{henry doorley zoo}

While in Nebraska, we went to the Henry Doorley Zoo. For those who don't know, it is one of the coolest zoos there is. They have all sorts of exhibits including an indoor rain forest and a desert dome. We had a lot of fun at the zoo, it was really special because we were able to meet up with Matthew's brother's family. It had been a while since we had seen them. All of our nieces and our nephew have grown so much.

Kaitlyn in the desert dome

Kaiden and grandma

Mackenzie with Katie and Keegan

Carter and grandpa waiting in the aquarium

grandpa Rick

Katie, Keegan and Ranae

(This picture is blurry because we were in the rain forest where it is way humid)

Katie and Keegan in the rain forest

The only picture I have of Matthew, and it only has half of him in it.

He was the camera man at the zoo.

Rick, Ranae, Katie and Keegan in the rain forest

Ranae, Keegan and Katie

{nebraska}

At the beginning of April, we were fortunate enough to make a trip up to Nebraska. It was Ranae' s spring break and Easter, so we wanted to share it with Matthew's parents. It was an eventful week... we chose to drive all night so the boys would sleep the whole way and we wouldn't have to stop and feed them. In the beginning it was a great idea, we made great time and the boys stayed asleep the whole time... BUT I had the hardest time catching up sleep the whole week. I was drowsy no matter what I did. Thankfully Matthew saw I needed extra sleep and let me sleep in almost every morning. We did it differently on the way home. We left in the middle of the day, while wasn't the greatest either. We ended up making a 9hr trip into a 12hr trip with all the stops we had to make. Oh well we learned and will hopefully make our next trip easier...

Ranae with Carter

Rick and Ranae with Carter

{the shining and dumb and dumber}

Believe it or not, but the movies The Shining and Dumb and Dumber have something in common. It is the Stanley Hotel in Estes Park, CO. According to legend, this hotel is haunted by the man, Freelan O. Stanley, who built it in 1909. He moved to the Rockies because of a suggestion from his physician. Stanley was diagnosed with tuberculosis and his physician told him that he would feel better and live longer if he moved to a higher altitude. Interestingly enough he ended up dying a couple of years after the hotel was finished. This hotel was the inspiration for Steven King's The Shining. Although the movie was not filmed here. Apparently it was too close to the town and when filming began there wasn't any snow on the ground. This hotel was also in the last part of the movie Dumb and Dumber, as the Hotel Danbury.

Now why I am giving you all a trivia lesson about this hotel? Well we were able to eat lunch there courtesy of my Grandma Helen (thanks again grandma). To be honest, it didn't feel haunted to me. But we were unable to get in a tour. We only walked around the main level, lobby and outside. Maybe it would've felt more haunted upstairs...

{spring break}

We had so much fun at Estes Park with my family. We are so grateful for the time we were able to spend with everyone. It is such a joy for the boys to have grandparents, aunts and uncles in their lives.

Uncle Matt and Uncle Mike with the boys
Great Grandma Helen with Carter. This was the first time she was able to meet the boys. It was truly special.

Grandma Susan with Keegan

Grandpa Doug with the boys.

Aunt Kellie with the boys

{just keep swimming}

While in Estes Park, we were able to take the boys swimming for the first time. It was a blast, for most, but Keegan really didn't like being in the water. We aren't sure if he thought it was cold, or if it overwhelmed him, but for whatever reason he mostly sat on the edge watching. Carter, on the other hand, loved it. He was in the water the whole time kicking and splashing away.

The whole gang.

Carter with mom and dad.

Carter's feet after swimming. We swam for quite a while.
Aunt Kellie and Keegan

Carter and mom

Keegan and dad. Can't you just read his mind from his facial expression?

Uncle Matt: very determined look on his face...

{moosen}

The last week in March, we were able to meet up with my family in Estes Park for spring break. It was a fun filled week. We stayed at the World Mark Resort. The week started out warm and beautiful. When we arrived it was in the 70s, but by the end of the week we had endured a blizzard. Matthew was scheduled to work on Saturday. Wednesday night the meteorologists were saying that by mid-day Thursday the blizzard would arrive. We were planning to leave early Thursday morning for fear that we would get snowed in and Matthew wouldn't make it back in time for his shift. Well we woke up Thursday morning to a blizzard already in full force. By noon we already had about 8 inches on the ground, and by Friday morning it looked like this...

This is the view from the back porch of the condo.

A shot of the little creek that ran through the back of the resort's property.

The blizzard on the mountains.

Okay, so these aren't moosen... One day we were able to drive through the Roosevelt National Park. It was spectacular. There was a lot of wildlife and quite a few lakes. Unfortunately Matthew, the boys and I were unable to spend a lot of time because the boys became fussy.

A totem pole by the rock shop.