Category Archives: Travel

Road Trip to Colorado – Part 4: Relaxing Cousin Time

We had a couple of days set aside before it was time to make the long trek home, and it was nice to just relax and let the kiddos run around and play. There was some napping and quiet time mixed in as well, which was pretty nice too. I was even able to get a little reading in, which rarely happens during the day, and hardly ever on vacation.

We did end up getting out (because kids get stir-crazy) and went to an indoor bouncy house place. It was thankfully not very busy when we arrived and the kids had a lot of fun. It was also nice to see Enzo overcome his fear of the tall slide after watching his cousins. Needless to say, he thought it was awesome once he gave it a try.

The kids got some more much needed outside time that afternoon. It was still warm, but not uncomfortably so. Knowing we’d be headed out the next evening, it was nice to have a lazy day watching the cousins play together as it doesn’t get to happen often. Two years is a long time to go between visits, but even more so when you realize just how quickly kids change in that amount of time.

Road Trip to Colorado – Part 3: Northward and Sand Dunes

We got on the road a bit later than my sister and brother-in-law on Monday morning, but still managed to get out the door before 10:00. Josh and the kids got to experience sheep-herding on the road for the first time and we could tell that the kids were a tad tired. Naps had been thrown off as well as bedtimes, but both kids were still holding up fairly well. We made a few more stops than usual and as we got nearer to the halfway point we saw signs for the Great Sand Dunes National Park and remembered what a friend (Thanks, Jeff!) had said. It wasn’t too far out of our way and we would need a place to stop anyway, so off we went!

In retrospect, I really wish we had planned a bit better and made more time to hang out at the park. Because we arrived during the time our kiddos would normally be napping they weren’t super thrilled to get out of the car (it was also in the 90s that day). Once I told Enzo the sand dunes were like a giant sand box, though, he perked up. We didn’t quite realize we’d have to cross a stream, which was thankfully not at all deep, but both kids take a while to warm up to water and had zero desire to dip their toes in. It was the perfect temperature and felt amazing. I was kind of jealous of everyone just hanging out in their swimsuits. We are absolutely camping here the next time we road trip to Colorado!

We also stopped at the visitor’s center on our way out, and though it isn’t big it has a big bathroom, air conditioning, and a great view of the dunes. There was a really big tour group at the time, but they were all extremely nice and thought our kids were adorable, so it was hard not to like them. 😉

Alas, time to get back on the road, let the kiddos take a much needed nap, and arrive back in Colorado Springs at a reasonable hour.

Road Trip to Colorado – Part 2: Caravanning to Durango

Surprisingly, when it came time to get back into the van the next day and drive another 6 hours, the kids were fairly cooperative. They settled in for the drive and we didn’t even have to make that many stops… granted when you’ve got two cars and four kids, rarely will everyone have to use the bathroom at the same time. Ha ha!

I didn’t take nearly enough photos overall in Durango, but it was so nice to see family and friends and to actually hang out with everyone at one time. We stayed in a hotel the first two nights, but it was right downtown so we were able to walk around with the kids a bit since they do NOT like being cooped up for too long.

Continue reading →

Road Trip to Colorado – Part 1: Driving 15+ hours with 2 small kiddos

When we discussed driving to Colorado from Minnesota, we were both a little nervous about how such a long drive would go. Heck, vacation in general can just throw off small children, and ours are very used to routines and in some ways, rely on that routine. We both knew that there was a high risk of no one getting enough sleep and potentially grumpy kiddos, but when all is said and done? The trip went so much better than we could have hoped.

We left on a Wednesday night after dinner and after giving the kids baths and dressing them in comfy clothes, so around 7:00pm or so. As expected, both kids were excited about the change in routine and we let Enzo watch a movie. The one downside to having the sun set so late, however, is that while Phoebe had no trouble falling asleep at a reasonable hour, Enzo was up until the sun went down. After that, though… they were pretty much out until the next morning. Phoebe woke up briefly at around 4:30, and Enzo not too long after, but both took mid-morning naps. We stopped once it was light out so we could grab some breakfast and let the kids stretch, but Enzo wanted to keep on going and didn’t want to stop at a restaurant, so on we went! We made one or two more brief stops (the kids are unsurprisingly big fans of gas station junk food and Phoebe stole my Fritos when I foolishly forgot to keep an iron grip on them), but ultimately arrived in Colorado Springs at a decent time and despite some shyness, both munchkins warmed up fairly quickly to their cousins, especially after a nice long nap.

Thursday morning we did make the decision to flip Phoebe’s car seat around so she could watch a movie with Enzo. It was easier and she was much less fussy. I realize that it isn’t as safe to ride forward facing, but she is on the larger side, and there were fewer distractions coming from the back seat. Fewer distractions for the driver means we’re a lot less likely to get into an accident.

On that note, here area few cell phone pictures from the drive until I have time to finish going through all of the other photos from our trip.

California Dreamin’ Part 2

Wednesday was the warmest day of our trip, and we started the day off with a walk. The kids were waking up around 5:30-6:00 each morning, so around 9:00-10:00, Phoebe was generally ready for a little nap. Enzo got to play on a playground and tip toe in the sand while I found shade and let our lady nap on my back.

Wednesday was also the day that Josh and I went whale watching courtesy of my mom and step-dad. We went on a catamaran, which promised to have a really smooth ride that would cause less seasickness, and only held about 6 people. I loved it. There were a few moments where I felt a little fear creep in (hello, out in the ocean on a tiny boat), but overall really enjoyed it. It was a gorgeous day.

Josh also enjoyed it, but more so after he puked and was done being seasick. While the great thing about a catamaran is that you don’t have as many people on the boat, we also didn’t quite as close to the whales as I would have liked and it was really hard to get pictures with the constant movement. It was still an amazing experience, though, and a beautiful day. We were also lucky to have a great captain and friendly passengers with some really good conversations that got me thinking… a lot.

Thursday morning brought more exploring, and yummy coffee and treats, but also made it apparent that Enzo was definitely missing his routines and was not getting enough sleep. Phoebe was able to still get her naps in just fine, but Enzo has always been harder to get to sleep anywhere but his bed.

Since the kids had gone to the beach the previous day while we were whale watching, we thought Thursday would be another good day to stay close by and venture out to the pool. Phoebe was not a fan of the water (it was a tad chilly) and while Enzo did dip his feet, stood on the steps, and let us hold him briefly in the water, he decided that his dream to swim like a turtle could be put off for a while.

With Enzo’s mood being a little off, we found it best to just enjoy the nearby beaches and fantastic weather and just walk around. Both kids preferred being able to walk everywhere instead of driving around, so the California weather made both of them very happy. Phoebe could often be found running to the door demanding to go somewhere and now knows exactly what “outside” means.

Granted, while there was plenty of time outside, they also made themselves perfectly at home in the rental condo. We actually rented some things from Toddler’s Travels to make things just a tad easier (booster seats for eating at home, some toys, bed safety rails, etc.). While we could have probably managed without, it really did make things easier and was totally worth it.

On Friday we went to visit with Randy’s parents – one broken duck and lots of yummy snacks later we headed to a park for Enzo and kind of played the rest of the day by ear. Our little traveler Phoebe probably would have been up for anything, but poor Enzo was just still not himself after lack of sleep and a disturbed routine. Saturday brought a busy morning of packing and tidying up, but thankfully we were able to sleep in for quite a while.

We made it through security in great time – hardly any lines anywhere only to find that our flight was delayed half an hour, which thankfully gave us even more time to have lunch and get some wiggles out. The gates next to ours were completely empty so the kids were free to run and run and run.

The flight home definitely felt longer than the flight to California, but only because Phoebe couldn’t quite get comfortable. Enzo fell asleep on my lap, so of course as soon as that happened, Phoebe decided she needed to be on my lap and we had to keep her from throwing a tiny tantrum and kicking her brother. Josh ended up walking her around a bit and we did what we could to keep her happy. No one was happy when we felt that first bit of cold weather, but we all managed to make it home and get to bed at mostly reasonable hours. The week since has been interesting, but we’re doing what we can to get things back to normal. Vacation is always so hard to come back from.

Dino and Bunnies

Every day adventures