Sunny Colorado

Every day in Colorado was super busy and full of FUN!!! 

We woke up, went to a summer kid flick at the local theatre, headed to the park for lunch, managed to go shopping during quiet time, and then headed to Kristen's tee-ball game. 

Whew! What a day! But oh so sunny...

And oh so FUN! (oh course, this is Aunt Sarah we're talking about here!)

In the tunnel...
Playing with Nana...

Gotta love this expression! Miss Rachel...

Kristen and Rachel had fun jumping...

Then we had a little mini photo-shoot at the picnic tables... Sarah, me, and my Mom...
Come on Mom! We need some silly ones! haha!

A bunch of crazy ladies...The Payne girls...   I adore this picture...
And a couple more of Momma and Rachel...
People always tell me that Rachel looks just like me. Every time they do I consider it a huge complement. This next statement is not meant to be self-depreciating at all, but in my opinion, I don't even come close to this little beauty...

After we ate delicious homemade pizza we headed to Kristen's tee-ball game. The cutest thing ever! I can't wait to put Rachel in tee-ball!!! Kristen did a great job!

On the way home I caught this shot and it sent goosebumps down my arms. "I come from a long line of lovewhen the times get hard, we don't give upforever is in my heart and in my blood"-Micheal Martin Murphy "A Long Line of Love"
More sunny days ahead!

Heritage Square Carnival

Our first day in Colorado was spent at a little carnival up in the mountains. It was perfect for little kids! As as matter of fact, all the rides were for little ones. Maggie really liked the banana peel ride...

We rode that one several times...

Rachel and Kristen ready to swing!

Rachel was totally in her element. She loved all the rides!

I think Pop's shoulders count as a ride, don't you?

The guys enjoying the view...
Except for little Rachel, I think all of us were feeling the altitude...

Yeehaw! They're ready to ride! Did I already say that Rachel was in her element? Because it's true. She didn't seem to get scared at all...

Gig'em Aggies (at least that's what Rachel was saying...haha)

Maggie! Look here! MAGGIE! yep, no luck... those rides were just way too enthralling...

No hands!!!

Mommy and Maggie...

Up on the Ferris Wheel! The girls and I had a blast up there!!! Can you find my feet?

This one was FAST! Look at them go!

Here comes my favorite ride of the day! The Alpine Slide!!! Whoo! It was awesome!!!For those of you who have no idea what I'm talking about, because I had no clue what the heck it was- It's basically a huge slide were you slide all the way down a moutain...
First you have to ride up. See Rachel and I up on the ski lift? Up the mountain we go!

And down the slide! Seriously the coolest thing ever! I loved it!

haha, this picture cracks me up! Look at Nana and Maggie over there...

The girls were seriously pooped and feel asleep the moment they got strapped in their car seats. So, we decided to go for a drive up in the mountains while they enjoyed a nap. It so happened that the Buffalo Bill's Wild West museum and grave were near by, so we stopped to check it out. And there it is...

I had a small peaceful moment to myself as the girls were sleeping in the car and everyone else was visiting the grave or hitting the restroom. It was nice to just look at the mountains for a moment. I love the mountains. Looking at them make me want to strap on my pack and hike them. I could stay out in the mountains for weeks. One day that's just what Tyler and I are going to do. We're going to hike those mountains together.  And just like that- I'm in love with Colorado. 

First Things First

We are in COLORADO! It is so stinkin beautiful up here. I'm in love. The mountains are gorgeous, the weather is perfect, and we are so enjoying the company! We came up to visit my Aunt Sarah and her wonderful family. They have a darling little girl, Kristen, whom I believe my little girls will miss dearly when we leave. The moment we got to the house from the airport this is what happened...
Princess dress, check. Accessories, check. Make-up, check. Goodness gracious, my girls aren't going to have a hard time getting used to this place...

The pro at work...

Showing Rachel and Maggie how it's done...
Nothing like getting off a plane and feeling right at home. These girls are going to have a fun time!

Round 2

I happy to announce that I conquered triathlon number two! I'm not going to lie, the first go around left a bit of a bad taste in my mouth and I felt like I could do a whole lot better. I beat my time by a whole 20 minutes! Awesome right? My biggest obstacle with triathlons is the swimming. But this time I actually got into a groove! It felt so good! Granted, I was still super slow- but I had a groove! That's a success in my book.

Guess what was going through my head the whole time? 

    Dude Crush. "You, Mini-Man, takin' on the jellies. You've got serious thrill issues, dude. Awesome." "You so totally rock, Squirt! So gimme some fin."  "Righteous! Righteous!"

I know, I'm a dork. We are serious Finding Nemo fans. And dork or no dork, it helped so much during the swim! Thanks Crush! I'm ready for more!    

Firecrackers

This look never gets old. Makes me laugh every single time."Woooooo, what the heck are those things spitting fire and making so much noise?"Then the really noisy ones went off... haha...
Rachel loved the sparklers. You should have seen what happened when it was time to go back inside and go to bed... whew! It wasn't a pretty sight, but we ended up cuddling and having a little girl talk. She is one amazing little girl.
Maggie learned to like the sparklers...

They stayed up way past their bedtime...

Happy 4th of July!!! God Bless AmericaLand of the Free, Home of the Brave.

Baby Sisters

shhhhhh!!! Big sister doesn't know I'm wearing her boots... 

Happy Girls

These two stinkers did not want to get out of the tub! Even after all the water had drained, they still stayed and and kept playing.

They giggled and giggled and giggled some more...

I can't say it enough! I love being a Mom. I love being a Mom. I love being a Mom.It is the best job. Hands down. Period. Exclamation mark!And I have proof...

Am I dreaming? Is this real? Someone punch me. Quick! How did I get this lucky?Look at these two turkeys! They can't stop giggling!

"Everybody knows that the sweetest thing that you'll ever see in the whole wide world is a happy girl."-Martina Mcbride