July 2017- July 4th and Colorado trip

I'm desperately trying to catch up on my blog so forgive the monthly photo dumps!

Fourth of July we went and visited PawPaw.    

That evening we went to Lake Conroe and hung our with Papa Mike and Gigi.  We had dinner and watched fireworks at their friend's house.

the kids feeding the catfish by the dock.  They were huge catfish!

Later in the month we visited Aunt Sarah and Uncle Adam in Colorado!  We had a blast with daily outings.  We went to a zoo on the side of a mountain, white water rafting, hiking, and more!

Here are some pictures from the rafting trip.  All seven of us plus a guide went on a level 3 trip (not too scary, but still lots of fun.)  Jack sat in the middle since he was the lightest, and the rest of us sat on the edge of the raft.  The water was soooo cold at 37 degrees.  Eventually it didn't bother me anymore since I think my toes went numb.  At one point we hit a big rapid, and the guide, trying to keep Jack in the raft, fell out!!!  Poor guy, all the other guides knew he fell out, so he had to pay a "beer tax" to them, meaning he had to buy a case of beer for the other guides.  I had so much fun; it was definitely my favorite part of the trip.

Halle with her new Chacos that Aunt Sarah bought for her birthday.  Looking like a true Coloradoan.

The Cheyenne Mountain zoo was very enjoyable.  The kids fed the giraffes and we all laughed at their super long tongues.  The zoo has a lift that takes you to the top of the mountain, so we got to see beautiful views.  

One day Sarah and Adam rented a Suburban and we drove up Pike's Peak.  I was sooo stressed out going up the mountain because of all the switchbacks.  When we arrived at the top it was super windy and cold.  They had a cafe at the top so we warmed up with coffee and hot chocolate.  I could hardly breathe because the altitude was so high.

My second favorite part of the trip was the Manitou Incline, which is old railway tracks that go up a mountain.  The climb is a mile long and a 2000-foot elevation from the base.  We all, including the kids, did this extreme climb.  It was hard!  We all made it to the top though!  Going back down the same way you go up is dangerous, so there is a four mile trail that takes you back down the mountain.  It became completely dark during our descent, so all we had were the flashlights from our phones (those of us whose phones didn't die) to lead us back down.  That was almost as scary as the climb itself!  We were completely exhausted at the end, but we got in a GREAT workout!

When we weren't out doing something in Colorado, we were hanging at Sarah and Adam's with Brutus and Jake, drinking coffee, watching TV, eating, eating some more, and playing games.

Brutus sitting on Halle!  He doesn't understand too much about personal space.

Jack with his cap gun.  We had to buy him something to keep him entertained..

Arden wearing a facial mask that Aunt Sarah got her.  Creepster.