A Little More Utah and Colorado Springs

We have been extremely busy ever since we returned from our 17-day trip through Colorado and Utah. There has been so much stuff to do with the house. We close on the 27th of this month. We are redoing several things in the home, so we have a lot of things that need to be scheduled to begin the day after closing. We want everything done before we get our furniture delivered from storage in Virginia, which is why we need to get started as soon as we close. We can't wait to sleep in our bed and get our home settled.

I still have some photos that I want to post from our last week in Utah and our time in Colorado Springs with the Madrids. I mentioned in my previous post that I took Jackson to the Children's Museum in Downtown Salt Lake City. Our day started rough. We've officially entered the SUPER tantrum stage, and I must admit that it wears on me after a while. Thankfully, our afternoon was much better than our morning and we had a fantastic time at the museum.

Of all of the things that the museum offered, Jackson was the most excited about riding in this car. I would introduce him to new things, but he always wanted to go back and find this car. He loves these Little Tikes cars.

Dressing up in fireman apparel:

These clothes came off rather quickly. He told me, "I don't like this."

Experimenting at the water station:

Climbing:

Finally, something with a steering wheel:

Grocery shopping for produce:

Jackson has been pointing out gas stations since we lived in Germany. He loves anything that has to do with a car or truck. They had a real gas pump at the museum and a car that the kids could gas up. Jackson LOVED putting gas in the car and enjoyed telling me how to do it. Now, he wants to help us put gas in our cars every time we fill up.

He waited patiently for this tractor for at least 45 minutes. He was thrilled to ride on it.

We signed up for a storybook reading of Dr. Seuss and a craft. He would not wear his project - a hat that he painted - but I did catch him in his smock.

He thought the blue sand was much more fun than the craft:

There was a big area with balls and tubes. The children can put balls into various tubes and watch there path. Jackson would fill his bucket with balls, carry it up the stairs, and then put them inside this tube that shot the balls up and over his head.

Before we left, we had to make one last trip to ride the police car. This time, he found a tool kit so that he could work on his car.

We left Utah the next evening to get ahead of the winter storm that was blowing across the Rockies. We spent three wonderful days with the Madrids before we headed back to Oklahoma. I didn't realize that my camera batteries were both low, so the only pictures I took while in Colorado were in the snow in front of their house. We didn't get one picture of our two families together. I was so bummed.

Steve, Zach, and Jason took Jackson outside to play in the snow. After Steve went back inside, Jason and Zach decided that they were going to make a ton of snowballs, ask Steve to come outside, and then nail him once he opened the door. I got in on their little plot and called for everyone to come outside and watch Jackson in the snow. Steve was way to clever for that. He went out the back door, gathered some snow balls for himself, and then ran around the garage to surprise attack them. Well, Zach knows his dad well. When Steve didn't come right outside, he figured his dad was up to something, so he told Jason to watch the side of the garage. The sun was on their side and they could see Steve's shadow just before he made it to the end of the garage. Here are some photos of the fight:

Getting ready:

Outsmarting Steve and getting ready at both sides of the garage:

The fun begins:

Jackson even got in on the fun:

Making his own snowball:

Clearing the driveway:

So excited to help:

Steve and Michelle, thank you so much for letting us stay with you on both ends of our trip. What a blessing it was to see you both as well as Danielle, Zach and Tricia. We can't wait until next time!

We had a fantastic trip and we are so thankful for the opportunity to see more of the country. On our drive, we drove through Oklahoma, Colorado, Wyoming, and into Utah. Jackson had a few restless moments, which should be expected from a toddler strapped to his seat, but overall, he was amazing. It's too bad that gone are the days of folding down the seats and making pallets in the back. That sure did make traveling a lot more fun for children.