Pikes Peak

One of the most fantastic things about living in Colorado Springs is the amazing view every morning out our windows of Pikes Peak. We decided to take the boys up there as part of my Cayson's birthday. Logan, Tyler, and Tanner went to the top a couple of years ago when my parents came up to visit. It was the end of May, but by the time the cog made it to the top, the winds were blowing over 50mph sometimes, and the windchill was below zero! It was snowing like crazy and once we got up to a certain elevation, you couldn't see anything. Logan and Tyler-between living in Germany and Colorado-are used to brutal cold, so the snow and wind in their faces didn't bother them so much. Tanner-on the other hand-panicked and was insisting that he couldn't breathe! It was quite the ordeal!

This time was much better though, as you can tell by the pictures. Instead of winter coats, scarves, and gloves, all we needed were some sweatshirts and long pants. The temperature was 38degrees at the summit, but it wasn't all that bad. A thunderstorm had just passed through, so I think that's why it was cooler. We didn't realize how much stuff was at the summit because when we went before, it was snowing like crazy and everything was covered in snow and ice. So, it was nice to see more this time. The boys had some hot chocolate and donuts before we got on the cog to head back down. We had so much fun!



At the summit

My heart was racing while I was taking this picture. I was petrified of someone falling off!

Some pictures from the summit and the train.

More pictures from the train...we did not see all of this on our first trip a couple of years ago!

Fun in Texas!

We spent a week in Texas in early June. The boys got to see their Mimi and Pawpaw, Aunt Tracy, Aunt Katie, and Uncle Cody. Aunt Emily was sick, and the boys were sad they didn't get to see her, too. Of course, they spent lots of time with their cousins-Tanner, Cayson, and Brynley. What better to do in the hot Texas heat than go play at the sprinkler park in Cameron Park??? They also had races on the Slip-n-Slide.

Summer Fun...

We decided to pack up the RV and held out for a little camping trip. We decided to go back to the Great Sand Dunes because we really wanted to take the boys sledding on the sand and let them play in the mountain snow melt-off that forms a creek through the sand dunes during the summer. When we went over Easter, it was still snowing, but they told us to come back in June and there would be run-off. Well, long story short, they only had 13% of their annual snowfall, so the runoff only lasted about a week, instead of all of June and most of July-and it was completely dry. Oh well-we thought-we'll go sledding. Let me tell you, I don't know how the people in the pictures do it because we could not figure it out. There were lots of other people trying, and none of us ever did it successfully. Total bummer!

However, we did have a fantastic time at Zapata Falls. We couldn't go over Spring Break because you have to actually walk through the creek to get into the crevice where the waterfall actually is. Our pictures don't do it justice because you can't see how high it really is because it's blocked by rocks in the camera shot. The water was so cold on our feet! It was so much fun though and the waterfall was amazing. For some reason, my camera was having a hard time focusing, so the pictures weren't too good.

These are some pictures from Zapata Falls.

Thank goodness there wasn't a burn ban in Mosca! Otherwise there would not have been any smores, either!

What is a trip to the sand dunes without burying your cousins?

The boys did some fishing at San Luis Lake. The little boys were "old man" fishing!


Here are some more pictures from Zapata Falls. Once you entered that cave, the temperature dropped at least 15 degrees!

The Villas at Grand Cypress

Cheyenne Mountain Resort gifted us with a week's stay at the fabulous resort. The villa we stayed at was so wonderful that I could've stayed there every single day. There was a nice pool that the boys liked to swim at. All I can say is that I definitely want to go back here! As guests at the villas, we could go down the road to the Hyatt and use their wonderful facilities. I'm sure I have the pictures on another camera, but I have yet to find them! Stay tuned...

Spring Break in Orlando

Over spring break, we went on a fabulous trip to Orlando. We took the boys to Downtown Disney and Universal Studios, and we all had a blast! We stayed at a great resort called The Villas at Grand Cypress. It was absolutely beautiful. We were able to go to The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, which was by far my personal highlight of the trip. The weather could not have been any better, either.

The boys got to make these awesome remote controlled cars in Downtown Disney. You literally picked out every component of the car and built it yourself. You had the option of making the car free-rolling or remote-controlled, so of course the boys made their remote controlled. They were actually a beneficial souvenir...when we were stuck at the airport for hours, the entertained themselves-and others-in an empty gate area.

We also had fun in Seuss-land. All the rides were based on Dr. Seuss books, and there were plenty of characters running around. It was really cool to see all the books come to life.

We finally made it to The Wizarding World of Harry Potter! I was so excited, I could hardly stand it. The park looked just like a scene out of the movies-Hogwarts, Hogsmeade, the train, the shops...it was amazing! I can't find some more of our pictures, so I'll have to keep looking. It was so much fun!

These are just some random pictures from Universal Studios and Hard Rock Cafe. I can't even begin to explain how much fun we had together! I hope we can go again...

Soccer with Tyler

Tyler's favorite sport has always been soccer. He seems to get better and better with every season. One of these days he might actually grow out of his jersey. I think this is the fourth season he has worn it. What do I love about his soccer program? They practice and play at the park across the street from our house! I love being able to just run across the street and watch him practice and play. Ed works with him a lot, and it is really starting to show. I love looking at the pictures of him playing because you can really see that he is understanding what he has been taught. Great job this year, Tyler!

Bugz!

The first and second grade classes at Pikes Peak Elementary performed a musical called Bugz! It was such a great show to watch, not only because it was my own class, but because it was Tyler, too!! One of the perks to having Tyler at my school this year was being able to see him and Logan do everything. When I was at Pikes Peak and they were at Woodmen Hills, it was so much harder to be a part of their lives at school. Thank goodness I could always count on Ed to be there for them. I will miss Tyler and Logan this next school year. Since Logan will be going to Falcon Middle School, we decided it made more sense to send Tyler back to Woodmen Hills. Tyler wasn't too happy about leaving his new friends behind, but he will be able to make more neighborhood friends.