Candy Making and Train Riding

No matter how many times we go to Denver, we still manage to find new things to do. Today we took the kids to Hammonds candy factory. A factory that specializes in hand made candies, specifically the ribbon candy and candy canes you see around the holidays. They offer a free tour, so we thought we might as well check it out.
We were a little bummed that we ended up on the tour with a very large "camp" group as it made it much harder to see things. But we did have a great view of the ribbon making area. It was really cool to see the process in real time. They have to move pretty quick to get it put together before the candy hardens.
We also went to the Denver Botanical gardens for the first time. They were having a special exhibit called Jurassic Gardens. It sounded like it was going to be a lot like the Dinosaur park up in Ogden. And although they did have some life size dinosaurs, it was not near the scale of the park in Ogden. The kids did have fun finding the statues, even though there were not as many as we had hoped for.
The highlight of the park was probably the fish pond. There were tons of giant fish that loved the ritz crackers the kids decided to feed them! Lincoln also really wanted to touch the fish and could not understand why I would not "get it" for him!
After all this fun and excitement we still had time to kill before dinner, (Wednesday is FatBurger night in case anyone was wondering!) so we took the kids to ride a train and pet some animals at the Farm. Both of which were located at the park next to the water park we went to yesterday. Both things were a $1 so it was a pretty cheap activity. The kids had fun on the train and loved the animals. It was nice because we went in right before closing so there was not much of a crowd! The kids got to pet all the animals they wanted without much interference.
After all that fun, it was amazing the kids stayed awake to enjoy dinner. I guess the family in Denver have started going to Fat Burger every Wednesday night for half price baby Fatburgers. I have actually never been to Fat Burger before, so it was a new experience for my family. We met a few of my uncles and aunts there for dinner. It was fun and the burgers were not bad either! I wonder if that special exists in Vegas? Maybe I will have to check it out when we get home!

Double Park Day

Today we took the kids to two parks. One was just the normal playground type of park and one was a waterpark. The kids loved both, but I think the winner would have to be the water park. I don't have many pictures from either place, but take my word for it the kids loved it. We have been to the water park before, it's a place called "Pirates Cove". What is said is that we live in the middle of the desert and in order to take the kids to a water park we have to go to Denver! That is a pretty sad fact!
Rydman was a little worried about Tornadoes, (a big thank you to whoever put that thought in his head!) but I was able to convince him they were not a huge threat. Like I am some tornado expert, but I figured we were pretty safe. I know the area has been getting some, but I was not about to try and explain that to him. Thankfully, it really was just the usual afternoon thunderstorm! And even luckier is that the kids were pretty much done with the park, so the storm did not cut our play time short!
We met Anna and the girls at the park. Or at least that was the plan. We had a little problem when it came to locating each other due to a pool closure-someone mistook the pool for a potty! So by the time we found each other the girls were already off doing there own thing with the friends they brought with them. But we did get a few minutes to chat with Anna before it was time to head out. The kids also got a chance to get a sno-cone, even though they were all already freezing at that point. It did not stop them from getting a freezing cold drink! Cutler was the first to finish, and the bright blue tongue is a definite badge of honor! In his mind anyway!!

We Made It!

Okay, flying with an almost two year old is not all that bad. I think the worst part was trying to keep him occupied before the plane actually took off. Hauling everything through the airport comes in a close second though! I was a little worried that Lincoln would be hard to confine on the plane, and I think it was a very good thing that I took his car seat on the plane with us. The plane was loaded to capacity, not an empty seat in the house! So he would not have had any place to go if he had been allowed a little freedom.
Overall, I have to say he did a great job on the plane. He only the kicked the guys seat in front of him a few times!! I am glad I don't have to travel that way every day, but it sure is a quick way to get someplace. Let's just say i am not too excited about the fact that I have to drive home!

We really did not do too much today. My cousin Chantelle picked us up at the airport- thanks again! and took us to GiGi's. We just hung out there until Rachel and the kids arrived, and then went to Fazoli's for a late lunch. From there we headed over to the Hotel we were going to be staying out and after a few speed bumps got checked in. After getting everything situated and letting the kids unwind a little we headed back to GiGi's for dinner. And that was it, we are currently trying to get the kids down for bed, which should be an interesting task considering there are six of them in one room. This might be normal for Rachel's kids, but Lincoln is definitely not used to all the hustle and bustle! I hope he goes to bed sometime tonight!

Denver Here We Come

Lincoln and I are on the way to Denver tomorrow. Justin does not get to come with us, due to the fact that he has to stay home and work. :( We will definitely miss him tons while we are gone! I am a little worried about the plane trip and navigating through the airport by myself, but hopefully everything will work out. I am going to take Lincoln's seat with me on the plane, as I know a lap belt won't keep him in one place for long! This will be the first time we travel alone on a plane, so it should be interesting.
We are meeting Rachel and the kids in Denver. They spent last week at a Worthen Reunion in Aspen Grove so instead of coming all the way home to Vegas for two days before heading back to Colorado, they took a side trip to Grand Junction to spend time with the Hunt's. And my Mom is flying in on Thursday, so that should be fun too. What's nice is that we get to visit with family and get to attend my cousin's wedding. Although, that is our main event of this trip I am sure we will have plenty of time to fit other things in!

A Big To Do!

We celebrated Lincoln's birthday today. He does not actually turn 2 until the end of the month but with everyone heading out of town for different vacations, it was now or never. Lorina made up some awesome invitations and we sent them out to friends and family inviting them to join us for a BBQ swim party get together this evening.
It was so much fun! A great big thank you to everyone who found the time to celebrate with us! Lincoln really loves all his great presents. We could hardly pull him away from them when it was time to go to bed! :) He was so excited about everything especially all his new cars and balls! He sure is a cute little guy, but I might be a little biased!
The party was great. I was a little worried the water in the pool would be too cold since the weather has been quite overcast lately. But the kids did not seem to mind too much. The food was great as usual-I might be a little biased about that too! Thanks for the great BBQ Justin!

Piano Recital

Rydman, Emerie, and Quincy had their first piano recital today. They have been taking lessons since January, so this was their first time on "stage". They all did great but I think they were all a little nervous. Each of them got a chance to do three pieces to show off the different skills they have learned.

Good Job guys!

Hiking with the Scouts

Justin and I are currently Den Leaders for the Bear Cubscouts in our ward. This month we are working on earning the Leave No Trace Award. Part of that award is teaching the Boys about the front country guidelines and how to interact with Nature using these guidelines. So we took the boys up to Redrock to help meet the requirements for the award.
Instead of taking them to a trail we have done before, we wanted to experience something new and push them out of their comfort zones. So we decided to do the Keystone Thrust Fault Line trail. And I have to say it was a great choice. Thankfully, the weather was somewhat overcast. I don't think this is a hike you would want to do in the full heat of the summer. There is not much shade to be had anywhere on the trail.
It is a pretty straight forward hike and was very well marked. Which is good because if you happened to take the wrong turn you could end up doing the Madre Spring Loop which was 6 miles long compared to out 2.2 mile hike! :)
It is also not a very popular hike, or at least as not as far as we could tell. The turn off is not marked, and the main access road is dirt, so you could very well pass it without thinking twice. We did not see another hiker until we were near the trail head as we were returning to the car. It was kind of nice to be "alone" with nature!