Colorado Trip - Part 1

This past weekend Kate and I made a trip to Denver, CO, to visit my brother, Adam, his wife, Jess, and their new baby boy, Nash.  I don't exactly remember when the first idea for this trip popped into my head, but it sounded like a good one from the beginning.  Sure enough, it turned out to be a great experience, even though I hadn't taken a trip like this since I was pregnant with Kate!

The details of traveling this distance with sweet Kate stressed me out a little in the weeks prior to our departure, but they really shouldn't have.  She's a great traveler and I learned that she is at the perfect age to turn an experience like this one into a pleasant adventure.

Early on Thursday morning, we drove to a local park and ride where we caught a bus to O'Hare airport in Chicago.  From the beginning, Kate's excitement was priceless and contagious.

The bus made a few stops before dropping us off at the terminal.  The first leg of our journey was a foretaste of how we would spent this time together ... taking pictures, playing ipad games, reading, drawing, etc.

Experiencing the excitement of airports again with a first-time-flier was so, so, so much fun.  Security, waiting at the gate, watching people ... all these things are so much more interesting if you're doing them the first time.

Kate brought along a notebook and a sketchbook as part of her traveling activities.  She wrote in her "diary" almost every day and drew a handful of sketches, both for herself and for her brother :)

Kate got the window seat, of course, and couldn't keep her eyes off of the view.  She even correctly identified the Mississippi River as we passed over it!  Thank goodness for the clear skies that day :)

As we approached Denver, we had our first views of the Rocky Mountains.  Kate took a handful of pictures, including this one, of the sight.

Adam picked us up at the airport and drove us to our airbnb.  (Adam and Jess have a small house, and a new baby.  I figured it was worth the expense to have a good night's rest :)  The house we found was a 100+ year old gem in a great, historic neighborhood which was located less than a mile from Adam and Jess' place.

Kate and I had a little room with two twin beds, and a bathroom virtually to ourselves.

Kate especially enjoyed all of the lizards decorating the rest of the home.

Every morning and most evenings, we walked the dozen or so blocks from our house to Adam and Jess', enjoying the fresh air, exercise, and sights along the way.

Thursday evening we joined Adam and company at their house to get reacquainted with Tanqy, the bulldog.

We were also able to finally meet this sweet boy.

More to come!