Our trip to Colorado

My kids and I spent nine days in Colorado with Fleeta at the end of September.  We were there long enough for her to really get to know Judson and Cooper, and we had such a special time.

Our travel days were long and exhausting, but went almost as smoothly as they possibly could.  I was VERY thankful to have my mom with us.  Yes, our original seats were all separated, but Judson and my mom were eventually seated together.  Cooper and I were placed in the middle seat, but we ended up next to an elderly lady who'd raised eight kids and a man who volunteered to sit in front of Judson so we could have more room.  We also had to run through the Denver airport to get to our gate because it was SO FAR from the other one.  But we made it and the kids help up so well.

Here are some pictures of our time together.  (Highlights included two days with Jack and Donna, dinner with my cousin and his family, a train ride, a walk along the Arkansas River with the leaves just starting to turn, and lots of games and chatting.)

Most people who read this blog have probably heard me talk about Fleeta at some point, but it's worth repeating.  She is such a godly example to me.  Despite incredibly hard circumstances (namely, being paralyzed from the chest down for fifteen years), she spends her days praising God for EVERY. LITTLE. THING, praying for others, and being joyful.  It is so much fun to spend time with her, and I sure wish that we lived in the same town.  (If you like reading this blog, you have her to thank.  She is the reason that I keep it as up to date as I do.  :)

These pictures aren't great.  I just had my little camera with me, for obvious reasons.  Without further ado...

In Portland, waiting for our adventure to begin.  Apparently I didn't get a picture of all of our luggage (including, of course, two carseats).  Darn.

This girl loves jewelry!  This particular necklace and bracelet combo were made by Kate, Fleeta's granddaughter, about ten years ago.

Ready for our train ride out to overlook the Royal Gorge.  This little train had run for over fifty years, but was shutting down for good the day after we were there.  Sad.  (We also rode it with Anna and Macy in May 2011.)

It was a three mile round trip and PERFECT for our little train lover.  He's always been a fan, but lately trains have been decidedly at the top of his list of favorites.

Royal Gorge Bridge

It was pretty much straight down...

Emma (13) and Kate (16), my cousin's kids.  Their older brother, True, somehow managed to avoid my camera (not on purpose).  My kids loved all three of the "big kids."  Kate may end up at Corban University in Salem and we sure hope she does!

In my cousin's backyard, visiting their very interesting chickens and Emma's rabbit, Pigpen.  He was interesting too.  He survived a bear attack this summer.  No kidding.  He was in a hutch at their friends' house while Jeff and his family traveled around doing summer camps with Worldview Academy.  The bear dragged the hutch until he got it open and then carried the bunny away by the scruff of his neck.  Somehow he escaped and showed back up the next night.

Can you see the feathers on the chickens' heads?  It was impossible to see their eyes.  So strange.

Such a cute rabbit!

Fleeta had this little wooden train, and Judson spent hours playing with it.  It was especially fun to take up and down Fleeta's wheelchair ramp.  We also found a little battery-powered train at Goodwill for $4.99 (came with a seven-day warranty :).  In this picture, Judson had carefully balanced the little train on the wooden one.

Judson loved to help Fleeta.  Here he is cleaning her chair.

Eight strands of necklace for one dollar.  Best dollar I've spent in a long time.  (She puts them on herself and wears them until I take them off at naptime/bedtime.  It's quite entertaining.)

He intently studied the safety card for a very long time.

The rest of our adventures were documented on my mom's camera.  I'll try to get those pictures on here at some point.