We are just coming off of a great weekend in the mountains of Colorado. It was such a fun filled weekend that I don't think I will get it all posted tonight. However, I wanted to get some of the photos up and hopefully I'll get the rest up before we leave town for the 4
th of July.
Saturday morning we packed the car and headed West toward Vail. Our goal was to get to Vail sometime in the afternoon to meet up with the Hess family. Before we did that, we wanted to get in a hike for some exercise and fresh air.
Oliver has been fussy lately and we think he may be teething even though we have yet to see actual teeth. We weren't sure the hike was going to go so well but it only took about 20 steps for him to calm down and start to perk up. We think that we have a mountain man in the making.
We hiked the Rock Creek Trail just north of
Silverthorn, CO. The trail takes you to breath taking views of the Gore Mountain Range and an old mining site. It is about an hour West of our house on I-70 and then about 10 miles North of there. The hike was only 1.7 miles one way, but we thought that was plenty since we haven't really been hiking since before I was pregnant AND we were now doing it with a (potentially teething) 8.5 month old mountain man in the making.
Oliver did great on the hike and Keith and I felt rejuvenated to get back to hiking. When we were dating we used to go hiking nearly every summer weekend, usually in Estes or Rocky Mountain National Park.
On the way up, Oliver talked and talked the whole way. Once we go to the top we took him out of the pack and he got SO upset. We thought for sure the ride down would be miserable! We quickly enjoyed the view, loaded him up and headed down. It only took a few minutes before.... well, you'll have to look at the pictures for the rest of the story.
Oliver scoping out the bark on a tree. He is still deciding if he is happy to be hiking or not, but his senses are loading up on new things and he soon decides that hiking is on his list of favorite things to do. Besides, who wouldn't like hiking if someone else did all the work for you!!
Oliver and Keith listenting intently to the instructors directions.
All fish in the big pool!
Oliver's first back float... kind of.
Front float... kicking and splashing.
Sitting on the side of the pool, getting ready to "jump in". Well, he doesn't quite jump yet so Keith had to help him out.
Second order of business, POOL TIME!!!!
Oliver with Aunt Lindsey who was visiting from San Diego.
Dad scoping out the splashing action.
Carrie and Keith at The Pony.
Family photo on Keith's parents front porch.
Oliver celebrated his independence with his first ice cream. We all went to the park to have ice cream because it was 100 degrees out and it sounded like a nice afternoon treat. It was a shame that Oliver couldn't enjoy some of it so we gave him a couple of tastes. He shared with Dad and had blueberry cheesecake. He didn't get overly exited, but he kept going back for another taste, so he must have liked it. 
Brian, Stephanie, Kaden and Lauren ready for fireworks.
Pool Day Number Two! Oliver loving life floating in the pool!
Our last night in town we went out for dinner with "the kids". Well, more like without the little kids and with the big kids.
Jeff and Lindsey, visiting from San Diego.
Stephanie and Brian, hometown Sheridan, WY.
Keith and Carrie, Straight up from Colorado.
Uncle Jeff hanging out with Oliver.
Lauren and Oliver on the swing.
Oliver thinking, "I don't know if I like what I see. Those boy scouts over there look a little rowdy. Besides, who would be caught dead in khaki shorts with green and red tube socks pulled up to their knee?!"
Oliver, still seeming concerned. Do you think he is related to Grandpa Garner with all of these serious looks? HA HA!!
All the guys in the pool with the kids. All little girls except for Oliver. What a lucky guy!
Warming up with Mom after a dip in the pool.
Saturday night we got a resort baby sitter to watch the kids. There were 5 kids all under the age of 4. YIKES! Lucky for her, 3 of them were sleeping before we left. The benefits of the kids wearing themselves out at the pool. 
Carrie and Keith happy to be out on the town.
Sunday morning we all met at the Hess condo. Here is Oliver surrounded by the ladies. He loved them and I think that they loved him as well. This is Cecillia, Lila, Oliver and Evelyn.
The only way to see the sights is to be pushed around in a big blue stroller!
Keith, Carrie and Oliver at the Vail Farmers Market.
Once we got home Sunday night, Oliver was MORE than ready for bed. He was so tired all he could do was put his hand on his head and pass out. What a busy weekend!
I just love this photo. It shows off his crystal clear, bright blue eyes. You also get a great view of his bottom toothless gum. Hopefully it will sprout teeth soon! Do you see any?
Out of nowhere, we noticed that Oliver had snagged an aspen branch. He loved it! As the wind blew he would wave it around. We soon noticed that his hands were out touching everything. Maybe he is a texture person, like his Mom.
I love this shot of Oliver and Keith amongst the Aspen trees. We may have to do this hike again in the fall when the leaves are gold.
Our first big glimpse of the Gore Range.
What on earth is this plant growing in the Colorado wild? It reminded us of something from a more tropical place. Then, we noticed that this small area was kind of like a rain forest. Check it out!
Gore Range
Family Self Portrait. We loved this hike because we were practically the only ones up there and it was beautiful. Good thing we are getting good at self portraits since we didn't have a fellow hiker to talk into being our photographer.
As we enjoyed this view for just a few minutes, Oliver decided to warn the wild life we were there by letting out a few sounds of dissatisfaction. Uh, oh... we better head back.
Maybe 5 minutes down the trail I noticed this head bobbing on the side of Keith's pack. Oliver had fallen asleep. He slept nearly the whole way down the trail.
Can you see Oliver's head sticking out by Keith's right shoulder?
Awake, just in time to see the end of the hike a couple of minutes from the trail head.
