Girls' Trip

Thanks to a very supportive husband and his frequent flier miles, Lauren, Ella and I were able to go on another girls' weekend this year. This time it was to Colorado to see our cousins--especially this guy:

TYTON!
It was so fun to see this little man in person--he is such a sweet-natured little guy.

Day One: The Zoo

This was an awesome zoo! It was amazing how many animals we saw and how close we were able to get to them all. The giraffes sure seemed to like us...one even LICKED Ella's head--yuck!

These girls were having so much fun, they needed a little (pretend) rest!

Day Two: Snow Day!

We woke up to a winter wonderland! This was Lauren's dream come true. She had been hoping that she would get to see snow and especially to make a snow angel, since she claimed she had NEVER made on in her life! After several hours of playing in the c-c-cold weather, she finally came inside with (mildly) frostbitten cheeks! Hot cocoa and a warm fire thawed her out, and then she begged to go out again that night and was thrilled when she and Easton found some icicles to eat! She loved every minute of it.

We also made and decorated sugar cookies. Lauren was thinking of the boys at home when she decorated her three cookies for Dad, Caleb and Andrew. She insisted on bringing them home. Thankfully, her thoughtful treat survived the trip.

That night we made Valentine love notes for each other. The girls decorated their papers and then we all signed them. What a treasure!

Valentine Factory!

Day 3: Church, Lunch, and good-byes :(

We were so glad we could spend time with the boys too! Papa surprised us all by coming along!

GrammZ provided countless acts of service and lots and lots of loves!

Priceless cousin time!

Some of our memories didn't get captured on camera:

• Lauren had a BLAST making forts in the basement with the cousins.

• I loved hearing cute Brinklee say "Oh, Hi Ella!" in her cute way. She was so helpful and concerned over her and I loved chatting with her.

• Throwing 100 catches with Cannon--he totally reminds me of Andrew.

• Lauren also loved playing with Katelyn and Brinklee, who cracked us up with the massive collections they brought upstairs to play with.

• Annibelle stole everyone's hearts while sitting in her Bumbo, eating strawberries, and getting a cute little hairstyle from Aunt Katie. 

• We'll never forget our Target shopping expedition. While the boys were at a movie, ALL the girls and babies bundled up and went to Target. Thanks, GramZ for getting us there and back safely. It was a fun memory--the store was almost empty because we were the only ones who braved the weather to go to Target!

• The delicious meals and comfortable accomodations for all of us in Katie's and Nate's beautiful home. Katie sure made it look easy--especially with 5 kids (one being a tiny baby)! Truly amazing!