Day 5: Last Day in the Mountains

We went on another hike today, though this one was planned out a little better. Matthew, Charlotte, Tom, Edie and I, hiked up to Fern Falls with the rest of the group, but turned around and headed back once we got there. The rest of the crew hiked the rest of the way up the mountain to Fern lake to do some "fishing", though I don't believe any fish were actually caught. Charlotte was perfect again and really seemed to enjoy watching the trail and the scenery around her. It was so fun watching her drink it all in. I love being able to see these things again for the first time. Being a parent is awesome.

A goofy family photo, but at least it proves I was there!

Uncle Andy fishing at the Pool

Asleep at the Falls

Such an adoring face- raise your hand if you think this girl loves her daddy

To finish the evening off, we had dinner at the historic Stanley Hotel in Estes. The hotel was pretty sweet, and the food was nice, but expensive. It was neat to see the view from the front porch after dinner; Charlotte got a kick out of the mountain breeze in her hair. After dinner we headed back to the condo for a lovely strawberry shortcake-scone dessert that Linda made and conversation about everyone's favorite parts of the trip. It was a lovely evening.

Day 4: A little break

We didn't do a whole lot this day. Kevin, Phil, Andrew and I hit the golf course. It was a lot of fun. I hadn't been on a course in over two years, so it was nice to swing a club again. My game has seen better days, but I didn't suck nearly as much as I thought I would. At least I came in under 50 for 9 holes. :)

Charlotte spent most of the day playing with Grandma and Grandpa. They took her to a playground and walked around the complex with her while Matthew took a nap. A looooooong nap. He was still asleep when we got back from the course. We went into town for lunch, did a little shopping, and then came back up and just chilled. Kevin and Cindy hosted a happy hour and then grilled a fabulous dinner. After dinner we played Taboo. Lots of fun, even though Charlotte decided to wake up after dinner and throw an enormous fit. I missed dessert, but I was able to get her calmed down and back in bed in time for the games. It got pretty competitive and I refused to leave until my team won a round, but it was so much fun. Family games are the best.

There weren't a lot of pictures taken today, but I did snap a few while we were in the heat of Taboo battle.

Day 3: Charlotte's First Mountain

I was really excited to take Charlotte to the mountains. Her Grandpa Drury grew up in Denver, so mountain blood runs through her veins! She did a great job; I was super impressed. She loved the backpack and spent the entire day in the backpack without so much as a peep! Thank you to Grandpa Freeman and Grandma Edie for the hiking backpack- it was awesome.

As an additional note, our "acclimation" hike was, well, a little insane. It involved climbing up a mountain and then back down to get to Cub Lake. To get back to the cars, we would have had to climb all the way back up and down again. Needless to say, there wasn't a lot of eagerness in the group to climb back up, particularly with Charlotte. So our manly men Matthew and Phil climbed up the mountain and picked the rest of us up at another trail head. We took a slightly longer, but really easy hike to the trail head and just as we got there, the cars pulled up. A wonderful sight!

Charlotte needed to refuel.

Uncle Andy took over the baby carrier for the rest of the hike. He said he wanted the exercise; boy, did he get it!

Don't worry, Uncle Andy. I'll make sure your hat doesn't go anywhere.

See that lake all the way at the bottom? That's where we were headed.

Getting closer...

We made it to Cub Lake!

Charlotte decided to carry the hiking poles for the last leg of the hike.

The end of the trail. Yay!

After we got back, some members of the hiking party relaxed in the hot tub while others just crashed. We all met up again for a great dinner followed by a rousing game of Apples to Apples. So fun. I love playing games with the Freeman/Johnston/Miller group!

Colorado!

So I'm breaking this up into days because I took over 300 pictures this vacation. It's taking some time to sift through them, but I think I'm good to go. I'll post the days separately, but it occurs to me now that it will be posted backwards. All, well- you guys can deal!

As some of you know, Matt's dad and step-mom own a timeshare in Estes Park, CO, so they invited us to spend the week with them. Matt's aunt and uncle, Cindy and Kevin, were also there with their son, Phil, and Sara, his girlfriend. Phil and Sara are two of Charlotte's favorite sitters. :) We had a fabulous time and I was so bummed we had to come back before everyone else, but alas, I haven't earned enough vacation time to take the whole week. Fooey. We had a great time while we there, though!

Days 1 and 2: St. Louis to Kansas City to Estes Park, Colorado

We drove from St. Louis to KC the first night in an effort to break up the trip a little. It was Charlotte's first long ride in the front facing carseat, so we wanted to get her acclimated. She did awesome!

The armrest Matthew made me. It was perfect!

Dinner at Arby's before heading for KC

Having fun in the fun zone!

And we're off to Estes Park

Charlotte did quite a bit of this on the trip...

A little of this

Quite a few sleepy stares,

But also lots of fun!



Entering the windfarms- the highlight of Matthew's trip.

We intended to take Charlotte's picture at each state line, but she was asleep, so this is what we have...

Right after crossing the border

The AWESOME sky coming into Colorado

No pictures yet

Well, I was hoping to post some pictures of our fabulous Colorado trip as it was happening, but I forgot to bring the camera connector for my computer. So instead, a list of things to look forward to seeing:

1. Charlotte's first long car ride (she did awesome!)
2. Charlotte's first hike, up and down a mountain (again, she did awesome)
3. Daddy time in Estes Park while Mommy hit the golf course
4. Some amazingly exciting firsts that haven't even happened yet!

See you all soon!