Two Weekends in Colorado Springs

On Sept. 17-19, we went down to Colorado Springs to spend some time with Don's parents who had just moved there. On our way down, we stopped in Parker and had dinner with our great friend, Luke, who just got engaged. We got to know his fiancee, Manda, and ate some awesome Thai food. Surprisingly, Sam really liked the Thai food. He definitely has his dad's taste for all things spicy. It was a great time and we are really looking forward to their wedding next month.

Don's parents were staying in a residence inn type hotel with two bedrooms, a little kitchenette, etc. Sam had such a blast running around and around and around the new space.

We got up on Saturday morning and went to the Garden of the Gods, which is considered one of the natural wonders in the U.S. The rocks really were amazing. We had a great time walking around and looking at the various formations and enjoying the wonderful sunny day. Sam also just really loved being with his Grammy and Grandpa Curtis.

After Sam took his nap, we decided to drive to the top of Pike's Peak, which is one of the 14,000+ foot peaks in Colorado just outside of Colorado Springs. Since Sam had previously shown us that driving on windy roads was really rough on his little system, we decided to try out our doctor's recommendation and give him some Benadryl, which has similar properties to Dramamine. It actually worked and he didn't throw up (yeah!) and we were able to get to the top and see some absolutely amazing fall colors and breathtaking views. I had really wanted to hike a 14er this year but we waited too long in the season to do it safely, so I'm happy I got to reach the top of one by car.

Once we drove to the base of the mountain, we were all hungry so we decided to stop at Manitou Springs, a little town close to Colorado Springs. I fell in love with the quaint downtown area and the charming shops and restaurants. Unfortunately, we picked a restaurant with absolutely terrible food (never go to the Nile Cafe), but we got some awesome chocolates and baked goods at a little chocolate shop which made up for it.

Also, Don's cousin and her husband told us about this old school penny arcade that they found when they were visiting Colorado Springs. We went over and checked it out and were amazed at how much fun it was and how old some of the arcade games were (some from the 1930s - maybe earlier!). The best part of the place was that each game cost what it had originally cost when the game was made. We played games for a nickel and a dime!

While we were there, Sam went on his first mechanized ride! He absolutely loved it. He did think that most of the arcade games were pretty scary (he'd cry when we tried to play them), but he loved riding in the plane and car. He is such a funny kid. He absolutely abhors loud noises. The vacuum is his arch nemesis. He isn't a fan of my blow drier, either.

I forgot my camera, but luckily, Don's dad was kind enough to send me some pictures. Every time we've gone down to Colorado Springs, we've forgotten something really important. The first time I went down (Aug. 14, the day of the FH Welcome Back BBQ), we forgot Sam's shoes. This time, I forgot my camera. My birthday weekend, we forgot Sam's pants. I know...how do you forget pants? I thought Don had packed pants and he thought I had brought the ones he was wearing before I changed him into his PJs... You know how it goes. 

We saw tons of climbers on this formation. It just looks so thin and unstable. 

You can see Pike's Peak peeking (a little alliteration for you) through the juniper trees here. The junipers are not natural. They were planted during a reforestation effort in the 1930s since the area had been so worn down by visitors, the land was eroding away.

Check out those rocks balancing!

These spires of red rock just stick out of the ground all around. 

Sam having a great time riding on daddy's shoulders.

At the top of Pike's Peak. It was cold and super windy but the views were worth it!

A day before we headed down to Colorado Springs, Sam took a tumble down our front steps and scraped up his face. The big brown scab over his eye has healed up but is still pretty obvious. People always think it is a new ouchie because it looks so fresh. Poor guy.

So far down!! This is on the edge of a huge cliff.

A view from the top. The tundra is so beautiful! 

We wrapped Sam in a towel because we didn't have any warm clothes for him with us. 

Here we are at the Nile Cafe (never go there). We are entertaining Sam with a game with a straw and some water. We fill up the straw block of the top with a finger so the water stays in the bottom and drop the water into his mouth. He loves it! It has saved many a potentially disastrous meals.

The awesome penny arcade!

Don playing the old school boxing game.

Sam was crying because the games scared him....

.....but he quickly cheered up as soon as we got him in his airplane!

He also loved his ride in the race car. Don is showing him how to shift.

Sam was in awe of all the fun rides.

Just walking around town. It was definitely a cool place. I'd love to visit there again.

The next weekend (Sept. 24-26), we went down to help Don's parents paint some rooms inside their new house. They bought a fixer upper on 2 1/2 acres of absolutely awesome ponderosa pine covered land in the Black Forest. The house definitely needs a lot of work, but the land was too great to pass up. I can imagine Sam playing with his cousins and having so many great adventures out in the backyard. It is going to be a really neat place to be and to build memories. We feel so blessed to have Don's parents close by, too! Hurray for grandparents and for having family nearby!

The night of the 24th was pretty crazy. We had gotten to Don's parents' house pretty late and put Sam to bed. We talked for a bit and headed to bed ourselves. Sam woke up about 1 am and screamed and screamed for about 45 minutes straight. We took him outside on the deck, we played with him on the floor, we gave him food, we gave him milk, we read him a book, we sang him songs...nothing would help him or calm him down. He was just plain mad. 

Finally, Don was clever and pulled out his phone and showed Sam a video of his cousin Isaac that April had sent us a few days earlier. Sam immediately stopped crying and watched the video about 30 times before he finally let us put him to bed. Thank goodness for that video! He slept through the rest of the night.

On September 25 (my 26th birthday, actually!), we painted and painted. I really enjoy painting and we all took turns chasing Sam around, so it was a really nice day and a break for me. Sam had such a great time playing on the deck and running around in the tall grass. He also got to help Grandpa put bird seed out for the birds. He was really excited about that.

Don and I went on a quick mountain bike ride on some trails close by the house and had a good time. Then, we painted some more. We had planned on all going out to dinner for my birthday, but it got too late and Sam would have been a bear, so we decided to put him to bed. Don's parents went out and got some food and then they let me and Don go out ON A DATE! It was such an unexpected surprise. We went and got some absolutely delicious Thai food and then went to PF Changs and got a great wall of chocolate, which is an gigantic slice of heaven with raspberry sauce and fresh fruit. Mmmm. Just thinking about it makes me salivate.

Anyway, it was such a great date and a great birthday. We are heading down to Colorado Springs again this weekend to spend time with Don's sister, Christine, and her husband, Josh, and I'm thrilled. It is so great to be with family. 

Painting

  Painting

and more painting!

Entertaining Sam outside.

Pantless Sam having a ball out on the deck.

Sam peeking in to the living room where we were working. 

Grandpa and Sam looking at the bird feeders and houses.

Helping Grandpa put out the bird feed.

The front of the house.

The backyard. Don's parents have plans to put a fire pit out here, which will be really fun. The huge fenced off area is the garden. It is enormous.

Sam chasing a ball on the deck.

I painted the wall behind us green. It is my birthday wall now. Here we are before heading out for our dinner date!

This is not a roast sitting in blood like it looks like it might be. It is just a really grainy picture of my Great Wall of Chocolate birthday cake. It was delicious!!