Colorado 2014- Day 4

Our first full day in Breckenridge (or "Brokenbridge" as Eden called it) was spent relaxing and recouping from three long days of driving.  That morning, we walked around town and went into a few shops to get information and prices on some things we wanted to do later in the week.  On our way back to the condo, the kids begged to put their feet into the river that runs through town.  The water was FREEZING but the kids didn't care at all!

 

 

 

After lunch, we took the kids to a park that we had seen on our way into town.  We didn't remember this park from the last time we were in Breckenridge and when we asked how long the park had been there, we were told that it had just opened the day before.  We were literally some of the first kids to play at this park!  The kids had a great time running and climbing on the train themed playground. 

For dinner, my parents kept the kids and let us go out for dinner at Bubba Gumps.  It was nice to enjoy some adult conversation after being in the car with kids for three days!

Colorado 2014- Day 2 & 3- Westcliffe, CO

My uncle has a secluded cabin in the mountains near Westcliffe and he always invites our family to come and stay in it on our way to Breckenridge.  My parents and sister have been there before but this is the first time we have had the chance to stay there.  I didn't know exactly what to expect but it was better than I could have ever imagined.  It was quiet, had no internet/phone access, and was surrounded by nature.  The kids are not used to this kind of environment and they were in heaven! 

 

We were greeted in the driveway by my uncle and one of the deer that lives in the woods near his cabin.  This particular deer was very calm and curious.  My uncle fed him some corn and after he ate it, he kept inching closer and closer to where we were sitting.  We were finally able to get him close enough to feed him some crackers out of our hands.  Because of that, we nicknamed him Cracker!  Cracker stayed around until we left for dinner that night and was back early the next morning waiting for us to feed him again.

The other highlight of our time in Westcliffe was getting to ride Uncle Jodie's four wheelers. Parker and Lily hopped right on, but it took us a little while to coax Eden into trying them. 

 This was Eden before...

 and this was Eden after we convinced her to take a ride.  I knew she would love it if she just tried it.  As we were riding, she kept yelling, "THIS IS AWESOME!!!". 

Emily and her family had taken a detour on the way to Westcliffe to eat dinner with Jon's dad so they didn't get to Westcliffe until bedtime.  My kids couldn't wait to tell them about Cracker!  Luckily, they got to meet him the next morning when Cracker showed up again along with four of his friends. 

Addison and I were able to feed Cracker a little breakfast but all of the other deer were very skittish and would not get anywhere near us.

 

After breakfast, we spent a couple of hours taking the kids on more four wheeler rides around the mountain.  They could not get enough!  We even convinced Granna to take a ride!

Just like everything else in life, all good things must come to an end!  We hated to say goodbye to Westcliffe, but we still had a three hour drive into Breckenridge so we had to load up and head out after the last four wheeler ride.  We stopped for one more family pic at the top of the Hoosier Pass on the way to Breckenridge. 

When I asked the kids what their favorite part of Westcliffe was they all agreed it was the deer and four wheelers.  I think our time in Westcliffe is something they will always remember and we are so thankful to my uncle for opening up his beautiful cabin to us for the night.

Colorado 2014- Day 1 & 2

We left Saturday morning for a week in Colorado!  After looking at airline prices and realizing that plane tickets for 5 people are not cheap, we decided to drive for the first time ever.  It helped that we were able to caravan with my parents and my sister's family.  The kids thought that was a great idea until we were about 5 miles down the road!  Luckily, we broke the trip into several stops which made it a little easier on everyone!

Our first stop was the Rhone reunion in Bowie.  We enjoyed lunch with my dad's side of the family and then got back on the road and headed to Amarillo, our first stop on the trip.

 We found a great rest stop about half way to Amarillo with a playground for the kids.  It was nice to let them stretch their legs a little before getting back in the car.

Once we got to Amarillo, we enjoyed dinner with one of my sweet friends from college.  Our kids all had a blast playing with each other, especially Parker and her son Judson.  It was so nice to visit and catch up with her since we don't get to see her very often.

The hotel we stayed in that night had an indoor pool.  My kids have only stayed in a hotel one other time so they were very excited about swimming at the hotel.

We got on the road bright and early the next morning.  We were able to stop at the New Mexico border for a group picture but accidentally missed the sign as we passed into Colorado.  After a long six hours in the car, we safely arrived at my uncle's cabin in Westcliffe, CO- our first destination on our trip.

 



Pine Cove 2014

Parker just finished up a week of Pine Cove Camp in the City at our church.  Just like last summer, he had a fantastic week!  This year, he was in the Uluwatu cabin with three of his best friends- Cole, Trip and Cullen and his counselor's name was Frosty.  Parker was also excited that Addison was old enough to go to camp with him this year.  They were both exhausted at the end of each day but couldn't wait to back the next day!  It was fun to look online each day to see some of the pictures that Pine Cove posted of them. 

On the last day, every camper was given a character quality award from their counselor.  It was fun to hear what Frosty had to say about Parker after he spent the week with him.  I thought it was pretty accurate!

Parker was sad to see the week come to an end and is already looking forward to going again next summer! I am so thankful to our church for providing our kids with such a wonderful, life changing experience.  I know it is something he will remember for many years to come.