Meteor Crater in Arizona

Yesterday afternoon, we stopped at Meteor Crater in Arizona. Lexi and Jordan were completely fascinated by it, much more than I thought they would be. They also loved the 15 minute movie that seemed a bit boring and too academic for the setting to me. I wanted more Hollywood thrill. They walked out of the little theater talking like experts. Lexi ran up to each exhibit to explain it to us. She talked about how the meteors crash into things and how the moon is probably a meteor that collected other materials. Needless to say, she was thrilled by the experience.

Family Breakfast & Goodbyes

We had breakfast with all the family members this morning. By mid-morning, we were all packed up and ready to head out. The kids spent as much time as possible running around an playing together. Lexi and Jordan really enjoyed getting to know more of their second cousins and even their first cousins a little better. Dillon, my cousin's six year old step-son, really seemed to take a liking to Lexi. The last picture is of my mom and her sister and brother along with their spouses. Lexi just had to be in the picture.

Family Reunion 2010

Our family reunion was last night. We had a cook-out dinner and chatted. Well, the adults chatted while the kids ran around in the drizzling rain, which means that we all had a good time. We even planned our next reunion. It will be at Bear Lake in Utah in two years.

Mancos Days Festival

This weekend is the Mancos Days Festival, which is the closest town to where our family reunion is being held (we're staying at a bunch of cabins at Echo Basin). We took the kids into town for the festival. They had fun playing on the playground, eating lunch, and riding the little train. Isn't it funny that Lexi and Eden picked out cars that match their shirts?

Dinner & Show

Last night, we went to Bar D Chuckwagon in Durango. They have a bunch of shops, a train, and several things going on around the property. At 7:30pm, they ring the dinner bell and explain how everyone needs to line up for supper. They are great at serving up a large crowd quickly. After dinner, the show starts and everyone experiences an old west music/comedy performance. It would have been really great if the kids weren't so tired. I think Lexi fell off the picnic style table 3 times. She finally settled down & sat in Paige's lap.

Mesa Verde

Our family reunion got it's kick-start at Mesa Verde, where we met up with my brother and his family including his mother-in-law. We wanted to take the kids on an easy hike so they could see a few of the Indian Ruins. Lexi and Eden were the only kids awake. Actually, we had to wake Lexi up for the hike. About half way through the hike, she pulled a drama queen move by clutching her chest and claiming it was killing her. She looked like a heart attack victim. I made her walk for a little while then asked my brother if he would carry her. Alma threw her up on his shoulders and suddenly she was just fine.

Zoo with Texas Friends

Yesterday, we went to the zoo with our Texas friends. Well, actually, we went with Miss Katy & Kasey. Mr. Bill had to take Cole to see a doctor because he wasn't feeling well. They met up with us at the zoo later.

Even without them it was quite an adventure, especially at lunch. We went into a little cafe near the elephants. Near the cash register, the kids managed to knock over a drink and drop our fruit. They quickly got us more without any problems. Once we were outside and had eaten the food, Lexi started turning green and saying her stomach hurt. Suddenly, puke came spewing out and the color came back to her face. She was happy again. Fortunately, she didn't get any on any of us even her. It was all over the sidewalk though. The workers were very kind about it, but I am sure they were relieved to see us leave the cafe.

We were there pretty much all day and only saw about half of the zoo. The kids enjoyed giggling about pee and poop at a lot of the exhibits (4 year olds are funny). They were curious about the zebra's boy parts, but not as much as a group of guys near us.

After the zoo, we went to Big Kahunas for dinner. The kids got to color while we rested. When it was done, we said our goodbyes. I know Lexi and Jordan will be missing them horribly, but all the kids were hyper and wild by that time. It turned into a crazy, silly, running, jumping goodbye scene.

Koalas

Camels

Foot Massage


Little Paleontologist

Elephant Neck Size

Elephant (just before lunch & Lexi puking)

Riding a Kitty

Monkey Girl

Cole & Lexi

Two Monkeys

Saying Goodbye