Our Trip to Winter Park, CO

This past Sunday morning, Braxton, Avery, Caroline, Braxton's parents, and I headed off to Winter Park, Colorado for a family reunion. We left our house at 6 a.m., picked Braxton's parents up, and then drove to the Atlanta airport. The babies did great in the car! I knew they would because they rarely give me any trouble in the car. We got to the airport, found our gate, and grabbed some lunch to take with us on the flight. Avery and Caroline were so good the entire flight! We fed them when we took off and when we landed to help their ears. I held Caroline and Braxton held Avery. The look on their faces as we landed were priceless, They didn't seem scared as much as bewildered. We were both relieved that we had not caused a scene on the plane. We were apprehensive about how they would do. We flew into Denver, got our rental car, picked up Braxton's brother Jason (who flew out a day early), and began the next leg of our journey. We made the 2 hour winding drive to Winter Park with ll of us packed into a minivan. Again, the girls did great! If this is sounding sickeningly perfect, hang on. Our life is not all butterflies and rainbows. We entered Snow Mountain Ranch and pulled off at the registration building to find out where our cabin was. Braxton and I stayed in the car with the girls. While waiting in the car, the babies simultaneously pooped and then had to sit in it for a good twenty minutes or so which resulted in an unfortunate mess. When we went to change them, the poop had made its way up their backs and chests. We had to strip them down and bathe them and unfortunately their outfits were a casualty in this situation. I didn't have a washing machine nearby to toss them into so they were stained. After getting the girls cleaned up, we went out to visit with all of Braxton's fam. We had a great time catching up with familiar relatives and meeting and getting to know new ones. We put the girls to bed and had the WORST night we have had in a loooooong time. We probably got up at least 10 times that night. I remember I had counted 4 times before midnight. Yikes! A few contributing factors were change in altitude, they were cold and we didn't realize it until the middle of the night, they were sleeping apart for the first time, and in a pack and play for the first time. It was so rough! The next morning, Braxton went with the guys to play golf. He really enjoyed it and said that the golf course was absolutely beautiful! I took care of the girls, got us organized somewhat, went on a walk with the girls and some of the other children there, and visited with the family. That night we had a delicious Mexican dinner from a local restaurant. The girls slept well that night too, thank goodness. On Tuesday, Braxton and I and some of his family went white water rafting. The water was freezing, but we really had a great time! There were many laughs along the way. On Wednesday, we departed from the ranch at about 9:30 to make our way back to Denver. The girls slept almost the entire drive. The flight back was fairly uneventful. Both girls got fussy for a minute or two at different times because they were tired, but overall they were quiet and content. A couple of people commented on how well they did which was really nice for us to hear. You always worry that people are getting annoyed with you. We made it back into Montgomery at about 11 p.m. that night. It was a fun trip but we were happy to be home as well. There's just nothing like sleeping in your own bed.

Braxton with Avery on her very first plane ride!


Caroline and me on her first plane ride!

Caroline with her grandma

Braxton playing with Caroline

Braxton's second cousins playing with the girls! Chloe, Tabitha, and Emily loved holding and playing with the girls. They were so sweet and attentive to Avery and Caroline.

Tabitha and Caroline

Emily and Kim with the girls

Somehow, I managed to not take a single shot of the beautiful mountains and surrounding scenery. My hands were full!