Colorado

I am so behind on my blog posts. I enjoy coming to this place and someday I'm going to get back on a schedule! For now though, you can expect delays. Homeschooling, homemaking, and Baby Z seem to occupy most of my time...and probably, even more so, my energy.

We were beyond blessed in August. Not only did we get to spend a week at a lake house with two of Jeremy's sisters, their families, and his mom, but we also got to visit Jeremy's other sister in Colorado. 

We flew, which was an adventure all on it's own! Both Big Buddy and Mini Man had flown when they were babies but they don't remember it so it was a new experience for all the kiddos. They were all super excited. Mini Man was adorable when the plane started to take off, "we are moving, we are moving, guys we aren't on the ground anymore!" He was bouncing and was so loud! I tried to quiet him down but didn't have much success because I was laughing so hard. Luckily for us, the passengers around us were also stifling giggles. Other than that the kids did amazing. The boys received Kindle Fires for their birthdays (and Little Lady used our I-pad) so those kept them pretty occupied while waiting in the airport and through the not-so-exciting parts of flying. Baby Z did amazing too, but he's pretty much always happy if he's in mommy's or daddy's arms. 

Aunt Em and Uncle Dan don't have any kid cousins but the kids didn't mind - they were happy to see their three dog cousins and one horse cousin. Poor Jeremy, he had to help Em take care of her horses growing up, despite having straw and hay allergies, and it looks like our kids might have the passion too. 

Baby Z thought this pile of the dog beds was a couch just for him. 

We spend a lot of time talking to our children about how they can be a blessing and a servant to others. One way the boys decided to serve was to clean up after their doggie cousins...it amazes me how fun they think this job is. 

Aunt Em and Uncle Dan had to work for part of the week we were there, so we had to go on some of our adventures without them - I'll post about those later. We did, however, get to go out with them for plenty of fun. One of those "fun" times was a chance to visit Em at her work. She is a dental assistant and all the kids had their teeth examined and cleaned. It actually was fun!

There were of course a few hikes. Em and Dan live in Castle Rock which got its name because of the castle-like rock that sits on top of a hill. This was one of this kids' favorite hikes. It was short and they could see exactly were they going. It also had some areas where they could climb...and there was a family hiking with baby goats! 

We also tried to hike Devil's Head but it didn't turn out so well. The day started off beautifully but when we were a little more than half way we saw some pretty scary looking clouds. Luckily for us, we decided to turn around...so we only had to walk 1/4 of mile in hail - yes, in hail. It's a blurry picture but I had to include the shot of Mini Man trying to protect Little Lady. 

We also drove up to Pike's Peak. If you ever make the drive be sure to bring jackets, there is a huge difference between the temperature at the bottom and temperature at the top. 

The older boys and Jeremy also went beach camping with Aunt Em and Uncle Dan. Little Lady was battling altitude sickness. Even though Aunt Em was brilliant and got the kids water backpacks, we didn't do a very good job of making sure Little Lady stayed hydrated. Truth be told, I'm a little happy I missed out on camping. I guess it got really cold (40's!) and windy an night. The boys, however, had a fabulous time! They caught crawdads, went swimming, helped drive a boat, went tubing, got to sleep in a tent, and ate lots of fun food. Mini Man was particular excited about the gatorade, a treat I never buy - he claims to have drunk over a dozen. 

I have a bunch more pictures of Colorado to share; just our family when to Rocky Mountain National Park, Cave of Winds, and a few other fun places. Those, however, will have to wait for another post.