Spring Break 2012

Dear Jackson and Colt,

We spent our Spring Break out in Colorado visiting Andy, Suzanne, and Kaitlyn and taking in the majestic mountains.  I’ve wanted to see Colorado first hand for quite some time now and the birth of Katie, combined with their upcoming move out-of-state, made for the perfect excuse to vacation there. 

We started our drive by leaving right before nap time on Saturday.  You boys didn’t know what was in store so you were happy to “cheese” for me.

You were both great on the ride to Amarillo.  We did have to stop once to run off some energy through a random grocery story – but, other than that, you were content to watch your movies.  We stopped for dinner in Amarillo and made sure you played quite a bit before getting back on the road.  The 7 hours from Amarillo to Denver were a little rough as neither of you could get a good night’s sleep in your car seats.  We arrived at their house around 1:00 a.m. and we all went to sleep.

Sunday was restful as we recovered from our long drive.  You were both so excited to see Kaitlyn when she woke up and, Colton, you wanted to hold her right away.  A baby holding another baby doesn’t always work so well but you were precious as you tried.

We had lunch on a patio that had the perfect view of the Rockies and I became enamored immediately.  Should you be reading through this 20 years from now, please tell me there’s a Bernie’s (best bison ever!) right around the corner!! 

We took the train into downtown on Monday to visit Andy at work and do a little shopping.  We sat right behind the train's engineer and you thought that was a neat view, Jax. 

I didn’t take any other pictures from this excursion – if I did, you would see:  obnoxious passengers on the train, mommy searching through shelves and shelves of t-shirts to find the right souvenirs, and a messy lunch.

After nap time, we went to their neighborhood's park to play.  With views like this, I could've stayed there until dusk!

Y'all slid down this slide together over and over and over!  If I could bottle up your happiness and sell it, I'd be rich!

We got in touch with some friends from high school before the trip and made plans to meet up at the zoo on Tuesday. 

We got there right when it opened and it was awesome as the crowds were minimal and the animals were just waking up for breakfast.

You were both exhausted after a morning at the zoo, but we couldn't go back to Andy and Suzanne's house as they were having showings all afternoon.  So nap time consisted of you both sleeping in the car as we drove through the foothills admiring the scenery.

When you woke up, we went to a place called Dinosaur Ridge.  Fossils were found here back in the late 1800s and tracks were later discovered in the 1930s.

They had a cute - pretend - excavation site that made Daddy and me wonder if we need a gravel pit in the backyard instead of a sandbox.  Y'all loved it!

Suzanne took a family photo of us as we explored the dinosaur tracks (on the rocks behind us).

On Wednesday, we visited a state park and took Reggie along so that he could join in on our fun.

We needed Kaitlyn to have proof that she lived amongst this beauty ; )

Wednesday afternoon was fun as, first, the men went to the racetrack and drove some carts.  Later, it was time for Suzanne and me and we spent our time out at the movie theater.

We drove down to Colorado Springs on Thursday and started the day at Seven Falls.  Most of the waterfall was still frozen but it was pretty, nonetheless. 

 I hiked up 224 stairs to get the to top of the falls while you boys went up to the observation deck via elevator.  I took a picture of y'all once I got to the top of the stairs...but I didn't have my zoom lens!

Then I joined y'all on the observation deck.  Your dad is just a little anxious about heights and this is as close as I could get him to the edge for a picture with you boys! : )

Then we headed down the road to the Garden of the Gods.  Few words describe how gorgeous it was there and I can't seem to find them right now.  I almost hate that you two won't remember this as it was truly remarkable and I was in awe of God's handiwork.

As we rested for lunch, we finally caught some Colton-lovin' on camera!  You gave Kaitlyn so many hugs and kisses throughout the week and I'm glad your dad finally got a picture of it!

We get it - she's easy to love!  I even caught Daddy snuggling with her on Friday morning when he was supposed to be packing the car for our drive home!

We left at 10:30 on Friday morning and the drive back was a little more difficult than the drive there.  You were both simply worn-out, ready to be back in your comfort zones, and impatient.  I spent the last 4 hours of the drive turned around, trying to comfort you as you whined from being sick of your seats.  We made it home at 2 a.m. and we have spent today relaxing and catching up on sleep.

I am so glad that we took this trip as Colorado is definitely a wonder to witness.  Colorado is the 25th state I've visited and the only one more beautiful is Hawaii (almost seems unfair, right?).  I'm usually not a fan of going to the same place twice...but if you boys want to go again sometime, I'd totally understand!