Colorado vacation: Well, we did that.

The Ellis family took a week-long trip to Colorado last week. We rented a house in Breckenridge (lukewarm review pending) and spent a lot of hours in the great outdoors.

We caravaned out in three cars and most of us spent our first night at Jared's mom's house in Loveland, while a few beer-loving souls travelled on to Golden, Colorado for a tour of the Coors factory the next morning. Instead of beer, the rest of us loaded up on breakfast food and coffee, Graham included. 

Our started off our first full day with a sisters (and boys) workout early that morning. We ran along a creek through town and stopped later for a gondola ride and other random photo ops.

We spent the afternoon exploring the town and buying souveniers. 

It was a busy and active week. We took a few different hikes. The first was much longer and tougher than we had planned. It was up to a waterfall and it took us a good 3 hours. Bailey came along and was leading the group the entire time. 

The second hike was much easier and only about 30 minutes uphill. We came to a small lake and ate our picnic lunch and checked out the trout swimming around.

The last hike was basically a tiny walk to a scenic overlook of Lake Dillon. And home of countless hungry chipmunks.Adults and kids alike got a huge kick out of feeding them.

We spent one morning white water rafting - which was so much fun! It was through Brown's Canyon on the Arkansas River and rated an "intermediate" level. It was a great trip to start with, but it would be fun to do an advanced rafting trip next time. The guys were in the front of the raft, so they took the brunt of all the cold water (around 40º) but we all got our share of freezing cold water at one point or another. 

We relaxed as well, hitting up a local brewery or two and hanging out in the hot tub at night. One night we played The Game of Things and were laughing till we were crying. (If you haven't played it, you really need to.) We also celebrated Fe's 30th birthday with a small surprise for her one night. 

The trip was memorable for all of us. The mountains were new to all of my sisters, and they all left wanting to come back soon. And I think a few of us were bit by the hiking bug - including Bailey! We all had fun, and who knows, maybe there is another Colorado trip in the future for us sisters some day.  :)

4th Annual Sisters' Overnight

Formerly called the Sisters' weekend, this was a one-nighter.

Per usual, we got a hotel room and then found random things to do.
Like take odd-ass pictures on the hotel bed.
Because a doggie pile photo has to turn out great, right?!

Beaner came up with a new idea that we were all game to try. It's a place called Entrap Games in Omaha.
The premise is that you are trapped in a room with your group and you have to solve the clues in order to escape within the 60 minute time frame. 

We chose "The Cure" room, which had a 55% solve rate.
We were locked in and had to find the vial containing the cure to a deadly virus and escape the room before we were found.

Before going in we (drank a beer and) took bets on whether or not we would solve it within the 60 minutes. Everyone but Beaner was mildly confident that we would get it accomplished. I wasn't exactly sure, but fake-it-till-you-make-it sounded like a good enough idea to me.

It was a ton of fun. It was a bit awkward to start because we didn't exactly know how to even start, but once we got going, we were really in the zone. We worked really well together as a team.
And -shocker!- we solved it with 24 minutes to spare!

It was such a good time that I would definitely do another room again sometime. Maybe even a harder one. It is definitely the perfect activity for my inner Nancy Drew nerd. (I think I read every single one of those books as a kid.) I highly recommened it to any other Nancy Drew nerds out there.

That night we tried to use the hot tub and found it a steamy 80 degrees. Apparently we have bad hot tub luck. (See also Trip 2015.)

The rest of the trip just involved the usual laughing and eating. 
Every time we get together, I leave feeling very thankful that I was blessed with sisters.


Sisters Getaway 2015
Sisters Getaway 2014
Sisters Getaway 2013

celebrating the 4th

The kids and I spent the 4th of July weekend with my parents and sisters at the lake house in Spirit Lake. Jared had to work the holiday, so he joined the party late on Sunday.

My dad had foot surgery to repair a cyst in his bone and two stress fractures, so only a few days post-op, this was his usual position.

But with a wife and four daughters around to wait on him (and keep his grumpiness in check), he managed pretty well.
Please notice the walker and the parked golf cart for all of his transportation needs.  

Saturday was beautiful weather and we grilled out, where I personally ate way too much food. My mom's parents also came up for the day to check out the new place.

We did manage to do a few things other than eating over the weekend.

We went and watched fireworks on the beach for the first time with all three kids. The show didn't start until after 10, so Graham was pretty much over it by about five minutes in, but Bailey and Avery were ooo-ing and ahhh-ing the entire time.

We also did some swimming.

And by "we" I mean the kids swam and Fe attempted.

That's a Dear-God-this-water-is-cold face.

We played some serious

and not-so-serious games of darts.

While checking out local garage sales last month we found a dart machine for $30. It was a bargain and had an immediate home in my parent's basement, which was my bedroom for the weekend.

Another highlight of the weekend - at least for the kids - was the toad they captured and "saved." For a full day they kept an eye on it and even named it: Ribbet.

Makes sense.

The poor thing spent one night in a large container with grass and water until we made them set it free the next morning. I was shocked by how much both girls loved holding it. 

And finally, we did a little Ellis girls throwback - holiday style.

It's a different house now, and Fe isn't wearing a shirt featuring Disney characters, but the rest is basically unchanged.  ;)

Can we talk about that one-piece outfit with belt I am wearing? Bonus points to me for the skirt that isn't really a skirt at all.