Ok, so Im going to try to not make this a travel log but we did so much in Colorado for our family reunion this year that I dont want to leave anything out. Especially, because Grandma and Grandpa Wood were not able to be at this reunion this year. They are in Germany serving a mission and although we know they wanted to be in Colorado with us we are happy that they are serving right now. So, what better way to include them in the fun then to provide a blog full of pictures for them to look at. Of course this blog will lean towards our family. There was so much going on with everyone that I couldn't get pics of it all. For us, the week started out with a long 9 hour drive to Colorado Springs. I am a terrible traveler so we needed to stop after 3 hours for a break. After eating lunch we went over to a Dinosaur Museum and let the girls (and me!) look around a bit.
Back in the car we were able to endure traffic and construction to finally arrive at the Burton's house. We were glad to be there and loved having so much family around. Besides Grandma and Grandpa and Josh (also serving his mission) , everyone of the Wood family was there. Each day we were together we had a big activity in the morning that we did together then we spent the afternoons doing whatever we wanted. For us the afternoons were spent swimming at the pool, playing games or sleeping off the busy morning. The first day was an all day thing though. We went back up to Denver to play at Elich Gardens, a six flags amusement park. It was hard to move that many people at once so we often times split up. Thanks to cell phones and texting though we all met up at different times, swapped stories, ate lunch, and then went off again. I am somewhat of a ride wimp but it was fun to see all the kids having so much fun on the rides that made me sick to even look at! Sam also was not a fan of the rides. She was terrified of anything that left the ground so she spent most of her time at the bumper cars and loved it.
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| Stopping for lunch outside the park gates |
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| Riley after a boat ride!! She was soaked all day! |
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| Waiting for a roller coaster :) |
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| Sam dancing at a kids show |
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| Riley's poor feet after a day of wet shoes |
About 10 years ago, Dan and I lived in Colorado Springs. We left when Kelsey was 5 and Rachel was 3. So much has changed in the past 10 years but one thing that was the same was the Garden of the Gods. This is an amazing park of red rock formations. We spent the morning walking around the park and stopped for lunch in the park. I think the kids had the most fun chasing the squirrels at lunch.
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| Connor kept stealing Kelsey's watermelon. |
The last day we went up to Cheyenne Mountain Zoo. I normally tend to really hate zoos but this one I like. This zoo is literally on a mountain side. Yes, the walk through the zoo is up hill but it really is so beautiful. The best part of the zoo was when Kelsey decided to go into the bird sanctuary and came out with bird poop on her arm. She was not amused but I laughed.
We really had a great time in Colorado. The Burton's were perfect hosts. With 25 people crammed in their home and being loud it still managed to be a great time. Sue did so much work for us. The meals, the beds, the activities...she went out of our way for us and we are all so grateful. Next year will only be better with the addition of mom and dad. We missed you guys and love you lots!
