Brubaker Bunch Colorado Adventure- Part 2

We started our day with a delicious breakfast together.... crepes!  I fell in love with crepes on our vacation to Mexico.  Our resort had an amazing creperie and espresso bar that I took full advantage of the "all inclusive" aspect of  : )   Here's the recipe I use at home... enjoy!

Day 2: Tourist Hot Spots


#1: Garden of the Gods

The Brubakers and I ventured out to hike around in Garden of the Gods.  The girls loved the cool rock formations and Hudson loved the free space to run around in.  They even had the opportunity to do a little off roadin' and rock climbing themselves...

After our little hike we took full advantage of the beautiful day and had a picnic in the park.

After lunch we moseyed over the the Trading Post which is souvenir central and the kids got to pick out a couple souvenirs with the money the earned on the car ride out here : )

#2: Focus on the Family Play Center

After Hudson's nap we loaded up the mini-van again and headed to the Focus on the Family Play Center.  I think Katie had her reservations about an indoor playground but I think she was pleasantly surprised!  The play center is equipped with play grounds for all different age groups... of course Hudson had no interest in the toddler room, he would rather be with the big kids! 

Here's Lorelai coming down off the huge 3 story slide

Hudson coming down a slide that is more his size

And Lorelai had her turn on the little slide

She says it's kinda fun... not as fun as the big slide

Amelia is a little booger to catch on camera... so here's the best I got

We had a blast at the playcenter!  Tons of stuff to explore and lots of room to run around in... the kids were pooped! 

#3: Cooking Club

Ok, maybe it's not really a tourist hot spot but it made it to our list of fun things to do!  I host a Cooking Club every month and this months meeting just so happen to be when the Brubakers were visiting so we made it a Girls Night Out!  Lorelai and Amelia practiced their manners on the car ride over and it was super cute to here them introduce themselves and ask people's names.  They even tried all the soups even though some were a little spicy.  And it was good for Amelia to finally meet my friends, I think she was a little worried about my social life because she kept asking if I had any friends : )

Amelia and Kristi "clinking" spoons

I love going to Cooking Club and it's even better with special guests!  The girls were absolutely exhausted and fell asleep in the car ride home... getting plenty of sleep to be ready for a fun day at the zoo!

Brubaker Bunch Colorado Adventure- Part 1

The Brubaker Bunch made their way out to Colorado Springs a couple weeks ago for an extended weekend!  I love having guests in our home especially of the niece and nephew variety!  We jammed packed our four days together and hit up all the tourist hot spots!  Here are the highlights of our time.

Day 1: Lorelai's Birthday Celebration

The day that the Brubaker's arrived we celebrated Lorelai's 7th birthday with a "Personal Pizza Palour Dinner".  As much as I LOVE baking my own bread, I had never tried homemade pizza crust.  For some reason homemade pizza crust intimidated me... but I am always up for trying my hand at new things.  And I glad I did because they were delicious!  Everyone got to make their own 9 inch personal pizza with all their favorite toppings.  We even had buffalo chicken and margherita- which is my personal fave!  I love to cook and bake so it is always an activity I like to do with the girls.

Putting all her favorite toppings on... she needed a little guidance with the banana peppers : )

The "I love pizza" face

After devouring our personal pizzas Lorelai opened her birthday presents.  Since she just got her ears pierced and was pretty pumped about it, Craig and I got her an earring holder and a gift certificate to Claire's.

I think the Hudson and Amelia were most excited about the big box and the bubble wrap.  What do you think?!

Who needs toys when a box and bubble wrap can provide so much fun... I think my Christmas shopping list just got shorter : )

Stay tuned for more Brubaker Bunch Colorado Adventure!

The Military Ball

Once a year Craig's National Guard Battalion hosts a Military Ball.  A time for the men to put on their Class A's and the women to get all dolled up for a night out.  This year we headed to the Denver Tech. Center to share a delicious meal, lots of toasts, a keynote speaker and some dancing!  I had a fabulous time getting to know some of Craig's infantry buddies and their wives. 

We didn't take very many pictures but here's some that captured our night:

1st Lieutenant Craig Coder , 1st Lieutenant Robert Rudich, and Commander Tom Sullivan

Tom & Sara, and Mandy & George Knapp

Thanks for a great night... see you all next year!

Conquering Mnt. Quandary

Since we moved to Colorado almost 5 years ago (I can't believed we've been out here this long!) Craig has made it a goal to hike the 14'ers.  He loves to mountaineer and so when we aren't working on a house project, you can find Craig out and about going up a mountain.  Mnt. Quandary is located near Frisco, so Craig jumped on the opportunity to conquer the peak!!  He woke up early on Saturday morning to get to the trail head by sun rise...

Mnt. Quandary is a 3.5 mile hike up to 14,265 feet

The view from the top...

Craig summited Mnt. Quandary is just 2 hours which is really incredible.  I admire his physical and mental strength and am inspired by his motivation and dedication.  Way to go Craig, I am proud of you!

Steamboat Springs: Family Hike

Like I mentioned in my previous post, my mom and dad came to Colorado for a 2 week vacation and they spent most of the time in Frisco, which is a beautiful quaint mountain town that serves as a gateway to most of the skiing hot spots (ie, Vail, Aspen, Breckenridge).  After my work retreat, Craig and my parents came up to Steamboat Springs for a great day hike and some fun in the hot springs. 

Here's the family at the trail head of Fish Creek Falls

Craig is REALLY excited

At the beginning of the hike we crossed a beautiful bridge that overlooked the lower falls... and it was a perfect spot for another group picture

And now just the Coders...

And off we go... here are some pictures along the trail

up we go

She's still smiling!

Made it to the top and saw this amazing waterfall

What goes up, must come down...

Coming down a mountain can be the most challenging part

It was a fabulous day spent with family (and friend that is like family).  I know I have said this before, I absolutely love spending time with my loved ones.  And I have to give my mom and dad credit for being willing to do this hike because it was a little advanced for a couple of Iowans!!  And my mom said that this was the BEST hike that she had ever been on.... mission accomplished!  After this hike, we headed to Strawberry Hot Springs to relax our sore muscles.  Unfortunately, I didn't take any pictures of us at the hot springs but here's one from the world wide web : )









Photo credit

After our fun-filled day in Steamboat Springs, we left and went back to Frisco to spend the weekend there together.  Stay tuned for our time in Frisco.