Halloween

Halloween was great. We moved all day and were so dead tired but Ollie deserved a night out for being such a good kid and putting up with us all day. We took him over to one of Johns coworkers houses and went trick or treating with them. He didn't quite get it but he was more than happy to run and follow the other kids up to the doors of houses. I think he's had more sugar this week then he has had in his entire life! He had a great time! We are getting settled in the new house and have most things unpacked. Now on to things like actually decorating. We're looking forward to the upcoming Holiday season. Maybe it's just from working in retail all of those years but I still get excited when I feel the holiday spirit! I'm looking forward to finishing off this semester and having a whole month off of school. Oh the novels I will read!

Fall Fun

September and October have gone by so fast! Olivers Grammie Trish and Papa Bob came for a visit in September and sadly we have ZERO pictures from the trip! (Mom, send me some!) Oliver warmed up quickly and had tons of fun playing with them. He learned the words "apple" and "bubble" while they were here. Papa Bob showed him how to juggle apples and he thought that was pretty cool.
October has started and it's time to begin thinking about Halloween costumes already. We haven't decided yet for Ollie but I think he should be something scary this year.
At the beginning of the month we attended Christina and Alexi's wedding. Christina takes care of Ollie sometimes at his daycare and he loves her to pieces. It was an amazingly beautiful wedding that took place outdoors at the lodge at Hyde Park. They had PERFECT weather for a Fall day.
Today we went down to McCall's Pumpkin Patch in Moriarty. There were so many fun things for Ollie to do! I think the slide and pumpkin bouncer were his favorites though. We saw lot's of animals and even got to pet some goats. O thought the pigs were pretty silly with their quivering snouts poking through the fence at him. We picked out a few pumpkins and will hopefully carve them soon.
Kara and Edward are coming for a visit next weekend and we're all excited for that! Maybe we'll get them to help with the pumpkin carving.
Last but not least, big news, we're very excited that Oliver will be a big brother at the beginning of May!

















Picking out pumpkins





























Helping carry like a big boy













CORN MAZE!

















Pumpkin bouncer

























Watching the bunnies





























Measuring up

























Hyde Park














Having some lemonade

August Flew By!

We took Oliver to the Black Canyon campground for his first overnight hiking/camping trip. What a GREAT experience! Some of the highlights were...

examining hundreds of rocks along the trail,

Ollie singing his favorite songs from the backseat,

helping build the campfire and cooking delicious foil dinners,

and staying up late listening to 'those' noises outside the tent.

We also took a quick day trip on the High Road to Taos... It was a great drive weaving through the New Mexico Rockies and through several small Pueblo areas.

El Sanctuario de Chimayo

Many people make a pilgrimage to this church for the Miraculous Healing Dirt. We weren't in need of a miracle on this day, but it's good to know the option is there.

Ollie has been spending countless hours reading books to his buddy 'the cow'... I'm sure Grandpa Hutchison will smile hearing this news.

If the shoe fits...

Eating bananas on the go... He's just growing SO FAST!

Our friend Tracy stopped by for a visit from Boston. She, Tracie and Oliver had a quick snack at the park and toured town for a couple days.

I unfortunately missed the visit from Tracy because I got called on a fire assignment up in Fairbanks, AK... It was a LONG two weeks away from T and the Boy!

It's been a while

Just a few pictures

Ruins of a Pecos Pueblo

With over 1000 years of human history, the Pecos Pueblo area at the southern tip of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains was a great spot to explore this weekend.

The three of us stepped down into a couple of the Kivas, which were used for ceremonies to balance the underworld and the above world.

The Kiva above is now fully exposed, but as you can see by the figure below it was once covered and surrounded by several other structures.


























The remnants of a massive network of attached houses that were once 4 stories high.













There were so many Cholla Cactus blooming near the site... Lots of rain lately!













In the early 1600's, the Spanish had already forced their way into the Pecos area to colonize and start a mission. The first church was completed here just south of the Pueblo in 1625.


























Ollie had an absolute blast at the Mission!











































He ran around and explored ever little corner...


























... and at the end of the day, those chucks were dirty!