Can you even believe it, yesterday marked 5 months since we received our certificate of occupancy! It’s flown by, honestly, and each day feels like we make some tiny steps to keep getting settled and make this place even more of a home.

After we got back from our awesome Disney vacation, it was still feeling a bit like winter in late April with some more snow. However, that meant that the moose were coming down from the mountains to find some vegetation. We were treated to lots of nights of “Moose TV” out the master bedroom window. It was fun to watch the young males start to grow their antlers. The boys named them all, of course. Mooselorian, Bully, and Moosey came to visit us a lot, along with another female (she didn’t get named for some reason! ha!). Just last week, we saw a female with a calf, which was super cool.

Making rivers to help with water drainage.

Mooselorian in the foreground, Moosey peeking his head around.

Kelsey’s mom (aka Grammy) came to visit for a few days in April too! We had fun taking her on hikes, walks around the neighborhood, and to one of Laird’s soccer games. Come back soon, Grammy!

On May 4, we hit a fun milestone of hanging up our very first pictures on the wall! I think that photos really make a house a home and loved that photos of the boys were the first ones we hung up. Also, our Christmas cactus is seriously loving the filtered light and has grown a ton since we moved in. Yay plants!

Pictures are going up! And, how cute does the guest room look?!

Then, for Mother’s Day weekend, we hit the road to Fruita, Colorado for a mountain bike adventure. Fruita is only about 3 hours away from Summit County. It’s right on the edge of the desert and has some of the best riding in Colorado. We left really early in the day on Saturday and went right to 18 Road. Laird rocked Kessel Run, Prime Cut, and Pumps, Bumps & Rollers. The trails at 18 Road were a bit too tough for Corbin, so Kelsey and I took turns riding around with him on the flat trails right by the parking lots and taking Laird on some of the harder trails.

Laird in his element. This kid would ride his bike all day if he could.

We finished the night at Hot Tomato Pizza. If you happen to be in Fruita and are looking for an amazing pizza, look no further. It was delicious!

On Mother’s Day, we went to Loma (next exit past Fruita) and rode some of the Kokepelli trails. We all rode Rustler’s Loop together. I got to ride with Laird and Kelsey rode with Corbin. We were all so proud that Corbin finished the 4 mile loop, even though it took him a long time. His saying was “smooth rocks, smooth dirt.” He’s getting more and more confident and will be blasting like Laird in no time!

Our new favorite family photo! Such a great getaway!

Then, back on the home front, we found the perfect rug for the guest room and it really ties everything together. I love our concrete floors, but having a soft rug to put your feet on in the morning is really lovely.

On May 23, Corbin and I went to Arapahoe Basin for one last ski day. Kelsey and Laird met up with some other dads/boys to mountain bike the perimeter trail in Frisco.

While Kelsey and Laird went mountain biking, Corbin and I got one last ski day in at A-Basin.

We celebrated Corbin’s preschool graduation on May 25. And, of course, we had cake to celebrate. Class of 2034! Can you even believe it?!

You know us…if it’s a celebration of any sort, we’ll make a cake!

On June 2, it was time for Laird to celebrate his last day of 2nd grade! After a year of quarantines and remote learning, we are so grateful to his awesome teachers for doing an amazing job, despite a global pandemic. We’re hoping that 3rd grade will bring a bit more normalcy.

Outside, our deck material has arrived and we officially started this project yesterday! Our material has been on site for a few weeks, but with Kelsey starting more paying work for other folks, we had to wait a bit. We knew it would be a balance between him earning money and continuing to work here. We’re all so anxious for the deck to enjoy meals and relaxation time outside while the weather is warm.

2x12’s on our site! These will be the supports for the deck boards.

We’re using Trex Foggy Wharf for our deck boards. We went with something lighter since the deck is south facing.

On Father’s Day, we treated Kelsey to breakfast at the Butterhorn Cafe in Frisco and then went camping with 5 other families at the Peak One campground. This is the 2nd year that we’ve camped on Father’s Day and we’re looking forward to continuing this tradition next year!

Happy Father’s Day, Kelsey! You are amazing.

Cozy in our tent! And - yes, that is dirt on the boys’ faces. They had a blast!

Wildflowers have started to grow in the yard which makes us so happy! It’s been cool to see the seeds that we planted back in the fall turn into something so pretty! The goal is to have a wildflower meadow with lots of different types of flowers each springtime.

We’re heading to Michigan next week for some vacation and family time. After missing our trip there last year due to COVID and house building, we’re looking forward to some lake time! The boys are excited to see their grandparents, cousins, go tubing, and visit Macinac Island.

What’s coming up next?

Finish up the deck! The goal is to have the deck boards installed before we go to Michigan. We’ll tackle the railing when we get home.
Keep chipping away on other projects
- Fill nail holes
- Touch up paint
- Hang our new sheers on the lower great room windows
- Kitchen backsplash
- Master shower
- Hang photos and artwork - almost done with this!
- Finish the laundry room cabinets and shelving
- Continue to find things to donate as we get settled - we’re amassing a pretty big pile!
- Start prepping for our garage build. We plan to have a gym in the garage, which I’m most excited about!

Have a happy July!

Cory

Here are some more photos from our life and continuing to get settled in our home.