Another Perfectly Wobbly Day

As you might have noticed from our last post, we recently skipped town and headed to a Wheeler family reunion in the Colorado Rockies.  Sure wouldn't mind having a mountain getaway like this on a permanent basis--it was amazing!

First order of business--becoming reacquainted with Baby Ruby.  Isn't she the cutest thing ever?


Brooklyn couldn't wait to hold her cousin.

Eager to steal the show, Annika started doing yoga on the living room floor.


Then she headed upstairs to climb all over Aunt Christy while Christy did her own poses, taking Table Top to a whole new level.


We had a lovely view of Pike's Peak right from our cabin...


...but on Friday we headed to the Garden of the Gods to see the mountains from a whole new angle.  Friday was pretty spectacular, not only because it represented another victorious Wheeler Wobble, but because it was Justin's birthday.

Christy designed some awesome Wheeler Wobble shirts which the grandparents generously printed.  LOVE 'EM!


Ready to race.


After puffing our way up the first hill, Talia and I decided that given our nasty colds and extreme altitude, a run/walk would be most appropriate. 


Personally, I really enjoyed taking in all the wildlife and scenery at a slower pace.  Notice the deer just off to the right.


Some pretty spectacular rock formations!  We were often reminded of Snow Canyon.

Even though we could have hung around gazing all day, we made it back in good time, knowing that Christy's delicious pecan rolls were waiting for us at the finish.  Yum!


After the race, we went back to do some more hiking and exploring.  Here's Talia leaping with Uncle Lance, this year's Wheeler Wobble Winner.

Looks like Christy and the Wheeler munchkins made it to the top!  (Notice Grandpa Charles's hand off to the side, making sure that Annika doesn't plummet to her death.)

So beautiful!

Cameo Time:  Christy and Eli,

Lance,

Justin,

Grandma Susie,

Grandpa Charles,

Brooklyn,

and Annika.  (Freedom!)


Stop, girls, stop!

Happy sisters.

With such a beautiful backdrop, we decided to try and grab a family photo.  I was definitely having hair issues--perhaps we were in a vortex?

My hair wasn't the only one going crazy though--check out Eli's!  (Or Jason's for that matter.)

This picture was the best of the bunch.

As long as we're on the subject of hair, the girls decided that Daddy's was finally long enough for pony tails.

Gorgeous, darling.  Gorgeous!

That evening, we celebrated Justin's birthday with a beverage and poetry party.  High points include Justin and Brianna's original Ode to the O (donut hole, that is) and Ben's "Ladle Rat Rotten Hut."  Too fun!


Grandpa Charles decrees: yet another perfect day.

Stay tuned for the grand finale.

World's Best Snowstorm

It's November 5th and the weather is a balmy 65 degrees outside.  Woo hoo!  I love it.

Even though we've been celebrating this extended fall, a few weeks ago we had a brief taste of winter.  One Wednesday evening, we picked the kids up from school and drove straight through to Colorado Springs for a Wheeler family reunion.  When we finally got ourselves up in the morning, we discovered this: snow!

It was great to become reacquainted with family, but even greater to do so via a snowball fight.  Here's Uncle Ben taking aim.

The stealthy guy sneaking behind the cabin is Uncle Justin. 

Lance is grabbing pictures.

Justin goes in for the kill...

...but boom, Ben blocked it!



Jason shoots...


Ben returns...




Then out of nowhere, Eli fires!  Good arm, buddy.


Splat!  Talia makes her target...


Then ducks under the table for cover.


Meanwhile, Christy opts for a calmer route, having learned the hard way that getting caught in her brothers' crossfire can be rather painful.  (Sorry about that!)

Time for some sledding!

Brooklyn sure seems to be enjoying the snow.

Much to my surprise, Annika absolutely loved it as well.  We were unprepared for snow, so I stuck socks on her hands to take the place of mittens. 

We fully expected Annie to come back inside after thirty seconds, but she wandered around in her pajamas and rain boots for nearly an hour.  Too cute!

Hmm, looks like Talia might have an idea up her sleeve.

Eli, are you going to join in?

Do you wanna build a snowman?

Annika, that snow ball's bigger than you are!

This tall guy's taking shape nicely.


Hey look, it's an entire snow family!  Great job, Grandpa Charles.

Say cheese!  From left to right it's Talia, Charles, Justin, Lance, and of course the snow cats.

Amazingly enough, the snow melted after just a few hours, leaving only slight traces of the snow creatures that had once graced that very spot.  A few magical hours of snow fun, then warmth for the rest of our vacation.

Now that's what I call the perfect snowstorm.