A costly fall

One of the days we were in Colorado, we took a drive on the highest road in the US to the top of Mount Evans. It's over 14,000 feet in elevation and the drive was breathtaking. There also were points where Rick and I white-knuckled it - as there were no guardrails and the drops off the side were enough to make your heart stop. The security guard at the bottom of the mountain said it was paved all the way up, except where the road was crumbling away. We laughed thinking he was joking. He wasn't. They literally had orange cones up where the road was giving way.

Here is a picture of the road.

While there we saw a herd of elk in the valley (about 100 or so). Remember the part in Jurassic park where the dinosaurs flocked from one side to the other as they were running? That's what they did - it was spectacular!

We also saw a family of mountain goats and several deer right outside our car window. There is nothing like seeing animals in their natural habitat.

So, back to the fall. We stopped at a natural area half way up the mountain to walk around and talk to the guard who was there to answer any questions. As we were walking around, I stepped on a rock that gave way under my feet and landed on our 7 year old camera. That poor little camera didn't have a chance to survive all the weight I've put on this summer. It's toast. And so is my wrist from trying to break the fall, and so is my rear end with the ugliest bruise I've ever seen in my life. My sweet husband, knowing I cannot survive a week without a camera to capture our lovely family moments - bought us a new one as soon as we got back home. Here is a picture of it.

Gotta love a husband who has his priorities in order! It wasn't cheap, but thankfully our last one lasted us 7 years, so hopefully this one will last at least that long. It is great and I already love it. The great thing is, even though the camera was a total loss, the pictures were saved on the memory chip - and thankfully that DID survive my huge rear-end "crushing it" as my 4 year old described it. Yikes!

Colorado, Part 2

We spent the night in Denver and then headed out the next day for Breckenridge. What a beautiful city. There truly are not words to describe the wonder of the mountains.

This picture was taken outside the entrance of our hotel - and truly, I did not mean to color coordinate with the plant!

The gondola was shut down in Breckenridge, so Rick asked one of the locals if there was another way to get to the top of the mountain - of course there was! It just so happened to be a rocky dirt road that we bounced along for about 30 minutes to reach the top of Peak 8. The cheap rental car did well! Once there we found snow to play in (yes, real snow), and saw deer - a little too close for my comfort. Once we saw the deer, and a stream nearby, I began to have visions of us being on the news as one of those stupid families who venture off the path and are eaten by bears or mountain lions, so we headed back to the path! My husband as happy as can be - playing in the snow in July! His dream come true!

The pictures just don't do the real thing justice!

Rocky Mountain High!

We just got back from a wonderful vacation in Colorado. I have much to say about this vacation, but here are a few pictures to start off with. Part 1: Denver We started our vacation in Denver, shopping and seeing a Colorado Rockie's baseball game (they played my home team the Pittsburgh Pirates so I was especially excited to see this game!). Rick took this amazing picture at Coors Field in Denver.

The Rockies won the game and the boys had a great time!

Our baby turns 4

Yesterday was our youngest's 4th birthday. I can't believe he is 4. Where did that time go? It's been a great week so far - and busy. I've had to work, so the boys spent Sunday night and Monday night at Grandpa and Grandma's. They had such a great time, we are so thankful they live close by and have such a great relationship with them. For his 4th birthday, our son got a lot of Lightening McQueen stuff - cars, race track, hat, legos. Years after this movie came out - it's still his favorite. The cake came from Harris Teeter and he picked it out. It's pretty elaborate, to say the least. Here's the box it came in:

I'm not sure how they made it - but it was good - and I was thankful I didn't have to do it! As Rick prayed over him at dinner, he thanked God for our little boy's life. He thanked Him for J's personality, his love of life, and the life he brings to or family. He is so much fun to be around and we are so thankful he's our son. Happy Birthday Buddy!

A great day with friends

I had the best day today with two of my good friends Christy and Dawn. We ate and shopped and tried to keep our kids from hurting themselves they were having such a good time together. I also got to enjoy my friends baby girls who are 10 and 6-1/2 months old. Being around them makes me think I could have another one - they make mothering look that easy. (I'm not having another one.....I'm just saying). We let the kids play at Joseph Beth - one of my favorite bookstores - and then got ice cream after lunch. Christy's oldest two were at her mother-in-law's and she was missing them. I, being the great friend that I am, offered to give her my children any day she wanted - you know, just to help with the loneliness. She must not be that sad because she didn't take me up on it! :) My boys loved having a pretty girl (Ava) to entertain - and she laughed at them most of the day. Except when they got a little too rough and she ended up upside down off the bench in the food court. Other than that, it was a great day. Now we're settling in - already in our pj's and watching the rain come down. Have I mentioned lately how much I love summer. I really do.

A good pajama day

It's cloudy and overcast with a chance of rain. We can't play outside or swim in the pool due to the "injury" (read previous posts to see why), so we are having a pj day. I actually managed to take the youngest's band-aids off and give him a bath without throwing up or crying. It's been a good day. He is whiny and in some pain due to the bandages coming off, bathing and then airing it out. I managed to put the bandages back on after a few hours. I will never be nurse, but I am making some progress! We rewarded ourselves by going to the drive thru at Chick-fil-A. Don't comment on how I'm not supposed to do this - it's been one of those weeks so I am cutting myself some slack! So today we're hanging out watching movies and trying to keep the activity to a minimum. God how I love summer!

A change will do you good...

For the 3 of you that read this blog, you may have noticed a change. I got a little tired of the green, and since I no longer am in a "green room" after moving, I thought I would change things up a bit. Would love to know what you think - too blue? Hard to read? Like it better? Let me know!