1 Year, 36 Weeks.
Greetings from Denver! We were privileged to have spent the last 12 days with Tangie's parents, grandparents, and family members at the Mile High City and partook of some chilly winter weather for a wonderful Christmas holiday. It had been forever and a half since we've been able to spend this time of the year somewhere else other than Orlando, so it was a welcomed change of scenery and location. It was also a great opportunity for the Campbell clan to enjoy the grandchildren since our last visit in March, and enjoy them they did! So get ready to join us for at least a couple of hours, as we take you on a whirlwind trip, on this, the mother of all blog entries! Here's the play by play:
I'll start with the Thursday prior to our departure. Our good friends Adam and Annette Heck were in town from Chattanooga, TN and had wanted to see us before we left. Tangie was working late that evening so the children and I hosted them with an easy supper of pizza. They brought their "child" with them as well, their 4 month old Australian Shepherd Ozzie, over to the house so Braelyn could play with him, although she was a little more intimidated by his playfulness. So she climbed on top of my shoulders while I kept him at bay. After the children went down for bed we rented a movie and caught up before they headed out. It was so nice to see them!
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| From Braelyn's point of view of us eating with Adam & Annette. |
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| Brae meets Ozzie. |
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| Adam gave Brae some treats to help Ozzie do some tricks. |
On Friday Braelyn was dismissed from school at noon for holiday vacation. They had their Pre-K Christmas party so we had to bring a gift we could exchange with another classmate. She also got a chance to skip out on wearing her uniform for the day so she opted to wear her ballerina outfit to school, which she got a kick out of. The twins and I had a busy morning continuing to prepare our gear for our trip, before heading out to pick Braelyn up. Knowing that we had dinner plans that night and that they needed to take real good naps that afternoon, I swung by a local park, one that we had never been to, and let the children play for a good hour, to get them tuckered out. Later that evening we hooked up with our friends Kent and Kelli Johnson and attended the Food Trucks Pod in Ocoee's Bill Breeze Park. They had never been to one before but had read about it on our blog from our past visits, so were interested to try it out. It was great weather and the town did a nice job putting up the event, complete with bouncy houses, string lights, and a family movie playing up on the big inflatable screen. We tried out some new dishes, including 4 cheese grit cakes, fried green tomatoes, and fried Grouper cheek sliders. It was a very enjoyable evening and we were glad to spend some time with them before we left.
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| Little Miss ballerina all dressed in pink. |
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| We had the entire playground to ourselves! |
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| Trying to keep up with big sister. |
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| Showing a tremendous sense of balance. |
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| Braelyn on the spider web. |
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| Maddy loved climbing up the platforms. |
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| Trying out the different foods under the lights in Bill Breeze Park. |
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| Kent and Kelli try out the crepe station. |
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| Maddy finishes up Mommy's chocolate cake! |
So Saturday morning we "tried" to sleep in a little bit, for we knew how long the day was going to be. "Tried" is the key word here, for we allowed Braelyn to go into the nursery and play with the twins while we snoozed, and paid dearly for it. After my mind continued to wander with what needed to be completed before we headed out for the airport, I went to get the kids' clean laundry and brought it to their rooms upstairs. I wasn't prepared for the sight that welcomed me. Braelyn had decided to have all her stuffed animals have a "sleep over" in the twin's room, and had covered them, and essentially the entire room and carpet, with baby powder. And a brand new bottle at that. Completely gone. What a mess! When Tangie asked her why, she responded, "Because I couldn't find the shaving cream." We quickly forget that she still is only 4 years old. Wow.
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| Ground Zero. |
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| I started getting suspicious when I saw her looking like this. |
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| Covered in evidence! |
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| Mommy in the process of cleaning up. |
Tangie still had some major packing left to do, so I took the twins out to the park for over an hour to play and let off some energy while she took care of packing up the children's things. We picked up lunch on the way home and enjoyed it on the back patio, with the weather so nice and breezy. Then it was off for naps, as the clock was ticking and we had less than 2 ½ hours before we had to start heading to the airport. We quickly finished packing and checking off our list to make sure we hadn't forgotten anything. By 3:45 we had the kids up from their naps and into the van, along with all our our luggage, and started our holiday vacation trip. It was exciting to know that in a few hours we would soon be with loved ones out West, but we also knew those few hours would be busy ones. Little did we know what that would entail.
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| Maddy fashions her sister's old frou frou slippers. |
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| Such diva shoes! |
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| And use a pail for hat! |
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| Braelyn riding the bus back to the airport after we parked the car. |
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| Riding the tram from the terminal to the gate. |
Going through security went without any issues, save the fact our double stroller was a little too big for the x-ray machine and had to be physically inspected by a TSA agent. A lot of work unpacking laptops and shoes and small containers of liquids to go through the detectors meanwhile keeping the children contained throughout the entire process. And then to repack everything back up again! We had a quick bite of pizza and gourmet pretzels at the concourse and then headed to our gate. We had about 15 minutes before the family boarding section on our flight was called, so we had our potty breaks and diaper changes, and allowed the children, no...encouraged the children to run around in circles and chase each other to wear themselves out. We were hoping they would get tired enough to fall asleep once we were in the air. Could we be so lucky?
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| Maddy watches the action on the tarmac while we wait to board. |
We did luck out on the fact that no one sat next to us on each side of the plane, as full as the flight seemed, which meant we had 6 seats between the 5 five of us, with only 3 of the seats paid for! Awesome! So we were able to have some space and stretch out, as much as we could flying coach on a Boeing 737. We could tell the twins were starting to get a bit antsy with the cramped space, but we managed to deter them with books and food during takeoff. Once the all clear for electronics was given we brought out the DVD player, and when that battery died, out came the laptop for some entertainment and more movies. The flight on Southwest took 3 hours and 15 minutes, all the while the children, as fussy and tired they were, refused to go to sleep, Which meant for constant attention on our part, although there was this 30 minute stretch where all 3 decided to watch Dora the Explorer on the computer on my side of the plane, that allowed Tangie to snooze for a half hour and get some rest. How lucky was she!
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| Kohl and Brae watch movie #1, |
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| while Mommy keeps Madelyn busy with coloring. |
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| Trying on Daddy's cap and sunglasses. |
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| Movie #2: Maddy & Kohl split earphones with one earplug each! |
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| Lucky girl! |
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| We're here! Maddy looking out before we disembark. |
We arrived at 8:30 Mountain time, so it was 10:30 PM back home, and the children were still awake. We met Nana and cousin Callen before baggage claim and once we secured all our luggage, our convoy of two black Dodge Durangos arrived to whisk us back to Papa and Nana's house. I mean, talk about service! The temperature was a balmy 27 °F when we arrived and I'm sure the twins were quite confused why it felt like walking into the big Costco cooler area when they stepped outside! Our chauffeurs were Papa and Tangie's brother Tadd, who brought us back to the Campbell residence, where we quickly unloaded so we could get the children down for bed, as it would be almost midnight in real time for them! But that didn't deter Braelyn from taking a few extra minutes outside with her cousin so she could touch the snow! She was so excited! Tangie and I raided the fridge for a late meal and made it to bed close to 3 AM Eastern, exhausted. It was a very long day.
We had a very lazy morning, with Nana cooking some breakfast, and giving the children time to get themselves re-acclimated to the grandparents. Tangie opened her Christmas gift to herself, a new iPhone 4s that she had shipped to Denver so she could get it while we were there. She had been having issues with her Blackberry and all of her team had iPhones, so she wanted to join the bandwagon. And she also needed something she could take photos of the children with, something the other phone couldn’t do. Meanwhile, Nana and Braelyn went outside to do some sledding in a sloped field next to the house, with the twins and Papa looking on from the side windows. For lunch we went to visit some friends of the Campbell’s who were hosting a Denver Broncos game vs. the New England Pats. About 30 or so people there, all cheering their team on during the first quarter, until 3 turnovers later Tim Tebow lost to Tom Brady 41-23. Oh well, at least the food was good. We spent the later part of the afternoon and evening with Tangie’s brother Tadd and his wife Courtney with their kids at their house, ordering in some Mexican food for dinner. We were exhausted and still a bit jet lagged by the time we got back home, but looking forward to the following day’s forecast of scattered snow showers and flurries.
Monday was a day of shopping for us: Tangie and the kids went with her mom and grandparents to the mall while I hit Costco to get some food supplies for Saturday evening’s Christmas Eve party at the Campbell’s, since my mother-in-law recruited me to come up with the dinner menu. I’ve always been a huge fan of Costco but the ones they have in Denver are so awesome in that they have some food items you won’t find in Florida, i.e. Bison burgers and Buffalo cocktail sausages. So exciting! Afterwards I came back to the house, and while the kids slept, programmed both Papa and Nana’s Homelink garage door openers in their cars to their 2 garage doors, so that they wouldn’t have to use their clickers anymore. We met up with them, Tadd & Court plus kids, at Chili’s for supper. The snow continued to come down stronger throughout the afternoon and evening, with the temperature dipping to 11 degrees overnight. I spent a half hour bonding with Tangie’s dad by shoveling snow off their driveway; It was freezing!
Tuesday we packed up our gear (already?!?) and headed west into the Rockies. Tangie’s grandparents have a mountain house in Silverthorne, around half an hour from Breckenridge and Vail, popular ski resorts that most people visit when they go on ski trips to Colorado. Having the 2 days in Denver helped acclimatize us since Silverthorne’s elevation is 8752 feet above sea level, or, Florida. Dave had to stay and work but Jane joined us, along with Tadd and his 2 kids, with Courtney coming up later in the evening. The drive up took a little over an hour with multiple steep grade climbs and descending curves around snow covered mountainsides, breathtaking views for miles and miles and miles. The mountain house was cozy and we quickly filled it with supplies and food and toys for the next 3 days. The children ran around and created their usual chaos and havoc, while we got ourselves settled in. Tangie and I stole away for an hour and visited the outlet shopping area, buying some new outfits from [gasp! and please don’t judge me…] the Banana Republic Factory store. Their summer collection was on sale plus a 50% off discount after the lowest price, and since it’s summer in Florida all the time, we took advantage. Nana hosted a dinner of spaghetti and after the children went down for the night, the adults watched the movie Margin Call (about the recent downfall of the stock market) while we roasted chestnuts on the open fire, the snow silently drifting outside in the frigid 8 degree temperature. Very cozy and Christmassy, if I could say so myself.
Wednesday morning we awoke to fresh powder on the ground, with it still coming down. The clouds were low and dense as the snowfall continued for the better part of the day. Apparently it was so cold, the water bottles I had left in the car had become frozen, just like the local creeks and rivers around the area. After a hearty breakfast to give us some fuel to keep warm, we bundled up the kids and went outside to the sloped areas behind the mountain house and went sledding. The kids had lots of fun, at least, the bigger kids did. Maddy & Kohl couldn’t figure out how to walk in the snow, which was at least 6 inches deep in some places, and didn’t want to keep their gloves on, which made for some very cold hands. After just a few minutes Tangie brought them back inside, where they promptly went down for naps, they were so tired. Braelyn and Callen thoroughly enjoyed themselves, sledding and playing in the snow for a good 2 hours, finally coming back inside only after Nana made them. Note to self: Sledding and climbing in thin air really lets you know how badly out of shape you are! After naps we drove around town just to get out of the house and have a change of scenery. Aunt Courtney was in charge of dinner and treated us to pasta primavera and baked tilapia, before she headed back to Denver to be able to work the next day. I had that suspicious feeling of a cold creeping up, so I double dosed on Nyquil and went to bed as soon as the twins went to bed, which was nine pm. The last few nights hadn’t been as restful as needed and I wanted to deter any opportunity of getting sick.
It worked. I was still on a little bit of a Nyquil hangover when I got out of bed just in time for breakfast, but I was feeling better afterwards and throughout the day. So much so that I was very agreeable when we all decided to go swimming that morning. What?!? Swimming in wintertime in the Rocky Mountains in 14 degree weather? Preposterous! Actually, there is a very nice indoor recreation center there in Silverthorne, with a gym and fitness center, swimming pools for all ages, including toddlers and small children, lap pools, saunas & steam rooms, hot tubs both inside and out (and yes, I did try the one outside!) and the best feature of all, a 3 story whirling, swirling water slide that Braelyn quite enjoyed. She rode the first couple of times with me and then Tangie, then later on braved it twice by herself! I even took Kohl down with me and he seemed to like it as well; He didn’t cry afterwards so I took that as a good thing. Maddy wouldn’t have anything to do with it, and adamantly refused each time I tried to pry her from clinging on to Mommy. Funny though, as she usually is the more adventurous one. We played in the rec center for a good 2 hours before we started the arduous process of stripping off the wet swimsuits, drying, and then putting on the five layers of clothing, boots, winter jackets, snow caps, and scarves before going back out into the arctic weather. The high for the day was only 14 degrees, with the evening projected to be -2°F. MINUS TWO DEGREES! Crazy! And then on the news they said that the city of Denver itself was getting 14 inches of snow and that they were going to be down to -8°F that night! Unbelievable! I’m just glad we were not traveling during this time, as many people flying to, from, or connecting in Denver would experience a lot of delays or cancellations due to this snow storm. But what a treat to experience this winter wonderland for the holidays!
After naps I cooked my famous beef tenderloin for dinner with mashed potatoes and steamed French green beans. I was a bit nervous though as this was the first time I had ever cooked this high in elevation before. If you didn’t know, due to the thinner amount of oxygen up in the mountains, water will come to a boil quicker, but food will need to be cooked longer before it is done, which totally messed me up on my usual time to cook the steaks as I usually time each side based on doneness. So I was hoping, praying that I wouldn’t undercook it and come out too raw, and not overcook it and come out inedible. In the end it all turned out fine, although the French beans still came out undercooked, even after I had microwaved them an extra 3 minutes after steaming on the stovetop for ten minutes didn’t do a thing. As soon as dinner was over, Tadd and his kids along with Nana drove back to Denver, as they had things to take care of early Friday morning, leaving Tangie, myself, and the kiddos for the night by ourselves at the mountain house. It was a nice, quiet night, as we did our usual evening routine, complete with baths, all of them down for bed by 9 pm.
Friday morning we had a quick breakfast before packing and loading up the Durango and heading back to Denver. This was probably the coldest day we had had since being up there, as when we rolled out of the snow packed and ice encrusted driveway around 10:45 the temp gauge read 4°F and stayed that way for the majority of the morning. But instead of driving back straight to town we took a scenic detour to take in the ski resort feel and views of Breckenridge and Keystone, and then decided to take the long winding road to the Continental Divide, a dizzying 11990 feet above sea level. We were there for just a few minutes for some pictures but that was more than enough time because aside from being so cold and windy up there, I started to get a little light headed with the altitude. I'm sure it affected the kids too, as Braelyn was complaining that her tummy hurt, but I'm sure she was suffering from a little motion sickness from all the twists and turns I took driving up and down the mountainsides. But the amazing vistas were worth it, especially in wintertime. And something else amazing we saw was a man out for his morning run, going full blast up hill in his skin tight leggings, at twelve thousand feet! I felt a little guilty for riding a cart every time I play golf! Anyway, we finally made it back to Nana and Papa's 3 hours later, with the kids ready to get out of the car. We immediately put Maddy to take her nap, as Kohl had taken his during the drive, and Braelyn was treated to a shopping trip to Toys R Us with cousin Callen as a treat from Papa. He enjoyed watching them run around the store, touching and examining all the different toys. She settled on a Barbie jewelry shop complete with necklace display and register with scanner. She opened it up as soon as she got back home and started "selling" the pieces to Mommy and Callen, for $25 each. And yes, she accepted credit cards! Meanwhile I had gone back to the grocery store along with a million other people to get final food supplies for this weekend's dinner party. As most of Denver had been covered by the snow the day before, today was the last opportunity to get last minute food ingredients before the weekend. So yes, it was crazy busy! But there was a festive spirit in the air as most people there were polite and patient, and smiling at one another. At least, that's what I saw. But boy, how frantic were the cashiers and bag boys! It was definitely crunch time for them! I forgot to mention that on our way home we passed over the road that led to the local mall and boy was the traffic trying to do all that last minute shopping was horrendous! My mind briefly went back to my time with Banana and all the craziness I dealt with during this time of the year. But then I moved on. The afternoon sun had started melting the snow on the roads, turning it into a muddy slush, as the white drifts on the sidewalks left by the snow plows turned dirty brown by all the cars and traffic whizzing by. And yet, it was all wonderful, this winter wonderland, full of hustle and bustle, festive decorations and the crisp Colorado air. It was just how Christmastime should be. It was perfect, and I felt blessed and content.
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| Mr. GQ getting ready to head on out. |
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| Waiting for Mommy to finish up packing. |
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| The coldest I've ever pumped gas! |
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| The snow ski peaks of Breckenridge. |
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| Main St., Breckenridge. |
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| Beautiful mountain homes. |
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| Taking a break to touch the snow. |
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| Maddy didn't want to walk on the snow! |
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| Can you imagine having this view?!?! |
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| Breathtaking view of Lake Dillon with the Rockies behind. |
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| The ski slopes of Arapahoe Basin, where Tangie learned to ski when she was 5. |
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| Driving up the winding roads to Loveland Pass. |
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| Snug as a bug, Kohl watches the DVD player. |
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| Standing on the Continental Divide. |
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| Loveland Pass @ 11,990 feet in elevation. |
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| Beautiful panoramic vistas. |
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| Getting closer to Denver, the snow was higher and blanketed the trees. |
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| The drifts at Papa and Nana's. |
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| We were going to have fun playing over the next few days. |
For dinner we attended a Campbell family tradition and had dinner at Tangie's great aunt Esther's house to celebrate the eve before Christmas Eve, or "Christmas Adam" as it was referred to. Everyone was there, around 19 of us, including two of Tangie's cousins that had flown in from California. It was a nice get together and they all enjoyed watching the children play. As Braelyn had skipped out on her nap, she arrived back home asleep in the car. With her and the twins in bed gave us a chance to get things ready for church the following morning, as well as start some food prep for the next evening's festivities.
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| The twins eating at Aunt Esther's. |
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| Tadd, Callen, Deeda, & Papa Harold. |
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| Aunt Esther helps Kohlden with his pizza. |
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| Callen and Brae eat with their great grandparents. |
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| Lounging and enjoying company. |
Sabbath morning we attended church with the entire Campbell & Loomis clan at their church, True Life Community. It was a special Christmas service, not just because of the timing of the day, but because it was an opportunity to have our twins be dedicated by the same pastor that dedicated Braelyn when she was a baby and married Tangie and I, as well as her brother and sister-in-law. A close family friend, Pastor Bob, or "Horsey Bob", as we affectionately call him, had the pleasure of dedicating Maddy & Kohl, and Callen & Caylee, to God during the service. We had the entire family there, and later everyone got together for family photos. A quick lunch at Del Taco before naps, Tangie and I got busy preparing the party menu for that evening's Christmas Eve party at the Campbell's. A plethora of delicious eats, we had veggie penne in cream sauce, fig with arugula and bleu cheese on French bread, teriyaki and pineapple chicken meatballs, spicy cranberry chicken meatballs, eggplant parmesan bites, artichoke & jalepeno dip, and a block of cream cheese smothered in a roasted raspberry chipotle sauce, all washed down with various sparkling juices kept cold in a bucket of snow! After dinner we had the kids watch a short movie while I led the adults in a couple of Christmas games that Tangie and I had played at the Bergherm's a few weeks ago, thanks to Corey Grodack for emailing them to me on such short notice! After that it was time to open up the gifts, which is their family tradition on Christmas Eve. The children had so much fun ripping up the wrapping paper and checking out their new gifts, which included toys, books, and kids' dvds. And the adults had lots of fun watching them and their reactions. Of course, the younger ones just enjoyed tearing open the boxes and kept moving from toy to toy, but that was to be expected. We received a lot of goodies, so much so that we had to pack an extra bag to bring back home with us. After everyone had left and the kids went down we just cleaned up and watched the ending of the Christmas classic It's A Wonderful Life before heading to bed.
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| The entire family up front for the babies dedication. |
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| Kohl playing with one of the roses passed out to the family members. It would break soon after. |
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| Tangie with her two cousins, Jayme and Ryann Loomis. |
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| "Um...excuse me, Sir..." |
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| Family picture after church. |
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| Maddy found something apparently funny! |
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| Jayme always gets stuck at the kids' table. |
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| Mmmm....arugula with fig and bleu cheese on french bread. |
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| The buffet line. |
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| The twins enjoyed the pasta. |
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| Nana's beautiful Christmas tree and presents await. |
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| A very full table. |
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| The three munchkins show off their new red/white/black outfits from Nana. |
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| Harold & Frieda Loomis with 5 of their great grandchildren. |
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| Playing the International Santa Name game. |
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| Mommy and her three kids....wait a minute... |
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| Loved tearing off the wrapping paper! |
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| Nana got Tangie and I coffee mugs with pictures of our children on them! |
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| She loved every minute of it! |
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| Helping the twins put together a new toy. |
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| A very successful Christmas Eve party! |
Apparently Santa did make a stop at the Campbell residence while we were sleeping, because even though we had already received our gifts the night before, the children woke up with their stockings filled with candy, games, and little knick knacks that they opened Christmas morning. We had a nice relaxing morning, taking our time with breakfast and then taking the children out to the field next to the house to go sledding on the pristine snow hills. It was a nice day weather wise, for the sun was out in full force and the temperature was in the low 50's, but it was still a bit chilly in the snow. Braelyn had fun sledding with Mommy until she got some snow down her shirt, but the twins didn't really enjoy being surrounded by the white stuff. They are true Floridians! After naps we headed out to Tangie's grandparents' home, Harold and Frieda, as they hosted Christmas dinner for the family. A traditional and delicious meal with turkey and stuffing, mashed potatoes, and marshmallow cranberry salad, we were stuffed silly even before dessert, which, ironically enough, was cooling outside in the snow when it was discovered that some critter, either a squirrel or neighborhood cat, had gotten into the dessert and had a little nibble. But the rest was salvaged, and we managed to enjoy what was left for us! We had gifts from Papa2 and Deeda and just enjoyed conversations and everyone's company, watching the children play with their new toys.
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| But how did Santa manage to come down the fake chimney? |
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| Christmas morning, still in pajamas. |
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| Maddy and Nana wave new bubble wands. |
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| Uh oh, another ink stamp! |
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| Sitting in the snow! |
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| Mommy finishes a sledding run with Kohlden. |
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| The snow was halfway up to Kohl's height! |
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| Maddy didn't want to have anything to do with the snow. |
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| Brae tries out the snow igloo I made for her. |
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| My snow angels. |
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| The snow doesn't seem to bother Braelyn. |
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| A bit too cold for lunch outside on the patio! |
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| Papa Harold gets ready to dress the turkey, but then gives me the honor of carving it! |
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| Christmas dinner prayer. |
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| Ready, set, eat! |
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| The twins stare out to their backyard. |
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| Opening gifts part 2! |
Monday was still considered part of the holiday weekend so Papa Dave had the day off, and joined us for the morning at Lollipop Park, an indoor amusement park for little kids. They have a lot of indoor recreation centers and amusement parks in this part of the country, and for good reason too! It wasn't too crowded in the beginning when we got there soon after they had opened, but as we neared the noon hour it started to fill up and get packed fast. Lots of families with kids off for the holidays trying to find activities for them to do and keep busy. They had a ferris wheel, spinning cups, carousel, bouncy houses, and a little train. Tadd and Courtney and their kids joined us later on, and we had lunch there, before heading back home for naps. I accompanied Papa to his office so he could meet a client for some paperwork for a few minutes while I drove around the area looking for an oriental market that I could get some authentic ingredients as I was in charge of dinner that evening, hosting the Reynolds and Brodis families at the Campbell's. Unfortunately, the one I found wasn't even opened the day after Christmas, as busy as the rest of the shopping world was. It was closed...for good. At least, that's what I gathered from the "For Sale" sign on the window. What a waste of a drive! And the traffic was pretty bad too, with everyone trying to go to stores and malls either to make returns from the gifts they didn't want or to take advantage of those still many many deals retailers have to get rid of inventory. Anyway, I went to pick Dave back up and then we both went exploring around, trying to find other Asian markets in the area, finally finding a Korean and Japanese Market. I was planning on making rice with stir fried vegetables, and Pad Thai noodles. However, since they specialized in Korean and Japanese foods, as their store aptly stated, they didn't have any Pad Thai sauce, which posed a small problem. So instead of getting all my ingredients from the oriental store I had to resort to getting some from the regular supermarket, and paid the extra premium for it! Anyway, we made it back home an hour before the guests were to arrive, so I quickly went to work in the kitchen. Along with the Reynolds and Brodis families, we were also joined by Tadd & Court, and Papa2 and Deeda, so another full house. This would be our 4th dinner party in 4 nights! The food and dinner turned out to be successful, even after Deeda accidentally smothered her Thai noodles with lots of red hot garlic chili sauce! We enjoyed catching up with them, as we hadn't seen Bob and Joann since our last trip to Lake Powell two years ago; Their eldest daughter Jennifer Brodis is a childhood friend of Tangie's and was one of her bridesmaids at our wedding. It was another nice evening surrounded by friends and family.
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| Brae enjoyed spinning the cups. |
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| We think Maddy got a little too dizzy after this ride! |
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| Doing the hanging spinning thingy ride. |
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| Trying to keep her balance in the bouncy house. |
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| Kohl under watchful eyes. |
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| Brae loved the "Whip It" bumperesque ride. |
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| On the choo choo with Caylee. |
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| The sisters ride the carousel. |
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| Brae & Callen ride "Whip It" yet again. |
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| Nana with the twins. |
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| Monday evening dinner at the Cambell's. |
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| Bob & Joann Reynolds with daughter Jennifer Brodis. |
We decided to go to the Children's Museum of Denver on Tuesday, so the kids could go and enjoy the many different activities, and still learn something. The temperature was just slightly cooler than the previous day, but with the sun out and strong, it was very comfortable outside with just a light sweater, even with snow on the ground. We, accompanied by Nana and the rest of Denver, got there a little after 10 and spent almost 5 hours there, marveling at the creativity and construction of all the different rooms, exhibits, and activities they have for children, from a wonderful infant nature room that made you feel like you were outside in a park, to a room constructed specifically for the science of bubbles, a kids' grocery store and checkout (which Braelyn LOVED) and veterinary hospital. This place was awesome as it was amazing. There was an area where you could construct different things from recycled and sterilized garbage, and Braelyn and I made an SUV with wood blocks, an empty egg case, and some milk caps! But I think the dads in the room had more fun than their kids, as we were the ones who got to work with the tools! The weather was so nice we lunched outside in the picnic tables, surrounded by snow! After lunch we went back in to explore for another hour before it was time to head back home for a very, very late nap. But not before they had a chance to play in their outdoor playground. It was so bizarre to watch the kiddos play and slide with snow where there should be either mulch or grass! While the kids were asleep with Nana, Tangie and I stole away to visit the Ford dealership a few miles away, to test drive and see the different models of cars, as we are looking to get another vehicle that would accommodate 2 car seats and a booster in the back seat, and would support good fuel economy. We liked the Ford Edge, and so are doing some research as to what level and options they have, along with other makes and models, so we'll see. Anyway, we picked dinner up on the way home, just in time for the kids to wake up and eat. We had a quick Skype session with Lolo and Lala back home in Florida before heading out to see a ridiculously decorated home in Englewood, that had made the front cover of the Lifestyle section of the Denver Post. Owned by Richard and Alice Kloewer, they have been doing this to their front yard each Christmas, starting in November through early January, this being their last year after 29 years of drawing thousands of people to their home, probably annoying their neighbors with all the traffic and the commotion of all the people to see what all the hoopla was all about. And what a frivolous use of electricity! But it was an amazing spectacle, and we certainly enjoyed it, especially after we had indulged ourselves with a serendipitous hot beverage treat from Starbucks. I even got a chance to meet and shake hands with the owners, who had come out of their house to mingle with the crowd of revelers. They were even gracious enough for me to take their picture! You can read about them in their Denver post article
here.
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| The Children's Museum of Denver. |
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| Wait, are we inside? Or... |
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| Braelyn plants some vegetables. |
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| Sliding through the forest. |
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| She loved working the cash register! |
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| Kohlden helping with the grocery shopping. |
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| Climbing up to go into a rabbit hole. |
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| This is what a rabbit hole looks like from inside, with two cute bunnies. |
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| Lunch break outside. Yes, that's still snow on the ground! |
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| Great weather with Denver looming in the background. |
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| Sitting atop Hopscotch the cow. |
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| Just hanging around. |
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| Kohl hangs out with the women. |
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| Cute firefighters. |
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| Maddy and the fire dog. |
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| Brae making bubbles. |
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| The bubble booth. |
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| Playing on a huge magnet board. |
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| In costume and about to tap dance. |
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| As a vet inspecting the doggy's ear. |
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| You know where they're heading... |
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| They love slides! |
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| Shouldn't I be walking on grass?!? |
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| Maddy does the monkey bars. |
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| Great day for the playground. |
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| Driving by Sports Authority Field at Mile High where the Broncos play. |
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| The most lit up house in Denver. |
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| Seriously, you could light up a small city with all this. |
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| This photo doesn't do it justice, but there was such intricate work with wiring the lights and railroads. Amazing! |
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| The Kloewers, retiring after this year. |
Wednesday was a treat for both Braelyn and myself. We ventured into downtown Denver to do a little sight seeing. So what? Anybody can do that! But it was our means of travel that made the trip that much more fun ~ we rode on Denver's light rail metro system! Brae was so excited to ride on a train, as all year she's been asking for a train set for Christmas (weird, huh?) as well as playing with her cousin's train set during our stay at Papa & Nana's. Anyway, we rode most of the entire length of the rail line, ending up at the very end where we had to get off before getting back on when it reversed back towards downtown. Not a big deal, except that the last stop was in an area called Five Points, not the nicest or safest place in the city. At least it was during day time, but I wouldn't want to be there at night, let alone with Tangie and the kids. We managed to get back in the train and rode it back to the 16th street mall, deb smack in the middle of downtown, where we walked around looking at the side shops and trying to keep the wind whipping through the buildings from blowing us away! It was a little chilly but it was neat to see the hustle and bustle of people trying to get to where they needed to be. There's a difference when you live or work in the city: You walk with a purpose. That will always distinguish the locals from the tourists, slowly meandering and trying to figure out where they are. In any place. Try it sometime and you'll see.
My treat was on the ride back home. We made a quick stop to get some lunch from Denver's oldest steakhouse and restaurant, The Buckhorn Exchange. Even the name sounds old! Built in 1893 and is today a historic landmark in amongst itself, the Exchange is known for it's eclectic menu and established cooking methods. I mean, this restaurant was built when herds of buffalo still roamed free on the plains and the deer and elk ruled the forests and mountainsides! And they celebrate that, by showcasing all the animals like trophies mounted on their walls. It was like stepping into an extreme taxidermist's home! Braelyn had fun seeing all the different animals and birds and wanted to know the names of all of them while we waited for our take out order. Speaking of which, I wanted to, you know, experience the "real, time honored and traditional" Colorado and being somewhat of an adventurous eater, ordered some very special dishes one might not find elsewhere. So I got some elk and buffalo sirloin tips with mushrooms. Hearty and good, the elk had a velvety texture and the buffalo was very lean. Oh, and I ordered some rocky mountain oysters. Now, these are not your typical oysters you get from the ocean. These aren't even oysters at all. No, that's just a fancy name for the dish which are actually bull's testicles. Yes, you read that right. Beef balls. Cowboy caviar. Dusted nuts. Swinging beef. They're all the same thing: Sliced and breaded, deep fried and served with a tangy horseradish sauce. I figured, here was an opportunity to try it out, so I went for it. It was nice and tasty, but not my favorite thing in the world. I mean, it was a little chewy. And it had this distinct, almost pungent, odor. And the fact that it just seemed a little weird knowing what I was eating, me being a guy and all. But I did it, although I probably wouldn't order it again.
That evening we were treated to dinner out with Tadd and Court along with some friends of theirs that we met when we all went to Jamaica back in 2005 for their wedding. We had kept in touch so it was nice to get together and reminisce and share stories about parenthood and children, as most of us were just newly married couples back then. We ate at Buffalo Wild Wings and just talked and talked and talked! Papa and Nana took care of all five grandchildren by themselves and survived! No, they had lots of fun watching the kids interact and chase and play with each other. And that's the reason we came over in the first place, right?
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| Waiting for our train at the Englewood station. |
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| Brae enjoying the sights during the ride. |
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| A statue of a huge bear peering into the convention center in downtown Denver. |
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| The 16th Street Mall. |
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| About to enter the Buckhorn Exchange. |
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| It just looks old! |
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| Ate it. |
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| And that one too. |
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| Yes waiter, I'd like to order the 2nd deer from the right... |
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| On our way hime with our loot. |
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| Buffalo and elk to the left, balls on the right. |
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| Melted snow doesn't look too nice... |
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| Eating out with friends with no kids in sight! |
On Thursday Braelyn had a date with Nana and cousin Callen along with Aunt Esther. The four went before lunch to see the new Chipmunks movie and go shopping. Which meant that Tangie and I were on our own with the twins. We needed some baby supplies to hold us over until we got back to Florida so we ventured off to the shopping center of Belmar to go to Target. Now, I've never been to this kind of Target wherein it was on the second floor because the first floor was its very own parking garage! Anyway, we had lunch and made it back in time for naps. Tangie got her hair done by her mother after they both got back from the movies. Since it was the last night in Denver I prepared another steak dinner with stir fried vegetables, before Tangie and I joined Tadd and Courtney to go see the movie Mission Impossible, with Papa and Nana watching all 5 again. Boy, were we spoiled to have willing babysitters! And the grandparents enjoyed observing the differences between the Colorado grandkids vs. the Florida ones. We got back home late and started the arduous process of laundry and packing for the next day.
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| A pretty long shopping cart. |
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| She was gracious enough to let me take this picture of her while under the bubble! |
We spent most of Friday just getting all of our gear in order and packed up. Because of Christmas we were heading home with more stuff than we had brought with us, so we ended up adding another piece of luggage to our already big load of baggage. The kids were getting a little antsy stuck in the house all morning so we went out to get some lunch and brought home some Boston Market. The twins went down for a quick nap while Tangie and Braelyn went for a short visit to Build A Bear to get some outfits for Patique. Tadd picked us up at 3 and we loaded up the Excursion and were soon on our way to the airport. Our flight was at 6:20 and we wanted to make sure we had ample time to go through security, it being a busy holiday travel weekend. Everything went off without a hitch, save a pretty embarrassing incident I had with a few police officers after we had already gone through the security check. We were on our way to the elevators, where there were a group of cops standing around talking. As we waited for the elevator to come up, they commented on how busy we looked with all three kids in tow. I agreed and said that I hoped they'd crash during the flight, meaning, go to sleep. One of the officers looked me straight in the eye and said, "Let's not say that in an airport. Let's use another word, okay?" I sheepishly went into the elevator, very apologetic. I can just see the headlines now...
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| All our gear ready to go! |
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| Brae was sad to leave Nana and her cousins. |
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| Waiting for our plane to arrive. |
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| The sisters watching together during the flight. |
The flight was fine with a few bumps and moments of turbulence over Kansas and Arkansas, but otherwise it was non eventful. Thank goodness for DVD players and laptops for entertainment! The children again did not go to sleep, so that kept us both very busy, as it was a pretty full flight and this time we had other passengers share our rows. We arrived at 11:45 PM, and while Tangie took the twins to retrieve our luggage from baggage claim, Brae and I left to go pick up our minivan via shuttle bus to the remote parking lot. It was a late 1:15 AM by the time we arrived home and transferred our sleeping children into their pajamas and into their beds. A very exhausting day, but nevertheless happy to be home.
Things we learned on our trip:
- It's harder to climb up the stairs at 5280 feet above sea level.
- Basements are nice to have as large playrooms, but are very cold during wintertime.
- Driving on snow and icy roads is not as easy as it may seem.
- It takes a little longer to cook steaks at higher altitudes.
- Water bottles left in cars overnight will be found frozen in the morning.
- Madelyn is still afraid to walk on wet surfaces, which of course meant she did NOT like the snow or playing in it. For example:
- The kids are still not truly old enough to enjoy all of what the snow has to offer. Braelyn liked sledding for a few minutes until snow got down her shirt, and then she was done. Kohl and Maddy could barely walk in their snow gear, so it wasn't as enticing for them.
- Our kids definitely call Florida home, as we could not keep shoes and socks on them, no matter how cold it was.
- Kohlden can fall asleep much easier than Madelyn on car rides.
- When you have an older brother rather than an older sister, the younger sibling tends to play a little rougher. Case in point with Caylee trying to wrestle with Madelyn and Kohlden, and of course you know who won.
- The Children's Museum of Denver is way cooler than Orlando's, since we don't even have one.
- As soon as we landed in Florida I felt heavier in weight [sigh...]
We had a such a wonderful time with everyone there in Denver! It was such a blessing to share this special time of the year with loved ones. I want to especially thank all of them for making this holiday such a memorable one. We hope everyone has a fun and safe weekend!
Happy New Year!
