Coldplay...Here We Come!!

The countdown has begun!! I am so excited for the upcoming Coldplay concert that we were lucky enough to get some free tickets for. Have I mentioned that Drew and I are so spoiled that we REFUSE to pay for tickets to go to a concert. Shoot, we almost missed the U2 concert last year because we didn't want to buy tickets....so spoiled : )

So, have I mentioned how I excited I am about going to this show?? Our wonderful cousin Layla is going to watch Jackson that night in order to make this little weeknight date night happen. Otherwise only one of us would have been able to go. Thanks Layla....we love you!!

Last Stop - Creede, CO

Last stop, Creede, CO! After a lovely 6 hour car ride from SLC to CO, we finally arrived in Creede at Per-Pa's cabin. He had been there for several weeks, so the house was all toasty and warm upon our arrival. We arrived 15 minutes after the debate had started, so we tried to catch what we could while unloading all of our bags.

We were pleasantly surprised by the new room that Per-Pa had built. While we knew he was working on it, we had no idea how much had been done!!! It was awesome!! Thanks Per-Par for all of your hard work to make that happen prior to our arrival.

Our time in Creede was spent hiking, off-roading, biking (for some), and eating some rather crappy town food (all of our favorites were closed....come on Kipp's, you could have stayed open a little longer for us : ( We did, however, cook dinner one night over the campfire...hot dogs and packets of veggies cooking in the fire. It was wonderful even though the veggies got a little over cooked.

It was a wonderful family vacation!! We were so thrilled that Jeff was able to join us...it had been too long since we had some one-on-one time with him. It was also so great to have that time in CO with Per-Pa. Jackson loved spending time with his uncle and grandfather. We love you guys!!

4th Stop - Moab, UT

We picked up an additional traveler for our trek to Creede, CO. Jeff had previously decided that he wanted to go with us to CO for the 4 days that we planned to be there. On our way to Creede we stopped in Moab, UT.

Drew and Jeff took off into the early morning light and left Jackson and I in the parking lot : ) Jackson and I made the most of it, though. We went on a little hike in search of dinosaur footprints. While we didn't make it to the footprint portion of the trail, we had a lot of fun writing letters in the sand and exploring plants and rocks on the trail. Jackson insisted that I take his bike out of the car so that he could go "biking" like Daddy. He did get out on the trail, although he didn't go far before he turned around and came back. It was so much fun, and Jeff & Drew had a great time too!

Our Stop in SLC

Our time is SLC was a lot of fun! We arrived at Jeff and Leah's house during a little snow fall...what a treat since we don't get to see snow in TX very often. While Jackson wanted to play in it, it quickly melted the following morning.

It was good to spend some time in our old stomping grounds, since Drew and I both lived in SLC for several years prior to moving to TX. One of the highlights of the trip was being able to see some of our old friends whom we don't get to see or talk to very often.

Jackson loved being able to ride his bike up and down the sidewalk and at the vacant school behind Jeff's house. We had a really great time and can't wait until the day we get to return.

2nd Stop - Mesa Verda National Park

After our wonderful night in the yurt, we headed out on our journey to SLC. On our way we made a stop at Mesa Verda National Park. It was a cold and very windy day, but we decided to brave the elements and go on one of the cliff house tours. Our choice was Cliff Palace.

There was a steep decent and ascent to and from Cliff Palace, but Jackson did a wonderful job. It really was an interesting tour and Jackson did his best to stay focused and out of trouble (there were a few sand throwing incidents...but luckily the sand didn't actually hit anyone and mostly blew back into his own face : ).

After the tour was over we proceeded onward with our journey towards SLC and a few nights at Uncle Jeff and Aunt Leah's house. The drive was pretty easy and only 6 hours as compared to the 14 hours from the day before. We passed through Moab on the way up...Drew was chomping at the bit to get out on his bike and do a little riding. But, I promised that we would stop on our way to CO so that he and Jeff could do one of the rides there.

Here we come SLC!!!

The Journey Begins - 1st Stop Mancos State Park

Our journey to UT and CO began almost a week ago. While we returned home this past Sunday, it took me a few days back home to recuperate and have the desire to get on the computer. I will do my bast to recount the fun experience over several posts.

A few days leading up to the trip our family had a little family project. Within the last few months Jackson has really gotten into building different cars, airplanes and helicopters with Lego's. Drew and I came up with an idea to build a Lego box for the trip. It all seemed to come together when I found a flat Lego building board at the store. Drew built a wooden box with a compartment to hold Lego's or cars, and Jackson stepped in to paint the box. It turned our awesome! And, it provided HOURS of fun in the car for Jackson.

OK, back to the trip. After 14 long hours in the car we arrived at Mancos State Park. We departed from the house at 3am in order to make it to the park prior to sunset. Boy, am I glad that we did so that we could have a few daylight hours at the yurt.

Our stay in the yurt was really neat. We had the entire park to ourselves, as you can imagine not many people want to camp when it is 30 degrees out at night. The yurt, however, had a propane heater that kept our little room warm and toasty...almost too warm. We cooked hot dogs over the fire and roasted marshmallows. It was a great first day for our trip.

Road Trippin'

"Road trippin' with my two favorite allies. Fully loaded we've got snacks and supplies. It's time to leave this town, it's time to steal away. Let's go get lost in anywhere in the USA."

Drew, Jackson and I are hitting the road tomorrow for what should be a really fun family trip. Nothing is better than being stuck in the car together for hours on end knowing that the beauty of UT and CO await us.

1st stop, Mancos State Park where the fam is going to experience something new. Anyone ever heard of a yurt...well we have, and that is what we are going to stay in Friday night. Can't wait! More updates to come as the trip progresses.

This Mommy Is SOOO Lucky!

There is no doubt in my mind that I am the luckiest mommy on this earth. Who couldn't ask for a better kid or one cuter than mine. Of course, though, I am biased : )

Who's The Crazy Kid Wearing A Snow Hat On A 90 Degree Day?

I brought out the snow hat on Sunday in order to do a "hat check". With our vacation to UT and CO looming in the near future, I figured it was time to break out some of the warmer clothes to see if they still fit Jackson. The hat happened to be one of those items. Little did I know that Jackson would continue to wear the hat for the rest of the day (he even tried to wear it under his bicycle helmet, but that didn't work so well).
Jackson was having so much fun playing with his "car movie car" cars. He wanted me to take his picture playing with them, and then he lined them all up for me so that I could take their pictures too.

Jackson's Little Lizard

On Friday night, after the lawn had been mowed and the pine needles raked (for the 100th time this summer), we discovered a little friend by our front door. Jackson was a little timid about even getting down on his knees within the comfort of the front door. Can you see the little lizard....look straight down from the stick that is next to the wall. See it??

We Are A Happy Family...Right??

So, about a week ago I went to pick Jackson up from school. I was met by his longstanding teacher, Ms. Haley. She proceeded to tell me that Jackson had done one of the funniest things that she has ever seen in her entire career as a teacher. I wanted to ask..."Seriously, even funnier than when he dropped his pants in the middle of circle time." But, I wasn't sure that she saw the humor of that particular day, so I opted for silence instead.

So, Ms. Haley grabbed a blue laminated art project that Jackson had worked on that day. The topic for the week was families, so she had asked all of the kiddos to draw a picture of their family. As Ms. Haley was going around the room she noticed that Jackson only had one person on his picture (see picture above). She asked him where his mommy and daddy were. Well, my kid proceeded to flip the picture over....


...and on the back Ms. Haley saw the following. She asked Jackson where his parents were. Jackson simply and sweetly told her that his mommy and daddy had been eaten by this shark. Can you see it?? The shark is at the top of the page....the teeth are on the left side of the oblong looking figure; the scribbles below are the water. No one can ever accuse Jackson of not thinking outside of the box.

Seriously...I love this kid!