Part Three: Labor Day Weekend Road Trip

Another road trip you ask? Why...YES! (We are truly nuts!)

Back in the car. "No worries Mom, we're used to this...just wake me up when we get there."
Good thing we are NUTS! because we had a wonderful time. My parents invited us to join them on a National Park Whirlwind Weekend while Mike was climbing with his old crew in Lander, WY. We set off early Saturday morning and trucked across Wyoming to the Fossil Butte (near the Idaho/Wyoming border.
Some fossils.
Happy to be out of the car and with Grandma.
And Mommy too!
I even caught this one for a quick photo.
Here's a close up of a fun activity you can do in the car with Bling. Stickers are awesome!!
Grandpa givin' and gettin' a little love too.
That night, we drove to Logan, UT and had my most favorite dinner ever: Cafe Rio Sweet Pork! I about crapped myself when I saw one in Logan on the way to the hotel. It is SO DELICIOUS and so MISSED! Mike was going to be jealous...I had to call him to make sure to rub it in a little. hehehehe. :)

The next morning we were off to Golden Spike National Park.
"May 10, 1869 the Union and Central Pacific Railroads joined their rails at Promontory Summit. Golden Spike National Historic Site commemorates this incredible accomplishment of this nation's first transcontinental railroad."
The had a reenactment too which was the best part!
Beautiful locomotives! Grandpa J was in love. :)
We tried for a quick group shot...horrible lighting but o'well.
Then, we were off to Snowbird, UT. The place where Mike and I were married (7 yrs ago today!) and spent many hours hiking, climbing and skiing. It's located in Little Cottonwood Canyon...one our favorite spots!

Snowbird was hosting an Octoberfest so we joined in on the fun and the beer.
We even panned for a little Gold!
Here's Axel watching the action.
Lucas in the middle of the action.
We took a tram ride...is that a smile?!and here we are at 11,000+ feet. (We flat-landers made it to the top!) It was a BEAUTIFUL day! We wish Daddy was here...miss you Daddy!
We even had the chance to meet up with my dear friend, Wendy and her son Tyler. Here Axel is getting to meet Wendy for the first time.
That evening we spent some time at Wendy's home and then back to the hotel for some zzzz's. The next morning we headed to American Fork Canyon to see Timpanogos Cave...a 3.5 mile round trip, up 1200ft of elevation gain. Lucas did it all by himself (so did Grandma! Way to go Grandma, you made it look easy!) :)
Hiking up, up, up!
View of our favorite canyon.
Taking a little break.
We made it!
The cave was really cool to see. You hike through it horizontally and go into numerous different rooms. Worth a trip up if you're ever in the area.

Inside one of the cave rooms.
Mommy tower...fun photo but nope, Lucas didn't get the free ride, only Axel this time. :)
Down, down, down.
What an awesome day!!
After the cave hike, it was back to Cafe Rio. This time, I was nice and ordered some for Mike to take all the way back to Colorado. Boy, I got some "AWESOME WIFE" points doing that!

Thanks for a wonderful Grandma & Grandpa J. It was A LOT of driving but well worth it. We had tons of fun and now have a whole bunch of memories to add to our memory bank.

We love you!

Update Needed: Axel is 8 Months Old

I need to take a little break from vacation posts because you all are missing out on this little man taking off. He learned to crawl on our trip (7months) and now Axel is standing, pulling up and climbing on EVERYTHING possible. He's also finally interested in food and loves his high chair. Today he chased banana pieces around and boy do those get slimy and hard to catch. He loves his puffs too! It amazes me how fast babies learn things and how fast it changes the dynamics of our house. Axel is trouble but super cute trouble. :) I still think we will keep him. Miss you all.

The one legged crawl at my parents house. More practice.
And he's off down the sidewalk in Dayton.
He got stuck on top of his box tonight and was NOT happy about it.
Before getting stuck, he had to meet the Witch.
Puff practice.
Using those pinchers.
Mmmm...so tasty!
Trouble at it again...
Notice the gate? Yep, Mommy covered up the DVD player, VCR and DVR...mean Mommy!
That's our "baby" boy these days.

Part Two: Grandma & Grandpa J & Uncle Micah

After a few days with the Anderson side of the family it was time to get everyone together for a big family dinner. We all meet in Golden, CO for a little food and birthday celebration for Lucas. What a treat it was....better than my photos reflect...sorry I missed a few folks.

Mandy, Uncle Micah, Grandpa J, Axel, Lucas & Grandma J
Uncle Mark & Aunt Kate...so cute!
Micah & Mandy...Oh, you two are so cute too!
We sang Happy Birthday to Lucas and Uncle Micah gave him a few gifts: ice cream scoop he has wanted for months and a Lego Cement Truck. HUGE HIT!!! Nice work Uncle Micah!
Axel & Grandma J
Lucas & Grandma A
Then it was off to Grandma & Grandpa J's house. These next photos I just love. Axel was taking a bath and discovered another little baby, then proceeded to flirt with the cute little baby...

The Discovery:
Checking this baby out:
Oh, Mom...that's a cute baby in there! (My flirt fingers)
So excited!
And while we are talking about Axel, here is a quick update: two teeth, learned how to crawl last month (getting faster everyday), pulls to a standing position on anything possible, loves the DVR & VCR, just now interested in eating real food. He's living up to his middle name! Mr. Adventure
-------

We spent a great week hiking, going to various parks and visiting with family and friends. We also had a few things on Lucas' To Do List which included:
1. Going to REI
2. Getting a Slurpee at 7 Eleven (there are no 7 Elevens in Ohip)
3. Go to the "Train Park"
Don't worry, we checked them all off a few times!

Here are some park photos.
Axel loves to swing in his little boat.
Check this out, a shaded sand box...it was AWESOME! We met up with a high school friend of mine, Erin Hufford, who has three youngsters. It was fun to catch up her and her family. Thanks Erin!
Lucas, Brenna and Brody
Then to the Loveland Train Park. This is a great little train you can ride for 75 cents a ticket. It's perfect for young kids.
Lucas wanted to sit in the cattle car.
Mommy & Axel opted for the open air car.
It's so cute!
We even had the chance to talk to the Engineer and ring the bell.
So, Axel loves the water but this time we just did the mini-bath. Don't forget to brush those two teeth of yours.Grandpa love!
Coming soon...Part Three: Labor Day Weekend Road Trip

Part One: Aunt Kate & Uncle Mark's House

Mike finished up his last class required for his PhD (way to go Daddy!) and we decided to take a family trip across country. September is a wonderful month to miss in Ohio because it's still hot, humid and buggy!

After a two day car trip, our first real stop was at Aunt Kate and Uncle Mark's house in Evergreen, Colorado. Grandma & Grandpa A were also visiting so we were able to spend some time with them too.

Grandma A & LucasAunt Kate & Axel
Kendal (Kate's Awesome Sister), Lucas & Grandma A...as you can see, the boys were not hurting for extra attention. :) The grown up boys headed to the Bears game while the ladies and the young boys had a nice yummy Greek dinner. It was so nice to relax after a long trip.
Speaking of boys...
Grandpa A and Axel
A little football with Daddy & Grandpa A. Kate and Mark have a beautiful plot of land with lots of running room which was perfect for Lucas.
Look at this, my husband relaxing for a minute...AMAZING! Then there's Lucas hiding from the camera, little stinker.
Evergreen is a beautiful little town and there's a great lake with plenty of boat rentals. Here's Uncle Mark and Axel getting ready to go.
Daddy and Grandpa A
Beautiful spot! Here Mommy, Axel, Lucas & Grandma A were paddling away. Lucas was a little grumpy but we figured out how to put a smile back on his face.
Put him in the COOL boat with Daddy!The boys did amazing during the car ride. Axel learned how to use a bottle after a screaming fit the first try. We had learned on early trips that Axel gets very distracted when we stop for gas and food. He gets so distracted that he won't finish eating and as soon as we start driving again he realizes that he missed his meal. Then it's a war until we stop again. The bottle cured that! They were true troopers.

Our next stop: Grandma & Grandpa J's :)