Colorado - Day 4

Don't they look "welcoming" next to the Welcome bear?!

A moose we spotted on our way through Rocky Mountain National Park.

Just a sampling of some of the yummy food we ate at the reunion. No can say they didn't have enough to eat!

Andrew and Uncle Matt playing the Railroad Rush Hour game.

Jail or a giant wheel?

Andrew trying on some hats at a shop in Grand Lake.

A cute toy store in Grand Lake, managed by a woman from Hutchinson of all places.

My view on the drive from Grand Lake to Estes Park.

AKA - the drive up Death Mountain.

This was Keith's view the whole drive - the tailgate of Dad's white Ford in front of us leading us on our treacherous drive.

Monday was check out day at the Lodge, and we decided to stay in Colorado for a couple days with mom and dad. We left Breckenridge and headed to Grand Lake. The drive to Grand Lake was down a mountain and then slowly back up again. Not too hard of a drive. We had a leisurely lunch and then walked around the town for a little while going through some of the shops. The boys did pretty good at first, but got a little tired of shopping and found a playground to entertain them while we finished shopping.

We left Grand Lake mid-afternoon and headed for Estes Park, our final destination for the day. To get there, we followed the shortest route according to the map and the GPS. Bad idea. The shortest route involved going through Rocky Mountain National Park. At first it was a lovely drive with wildlife all around. But the higher we climbed, the more narrow the road and the tighter the turns. I tend to get a little car sick and this was no exception. And did I mention there was some construction - on a mountain! One lane traffic up a mountain, following a pilot car, on a dirt road. Fun. After the construction section, the boys fortunately fell asleep and slept through the worst of the drive.

We continued to climb up the mountain, with no guard rails on the death side of the mountain, which also happened to be my side of the mountain. I refrained from describing the view to Keith. He has a healthy fear of heights and by the time we reached the top, around 12,000 feet, he was sweating and the car thermometer said the outside temp was 53 degrees and the wind was blowing strong. We didn't stop for photos or to check the weather. We just kept praying we could get safely down the other side to Estes Park. And eventually we did. It was not a fun ride and not one that we will take again for a LONG time, if ever!

We were all very happy to reach our hotel and find some dinner. Then it was off to bed to rest up for the adventures in Estes Park the next day.

Colorado - Day 3

Andrew and Annette displaying their Rush Hour game masterpieces.

This was the Railroad version of Rush Hour - HUGE hit with all the kids!
Andrew, Roxton and Tanisha strategizing

A serious meeting on the stairs - Victoria, Annette, Tiana and Courtney

more Grandpa time

Sunday afternoon we took a little walk up the mountain road to see what we could see.

There were A LOT of rocks the boys needed to collect.

Happy with his rock collection

Andrew told us there was a waterfall around the next corner, but we didn't believe him. (He had been on this walk before with Matt and Sarah.) Next time we'll listen to him.

It was amazing and rushing fast with all the melting snow.

a surprise pile of snow on the side of the road

We tried to get the boys to pose in front of the waterfall. All they wanted to do was throw rocks in the water.

Colorado - Day 2

Grandpa and Luke playing cards.

A little jealousy between the cousins and not enough Grandpa to go around.

This is Jonathan 5 minutes after a nap, 2 seconds before a family photo. We had all been napping after a VERY short night and got up in time to take family photos, so we all shared his sentiments.

The whole Nisly family.

Jonathan and Luke love each other. They hug all.the.time!

This is a beautiful rainbow we were blessed with after dinner on Saturday night.

Colorado - Day 1

A wind farm somewhere in western Kansas.

The boys were fascinated and Andrew called it a wind forest.

Andrew wanted to take a few pictures and caught this classic Jonathan expression.

We "heart" DVD players with headphones!

This was the view from the deck of the Lodge we stayed at in Breckenridge.

Another view - I think we were near Peak 7.

High Country Lodge where we stayed. Perfect for a family of 32!

Family meeting the first night to get the plan for the weekend and rules for the Lodge.

Let the games begin!

On June 4, we embarked on our first long road trip with the boys and it was a success! We left early Friday morning and were in the car about 10 hours before we reached the High Country Lodge in Breckenridge and met up with the rest of the Nisly clan for our little family reunion.

The first night was rough, because although we packed everything but the kitchen sink, we failed to include night lights. NEVER leave home without the night lights. Lesson learned! We went to Walmart the next morning and found some night lights. After that, sleep was much better!

As a side, after we arrived at the Lodge, I realized I had been there before, about 10 years ago with a Focus 20 ski trip, where I did not ski, but I did have fun! Ahh, the memories...

Focus 20 - March 2000

Muddy Mess!

This evening, while I chatted with my neighbor, the boys found some mud - thanks to all the crazy rain we've been getting. Jonathan came wandering over to me and I couldn't believe the mess! These pictures don't even show his backside. It looked like he sat in the mud. We couldn't even scold them. We just grabbed the camera, took a few pictures and then hosed them down. And I started another load of laundry.

I still don't know how Jonathan got so much mud on his face. Some things are best left unknown! At least they had fun!

And baby makes 5!

Yes, the rumors are true! I have been gaining a little weight, but for a good cause. Baby #3 is due in late October. Here are some pictures from yesterday's sonogram.

Here's the only profile-type picture we have.

Scary face

Scarier, slightly evil baby face.

And if you don't want to know what we are having, don't scroll down any farther...

Are you sure you want to know?

It's a GIRL!

We are still in shock! We're not sure what to do with a little girl, but I guess we'll find out soon enough!