Spring Break

The first part of Spring Break was relaxing. We did a few art projects and went out to lunch with Grammy. When did some bubble art on canvas, I really liked the finish project. The second part of Spring break we spent in Colorado.

We got there on a Saturday. Sunday was beautiful. It was in the 70's. We went to the park and Abby showed us how she can now swing on her own. Good job Abby. It was a park at the base of what they call the Flatirons. We could also see them at David's apartment. They are called the Flatirons because when you look at them from the side they look like the old Flatirons everyone use to use standing up with the base sticking out to us. It might be hard to tell but once David pointed it out to me I could see it. This is near John's house so we got to visit after and go have lunch.
We went to Pearl street which is lots of restaurants and bars and shops and had lunch at a great Mexican Restaurant. We got to sit on the roof. After lunch we walked around. On the Weekends they have many people out performing. They had some really good people. There was a couple playing didgeridoos (I looked that up, had no idea what they were called before). Ainsley had been asking to go up and play with someone or get involved somehow. She is just like that, not sure where she got it. She like to go on stage and dance or play an instrument any chance she got. She kept inching closer and closer. We tried to stop her but they wave her on in. So she got to hang out with them and she loved it. I forgot my camera but David got some with the iphone. She is so outgoing, it just amazes me. She has no problem asking anyone a question or if she wants something she will go up to any and ask.

Her longing to go up there.
No fear, she just walks right up.
Just hanging out.

We then headed up to the house to show the girls. The people that lived there her husband go laid off and moved to Pennsylvania for a job. She has four kids and they have stayed behind until they sold the house. They were all very sweet and showed the kids all over the house and they played wii for awhile. The kids were excited by the house and picked out their bedrooms. Then they took us on a hike up behind the house. Right behind the house is a wooded area. There are a few properties that back up to ours but you cannot see those houses from ours. I think we can only see two or three other houses from out house. Once you get past the few in back of us it opens up and is National Forest Land. Once you get to the top you can see the Continental Divide, or so I was told I would have no idea. That would be the Mountains in the pictures below with all the snow. There are a ton of hiking trails from this point. If you look at the picture on the top right our house is somewhere down in all those trees. The bottom left picture is Abby investigating the remains of an Elk. Apparently taken down buy a Mountain Lion or so they think. Abby is always my investigator especially when it comes to animals.

We then headed back down to Boulder and met up with John again. We all went to a Scottish Restaurant. I cannot say I was a huge fan. It was fun though. They had a band playing. Ainsley kept begging us to go up there and of course they came around and asked. You don't have to ask her twice. They handed her something to play, I don't remember what it was and she had a blast. It was to dark in there and my picture did not come out good. I have two cameras, the really nice one and then the pocket size one. I am not sure what is wrong with the pocket size one but it come out weird sometimes. I think I might need a new battery for it. It has been weird ever since Italy(I did not have the nice one at that point). Maybe to much humidity messed it up. I just looked it up and I might have fixed the problem, I will test it out this weekend. Sorry I got distracted. Back to Colorado.

Monday was colder and windy. David's apartment was really close to chick fil a so we went there for lunch. I then wanted to see if I could find the park in Boulder again on my own. David was living about 15 minutes from Boulder. I found it we did not stay to long because it was cold. I also found the library and we hung out there for a long time. We could not check out books yet but it was still nice.

Tuesday we went to the Butterfly Museum. It is not in Boulder but another city between Boulder and Denver. It also had other things beside butterflies. There was a tarantula named Rosie. It seems to be a big deal there and everyone knows what you are talking about when you say Rosie. So they let it walk across your hand. Both kids said no way. Abby then changed her mind and did it and of course if Abby is willing to do it then Ainsley had to do it too.
I let the girls get something small in the gift shop when we were done. Abby got a Tarantula to remind her of Rosie. David hates it. Abby was Rosie obsessed for weeks after.


On Wednesday we went to the Denver Zoo. I was so proud of myself for finding it. It was a ways from where we are and I am not at all familiar with Denver. It was a great Zoo. There are so many animals. I really like the Phoenix Zoo for many reasons but this was so much fun to get to see this many animals. I could only put a few. There was a six week old Giraffe. It is already huge, hard to believe it is 6 weeks. The girls favorites were the Seal Lion and the Penguins. I could not get them to leave and that is where we spent a lot of our time. On the bottom right Abby is leading us around with her map. She has it all under control and is trying to lead us to food because she is hungry. It has way better food then the Phoenix Zoo. The Peacock next to that picture came right up to us as we were eating and starred for awhile and then moved on. Of course we had to finish with ice cream even though it was really cold out.
Thursday we woke up to this. When we went to bed at about 11 or 12 there was not a cloud in the sky. It did not stop snowing all day and dumped 3+ feet. At times we could not even see across the street. I tried to take David to work, which was an experience for me since I have not driven in the snow much. We ended up coming home because they would not let us on the freeway. They had shut it down from all the accidents and people who could not make it up the hill getting stuck. The other roads were really not plowed yet so David worked from the apartment. The picture of the girls is me pulling out some stuff I brought to keep them occupied while he did a teleconference. That is hard to do in a one bedroom apartment with two kids.

That afternoon we went sledding. This is what Ainsley has been wanting to do for so long. They had a blast or they did until Abby did a face plant in the snow when they came down the hill. So I took off my scarf and wrapped it around her face and then she was fine. Ainsley was very excited because we had one of the best sleds on the hill. You can see that there were several people there. Abby decided she wanted to swing but it was pretty hard with all the snow. We did not stay a really long time because we do not have snow pants for them yet and so they got cold fast. I promised them next year they will have snow pants and all the proper things needed to play in the snow.

Friday was nice and sunny with lots of snow so we went out front of the apartment to mess up all the nice beautiful clean snow in front. They also had a great time playing on the big mound the plow had left. Grammy wanted snow Angel pictures so that is what we did.

On Saturday we took at drive. I had told David I would like to see Breckenridge and Vail some day. We decided this time to go to Breckenridge. We took the long way and went through Fairplay which is in and area called Southpark. Yes, if you watch the show Southpark it is close to were one of the guys grew up and what he used as is model for the town. We had a really great lunch there. It was a beautiful drive but at times really icy and winding. In the one picture you can see the snow whipping across the road. Between Fairplay and Breckenridge was amazing. All the mountains with all the snow. Some of it I wish there would have been a good place to pull over and take a picture. Most of the pictures I took were from the truck and I don't think they do it justice. Between Breckenridge and home it was packed. Everyone was coming home from skiing and so it was bumper to bumper traffic. The whole time Ainsley kept her head down with headphones on and played her Leapster. Not a sound out of her. Abby was the one that kept whinny and asking when we would be home. Towards the end of the drive I said I think I want something and David said spell it. I said I am not spelling it with Ainsley in the car in case we don't want to do it. He said she has her head phones on she is not paying attention. So then he says do you want cold. He left off the stone part. She instantly looked up and said that spells cold. I told him. We never did get any.
On Monday we went back up to the house and then off to the kids school. They were really excited by the school. I was impressed. The good thing is it is still part of Boulder District so they get a decent amount of money and it should in all the stuff they had. The girls were most impressed by PE. PE is roller blading and yes they have all the equipment for the kids. Skiing. The whole month of April is gymnastics month. They have the gym filled with mats and bars and at the end the kids put on performances for their parents. The art, science, and music rooms were very impressive. Ainsley loved their library. That was really good and put my mind at ease a little. You never know until you start how it really would be but the office staff and the principal were very nice.

This trip tired the kids out. We are ready to be home in our own beds. It is sad to leave Daddy but we like our own beds and stuff. It will be nice when they are all in the same place again.