Colorado Trip part 3- Will Roger's Tower

While we were driving up the mountain to the zoo we kept seeing a castle like tower beaming high atop one the mountain peaks... We were curious.  We later learned that it was the Will Roger's Shrine monument and admission to it was free with the admission of the zoo.  So after we packed our bags and left the hotel we drove our car up the mountain one last time before leaving CO.

This is what the shrine looked like from far away. 

 This what it looked like closer up the mountain.

 Entrance to the tower grounds

 We climbed the to the very top of the tower and learned about the life of Will Rogers as he played a big part in settling the west.  He was a humanitarian and peacemaker.  We also learned a lot about the settlement of Colorado Springs. 

 I was a bit nervous at the edge, but they weren't.

 AMAZING views of Colorado Springs!

 My Babies!

Colorado trip part 2- Cheyenne Mountain Zoo

Day 3 of our trip to Colorado Springs was spent exploring the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo.  Such an awesome zoo- the natural surroundings, mountain air & breathtaking views added to fun of seeing the animals. 

One of the best parts of the zoo were the giraffes.  When you arrive at the zoo they are there right up front to greet you.  There is a herd of about 20 of them and the zoo lets you purchase lettuce and crackers to hand feed them.  This is highly recommended as they will become your best friend and are quite comical with their long tongues!

Humm, who's do I eat first?

Kyle could have stayed there looking at the giraffes all day.

Here you go!

His best giraffe face!

One of the many beautiful overlooks!

The older kids rode the merry go round.

The younger ones watched.

J and the big bear.

Oh, there is the real grizzly bear!  Amazing to see in real life!

While we were watching him, he came right up to the glass to chew on his bone... There was only a layer of glass to separate us, they boys were in awe. 

The moose was a hit too!

Look at the view the orangutans have!

This mama and baby duo was hilarious.

Hippo taking a nap after a good meal. 

What do you think K is pretending he is?

An orangutan!

So sweet, he spent the whole trip finding flowers to give to me :). 

One more day of Colorado, coming soon!

7 months=many milestones

Yippie, yippie- it is time for this month's photo shoot!  Our little bundle of joy is 7 months old and reaching milestones by the day!  Shortly after his 6 month post, he began army crawling... That does not mean he is slow or limited to where he can squirm!  He is the first of our kids to be effective at this crawl and even started doing it before he could sit up.  He is quick and knows exactly where he wants to go and gets there... He has been know to approach a brother and snatch a toy away from them faster than they even realize he is there.  I guess he has to keep up with the pack :). 

Always searching for new things to explore...

 Hi

 Look Mom!

 Sometimes I get grumpy when my teeth hurt... I have my first 2 teeth in now :). 

 This is my favorite stance... Stinker bug!

 Once in a while I can catch him sitting pretty, most of the time he is on the move.

 He likes to wave bye, bye!

See you next month!

Colorado Adventure part 1

We packed our bags, loaded the kids into the van and took a last minute visit to Colorado Springs, just for family fun time. 
The day we arrived the kids were ready to jump out of their car seats and make a run for it, but it was raining.  What to do, what to do with 4 hyper active kids?  We took them to the Garden of the Gods and had fun running through the trails in the drizzle rain.  There were no pictures taken, but here are the ones we took when we visited 2 years ago.  We had the place to ourselves and enjoyed the mountain air. 

Day 2 of our trip was spent exploring the grounds of Glen Eyrie castle.  It is a place that people can stay overnight (we didn't), but they also allow the public to make advanced reservations to hike the adjacent mountain.  That is what we did and we had a marvelous time!

Excited kids as we entered the beautiful castle grounds

Carter was in tote with dad.

And I got little J!

Nice Castle!

Lovely grass & trees in valley of the mountain.

Brothers that are proud to be the big boys of the group.

This place is right next to the Garden of the Gods, can you tell?

One more castle picture!

Wild Turkeys... A mama and her 2 babies!

Up the mountain we went!  The trail was full of these bridges.

Doesn't this rickety one look fun?!

Stop for a rest.

We had some very informative nature guides to lead the way!

We had to cross the creek a few times

We had a napper!

All of my boys!

Back to the hotel... This little DVD player was a lifesaver! 

Later that day we payed a visit to the Focus on the Family welcome center as we were told that they had a free fun indoor playcenter.   

There was a huge airplane to climb on...

 

Lots of themed rooms to explore, this one was for the Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe

a puppet studio....

...and a stage.