I drove the 3 hrs to Moline, IL where we met my cousin Stephanie for dinner and then went to her house and met her dog and boyfriend. Then it was bedtime so we headed to the hotel for some much needed rest. The next morning we picked up my grandmother and went to see my great aunt Mary. It was so nice to see her again (it had been 13 yrs since I visited last). It makes me sad to think that this might have been the last time that I get to see her. After that, we went to Whitey's for some yummy ice cream and let Lexi play at the park for a bit. Then we headed to my grandma's house where the kids played and we visited while we waited for Aunt Kay to get off work. When she was home, we headed to her house for pizza and fed the ducks in the lake by her house. We also got to meet her husband, Kevin. It was so nice to have a full day to just visit with family. The next day we woke up and headed to Bettendorf to see my cousin Edson and his family. When I saw them last it was him and his soon to be wife and they were pregnant with their first child. They now have 5 children (4 girls and a boy). The kids played while we visited. Lexi LOVES that she as so many cousins and that most of them are girls! After we left there, we headed to dinner at a Hibachi grill with Aunt Kay, my cousin Steph, her brother Jared and his girlfriend Brandi. We had a nice time and Lexi told Jared he had to come home with her. He loves CO so we may just see him again this year! That would be nice! Then our trip comes to a close and it is Friday. We head to an old prairie village where we learn about some more olden days and have a picnic lunch that Liz prepared (so nice of her). After that we head to Buffalo Bill's childhood home and see real buffalo. The kids loved that! It was tough saying good bye, especially for Lexi but I will be sure that she keeps in touch with all her cousins! That night we met Steph and her boyfriend, Marc for dinner and a community carnival. Lexi rode all the rides that she was allowed to and Bill rode some too. He learned that Lexi doesn't need him anymore and I think that made him a little sad. I reminded him that Nathan will need him soon! The next morning we had breakfast and then hit the road. We were going to stop for the night in Nebraska but decided to push on through and with my help, we made it home about 10:30pm. It was a long day but so nice to be back in our own beds.
We took Sunday to relax and then on Monday and Tuesday, Bill and I had dental appointments. We have a few other appointments and obligations to take care of. On Wednesday, it was suppose to rain so we headed to the Denver Children's Museum. That place is SO fun! We explored, built things, painted, imagined and went to a few story times. We can't wait to go back another time. On Thursday we went to the Sunflower Farm. It is here in Longmont and is a working farm that is open and built especially for kids. There is a HUGE tree fort that goes across 4 HUGE trees, tire swings everywhere you turn, an old silo that is now a large sandbox, a zip line made just for the little ones and so much more. Then there are animals everywhere. Some in pens and some roaming free. There are buckets of corn to feed the goats, chickens, and pigs but there are also cows, horses, a donkey, a llama, a pony and sheep. Lastly, there is a craft barn where the kids that attend the summer camp can create and make believe and a camp fire with a ton of seating so that the entire camp can sit around and reflect on their day. I am seriously considering sending Lexi next year! (She has to be 6 yrs old to attend.) After this fun, we headed home to rest a bit and then headed to the zoo for a few hours so that we could beat the traffic downtown to go to the Rockies game. They played the Arizona D-Backs and unfortunately lost. But not for lack of cheering! Lexi was cheering just a loud with her #1 Fan FINGER! She learned "Take me out to the Ballgame" at school and was so proud that she knew all the words at the 7th inning stretch! After a fun filled day, we headed home to get the kiddos in bed. It was a tiring and exciting day! On Friday, we decided to head to Golden to go to the Heritage Square Amusement Park. We rode the 1 hour drive and stopped for lunch. While we were driving my phone had rung in the back of the van and so when we finished lunch at Jack in the Crack, I checked for messages. It was a neighbor that had our dogs. The gardener had shown up without our knowledge of his coming and let the out. I called the man back and he had sent the dogs to the pound. I called them and we decided to stay and go to the amusement park afterall, we just had to be back by 5pm. Well, even though we had a wrench in our plans we were determined to have fun. BUT it wasn't in the cards. We get inside and there it is like a desserted ghost town. I find a lady there that tells me the park doesn't open until the next day! We walk around Heritage Square for a bit and visit a few shops but at that point we decided that we would just get home and get our dogs out of the pound. (It cost $60 by the way, on top of a wasted 1 hr each way trip.) But we had a fresh day on Saturday! It was the day of Jr. Jam. A community event in Fort Collins where kid bands play and there were several community vendors all having something to do with kids. Lexi went on the inflated slide 4 times, bounced in the bouncy house, had her hair braided and played some instruments from a local music instructor. We stopped at Jason's Deli for lunch on the way home and then took it easy the rest of the weekend!
We don't have another vacation planned until the week of Thanksgiving when we will head to California again! I am very excited to see friends and family, it seems like forever (even though I was just there the beginning of March). I miss everyone terribly! Thanks again for reading and hope to see you soon!
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