Denver Road Trip 2010

In July we set out for our second-annual trip to visit Uncle Jeff and Aunt Rachel in Denver. Once again my mom was kind enough to drive with me, even though I'm sure it would have been easier for her to drive. We headed down through Utah passing through Price where we stopped for lunch at their Dinosaur Park. Last year we forgot the peanut butter for our picnic and this year it was the jam, so we made a quick stop at Wal-Mart to pick up supplies. We finally made it to Jeff and Rachel's late that night, but Anna had stayed up to welcome us. It was that night that we found out that Rachel and I are both expecting babies within a few days of each other (only a few weeks later Rachel found out she's actually expecting twins, so maybe their birthdays won't be so close after all). It was so nice of Rachel to be our hostess since I know she wasn't feeling her very best.

Our first day in Denver we headed out to the Denver's Children Museum because my boys remembered it with great fondness from last year. I think everyone else in Denver decided to go that day too. It was busy! We still managed to have a good time. All the kids had to try out the painting.

Ethan's favorite part of the visit was the new bubble room. He spent a lot of time in this area. There was a platform where you could make a giant bubble surround you.

Bradon wasn't terribly interested in anything that day, but about the time we were ready to leave he finally warmed up in the giant playroom where everything is larger than life.

All the kids discovered they liked exploring the tunnels and running all around the room.

We had a lot of fun despite the crowds.

That evening my dad and Brian flew in after work. We met them at the White Fence Farm for dinner. A visit to Denver just wouldn't be complete without a visit to this classic Denver eatery. The boys enjoyed trying out the parked tractor. And the hand operated diggers are always a hit.

The setting is beautiful, but this year there weren't any fish in the fish pond.

The playground is always popular and I captured this shot of Bradon and cousin Isaac enjoying the tire swing together.

Ethan discovered that he loved the balance beam. He practiced walking it over and over until he was an expert. The next morning we ventured out on our own to the Denver Zoo. We repeated the paths that we took last year, so once again we tuckered out before seeing the other side of the zoo. If we go again we'll have to start with the monkeys next time!

The moment we got inside the zoo Tanner started complaining about how he was starving. He had eaten breakfast later than everyone else, but he couldn't let it go. We didn't have any peace until we finally sat down for a picnic lunch.

This year the polar bears were actually moving around instead of just sleeping.

Grandma and Grandpa treated the kids to a ride on the train and carousel.

Bradon decided at the last minute that he wasn't too sure about leaving me behind.

The carousel was a big hit with Bradon and Tanner. Ethan was on another part of the carousel having a bit of a pout. Even well behaved children can have their moments.

We made a quick stop at the Molly Brown House. We didn't torture the kids by going inside, but it's fun to see what a glamorous mansion looked like over a hundred years ago. That night Jeff got us great tickets on the cheap to a Colorado Rockies game. It was Brian and Ethan's first Major League Baseball game. The other kids were left behind with a sitter (and they did great). We were interested in all of the vendors selling food outside the stadium that could be brought in. We bought Ethan a water, but that was as adventurous as we got. We all found something for dinner in the stadium and we all thoroughly enjoyed the game. We saw several home runs including a Grand Slam! The Rockies won the game!

Saturday was spent at a local water park that the kids just loved. It left everyone exhausted and ready for naps. That night my parents watched the kids while Jeff, Rachel, Brian and I got to go out for dinner at the Bonefish Grill. Yum! It was a great evening.

On Sunday we went to church and then took a drive down to Colorado Springs to visit the Garden of the Gods. The place was hoppin' the day we visited.

We expected to find picnic tables so that we could have a picnic, but no such luck. We had our picnic in the car. We opened the cooler to find this treasure:

We were kind of frightened by this baby at first glance. Who expects to find a baby in their cooler? One of the little ones definitely surprised us!

After our picnic we went on a small "hike" through the gardens. The kids tried to squeeze into this small space.

And the older kids explored this field where we later learned there had been several rattle snakes spotted. Luckily we didn't have any snake bites!

We watched some rock climbers, and soon enough the kids were exhausted. It wasn't a particularly warm day, and it wasn't a very long walk, but they could go no further. My dad and Brian walked back to the car to pick us up at the halfway point.

Needless to say, this small adventure left me a little concerned for our trip to Yellowstone which was to follow in a few weeks. I was ready to get the kids home and to bed after this day!

We dropped Brian and my dad off at the airport that night and finally made it back to Jeff and Rachel's. I was ready to head home too, but decided to stay one more day before getting in the car again. I'm glad we did.

Monday morning we visited the Denver Museum of Nature and Science. It was a big hit. It's a wonderful, big museum with all sorts of activities for kids. We visited the Space area, gemstones, animal dioramas and the children's area.

Ethan just loved this place and the other kids tired out before he was finished exploring. If we go back to Denver we'll have to make another stop at this place a priority. That night we ate at Cinzetti's, an Italian buffet. Kids eat free there on Monday nights and it ended up being a good choice for the kids. Even Jeff (who's understandably a bit picky when it comes to Italian food) didn't think it was too bad. Ethan proclaimed it the best restaurant he'd ever been to.

Tuesday morning we headed back home via Wyoming. I really dislike driving on I-80 through Wyoming. It's a rather barren landscape and the wind seems to be always blowing. It felt like a long drive home. To make things worse we were traveling home the same day that the bus going to a youth conference caught on fire and melted the road, so we spent a considerable amount of time stuck in traffic in the middle of nowhere. It felt great to come home!

Thanks Jeff and Rachel for putting us up at your place again this year! We had a really great time. My favorite part is always having Jeff and Rachel all to ourselves for several days and getting to know Anna and Isaac better. We miss you!