Colorado Part III...The Mountains!

Caution...lots of photos ahead!

On Wednesday morning, we packed up and headed to Rocky Mountain National Park for a few days of hiking, camping and exploring the beauty of the mountains. We camped at Glacier Basin with the boys sleeping in Grandma & Grandpa's pop-up camper (on its last adventure...they sold it the day we returned!) and Mommy & Daddy slept in a tent. (Yes...I slept in a tent...for two nights...onn an inflatable mattress, but still...a tent...) We hiked to Nymph Lake, Dream Lake and around Bear Lake. We visited the Alluvial Fan and threw rocks in the water. We drove up the Old Fall River Road, thankful it is one-way! We marveled at the beauty of the mountains and the change in scenery the higher we went. We stopped at the Alpine Visitors Center and learned about the animals that live at such a high altitude. We saw snow...in August. We drove back down Trail Ridge Road. We saw elk, deer, marmot, ducks, ground squirrels and chipmunks. We enjoyed beautiful weather. Somehow, even though the sky was pitch black at one point, we never had any rain. We ate hot dogs and S'mores. The boys completed their Junior Ranger badges, including attending a Ranger talk. They made new friends in the campground. We walked around Sprague Lake in the morning, hopeful we would see the resident moose. He did not make his scheduled appearance, much to our dismay. We had lunch and wondered around Estes Park. We ate ice cream...because that's what you do in a town like that!

The boys absolutely loved every minute of it. It was one of those experiences that we will remember for a very, very long time.

Colorado Part II

On Sunday night and all day Monday we spent all our time with Auntie Maggie, Uncle Jim, Lizzy and Katherine. They are preparing for a big move to Berlin, Germany and we aren't sure when we will see them next.  The boys had a blast playing with their cousins and it was nice for us all to catch up a little.

On Monday we decided to head to the water park in Golden. It really is amazing - operated by the city and a really fun outing for the kids. Even the "big" kids got into the action...Patrick and Maggie had races on the water slides during adult swim. Sibling rivalry never ends...

On Monday evening, Uncle Jim and Lizzy headed back to Indianapolis. Before we left we tried to get a photo of the whole family. We managed to capture a couple but of course everyone wasn't great in every shot. Never with 10 people and especially children involved!

After they left, we headed to downtown Golden to walk along Clear Creek and have ice cream. During our walk, Drew and Allen ran ahead on the path. Drew got stung on the leg by a yellow jacket. As Patrick was tending to him and trying to calm him down the rest of us walked ahead. Next thing we knew, Allen got stung on his leg! So we took the boys back to the house and Grandma, Grandpa, Auntie Maggie and Katherine went ahead and had their ice cream. The boys were completely traumatized but eventually calmed down with the help of some popsicles. I did catch these photos before the bees ruined our night!

On Tuesday morning we said goodbye to Auntie Maggie and Katherine, Patrick left to play 36 holes of golf with his best man from our wedding, and Grandma and I took the boys to the Museum of Nature and Science. The boys loved the dinosaur exhibit and the special Real Pirates exhibit. We definitely did not see everything and will make a point to go back on our next visit.

Colorado August 2011

We decided to take a rather "last minute" vacation to Colorado before school started. We drove over on Friday, arriving in Golden that evening. Grandma and Grandpa were camping with Auntie Maggie, Uncle Jim, Lizzy & Katherine so we had the house to ourselves for a few days! On Saturday we decided to take part in some Denver history and headed to Hammond's Candy Factory. It has been making candy in Denver for almost 100 years! They even use some of the same techniques and simple machines (like the crimper that makes their ribbon candy) that they used in the 20's. All of their candy is handmade down to the crook in the candy canes. They make candy under other retail names all over the place. You have most likely eaten thier candies and had no idea! Only 20% of their product is sold retail under their name. 80% is wholesale! The big lolllipops at Disney World? Yep...Hammond's!  The boys thought it was great...especially shopping in the huge candy store at the end!

Next, we traveled downtown to our favorite REI store on the Platte River. The boys love this store, especially the outside areas. They climbed and Allen made some new friends! :)

Later we did some shopping at the new IKEA near Patrick's childhood home. We didn't think through the fact it was the second Saturday it was open...chaos! But we waited in the line to get in and we were very impressed with the store itself. We picked up a few things and headed back towards Golden. That night, our friends John and Molly came over for dinner and to meet the boys. They are such a fun couple - they got married last July in Vail, our last trip to Colorado. We enjoyed seeing them again and catching up on their very buys lives!

On Sunday morning, we decided to head to Tiny Town. This was a hit with the boys 2 summers ago and they again loved it. We figure they will "outgrow it" in the next year or two so we wanted to repeat the experience sooner rather than later. We had a great time - it was hot but not miserable. They rode the train three times, once in the caboose!

We saw this truck in the parking lot - Allen was convinced it was Mater!



Next we visited Red Rocks. We had a picnic lunch and enjoyed the scenery. We had planned to do some hiking but the altitude was affecting the boys a little so we bailed on that idea and headed back to Golden earlier.

Everyone made it back from the camping trip and the kids immediately picked up where they left off in March. They had a great time playing together and even enjoyed some candy on the back deck!

More to come...

Kindergarten!!

Look who started Kindergarten today! Drew was so excited for his first day of school. When he woke up this morning, he asked "Mommy, is today the first day of school?" and when I said yes he just grinned! On the way to school he said "I am a little nervous but not all the way nervous" which Patrick and I told him was just right. It's good to be a little nervous (and excited) but awesome that he wasn't "all the way nervous"!


Allen is a little lost. I think it will take him a few days to get used to being without Drew all day. Luckily he starts preschool 3 days a week after Labor Day so I think that will really help! We'll get settled into our new routine and see how things go from there.

Did you know?

I am not a morning person. At. All. But that's not what you should really know. What I really want to tell you is that my husband wakes up before me every morning, takes care of the dog, and gets ready for work. Then, before he leaves for his 25-minute drive, he makes coffee. Not a pot of coffee. He makes espresso with fresh steamed milk. And, because he loves me and knows I am not a morning person, he brings my latte up to our room and puts it on the bedside table next to my sleeping head. A perfect 1 Splenda, non-fat latte. Starbucks has nothing on him!

Thank you, Patrick, for my morning coffee, for knowing I hate mornings and making those mornings just a little easier, and mostly for being you!