Jerome and I absolutely love fall. The leaves. The sweaters. The apple orchards. Everything about it. So we are beyond excited that Lily will make her appearance sometime in the next week or so–another reason for us to love this season. A very special reason.
I am 39 weeks pregnant today. We shall see what day of September Lily chooses for her birthday!
“Who else can say that they had a two year honeymoon?” That’s what we joked as we drove across the border, saying goodbye to our time in Colorado, last month.
We moved to the Rocky Mountain state just days after our wedding in July of 2010. No honeymoon–we just wanted to start our adventure in Colorado.
And what an adventure it was. We are so glad we we had the opportunity to live in Colorado–exploring and experiencing new things. We made some wonderful friends and memories that we will forever be a part of who we are as a couple. Two years on our own in Colorado really helped shape who we are as our own family.
But like every honeymoon, our time in Colorado came to an end–two years after we arrived. A job transfer for J meant a quick move back to MN. As we drove away from Denver and the mountains we love, we were filled with mixed emotions. Hard to say goodbye to a place that has been good to us, but so excited that we were driving away with an amazing Colorado memento–little baby Lily.
The next chapter: welcoming our beautiful baby girl in a few weeks. Colorado made, Lily will be a Minnesota girl. And we are so excited for her to grow up in the place we love and never stopped calling home.
There were four of us. Four Minnesota kids living in Colorado. Desperate for the lakes of our homestate, the summers of our memories. So when one of our group mentioned finding a campground on a lake in Colorado–the land of mountains, not lakes–we all jumped. When and where? Let’s do it.
The next weekend we packed up our vehicles and made the hour and a half drive from our Denver south metro apartments and found ourselves staring at a site for sore eyes. Wellington Lake in Bailey, CO. We had found water.
Even our friends dog, Juno, was ecstatic. She was in that water within minutes of arriving. And she spent most of the weekend running in and out of it. Exhaustion was worth it. She was back where she belonged–at the lake. We all felt the same way.
Wellington Lake is a private 167-acre lake run by Castle Mountain Recreation near Bailey, CO. You can camp around the lake at one of their many campsites for $9/person/night. Or just visit for the day. Either way–you will find plenty to do. From fishing (they stock the lake with trout), to hiking, to canoeing, there is plenty of Minnesota approved activities right at your finger tips.
If When you do head up to Wellington Lake to camp, look for site 50. I picked it out and I have to say I think I did a pretty good job selecting our home for the weekend. It had the best of both world’s.
The lake: You will note in the picture above, that Juno was out of the water but still keeping it in her line of sight. In other words, our campsite faced a panoramic view of the lake. No trees blocking. Perfect.
The mount: You may also notice that large rock protruding from the tops of the trees behind our tents. That is Castle Mountain. Gorgeous up close, and from a far. J and our friends even hiked a little ways up towards it to see some springs.
Our campsite was perfect and we spent most of our time next to the water soaking in the lake. While there are plenty of free places to camp in the mountains–this campsite was totally worth the money. Sure, the shack bathrooms weren’t the cleanest. But there were lots of great sites to pick from and the lake was amazing.
And lets be honest, all I really needed to say was lake. And you’ve got four happy Minnesotans. And, a MN pup.
Check it out. You won’t be sorry.
You were sleeping. Your favorite time to do somersaults and jump kicks is from 8-11 every night. But last night you feel asleep early. Half past ten.
We were laying in bed, your dad and I. Talking about you. Sharing our excitement about what you will be one day. Will you be strong? Fearless? Selfless? Vibrant? Sweet? Funny? So many qualities we just know you will hold in your sweet little hands. Along with our hearts.
Your dad leaned in to tell you goodnight. These are the moments I love the most, being pregnant. Your daddy put his mouth right on my belly and whispered sweet words to you. Our sweet Lily. Not two seconds later a look of complete delight rolled across his face. He spoke again and I felt it that time. Our laughter filled the room.
You grabbed at his lips.
You heard your daddy’s voice. And you wanted us to know. Every time he said something you would do it. A gentle pat, a swift kick. Exactly on his lips. And in that moment I knew. I knew that we are in for a life filled with delight and laughter. Thanks to one amazing little girl.
We had the joy of spending our weekend at home in Minnesota. Both to celebrate our good friends wedding and to share the news–boy or girl–at a special gender reveal party. I had so much fun planning the event and am so happy with how it all came together. I’ll let the pictures speak for themselves!
We are so excited for Lily to grace us with her presence. So the news is out–it’s a girl and we are so excited!
