Colorado 2011 !!!

This past week we went to Colorado with our good friends the Simmons and Rives.  It was our first trip with Larkin.  I'm glad that we were brave and ventured out to travel with him at this age (although I know people do it all the time), but I will say it is much more exhausting traveling with a child than I would have imagined.  Jordan drove up with the boys so they could transport all of our baggage and the girls and kids flew.

Having the guys drive 12 hours to bring our luggage up was so wonderful of them, but I think it was after the second delay at the airport on the way home as strangers stared on at us in pity (or annoyance) that my perspective changed a bit. Larkin was practicing his new sqwaking screams and had just had an accident that ruined his onesie (thank the Lord for the change of clothes I stashed in my bag) and Lucy Kate and Owen were playing keep away from mommy. That's when we finally decided the girls ended up with the worse end of the deal.  In fact I had one stranger tell me this as they asked what in the world we were doing traveling all together with three little ones.

Back to the trip though, we stayed in Mindy's dad's cabin in Buena Vista.  It was GORGEOUS with a majestic view overlooking snow capped mountains.  Mindy's dad and his wife, Corinne were so hospitable that it felt like we were in a resort.  We were cooked delicious meals and every time we turned around there was some kind of new chocolate snack for us to munch on. 

There were so many wonderful things on the trip.  Some of the highs of the trip for me were spending time with Jordan and Larkin away from home and responsibilities,  trying (ultimately unsuccessfully) to put together a 1,000 piece puzzle with the group, eating at a yummy pizza place called EddyLine's, long walks, talking and reading by the fire, feeding the deer outside the cabin, playing "suckotash" (spelling?) and laughing until my tummy was sore the last night and in some sort of sick and twisted way, spending that last day of travel with Marina, Mindy and their two kids.  (This was by far the most difficult part of the trip, but I am so thankful they were there with me and we all did it together).

Lounging Around

"The" Puzzle

The Rives

The Simmons

The Brazeals

Sitting by the Fire

Our little mountain man

The Girls and Lark

Larkin did remarkably well overall.  He more tired perhaps because of travel and the elevation, and on the drive from the airport to the cabin that first night there were a few tears shed when he screamed for almost 2 hours straight (the tears were mine).

Still, this trip reminded me how thankful I am for good friends and how the Lord has blessed us with some of the best over the past few years.