Mayhem at the Milnes': Rocky Mountain High! Part 1

Some might call us crazy but it's summer time and the Milnes Family always likes to do a fun summer trip. So the crazy part, we departed on the road for my old home, Colorado, with a four month old and three year old, staying in close quarters with my immediate family (5 adults, plus my "brother from another mother", Brett B., Steven's BF)....could have been trouble....but it was great!! We had so much fun rediscovering and sharing my family's old stomping grounds with the kiddos. Joshua has repeatedly asked when we are going to move there.

On the way out there, we truly experienced the "Are we there yet"s from Little Man. He actually asked as we pulled onto the highway leaving our house! Yep, not a good thing to hear as you pull out! The kids did a fabulous job overall though. We started in Colorado Springs just the four of us, headed to Vail to meet up with my family the Crazy Kilgore's and then wrapped up in Estes Park. All in all, that was five hotels in eleven days (if you count the overnights in Hayes, KS)! No wonder we were exhausted when we returned!! Both kids LOVE being outside and the weather would make any Midwesterner insane with jealously. I could tell the story of the trip, but will just let's just get to the pictures....there are plenty!!

First night there, I told Art and Joshua that I have seen almost every kind of Rocky Mountain animal except a wolf and a bear in my years traveling there. We were pretty excited to check this "little" guy off the list later that night!! I was traveling with some lucky charms:).

Seven Falls in Colorado Springs- super cheesy but a fun place to see. The falls light up at night time:). Joshua talked us in to climbing the stairs to the top. About 1/3 of the way we decided we were idiots to do something so insane with a toddler and baby in a backpack. Not to mention the major vertigo that started to sink in so we returned defeated to the bottom....with one extremely upset kid!!

Garden of the Gods in Colorado Springs with the Schwertners- Rachael and Ryan introduced Art and I. Ryan went to Iowa with Art and married my oldest friend (going on 22 years!!), Rachael.

Joshua is two weeks older than there little guy, Samuel, and Sadie is six weeks older than their new little one Peter. Much to our sadness, they were transferred to Denver this summer, but we got to be there first visitors! Very first being that they moved there four days before we came! Haha!

Ryan and Art with the kids -Allison, Samuel, Joshua, and Sadie

Sadie at Garden of the Gods

Allie, Joshua and Samuel

First family picture of the trip!

Schwertner clan

Santa's Workshop Amusement Park in Colorado Springs

Joshua loved the candy cane slide! Loved it so much that he went about ten times!

Christmas in June with Santa! Sadie loved the jolly guy! Joshua was shy for the first time in his three years so Mom had to hop in the picture too:).

Santa and Sadie did not want to part! He kept saying she was the cutest baby he had seen so he didn't want to give her up and Sadie did not want to part with his fluffy beard...perfect for pulling!

The first sailing experience! He was so excited to be able to ride a boat and ring his bell. Unfortunately he had the bunk boat with a broken bell so this is him showing his pleasure with the scenario!

Crashed after a day of fun at the North Pole

Oh Casa Bonitas! We celebrated lunch there with the Kilgore's and Kochman's! Patti Kochman is Grandpa Charley's sister. We got to enjoy Patti, Mark, Gwen and Eric for a short while at this unique site, if that's what you want to call it. No words can describe Casa Bonitas. You have to experience it yourself. If it says anything, it has been featured on South Park, the show, a few times.... Joshua and Art loved it! I think most of us were sick for a day after eating there...Such a funny memory though!

Fourth of July Parade in Vail- My family used to celebrate the 4th of July in Vail every year growing up. It was so fun to share it with my kids!

Papa, Lyndsey, Linda, Art, and Joshua

Mimi, Leslie, and Sadie at the parade sporting the festive hats Mimi made for us:)

The Lawn Chair Crew!! This is a Vail favorite! This group of local dads have been marching in the parade since I was a kid. They have a choreographed routine set as they march with their lawn chairs. We were so excited to see that they still were there after all of these years, although they are trying to pass the ropes to a younger group of guys:).