Getting Back To Normal

I'm not quite sure where the summer has gone, but it is definately OVER!!!! When we lived in Arizona, we prayed our way through the summer just to get past all the intense heat. Here in Colorado, we try and hang on to it as long as possible. There are so many projects and activities that only occur when it's nice and warm out. This year, it seems as though our summer was a mere blink. I'm sure the amount of time the kids were out of school was about the same length as it was last year, but it sure didn't feel like it.


Although the summer sped by, it really was enjoyable. We had lots of great times as a family. The culmination of the summer was gaining a brand new family member. Matt's brother Chris got married to a great girl in Pennsylvania on August 16th. All the Kolb boys are now officially married.


We made the trek by truck, all the way there and back. It's the first real road trip we've ever taken as a family that wasn't related to church or moving. We knew we were going to do some site seeing before and after the wedding, so we ended up pulling a trailer. That way we were able to stop whenever and wherever we needed. We were also able to take all of our own food with us. It might have cost us a little more in gas, but ended up saving so much more by not having to stay in hotels or buy every meal out. We ended up being gone for 2 full weeks, and things are just now getting back to normal. Between church, school, work, and life - laundry, grocery shopping, and general home affairs are just now starting to look like they should. I still haven't even downloaded all of my pictures from the trip yet. I promise to get some of those up in the next week or so, with all the details of our adventure.


Well, the air has been getting a little bit of a chill in it, and Pikes Peak got its first dusting of snow this past weekend. Although fall is definately my favorite time of year, I wish we could squeeze a few more weeks of summer out.

Good Friends

Pikes Peak at Sunset

When we moved from Arizona, we assumed that we would keep in touch with a few friends now and then. When we were able to get away and stop back in Az, we would try our best to stop in for a visit. We could have never imagined the visitors we have accumulated till now. We have "regulars" that usually come in on a yearly basis, and then we have the "surprise" visitors. Most of the time it is those who are passing through on their way to the northeast, or on their way back. The visits are usually quick layovers or just a hot meal, a shower and a bed to crash in after a very long drive. We love them all. It is always a great time of fellowship and an opportunity to catch up on the "stories" we have missed out on. Mainly the "Who Married Who" and the "Guess who's having a baby". No matter the length of the stay, we enjoy our time with you all so much. Our family has nicknamed the house "Kolb's Midway Station". We were even given a plaque for Christmas to hang up outside on the front porch. Please know that our door is always open. Just give us a holler and let us know when you'll be in or passing through town.

Now, I have to brag a little on a very dear friend. We recently had a visit from Annie Brown. It seems like we've known each other for a lifetime. She recently visited an old friend whose husband was receiving a very prestigious military promotion. We were able to visit for a couple of days toward the end of her trip. She took some incredible pictures of the kids while she was here that I have to share. She has been blessed with such an incredible gift for photography. She is always able to catch such amazing shots. I wish that I could put them all up for you to enjoy, but I'm afraid it would literally take an entire week to upload them all. I will pick a few of my favorites. I know that you'll enjoy them as much as we do.

Our Beautiful Girl
(We can't believe that she's going to be 13!)

McKenna and her favorite boys.

(Can we please keep it that way for another 10 years or so?)

Bella and Memphis

(They are never too far from each other.)

Our Future Roper

(I think we may need a little more practice first.)

Hey, didn't I clean those up three times already???

Our little farmer

(In socks no less - laundry anyone?)

Good Buddies

A little help here - anyone?

And we'll end it with a smile......

and a laugh!!!

4th of July Weekend

What a full weekend it was. Three day weekends at our house always seem to be packed to their breaking point. We try to take every advantage of beautiful weekends to work on projects outside. When the weather is nasty or cold, not much gets accomplished. This particular weekend was full of friends, fireworks, and lots of time outside. We started our 4th of July in Littleton with the Nave's, Jensen's, Brenneman's, Engel's, and Forsythe's. Good food, good fellowship, and lots of fun for all the little monkeys is always a given.

We continued our weekend working on lots of projects at home that have been put on the back burner. Finishing the drip system for the garden, pulling lots of pesky weeds, and preping the posts for the barn topped the list. Sunday finished off the weekend with lots of wind and rain. It ended up being a great day to sit inside and have a family movie marathon.

June 26th brings us our 4th anniversary in our home. Lots has transpired since moving in, lots of projects done, but lots still to do. We moved into a home that was owned by an elderly couple for more than 25 years. They raised 6 boys in this home, but had little time to do much with it. (Understandable) To date, we have built 2 pastures, a loafing shed for the horses, a small chicken coop, painted the exterior of the house, along with a couple of interior rooms, and set up a back yard fit for the kids - complete with trampoline, swingset, and playhouse. This year, our goal is getting up our all-important "small" barn. Our original plan was to put up a 50' x 70' barn. Lofty goals unfortunately come with lofty price tags. We decided to put off the big barn, complete with guest quarters, for a couple more years and put up a smaller 20'x30' barn to start. We are in need of hay and tack storage, an enclosed location to put the horses during winter storms, and a bigger home for our chickens. We have 4 laying hens, as of now; but are hoping to be able to increase that number to a full dozen, with the extra space. We seem to use a lot more eggs that we imagined we would. We would also like to be able to sell our extras. The demand for organic, fresh, farm eggs is definatley high. The holes for the barn are dug and posts are just about ready to be placed. We are hoping to be done with the addition by mid-July.

My Garden - At Last

It has been a long time in coming, but I finally have a garden to be excited about. With a lot of hard work and lots of help from all, the garden is in and blooming. Matt was such a help with all of the heavy labor and layout. Rotor-tilling, fencing, sprinkler assembly/installation - you name it, he did it. McKenna supplied lots of weed pulling expertise (sometimes she offered, sometimes - not so much). Isabella had her hand in helping plant those tiny little seeds, and then there is Joshua. He pretty much had his hands in everything (no pun intended). He was in the dirt, in the mud, in the planter boxes - both before and after things had been planted in them, drug the hose, and pulled the leaves (instead of the weeds).




Despite some "little" setbacks and time delays, everything got in just right. We are expecting a bountiful harvest. Especially welcome due to the ever increasing food prices and safety scares. We have lots of tomatoes on their way along with carrots, onions, potatoes, cucumbers, pumpkins, watermelons, corn, brussel sprouts, broccoli, cauliflower, sunflowers, rhubarb, snap peas, spinach, green beans, wax beans, jalepenos, green chiles, bell peppers, lettuce, radishes, strawberries, raspberries, and a mirage of herbs. Wow, it seems like a lot more when you write it all down.

It seems as though every day brings plenty of smiles and excitement as we watch each vegetable push its way up through the soil. What an incredible process the Lord created. What started as this dried up, sometimes shriveled little seed, when combined with a little dirt, sunshine, water, and lots of tender loving care ends up as this amazing plant emerging from the ground to soak up everything it can get. What a tangible view of us when we allow God to be our master gardener. We'll keep you posted on the garden's progress.

Springtime in the Rockies

Springtime in Colorado is an amazing time. After a winter of trying to stay warm inside while the world seems to hibernate outside, we tend to gain very restless spirits and muscles ready to explore everything nature has to offer once it melts into a blossoming wonderland. We still had to deal with a little bit of a chill on some days (to a girl who grew up mostly in hot and sunny Arizona; chilly was anything under 75 degrees). Here, we break out the t-shirts as soon as it reaches anywhere above 45 with sunshine. It's amazing how our bodies adapt so quickly to our surroundings.

Along with the plants and flowers emerging to face the sun, Joshua was quickly emerging into this amazing little boy ready to explore everything the world had to offer. He is blessed with a sense of curiosity that can only be God given. He never seems to get his fill of dirt, tools, or food.




The girls (both being true cowgirls at heart) got to revel in their first experience with a brand new foal, Zoe. Our neighbors are foster parents for rescue horses. One of their mares, unbeknownst to them, came into their care a couple weeks pregnant. Due to the horse being mistreated and malnourished, they were unable to tell until she was about a month from foaling. They promised to call as soon as they knew anything. We got the call at 5:30am. The girls rushed over to discover a beautiful new filly still wet and still trying to figure out how to stand up. What an incredible moment for them both.





Spring also brings 2 birthdays to our family. This year Isabella celebrated her 6th birthday and Joshua rang in his very 1st. It never ceases to amaze me how quickly they grow. It seems that all you have to do is blink and another year has gone by. Bella rang in her special day with her first birthday celebration at a fun center- complete with video games, rides, and bowling. She's already trying to plan out birthday number 7.

I can't believe that Isabella is already finished with kindergarten. She learned so much this year. I feel so honored to have been able to keep her home with me and home school her this year. She is reading, telling time, counting money, adding, subtracting, and spelling. She amazed me every step of the way. I don't know if I'm quite ready to give up my time with her yet. We'll see what the fall brings.



Joshua is happy to celebrate anything that involves food - so his birthday party was right up his alley. We had a few friends and family over on one of our warm and sunny Spring days to help us celebrate this very special little boy.

This was right before his birthday party. He decided that the cake needed to be tested before everyone arrived, and was very proud of himself that he took on that responsibility. Thank goodness they were only cupcakes, and that he only grabbed one.

Spring also allowed us to get out and explore a bit. We made it out fishing early in the season. Although we came up empty handed on our first attempt, our trip was a great family get away.