Colorado: Friendly Visits

During our Colorado trip, we were able to visit with friends and family! First, we got to visit with Stacy and Dan. Stacy is one of my besties from Colorado, but she now lives in Minnesota, too! We spent the night at her place before flying out to Colorado the next morning. We went out to eat and played around in their apartment. Another perk is that they took care of our car while we were gone.

At my parents house, we got to visit with the Northups and Uncle Lyman! Tanner really took a liking to Tamara. 

All the "big boys" played kick ball with Tanner. He was in heaven watching them do funny stunts with the ball! Tanner had a few moves of his own.

Dallin liked being with cousin Gary.

We spent one morning with Alyssa and her adorable girl!! It's been awhile since I've had a chance to visit with her. We have a lot in common with our mommy theories and philosophies, so we had a good time sharing ideas and stories. One of my favorite parts of the visit was hearing her infectious laugh again. There were countless times while growing up that Alyssa's laughter brightened my day. It was awesome to bask in her cheerfulness once again!

Right after our visit with Alyssa, we ate lunch with Grandma Robertson, Aunt Tina and Uncle Dave. We didn't get any pictures because we were too busy chowing down on yummy food. We also visited more with Grandma at her house while the boys slept.

Then, we headed over to my cousin Julianne's house. The two of us went to the same schools together in middle school and high school. I tried convincing people that we were sisters, and I think I could still do that, don't ya think? It's crazy to see her three beautiful children getting so grown up! I was super impressed with all her mommy skills. These kids are very blessed to have Julie as their mama!!

Tanner and his cousin had a great time running, sword fighting and rough housing, which only resulted in one very bad ouchie, yikes!

Look at these adorable faces!!

During our trip, we also got to meet up with Jeremy's childhood friend, Mike. We all went to the zoo and had a really fun time catching up. Here's Jeremy with his look-a-like child and Mike with his sweet look-a-like daughter.

Nana, Papa and Auntie Desha joined us at the zoo, too!

At the fox exhibit, two kids about 10 years old came up near Tanner. They looked at the fox who wasn't moving and concluded out loud that "he's dead." Tanner came over to them and told them "That fox isn't dead. He's sleeping. He's NOT dead, he's just sleeping." The boys contended, "No he's not. He's dead. See? He isn't moving." Tanner insisted once more, but to no avail. He jumped down from the ledge and told Papa with great frustration, "Those boys don't know anything. That fox is not dead! He's sleeping!!"

Dallin was so enthralled with all the animals, it wasn't until we walked through the parking lot that he finally allowed himself to zonk out on Auntie's shoulder.

Our Colorado trip was filled with all kinds of wonderful outings, visits and activities. The best part is that even though we did so much, I never felt stressed or busy or overly tired. It was a wonderful trip!! Thank you to everyone for all the fun visits. And a special thank you to Grandma Nana and Grandpa Papa. We miss you!!

Colorado: Loved Ones

While in Colorado, we visited our grandparents' memorial sites. In 2012, three of my grandparents passed away: Grandpa and Grandma Higgins and Grandpa Robertson. This was my first time seeing their tombstones. They were beautiful! It was a peaceful, solemn time to remember them and their amazing lives. I miss them each very much, so being at their memorials helped me feel a little closer to them. I have a strong belief that life exists beyond this, that I will see my grandparents again, that we will all be resurrected just as Jesus Christ has been, and that through sacred temple ordinances, our family units are eternal. I can't wait to introduce my children to their AMAZING great-grandparents.

Grandma and Grandpa Higgins have their memorial stone in an adorable little cemetery right outside of Longmont. They donated their bodies to science, so after a few years, I think their ashes will be laid here. 

Grandpa Robertson's grave site was also beautiful and peaceful, amid the wind and rain. When he passed away, I was pregnant with Dallin, so we named him Dallin Jerold in loving memory. Every so often, I tell Dallin that his middle name came from his amazingly cheerful and incredibly genius great-grandpa, so it was really cool to show him the grave site. If there's one thing I've learned, it's that our little ones understand way more than we give them credit for, so I really do think that Dallin understood that this stone had something special on it that had to with him and with someone that we love.

Colorado: Fireworks!

Desha and Grandpa Papa bought a bunch of fireworks for us to enjoy one night. Uncle Lyman joined in the fun, too. The boys really liked the sparklers.

While watching the fountain fireworks, Dallin clung to Lyman the whole time. It was really sweet.

Then, we figured out how to take cool pictures with our camera. Here's the results.

Colorado: Outings

Day in the Mountains

 

Tanner's first fish!

Tanner's second fish!

Tanner's third fish! Woo hoo!

It was such a beautiful day. Along with the fish, we saw mountain lion tracks, elk poop, and two moose!

Day at Boyd Lake

Every time an airplane flew by, Dallin pointed and hollered and wanted all of us to look at it!

Dumping sand on big brother...

With an evil smile to follow, haha!

Luckily, Tanner didn't mind.

Everyone took turns on the jet ski, including Tanner (with Papa)! The water was beautifully smooth. I rode once with Jeremy and once with Desha, who turns out to be a pretty crazy jet ski driver. 

Longmont Museum

Out to EAT

I think me and Desha look exactly alike in the picture above vs below.

Once again, we got pretty tuckered out from all the fun!