Colorado Springs for Labor Day Weekend

There are a few benefits to Chris' traveling with his new job: 1) the girls and I get to par-tay, I mean, he gets lots of frequent flyer miles; and 2) he accrues points at hotels. We took advantage of the hotel points and booked a weekend in Colorado Springs. The girls were pretty excited, because we signed them out of school early on Friday afternoon and headed out. 'Course they had to like the clothes I chose because they didn't do any of the packing.

The traffic wasn't too bad at all through Denver, but once we got past Castle Rock and the road narrowed to two lanes, it bogged down completely. It would be frustrating to drive in those conditions every day. We stopped for dinner at Texas Roadhouse in Monument. The girls loooove steak--they get that from Chris. I think their baked potatoes are the best!

After dinner, we inched our way along the freeway until our turnoff in Colorado Springs. Sheesh talk about frustrating. We spotted our hotel--Homewood Suites--not too far off the freeway. The girls were pretty excited about spending the next few nights in a hotel. Something magical about it. Amy and Misha got the pullout couch and Kristen slept on cushions on the floor in her Barbie sleeping bag. Having separate sleeping quarters with a tv in both areas was nice. We could watch tv after the girls went to bed and they could watch tv in the morning when they woke up too early. It worked out great.

After a continental breakfast Saturday morning at the hotel, we headed to the Air Force Academy. They had their first football game of the season and the traffic was fairly heavy. We wanted to make a stop at the Visitor Center and the chapel before heading back to the football stadium to experience the "flyover". Our first stop was to check out the B-52 displayed at the entrance to the academy. The girls were impressed with its magnitude and eager to learn more about it.







Okay, maybe Kristen wasn't so eager....







The Visitor Center wasn't too busy at all though there were a lot of parents and families buying AF paraphernalia in the gift shop. Amy and Misha were pretty interested in learning about the planes, the cadets, the history, and Chris was only too happy to oblige. We impressed upon the girls some of the qualities of the cadets, such as honor and integrity.





We followed the path from the Visitors Center to the Chapel. Beautiful.





Please read and obey all posted signs:



One of my favorite Misha pictures for the weekend:



The girls were able to explore the chapel for a little bit. We needed to be back outside the stadium around noon for the start of the football game. I told Chris we should become Air Force fans just to experience the flyover again and again--the Air Force knows not only how to put on a good show but also how to inspire patriotism.






Next stop, Cheyenne Mountain Zoo.

Cheyenne Mountain Zoo

After a quick lunch, we headed to Cheyenne Mountain Zoo. Kristen has only been to the zoo as an infant, and Misha and Amy not for four years. They were all excited about the prospect. We saw a multitude of giraffes as we entered the zoo. Seriously, this zoo has 21 giraffes--if you're a male giraffe, you've got to be liking the odds since there are only five among the 21! No commentary on the following picture:



We spent the rest of the afternoon exploring the zoo. They have the proverbial "lions, tigers and bears" (and a couple of grizzlies no less) as well as hippos, penguins, a Komodo dragon, a python, leopards, Wallabies, budgies (parakeets), frogs, monkeys, lizards, elephants, mountain tapirs, okapi, lemurs (who can see a lemur without thinking of King Julian from Madagascar, "Which one of you is attracted to me?"), mangabeys, gibbons, orangutans, lowland gorillas, macaques and Siamangs, Rocky Mountain goats, a moose, river otters, lynx, porcupines and bald eagles. I am sure I missed a few animals, but we completely wore our girls out.







When we were viewing the orangutans, they were being really friendly. I turned around to grab the camera and heard, "Ahhhhh, that was so cute" from all the people around me. Kristen had leaned up to the window by the orangutans face and he gave her a kiss through the glass. You should have been there, I heard it was amazingly cute.



The girls were exhausted by the time we left the zoo. We put on a movie in the van just so they wouldn't fall asleep so late in the day. Next stop, The Airplane Restaurant. We achieved parent sainthood.

The Airplane Restaurant

As I was doing a little research before we left for The Springs, I came across this cool restaurant. We told the girls about it in the days before our trip, and they were pretty excited. The Airplane Restaurant is exactly that. A restaurant inside an old airplane. One side of the wings of the plane extends into "the terminal" where you enter and extra seating is offered. The staff are dressed in uniforms and our "flight attendant" was our waitress. The plane is fitted with booths along each side--one side a four-person booth and the other side has booths just for two. When I called for reservations, I was asked if we would mind having two booths for two: Chris and I in one booth and the girls in the other. Sitting on their own was part of the fun for them. We waited and waited for our server to come and finally asked one of the waitresses as she passed by if she knew who our waiter was. She replied that she didn't but would take our order herself.



We were seated across from a crazy birthday party group that was pretty noisy and another family that acted rather entitled. One of the young boys was amazingly demanding and rude. And our order took forever. Our waitress finally brought our meals apologizing for the long wait and offered us a free dessert. The wait WAS long but the girls were having so much fun playing in the cockpit that they didn't notice, and we didn't mind too much. They proclaimed that it was the best restaurant ever!

Waterfall and "I just saw a bear!"

Before we arrived at The Airplane Restaurant, we had a little time to spare and drove up along the foothills of Colorado Springs. If you have a picture in your mind of what Colorado is supposed to look like, The Springs is probably closest to that picture. When you land at Denver International Airport for the first time, you'll likely think, "This is Colorado?" There is a lot of flat land and the mountains aren't too close. But I digress. We stopped at a little waterfall called Bruin Inn. Amy was too pooped to get out of the van so the rest of us hiked a short way.

Pretend that my eyes are not mostly closed in this picture, because I really like it otherwise.







We drove further along the foothills, some of it on this supposed two-lane dirt road (I didn't appreciate it much) and as we were driving along, I happened to look down a long driveway and saw this big black animal. In a matter of seconds, I rationalized in my mind, "That must have been a dog. But no, it walked like a bear." I finally blurted out, "I just saw a bear!" I urged Chris to turn around and sure enough there went a black bear lumbering across the road. It must have seen us coming, because it had disappeared into the brush by the time we reached it.

Sunday in Colorado Springs

You'd think with as much as we wore our children out on Saturday, they would have slept longer on Sunday morning. It's the whole magic of being in a hotel thing. One of the mornings I heard Kristen at 6:15 whispering to her sisters, "Wake up. It's morning time now."

We found a church meeting at 9 am just a short drive from our hotel on Sunday morning. We stayed for the Sacrament Meeting and then decided to drive through the Garden of the Gods and up to Pikes Peak for the day. Check out the link for more information on this 14,000 plus mountain. The girls weren't too keen on the drive up to Pikes Peak, but when it started raining, it seemed to be the better option than walking around the Garden of the Gods in the rain without rain jackets.

Beware of what you might see on this road though:



We stopped at Crystal Reservoir (I think that's the name) and the girls did a little sluicing and rock tossing. Lots of people were fishing, so we had to stay far away to avoid their wrath.





We finally reached the top of the 19-mile ascent--in first gear. It was a tad bit chilly--November-type weather--but we took a little time to enjoy the view. This is where Katherine Lee Bates was inspired with the words to "America the Beautiful".





Our descent was equally slow. We were behind a rather cautious, brake-riding Jaguar driver. Half way down the mountain, park staff check your brakes to make sure they aren't over heating. If they are, you are required to pull over and let them rest for 30 minutes. Mrs. Jag driver had to pull over. Boohoo for her, but we were finally glad to go a little faster.

By the time we reached the base of the mountain, the rain had stopped for a short while, and we decided to go back to the Garden of the Gods. Whine, whine, whine. You can imagine it. "We just want to go back and watch tv." Tough.

Garden of the Gods

So chronologically, this post intermingles with Pikes Peak. Before heading up to Pikes Peak, we stopped at a picnic spot in the Garden of the Gods to have lunch. One of the park's tag lines is, "Where else can you eat inside a postcard?" It is an amazingly beautiful place. Sadly, we were just finishing up our lunch when the rain started to poor. Rats! That's when we decided to head up to Pikes Peak.

On our way back down from Pikes, we drove back into the park and our first stop was the Balancing Rock. Our girls, as you just read, were whining. It happens. I'd like to offer the Balancing Rock as an antidote to whining. It worked for us. The girls had a great time climbing and jumping on the rocks. There are always seem to be willing people to take a family's picture.





I had fun snapping pictures of my girls' antics:





And they always want me to take pictures of them jumping:





It's all fun and games until someone gets their knee scraped.

Garden of the Gods II

We returned to the Garden of the Gods Labor Day morning. The weather was perfect, and it was early enough in the day that it wasn't too crowded...yet. We planned to take some easy walks through the park and lots of pictures. The girls were adamantly opposed to hiking, but Chris and I were hoping for a little exercise for all of us. You know, wear those kids out. We found a short hike that took us up to more cool rock formations; we continued to follow the path until we eventually came to some horse trails. This was Kristen for the entire time we were on that particular trail:



Finally I wanted off the trail after dodging poop for 1/2 a mile. We began hiking back up to what we thought was the original rock formations. We couldn't figure out where the trail met up with the old trail. Amy was nervous and kept saying, "I don't like this. I don't like being off the trail." After listening to this for about fifteen minutes, I mentioned to Chris that it was similar to the choices we make in life and whether or not we choose to stay on the straight and narrow path or whether we choose to veer off the path in sin, distancing ourselves from our Father in Heaven and setting our path in the wrong direction. We had the girls find a shady spot (we were all happy for a rest) and had an impromptu spiritual meeting with them explaining the importance of choices we make in life. When is a better time to impress upon them the importance of a lesson than when we are right in the middle of experiencing it and feeling lost?

We finally found a trail that took us in the opposite direction we wanted to go, but it led down to the road which we could follow back to our car. We were not lost in the sense that it was some remote area with no help around. There were other people on the trail, we were just not able to find the trail that would have allowed us easier access to our car--and afforded us less whining from our children about how hot and tired they were.

We finally reached the van, AND we all were pooped. Our girls may not like hiking, but they are becoming more fit because of it. We were more than happy to be on our way home. It is wonderful to have such a treasure close enough to make a short weekend trip out of it.

Double Take

Yesterday Chris was running errands; we didn't see each other for much of the morning. So he hadn't seen my sassy new denim capris from Heather B's boutique. The reaction of his eyes was better than any compliment. It made my day and probably my week too!

Olive Land

Last night Chris and I went out together, dining at Olive Garden. This morning Kristen saw the take-out bag and enthusiastically asked, "Did you go to Olive Land? I wish I could go there."

Elitch Gardens

All Misha wanted for her birthday was to go to Elitch Gardens and Water Park with her friend Jonah. We only do birthday parties on certain birthdays and Misha opted for no party this year. Fine by me. Her birthday was back in July; she patiently waited (hoping) that we would get to spend a day at Elitches but never begged to go. In fact, one day she said to me, I guess I could have my party next year. Love her.

We finally planned to go to Elitches last Saturday-turned out to be one of the hottest days of the summer. Crazy for August. Jonah arrived at 10 am with his swim suit ready for a day-o-fun. We packed up lunches, swimming gear, a stroller, sun screen, hats and were off. As we neared the turn off to the amusement park, we realized that A LOT of other people had the same idea for an end of summer activity. Our big expense for the day--parking--the girls earned free tickets to the park with their summer reading program (and a kind friend--thanks Angela--gave us three more that her family wasn't going to use). It took me longer to get through the admission gate because of the stroller and backpack, so the others headed to the merry-go-round inside the front gate.



The swimming area already looked packed so we decided to go on the rides until lunch time. The lines weren't too bad the further we walked into the park. We stood in line for our first ride, some whirly turning thing, for maybe five minutes and then it was our turn. It takes longer for the workers to make sure everyone is safely buckled in for the actual ride itself! Kristen was just tall enough to ride the "family" rides. Woohoo. She wouldn't have had so much fun sitting out watching.







Our second ride was a water ride. Not a good choice for your second ride. Kristen and I were drenched and I hijacked my child's hat and wore it for the rest of the day. We had a picnic lunch then came back to ride some more. By about 4:00 pm we decided to check out the waterpark side of things. IT WAS PACKED. We only stuck around for a little while until the kids were bored of all the waiting and headed back to the amusement park side.

Jonah was a lot more brave than my girls and went on a couple of rides with Chris. We went on one spooky ride and Kristen burrowed her head in my side and never peaked once. Good thing. She doesn't handle scary very well. I'd rather not have the nightmares for weeks after.



Finally around 7 pm we were all getting hungry and tired. Chris and I made an executive decision to leave the park and get dinner. The kids protested a little but not too much. We were all pooped. We ended our day at Chili's for a yummy dinner. No singing to Misha though. She wasn't too keen on that idea. Happy Birthday Misha!

First Day of Preschool

Ahhh, the long awaited day finally arrived. Kristen was up and dressed right on time and so excited. She could finally wear her "school" clothes and fill her Tinkerbell backpack. She attends the same school as my other two girls and normally they will walk her to class two days a week, but this morning, I wanted that honor. I signed Kristen in, helped her find her cubby, snapped a few pictures, gave a quick hug (not giving in to the small urge to cry), and walked out. Hard, yet I am so excited for all the fun and learning to come.





When I returned to pick her up, she was the first one out the door and so close to tears. Oh sweetie. "What happened?" A little boy hurt my leg. I hugged and kissed her, reassuring her that it would be okay. That was all she talked about the next few days when she was asked about preschool, and I hoped she would still be excited to go.

A new four-year old catastrophe Thursday morning: Hello Kitty shoes were lost! Tears and tears, and I sent her crying out the door with Amy and Misha. I ran back into the house to grab a kleenex and decided to walk her to the crossing guard at the corner, hoping that she would stop. "My legs are cramping. I can't walk." More tears because Mommy wasn't going to drive her the short distance to school. Amy and Misha looked at me as if to say, "Are you serious? You want us to take her like this?" I watched as they walked across the street hoping that she would be happy by the time she reached her class. Too much drama.

Preschool Orientation

Kristen was thrilled that she was finally on her way to school. She had Preschool Orientation and loved it. I stayed with her while she hippity hopped from one station to another in her classroom--cubbies for backpacks, puzzles, blocks, painting, books--so much fun. That was last Thursday and she kept hoping that Friday was Tuesday. It is hard to wait five days when you are four.

You Know It Is Time To Go When....

Your four-year old has played quietly for an hour and begins to use her mother's legs as stamp pad material. Kristen came visiting teaching with me and was really good coloring for about 45 minutes. But then she got bored, and I went home with stickers and stamps all over my legs.

She had her Preschool Orientation earlier that morning, and I had originally thought I wouldn't have to stay with her and could go visit my friend without a child. Turns out I needed to stay.

School Nurse

Every year Amy begins the school year with the lofty ambition of NOT going to the school nurse--at all. She made it six hours this year. The nurse called five minutes--FIVE MINUTES--before school was out to say that Amy was nauseous and would I please come get her. Since you can't really tell the nurse to tell your child to toughen up, I drove over to the school and picked Amy up. Granted she was a little green around the gills. Could that be because she is our resident worrier and didn't eat much breakfast and apparently not much lunch either? And then had a cupcake for a classmate's birthday celebration. Hmmm. Maybe next year....

Snorkelin' Misha

So, Misha used some of her birthday money to purchase a snorkel last week. She has asked everyday if we could go swimming (took them all on Monday), and wears the silly thing around the house.

It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year

Back to School. Need I say more? We went to the back-to-school night last night to meet Amy and Misha's new teachers and drop off their supplies. The girls were most excited about the new climbing wall in the gym and both hoped they would be having PE today.

I am back to making lunches, getting after Misha to eat faster, and scooting them along to be out of the house on time. Tomorrow we'll add Kristen in to the mix. She has her orientation tomorrow and then on Tuesday and Thursday needs to be at the school at 8:45.

It is so wonderfully quiet around here this morning.

Misha's Baptism Picture from Utah

Misha

I only caught the last part of Amy and Misha's conversation where Misha said, "This is why I don't want to grow up. I'm having a great time as a kid." Don't you just remember those days as a kid when you hoped you never got bigger?..or maybe you still wish as an adult that you could relive your childhood again.