End of Road Trip 2010
Can't believe we have been back from vacation for over a week, and I'm just now getting some time to upload pictures. Thought I would at least continue on with the recap of our journey....
DAY 10: On our first full day in Branson, we headed to Silver Dollar City Amusement Park. The kids loved all of the water rides. Even Austin, whose sensory disorder makes amusement rides not a favorite, found several rides he was happy to go on over and over. Unfortunately, our day ended with one of the worst rainstorms we have been in for a long, long time. We bought ponchos and carried on with as much fun as we could have with most of the rides closed down. It gave us time to take in some of the live shows going on at the park. Later that night we went to the Titanic Museum, which is really amazing!
DAY 11: We went back to Silver Dollar City for awhile the next day. There were some areas of the park we had not yet hit. It was a terribly humid day so we didn't end up staying as long as we wanted to. We also had reservations for a riverboat dinner cruise that evening so we had to get ready for that.
DAY 12: We sadly said good-bye to Branson and headed to Kansas City. The boys have wanted to go to a Build-a-Dino/ T-REX Cafe and KC is the closest to us. Seemed a perfect stopover, plus we got to visit with some friends we hadn't seen in many years which was very fun. Lexi and the boys made a couple of new stuffed dinosaur friends to bring home, then we had lunch in the Triceratops table. We made it part of the way home, then finished the trip on Day 13 (nothing too exciting to report that day, thus no photos).
That's it! 13 days, 3500 miles.....and we all not only survived but had a wonderful time!!
Then we were home and it was back to business as usual! This past weekend the boys had their End of Year Party/ Awards Ceremony for their bowling league. Austin got his Weekly Winner Award and his team came in first for his division so he got a trophy for that. Later that day, Andrew and Austin bowled in the Tournament of Champions. Both made the semifinals (which made for a very long day at the bowling alley!). Andrew made it to the finals which were held the next day. He ended up in Fifth place, which was great. We also got the results from the State Championships; Andrew placed 5th in his division's overall standings and 2nd in his division's individual standings. He will also receive an award for having a 277 game. Austin did super too!
Rob and I received a nice surprise on our day at the bowling alley: a damaged car. A young man clipped the van as he parked next to us. Luckily, he was insured and his company is taking care of everything but it is definitely a hassle we did not expect to deal with. I am just very thankful that no one was hurt; Rob and the boys were standing behind the car preparing to get bowling equipment out when the car was hit. They were just inches away, so I think we were so lucky that they were not hit.
Days 7, 8 and 9....
DAY 7: On Saturday we had a family gathering at Rob's dad's house. It was nice to see everyone. The kids had a lot of fun playing in the boats on grandpa's pond.
DAY 8: We were very sad to say good-bye to grandpa, but promised to visit him again soon. Then we were on the road. We spent most of the day driving and ended up staying the night in Saint Louis.
DAY 9: We got on the road early this morning and went to visit the Gateway Arch and the Museum of Westward Expansion. The Arch is really quite impressive; way taller when standing next to it than it appears while driving by. Then we drove to our condo on the lake in Branson. We had time before it got too dark to walk down by the lake and head into town for dinner. There is one photo below of the kids on the balcony overlooking the lake....that is the view from the condo.
The talking exhibits at the Museum of Westward Expansion looked so realistic...this one is explorer William Clark.
Continuing On....
DAY 4: Continuing on our journey..... We left Minneapolis Wednesday morning and headed to Wisconsin. Along the way we stopped at the Paul Bunyan Logging Camp where we learned about the logging history of the area and walked around a mock logging camp. Then we got to Rob's dad's house in time to let the kids enjoy riding the golf cart and tractor. They enjoyed looking for fish in the pond, and of course had fun spending time with grandpa.
DAY 5: On Thursday we visited the Wisconsin Martime Museum. We toured a World War 2 era submarine. Fitting through the openings in the submarine proved to be a bit of a challenge especially to taller members of the family! After that it was back to grandpa's house for some baseball, soccer, and more riding the tractor and golf cart.
(fishing simulator)
(in the children's area, we built a tube system to get the waterwheel going)
DAY 6: We visited three museums yesterday. The first was The History Museum at the Castle which had some really interesting exhibits, particularly the Houdini area. The kids learned all about how Houdini did some of his tricks and illusions then got to try some themselves. Then we went to Hearthstone which is the first hydro-powered house in the world. We took a tour with costumed interpreters who talked about the history of the building and era. Unfortunately, there were no pictures allowed in that building. Then we went to the Paper Discovery Center where we learned to make paper, and even made a piece of paper to bring home iwth us.
Lys and Adam performed Houdini's trick that included switching places with his assistant in the locked box.
Drew and Lys learned about levitating a table during a seance.
Making paper:
Playing in the paper mill slide:
2 Months??
Has it really been two months since we updated the blog?! I have lots of photos to update sometime soon; kids' birthdays, Andrew's graduation, etc, but right now we are on vacation. So far we have visted Wyoming, South Dakota and Minnesota. Here are some pictures from our trek thus far.
DAY 1: Mammoth Site in South Dakota and Mount Rushmore
DAY 2: Wall Drug Store (we drove past Wall Drug on several drives through South Dakota but finally decided to stop...and it was really fun) and 1880 Town.
The kids put on a little show on the saloon stage.
DAY 3 (today): Last night we stayed at a Bed and Breakfast in the small South Dakota town where Laura Ingalls Wilder (Little House on the Prairie) lived; In fact, the house was built by the mayor during the time Laura lived in the town. It was only two houses down from the Ingalls' house which is now a museum. We started our morning by touring the Ingalls Wilder museum then went to Walnut Grove, Minnesota to another museum. And finally, we ened up at Mall of America where we took the boys to the Lego Store (they are total Lego addicts), went to the Underwater Aquarium and rode the roller coaster at Nickelodeon Universe.
The kids playing in the replica schoolhouse like Laura Ingalls taught in.
Touching starfish at the Aquaium:
This one is for grandma: the kids in front of her favorite store.
Birthdays and Spring.....Snow
I'm again playing catch-up on photos. Finally emptied my camera (a once-per-month event it seems!) and thought I would share a few.
Andrew turned 17 last month and had a fun party with friends at a go-kart/laser tag/arcade center. It was a little cold outside so we were lucky enough to have the place basically to ourselves.
Doing some magic tricks.
Opening presents.
Having fun!
For my birthday we went to one of our favorite restaurants, Benihana's. A bit expensive for too often, but definitely a fun treat!
We enjoyed some beautiful weather through most of the winter months....including several recent 70 degree days. So.....now that spring is here, so is the snow (gotta love springtime in Colorado!). This morning it was nice and sunny out, but this afternoon that all changed. The photos below were taken about 45 minutes after it started to snow. We had at least an inch then and are now up to about 5 - 6 inches.
Warning to the State of Wisconsin
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Just for fun ...... we decided to send Rob to Wisconsin later this month for a few days to visit his dad. |
Pictures from the Pro/Am Bowling Tournament
| Today Rob, Drew, Austin and Adam bowled in a PRO/AM Bowling Tournament. We went early to watch the professionals practice. The kids got to see all of their favorites and got lots of autographs. Then tonight they bowled with six pros. They had an amazing time; and even the girls and I had fun watching. |
 Adam was so excited when Rhino Page gave him a bowling ball and autographed it. Since both of them are left handed he signed it with "Lefties Rule".  The boys didn't get to bowl with Wes Malott but got a picture with him.  Bowling with Jeff Carter.  Bowling with Walter Ray Williams, Jr.  A high-five from Walter Ray Williams, Jr. Austin bowled his best game ever-- a 204.  Bowling with Robert Smith.  Bowling with Rhino Page.  Rob gets a high-five from Walter Ray Williams, Jr. after a strike.  A picture with Walter Ray Williams, Jr. Adam was so excited after receiving the autographed bowling ball from Rhino Page that he couldn't stop smiling. |
The Boys Bowling With the Pros
The boys were so excited to get the chance to bowl with some professional bowlers today at a PRO/AM bowling clinic. They all had lots of fun and learned a lot of great tips from Tim Mack and Jason Belmonte. Tomorrow night Drew and Austin will be bowling with the pros at the PRO/AM Tournament. The boys with Jason Belmonte.  The boys with Tim Mack.  Adam getting some bowling tips from Jason Belmonte.  Drew getting bowling tips from Jason Belmonte.  Drew getting bowling tips from Tim Mack.  Austin getting some bowling tips from Jason Belmonte. |
Greetings From the Mountains
| We spent part the week at a cabin in the mountains near Winter Park. It has been a really fun trip! There was so much to do; skiing, skating, tubing and lots more. Here are some pictures from our trip: |
 Our cabin  The view from the cabin.  Chilling in the cabin.  I guess we have had gas fireplaces around the house for too long, because the boys were pretty mesmerized by the real fire.  Adam doing archery. He had a lot of trouble figuring out how to use the bow but by the end of the class he was regularly hitting the target. He was quite proud of himself!  Austin, Lexi, Drew and Rob all participated in the archery class too.  Adam and Drew trying Bouldering.  Austin trying Bouldering.  Drew trying Bouldering.  Drew in mountain climbing class.  Austin in mountain climbing class.  Adam in mountain climbing class.  Lexi in mountain climbing class.  Rob and the kids ice skating.  Austin ice skating.  Lexi and Lys ice skating. Lexi spent most of her time holding the wall. I don't think she was a big fan of ice skating!  We went roller skating a few times. There were not very many other people staying nearby so we had the rink to ourselves.  Lys helped teach Adam how to skate.  Drew getting ready for skiing lessons.  Austin skiing.  Lexi skiing.  Trying to figure out how to get our skis on.  We all had a great time learning to ski. The kids are ready to go back to the mountains for another ski trip already. |
Pictures From October
| I've been meaning to post pictures all through October, but.....it just never happened. So, we are doing an entire October recap. |
We all had lots of fun at the Ringling Bros Circus....which is surprising considering none of us are really that fond of the circus. It was really so well done, and the time went by very quickly. Before the show we went onto the circus floor to meet some of the performers, plus the boys tried their hand at tight-rope walking. Adam and his spiffy new circus hat.  Austin on the tight-rope.  Drew and one of the circus performers 'clowning' around. The kids and I went to Centennial Village is a little town near here. It is a historical museum / village with many buildings to tour through.  Exploring the 'one room schoolhouse'. I have taken the kids to so many one room schoolhouses, it has become a bit of joke in the family. They see a schoolhouse and roll their eyes.....  Adam....being Adam   Lys and Lexi thought the old gas station pump was pretty cool. It was hard to believe that our little girl turned 15 in October. She had family and friends join us at the bowling alley for a party, which was lots of fun!   Adam loving on his big sister....she doesn't seem to mind.  For Halloween we had quite a mixed bunch. Adam was one of his favorite characters from Bakugan, Austin was a pirate, Lexi was a medieval girl, Lys was a drummer for a band, and Drew was....a teenager who decided not to wear his costume.  Making cookies for the Halloween Party. Since Adam is allergic to peanuts and soy we find ourselves doing a lot of baking so we know what ingredients are in things. It is good that the kids love to help out! The last week of October we spent a few days in Colorado Springs. We had to make our annual trip to the North Pole before they closed for the year. That is our favorite amusement park...it was almost empty so the kids were able to ride on ride after ride with no lines.  The sleigh was covered in snow so the kids had to stand up for their picture, but it is our tradition to get a picture in the sleigh each year so they put up with it (and me reminding them that it is a requirement before they can ride the rides!).  We have been on this train ride so many times, we could do the narration along the way. I will look at one of the kids and see them saying the words that the conductor's recording is saying....guess maybe we have been to the North Pole a few too many times!  Lexi, Drew and Adam on the roller coaster.  Feeding the deer.  We also went to the Dinosaur Resource Center. Awesome place with the most amazing dinosaur displays. The boys love dinosaurs so they were very impressed. Even the older kids were very interested in the information on the tour.  We ate dinner at a restaurant in the former Colorado Springs train station, built in the mid-1800s. The trains still fly past so the kids enjoyed watching them.  Posing by the rocks at Garden of the Gods.  Posing by 'balancing rock' at Garden of the Gods. All of the boys are really into bowling. All of the kids bowl in a league with their homeschool friends, but Drew and Rob started in a league on the weekend too. Their first week bowling Andrew had a really good game (over 200).  Drew and Lexi participated in the local library's Murder Mystery. They had so much fun. Lys went to help serve pizza and was nice enough to take some photos for me.  Drew was the lead detective.  Lexi was the owner of a construction company. She was also.....the murderer (and I thought we had raised her better than that).  Lys at her horseback riding lesson. Not long after this photo she took a big fall and was hurting for several days. She was really nervous to get back to riding but last week she finally went for a lesson and did great.  Lexi at her horseback riding lesson. She is so funny....she's so easily excited. I think sometimes she scares the horse because she tends to scream when the horse goes too fast. But she enjoys herself. We had our first snow in October. The kids were very excited. We have had two more storms since then, mixed in with gorgeous 70 degree days in between.  Drew has no idea he is about to be hit by Lexi's snowball.  Helping daddy clean off the car.....actually, watching daddy clean off the car.  The First Snow We went to the Farm with some friends last month. The kids like to pet the animals and play on the playground.  Drew and Lys decided not to join us in the goat pen, but enjoyed laughing at us as we tried to make our way across the pen while avoiding goat droppings.  Adam playing 'king of the mountain' on the haystack.  Feeding the sheep some pumpkin. We are hoping to take a rafting trip in the spring so we have working on the kids' swimming skills. They have a swim tutor once a week and are getting pretty good. They (well, except for Lys) love swimming.   Well, that's our October at a glance! We've been keeping busy and having lots of fun! |
Catching Up With More Pictures
| Once again I am way behind on updating here. We have been busy with the kids getting into their school year plus all of their extra activities. Last week all five ended up with the flu so we had a crazy week. They are all over being contagious but still have the lingering cough and stuffy noses. As our doctor pointed out, at least now I don't have to decide whether to get them the H1N1 vaccine since they have had it (and that was a decision I was struggling with!). |
The weather has been great so we have had lots of time to go play tennis or spend time at the playground.  The boys have been working on a Dinosaur Unit (they love dinosaurs). They got to be archaeologists and excavate a pretend dinosaur . It took a lot longer than we thought it would but they finally rescued the dinosaur (and gained a new appreciation for the work archaeologists do!).     Lys at her horseback riding lesson:  Drew finally got his first driving lesson. I've been putting it off since he got his permit (I am pretty good at finding excuses). So, I finally decided it was time to get him out there. We started in a parking lot at a nearby school, then he drove about half way home through the less busy area of the neighborhood. He did really well (after a scary start which included careening toward a cement pole....me telling him to brake and him accidentally hitting the accelerator instead). Long story short....we survived...as did the car.....and he was pretty proud of himself.  So that is about it from Endterland. Tomorrow night we have tickets to the Ringling Bros Barnum & Bailey Circus. We haven't been to the circus for years (the kids were never overly fond of them), but I was offered tickets for free as part of my job so it seemed like a good time to give the circus another try! |
More Photos
| Thought I would try to get some more photos updated from our summer activities. One of the things our exchange student wanted to do more than anything is see a major league baseball game, so we took her to see the Colorado Rockies. Wouldn't you know we were there the night they lost badly, while they won both the night before and the night after! But we still had fun. The view from our seats:  Drew, Lexi, Marina and Lys waiting patiently for the game to start:  Rob, Austin and Adam:  Marina and Lexi near the field watching practice:  A group photo:  We also went to Elitch Gardens Amusment Park last week. We went on several water rides which left us totally soaked:      Austin and Marina are in the car on the right and Lexi and Adam are in the car on the left:  We saw the Sea Lion show:  And ended our day huddled under a tree eating ice cream since it started to rain:  On Marina's last day here we went on a tour of Hammond's Candy Factory then had some friends over for some tennis, soccer and playground time at the park down the street:    Lexi and Marina in front of the house:  At the exchange student drop-off they do demonstrations of a Japanese stringed instrument, Japanese drums and a form of Japanese martial arts called Ken-do:   Adam trying Ken-do:  Andrew trying Ken-do:  Austin trying Ken-do:  Then it was time to say good-bye to Marina....which was really hard to do. There were lots of tears.     Yesterday, Austin's gymnastic team members joined into a fundraiser called Cartwheels Across Colorado. The funds raised go to provide morale boosting DVDs to troops deployed to Iraq. The kids did as many cartwheels as they could. Even though it was 90 degrees out, Austin did over 200 cartwheels. He was pretty proud of his contribution.   Andrew joined in for a few cartwheels too:  Adam was happy climbing on the rocks at the park:  |
Busy Week Photos
| I remember when the kids were little I looked forward to summer for the lazy days....not anymore! It seems like we are just as busy during the summer as during the schoolyear! So, I thought I would share some photos from our last couple of weeks. We did some travelling around Colorado, went to the County Fair, visited with many friends we hadn't seen in months or years....overall a great couple of weeks! Our exchange student made another wonderful meal, a chicken stew. Very good and very different from anything we make:   Touring the Celestial Seasoning Tea Factory. The kids love to try the different teas and sweeteners.   Our dear friends from New Jersey came to visit and spent an evening with us. Our youngest two are the same age as their girls (in fact, Adam and their youngest daughter are a day apart). We hadn't seen them in five years so it was amazing to see how the kids had grown! We miss them so much!  We went to the Agricultural Heritage Center which is a farm set up from the turn of the century. There was a farm house to walk through, animals to see and a lot of hands on activities in the big red barn.  The kids put on a harness to see how much horse power they had.  There was a big horse statue that Lys fell in love with.  There was a tractor to play in; actually had a dvd scene like they were driving the tractor and had sounds.   When we finished touring the big red barn, we came out to a big rain storm. The kids were nice enough to leave me behind and run for the car....the joke was on them though since the car was locked and I had the keys...lol  Last weekend we went to the Farm at Lee Martinez Park. One of the boys' favorite things there is pumping the old water pump. Marina seemed to think it was fun too.  Lexi, Marina, and Adam decided to ride horses.   The kids liked to get up close to the animals.  I don't think these two will ever grow up; they headed straight for the kiddie toys at the playground.  There was even an old tractor to play on.  The kids got to practice using a pulley system to lift a bale of hay.  Eating popcycles at the Boulder County Fair:  We went to Heritage Square to ride some amusement rides and the alpine slide.    Adam wasn't too thrilled with the ski lift up to the top of the alpine slide so he was pretty happy to get to the top.            After riding the rides we went to the Lookout Mountain Nature Preserve for a picnic. The kids thought the displays and hands on activities in the nature center were neat.    We met up with some friends at Cheyenne Mountain Zoo. The kids had never been there, and even though it was crowded and most of the animals decided it was naptime, they had a great time with their friends.   There were chipmunks running all over. The boys were pretty entertained by that.   Feeding the giraffes was one of the highlights of the zoo trip.  It took Adam a couple of tries to be willing to hold the cracker for the giraffe but eventually he got one into the giraffe's mouth.   Saturday night we went to a Colorado Rapids Soccer game.   The kids thought the mascots were really cute. This was one of their favorites.    Making Smores at home:  |
A Visit to the Mountains
We have had a busy week. Besides the kids usual activities, we welcomed our foreign exchange student from Japan. She has fit in beautifully with the kids; very happy, friendly and polite. There was a square dance at the student pick-up. Drew, Lexi and Adam had fun dancing with Marina (Austin and I joined in toward the end).   On Friday we went back to the farm to pick more black raspberries and currants.    That night Marina cooked us Japanese food; noodles and sauce. It was really good! We love Japanese food so it is always fun when our exchange students introduce us to something new.  Today we went to Rocky Mountain National Park. We got there early so we were able to avoid the usual traffic. We drove up to where the snow was, got to see the beautiful views, and had a picnic (though finding a picnic table after the park got busy turned out to be quite a challenge!).      |
Picking Berries
We've been eagerly awaiting a chance to visit the farm to pick berries this summer. The June strawberry season snuck by before we had a chance to get there, so we joined some friends there last week to pick black raspberries. We ended up with lots of great veggies and fruits. When the kids were little, it was quite a challenge to get them all to look the correct direction and smile for a photo. Now that they are older, it seems like it should be easy.....but.....I finally gave up:   Our schedule has been so crazy with all of the kids' summer activities. Luckily, we had one activity end already. The boys' summer tennis session is over which frees up two mornings per week. They really enjoyed the tennis but it will be nice not to have to have them to the court by 9 am.  After being a one car family for a couple of weeks, we bought another vehicle last week. Rob told his dad he would put a picture of the new car here for him to see, so.....  We are busy getting ready for our foreign exchange student to arrive this week. I hope she is a go-getter because we have so such a crazy schedule and so much to do while she is here! Other than that, nothing too exciting here! |
Fireworks and Stuff
Wow! I can't believe I haven't blogged in three months. We have been so busy. I thought about catching up with a bunch of photos but I would honestly never get around to that. So, I'll just say that in the last three months we have had a couple of birthday, Easter, small vacations, fun activities...yada...yada...yada.... consider yourself caught up  I hope everyone had a wonderful Fourth of July. We started our day by going to the parade in our little town. They really do a lot for the 4th; whole day of festivities. The kids love the parade because they always catch lots of candy.  Austin waiting patiently for the parade to begin....  Lys has her cell phone permanantly attached to her fingers....  The wait for the parade to start was a bit much for Adam....  Finally....the parade was on and the candy-catching began! After that we headed "to town" (as we call the Denver area) and checked into our rooms at a hotel overlooking the park where fireworks were being done. We met up with my parents at Olive Garden for dinner then went back to the hotel to walk around the "Promenade" area. The kids have some favorite horse statues they couldn't wait to visit (we hadn't seen them in a couple of years).  Lys....with the cell phone again! the hotel behind her is the one we stayed at.  The kids were very fond of the revolving doors (hey, it's the simple things that seem to thrill them the most!).    This horse statue is so funny....it has a motion sensor and will talk if someone is around. In fact, it even sings and yodels (though not particularly well). Lexi had quite a time trying to figure out how to get on the horse.  Our rooms were on the 6th floor so we had a perfect view of the fireworks. After the display in the park next door ended, we were able to see the displays in two neighboring cities. The kids have had lots of activities to stay busy with this summer, like bowling, gymnastics, tennis, library activities, etc. When we have some time at home the younger three love to spend as much time as possible in the little pool.  Or trying to injure themselves while roller blading (this photo was taken about 2 minutes before Adam fell and put his front tooth through his lip):  We bought a fire pit and like to roast marshmallows for smores:  Hope everyone is having a great summer! |
Lots to catch up on......
It's our busy birthday time of year! Lexi turned 12 on Tuesday. It's sad for me to think my little girl is only a year away from being a teenager. She had a party with family a few days before her birthday, then we took her out to lunch and had cake at home on her birthday. She is still going to have a party with her friends but I think that is going to be combined with Austin and Adam's party too.  We went to Red Robin's for Lexi's birthday lunch. They sang Happy Birthday to her and brought her a huge sundae.  Then we went home and opened presents. She got enough money to buy herself an Ipod which is all she wanted.  A little cake on her actual brithday.  The cake for her birthday party with family.   More presents.... Earlier this week the kids participated in Ameritowne, a program which teaches kids about how a city runs. They were each assigned a job and actually worked in that capacity while also earning a "paycheck" which they could then spend around the set-up town. It was really fun and also very educational since they learned about writing checks, balancing checkbooks, running businesses, etc.  Drew and Austin worked at the Medical Center; Drew was the director and a doctor and Austin was a Medical Assistant. They would go out in the town and inform people that they were sick then take them back to the medical center and treat them. Austin had lots of fun hauling people around in a wheelchair.  Lys worked as a reporter for the newspaper. At the end of the day, the newspaper staff published a newspaper with fun info from the day at Ameritowne.  Lexi worked as a TV reporter. Above she and another reporter were covering the swearing in of the mayor and town judge in front of Towne Hall.  Adam worked at the Container shop building things. He helped make birdhouses which were given to the two class teachers at the end of Ameritowne.  Lexi also helped each of the businesses tape their tv commercials. Here she is in the Sign & Print Shop (this is the shop I volunteered in for the day).  Dr. Drew on his break. The kids earned Ameritowne money they could use to buy drinks, snacks and toys.  Lys at work on the final proof of the newspaper.  Adam spent most of his break time at the snack shop.  Poor Lexi...she was informed that she broke her leg. So she spent the rest of the day on crutches. By the end of the day she was all healed...now that is a great medical center!  The kids with their Ameritowne class. So, we learned a little something about snow last week..... #1-- Never beg for winter on your blog...apparently this irritates mother nature #2-- When the residents of Wyoming say "We aren't supposed to get much snow", what they really mean is "Come up and join us for our blizzard". Yes, there is a story behind that. The weather has been so beautiful that we figured our snow days were pretty well over (thus one of my previous blog posts requesting that someone send our winter home when they found it). We had some business to do in Wyoming so we decided to make it a little family vacation. We even asked some friends along. The day before we left there was talk of a bit of snow. I checked with the weather reports and some people in Wyoming who told me not to worry since they weren't expecting much. We had a wonderful trip (more photos of that below) but our trip home ended up driving right into a blizzard. At the Wyoming / Colorado border we ended up in the middle of a 30 car accident caused by several sliding semis. Luckily, after a little sliding down the ditch to avoid the semi spinning out of control next to us, we were able to get back on the road. Unfortunately, the road was then closed and we were turned back around to Cheyenne. Our friends were a few miles behind and were able to turn around and get us a hotel room before the hotels were all full. I'm not sure if they are ever going to agree to go on vacation with us again!  The conditions just a few miles before the accident.  Back on the road. The sign had just changed to say the highway had been closed.  When we got home, there was enough snow to make some snowpeople. While we were in Wyoming, we went to Fort Laramie, one of the prominent stops along the Oregon Trail. There are many ruins plus restored buildings. It was really interesting. We also stopped to see the Oregon Trail ruts (hey, don't our vacations sound exciting?!).   The Fort Laramie Museum had lots of fun things to play with.    Touring the Fort Laramie Jail.  A little snowball fight.  Rob really got into the Oregon Trail ruts. He is standing in the actual rut....hard to see due to the snow.  The ruts are situated on a very pretty nature walk....unfortunately, a lot of the walkway was covered with snow. Well, I've got more photos to share, but I think this post is getting too long. So, more later!! |
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Lots of Catching Up!
| Wow! It sure has been a long time since we put any pictures here. We have been so busy with schoolwork, work and the kids' activities! I thought I would share a few photos from the last couple of weeks. February was a busy month for us. Rob and I celebrated our 20th Anniversary.....seems unbelievable that we have been married that long. How time flies! Drew celebrated his 16th Birthday. That seems unreal to both of us. We both look entirely to young to have a 16 year old (just agree with us....it makes us feel better!). He had a great birthday and was enjoying all of the special 16th Birthday Gifts. And before you ask....no, he did not get his driver's license. Drew has rather overprotective parents who have decided that 16 is just too young to drive on his own so we are taking that process slowly.  On our Anniversary, some friends were in town for a day so we went with them to the Celestial Seasonings Tea Factory for a tour and tasting. Adam's favorite part was the "sweetener" variety.  This tea was definitely not a favorite....even with all of the sweetener he put in!  Lexi, a friend, Sleepytime Bear, Austin, Adam and another friend-- Drew and Lys decided posing with the Sleepy Time Bear wasn't happening.  We also went to the Leanin' Tree Museum of Western Art that day. They have a great sculpture garden.  Lexi fell in love with the bunny sculpture. On Drew's Birthday we all went out to lunch at TGI Fridays. Since it was also Mardi Gras, the kids all got Mardi Gras beads.   The staff sang Happy Birthday and brought Drew a dessert with a candle.  That night he opened some more presents.  And had a small cake... or two (we couldn't decide on one!).  And more presents!  A few days later, Drew had a bowling party with friends.  And a few days later, a party with family.  And more presents!  Lastly, is this what winter in Colorado should look like?!   If anyone has seen Colorado's winter wandering around another state, could you send it home please?! Though we are enjoying the warmth and sunshine, the lawn would really appreciate a bit of moisture! And that's our last couple of weeks in a nutshell! |
A Gift From Japan
Yesterday we got a package from our Japanese exchange daughter, Mizuho and her family (Thank you, Mizuho and family!). Amongst many other wonderful things, they sent Udon noodles. We had tried a lot of different Japanese foods but had never had Udon. So, we had them for dinner last night. They were really good! The kids had fun with them because they are quite long and they would slurp them in.  |
Meeting the Clydesdales
| For the past two weeks I have meant to update photos here and blog all about our holidays. Unfortunately, I never got the time. So, I will just say we had a wonderful Christmas and New Years and leave it at that! Last weekend we took a little trip up to the Budweiser Brewery. It is about half an hour from the house, and on the first Saturday of each month they have Clydesdale Camera Day. They have one of the Clydesdales out for people to pet and get their photo taken with. Since the price was right (FREE!) and it is so close, we thought it was a perfect Saturday trip. The kids were pretty impressed with how big the Clydesdales were. We had seen them when we were at Sea World but they weren't able to pet them, so this was a nice treat.   |