This week has been amazing! Monday, we had plans to go horseback riding, but we weren't sure we would be able to go since the forecast was for rain all morning. The weather held and we were able to go ride for our full 2 hour block. The kids had a BLAST! James and Evelyn have been asking when they can go again ever since! Eileen was bouncing around - as excited as she was for the whale watching, and she also loved it! The riding bothered Anna's knees, so it wasn't her favorite activity and Aaron didn't seem all that excited about it - but the rest of us loved it! Though most of us over the age of 12 were sore the next day! The rain held off until just as we were pulling out of the horseback riding place in our car.
Grandpa had planned some activities around the cabin for the kids, and Sandi had some things she wanted to do with the kids, so we were hoping and praying that the weather would allow for all the activities, so when the rain cleared up for a bit in the afternoon, we decided that it was the perfect time for the scavenger hunt! The kids divided up into teams and went on a hunt for things on a list. They all had a great time, and had fun getting a bit creative on some of the harder to find things! Once again, the rain held off until after we were done before pouring all evening.
Later that evening, most of us were hanging out at the upper cabin when Eileen got a message from Anna that there was a bat in the lower cabin and she wanted help. So Sandi, Eileen, Aaron and I ran down to see! Sure enough, there was a little bat flying around the cabin. Eileen fearlessly caught it while safely keeping it's mouth out of biting range. It made noises at her for awhile, as we took pictures and oohed and aahed over it, then Eileen released it outside.
Tuesday morning, we headed over to Breckenridge for the morning. We stopped at the Continental Divide for a fun (and somewhat muddy) picture on our way. We had fun checking out the shops and the kids had fun playing on a playground. We walked up and down main street for a couple hours before heading back.
We had been hoping for a clear evening to roast marshmallows and make s'mores. Thankfully, Tuesday evening was just such a beautiful night and Grandpa started a fire and the kids had fun making and eating s'mores!
And of course, there was time for some exploring the mine and looking for cool rocks!
One thing that is always connected to the cabin in my mind is cross stitching. So of course, I brought mine, Sandi brought one to work on and brought a couple small easy kits for her kids. Evelyn expressed and interest and Sandi had an extra one she could use. Eileen and Anna haven't really had any interest when I've tried to teach them, but Evelyn really picked it up quickly and had her piece almost finished when her needle broke. We will have to finish it at home - but it was neat to see her get so excited about it!
Wednesday morning, we had planned to go down to Fairplay to go through the South Park city old town. The kids had a blast - especially playing on the old train (which has always been a favorite with my kids) We had a beautiful morning to see and do everything, then we headed back to the cabin for lunch where we found that it had been hailing - less than 20 minutes away and they had gotten hail while we had a beautiful clear morning!
We then had a perfect clear afternoon for Grandpa's final activity he planned for the kids - he tasked the kids with finding flowers and identifying them and then did a little quiz for the kids. They had fun looking for unusual flowers and learning about them and drawing them - Kai turned out to be an amazing little artist and drew the flowers really well! It reminded me of when Sandi and I were kids and Grandpa would teach us about the flowers around the cabin and we would press the flowers and keep them with handwritten info on the flowers in little scrapbooks.
Grandpa enlisted the boys help in replenishing the supply of wood for the cabin. First he taught them how to use a chain saw and cut the dead tree into chunks, then he taught them to use the axe to cut the larger pieces into smaller pieces for burning. They had a great time and worked hard! I'm so grateful for a Grandpa who helps teach my sons how to work hard and how to be polite and considerate - he was always reminding Aaron to help me with things! <3
Thursday, we headed down to Denver to get Sandi and the kids to the airport for their trip to UT and then my mom headed on her way back to Texas, then Grandpa and my kids and I headed back up to the cabin for a few more days! Our last few days were much less busy - the kids and I have been up there much more often and I was glad to just enjoy the cabin and the hiking and the fun times together. We did some more trips up to the mine and more time with Grandpa and of course, getting some laundry done.
On Sunday, we headed to Utah. There were road issues on the normal way, so we ended up going a longer way, so we got in a little later than I'd hoped, but the drive was otherwise uneventful. Since it was Sunday, I would only let the kids watch Veggie Tales or Church movies, but we all had a blast singing along to the Veggie Tales! We got in to Utah in time for a YUMMY dinner with Paul and Candace and fam, followed by getting the two youngest to bed. Then when it finally got dark an hour later, the fun started. Paul and Candace have neighbors who go ALL OUT when it come to fireworks on the 4th, so we had fun sitting in the driveway and watching the kids set off fireworks in the cul-de-sac and seeing the amazing stuff set off by their neighbors all around. David and James slept straight through it, but the rest of the kids had a great time!
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