Selah's birthday at the North Pole!

Selah turned 9 while we were in Colorado. We decorated the RV so that when she woke up on the morning of her birthday it was all decorated. 

She opened presents.

And we had birthday muffins. I forgot about baking in a high altitude, so they came out very flat - but still tasty! 

Selah decided she wanted to go to the North Pole for her birthday. Did you know that the North Pole is actually in Colorado - not the Artic? 

The North Pole - Santa's Workshop is a Christmas themed amusement park and so much fun! 

You can see this slide from the Pass. 

Even with Faith's broken elbow, there were rides she could ride. 

In the center of the park is a pole that stays frozen year round. 

We also were able to watch a glass blowing demonstration and I came home with a few beautiful and dainty ornaments for our tree. 

At 7,500 feet in altitude, The Ferris Wheel at Santa's Workshop is the World's highest Ferris wheel in elevation. Unfortunately, there was a little thunder while we were at the park and they closed it right as we were in line. 

Of course, you can't visit the North Pole without seeing Santa!! Gabe asked him for a mandolin, Mig asked for a cello, Faith asked for a new doll and Selah asked for a Beauty and the Beast figurine. 

The next day we got a visit from my Uncle Mike! 

We waited to have birthday cake until Uncle Mike could be there - so we got to celebrate Selah even more! 

Sweet girl! I hope it was a birthday to remember! 

s

Pikes Peak - America's Mountain

On July 5th we went up drove up to the summit of Pikes Peak. 

Pikes Peak is one of Colorado's 53 fourteeners (which are mountains over 14,000 feet in elevation). 

The mountain was named for Zebulon Montgomery Pike, an explorer who attempted to climb the mountain, but due to heavy snow, did not make it all the way up.  

After I took this picture, Mig looked around and became terrified! We did not realize that he has a fear of heights until this moment. You can tell in the next picture, that though we are not close to the edge, he is completely uncomfortable and leaning as far as he can away from the edge. 

Mig spent the rest of the time on the peak holding Byron's hand or telling us all to be very careful. 

The views from the peak are amazing!! These pictures do not do it justice. 

You can take a train from Manitou Springs up the mountain, or you can drive up Pikes Peak Highway for a fee. Adults are $15 and children 6 - 15 years old are $5. We drove the highway. We knew that when the train gets up the mountain the gift shop becomes very crowded, so we hung out outside until the train headed back down. Then the shop was nice and quiet. The donuts on the peak are SO GOOD! They have to use a special recipe because of the altitude. We got a dozen donuts so we could each have 2. Byron got carried away and ate his two plus one of mine. 

We also spotted Bigfoot hanging out in the gift shop. Mig was quite comfortable with Bigfoot - but Faith was a bit freaked out. Byron makes Bigfoot look cuddly in comparison. 

Once we had eaten our snacks, roamed the gift shop and used the facilities, we headed back outside. Did I mention that it was cold? As you can see there was still snow - even in July!

Although not the tallest peak in Colorado, it is the most famous thanks to Katharine Lee Bates who pinned the words to "America the Beautiful" after having seen the view from Pikes Peak. This plaque on the summit commemorates the words of her famous song. 

These yellowed bellied marmots are so fun!! We saw a lot on the drive up and back down the mountain. This one was posing for pictures! 

Such a beautiful backdrop.

Can you see the climber taking a selfie?!?

One of our favorite restaurants while we lived in Colorado was The Wines of Colorado. It is at the foot of the mountain. After we headed down, we went there for lunch. It was so good!! And the weather was beautiful enough for us to sit creekside! 

What a treat! 

Independence Day in Colorado

Our second day in Colorado just happened to be the 4th of July! 

When we lived in Woodland Park, we would go to the cities "Old Fashioned Fourth of July Celebration" downtown. So, it was like old times! 

There were booths set up all over the newly renovated Memorial Park with games, crafts and food. 

There was live music and so many people! We ran into a few old friends and it was so nice to see them again.

The kids even saw Elvis. Don't worry, I reminded them not to step on his shoes....

 Mig even got to sit in the front of a police car. 

And he made some very important arrests....

That evening a family that we were close to while we lived there in Woodland Park came to the campground for hot dogs and marshmallows. It was a Fourth of July to remember!