Colorad Springs Summer Trip

This summer was super packed with activities and adventures.  I have fallen behind in posting all that we did.  One of the last activities before school resumed was traveling to my sister's in Colorado Springs.  Summer would not be the same without hanging out with the cousins!

One of the challenges was the fact that Boston has a different school start date than Colorado Springs.  One day was spent at the zoo in Colorado Springs while the cousins were at school.  We were lucky that the cousins completed their homework ahead of time to play hookie on another day to spend time with us.

 The highlights were being able to feed the giraffes by hand.  Izzy was the only one brave enough to do so.  She also spent some of her money that she earned collecting pop cans to feed the rhinoceroses.  I don't think I'll ever get that close to one.  

At the zoo there is the Mountaineer Sky Ride.  This chair-lift style ride takes you over parts of the zoo and to an overlook of the zoo and city.  I was certainly nervous as I had to ride with 2 little ones who could easily slip through.  Diane got to ride with Izzy.  We heard her chatting up a storm on the way up AND down.

 Aunt Diane and Izzy on the Sky Ride and Overview.

One of Diane's traditions that she started was a back to school feast.  There is a theme / motto.  This year's was 'The Words of the Tongue should have Three Gatekeepers: Is it true? Is it kind? Is it necessary?'.  It was fun to use this motto during out visit as it was very appropriate at any given time, kids and adults alike.

Each of the kids created back to school crowns with their name and what grade they would be entering.  Aunt Diane did an amazing job with options for decorating that fit each child.

Ta-Da!

 Dinner that night was making your own pizzas.  There were certainly interesting combinations.

One day we headed into the mountains to a wolf sanctuary.  Here we learned about wolves, coyotes and foxes. 

 Micah's favorite wolf... his name is Micah, too.

Howling with the wolves.  Very impressive to hear first hand.

A recent online report states that Colorado's best breakfast diner was located in Colorado Springs.... King Chef.  We went and visited this whole in the wall all ordering their famous breakfast burrito.  It can be topped with gravy or green chili sauce.  We were not disappointed.



Isn't it Ironic

Prior to trick-o-treating, I decided to work out beforehand.  The goal was to counteract any candy that I consumed.. ha!  Unfortunately during a sideways lunge there was a pop.  I chalked it up to getting old and went on with the night with some soreness.  The next day there was no improvement and with actual worsening over the day.  The nurses at work insisted I be seen and so was wheeled to the orthopedic clinic for evaluation.  I ended up then being see by one of the Sports Medicine orthopedic surgeons who recommended obtaining a MRI.  I headed back at night for the MRI (the scanner runs non-stop). 

I though it ironic on so many levels....

1.  I'm almost 40 years old and am receiving care at a pediatric hospital.  The experience was fun as I got to watch a movie while in the scanner.

2.  I am back to being BFFs with a pair of crutches.  I thought my crutch days were over.  We should have kept the old pair!

Good news is there was no tear which means no surgery.  Now a bunch of rehab.  The kids are doing well helping out.  Micah's main concern when I came home with crutches was how was he going to hold my hand.  Izzy has been the biggest help.  She made her bed and Victoria's.  She reassured me that once I was better, she would stop.

Happy Halloween!

This year's Halloween was a bit bitter sweet.  This was the last year attending the LCSH's Halloween party.  As usual Wayne was present to perform and engaged all the children (including Izzy) in his antics!

Ready to head out!

 Similar to past years, we meet up with Izzy's BFF Bonnie to trick-o-treat.  Bonnie is Wednesday Adams from the Adams Family.

We headed to Brook Street.  The police block off a 3 block section for children to trick-o-treat in safety.  This place gets crazy for Halloween.  All the houses are decorated to the 9s.  Many adults dress up even better than the children.  All of the kids were into getting treats.  Micah was the most successful... he used his small size to squeeze through the lines to get to the front where the candy was located.

 One of the most exciting moments was when Micah & Victoria ran into one of their classmates, Jace.  They had been asking if they would.  By this point in the night we had run into many of Izzy's friends I think they were feeling a bit left out.  Their faces say it all.  We spent the rest of the night trick-o-treating with Jace and his mother.

 The was the final voyage for the pirate ship on Brook Street.  Will need to see what they do next year for the holiday.

 So many houses had Halloween themes.  This one had a giant movie screen with old fashioned movies playing.

 A random princess handing out glow sticks to rid any concerns or worries.

 One of my favorites... Beetlejuice.  He even had the voice down pat.

 My favorite family theme... The Lion, Witch & Wardrobe.