Well Traveled Baby Part 2

So after our first little extravaganza to Colorado, we had to return for an appointment Duke had back in SLC, but then he had to be back in Colorado to finish his training. So I decided that I was going to continue taking full advantage of the opportunity we had to spend more time with Duke. We packed up our things once again, and the next day we headed back to Fruita, this time with Lisi!! I was so glad that she came with, because it meant I would have someone to hang out with while Duke was gone training, and plus I thought it would be nice for her to go somewhere she had never been, and see some things she hadn't ever seen.

We got to Colorado Friday evening and Duke was then informed, (of course AFTER we drove to Colorado), that he wouldn't be able to do any training until Monday. But, we decided to make the best of it and go do some fun things around town that I always enjoyed. The first was the Dinosaur Museum.



It's been so long since I had been to this museum, I was a little afraid that Lisi might be too old to enjoy it, but it turned out we all had a really great time!



And just for a little information, that T-Rex you see is the largest robotic dinosaur in the country... And it is AWESOME!

After the museum we decided we hadn't had enough adventure for one day, so we decided to take a trip up to the Colorado National Monument.



It was such a beautiful day, aside from a little wind, we couldn't have asked for better weather. I had so much fun taking them around and showing them where I grew up, but it really made me miss Colorado. Sometimes I forget how beautiful it is there, and how much I miss it sometimes. I hope as Tiuke gets older we are able to continue traveling to Colorado so he can love it there just as much as I do.

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The next day we decided should be swim day. I took everyone to the LIncoln Park swimming pool which is where I learned to swim. Lisi, Duke & I had a blast climbing the stairs all the way to the top of the water slide and sliding down, and doing that over & over & over! (I guess those pictures may have to come later, as I have misplaced my usb cord for the camera I took to the pool!) Lisi and I had a really good time going off the diving boards too, especially the "high" one. For the record, it's much higher once you get up there, than it looks from the ground! Duke was too scared to go, but his excuse was that he had to hold the baby!

And as if that wasn't enough swimming, we went some more once we got to the hotel!



Tiuke loved the water! I can't wait to start him in "mommy & baby swim lessons" this winter!

After packing in all the fun and adventure that we could that weekend, the next couple days in Colorado were pretty relaxing. As Duke went to training, Lisi and I would get up, grab some bagels & cereal from the free continental breakfast downstairs, and then come back to the room to watch movies and sleep while the baby slept! It was actually pretty nice to be able to take a nap in the middle of the day & not feel guilty for sleeping instead of doing laundry, or picking up the bedroom!

All in all our little adventure turned out to be a really great time, and even though Lisi can't admit it, I think she had fun too!

Well Traveled Baby Part 1

One of my favorite things to do is go road-tripping! Whether it's with family or friends, you're always in store for some fun and adventure. And no matter how planned out your trip, there's always something unexpected that happens. I think looking at those unexpected moments as something positive, and turning them into fun usually makes them the best, most memorable experiences you have on your trip! It's also a great way to see new things and really be able to absorb and appreciate your surroundings. My love for road trips and adventure is something I really hope to pass on to my children, so when I got the chance to take Tiuke on a road trip I JUMPED at the opportunity! Especially because it also meant more time with Duke for me & baby!!

Duke's work was sending him over to Vernal, Utah for some training, and I saw it as an opportunity for us to spend some extra time together, and also to take Tiuke on his first road trip! I had never been to Vernal before, so I was excited to go somewhere new! We drove up there on a Monday, Duke had to be to his training by noon. After we checked into our hotel, and I dropped Duke off, I drove around the town a bit to see what kinds of things I could go do with the baby over the next couple of days. Then I headed back to the hotel to feed Tiuke and relax a little bit. Not even 2 hours later I got a call from Duke that he needed me to come pick him up, and we were going to head to Fruita, Colorado. I was a bit shocked considering we had just got to town, but I was excited, as I grew up in Grand Junction which is the town just east of Fruita. Apparantly the training he had to do couldn't be done in Vernal, so I picked him up, we packed up our things and headed out to Fruita!

The drive from Vernal to Fruita was so beautiful, and there was this neat little spot to pull off and look out onto the canyon...



...then as we got to the bottom of the canyon we spotted a momma deer & her 2 little babies, they were so adorable. I wish the picture did them justice, but since we were driving it was hard to get a good shot.

It was only about a 2 hour drive to Fruita, but it was a lot of fun just jamming out to music & having fun in the car! The next few days in Colorado was mostly spent hanging out in the hotel with the baby, going out to dinners with Duke, lots of snuggling for all 3 of us, and visiting friends and family.



It was nice to have those few days together and to visit old friends and family, and just for me to be able to be back in my hometown. I can't wait to take Tiuke there when he's older and will remember it! But for now we'll just have these pictures to show him his first time there! We'll especially make sure he sees this one... his first time in sunglasses, as we walked along the Colorado River!

We left Wednesday evening and headed back to Utah. But don't worry... this is not the end of our Road Trip story... there is more to come!