I feel like Denver proper is getting a little crazy, cost-of-living-wise. Housing has gone through the roof, daycare was $1300/month when we moved last year, and yes - there were quite a few daycare waiting lists. I started my kiddo part time and then added more days as they became available, which was a good strategy for getting into a quality daycare (as long as you can do that work-wise).
Boulder is ridiculously expensive, housing-wise. Our friends are moving from there to Gunbarrel because they've been priced out.
Traffic is rough, but if you have the long view in mind, they're working on the light rail and there's also a commuter bus that runs Denver-Boulder. Like any city, if you can time your hours to be somewhat off-peak, that can help. The commute on 93 from Boulder to Golden/West Lakewood could be an option... it's sometimes kind of sketchy in the winter, though.
The good part is that lots of people are moving/have moved to the area... it's easy to make friends, as everyone is new!