Colorado- Day 2

Before we left for Colorado, I was researching things to do in Steamboat and was excited to discover that the weekend we arrived was the Annual Hot Air Balloon Festival.  I knew the kids (and adults) would be so excited to wake up to all of the hot air balloons in the sky.  Imagine my disappointment when we found out that the festival has been cancelled due to the dry weather and forest fires in the area. 

Luckily, a few of the balloons decided to launch and just as I thought, the kids LOVED it!  Lily was perhaps the most excited and kept yelling, "BALLOON!" and "UP!".   

The festival included a craft fair at a local park so we packed up and headed out to see what fun activities we could find to keep the kids busy.  On the way we passed a stream with a lot of rocks.  Parker begged to go throw rocks in the water and it wasn't long before all four girls had joined him.

The festival was so much fun!  Lots of booths set up with crafts and food.  There was definitely something to keep everyone happy.  I tried to get all three of my kiddos to get their faces painted, but only one agreed to do it.  Parker and Eden melted down as soon as I mentioned it so I turned to Lily to help me out.  As usual, her fearless nature kicked in and she hopped up on the chair without making a peep.  She didn't move a muscle the entire time her face was being painted.  Since she was wearing a ladybug outfit, we decided to paint a ladybug on her cheek.

Addison chose a Hello Kitty mask and Aubrey chose butterflies.  Parker and Eden chose to cry.  *sigh*  Maybe one day they will break out of their shell.  Until then, I will enjoy experiencing things with my Lilybug!

 After we all calmed down from the traumatic face painting experience, we grabbed a very healthy festival snack- fried shoestring potatoes and snow cones!  Eden was so excited about her pink snow cone (until she found out she had to share with Lily).

We had such a great time at the festival but decided to head home for lunch and naps/rest time before everyone got too cranky. 

After naps, we decided to check out the pool and let the kids swim.  Even though the pool was heated, the water was still way too cold for me, but the kids didn't seem to mind at all.  When it got too cold, they moved over into the hot tub to warm up, and then were right back into the chilly pool again.

After dinner, we let the kids play in the creek that ran next to our condo.  Again, it was way too cold for me, but the kids didn't seem to care. 

Despite all efforts to stay dry, they were all drenched from head to toe by the time we went inside!

It was a great, relaxing evening sitting outside in the cool mountain air with our family.  That is definitely something we don't get to do very often this time of year in Texas.  The kids had so much fun with their cousins and were exhausted by the time we went in for bed.

Colorado- Day 1

We just got back from a fabulous family vacation to Steamboat Springs, Colorado.  Dr. Ranelle, one of the opthamologists that Cory knows, graciously offered his 4 bedroom condo to our family for a week and we were excited that my parents, sisters, brother-in-law, nieces, and nephew got to join us.  Even with 6 kids ages 5 and under, we managed to have a great time without too much drama.  Other than some sleep issues, the kids adjusted very well to being out of their routine. 

Our trip started VERY early last Saturday morning.  In order to get a really good deal on plane tickets, we had to leave before the sun was up.  Our first plane departed at 6:00am, which meant we had to leave our house at 3:30am.  We knew this was risky and could either be a really good decision because the kids would sleep on the plane or a really bad decision because they would be cranky on the plane.  We assumed that the airport wouldn't be busy that early in the morning but we were completely wrong.  I've never seen so many people at the ticket counter at 4:30am, and we almost missed our flight due to a very long security check line.  Thankfully, we didn't have any wait time before we boarded the plane and we were off!

The girls were wanting to sleep but not before a nutritious breakfast of powdered donuts and suckers.  Who needs bacon and eggs at 6am when you can opt for sugar instead!! 

As soon as the plane took off, the girls were out.  Parker chose to work on a new sticker book instead of sleep on the first flight. 

We had a short (but rough) layover in Denver.  Eden was very cranky by this point and refused to walk in the airport, which left us carrying 5 bags, pushing one stroller, and carrying a screaming three year old.  Good times.

The second flight was a quick 30 minute trip and we landed in Steamboat at 9:30am.  I was so glad that the first part of our travels were over and went as well as expected.  Cory and I were both so thankful that my sister, Meredith, agreed to travel with us this year.  Her extra set of hands were so helpful and we couldn't have done it without her. 

We spent the rest of our first day napping and waiting for the rest of our family to arrive.  Needless to say, we were all ready for a very early bedtime that night.

Pirates Cove

Yesterday Parker, Addison and I went with Ms. Suellen and her granddaughter, Harley, to Pirates Cove, a new waterpark that opened this summer.  It was not too crowded or too hot and the kids had a great time.  It took both Parker and Addison a few minutes to warm up to going down the big slides by themselves but they eventually got to where they didn't even need me to go with them. 

As usual, Parker got out of sorts at one point (he said he didn't want to wait in line to go down the slides) but after a quick snack, he was eager to try again.  Unfortunately, while we were eating our snack, a toddler decided to poop in the water, which closed the park down for an hour.  What a bummer! 

After the break, Parker. Addison, and Harley went nonstop until we had to leave.  It was a fun day and we can't wait to go back with Daddy, Eden and Lily one day soon.

"The sun is too bright!"

Happy Birthday America (and Granna!)

Happy 4th of July from the Browns!

And a very happy birthday to our Granna, who shares her birthday with America!  We love you and hope you have a very special day!

We hope you have a fun day filled with family, food, and fireworks!
(And here's to hoping that a certain 20 month old takes a good nap today so that we can enjoy those fireworks!)

BClan Reunion

Yesterday was our annual BClan Reunion (or as my sister calls it, our annual Redneck Bar-B-Q).  It is perhaps one of my most favorite days of the year.  I look forward to it as much as I look forward to Christmas, and this year it did not disappoint.  For the first time in 7 years, all of the guys were able to attend which made it even more special than usual.  I LOVE watching these guys reconnect after having not seen each other for a year.  They pick up right where they left off as if no time has passed at all. It really is such a unique group of guys.  And what makes it even better is that they are all have awesome wives that I enjoy hanging out with too!

Meet the newest members of the BClan... Britton and Cara.  The addition of these two sweet girls brings the current total of BClan babies to 13 (plus one more due in September!). 

There were several big changes that happened this past year, but one of the biggest was the addition of a swimming pool at Heath's house.  It was definitely the hit of the party, especially with the kids (and the daddies!).  The kids swam for at least three hours before dinner without stopping.  The only reason some of them got out to eat was because we insisted on it.

After dinner a few of the kids (Parker included) kept swimming, but most of them headed over to the Bullard Fun Park to play.  They enjoyed swinging, climbing, sliding, riding bikes, and jumping on the trampoline.

I'm pretty sure neither one of these cuties had a license to drive but that didn't stop them from cruising all around the yard!

The weather could not have been more perfect last night... not too hot with a nice breeze.  Perfect for relaxing and watching the kids play together.

The best part of the night was watching these guys hang out.  Lots of talking, laughing and reminiscing.

At dark, we all settled in for the fireworks show.  The kids were tired but made it to the end without any whining or tears.  Parker and Lily enjoyed some sparklers while we waited for the guys to set up the fireworks.

It was a GREAT day and the kids were worn out by the end.  They had so much fun and were all three asleep before we got out of Heath's driveway.  I am so thankful for lifelong friends and am already looking forward to BClan Reunion 2013!