Rockies Win!

Grandma Jill treated everyone to a Rockies game for our monthly family night last week. 

Fortunately for us, the Rockies won 15-7 and had a bunch of homeruns. 

That made for a much more fun game then some of recent days...

Gametime: 6:05...guess we made it just in time...

"Mom! I'm so hot!!"
Look at those red cheeks.  The sun did eventually set, but it was really hot for the first 4 innings.

Cute, Uncle Matt and Levi!

Layna, Levi, Matt, Lexi, and Haley (Paul was on the far end)

Grandpa Dave and Grandma Jill

The sun sets on Coors Field

Going up the REALLY, REALLY long, SCARY, SCARY escalator...I didn't like that!

The night lights of Denver and some beautiful kiddos!

Yeah! We won!!

Miles of Smiles

We traveled over 4,000 miles this summer through

Colorado, Nebraska, Iowa, South Dakota, Minnesota,

Wisconsin, Illinois, Wyoming, and Utah. 

We drove miles and miles this summer to find lots and lots of smiles... Here's a glimpse at our life on the road.



Haley



Lexi

Levi

Lake Michigan, Chicago, IL



Chicago Museum of Science and Industry - Can you say cheese?

Canton, South Dakota on Uncle Rick's Farm

Glenwood Springs, CO

Camping in Breckenridge, CO

Oshkosh, Wisconsin

The Corn Palace, Mitchell, South Dakota

Wall Drug, Middle of No Where, South Dakota

Mount Rushmore, South Dakota

Visiting Uncle Mark and watching him perform, Westcliffe, Colorado

EAA AirVenture, Oshkosh, Wisconsin

Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin

We saw the license plates of 47 different states, including Alaska. We visited family in Utah, South Dakota, and Chicago.

We saw windmills, experienced windstorms, and looked out windows for hours.

We saw rivers, rainclouds, rainbows, and rows of Jelly Belly jellybeans.

We ate fast food, "slow food" (as Levi calls my cooking), campfire foil dinners and picnics.

We tried ziplines, bungee jumping (on a trampoline), and had our first driving lessons on the farm.

We saw silly sites, historic sites, and sites to revisit.

It was a MEMORABLE summer!

Can't wait for new adventures next year!

Wow! That was FAST!

I honestly can't believe it's the end.

The end of nursing school.

The end of the holiday season (and Haley returning to Las Vegas - BOO!).

The end of 2010 - where did it go?!

Fortunately, it's not the end of this blog...I know it's hard to believe, considering my last post was in August. But, hey, it's been a busy, stressful year. And now it's the beginning of a whole new set of adventures in the life of the Lips Family. I hope you'll visit us again soon.

The First Day of School August 16, 2010

Another year of school... our summer went by way too fast for my taste, although it was filled with so much fun that I couldn't keep up on my blog. Now it's back to the grind... for the kids and for me.

Levi with his 1st grade teacher, Ms. Kourtney Cavallerro

Lexi with her 3rd grade teacher, Ms. Jenna Peecher

The first day of school was easy. The kids picked out their clothes. We packed lunches. We combed hair and brushed teeth (which, I am ashamed to say does not always happen). We made it to school BEFORE the first bell. It was easy...until Levi started to cry.

I have no idea what has gotten into him, but we are having severe separation anxiety...and it's not even kindergarten! First grade! The school psychologist sometimes meets us at his classroom to help, tells me this is normal, he's fine, but I can't stand it. I don't like walking away from my crying child, but that is what "they" tell me to do. So I do, and then I go to my car and cry too. This could be a long school year...

75 Days of Summer Fun #30 - Girl's Camp

Haley and I were able to attend Girl's Camp with our stake at Ragged Mountain Ranch in Paonia, Colorado, July 13-17. It was an absolutely gorgeous camp, a little far away (4.5 hours), but well worth the trip. I love Girl's Camp and was thrilled to be able to go, especially with Haley.
Here's a view of the fun...

Haley's Unit - the GI Janes

Duct Tape Fashion Show

Sunrise Hike (with Ragged Mountain in the background)

Getting ready for skit night (with Ragged Mountain in the background)

Climbing through the spider's web on the first aid obstacle course

Archery

Zip Line (and canoeing) into a FREEZING Lake

Performing the Traditional Camp Dance

Littleton Stake Young Women and Leaders

75 Days of Summer Fun #29 - Camping with Grandma Jill

Grandma Jill joined us for two days and a night of adventure. She slept horribly, but loved being with her grandchildren. It isn't very often that she has all 6 of them together at the same time. Thanks Grandma for joining in the fun!
At the summit (11,000 feet) of the Land of Lakes trail.

Playing charades around the campfire...I have no idea what she is doing...

Hiking around Little Gem Lake with my sister's family

Making a campout favorite - SMORES!

75 Days of Summer Fun #28 - A Birds-eye View of the Land of Lakes

I think I'll let the beauty of these pictures speak for themselves...

75 Days of Summer Fun #27 - Grand Mesa - The Land of Lakes

We rented a canoe for a day and enjoyed taking turns paddling around gorgeous Island Lake. I don't know how cold the water was, and I am glad we didn't find out.

Paul, Russ, and the kids worked hard at catching fish for dinner. We ate more than our fair share of rainbow trout. Yum!