Sunday, June 30, 2013

The sweetest little dancer

Oh, this is sweet.
Makenah started ballet Friday. My goodness it was precious.
Our girl loves to dance, twirl, wear dance shoes, and be a ballerina. We thought we'd give dance class a try.
I was hoping she would enjoy class and look forward to going back. It was a huge success, and this is where you will find us on Friday mornings. I couldn't take my eyes off this sweet little class, watching her twirl, learn, follow directions, and try new things. 
I took her picture before we left. 


I couldn't resist trying to get a few pictures while she was there. 
Waiting for class to start. 
 Taking her turn across the floor
 Following the teachers instructions
 Deep in thought
I didn't catch it very well, but she smiled so big almost the whole time. A few times she ran over to me, gave me a big hug, and said, "Mama, did you see me do that?!" Melt my heart!
Love this girl.

Saturday, June 29, 2013

Cheyenne Mountain Zoo

On our last full day in CO recently, we went as a whole family to the wonderful Cheyenne Mountain Zoo in Colorado Springs. Bryan's parents, grandparents, brothers, and my sister were there with us! I've been wanting to take the kids there, and this was the perfect opportunity to enjoy it as a group. We trekked around the zoo, which is beautifully nestled on the mountain and enjoyed all the exhibits. 

The giraffes are the first thing you come to. It is an extremely impressive exhibit, and the giraffes are in a sunken area, so that they are closer to our height. You can feed them as well. Makenah said, "Let's not feed the giraffes, mama." 
 The view from the mountain. 
 Checking out the monkeys. 
Pushing my boy. 
 Lots of birds roam around the paths. This guy was giving us a show. 
They had the cutest baby gorilla. 
 This blur of Makenah is her showing Aunt Jenna her dance moves. Ha!
 Loving Uncle Brandon!
Great zoo! I think everyone had a good time!!

Thursday, June 27, 2013

Family Hike

Of all the things we did on our most recent trip to Colorado, we took the most pictures of the awesome hike we did. Both Bryan and I took a lot with our phone, and I was also able to get some from Bryan's mom Debbie and his brother Blake. (Thank you both!) 

In planning our trip this go-around, we decided we wanted to do some hiking with the kids. We had been just a couple times before the kids were born, but we thought this would be a great way to add another mountain activity we could do as a group. We knew the kids would need carriers, so we did our research and found some we really liked. Bryan found us a trail near Divide, CO, Crag's Trail, not too far from Rocky Mountain Mennonite Camp.
Bryan's mom, Grandad, brothers Brandon and Blake, and the four of us set out mid morning. The weather was perfect. We knew this would be an adventure, carrying the kids on a hike. Bryan carried Makenah and I had Logan. Not gonna lie, it was IN-tense! (We estimated that Bryan's pack weighed about 40 lbs. and mine about 30 lbs.) There was a fair amount of uphill, with some much needed flat spots. When we reached the top, we took in the scenery and headed back down just a tad to find a spot for a picnic lunch. The hike down was a welcome change of pace, but my feet were killing me, and both of our backs were tired!! We both felt a sense of accomplishment, and wanted to make it the whole time without getting any help, ha! 
We were overall happy with the packs we bought, and the kids had a great time!! We are definitely planning a hike for the next time we are there!

Getting all loaded up!
 Blake, Brandon, Grandad
 Grandad and Debbie
Heading out!
At the top!
 
Makenah had a blast the whole time. She kept asking us when it was time to hike up the mountain. She was happy the whole time!
Total sense of accomplishment. 
With legs that felt like jello. 
I'm thinking we have a pretty awesome Grandad who can hike up a mountain!!
Carrying Logan was fun. He's so cute, and with a snack in hand, he had a good time. 
 Getting ready for our picnic lunch! 
 On the way back down. 
 Every once and awhile Makenah would ask to get down and do some walking. The packs were a good way to mostly give her a ride, and let her down when she wanted. They were so cute. 
 Strong guy, just pulled himself into the tree. 
We made lots of good memories doing this together, and you can be sure you'll see more hiking pictures in the near future!