Nakita Grinie

This might have been the most fun day of the trip, FYI;)

Sunday, October 27: Day 5

Truman woke up at 5:30 am this date. No. He said he was ready to wake up and seemed very chipper, but somehow I convinced him to let me lay on his air mattress with him for 'awhile'. He wasn't happy about this at first but he did eventually fall back asleep. The next thing I knew, it was light out. And 7:30 am. There is a God!

Cecelia woke at 6:45 am and hung out in GoGo and PoPo's room until Truman and I emerged from our slumber. Nate got up, too, so all of us headed downstairs where Michael was sleeping on the couch. He promptly went upstairs to find an empty bed and continued sleeping. Ha! Kids these days must think that 7:30 am is 'too early' or something.

We did our usual coffee, breakfast, and chatting and then everybody got dressed. The kids wanted to play with the battery powered car again and so I grabbed my nice camera and went out there. Luckily Michael and my dad also came outside because monitoring these two hooligans in any type of moving vehicle is a three person job. Nate eventually came out, too, because we were all having a blast out there. So yeah, four adults to two kids in a car is the best formula to avoid disaster.

So many pictures.















Truman's new favorite face for my camera


Mom and I were pumped to get our nails done this date but then it got pretty late in the morning, and Nate thought of an awesome plan for the day (since we were all wishy washy about what to do). He decided that Michael, Nate and myself should get charcoal and take the burger patties my mom was originally going to grill for dinner the night before (but didn't since the boys were gone until forever). The three of us were to drive up to Horse Tooth reservoir and find a little grilling area and get the meat started. Then my parents would bring the kids over once we got started and we could all have a BBQ picnic lunch together! Love. Totally worth putting the nail date off another day.

So the three of us got packed up and went to the store, then headed up to the foot hills. We found an awesome spot at South Bay Park. There was some initial difficulty getting the charcoal to work with the wind and we almost had my parents stop to get lighter fluid but it turned out fine. A beer, the perfect sunny (hot! 70 degree) day, and then juicy BBQ bison burgers? Yes. Even the kids had a ball after CC fell asleep on the way over, and we got to take lots of pictures. Therefore I was happy.





















After we stuffed ourselves to the brim, my parents headed back home with the kids. This is the part when I mention how grateful I am to have amazing babysitters like this all throughout our trip. My parents did encourage to do fun stuff without the kids because secretly they just wanted to spend time with their grands anyway. So there was really no guilt leaving Truman and Cecelia for adult only outings. Win win for everyone.

Michael, Nate, and I then drove a little further up the foothills to the same trails Nate and I did a few days prior. This time we wanted to take the route to Horse tooth Falls, though,  instead of going all the way up to the rock. This route had a lot of ups and downs and amazing scenery because of the nearby water. It was a lot shorter at just 1.3 miles to the end and only took us about 30 minutes to end at the waterfall. So pretty.



















We came back down to the car around 3, after arriving here around 1:30 or so. It was hot and busy on Horse Tooth this day but still totally worth it. All I kept thinking about was how many ridiculously perfect spots there were for family photos along the path. I even texted Andrea a picture of a spot that took my breath away. I can't get over how gorgeous the views are in the foothills. I know the actual mountains are even better and next time we may venture a little further away from Fort Collins for even crazier views.

There was a discussion about whether or not we had time to get a coffee from Old Town and we did not, but once we got back and I showered I REALLY wanted an iced coffee. Badly. Alas, we ran out of time because my mom had purchased tickets to Treatslyvania at a nearby Farm. Trick-or-Treating in Colorado! We needed to be there at 5:30 and it was already 4, so we skipped the Joe.

CC was already awake from her nap but we had to wake Truman and he was super grumpy, and was even saying, 'But I don't WANT to go trick-or-treating, I want to sleep!' Silly, silly child. We got both kids dressed, gave them a little snack and headed off to the farm.









It was totally packed when we got there around 5:15. Parking was nuts and the line to get in was inSANE. But we knew we wouldn't get skipped or anything once we stood in the line since our tickets did say 5:30. Of course, we didn't actually get in until 5:45 but it just seemed like everyone was running late. All of the little local businesses had made these really cute wooden 'doors', which were like smallish houses. They painted and decorated their doors and they were all lined up, about 20 feet apart from each other. The kids quickly realized that they could score a LOT of candy in a short time frame by walking to each door, instead of having to go to actual houses. Score one for a lot of candy in a little bit of time! There was also a short hay ride, some farm animals, and cute little Halloween displays all around. The kids loved it and CC was really into saying 'tank-ooo' after each door and demanded to hold the candy in her hand instead of having the people drop it into her bag. Super fun night and I'm so glad Michael and Mom came along.

























We were done with the trick-or-treating around 6:30 and both cars took the longer way back home to tour the city, but of course it was pitch black by then. We gave both kids one piece of candy in the back seat and they were in amazing moods (sugar high) the whole way home, singing and squealing back and forth with each other. It was this moment that I realized my kids were pretty fond of Colorado as a whole;)

We ate dinner when we got home, played and Cecelia didn't go down until 9:15 with such a fun/sugary evening. And Truman somehow went down at 10 but I felt like it was later, although they didn't have the typical sugar high CRASH that follows Halloween night;) Michael had to drive back to Colorado Springs once CC went down since he had class on Monday. The kids had so much fun with Uncle Mike and they are pumped to see him again for Christmas (when he and my parents fly out to see us!).

The adults worked on the puzzle and had a beer while discussing the fact that there HAD to be missing pieces to this blasted puzzle. In fact, everyone else went to bed but Nate and I because we were up looking under couches and inside toy boxes for a few pieces to the Oregon on our puzzle. Nate was seriously losing his mind over that state and the elusive pieces, but I just figured we needed to finish more of the puzzle first and they'd appear. Eventually we gave up for the night and went to bed, too, maybe around 11 or so. I think Nate dreamed about missing puzzle pieces that night;)

Almost done with vacation!! Whew, this is a lot of blogging but worth it, I think.

Tuesday, October 29: Day 7

This was our last full day in Colorado and it was another cold and dreary one. We were extra happy that we did so many outdoor activities in the beginning of our trip because the last few days were so overcast we couldn't even see the mountains from Fort Collins.

Truman woke up at 6:15 am this date and we didn't fight it....because Nate and I were already pumped up for our breakfast date together! Each of us showered while Truman ate and played, then my parents and CC emerged after that. Nate and I left for our date at 8 am and headed to Snooze--a recommendation from an IG follower.  Now let me tell you, my husband and I can DO some breakfast food. It's seriously my favorite meal especially if we eat out: the coffee, the pancakes, the eggs. Gah, I love it all. So it probably doesn't take much to impress us but I can say that Snooze was freaking fantastic. I got two scrambled eggs, their awesome hash browns, and a pancake that had oatmeal inside and peanut butter whipped cream on top. Nate got some sort of Eggs Benedict concoction with a sweet potato pancake on the side, topped with some sort of nuts and exotic whipped cream. Amazing.







We were home by 9:00 somehow and we gathered up the troops to head for the Museum of Discovery around 10:00. My parents stopped by Memaw and Pepaw's hotel to get them first and we all met at the museum after that. Seriously, this has to be one of the most incredible kids' museums ever. There was SO much to see and both kids (and all of the adults) were captivated the entire time.



Truman's favorite exhibit: The Ball Run. There were tubes that you stick to the wall to make a giant tunnel for whiffle balls


My favorite exhibit: a huge wall of tiny round mirrors, pinned to the wall. There were three giant air blowers that you could shoot against the wall to see the mirrors move. I could not stop taking pictures of this 'Wind Wall'.
















Rolling tennis balls down ramps, another fave:




Nate made a parachute and let it blow around in this giant tube. Pretty sweet:




Mr. Bonz--a skeleton that rides his bike from the power you create with yours, and you see how fast you can get his heart beating.








Mirrors and rainbow light, can't lose with that combo:






Giant air blowers shooting beach balls into the air:




My other favorite room: The Reactable. I can't fully describe this one but all of these little cubes had symbols on them. As you placed each cube on the lighted table, they would all react with each other in different ways. So the drum symbol would make the surround sound music in the room strong with percussion. The music note symbol would change the tune all together. Some of the blocks and cubes would cancel each other out, make lines to each other on the table, and cause static. It was SO cool and Nate and I decided we wanted to go back to the museum just to play in that room and figure out what each cube meant and how it could interact with all of the others.











Other really cool things that deserved pictures:


























We left at 1:00 pm and both kids were on the VERGE. Actually, no, Truman tipped over the cliff because he had his first and only major meltdown of our trip as we were leaving the museum. It all started with him wanting a small tractor toy in the gift shop. We told him 'no' at the beginning of the day when he asked. Then Memaw said she'd like to treat the kids to something in the shop as we were leaving, so we figured he'd grab the tractor and we'd be on our way. But no. He had to peruse the entire store and found a gigantic classic train set (that didn't even look that fun to me) and HAD.TO.HAVE.IT. We told him there was no way, that it could never fit in our suitcases, and the deal was to get something very small. Like the beloved tractor he wanted so badly. But it was too late, no reasoning would work at this point. After trying to rationalize with him I finally told Nate it was pointless and we just had to pick him up and leave. Of course, that caused a huge scene with screaming and wailing and OMG life is so hard on vacation. He sobbed the entire way home and neither Nate nor I felt bad for him. I know he was overtired and the lack of routine and constant attention just finally caught up to him. But come on, kid. Cecelia didn't seem to mind the meltdown and promptly passed out in the car amidst the screaming.

Once we got home we put CC down in the crib and calmly placed Truman in his room as well. I mean, pretty awful to have such a tantrum in front of my parents and grandparents on our last day there, but what are you going to do? Eventually Truman calmed down enough to come downstairs and he said he was sorry to every one of us. Then he ate lunch with us and was happy as a clam---three year olds are seriously EMOTIONAL, right? Wow. Love that little lunatic and I'm proud of him for lasting 7 days without an epic tantrum, I guess. ;)

Everyone else went to nap except for Nate and myself. Take a guess at what we decided to do next: 1. Brewery Tour, or B: Coffee. Answer? BOTH. Hahahahahaha. Vacation is the best.

We went to O'Dell Brewery for a tour from 3:00-3:45. It was super informational and a lot smaller/less excessive than New Belgium was. I mean, we 'only' got one beer at the end of the tour instead of the 6-7 at NB and our tour guide was not quite animated at O'Dell. But it was still super cool and I actually felt like I learned a lot about the brewing process here. Go figure!



















After that we went for our final coffee date. We decided to return to The Bean Cycle, which was the first place we tried on our first day of vacation. Mostly because Nate didn't get a soy latte that time and he wanted to officially have one at each place. HA! Their Americano was every bit as badass as the others, too.





We got home around 5, and the kids were awake. Cecelia had napped for 3.5 hours and Truman for 3 so I figured they'd be in decent moods all night (they were, actually). We had dinner as a big ground around 6 and it was a little more calm than the night before. After dinner Memaw asked if she and mom could take the kids to Toys-R-Us to get the kids something as a treat. My mom had already given them two gifts during the trip but I guess MM wanted her turn at spoilage, so of course I said that was fine. Just no giant train sets allowed! The four of them were off, the rest of us cleaned up and then Nate and I started to pack our things.

Mom and Memaw brought the kids, new toys, and cookies home from their trip. We all hung out and the kids played (ie destroyed the house), and then we gave the children baths to wash off the chocolate and filth. Memaw and Pepaw left for their hotel around 9, and they planned to come over bright and early for a final goodbye the next day. Kids were down at 9:39 and the adults were shortly behind at 10pm this night.







I remember singing to Truman this night, doing my part of the bedtime routine. He was kind of weepy and kept saying, 'Are we leaving in the morning? I don't want to leave. I like Colorado.' Break my heart. ;(

Wednesday, October 30: Day 8

Crappy night as I couldn't sleep for some reason. Too many thoughts running through the old noggin, so I was awake from 3:30-5:30 and the alarm went off at 6:00. I think Truman needed to be tucked in somewhere in there, too, but I can't remember. Yawn.

Memaw and Pepaw came over at 7 which is right when both kids were waking up. I actually had to wake Truman up this morning, now that I think about it. Because the only time I cried this day was when I went into his room in the morning. The first thing he said to me was, 'I don't want to leave, I'm going to miss everyone. I'm going to miss all of my friends.' Ugghhhhhh. More than this mom can handle, for sure. I just told him that I was going to miss GoGo and PoPo, too. He told me that he was going to miss GoGo, PoPo, Michael, Lucie (the dog), and MM and PP. Poor guy was really having a hard time leaving this magical place of vacation. Hate living so far away from my parents because of moments like this, it always breaks my heart to hear Truman so upset about our time together ending.

We ate breakfast and scrambled around to pack everything up for good. Apparently we shopped a LOT on this trip because Nate had a hard time getting everything to fit in our bags. And those bags were 25 pounds heavier than when we came. Whoops. We left the house at 8 after saying goodbye to Pepaw, but Memaw decided to ride with my mom and kids in one of the cars to the airport. Dad, Nate and I rode in the other and we were off!

We arrived at the airport at 9 which was good, as our flight was supposed to take off at 10:15. We said our goodbyes and it wasn't actually too sad since we were kind of preoccupied with eleventy billion pounds of luggage and a rush to get moving towards our flight. But I did tell my dad on the drive to the airport that if he wanted to start looking for jobs in Milwaukee anytime soon, we'd happily support that decision;)

The line at the ticket counter was fairly long, Truman informed us that he had to poop bad, and it was pretty much general chaos getting our tickets even though we checked in online. It's always a pain to go to the counter but we had to do that to check our bags and add the 'infant in lap' to my ticket. Anyway, we avoided an accident successfully and Truman went to the bathroom with Nate as I changed CC's diaper. She was very unhappy already and basically she needed a nap like yesterday.

Approaching the security line we felt a sense of dread because the line was super long, and we had to walk forever just to get to security. Cecelia would not allow us to put her in the stroller and instead she insisted on pushing the empty stroller....into random people's legs and whatnot. OMG. Once we finally got through security CC was losing her mind and the sweetest TSA agent came up to us and asked if CC liked dogs. I was shocked and said, 'Um, yes?' and he said to watch this because it's 99% effective. He crouched behind her stroller so she couldn't see him and then proceeded to bark like a dog--very realistically. She immediately stopped, stared, and tried to find the 'daw daw'. It worked! I thanked the man over and over again and got the feeling he did this stunt a few times every day.

We rushed to our gate and somehow arrived before our plane had even landed. So we sat and rested a bit while Cecelia got worked up again. I frantically pulled out my emergency lollipops but once those were gone CC was yelling again.






We eventually boarded and found three seats next to each other. I dug even further for my EXTRA emergency SOS jelly beans within 5 minutes of sitting down on the plane, because it was just that critical. Don't worry, Cecelia ate almost the entire bag by herself over the next 30 minutes. But it kept her quiet and happy so anything goes, right?

The flight took off a little bit late, more like 10:45. And as expected, this 2 hour flight was a lot longer than the first one somehow. CC was just restless, Truman was fine with his ipod and headphones but not quite as captivated this time around. He also had a new dry-erase maze book that kept him entertained for quite awhile. I took Truman to the bathroom once, Nate wrestled our alligator baby in the seats and finally...FINALLY...right as we started to descend Cecelia passed out in my arms. Haven't had her do that in months but it was much needed. Of course, I wish she had slept earlier but oh well.







Nate's parents had parked our car in the garage for us the night before, so I took my sleeping daughter in the stroller and hunted for the car while the guys got our luggage. I eventually found it but as soon as I put CC in her car seat she woke up and was not the happiest. We picked up the boys and headed home, arriving there at 2:30. Both kids napped immediately and we began to unpack, remarking that yes, vacation is awesome. But it's awfully nice to be back home, too.

So in ends the length series of posts about our vacation. I want to go back immediately, but to answer a popular question: no. I don't think we are moving to CO anytime soon. ;)