Everyday magic...

Goodness, I used to write about their play so often. The little worlds/scenerios the twins would come up with, their phases of trains and then Schleich animals and dinos, etc. As I watched them all play today, I wished I could record their every word. It. was. hysterical. Grandma riding up to "Rainbow farm" on a dump truck, and riding away on a unicorn...a dragon named Scarlet and a Grandpa named Albert Einstein....I just soak it all up, this everyday magic. Domestic life is so very daily with dishes and laundry and meals and more dishes, sometimes I just need to plop down in front of Rainbow farm and listen in wonder at their imaginations in action. 

                              Oh, and these pictures? Yeah, I'll treasure them always. 

It was so very good.

Our vacation to Colorado, it was so very good. I mean it had all the bumps and bruises of traveling and vacationing with 4 kiddos. Think of me picking cactus thorns out of Ollie's feet at a camp site while swarms of gnats threatened to land in our eyes. Whining. Non co-sleeping toddler trying to co-sleep in a tent with brutal non sleeping to follow. Yeah, that stuff happened:) But man, overall, it was just good. Good to be with Joel for days, good to build memories, good to be with dear friends in beautiful mountains. Generous friends let us stay in their beautiful family retreat home, adding luxury that we would never have experienced otherwise. We came home with full hearts, and much thankfulness. 
Our first stop was Palo Duro Canyon. We were thrilled to see this beautiful canyon in Texas! This was our first night camping as a family of 6. Joel has done a lot of camping with the twins but the rest of us, not so much. I was scared, and with good reason--haha! Ollie is a great sleeper in a crib, but nowhere else! Such a bummer part of not co-sleeping.Anyway, we struggled through, and I'm glad. It's a short season, as Jubilee was the same way, and she does just fine now. 

 Our next stop was Great White Sands National park. Amazing place! This is where the swarms of gnats greeted us, but thankfully they went away at night and didn't bother us while sleeping (half of us slept in the van, the other half in the tent)--whew!

See Jubilee itching? That would be the gnats!

Then it was on to Crested Butte, and the beauty of that place is beyond description!

The Hunts even got to come for a couple of days at the end of our stay--such a treat! On the way backed we camped in New Mexico by a lake--the twins were in mega explorer mode and had a blast finding fish skeletons, bunnies, turkey vultures, frogs, etc:) 

It was good to get home, even after the abundance of beauty in Colorado:) All for now, Jen