We had a super great time with my extended family in Utopia. My uncles and cousins are very laid back and were happy with nutin' to do. We made a trip to the creek to hunt for fossils. Kudos to Mom to feeding us all major amounts of yummy beef. We also swung by the Alamo on the way back to Waco and made the little cousins sing Davy Crockett. Now, if Cade or Zane wants to push a button on little sister, they sing "Avi Crockett" and really make her scream. The children enjoyed ice cream from the vending machines at the historic site. It was fun, but HOT! My cousins (the adult ones) got to stay with us in Waco for the night and eat their first authentic kolaches. Fun times. (Sidenote: Cade is still mad at Santa Anna and the New Mexicans because of confusion with a basketball game that he watched with his dad. We'll get 'em next time.)
We headed to the YMCA of the Rockies, oxygen tank on hand a couple of days later. The car ride was smooth with Van and I and the children going through the stages of grief (denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance) at various times along the way. We visited the Big Texan for supper on the way through Amarillo, and stopped at the Pueblo Colorado Zoo. A penguin there adored Avi and followed her along the glass for a long time. It was precious. I packed up our bags one night around 2:00 am near Colorado Springs after smelling smoke and hearing sirens, and sure enough, around 3:45 a knock at our motel door announced that we would need to evacuate. Blessings on that town. They have been through it. We decided that we might as well get on the road, so we drove to El Dorado State Park for a short hike. I realized quickly that my breathing wasn't the best, so I had to lay low (very low) for the week. Continuing Medical Education filled Van's mornings, and the kids had two full days of day camp. The other time was spent with friends or just with mama doing crafts, putt-putt and nature classes--but I was moving SL-OW-LY, a few steps at a time. The facilities there were wonderful, but not air conditioned. We had brought the Texas heat with us, and there was not a lot of relief. We left some of the windows cranked open during the day to let a breeze through the cabin. The kids were at day camp, and Van and I had the afternoon to ourselves to cook a bit of lunch and then maybe go sight-seeing in the park. When we drove up to the cabin, Van noticed two round ears behind a boulder. Sure enough, a bear was just a few yards from us. We snuck into the cabin where there were paw prints on our kitchen floor, an overturned trash can and paw prints on our gatoraid tub. The peanut butter jar was missing. That thief had bent the screen on the window, let himself in, found his favorite snack and was eating it in the yard. I was glad that we had arrived AFTER he found his prize. Yikes. We did not follow the YMCA's instructions, and definitely did corrupt a bear.
On the way back, we visited Capulin Volcano. That was neat. We drove WAY up to the top and Van hiked down to the center with the kiddos who were so excited to be in a real volcano. Then, we stopped at McDonald's and had some stretch time at a great playground, a bathroom accident and a humdinger of a meltdown over a missing piece of a toy. Time to go home!!!!
Since then, we have enjoyed the plethora of library showcases in Waco, the YMCA pool and any sort of air-conditioned kid-friendly place that is NOT in our very-clean-ready-to-show-at-the-push-of-a-button home. I pack a lunch bag in the morning, and off we go. I decided I'm a better
