He did really well on the flight. We did our best to entertain him with coloring (a favorite activity), movies and snacks. I was glad the flight was only 1 1/2 hours otherwise I'm not sure he would have made it. We landed around 5:30 but didn't get to our friend, Bobbie's house, until close to 8. Noah met Bobbie's daughter, Chelsea, who is his age and they got a little acquainted before bed time. Being in a new environment, Noah did not sleep well and ended up crashing with me, kicking Mike out of bed. It was a rough night but we survived it.
I was quite amazed with Miss Chelsea. She speaks full sentences and knows an abundance of words! Once we were introduced, she seemed to remember our names. Every morning she was anxious to see Noah (too cute!) It was fun to watch the interaction, but of course, made me a little jealous that Noah is still grunting to communicate. I know it's only a matter of time before we can't get him to shut up. But I am looking forward to that.
Bobbie took Friday off so we could take the kids to the wildlife museum. It was a pretty good setup, unfortunately we didn't realize that it was field trip day so the kids were a little overrun by bigger kids. Noah didn't care much for the animatronic animals, although Chelsea seemed very intrigued. Noah wouldn't even pet the stuffed moose.
There was an area where they project fish on the floor and the kids can chase them. It was pretty cute to watch them running/crawling on the floor, esp. as much as Noah loves fish!
After the museum and lunch, it was nap time for the kiddos (not to mention mommy and daddy!). By afternoon, the cold front moved through, but that didn't stop Noah from wanting to go outside. Mike took him out while Chelsea slept and he was entertained by the car she had. He did not want to get out of it!
By the evening the kids were wound up and enjoyed listening and dancing to music, running around like crazy people, and playing with toys.
Noah slept much better Friday night (he woke up at 4:30 but slept with us until 7). That was a win for us! After enjoying some breakfast it was time to get ready to visit my girlfriend, Diane, in Colorado Springs.
It was only a 50 minute drive (it takes Mike that long to get to work in the mornings!) and by the time we reached the Springs, it was snowing. We ventured to Garden of the Gods and let Noah run around outside (his favorite thing to do!) First we had to get a picture with the buffalo, which Noah didn't much care for. He's turning into a bit of a scaredy cat. I guess he gets that from me.
Here are a few pictures from the visitors center, overlooking the area. You can see the snow is really coming down!
Of course, that doesn't stop Noah. Mike taught him to catch the snow with his tongue. He got quite a kick out of that.
Here we're at one of the famous areas of the park - the balancing rock.
We thought we'd try to take Noah up but the higher we got, the more muddy it got and I didn't want any of us falling so Noah and I headed back down while Mike ventured on.
We found a few more rest stops where Noah could enjoy the snow. He threw a tantrum every time we put him in the car. That was fun. But once we got him back outside, he was all smiles again. Here he's following daddy. Mike started a snowball fight but it didn't last long as he realized it wasn't good for his health. :-)
Noah loved picking up the snow unfortunately he didn't like keeping his mittens on. Its too bad they don't make water-proof mittens for under 2 years of age. His poor hands were soaked!
Deciding it was time to get out of the cold, we headed to lunch at a local downtown pizza joint. Diane picked the perfect spot for us to dine. We enjoyed some good conversation while Noah got to play in the little play land they had. He found this hat and thought the plank was a slide so he ran/slid up and down it several times. He entertained himself for quite a while!
The snow was headed north and since we didn't want to get stranded in the Springs, we said our goodbyes to Diane and headed back to Denver. Noah slept in the car so when we got back, he was ready for play time while Chelsea slept. That evening the enjoyed chasing each other around the house. Noah loved the popper and wooden elephant to push and pull.
The evening continued to bring snow so we hunkered down for a quiet evening. We told the kiddos we'd go out in the snow in the am after breakfast. As promised, we did just that.
Noah found Chelsea's toys to be quite thrilling. He loved this little car of hers and we often found him riding it around the house. He's up and first thing he does is grab the car.
Of course, after breakfast he was ready to head outside. We got everyone dressed and drove to a nearby hill to take the kids sledding. Unfortunately Chelsea did not enjoy herself, but Noah, on the other hand, had a blast!
I've already decided he's going to be my little dare devil. I'm going to have to watch him like a hawk!
Since Chelsea didn't much care for the cold, we had a very limited stay in the great outdoors (which was fine by me!) but Mr. Noah was not happy about it. He threw a fit the entire car ride and even back at their house. He did not get enough time in the snow. I think we probably spent more time bundling them up than we were actually outside!
To distract them, Bobbie was kind enough to pull out yet another toy for entertainment. This too provided good times until it was time to head to the airport.
I couldn't leave without getting a picture of Bobbie and I with the kids. Of course, leave it to Noah not to cooperate. We pulled him from the toy so he was not a happy boy!
Even though the snow was thick, by the time we were airport-bound, it had stopped snowing and we were able to get out on time. Noah again did a pretty good job until it was time for the plane to decend. I think it was a combination of the trouble with his ears popping, and the lack of nap that day.
It was a beautiful family trip and we are so grateful for wonderful friends who put us up (and put up with us!) and enjoyed the time with the little ones. I couldn't have asked for a better vacation!
As a side note, apparently we weren't the only ones having a wonderful vacation this past weekend. Congratulations to my brother-in-law, Matt, who got engaged to charming and lovely Emily. Looking forward to having her join the family! Can Noah get a cousin anytime soon?! ;-)
Love to all,
Corri, Mike and Noah
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