Family Camping AKA RAIN RAIN GO AWAY (just for 2 days!)

Calling Nana and Papa, daughters, son in laws and grand kids - it's time for our first annual camping trip!

 

We had decided that since Parker was now 2, that we could all handle a camping trip since there are no more babies!!  Not that you can't take a baby camping but it's a whole lot easier when they're a little older!!

 

Glenn and I had scouted out a couple of places earlier and then on the last camping trip, Brad and Glenn had found a couple more spots they liked!  Our wish list included a space large enough for a pickup with a camper and trailer with ATV, a truck with a large camping trailer, and space for 2 tents!  But the biggest thing on the wish list was a place where we could have a campfire and that wish came true because the fire ban was rescinded mid-July!!

 

The Smiths and Keppys headed over on Thursday and picked out the spot and set up - Glenn and I arrived later than night and the Savages got in around noon on Friday!

 

It was great fun having a campfire that first night!  The kids loved it and we roasted marshmallows and s'mores!!

 

I think this was lunch on Friday before Jill's got there as the guys were all out ATVing.

 

I LOVE this picture of Parker - he seems to be saying, Really Dad, you're NOT taking me fishing today?

Evan and Kylan loved the fire - let me repeat that - they LOVED the fire!!!  They would virtually stand there for hours and throw little sticks or pine cones in - an old tin can got thrown in and of course we scolded them for that - and the next thing we knew Evan came running with burnt fingers - he had tried to pick up the can out of the fire!  His fingers blistered but I never heard him complain once!

And what's this???  HAPPY HOUR???  Of course - you can't go camping without 4:00 Happy Hour!

Jill brought bubble cups that she had made - oh my gosh, they were SO CUTE and the kids loved blowing bubbles out of them!!  What a great idea!

Did I catch Robby actually dancing here?  I have no idea but Jessi and Gary sure look excited!

It's sometimes hard to catch Parker with a smile but he was sure happy here!!  I had bought each child $1 items from the Dollar Store so we had little contests and each time they did what they were supposed to do, I handed them a prize - they loved it - Parker is holding the butterfly catcher!

Jessi - did you get too close to the fire in this picture?  Nah - just a little sunburn!!  Now check out the size of these marshmallows that we're roasting!!  THEY ARE HUGE!!!  Jaime brought them and they fit perfectly in a graham cracker for a s'more! 

Yes, they were excited to eat those huge marshmallows!!  Me - I'm not fond of s'mores so I just roast the marshmallow and then eat the chocolate separately!

It was COLD at night - yes - pretty cold!!  We decided that Aleah and Kenzie needed to sleep in the camper with us so we folded down the table to make their bed - Kenzie had a full sized SLICK sleeping bag that just wouldn't stay on the cushions so we ended up putting both girls inside of it and that worked out just great!!  This is what they looked like when they woke up the next morning!

What did we do?  Sometimes we girls got to read!!  Other times we just hung out and talked, took the ATV's out for a ride, of course cooked meals but it worked out great as each family either did a breakfast or dinner and then did the clean up!  The guys did some scouting and riding the ATV's.  I guess we took a walk too!  AND showed the kids how to make their own "houses" by arranging long branches from the trees on the ground for an outline - we used to do that when we were kids!!  Brad and Rayna shot their bows - and the kids played and played!!

It was one fun time EXCEPT for the rain and the mud - let me emphasize the MUD!!  The first night it rained most of the night - lovely to sleep by but horrible to walk in the next morning - all our tennis shoes had 2 inches of caked mud on them - and of course it's pretty messy trying to get in and out of campers and tents with kids and muddy shoes!  Luckily the sun came out soon and of course dried everything out!  But what a mess!

There were a couple of quick showers the next day too but they didn't last long - unfortunately that wasn't the case on Saturday.................it started raining - hard - right after Happy Hour - all the kids went into Jaime's large trailer and played some cards for a while but that interest didn't hold long!!!  It just kept raining and it was COLD out!!  Jill was up for dinner that night so Robby grilled the hot dogs on a grill under the awning and we fed all the kids in the trailer - it worked out fine - I handed plates out to the guys and they were kind enough to sit under the awning and eat as there just wasn't room in the trailer!

And it CONTINUED to rain - no campfire Saturday night!!!  By this time the kids were getting REALLY restless and we resorted to putting in a movie in Jaime's DVD player in the trailer - they loved it of course and we could keep our sanity that way!!

Jill and Robby decided to just pack up in the rain and head home that night - we all tried to get them to stay but Robby assumed it would rain all night - and he was right - IT DID - if we thought it was muddy the day before, oh my - you should have seen it Sunday morning!!

Glenn and I were on duty for breakfast - he cooked bacon outside in the rain under our awning and I cooked French toast in the camper and fed everyone in shifts!!!  It was miserable outside!  The Keppys packed up in the rain and left along with Jaime and Kylan (she had driven a separate car over) as Kylan had a reading program to attend.  The road out was super muddy and slick but they all made it out just fine!!

So that left Brad and Rayna, Glenn and I - we all wanted to go ATVing together and to wait and pack up after the sun came out so it would all dry!  We waited for the rain to stop - and then we waited some more - and then finally at 11:00 we decided it was not going to stop so we started packing up all the wet muddy stuff!!  By the time we loaded the ATV's, the sun came out - but we were too tired to unpack them by this point so we all headed home!!

All in all, one great camping trip!!  I'll leave you with a cute picture of Rayna and also one of all the kids watching the movie in the trailer - what a lifesaver that movie was!!

Our Government Working Hard........

So the morning after Pirates Cove, I headed towards home and stopped at the social security office since I was already coming through Colorado Springs.  I walked in and saw that it was PACKED, went through a metal detector and they searched my purse (gosh, it was almost like at the airport except I didn't have to take my shoes off!) and then instructed me to go to the computer and take a number.

There were 3 choices to choose from and of course I was there for a "social security" name change so I pressed the button and out popped a number - hmmmmm - #37 - I found a seat and then glanced up at the board to see what number they were on - and that was number #14!!

I'm thinking to myself that this might be a LONG, LONG day!!  And I had checked the hours when I walked in and they were 9 to 3 - our wonderful government cutbacks!!

I waited and waited - and in the 20 minutes I waited, only one number was called - #15 - let's see, at this rate they won't even GET TO ME before they close!!  I chose to leave!!

I decided I would do the SMART thing and come back another day at 8:30am and stand outside the door so I could be one of the first ones in line!  Last Thursday I headed down and actually got there at 8:15 - I was 26th in line outside the door!  Guess I wasn't the ONLY smart person!

I had taken a book to read while I waited and after I got in the door and took my number, I was surprised to find that I was #7 for the social security line - luckily I only had about 1/2 hour wait and I was taken care of!

The problem - my name read Becky instead of Rebecca on my card - the guy said it was an easy fix as long as I had proper identification - of course, I had my drivers license, birth certificate and marriage license.  He couldn't use my drivers license - after all it was expired BECAUSE of the social security not matching!!  My birth certificate wasn't even a go - but yes, my marriage license was!!

Note to self:  when dealing with the government on your identification, take EVERYTHING but the kitchen sink to prove who you are!!

This week I'm headed down to FINALLY renew my drivers license - let's see, we're now on trip #5.

Pirates Cove

Another day in Denver?????  YES  - it was time to head to Pirates Cove and the whole gang made it except for Robby and Glenn!!

 

I left the house at 6:30am and had a good drive up with flowing traffic all the way EXCEPT about 3 1/2 miles outside of Denver - I crested a hill and it looked like a parking lot!!  Those 3 1/2 miles took me almost 20 minutes - but as soon as I hit E-470 I was good to go!!

 

By this time I was needing a cup of coffee so stopped at Carino's before I even got to Jessi's (it's on the way) and we soon loaded up and headed out!!

 

We were early enough so that we could stand in line - it's always great to be one of the first ones in so you can grab a couple of picnic tables IN THE SHADE!!  Gary raced over and snatched them and we were set!!

 

Here's Jill and Parker in the parking lot!

 

Was it busy?  Absolutely!!  Was it hot?  Absolutely!!

Lunch always seems to be the BEST part of an outing and this day was no exception!!

Ashley and Brad - also in attendance were Brad's mom and grandma!!

Right away when we arrived, a bunch of us went over and did the lazy river - it was pretty calm and not very busy at that time - later on the wait was at least 1/2 hour!!  The kids love this place and there's a lot of spots just made for little ones - I'm sure in a few years, they'll outgrow it and then it will be time to head to Water World!

After so much time in the sun, the shade was a welcome spot!!

We all had packed a picnic lunch and enjoyed eating that before another couple of hours of playtime!!  By 2:00, we were done!  Jill headed home with her kids and I took Jessi and her family out for ice cream - it's always amazing how GOOD ice cream tastes after you've been in the sun!!

I spent the night at Jessi's place - she had dinner already cooking in the crock pot when we got back to her place -  Gary had a ballgame that night and after the kids went to bed, we sat and talked and talked and watched an excellent documentary!!

I'm pleased to say that my nights sleep was one of the best I've had there - mainly because they now have a real bed in their basement bedroom!!  WOW - it is SO nice and of course it's cool down there too so I slept great!!

Coffee was on the agenda early the next morning and we headed out to a few garage sales but didn't even bother getting out of the car - are we getting picky or what????

On the way home I stopped in Colorado Springs and went to the social security office.........but that's another blog.................

One Last Day of Celebration!

I definitely rolled over and went back to sleep when the 4:30am alarm sounded for Glenn to get up and go fishing.................

 

Patty and I headed out the door early and went for some "sister" time over coffee - YUM!!  It was fun to just relax and talk and go over the exciting weekend!

 

Then it was back to Jaime's where we all piled into cars and headed to the Aurora Reservoir - it wasn't closed on Sunday!!  Most of the morning was sunny but sometimes the clouds covered the sun and we'd cover up with the towels!!

 

 

Aren't these girls, pretty in pink?

Jaime is always cold, even if the sun is shining!!  Jill is sipping the last of her smoothie that I brought her and Jaime had brought a whole tray full of yummy muffins for us to munch on!

Notice those clouds in the sky?  I bet we were covered with towels while Kylan was burying Evan!

Parker didn't care if the sun was shining or not!!

It was a great morning in the sand and the sun and we even got to see the guys out on the boat!!

But by late morning, we were DONE!  We headed back to Jaime's where Jessi already had taco meat going in the crock pot and had lunch - it was naps for the kids (and some of the adults).  Not me, I couldn't wait to watch my DVD again.............

Before Jill's left, we had ONE more thing to do - a list of questions about ME!  They were great questions and I think everyone was a little surprised at my answers!!  Glenn got the most right - guess he's been around me longer than the rest have - but it was a great questionnaire and I'm sure everyone learned just a few more things about me!!

And just like that, the weekend was over...................it was time to head back home.  THANK YOU EVERYONE for making my birthday weekend just fabulous - I have so many great memories to take with me into the next decade - and I thank you all from the bottom of my heart for making my weekend so VERY SPECIAL!!!

The Melting Pot and The Stampede

The day wasn't done yet!!  Far from it!!  I definitely needed some cool cucumbers for my red, swollen eyes but a shower had to suffice!!  We had reservations at The Melting Pot for fondue at 5:00 sharp so the adults put on their "dress up" clothes and headed out the door!!  Luckily, Ashley and Rayna were old enough to babysit the kids!

 

Check us out - do we look good or what???

 

The Melting Pot in Denver is housed in an old library that's been renovated - gosh was it a neat building!!  Lots of nooks and crannies and steps - I loved it!!!  Glenn had a dozen red roses waiting for me - how sweet!!!  I also opened his card and gift - a certificate for a woven blanket with our family picture on it!!  I can't wait to order it!!

We had pre ordered our food - I opted for the one that had  2 glasses of wine included and was pleased they had moscato wine!  So Patty and I just ordered a bottle of it so she could enjoy it too!!

The cheese fondue is my 2nd favorite part of the meal - 4 bubbling pots of 4 different types of cheeses - yum - we passed them all around so we could taste each one and I have to admit, I was full by the time the first course was done.................

Next was the salad - and of course it tasted just great too but salad is salad and I didn't eat too much in anticipation of the next course - the meat and fish!!  Take a peek at Glenn's selection!!  It was all SO delicious!!

Yes we wore our crowns!!!  And got lots of compliments from other people when we headed to the restroom!!  Did I forget to mention that we had our OWN PRIVATE ROOM with the neatest looking water displays ever!!  They turned colors - WOW was it fun to watch the bubbles!!  (Check out the necklace the girls gave me that totally matches the top I wore!)

I paced myself during the meat course as I knew what was coming next - my FAVORITE part of the fondue - CHOCOLATE!!!!  Because I was the birthday girl, the waiter gave me my own plate of dipping items!!  The chocolate was divine - caramel with chocolate and pecans, dark chocolate with raspberry sauce, cookies and crème, and s'mores.  I couldn't even finish my plate...................

Patty captured this picture of the 8 of us!  (Some of us traded places so we could enjoy the water display!)

What a great meal - we spent almost 3 hours at this delightful place and I KNOW we will go there again for a special occasion - it was THAT GOOD!!!   We waddled out of there into the pouring rain - yikes - where's the umbrellas when you need them???

And then it was on to The Stampede - a country western dance club!  We all needed to dance off dinner and everyone took a turn on the dance floor!!

We had a great time dancing, even though we were all so full!!  The guys had fun playing foosball and we all enjoyed watching some of the great dancers on the dance floor!!

I'm not sure what time we headed home but after the day we'd had, we were all one tired group of 9!!!  We girls were excited that we could all sleep in a little bit - the guys decided to get up at 4:30 and go fishing - are you kidding??????

Amazing Gifts

After our fun time at Centennial Park, we headed back to Jaime's for lunch - and then it was present opening time!!

Jessi got the neatest belt - one of those "invisi" or something like that - I don't remember the exact name of it but after I saw it, I immediately ordered one for myself!!

 

Doesn't Aleah look cute in her red, white and blue dress?  She's all smiles getting ready to blow out her candles!!

We got Aleah a set of princess sheets, a decoration for her room and the book Olivia!!  She loves to be read to!

Jill got a pretty necklace from Jessi!

After the girls and Aleah opened their gifts, I stood up and made an announcement.  It was going to be "Christmas In July" for the 4 guys who usually exchange names at Christmas.  We girls got involved this year and decided to get them Broncos tickets!  Boy was that quite the day, trying to book those tickets when they went on sale!!  Jill was on her computer in Ft Collins and I was on my computer at work (praying that no one would walk into the showroom that needed help) and when the appropriate time came, we both clicked the button on the game we wanted.  Luckily Jill's computer is faster than mine as her 4 tickets popped up and mine, no such luck - they were gone...............yep, that's how fast tickets can go!!  So Jill grabbed her credit card and got them booked!!  THANK YOU JILL!!! 

So I printed out cute little coupons from the computer with the info on the game and all 4 guys opened them - Glenn was all smiles - I KNOW they'll love this gift!!

After the kids were put down for naps, it was time for me to open my gift!!  I got a beautiful necklace that would match the top I was wearing that evening!  And then I was handed this..........

Oh  my, the water works started and I could hardly stop crying to read the 60 things and see all of the wonderful pictures that were in this book!!  I was thrilled - Glenn was thrilled - there's just nothing like photos of your family with neat things written about the two of you!!  It was a perfect gift!!

I was SURE I was done opening gifts - but I wasn't!!  The girls handed me a CLUE and I was off on a treasure hunt!!  I used to do this to the girls quite often for gifts and it's always fun to try and figure out the clue and then find the next one!!  I think the first one was the toughest but with a little help, I figured it out!  I raced around the house finding all of the clues and the last one said to sit on the couch and push PLAY!

I couldn't believe my eyes - it was a DVD made by the 3 girls and Robby - and pictures of my  childhood started scrolling past on the screen!!  And then came the video clips!!  In amongst the pictures were family and friends, speaking to ME, wishing me a Happy Birthday and saying the most wonderful things about me.....................it was just too much - the waterworks came again and I think I cried during the entire 60 minute DVD!!

The girls went to SO MUCH WORK putting all of this together for me - I guess they started back in Feb. gathering pictures and emailing friends and family - it was just the most perfect gift and nothing they could have BOUGHT would have been better - this was the ultimate present and something that I can enjoy each and every year when I watch it!!  THANK YOU JAIME, JILL, JESSI AND ROBBY!!

I was emotionally exhausted after crying so much, BUT it was time to shower and get ready for the next birthday adventure - heading to The Melting Pot!!

Aleah 4 - Jessi 32 - Jill 33 - Becky 60

 Yes, we DO have the July birthdays, don't we??  A VERY Happy Birthday to Aleah and Jessi whose birthdays I didn't mention yet!!

 

And here's the birthday girls on Saturday, July 13th!!

But before we headed out for the days' activities..........Gary had headed out to the reservoir early to save a place under a canopy and to grab a couple of picnic tables - but it was not to be!!  The Reservoir was having a triathlon and there were about 5000 people out there - and it was closed to the public.  Gosh, there went Plan A - next was Plan B which would have been Jessi and Gary's subdivision swimming pool but it was also closed due to a swim meet - Plan C WORKED!!  Centennial Park turned out to be perfect!!

I requested coffee at Carinos so rode in Jessi's car and we made a quick stop for coffee and a smoothie for Jill!!  The day was perfect - a little bit of cloud cover and blue skies!!

I had been to this park once before and loved it!!  This time the splash part was also open so the kids all wore their suits and had a ball when the water was turned on!!  Jaime decided to do some climbing!

It wasn't too crowded at first so that made it nice!!  Jessi's friends Courtney and Matt and their 2 girls also joined us!!  Here's Robby and Jill enjoying the day!

Jill will hate this picture but I think it's classic!!! I think she's actually thinking about trying a piece of cantaloupe or honey dew - she's not fond of either!!   Of course Patty came along too!

The sandbox is always a hit at this park - and I shouldn't call it a "box" because it's HUGE!!!

Have I ever taken a picture when Kenzie wasn't smiling?  She's a photographers delight!!

It's a lot harder to capture Aleah smiling but I clicked a minute too soon because she DID smile in someone elses picture!!

Kylan was enjoying the water AND the sand!!

After a couple of hours in the sun, it was time to head back to Jaime's for lunch and gifts!!  Can you tell I'm stretching this weekend out as long as I can?