Colorado trip

Last year around this time (while still pregnant), I was convinced that I wouldn't be going anywhere with a 3 month old; we even told family not to expect a visit from us for the next holiday.  My only experience was with a particularly unique infant/toddler... my energetic Mirabel.  She didn't like sleep very much.  You all remember the posts: waking up 6 times a night, considering it a good night if I got to sleep a 4 hour stretch, etc.?  Well, Juliette is a lot easier than her sister was at 3 months (aside from not enjoying car rides much), so we decided it'd be fun to take a trip, by plane... a nice relaxing trip to beautiful Colorado.  Both girls did great on the plane.  No tears.  It started off great, really...

We even had a chance to visit The North Pole ;) (also known as a Santa Claus-inspired theme park outside of Colorado Springs)...

Mirabel really enjoyed all the rides, in fact, she even rode the tallest ferris wheel in the world (well, it sits atop a mountain, so it's technically the highest not necessarily the tallest).

Her dad got a little dizzy on this ride ;)...

Though we stayed in a home away rental for most of the trip, the first night we slept at a cozy resort and enjoyed stuffing ourselves at their buffet, for both breakfast and lunch.  Food was delicious, views were gorgeous.  We were even greeted by deer upon waking up the first morning we were there.  Couldn't ask for a better trip (so far!) ;).

We visited the Garden of the Gods.  So lovely.  Gorgeous cliff dwellings, that's what they're called, right Ali?  Not exactly mountains ;).  But in Texas, we would refer to these as huge cliffs, or maybe even mountains :D.

Then we made our way to our home away; this is the mountain view from our front porch.  We kept pointing out the mountains to Mirabel while we were driving around town.  After we got back home, Mirabel kept pointing out her window and saying, "Look at the mountains!".  I had to explain to her that those "mountains" were really hills.  This is the hill country, after all; definitely not mountain country :).

We even got to meet my blogging buddy and her sweet family. The kids really enjoyed playing with the decorative bronze figurines, they even made it into the picture ;).  Excuse the construction paper scattered all over the coffee table.  Mirabel is really into using her plastic scissors to cut paper into really tiny pieces, makes for a fun clean-up time!

Then 4 DAYS LATER... we made it to Manitou Springs.  A really cute town with so many fun shops. Though Jose was saying that we should've stayed there (since there was so much to see on foot), I told Jose that we probably would've spent more money.  I'm usually a bargain shopper, but I had a hard time sticking to a budget on this trip ;).  

Why did it take us 4 days to get here?  Because WE ALL GOT A TERRIBLE STOMACH VIRUS!  We weren't actually supposed to stay that long.  Our flight was scheduled to leave on Tuesday afternoon, but they refused to let us board because Mirabel was vomiting quite a bit and they were concerned that they'd have to stop the plane (three times before boarding).  So they rescheduled our trip.  It's a good thing, too, because it took us a little while to get back on our feet.  Actually, it took me a little longer.  Nursing while having a stomach bug and not eating can be quite rough.  I lost about 5 pounds, and I don't have much to lose as it is.  Thankfully we are all fine now and we made it safely home a few days later.  I prayed that Juliette wouldn't get it, thankfully she was spared.  And, again, I feel so blessed to have a baby that sleeps well!  She slept while I was the sickest; not sure how I would've made it thru otherwise!

All in all, we had a great time.  The bug didn't taint our overall experience.  I still would like to go back to Colorado.  I'd love to buy a place there!  The housing costs aren't too bad, either!  Plus, you get seasons!  Something I do miss.  There isn't much work out there for Jose, though.  Oh well, I guess we'll just have to visit again.  Next time, we'll try skiing :).  I figured, skiing with a 3 month old strapped to my torso would probably be a little too adventurous, and we definitely had enough of an adventure :D.