Colorado Springs or Bust!

We just had a fun family weekend getaway in Colorado Springs. It was so much fun! We did a lot in a short time, which left us exhausted, but it was great. On Friday evening we got to the hotel and had to immediately check out the swimming pool. Our little kids are like fishes. They love to be in the water!

On Saturday we first went to the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo. The one downside to this zoo is that it is on a mountain so you definitely get a workout walking up and up and up and then back down. The super great thing about this zoo is that you get to feed the giraffes. You can buy crackers, which are only 3 for 1$, and the giraffes eat them right out of your hand. Our kiddos were giggling their little heads off at the huge giraffe tongues grabbing crackers out of their hands. Then we saw all of the usual zoo animals like the elephants, gorillas, monkeys, hippos, tigers, lions, bears, penguins, and you get the idea. A lot of the big animals were sleeping but the tiger was awake and playing in the water. Then dad let the kids ride the train and the carousel at the zoo, which made it a perfect zoo outing.

Our next stop was the Cave of the Winds. We had a 40 minute wait for our tour to start so we went outside and did some panhandling. The kids found lots of cool stuff like gems, arrowheads, and fossil teeth. Then we didn't hear them call our tour number and we almost missed it but luckily we caught them just as they were leaving. The kids were a little nervous to go that far in a cave but we took them on a Discovery Tour that is fully lit so they could see everything and they really liked it. We went on a 3/4 mile tour and our guide said the deepest our tour went was about 200 feet into the mountain. The history behind the cave was really interesting and our guide was a lot of fun.

Then after a full day we were hungry so we went to Fargo's for some pizza. Fargo's is the world's largest family pizza restaurant. It can seat over 500 people inside. Some of the employees are dressed up to go with the whole Victorian theme of the restaurant. Our three little kids finished off a whole pizza between them so I guess they were pretty hungry! Then we had to get some yummy ice cream to finish it off and it was back to the hotel for more swimming.

On Sunday we went to the Garden of the Gods, which is absolutely beautiful. We went for a little hike and then we went to see the balanced rock. It's a big rock that is kind of sitting on a point and it should fall but it doesn't. Of course several years ago they went in a put a little concrete under there to make sure it doesn't fall but it is still neat to see. The kids found some cool tunnels to crawl through for a while. Then we were all tired and the kids said it was time to go home. You know they're tired if they want to go home. All in all it was a great trip! I would highly recommend any of these places to you for a trip of your own sometime!

School's out!!!!

WOW May was a totally CRAZY month! So much was happening with the end of school. I went to Brandon's field day at school during his last week of school and got some great pictures of him doing all of the super fun activities. I don't remember field day being that fun when I was his age! As part of their field day the kindergarten classes walked a mile for the Relay for Life to support the American Cancer Society. I went on the walk with them and I was surprised how much they had learned about cancer. It was a lot of fun hanging out with my little guy and his buddies for the day. He also had his party the last day of school where he got the Brightest Smile Award because he ALWAYS has a big smile on his face. I'll miss helping out in his class every week. Those little kiddos kind of grow on you after a while :) My brother, Ethan, graduated from Aims with his Criminal Justice degree so Douglas and I went to watch his ceremony. Then my sister, Hannah, graduated from Roosevelt High School so we went to watch her too. I must admit I feel kinda old with them all graduating. My hubby had two business trips this month so that kept me busy attempting to be Super Mom all on my own but we survived. I think it's harder on the kids than on me when he's gone. My grandma came to visit for about a week, which the kids absolutely loved! They have been missing their GG. I finished my first round of cake decorating classes last week and I'll start the next course next week. I am WAY more intimidated by this next course...it looks like it will be pretty tough! All I needed to learn in the first class was roses. I had learned them before but it was years ago and I needed a bit of a refresher on them. It was fun to get away for a couple hours a week and play with frosting :) And of course we had to get out the big slip-n-slide in the backyard last week. I'm not sure if dad or the kids had more fun with it! And yes, they got me to go down a few times too. Our neighbors behind us were laughing pretty hard at this mommy and daddy slip-n-sliding all over the place! Good times!!

PS - I added some of my favorite movie music moments. Enjoy!

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY

Being a mom is my favorite thing in the world! There is just something so special about those tender moments when your baby looks into your eyes and tells you how much they love you. That is what life is all about. My kids are my life and I wouldn't have it any other way. They bring me more happiness and joy than I could have ever imagined. I love every day I spend with them...the good and the bad. I love their sweet little giggles, their bright smiles, their sweet innocence, and their pure love. I constantly learn so much from them it amazes me. They don't judge, they are always optimistic, they always forgive, and they have complete hope and faith in me as their mother, which can sometimes be a little scary. I know I am not the perfect mother. I make lots of mistakes as I struggle through this long journey that still has so far to go. But I give them my all every day and every day I tell them how much I love them. I hope they realize how important they are to me and how my life would be so empty without their sweet spirits. Brandon, Emily, and Katelyn, I love you! Now I also want to say Happy Mother's Day to my mother. You know there are times when you are in middle school and high school and the last thing you would ever want is to be like your mother...well I think it would be the greatest honor in the world to be like my mother. She has the biggest heart of anyone I know. She is always ready to help and always puts everyone else before herself. She has taught me how to love everyone through her amazing example. It's so comforting to know that I can always count on her to be there for me, even if I just need to talk to another adult for a few minutes or if I need advice or if I need help. She is an amazing woman and I am so lucky to be her daughter. I hope my daughters will have just as good of a relationship with me as I do with my mom. Thanks for all you do! I love you!!