Fun in the Mountains

Well, our first trip in the sky with all four of us is complete and it couldn't have gone better. OK, well, maybe if Bryce hadn't entered the trip with an ear infection that might have helped. And, had Kari not started complaining of ear pain after the first leg to Minneapolis that might have helped (she ultimately was diagnosed with an ear infection, too, the first day we got to Colorado).

But we did arrive in Colorado Springs safely and without much fuss for a wonderfully long weekend with my sister and her family. Amy and Jason have two beautiful girls - Keira and Audra - with whom we want Kari and (now) Bryce to get to see as often as possible.

The weather held up quite well considering this seems to be an up and down time of year in the Springs. We were able to venture out to a park, hit the popular Zoo on Mother's Day and eat out a few times. All in all, the kids couldn't have been more well behaved.

It was particularly wonderful to see how Keira and Audra interacted with little "Bryce Babie". They loved touching, holding and tickling him. And considering Bryce took the beginning movements of his first true crawls at their house, they weren't the least bit jealous.







One of the highlights was going to a Japanese steak house - they type where they cook on your table. We rolled the dice thinking the kids would at least be entertained. Sure enough, when the chef lit the table on fire and then made a bunch of noise, it kept them occupied with smiles and wonder. Actually, the girls did incredible jobs eating, too (thanks to the kiddie chopsticks).The Cheyenne Mountain Zoo proved once again to be a wonderful stop. On this our second tour of the Zoo, the girls loved feeding the huge giraffes upon entering the complex. But then we went and saw all kinds of new things. Hippos, a moose, snakes, mountain lions... and much more. We also all, well except for daredevil Holly and little Bryce, ventured up the ski lift that takes you over several animal habitats to the top of the mountain and zoo. All of the girls did great and we loved the views from up top.

Part by accident, part on purpose, it ended up being a pseudo Purdue Day at the zoo. The girls all had matching pink Purdue shirts and the moms did too!

The kids got to do lots of puzzles, watch some videos, play games and much more. We're thrilled to have had the chance to spend a memorable Mother's Day with two great Moms and a bunch of incredible kids.