Kelly Krause

New York “City Hiking”

This weekend we went to New York to visit my sister-in-law. We were kind of nervous to bring Cecy to such a big city, but she did great!

Her favorite part was playing in Sheep Meadow in Central Park.

I think she also liked helping her Dad eat a gigantic slice of pizza!

And somehow she fell asleep right in the middle of Times Square, which is probably the loudest and most crowded place I’ve ever been to.

We kept walking and walking while she napped. We passed the biggest Macy’s ever, Madison Square Garden, Greenwich Village, Chelsea, West Village and more. Cecy woke up and we all enjoyed a nice break at a pub called Walkers in Tribeca (fitting name for our day of walking!) We continued our walking tour by the bull on Wall Street and the One World Trade Center all the way to our inexpensive ferry ride which took us to Liberty State Park with views of the evening New York skyline and the Statue of Liberty.

What a great first visit to New York!

Festive Family November To-do List

Wow! The month of October was packed full of fun and memorable events. Not only did we get to cheer on our boys in blue to their first championship in 30 years by going to the longest ever game 1 of the World Series, I think we completed nearly every item on my ‘festive family to-do list’:

We celebrated our German heritage by going to Oktoberfest in Hermann, MO with a great group of friends. Hermann is a beautiful, quaint town by the Missouri River. We appreciated having a baby sitter so we could enjoy the wineries.
There are so many great pumpkin patches in the Kansas City area, it was hard to decide which to go to. We finally chose a fundraiser pumpkin patch at Holy Cross Catholic Church in Overland Park, KS. Cecy loved riding in the red wagon with our pumpkins and we loved that our money went to a good cause.
I made a pumpkin pie
We hosted a Halloween brunch for Cecy’s first birthday which is coming up in November. We invited a few of my best friends who also have little girls. The girls ate pumpkin pancakes, danced to Monster Mash and looked adorable in their Halloween costumes. I think we might make this an annual tradition!

We enjoyed autumn leaves while hiking in Colorado. Cecy also enjoyed stomping on the leaves (she is walking now!) at Leawood City Park in Leawood, KS. We were excited to find this park because the playground was built for toddlers.
We missed the parade but enjoyed the festive atmosphere at BearFest Village for Missouri State University’s homecoming.
We made a family photo book and I love how it turned out. I bought the personalized book from Lakeshore Learning.

I don’t see how we can beat the fun we had in October, buy we will try. My festive family to-do list this month includes:

Visiting Central Park in New York
Celebrating Cecy’s first birthday
Partaking in Wild Turkey Wednesday
Baking something with cranberries
Focus on gratitude
#OptOutside Black Friday

Fern Falls with a Fussy Baby

The longer I’m a Mom, the more I appreciate back up plans!

We arrived to Rocky Mountain National Park on a popular summer weekend so we couldn’t find a parking spot near the Fern Lake trailhead. The park had a great backup option. We were able to park at the Fern Lake Park & Ride lot (added a .7 mile walk each way on narrow, gravel road).

The hike begins on pretty flat terrain and follows the Big Thompson River. The area is lush with several access points to fish or picnic.

Cecy didn’t sleep well the night before our hike, so she started out pretty fussy. If she didn’t settle down and fall asleep in her carrier, our backup plan was to cut the hike a little shorter by stopping at either Arch Rocks or The Pool. Arch Rocks are 40ft vertical boulders that lean towards one another. They are huge!

The final mile from The Pool to Fern Falls felt pretty steep, so I was relieved to see the waterfall and start our journey back.

Back by Arch Rocks - almost done! — Back by Arch Rocks – almost done!

4 Reasons October is My New Favorite Month in Rocky Mountain National Park

Every season in Rocky Mountain National Park is unique and beautiful, but early October is my new favorite time to visit. What makes it the best?

1. parking

We easily found a parking spot at the typically popular Bear Lake lot when we hiked to scenic Mills Lake

2.the weather

The temperature was crisp, but once we started moving it was very comfortable (mid 50s)

Jumping for Joy - October is the best in RMNP — Jumping for Joy – October is the best in RMNP

3. golden aspens

The colorful aspen autumn leaves are stunning!

Golden Colorado aspens on hike to Mills Lake in Rocky Mountain National Park

4. elk rut

Elk bugling season – this is a great time of year for spotting wildlife and watching the unique rituals of men elk trying to impress the most lady elk with high-pitched bugling noises, picking fights with other males and showing off their impressive antlers. The city of Estes Park hosts Elk Fest to celebrate the season. More info…