Some Colorado Pictures

It's 224 steps to the top of Seven Falls but it's doable at a 3-yr-old pace. Anna got lots of kudos from strangers on the way up!





I love how this pic shows her ringlets.






She's over the camera!





Top of Pike's Peak, at 14,000 ft. Nothing like keeping up with a 3 yr-old in a crowded souvenir shop at 14,000 ft! Whew!





Manitou Cog Rail took us all the way up to Pike's Peak summit.





At 30 degrees windchill at Pike's Peak Summit, she finally agreed to wear her coat. It's called natural consequences of not listening to mommy in the first place.





At the end of a fun day at the North Pole. We got her this dog and all it does is breathe. And rather loudly. She loved it so much and took it everywhere for the rest of the trip. First she named it Paulie (?!) then Allie.



12 years from now I probably won't have a smile on my face in the real situation.





It's an ice cold pole at the North Pole. Of course it's the North Pole pole. And no, I didn't ask her to put her tongue on it. That's disgusting.






OK I'd had enough of the cramped kiddy rides by now. Besides that, no way I was fitting in THAT back seat. We promised her an ice cream if she did it by herself.





It worked.





She didn't care for this ride as much getting off as getting on. It was a little roller coaster that was pretty rough.








Nothing like the surprise of an AIR BRUSHED face painting! That was unexpected and a little intrusive but Anna held it together and stuck it out. Awesome!






Trying to run from the camera while camping. The shirt is for Spasmunkey.








We camped at M Lazy C Ranch in Lake George, CO. It's a horse ranch in the Pike's Peak Area. Really cool place!






She just really wanted to FISH. She's never caught anything. Neither has daddy ;)







Back at the ranch....







At the ranch, Anna rode Squirt for an hour each day over two days. She loved it!











Ye-haw!







Helper





Seriously cool, double rainbow, right on the ranch. I didn't have the camera so had to take this with my iPhone and couldn't get the entire rainbow into the shot. But we were RIGHT THERE AT THE BEGINNING AND THE END OF this rainbow. We literally saw it touch the ground, perfect and tidy and clear. Anna said, "Sometimes we get gifts!" I don't know what exactly she means but yeah...





She was GREAT in the car ride! TWO days there and then TWO days back.





You get the idea.






Ready for this trip.



This was the best trip ever. OK well the shuttle flight trips are pretty darned fantastic memories too, but this was pretty darned perfect. We made just about everything on our itinerary, and it was fun for all. There were the whiny periods that drove me BONKERS (some were Anna's some were mine ;) ) but for the most part she was able to enjoy the same stuff we did and so it's getting more and more fun. Seriously, great memories.

I wish I had more time to blog the details but I just don't, and I'll have to hope I can remember them. She was addicted to her nursery rhyme book, carried her new dog everywhere, and was darned fun in the car ride. All our camping reservations/cabins/hotels were top notch and even when it rained on us every night in the tent, all was well. Another Colorado vacation marks the turn of the season as we look towards fall now....