Fun and Flu in the Mountains

This post is a bit slow in getting published.  I only wish I could blame it on Blogger.

We're just finishing up a fantastic vacation/Holiday break trip to visit Kevin's sister and her family in Colorado Springs. Amy and Jason have two girls - Keira (7) and Audra (6) - whom Kari and Bryce have been wanting to play with since they visited us in July.

Ten days away from home was going to be a chore, but it was made easier by being at a home away from home in the Mountains. The only problem was there was a nasty Flu bug floating around Colorado Springs. First it hit Amy, which resulted in a trip to urgent care. Then it smacked Kevin, at least the body and stomach aches, but no fever. Next up was the stomach flu for Kari. And here at the very end, Jason was on his way to go down for the count.

So, we didn't get to do quite as much as we would have liked, but the time we did get to spend together included plenty of enjoyable activities. The first and most important was Christmas!

The four kids were beyond excited to see what Santa would bring them. And best we can tell, they were more than satisfied.

We were joined in the Springs by Kevin's parents who drove out from Indianapolis. This was great fun, as it won't happen often that all the Kecklers can be in the same spot for Christmas. We all attended a Christmas Eve service together, complete with Kari jetting out of her pew to sit right next to Mary for the kids' play.

Once the gifts and Christmas morning activities ended, we spent as much time as we could enjoying this precious time we had together. There was plenty of rough-housing/wrestling between Bryce and anyone who would openly participate.

There was dancing by Kari and Bryce, dressing up in Princess outfits by Kari and Audra, playing restaurant with Keira and even watching movies on the wall in the Williams' Theater!

When we were able to get out of the house, it typically included dinner at restaurants or hiking in the cold weather. It was colder than normal this past week, with temps ranging between 10-25 degrees most days. But that didn't stop us from hitting the trails at Garden of the Gods (PICS), or walks in the neighborhood.

Holly and Jason even found the time and energy to climb the Incline at Manitou Springs on New Years Eve morning. This is a one mile climb up approximately 2,000 vertical feet. This was particularly difficult because of the snow already on the ground, coupled with frigid temperatures. Both enjoyed the workout and want to do it again on our next visit.

Unfortunately we weren't able to go skiing because of the sickness going around. But we'll gladly do that next time.


All in all, it was a great trip for the two families to enjoy each other's company.

It's Official

We're pet owners!  We're hoping this is not a furry slippery slope.

Kari has named the fish Julie and Matt.  We have two Matts on our street; not sure where the Julie came from.

Look Who's Six!

Happy birthday to our little girl, who's not so little anymore!