Colorado Vacation 2009

Mt. Capulin volcano

Rory's ready for an ADVENTURE!!

Abby calling Papa on her foot phone... Oh to be that flexible

Our mighty guide!!

Soooooo sleepy

It's been a long trip

A herd of elk

The fog rolling in over the mountain

Michael working on the deck

Abby and Daddy on the unfinished deck

(This picture scares Mommy!)

Rory is so proud that she got to go out on the deck with Daddy

(This picture also scares Mommy!)

Abby helping her Gigi in the kitchen

Rory discovered the fun of magnets!!

Silly Abby!!

The deck is almost done!!! Michael is working hard to help finish it!!

Rory is tired from directing traffic all day!!

Abby has worked hard all day long

Michael using the power saw for the first time!!! My Handyman!!!

Rory loooooooved being outside on the deck!

Abby is playing us some mountain music on the chair!

What a hansom man!!

Abby and Rory looking for Daddy below the deck

Rory loved sitting on the spiral staircase!!

Fisherman Braxton

Look at that fish!!!

Michael's first fish of the day

Rory's hair is finally long enough to put in pigtails!!

Rory in the hammock with Papa

When Grandchildren Attack!!

Abby sitting high up on the stairs

(Yet another scary picture for Mommy)

Braxton's castle

"Who goes there!?!?"

Gigi and Abby

It's too early for pictures, Mommy!

Stretching our legs on the way home

Abby's such a big girl and is exploring

" Can I help you?" ~Rory

Headed home!!

At the end of June, we left for vacation at our family's cabin in Colorado. We decided that it was time to get out of town for a while and thought that the girls would enjoy discovering all the new things that the Colorado cabin has to offer. We were right!! While the girls didn't really enjoy the long car trip (about 6 1/2-7 hours one way), they went wild over all of the new discoveries that they made!! We all saw wildlife (deer, elk, wild turkey, squirrels, birds... etc.). Anything new that the girls didn't know the name for was automatically "puppy." It was too funny!! While we were there, Michael and my dad decided to rebuild/repair the deck area. The deck is 16 ft. off the ground and they were working with very little between them and a long fall. It was scary, but they did wonderful! The girls stood at the door that leads out to the deck (behind a baby gate, of course) and directed them as to what they needed to be doing. The girls would say "oh! Daddy!" or "no, no Papa!" When Michael started using the power saw to cut the boards for the deck, both girls completely lost it and started screaming "no Daddy!!!" They were so worried that loud saw was getting their Daddy. If you haven't figured it out yet, they are very protective of Daddy!! Michael, my dad, Braxton, Shandra and I went fishing one day while we were there. Braxton was so excited to go fishing for the very first time! We were so amazed. He caught a fish less than five minutes after he put his line in the water!! It was a nice size fish, too!!! What a little fisherman he may turn out to be!! The girls were quite the little helpers the whole time that we were at the cabin. Abby loved to be in the kitchen directing traffic and rearranging for us!! When I was cooking in the kitchen, both girls would carry a plastic cup and spoon around stirring up their imaginary food. They would even give us a "bite." It amazes me how much they imitate us already! There are so many fun things that the girls got a chance to do while we were in Colorado. It was so much fun watching them experience everything for the first time!! We were also amazed at how well the girls have done since having tubes put in their ears!! Both girls are talking more and more (which we didn't think was possible for Rory). Abby isn't even the same child as she was before the surgery!! She is happier. She talks all the time. She laughs and carries on with her sister. It's amazing!!! We are thankful for a good vacation time where we could focus on the girls and everything that they are doing now instead of running from place to place like we seem to at home. We came home before everyone else beacuse Michael is going to take his state certification test so that he will be certified to teach both Latin and History. All in all, it was a great vacation and we look forward to going back again!