Colorado Camping

The week began with a successful eight hour drive where there really were few issues despite having three toddlers in the back seat. We arrived at our camping spot in the afternoon with plenty of time to set up. It was a really beautiful area just outside Delores, Colorado with huge mountains all around and a river about fifty yards away. The first night was pretty cold, but Anna slept pretty well.

On Tuesday most of the family went hiking to the hot springs but Anna and I stayed with Grandma and Grandpa in camp (I just wasn't sure how far I could get carrying that sack of potatoes on my back...). It was probably good because I was able to help cover everything up when the hail started coming down. It was a pretty good storm that seemed to completely miss the hikers, thankfully. Then, once everyone got back into camp, the real storm hit. It rained so hard and had quarter-sized hail for about an hour! My tent, Grandma and Grandpa's old one, definitely had to be retired after the storm. You should have seen the way it sagged under the weight of the hail as it piled on top, just pouring water onto my bed and gear. I was able to salvage some of Anna's and my stuff during the storm so we only had to run into Delores with an Armada full of everyone's wet gear. Ugh, it was a challenge, especially not having Jared there to help me, but we survived. I moved into the trailer that we had hauled our gear up in (special thanks to the Lambsons for such a sturdy vehicle that perfectly fit a mattress and crib).

The rest of the week was mostly storm free aside from a few drops here and there, but the worst part was freezing at night. I was forced to create a "family bed" for most of the nights as I tried different tactics to keep Anna and I warm. There is a reason that she hasn't slept with me since she was a day old - I don't sleep. Anyway, we survived, and finally on the last night, Friday, we both had a VERY successful sleep. It just came down to the perfect arrangement of bedding and pajamas so that circulation was maintained and heat contained. She slept all night by herself and all I cared about was that I slept! But, despite the rough nights, we had glorious days. The food was terrific, the scenery breathtaking, the mosquitoes hungry. I think that Anna and I taste especially scrumptious to those evil hovering bugs because she now looks like she has chicken pox (despite the ample amounts of "OFF" I used on her). I will try to get more pictures later, but this is the only one I have - Grandma, Anna and I went for a hike that was mostly straight up the mountain next to camp. It was gorgeous and exhausting; I'm such a tired, out of shape, pregnant mom, it's not even funny! :)

Toy Box Time

I like to think that Anna really enjoys her toys. Most of them are homemade from fun items around the house (like the Fanta bottle with rice for a noisemaker...) and it seems that she explores them differently each time she comes across one. She certainly decided to do some exploring today as I found her in her toy box digging through her treasures.


I couldn't even get her attention long enough to get a cute picture of her until I started making monkey noises. This was the reaction I then received, I think its a smile...not sure:

Look at all those teeth, though! You can even see her upper molar in the back there! Anyway, it was such a cute face, I had to share it with everyone. I'm so lucky to have such an awesome kid. :)

Walkin' Tall

Well it's official! She is a walking pro now! She just decided this afternoon that she's known how to walk all along and thought it awfully silly that she was still on her hands and knees. Now, she's walking all over the place like it's no big thing. She bends over, picks up her books, waves her arms in the air like she's a blind woman walking, it's so funny. Anyway, we are sooo excited for her, she's such a champ! Yay! Sorry the video is blurry, short and all over the place; it was hard to catch a great video and your daughter at the same time! :)