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.