Rocky Mountain National Park

When we woke up Saturday morning, we decided to drive into Rocky Mountain National Park to explore for awhile. It is all amazingly beautiful. We even got to see the sweetest baby elk....you can barley see him in the picture. The girls had a great time hiking around, searching for animals, climbing rocks and splashing in the stream. The whole place is just an amazing example of God's beauty.

Este's Park

Este's Park was such a sweet little town. It is about 2 hours away and nestled in the mountains, just on the edge of Rocky Mountain National Park. It has one main street, which follows the river. It is full of cute little shops, friendly people and more food than you could possibly eat.

We had a great time walking around. We spotted a few little chipmunk critters and had some great snacks. The weather was great. It felt perfect during the day, and Saturday morning when we woke up it was 58 degrees!

The Silver Moon Inn

We lucked out and were able to get last minute reservations at a little Inn in Este's Park. My expectations were low, since we booked on short notice, but everything was great. The Inn was on the river, with swings, picnic tables and a playground out by the water. The owners had there dogs in the lobby, and Reagan couldn't have been more excited! They loved playing on the playground. And, best of all, Friday evening they started a campfire and had all the makings for Smores. Addison loved roasting her first marshmallows. Check that picture out.....could she be anymore prissy...freshly manicured fingernails, and matching accessories!!!

The Pool

The hotel in Este's Park had a heated pool. The owner told us they keep it at 82 degrees. Which, is probably fine unless you are in the mountains at dusk. The water was freezing! Tommy and the girls started out in the hot tub, but Addison wanted to go to the big pool. Tommy took them both over. Addison's whole body shivered, but she just kept saying, "I am used to it!".

Reagan was smart, she turned immediately back up the steps and ran back to the hot tub. The picture of her is on her way back to warmer waters. For the rest of the night, we would point to the big pool and ask Reagan if she wanted to go over there. It gave her great opportunity to practice her new trick. Shaking her head furiously and shouting, "No!".

Shark Bait

Uncle Mike and Pampa fed the girls to Jaws at TGI Fridays!!!

Garden of the Gods

Grandma and Pampa are in town! The girls are having a blast playing with them, and I have loved having company/help around the house. Especially since Tommy headed out of town the day they got here. Thankfully Tommy is back now and we are looking forward to some family time. Friday and Saturday we are headed to Estes Park, a small resort town in the mountains. And then, Saturday and Sunday Tommy and I are going to stay in a hotel downtown for our anniversary.

Yesterday, Uncle Mike came over and we all headed to Garden of the Gods in Colorado Springs. The rock formations, Pikes Peak and the mountains are so beautiful. We took a bus tour that showed us around the area. The girls loved the bus ride, because they didn't have to be in carseats and because Grandma gave them suckers for the trip!

Sweet Reagan is my little tough girl. As we waited for the bus the girls had been running around playing. Reagan fell down a few times, but never cried. She always jumped right up and kept going. As we sat down on the bus, I looked over at her and her poor knee was all cut up and bleeding. She was a little concerned after I showed her the "boo-boo", but she wasn't at all before that!

After the Red Rocks, we went to Focus on the Family and shopped in the bookstore and let the girls play. We had a great day!

"Resting"

Does this look like resting? I guess Addison was tired of playing quietly in her room, so she headed to the bathroom for a little "splash time". That is 24 Dixie Cups filled with soap and water! Just so you know, Dixie Cups are not meant to hold large quantities of water (and soap) for long periods of time. Left long enough, the cups just turn to mush and the water leaks out!

In her defense, I have never told her not to do this! I was quite surprised to find this mess, as she is not one to normally get into things this way. Where was I during her little experiment? In the basement. I don't usually go down there while the girls are asleep, because I can't hear them, but I was trying to finish up a project down there. From now on, I will stay upstairs or on the main level, where I can here little feet when they are out of bed!

NAKED!!!!

Stripped down to the bare-bottom. That is how Addison and I found Reagan after her morning nap. Apparently she has a new trick! Thankfully there is no related "potty crisis" to tell you about. Just Reagan, standing on dry sheets, smiling big in her birthday-suit!!! Addison and I got a good laugh. What am I going to do if this child decides she doesn't want to wear clothes?

One Word...

. Where is your cell phone? hmmm???
2. Your significant other? Amazing!!!
3. Your hair? Graying
4. Your mother? Kathie
5. Your father? Eric
6. Your favorite thing? Vacationing
7. Your dream last night? Quadruplets
8. Your favorite drink? Coke
9. Your dream/goal? Living it!!!
10. The room you're in? Basement
11. Your hobby? Blogging
12. Your fear? Loss
13. Where do you want to be in 6 years? Here
14. Where were you last night? Home
15. What you're not? Artisitc
16. Muffins? Blueberry
17. One of your wish list items? Laptop
18. Where you grew up? Lewisville
19. What are you wearing? Sweats
20. Your pets? Maggie
21. Your computer? Old
22. Your life? Great
23. Your mood? Tired
24. Missing someone? Always
25. Your car? Messy!!!
26. Something you're not wearing? Socks
27. Favorite store? Gymboree (pathetic, I know)
28. Your summer? Full
29. Your favorite color? Purple
30. When is the last time you laughed? Today
31. Last time you cried? ???

Copy this and try it...using one word is harder than you think!

When in Rome....

This post is dedicated to our good friend Justin B......the most crazy, over-the-top, insane Broncos fan anyone could ever imagine.

We have never been big football fans, but here I think people love their Broncos. We are going to have to go to games with Tommy's customers. So, we might as well get on board! I am going to order cheerleader outfits for the girls, and Austin got a Broncos' hat while he was in town (two actually, he lost the first one and I felt sorry for him and bought him another one).

The girls borrowed his hat and posed for pictures. Invesco Field, better know as Mile High Stadium.....here we come. Justin, if you still come to town for games, you better come see us!

Happy 4th of July

4th of July was a busy day around here! We got up early and headed to breakfast at a bagel shop near the parade route. After breakfast, we scoped out a spot and sat on the curb to watch the parade. The girls loved it. They caught tons of candy, and they must have had at least 10 people tell them how precious they were in the festive clothes!

That evening, Tommy had to take customers in the suite to the Rockies baseball game. The girls and I don't usually go, since they are really late nights, but there was a fireworks show after, so we decided to try it. When you have suite tickets, you get to go down on the field after the game to watch the fireworks, so we thought that would be fun.

Surprisingly, Addison loved the baseball game. She was really excited to watch everything. They loved the food in the suite, we got to visit with the mascot and we played on the playground for a little while.

The girls were hanging in there so well, especially since the game started at 6:00 and they usually go to bed around 7:30. But, it turned out that we ended up at one of the longest baseball games in history. At 10:00 they were still in the 7th inning with the score at 17 to 16 and we decided to call it quits. Addison and Reagan were still happy at that point, but we weren't sure how long we should push it.

We heard later, that the fireworks didn't even start until 11:00. Then, we heard that they accidentally set the jumbotron on fire and the fire department had to put that out. Hearing that, I think I am glad we left! That probably would have scared me to death!

Finally, on Saturday, two neighbors hosted a block party. They have a gate between their backyards, so they opened both yards and we grilled-out and let the kids play. We had such a fun weekend, I am sad to see it come to an end!

Cuddles

Reagan loves her Maggie Dog! She snuggles with her on her bed and Maggie even lets her ride her. Reagan climbs on her back and says "neigh-neigh". Maggie is so sweet for putting up with it.

Reagan knows just where Maggie's "room" is in the laundry room. Reagan goes in every morning to let her out of her crate and she heads up there to see her when we get home.

Maggie (Na-Ne) was one of Reagan's first words! They are so sweet together.

Starlight, Starbright

First star I see tonight. I wish I may, I wish I might, have this wish I wish tonight....

Last night we were on a VERY late car trip home, after the Rockies game. Addison was chatting away in the backseat. I know she must have been half delirious. She was the sweetest thing pointing out bright stars and reciting the poem.

Later she whispered to me what her wish was. Imagine the most precious little whisper...,"I am wishing for a family pony!".

Does every little girl wish for a pony at some point? I think Addison is going to have to settle for Pappy and Miss Debra's horses. We were concerned that our backyard wouldn't be big enough for Maggie, so I am pretty sure a pony is out of the question.

Manitou Cliff Dwellings

My dad did his homework before he visited and he had lots of site-seeing trips in mind for his stay. Last Monday we loaded the kids and took off to Colorado Springs. The first stop was the Manitou Cliff Dwellings. It was amazing. They are 700 year old apartment like dwellings carved out of the rocks. I didn't get to read much of the history, as I was chasing kids around, but just the sight of the dwellings is breathtaking. The kids loved it because they were small enough to climb in the doors and windows of all the tiny little rooms. My little monkey Reagan liked climbing the ladders, Addison loved the Indian dancers (most of you won't be surprised to know that she even went up and danced with them), and Austin loved the gift shop. Pappy let them all pick a special souvenir.

Before we left we even got to have a brief visit with friends from The Woodlands. Ann and Nathan were in town and tried to meet us. Unfortunately our schedules didn't work out well, but at least we got to get big hugs from them and see their faces for a few minutes. Nathan found us first and Addison recognized him immediately. I wonder what her little mind thought when he turned up there?

After the cliff dwellings, we pressed on and headed to the Cave of the Winds, to tour through a cave inside a mountain. I had no idea how my girls would do since it was naptime, but everything turned out well. They panned for gold first. Austin and Addison discovered lots of Fool's Gold and lots of rock treasures and Reagan splashed around in the water. They did great on the tour as well, even though there was lots of walking and stair climbing! The kids were more than a little concerned about bats, but we saw none. I got my workout that day, since Reagan fell asleep shortly after we walked in and I carried my sleeping baby for the 1 hour tour.

Trail Dust

During my Dad's visit, we went back to Trail Dust! The kids love it there. The food isn't that great, but with a slide, dance floor, band, and balloon animals the atmosphere couldn't be any more perfect for the kids. Austin and Addison took off to the slide as soon as we got there. This time, though, they had company!!! Reagan discovered the slide and she was RELENTLESS!!! She rode dozens of times in our laps. The minute we landed at the bottom, she was headed for the stairs again. No dance floor for her this time....she was much too busy with the slide!

Shortly after we were seated at our table, we looked up and saw Barbara, my Grandpa's wife, coming in. Since she lives in Texas, we were certainly surprised to see her there. Actually her son, daughter-in-law and grandkids live in the same town we do, and we knew she was here visiting them for a camping trip. But, it was still a huge surprise to end up seated next to them in the restaurant.

And Then....

Poor Reagan, this was going so well, and then Addison let go. We had them all posed in this little window sill, just a few feet off the ground. I was so excited to be getting a decent picture of all of them together. Then, Addison let go of her grip on Reagan's waist and she tumbled and fell into the rocks below. My dad caught the whole event on his camera and couldn't stop laughing. I was more worried about Reagan and the blood!!! Thankfully she just scraped up her chin and both knees and busted her lip. She is a tough one and was good as new in no time!

Spunky

Can't you just see the sweet spunkiness in this little girls eyes? She is such a blast. We laugh everyday watching her explore and discover new things!

Prayer for Baby Zach

A sweet little baby needs your prayers tomorrow! Our friends little boy, Baby Zach was born with Downs Syndrome and a severe heart problem called Tetralogy of Fallot. Many of you in my Woodlands bible study were praying for him before he was born! He has already endured one surgery to place a temporary shunt in his heart. Tomorrow he goes in for a full reconstructive surgery that will take 5 to 6 hours. He will be in the hospital for at least 10 days. If you think of it, please lift Ray, Amy, Baby Zach and Big Sister Bella up in prayer. I know they are grateful. If you would like to check in on their story, you can do so at http://thebrantonfamily.blogspot.com/