Staycation

Staycation: noun

A vacation spent close to home.   So this year due to busy work schedules, camp/preschool, and that new cutie pattootie we can Emmy we just didn't take a summer vacation. So we decided to take two mini staycations, where we stayed close to home.   For the first we ventured to the exotic Colorado Springs.  I had never explored this city just 2.5 hours away from L Town, and Seth hadn't been since he was a little guy.  I had heard wonderful things about the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo so we decided that would be the first stop on our adventure. First we donated to the animal of each persons choice.    In addition to all the animals we (the boys) rode a teeny tiny train!  And the highlight by far was feeding the giraffes, which was one of the coolest things I've ever done.  Who knew giraffes liked salad?  We spent the night in a hotel with two pools and ate dinner at a restaurant, always fun with 3 young kiddos, though Em slept like a champ.  The next morning we went to 7 Falls, getting there WAS an adventure thanks to the TomTom!  We ended up driving 30 minutes up a mountain, no where near the tourist trap that was 7 Falls. We did take an elevator 14 floors up through a mountain. Em's under the blanket:)  Then we started to walk up the stair and quickly decided it was too far and too steep for this crew.  So we climbed rocks (doesn't it look like they are so far up, really it's inches:)  And we watched an Indian dancing demo.  Even the boys got in on it! We also drove through the Garden of the Gods which was really cool and I hope to explore further once the kids are older.  The drive home was pretty bad taking 3 hours and lots of tears.   The second trip was just two weekends later and was up to the Haley condo in Dillon.     We met up with our good friends for some good times on Grampa unnamed boat, floating on the Res.  We eat chips while on the boat, and only then my kids know this and get unbelievably excited for the chips.  A pretty good family picture!  For dinner we joined the Nichols for dinner, four wheeling, and s'mores by a camp fire.  No fox this year:)  Best buddies! SO while we haven't ventured far since our little girl arrived we've had two good short, and close to home trips.  And are looking forward to a slightly longer, farther trip to the mitten state just Em and I in October!  And a full out family vaca, involving a mouse in November!