Checking things off

I'm sure everyone has their list of places to see once in a lifetime. In august, I got to check off quite a few of these places after 30 years, while Brooks checked them off after only 7 months! We took an amazing road trip with Nana Paula and Grandpa Phil to the Black Hills, Mount Rushmore, Devil's Tower, Yellowstone National Park, Old Faithful, Grand Teton National Park and Jackson Hole. (all in just 6 days!)

Brooks was a superstar on his first roadtrip, and as you can see from the picture below, he brought the most luggage for the trip! (only one small bag was Phil's!)

Thanks Paula & Phil for a great adventure!

Brooks thought it was funny that we had to carry all his stuff!

The Black Hills and Mount Rushmore

Rushmore isn't stroller friendly for the whole tour (good to know if you're planning a trip), but Brooks loves the snuggli and enjoyed the tour.

Devil's Tower National Monument

Yellowstone National Park

Mammoth Hot Springs

Geysers at Yellowstone

Such beautiful colors! and a geyser just for Brooks - the "Infant Geyser"

Old Faithful

Grand Teton National Park

Jackson Hole, Wyoming

7 months

we've been a little under the weather and Brooks wasn't up for posing for the last couple of days. he's feeling better today....

it is almost unreal to write "7 months" already. i am truly amazed at how fast the time is flying by. we continued to have fun this month both in denver and away. here are some highlights...

- first trip to Rocky Mountain National Park for a fun day in the mountains

- an amazing road trip with Nana and Grandpa Phil to Mount Rushmore, Yellowstone National Park, Grand Teton and Jackson Hole! (we promise an entire upcoming post with these pics!)

- lots of new veggies and fruits in the diet - Brooks loves sweet potatos, all kinds of squash, peas, zucchini, avacado, bananas and applesauce. so far, the only thing he doesn't care for is water!

- our first case of something - runny nose for about 4 days. we'll just call it building your immune system :)

- Brooks can't stop rolling all over the place - he no longer just stays where you put him down on the floor making a little more work for mom!

Brooks continues to be the happiest baby and we are so thankful. Despite feeling sick this week, he kept smiling, still loved to be tickled and made friends with all the contractors at home depot yesterday!

RMNP

when your husband only has 4 days off every month, you really start to look at every day off like a vacation. yesterday, richard suggested we take a family road trip up to Rocky Mountain National Park (about 2 hours away) for a day of pretty driving and maybe a little hiking. RMNP is a destination for families, hikers and cyclists from across the country and around the world - we are so lucky to have it in our backyard and just go up for the day.
We drove a beautiful road to 12,000 ft called the Trail Ridge Road and stopped along the way for many breathtaking vistas. At the top, we visited the Visitor's Center and learned that the building is under snow for nearly 7 months of the year! The land up there is officially tundra (Alpine Tundra)!

Brooks had a great day on our little trip. Without much planning, his naps and meals just lined up with our stops and he even got to go on a short hike to a beautiful lake in the snuggli. He was the cutest little mountian man!

Whether you live in Colorado or not, Rocky Mountain National Park is worth the trip. We can't wait to go back when Brooks is older and we can camp out, go on more hikes and even do some fishing.