Butterfly Pavilion

On our last day in Denver we decided to have fun and enjoy ourselves. So after lunch (where we got to watch Gigi perform her ballet moves for us) we went to the Butterfly Pavilion to see some "wildlife". We honestly didn't know what to expect, but we ended up having a great time! There were bugs, spiders, ocean animals and, of course, butterflies! Some of us were brave enough to hold Rosie the tarantula, and we also got to pet starfish and horseshoe crabs. The best part of the experience was the butterfly pavilion. It was an outdoor man made tropical rainforest with lush foliage and beautiful tropical flowers. Butterflies were everywhere! They would whirl around us and land on our hair. Twice a day the zookeepers would release the new butterflies that had just come out of their cocoons into the environment. What a fun experience!



pretending to be bunnies


Gigi holding Rosie


Steve holding Rosie


I'm holding Rosie!!












Deacon with his Uncle Paul and Aunt Heidi


playing with Aunt Heidi... and the crash soon after

Claire with her new butterfly wings

In Celebration of Grandmom Hipkins

Even though the occasion was a sad one, we ended up having a good time being with all the family. The services that we attended included a cemetery service and a memorial service at the church. Grandmom Hipkins was a woman of God who took Scripture seriously and literally. Every time she attended church, she covered her hair, and over the years built quite a collection of hats. The women of the family thought it a good idea to honor her by wearing hats during the services. It was beautiful- all the women looked so classy! We think she would have liked it!




Gigi playing with her Auntie Heidi



twirling in the pretty dresses



more twirling



Garcia Family



Mama and the Baby

Denver Trip: Round 2

Unfortunately, soon after we returned from Denver, we received the news we knew would be soon coming: Grandmom Hipkins passed away. Staying home and not going to her funeral was not an option, so we packed up the van, and away we went again to Colorado. God must know that by the time we hit the Colorado border we are tired of being in the car and in such close proximity to each other and in desperate need of inspiration and motivation. During the drive, we were blessed for the second time with a beautiful view of a full double rainbow! It was so close, it seemed like we could have touched it if we just put our hands out the window of the car. Right after seeing it, we were snowed on. During the afternoon. In August. Wow!

Vacation- Grandmom and Grandpop

One of our main reasons for taking the trip to Denver was to see Steve's grandparents and introduce them to Deacon. This was especially special to us because our Deacon Nelson is named after Steve's Grandpop, Joseph Nelson. The visit was great! Gigi loved on and snuggled with her Great-Grandmom, and Deacon got to play on the floor with his Great-Grandpop. Claire, of course, was oblivious and played by herself with the dolls.

Vacation- Through the Storm

Unfortunately our time with the Longs was short lived. We still had to drive through Oklahoma, Kansas and half of Colorado to get to our destination. We were very blessed that the spring storms decided to take a break during most of our drive. Right before we left most of Tornado Alley was alive with thunderstorms and tornadoes, so we knew that there was always a possibility of being delayed by the weather. We were safe until we were about 50 miles from the Kansas-Colorado border. At that point the clouds darkened and we were hearing severe weather warnings on the radio telling us of thunderstorms with 60 mile-an-hour wind gusts. The storm was really intense and very scary! At one point we considered pulling off the road and waiting it out, but we were driving behind the big trucks and figured if they could keep going, we sure could too! Afterward, we were so glad that we didn't stop, because if we had we would have missed the best part of the storm- the full double rainbow! WOW- talk about gorgeous! It sure made the uncertainty of driving through the storm worth every minute.

heading into the storm

during the storm

the light at the end- storm's almost over!

our prize!

Vacation- The Longs

In mid-July we took a family trip (yes, in the car with three kids for 16 hours!) to Denver to see family. Of course, no trip up north would be complete without stopping by to see Lisa and Clint Long. Or as Gigi says: Auntie Wisa and Untle Twint. During this trip they were gracious enough to let us visit Clint's parents and Clint's parents' pool. I wish this leg of the trip could have lasted a little longer- we had so much fun!

He's on the move!

And our lives have changed forever! What a curious, fun-loving boy!

Fourth of July

Fourth of July 2009 was spent with our friends, the Kloubec family. Every year they host a party, and we were able to attend this year. Dave is incredibly talented with a barbecue grill, and we all came away from the party fat and happy. Unfortunately the pictures we took of this event didn't turn out well, so we have mostly memories of being hot and sweaty outside in 100-plus degree heat while watching the kiddos run around wet from the water slide. Good times...

Here are some wonderful shots of the babies on July 5th, though, and they were just as cute.

sweet little tomboy

Drama Queen

can't resist that handsome face