Estes Park...Uh oh...do the Williams love nature??

On Saturday, we decided to drive to a place that has been recommended several times since we moved here--Estes Park in Rocky Mountain National Park.  The weather was amazing and the feeling of fall is definitely in the air.  So we loaded up the van and headed to the mountains.  We weren't quite sure what we should see, so we stopped in Estes at the Visitor's Center to get some recommendations.  They suggested an easy hike around Bear Lake and they even offered a free shuttle up the canyon.  Next thing we knew, we were at an altitude of 9500 feet and stepping out into an absolutely spectacular setting. 

It was so beautiful and the smell!...the smell was amazing.  The air was so crisp and clean and smelled like pine trees and wildflowers.  I think my lungs are cleaner just for breathing that in!  These pictures definitely don't do it justice.  We all had a great time and it was the perfect way to welcome fall.  Who knew that the Williams family was so outdoorsy???

 

It was an amazing day and we loved every second of it, but don't worry...this is as outdoorsy as the Williams get.  We still hate camping and continue to support Romney's stance that camping is, "mocking the homeless."

The Great Outdoors

We live in a pretty place and although little can compare to the beauty of the Wasatch Mountains, the skies in Colorado are spectacular.  Since moving here, our lives have been turned upside down in so many ways, but one of the biggest changes is that we are apparently an early rising family which also means that we are an early to bed family too.  I know shocker of the world...Romney and Alecia are in bed by 10:00!!

Since Christian and Lauren's bus comes at 6:58 AM...(yes...6:58 AM), we have been waking up early and enjoying some of the most spectacular sunrises I have ever seen.  We woke up to this yesterday.

Another fun aspect of our new home is the wildlife.  Falcons, eagles, hawks and dozens of bird species are constantly flying above us.  It is like a free aviary every time we go outside.  On our first or second night here, Thomas also discovered that frogs/toads come out at night.  He caught three of them and did his best to make a life for them in shoe box in our garage.  They were really cute and about the size of a silver dollar.  After a few days, we convinced him to let them go.

Yesterday, Sophie and I were returning from the grocery store and she told me that we had a frog in our garage.  I walked over and there was a huge frog sitting in the bottom of an empty garbage can.  It turns out that Christian had found one the night before and was trying to keep it in our garage as his secret pet.  Hilarious. Once he got home from school, that poor thing was bathed a dozen times and dropped on his head over and over.  I hate to admit this but he would actually kiss it on the lips.  By last night, we told him that it was probably time to let his new friend go home and he was devastated.  

Christian was having a really hard time letting him go, so the only way we could get him to do it was after he asked us if he could spray paint him so that he would know how to find his friend.  Since we don't have any "frog friendly spray paint," we told him that he could write his initial's on the frog's stomach.

Out came the Sharpie pen.

With all the strength he could bear, Christian took his little buddy outside and let him go.  Here is a picture of him on his way back inside.  He was devastated and in true paparazzi fashion, he tried to shield his face from the camera.  It was very sweet! Poor kid.

Other than frogs, birds and sunrises, we are enjoying ourselves and had fun this past weekend enjoying the pool in our development.

Thank heavens for dads because this was my way of enjoying the pool...quietly enjoying a great book.  Thanks Romney!!