Home Sweet Home

We're back from a week of camping in the Colorado Rockies! We had a very fun time. It was relaxing, peaceful, and quiet (most of the time). Here's a quick recap of our week:


Monday - Big day of packing! Papa said he would be at our house around 5. As I predicted, he was there early at 4:40. I still had lots to do, but Papa was surprisingly patient. We finally pulled out at about 5:45 pm. It started off great; kids were doing well. We made quite a few stops. Unfortunately, Papa's truck wasn't getting good gas mileage, so we had to stop for gas a lot. The kids started getting restless around 8, when they should be falling asleep. They didn't finally fall asleep until 9:30. Ella woke up every time we stopped. Sometimes she went right back to sleep and other times she cried for a while. Andrew did great sleeping through everything. I got some sleep on and off, but since we stopped so much I didn't get any long stretches.

Tuesday - We stopped at a rest area around 5:30 am so Papa and Daddy could get a little sleep. Unfortunately, at this point Ella and Andrew both woke up and didn't go back to sleep. It was dark and cold and we were at a rest area, so there was no way I was sitting outside with them. Try keeping 2 kids that have been sleeping in the car all night busy and quiet in the back of a van...not fun! And I don't think Daddy got much sleep. We only stayed for about 45 minutes and then headed out again. We stopped around 7 to eat breakfast at Denny's. The kids continued to do well in the car. I was pleasantly surprised. We had a few whiny, crying moments, but I really couldn't complain. I had to expect some of those moments.

We arrived in Meeker around 12. We went grocery shopping, and Daddy and Papa got their fishing licenses. Then we headed out to White River National Forest to find our camping spot. We went to our usual area of camping and found that all the spots were taken...it was the first week of bow season and all the hunters were out. At this point we were all ready to get out of the car and set up camp, but instead we climbed back into the car and drove to the top of the mountain to find a place to camp. It took us about another 1.5 hours to find something. Daddy wasn't sure Papa really knew where he was going and if we'd ever reach the top :). But we finally found something. We were on the very top of a mountain (we are thinking about 11,000 feet). We got camp set up and relaxed. Daddy and Andrew went for a quick 4-wheeler ride...that's all Andrew said he wanted to do when we got there. We made goulash for dinner, cleaned up, and basically went to bed. I think it was about 8:30 when we all went to bed.

Wednesday - First full day of camp and everyone was rested. Daddy, Papa, and Andrew went for a 4-wheeler ride while Ella and I took a nap. Then we headed to town to get more water. Since we didn't have the spring available on the top of the mountain, we had to buy more water for cleaning up and dishes. We also went to Avery Lake so Papa and Daddy could go fishing. Andrew fished for a while, but mostly Ella, Andrew, and I walked around, sat by the lake, and threw rocks in the water (away from where they were fishing of course). That evening we went for a long 4-wheeler ride hoping to see some wildlife. We only saw a couple mule deer...one buck and one doe. Ella fell asleep and slept the whole ride. We came back and made chili for dinner. Ella and Andrew took a bath and we all went to bed.


Thursday - I really needed to run so I wouldn't get behind in my training. So they followed me on the 4-wheelers and I ran 5 miles. It was a tough run. We were at a very high altitude, which made it difficult to breathe. And the path was a very fine dirt that was like running in sand...I sunk into the ground with every step and felt like I weighed twice as much. I took a "bath" after that...washed my hair and washed up. It felt great! Then we went on a quick 4-wheeler ride. We all got naps today. It took a van ride for Ella, but at least we all got one. After naps, we went to Meadow Lake for more fishing. Andrew had fun fishing. Then Andrew, Ella, and I went for a walk so it would be quiet for Papa and Daddy to fish. Papa caught two fish. We headed back to camp and cooked the fish along with baked beans, brats, and fried potatoes.

Friday - Last full day at camp. We enjoyed some watermelon mid morning before the 2 hour drive to Trapper's Lake. Trapper's Lake is a place we visit almost every time we go to Colorado. We ate lunch at the Lodge and then made the small hike to the lake. It was really cold. Andrew was having a great time collecting and carrying big rocks to the bridge so he could throw them over. I like Trapper's Lake because there's a good trail to walk around. I think everyone was pretty cold, though. We got some cute pictures, Andrew got to throw lots of rocks, and we all got to stretch our legs. On our way home, we stopped at a really pretty waterfall spring. Andrew climbed on all fours on a log going across the creek all by himself. I was impressed and surprised he did it. Once we made it back to camp, we started dinner and dessert. While the food was cooking, we went out for our last 4-wheeler ride. It was cold and all we saw was a coyote. Ella stayed awake for the first time, though....probably because she had a big nap on the way home from Trapper's Lake.


Saturday - We had our last campfire breakfast and started packing up. Andrew and Ella enjoyed their last day of freedom in the wilderness. Before we left, Papa noticed the trailer had a flat tire. It was a quick change and we pulled out of camp about 10:45 am. The kids did surprisingly well in the car again. It probably helped that Andrew rode with Papa. I'm sure he was much better for Papa than he would have been for us. Plus, Andrew and Ella didn't have each other to feed off of to cry and whine for snacks. Ella had some tough moments. She always seemed to finally fall asleep right before we stopped so then she would wake up and not be able to get back to sleep once we were moving again. She did good, though. We had crayons, stickers, books, magna doodles, toys, and of course snacks. We stopped for lunch and souvenir shopping in Limon, CO. We made it to Colby, Kansas around 8:30 and decided to stop for the night. We all got showers and baths. It felt GREAT! We only got one room hoping Andrew would sleep with Papa, but he didn't want to. So, yes Daddy, Ella, Andrew, and I all slept in the same bed. Not exactly a great night's sleep.

Sunday - We all slept until after 8, which put us on the road a little later than expected. We grabbed breakfast and left around 10. Other than gas stops, we didn't stop again until about 2 for lunch. A little ways outside of Kansas City, the spare tire on the trailer blew out. Thankfully, there was an exit only a couple miles away with a gas station. Daddy and Papa put tire plugs and fix a flat in the original tire that had gone flat. Then aired the tire up and we were on our way again. It didn't take too long, but was a nice break for Andrew and Ella. About the last 2-3 hours Ella started losing it, but over all both kids did well again in the car. We arrived home at a little after 8. It was bed time for both kids, but I let them run out their much stored up energy before taking a bath and heading to bed. Ella ran straight into the garage and started looking at everything. They were excited to be home and out of the car!

So that's the gist of our vacation. We spent a lot of time just relaxing. It was very nice. Andrew had a blast! He played from the time he woke up until the time he went to bed. He was in heaven...outside, dirt, rocks, sticks, 4-wheelers. He did great. He went to bed without a fight and just played and played. He had a few non-listening moments and a few non-sharing moments with Ella, but overall he stayed busy and content. His favorite part was the 4-wheeler rides. He would get so excited to ride the 4-wheelers. He also loved fishing and throwing rocks anytime we were near water. Even Ella started picking up rocks to throw in the water. He helped Daddy and Papa get fire wood every morning and night. Andrew loved it!!

Ella had a great time, too, but she was a little harder than Andrew. Bed time was really tough! I knew it would be, so I expected it, but that didn't make it any easier. She cried a lot and flopped around like a fish for at least 30 minutes before falling asleep. I spent most of my evening getting her to bed. We all went to bed fairly early every night, so by the time I had her to sleep everyone else was ready for bed, too. She was really off schedule and tired, which made it hard for her during the day. She definitely had good moments where she enjoyed the outdoors and played with Andrew. But she also had moments of wanting to be held, which was great. It was nice to relax and sit with her without feeling the constant need of doing something else. Every time we asked Ella if she wanted to ride the 4-wheeler she would shake her head no. If someone got on one or started it up, she ran the other way crying. She was totally fine once we were moving, but the initial start of getting on she didn't like. Actually, she fell asleep every ride except our last one. Ella loved following Andrew around and try to do everything he did.

Andrew and Ella got along pretty well and formed a cute bond. Andrew was sweet to her most of the time and Ella tried to be just like him. They ran around and played together and had fun. One morning they ran up the little hill near our campsite together. It was like Little House on the Prairie when they came back down :). Matt and I actually didn't get to see each other much during vacation. Andrew and Ella kept us pretty busy, but I think we both had good bonding times with Andrew and Ella. And Matt and I had lots of time to talk on the way home.


We also got to spend some great time with Papa! We are so glad he was able to join us. Ella said "Papa" all weekend. It's so cute when she says it. On the way to Colorado, we asked Andrew if he wanted to ride with Papa and he said "no". By the end of the week, Andrew was so excited to ride with Papa. It was great for the kids to have time with him and for Papa to have some time away from work. Plus, Papa makes some great campfire meals :).

I would say our first family vacation was a success! We all had a great time. It was relaxing and great to get away for a while. I'll try to post some pics very soon.