Pueblo park fun

The kids and I enjoyed our visit to the Pueblo park this summer with Grandma Kathy, Uncle Rob and Annabelle. The rides are always a fun treat and the weather was nice for some running and playing. We got in some soccer playing, frisbee throwing, running races and regular old playing at the park together.

Brooke started off the rides with a fast moving, spinning ride. She and Annabelle loved it so much that they decided to go again. That turned out to be not such a great idea and she spent the rest of the evening feeling a little under the weather... :-(
Austin and Cam had lots of fun riding rides and particularly liked the little roller coaster that they went in 3 times in a row.

Always a pleasure to have the company of Rob & Annabelle!

Cameron was in heaven with so many little rides that were geared toward kids just his size!

Cam loves his Ubcle "Wob." Hey, what's not to love??

Rob entertained us with his acrobatics on the grass in the park.

The kids had a great time hanging out with Grandma! Thanks for a fun outing Grandma.

We love you!

4th of July Camping

We actually slept in a "cabin" but this camping trip was one of our best ever... it consisted of a little . . .

fire cooking, four wheeler riding, marshmallow roasting, dirt digging, fish catching, rock climbing, lake swimming, dog walking, fire chatting, animal watching, firework watching, out house using, stick collecting, moth swatting, bear looking, fresh air breathing, tree carving, stump sitting, picnicing, delicious food eating and lots of great family bonding time.

Turkey Tracks. . . thanks for your hospitality.

We hope to come back soon.

Fun times visiting

We sure had a wonderful time visiting in Colorado this summer. Just a few little shots of some of our favorite times with Ry & Mels fam. . . . Brooke and Mel canoeing the blue lake

Cam with Mel on our fabulous beach day, so great, the kids didn't want to leave. They had lots of fun building castles in the sand. Too bad the battery died before we could get any great pics of their creations. It was beautiful weather and great company which made for an all around very nice day!

Ryan and Mel introduced us to our very first drive in movie! It was a fun time and we enjoyed the first show a lot. We saw Toy Story 3... which was a great movie. We had fun making lots and lots of popcorn to bring with us. Austin might have eaten a little too much of it, since the evening ended with him puking out the window of the car and begging to go home. :-( Poor guy. We sure had lots of fun anyway though!

Brooke loved looking through the hair books with her "Auntie Watermelon" and coming up with just the perfect style. It was a great little date and she is thrilled with her new hair cut!

Also on the list of fun . . Elitch gardens, trampoline jumping, rock band jamming, hide and seek playing, crazy frog singing, boat building, and lots of quality time with some of our favorite people ever...

Thanks for all the fun Smith Fam, we miss you guys!!

revisiting the past

On our drive to Colorado we made a familiar stop along the way. I made this drive with my Dad so many times as a kid/teenager going back and forth between parents houses. It really wasn't a novelty for me anymore, since I'd seen it lots of times. It was a whole new experience for the kids and John though, which made it a new experience for me.

It was the perfect stop to get out and enjoy our first taste of fresh, cool air and stretch our legs after a long drive. Everyone enjoyed exploring the visitors center and hiking down into the old volcano. We picked up a few caterpillars and saw a lizard climbing under the rocks, but most of all, we just enjoyed the blue skies and unique scenery along the path.

Even though I had done it many times before, this stop at Mt. Capulin was special. It was really neat to watch my kids discover and enjoy something that brought back memories of my own youth, and to be the parent introducing it, instead of the kid exploring it. We couldn't have chosen a better pit stop!

Colorado trip

After the group thinned and most of the other visitors went home after our family reunion, John and I stayed in Colorado and visited with my Mom for a few more days. We all had a very nice time and the kids especially enjoyed Grandma's company. In Pueblo, they have a great little kiddie park that's open in the summer. We loved the carousel and Cameron did too! He thought it was so s amazing. It was cute.
Every time the kids went by, Cameron would squeal in excitement and follow them around with his eyes. The other kids did encourage it a little too, I'll admit that.
We had lots of fun there.

Brooke had a great day collecting green beans with Grandma, from her garden.
They got quite a stash of greens!
This was the kids roller coaster that Austin and Brooke rode on.

They thought it was great. . . . raised hands and all!
Austin was so proud of the fact that he was TOO TALL to ride so many the rides at the park. Proof that he's growing up!!