Sunday at the park.

With the big boys almost grown up, our oldest in college in Western Colorado, the next three boys working or going to school in Nebraska, and our oldest daughter, Michelle, often spinning off in her own social swirls, the "count-off" at family outings is much quicker these days. "One, two, three... four... oh, there's another one... five! And a-one, a-two and a-three, four... and, where is Yuyum? There he is... five!" Instead of "One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten!"

Though there are fewer to keep track of, I miss having all the children together! It's simpler for us tired old parents to be able to pair big kids with little kids, for tracking purposes, for one thing. But most of all, our big boys have always loved weekend hikes, and I miss their enjoyment of a beautiful day climbing around in a beautiful place. When we take these outings, we always reminisce about the times we took the top five children with us on the same hikes years ago. It almost feels sometimes like we're raising up a second family. Weird.

Anyway, here are some pics from the weekend with just the bottom half of the family at Garden of the Gods or God's Garden outside of Colorado Springs, Colorado. (The first pic I got from a travel brochure for the sake of the "title" ~ there isn't actually any snow on the mountains just yet....)









L-R: William Thomas, Gabriel Joseph, Theresa Philomena, Anna Germaine, and Catherine Cecelia.
Missing: Paul Joseph, Kevin Christopher, Jonathan Charles, Dominic Alan, and Michelle Frances