Attack of the butterfly

Mark and Curren caught a butterfly and brought it in the house, so we took the opportunity to let is crawl all over our faces, because what else to you do with a butterfly??

I like this picture because it looks like a hair barette, I told Mark to look really “cute” he does, don’t you think??

Random Pictures

I liked these pictures and so I thought I would throw them up here, they aren’t cohesive at all though :)

We built a deck and put these awesome swings on it, Curren is testing them out.

My hydrangeas were gorgeous this summer, I love how BLUE they are.

I think these two are related.

My cute cousin Brandi was in town and stopped for a short visit, it was so good to see her again!

The long haul

Driving from Colorado Springs to Portland Oregon is a long haul. We left Colorado around 10:00 and took the “scenic” drive to Utah. We went through the mountains, past Vail and Breckenridge. To say it was beautiful was an understatement. WOW. If you live in Colorado you should be spending your whole summers up in those mountains!

We found a car show in one of the mountain towns, BONUS!

Green forests and alpine peaks eventually turned into desert.

We then landed on Grandma Painter’s front door.

And another 12 hours to Portland. Seeing Mt. Hood is always a welcome sight.

Family Photo Shoot

When you all get together a family photo shoot has to happen right?

Pikes Peak

Colorado Springs is down at the base of Pikes Peak, a 14,000 foot tall mountain. After Grandma, Bruce and Ron arrived we decided to go for a drive up Pikes Peak. The weather was perfect for it, and when we got up there, we were loving it, you could see forever!!

Mark, Dan and the kids went for a hike up in the mountains while Nikki and I prepared for the family reunion.

Jessie and Lilyanne

We missed seeing Pat and Darlene, Cassie and her family, Fred and Sue, and my brother Casey. Hopefully we can all meet up again soon!

Colorado Springs

After visiting Utah, Mark & the kids drove out to Colorado to meet me. I flew, because I had to work (work is cramping my style!) so I didn’t get to go to Utah and Yellowstone. My family lives in Colorado Springs, and we hadn’t been to visit for quite awhile.

While waiting for my plane to arrive Mark and the kids hung out at the Garden of the Gods visitors center. There was a lightning storm that rolled in, and Mark caught this beautiful image, isn’t it awesome??

We played at Nikki and Dan’s house for awhile.

My mom had me pull out several boxes of my “stuff” that they had saved from under their stairs. While we were looking, we found her wedding bouquet! The kids had fun playing on my dad’s model railroad.

Jellystone

Mark, his parents and the kids went on a drive to Utah. They stopped in Yellowstone to check it out. Here is the prettiest mountain range in America (in my opinion) the Grand Tetons.

Hello Mud Pots!

The wildlife was few and far between, but it was a fantastic time!

Wings and Waves

While Mark’s parents were visiting we went to the new Wings and Waves waterpark out in McMinnville. I liked the concept of the waterpark, and it was really nice inside. The kids thought it was awesome.

I thought the Great Wolf Lodge was a lot funner. Also, the prices for the waterpark were really expensive, it was ridiculous for such a small place. There were only 4 slides, and a lot of people. If you plan on going be sure and check it out first.

I must say though, the kids loved it :)