We had a wonderful time at the Denver Zoo with Aunt Jessica, Uncle Larry and Baby CousinJ. I am going to miss them SOOOOOOOO much when we move back to FL. What a privilege it has been to see the first 5-6 months of baby cousin J’s life. And to share so many of our Colorado Adventures with L and J.

It is a great zoo. We even saw the baby sea lion- so cute! My children attended a presation of some of the animals. They sat front and center and raised their hands to ask questions. These three have no fear of speaking in front of groups. The only fear is WHAT will they say!?!

They were able to pet a couple snakes and even a Madagascar Cockroach. Ewww! Then RockyE raised her little hand and ask the zookeeper, “What petstore can I buy a pet  cockroach?”

Won’t she be thrilled to find that cockroaches are one of the joys of living in Florida.

Currently we are surrounded by packing boxes and clutter. So to ease some of the stress we have gone to both paper AND plastic. It is not green. It is not thrifty. But it is efficient. So we are using as many disposible items as possible for two weeks. I am still cooking most of our meals. (And by “cooking” I do mean to include sandwiches, salads, and pancakes). But I do not have time to wash dishes.

I say all this to let you know where we are coming from.

We just finished lunch and I still don’t have all the projects done on the first half of my list. I just want lunch cleared and one more closet empty.

I say, “Rocky A, please help me throw away everything from lunch.”

“But, Mom, there is still yogurt in these containers.” she replies.

“Yes, I know. Just throw it away.”

RockyA smiles and says, “Coupon Mom would eat it!”

The girls are truly enjoying VBS. They sing the songs all afternoon, talk about the games, quote the Bible verses and beam with pride as they show us the crafts made. But most of all they love the refreshments; they are the “bestest”. Popsicles, potato chips, and pudding- oh, my!

Well, I guess I am not much different. What do I love best about VBS? My time of refreshment! The first morning I met some other moms at Starbucks. Tuesday I cleaned the house. Wednesday I hiked Palmer Park with my great friend Christine (The one God sent as we were wading through the Creek.) I was so excited about this adventure that I was GIDDY! Thursday I started pre-packing de-cluttering and then after VBS had a picnic and park day with some other VBS families. And today the sky is the limit! This has been a time of refreshment.

As a mom who has very few hours in a week separated from her children, I needed this! Christine and I couldn’t believe that this was the first activity we had ever done together without the kids! We are both looking for another camp to sign them up for (:

A-M-A-Z-I-N-G

So today we knew to keep our ears alert.  Ten minutes ago my girls yelled, “There they are! It’s the Airforce jets!” And we all ran outside to watch the show. The children at a near by school where out watching and cheering too, proud of our USAF.

Each time I see or hear them, it makes me proud to be an American. Proud that no other country helps others the way we do. Proud that we believe in freedom for all. And proud that we have the “shock and awe” of our military to keep it that way. When we first heard the roar overhead on Sunday, RockyDaddy pointed to the sky and shouted to the girls, “Do you hear that!?…That is the sound of FREEDOM.”

Although Colorado is an amazing place to live, I doubt anyone ever gets used to the weather. This week even the locals have been making the common comment of, “Its spring time in the Rockies!” And to further prove my point all I have to do is point out the window. As I type on this day in May, I look out and see beautiful huge snowflakes. Yes, SNOW!

So if you like variety-  If you like to be surprised, even amazed-  If you like to wear a t-shirt on a sunny day in winter and snow hats on occasional days in May (I’ve even heard June) then Colorado is the place for you!

Tim, I think you’re going to love it here! I just wish this family was going to be here long enough to see you play in person.

So glad that we celebrated Mother’s Day a bit early. All I want this weekend is some sleep (: And the hope that the rest of my family will not catch this highly contagious and very nasty virus.

Happy Mothers Day to all you mothers and women out there! May God bless you in a special way this weekend.

While in Colorado, we have had the opportunity to go two times. My girls say that it is their favorite fieldtrip. Each year was a little different. They learned different things about Colonial America and the Revolutionary War. The first year, we just went in regular clothes, but made sure that the next year we had our Colonial attire. Since it was May, I didn’t think that we needed our Colonial snow coats, but I forgot that this is Colorado. (:

Some of the activities they were able to try out were candle making, basket weaving, shooting a musket, washing clothes, grinding corn, sawing a log, carding wool, spinning wool on a drop spindle, and observing a revolutionary war reenactment. Of course we read a little bit about Colonial America before the second trip. But I am sure that they remember more from  ”living the history” than from reading it.

It was also a good reminder of what our Founding Fathers worked so hard to create…all the while acknowledging God’s divine providence and authority. How far our country has come. May we continue to acknowledge God in all our ways and pray that He will direct our paths! God, please bless America.