I mentioned yesterday that our family spent this past holiday weekend in Colorado Springs with some of our great friends we met while stationed at Fort Campbell. I’ve always heard that being stationed at Fort Carson (in Colorado Springs) is a real treat for Army families, and after this weekend I’m ready to move there tomorrow! I’m so infatuated with Colorado.
Our drive over there was a breeze thanks to two hair ties. Before we left the house, Jamie paid $14.99 for 14 episodes of Mickey Mouse Clubhouse that didn’t require data usage. Right before we left I ran around the house trying to find something that would secure the phone on the headrest so that one of us didn’t have to sit in the backseat and hold the phone. Originally I thought I’d try using rubber bands, but I couldn’t find a single one. I don’t know what made me think of hair ties, but as soon as I did I grabbed a couple from my bathroom and voila! Perfectly secured iPhone.
Mamas of littles, you have to try it!
After we got to the Ring’s house, we quickly freshened up and were out the door to eat dinner at 3 Margaritas. Chips and salsa (and a couple of margs) hit the spot. I can’t remember the last time I had a margarita, but they were so yummy!
After dinner we headed back to the Ring’s house and called it a night. The sweetest moment of the trip was walking upstairs and seeing Jeremy and Jamie getting their daughters ready for bed. I love this picture so much.
On Saturday morning Hadley and I woke up around 7 and immediately started practicing how to go down the stairs. Since she’s been walking she’s never been tempted to go down a staircase (we have a door at the top of ours), and I woke up in the middle of the night the night before freaked out that she was going to go for a tumble Saturday night while she was with the babysitter. It was definitely a classic “mom freak out” moment. We went up and down the staircase over and over and over again until she nailed it. I was trying to teach her to slide on her belly, but she much preferred to “booty bump” it down (it’s really cute). Either way, she had it figured out and I could breathe easier about leaving her with the sitter!
Later Saturday morning, we all headed out to explore Garden of the Gods.
I’d always wanted to go walk around there, so I was pretty excited! We spent about an hour walking around and taking pictures before heading home for lunch and to get fancied up for our date! If you missed our incredible anniversary double date recap, you can find it in yesterday’s post.
On Sunday morning, the babysitter arrived bright and early at 8 a.m.! We four adults had some exercising to do in the form of climbing the infamous Manitou Incline.
The Incline is a 2,200 step staircase that goes straight up the mountain. Many people complain about the altitude, their fears of heights, or just the physically demanding aspect of climbing that many stairs, but what absolutely whooped my tail was the dang ice.
The Springs was in the high 50s all weekend, but there was still a nice thick coating of ice on most steps. A lot of other (smarter) climbers had trail shoes or chains on their shoes that help them hike effortlessly, but Noel and I decided that sporting our normal tennis shoes was a great idea. After nearly two hours of of baby step after baby step on that ice, we made it to the top without any broken bones. Manitou Incline, I’ll be back for you!
After an equally challenging (and consequently very humorous) four mile hike straight up SLIP AND SLIDE down the mountain, we collapsed at a delicious lunch place and requested all the food. Once our bellies were full and our legs officially declared war if we did any more walking, we headed home to clean up and snooze before their daughter’s first birthday party.
I truly hope these beautiful little one year olds will always call the other a friend.
On Monday morning we packed up to head home. Monday was my 27th birthday, but I didn’t mind spending the day traveling one single bit. It’s funny how the time we’ve spent apart with deployments and trainings really has made us so much more grateful to just be in each other’s presence regardless of what we’re doing. I already know the odds of him missing my birthday next year are high, so I really tried to soak up spending my entire day with him! Just Jamie, Hadley, and me on a wide open interstate on the most beautiful day. Who can complain?
We started the day at my favorite place to eat (Panera) and had a super easy drive home. Hadley didn’t cry one time (I’m telling you – that phone!), and Jamie and I got to enjoy a nice, quiet day together of life-planning conversations and singing along to the radio. My in-laws were at my house over the weekend painting Hadley’s room and keeping the dogs, so my MIL had a delicious home-cooked meal ready for us and a cake with ice cream to follow.
I ended the night plopped on the couch in my pajamas watching The Bachelor. My kind of weekend, and my kind of day!
Hi! I’m Erica, and I absolutely adore sharing my life on this website with you! I come here almost daily to blab about all of the things related to being a regular wife and mother in today’s ever-evolving society. I share about our new home, what’s on our kitchen table, what we’re hanging in our closets, where we’re traveling to next, my crazy 5 a.m. work outs, how I make time for girlfriends, our faith, and much more. We always have a lot of balls in the air and somewhat thrive on the chaos. I believe in the power of story-telling as a form of inspiration and entertainment, so I’m here to do both! I was born and raised in north Alabama and recently re-planted roots here again after my husband transitioned out of the Army (he is now in the Reserve and it’s going so well!) I’m a super proud mom to three little girls (ages 7, 4, and 1) who seem to be the stars of the show around here (for good reason – they’re pretty great!) I’m so glad you found me and are here reading! I hope we can get to know each other here on the blog as well as Facebook and/or Instagram. xoxo