was the view at our wedding and we were SO happy to see it on Saturday.  This view meant that the rain was letting up and the sun was coming out to warm up and dry out Colorado. 

What a crazy week we had.  Our thoughts and hearts still go out to our friends who have yet to see the end of the storm even though the sun is shining.  As well as to those that we don't know who have a long road ahead to recovery.

Dragons in the Pool

Caution!

It's flag football season again and when the Dragons are practicing in 90 degree heat, a pool day is absolutely in order.

The calendar may say September, which means that most community pools are closed.  Lucky for the Dragons, Owen's grandparents have a pool in their back yard.

Move over Gammy and Papa, Dragons are moving in and they're on FIRE!

Well... Dragons and some Mommy's and siblings.

Kellan, Kristi, Ivy, Preston, Oliver, Owen, Jennie, Owen and Erika. 

As if the Dragon's aren't hot enough, they decided to heat up in the Hot Tub.

Preston, Owen, Ivy, Oliver and Owen

Dragon Snacks!

Oliver, Preston, Owen and Owen

(Yes, conversations get very confusing with two Owen's.  It's often that they go by Owen H and Owen M)

After much fun and excitement, the Hamilton boys kicked their Mommy off of the floating chair for a float of their own.

Yes, they rule the pool (in their minds).

Somebody get these kids a juice box!

Mommy was loving the coolness of the pool and potentially the last pool day of the season.  It was SO great to squeeze one last day in.  Thanks Gammy and Papa!

Gone be the pool posts.

In comes the flag football posts.

Ready or not... they will be here soon!!!