As I logged-in to write this I noticed the last post was after our New England trip in June, I'm really behind. A lot has happened, here are a few highlights from the last 7 weeks:
The Red Sox were in town to play a three-game series with the Braves, I got tickets to two of the games. For the first game (Friday), Michele and I took Van to his first ever baseball game. He loved it. He loves being around people and anywhere there is a lot going on around him. The second game (Sunday), I took Addison for a daddy/daughter date. She usually does well for most of the game but can get fussy and restless after a while. It was a hot day and she made it through the whole game (with the promise of ice cream) without too much fussing. Pictures HERE.
Most of you know Sullivan turned 1 on July 10th! We took him to the zoo on his birthday and had a party for him the day after. Michele planned a great party and his grandma & aunt "nette" came down from NC for the weekend. Pictures from the zoo HERE & pictures from the party HERE.
We just got back Sunday night from a week long trip to Colorado. We had to use the free tickets (I won from my company Christmas party last year) before Michele went back to work so we had to use them quick. We had several destinations in mind but the class of ticket we used had very limited availability and none of our other choices were available. We also didn't have enough time to get Addison a passport to go out of the country.
The trip was great. It's still amazing to me we fit so much into that amount of time. We stayed in Denver for the first three days. One of those days, we drove to Cheyenne, Wyoming. We also visited Garden of the Gods in Colorado Springs, Casa Bonita and the Denver Zoo.
The last three days were spent in the mountains. We stayed in Breckenridge and visited Glenwood Springs, Mt. Evans & Vail. There are two highlights worth mentioning from our time in the mountains. The first is our hike to Hanging Lake. We read that it was a short 1.2 mile hike to a lake that is hanging from a cliff fed by waterfalls, sounded pretty good. When we got there we found that the 1.2 mile trail was over 1000 vertical feet - that is steep. The sign at the trailhead said to allow 2-3 hours to complete the hike. When I first saw the trail, I told Michele I didn't think it was a good idea to take the kids up there. She insisted it would be fine and would carry the kids if neccessary. Who am I to argue? We made it fine (in 6 hours) and the lake was worth the effort. Addison did an INCREDIBLE job hiking it. We had to pick her up over some exceptionally rocky areas but she did most of it herself. Everyone we passed on the trail was very impressed and surprised by her ability. We even passed a couple who said their 5-year old couldn't do it and had to turn back. On our way back down, we passed an obviously exhausted middle-aged man doubting he could make it any further. He saw Addison and made the comment "if a 2-year old can do it, so can I" and used that as motivation to finish.
The second highlight was our hike on Mount Evans. It's the highest paved road in North America, 14 miles long on a winding road, some areas without a guard rail. Once at the end of the road, it's a 1/4 mile hike the rest of the way to the summit through several rocky switchbacks. We were up in the clouds and could see most of our surroundings during the 20 minute hike but just when we were a few feet from the peak, we started getting pelted by hail. It was only pea-size but we were exposed and the kids did not like it. In the midst of hail, lightning, wind, crying and 40 degree temperatures, I stuck Addison under a nearby rock and covered Sullivan (who was in a carrier on Michele's back) the best I could until it passed. It only took a few minutes before it stopped and we saw a clearing in the sky. We hurried to take a few pictures and video but it was cut short by sirens from below and the Rangers yelling to us to seek shelter immediately because more weather was moving in. I hoisted Addison onto my shoulders and we all "ske-daddled" down the trail and got caught by more hail just before we reached the car. We sat until the weather cleared enough to see the road. It was a scary situation (because we had the kids with us and the Rangers with their sirens made it sound serious) but we made it and some snacks in the car calmed the kids down quickly.
This is the last week of Michele's summer break, she goes back to work on Monday. It went by fast, probably because we did so much. It's hard to believe that my son, who just turned 1 this month has already been in nine states, Addison has been in ten, plus, they have been on top of a 14'er. I feel so lucky that I have such an awesome family and we've been able to have those experiences.
Addison is doing well with potty training. She had a few accidents on the trip and doesn't wake up in the middle of the night if she has to go but, she tells us the rest of the time. She talks in sentences more than not and continues to impress us daily.
Sullivan isn't walking yet. He's getting there but still hasn't tried to take that first step. He is making a few more sounds - not words exactly but, for example, he says pup-pup for dog. He can say ma-ma, da-da, ball, up, bottle and ah-bell for Annabelle.
Hopefully it won't be so long until the next post. You can always check the picture albums online, I tend to update those more often. The July pictures are HERE.
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