Rocky Mountain National Park

"Nature heals the weary spirit."

---Stefan Michalak

Once again, these pictures do not do justice to the beauty we were surounded by.  On Sunday we ventured up to Rocky Mountain National Park in Estes Park.  Hands down my favorite day.  It was beautiful and we were all there and we all had so much fun.  Very short naps were taken in the car and we ate at resturants (rare for us) and we hiked and hiked until it was way past time to drive home.  We made it home at around 9:30 our time and you know what....our car was filled with laughter, singing and joking the whole ride home.  Rhonald totally laughed at me because as we oulled into the driveway I told him and the kids how much I loved the day and spending time with them and how proud I was of all of them....he said "the altitude is making mommy lose it!"  Oh the joys of motherhood!  Anyway...the day was fabulous.  The park is unreal.  You can drive through and then park to walk on different trails.  It would take days and days to see the entire thing and one day I hope to.  We played in a beautiful and freezing cold waterfall and climbed on the largest rocks we had ever seen.  We explored in gigantic forest areas and took the most amazing 1/2 mile walk around a lake nestled in the mountains.  We made Lily Kate ride in the back pack most of the time - she is a dare devil and it was too dangerous.  The lake area was pretty tame so we let her out and boy did she go!  She ran/walked the whole 1/2 mile, she climbed with her cousins and brother and she explored.  That girl took full advantage of her freedom and I absolutely loved it.  She laughed harder than I have seen her in so long and it was heart warming.  Rhonald and Mark fished the lake for a little bit...no fish were caught but it was an experience to just be there.  Cole ran and ran after the big boys and tried to do each and everything they did.  We were in God's country - literally, and we were thankful.  Just looking back over the photos I am thankful for what we saw and experienced and with the family we enjoyed it with.  This was out last major outing (by Monday we were so worn out we stayed home and just played in our pj's all day) and I am so glad we went out with a bang!  I am so proud of my brother and the family that he has raised and I am so proud of my own.  We are blessed and we were reminded of that over and over throughout the week.  What wonderful memories to hold in our hearts!

Indian Cave Dwellings

"It is a simple belief...

We are all of one human life.

We must live in harmony with each other."

---Old Hopi Proverb

After we left the Garden of the Gods (which we found out today is closed due to the spreading forest fires in Colorado) we ate lunch and then headed over to the Indian Cave Dwellings. According to Cole this was the best and coolest place we visited.  These are real homes of Native Americans that once lived in the mountains of Colorado.  Even though much of the homes has been destroyed over time there are still lots of areas you can go inside and climb around.  There are maps to show you what rooms you are in and what happened there.  Once you explore the homes you can go through a museum to see more about the Native Americans' lives and information about them.  Cole loved seeing all of the children's toys that had been found.  He could not imagine playing with some of those things.  Lily and Kylie played "McDonald's drive thru" in the Native American "Man Room" and everyone passing by got a kick out of that.  The room is seperate from the homes and is where the men would rest after working all day and wait to be served their evening meal.  It was a very interesting and, once again, beautiful place.  I feel so blessed that we even got to go on this trip!

The Garden of the Gods

On Saturday we made our way to Colorado Springs to visit the famous Garden of the Gods.  The only other place in the entire world that you can find this type of rock is in China.  As soon as we pulled in to the park it began to rain but we were determined to see the sites so off we went.  Luckily the rain passed by quickly and we were able to enjoy our walk.  These pictures do not do these formations justice.  The rocks were truly breathtaking.  It seemed like we walked forever, stopping to look at each formation several times.  The formations are HUGE!  The main rule at the park was that no one was supossed to climb on the rocks.  Well, everyone there was climbing on them and walking in to the caves.  Our family, however, was one of the few who was stopped by a park ranger and told to stop.  For those of you who know Cole well you know he is a rule follower and getting in trouble shakes him to the core.  We love that about him but that trait proved very ammusing during our trip.  A while after we got "in trouble" I found another cool area where the kids could climb in and we could take their picture.  All of the kids jumped at the chance except Cole.  I finally persuaded him and as he was climbing to be with his cousins he yelled out "we really should not be doing this!" We all cracked up at him!  He eventually learned to loosen up a bit.  It was another amazing morning....another "favorite place" and another morning we will never forget.

Fun With Cousins

My niece, Kylie, wanted to show Cole and Lily Kate all of her favorite spots....from playgrounds to pools to ice cream shops.  We had so much fun seeing where our cousins play and hang out.  Mark's family has always lived far away so visiting has been tough.  It was so very worth the long drive to spend time with our family and learn more about their life in their new home.

Castlewood Canyon

We truly tried to take advantage of every second we were in Colorado.  Whether we were playing with cousins or seeing the sites we did not want to miss anything.  After Mark got off of work on Thursday the little kids and the grown ups packed a picnic dinner and drove 15 miles to Castlewood Canyon.  Yes, this beautiful canyon is right down the street from my brother's house.  I have to say, I love the South.  I never want to move but Colorado is AMAZING!  We were all (Cole most of all) so excited to go hiking in the mountains.  While this area was not in the actual mountains we did have a great hike and we got to see some amazing scenery.  I was shocked at how much the change in elevation affected us.  Yes, we were hiking in rough terrain but we are not as out of shape as we appeared.  Even Lily Kate and Cole had to cough or cathc their breath every once in a while.  My sister in law said it takes about 2 weeks to get used to the change and I really believe it.  Rhonald laughed at me because every place we visited I said, "this is my favorite place!" I just could not believe all that we were seeing and all that God has created.  It was such a fun evening....one I will never forget.