Pictures of The First 3 Days of Vacation

Well, we arrived home from Colorado last night. As much as I didn't want to leave the mountains (I mean it! I really didn't!), I was sure glad to be out of the car after the 15 1/2 hour drive yesterday! (There could be a whole entry about that! Suffice it to say, we got up at 4am to start the drive. One kid threw up for the first 4 or 5 hours of the trip and another had diarrhea. Even though Cooper was woken at 4:30 am to be carried to the car, he did not sleep on the long road trip until we were about 2 minutes from home. He did pretty well in his carseat though - except for the "I want to hold you!" that he said, and cried, and yelled, and moaned at me.... But I will not focus on all of that.) We had an amazing vacation! Really! It was wonderful!

I made it home with a mere 994 pictures (that is after deleting many on the trip and is not including the photos that my sister took with her camera), so it is taking me a while to get through all of them. I want to post a little about all that we did without overwhelming either of us. :) So check back often over the next few days, and I will share my family's vacation through pictures.

In this post I will share the first 3 days - time on the road, arriving in the mountains, and the 4th of July in Telluride.

This is the way the sky looked when we left... 

I almost heard angels singing.  :)

VACATION!!!!

~ the way that I rode in the car ~ 

I just had to document the flip flops.

(Corey was a SUPER MAN!  He drove the entire time.)

~our new favorite thing!~

Corey got a GPS for Father's Day/ our anniversary.  It was super great to have it on our trip!

~signs that we passed in my grandparents' town~

These made us laugh out loud!  

I had known about the It'll Do Motel, but I had never noticed the Nuttin' Fancy Cafe!

Who thinks of these things?!?

It is our tradition to stop at the state lines on our road trips and take a picture. 

~Rocky Mountain High, Colorado~

The first Colorado town that we stopped in was Silverton.  It is a tiny little town nestled in the mountains, and we love it!  We were on our way to Corey's sister's house, but we could not resist eating dinner in this little town first.

~the view of Silverton from the little bitty, curvy road that enters it~

Allie loved the colorful buildings.

(especially the purple one)

~The Fourth of July~

We spent the day in Telluride celebrating the 4th and spending time with Corey's sister's family.

It was so Americana... and wonderful!

~ a parade with a view ~

After the parade the firefighters hosted a barbecue and games for the kids.

Jack made friends with some boys and played baseball - for hours.  Cooper played with the big boys for a while too.  (although I don't think he remembered that the catcher does not squat near the pitcher)

Cooper loved wearing the fireman's helmet and climbing into the firetruck.

~Jack getting ready to play the water balloon toss~

~Cooper and Allie looking for money that the firemen buried in the sand~

~the waterfall in Telluride~

~Riding the Gondola~

This was Cooper's first time, and he loved it!

~Cooper bargain hunting with Aunt Roxann~

This is one of my favorite things about Telluride.  Only a true cheap-o can appreciate it (which includes me!).  It is called "The Free Box".  It is simply big shelf on the sidewalk where people bring their things to share.  It is labeled "men", "women", "children", "housewares", etc., and people sort things themselves.  I have never been to The Free Box when I didn't find something fabulous!  This trip was no different.  

Cooper's Cool Ride

~on the way to the park for a picnic and fireworks~

This little creek was right next to the park where we watched fireworks.  The kids loved playing in it.

~waiting for the fireworks to begin~

Jack got this balloon that he would blow up then let go, and it sounded like a firework.  It was hours of fun for him.

Sweet Allie Cat

~Coop getting kisses from Aunt Roxann & Uncle Dave~

He ended up sitting in her lap for the fireworks.  Hands over ears.  Asleep.

~Allie watching fireworks~