Spring Break 2013 (Palo Duro Canyon)

This year for spring break we headed to Palo Duro Canyon.  Did you know that the second largest canyon in America is located right here in Texas!?  Who knew!  This place was absolutely perfect for what we wanted to accomplish.

We got there on Thursday and did some exploring before setting up camp.

 After researching this place online (thank you youtube), we decided it would be a perfect trip to try some mountain biking.  Tyler recently got a new bike with gears and some front suspension, so we thought we'd give it a try!  John and I only own road bikes, so we stopped in Amarillo and rented mountain bikes for the two of us, and we brought Robby's tag-along attachment.  It was PERFECT!

Our first full day there, we set out for the lighthouse.  If you look just to the right of Tyler's helmet in the picture below, you can see the lighthouse feature to which we were biking.

Everyone did fantastic!  Tyler really handled it all so well.  He followed right behind John, and I rode behind him giving him little tips and directions along the way.  He surprised me several times when he would gear down and motor up a really steep hill, or when he would tackle a very technical, rocky portion.  He rocked it!  And Robby held on and pedaled like a champ!  I loved it when he would stand on the pedals for a bum break.  He looked so little perched on his bike with his skinny legs and slender bum.  

The last 1/4 of a mile of the trail isn't accessible by bike so we locked them up and started our hike.  The boys loved climbing over these big rocks.

 Here we are, we made it!

 And of course, John had to scare me to death by climbing to the VERY top (yes, that's him on top of the lighthouse).

I could tell that they boys felt proud of what they had accomplished, and Robby loved hearing the other hikers talk about how cool his bike was as he rode past.  I was grateful that we were able to cover so much ground in a reasonable amount of time.  If we would have hiked that trail, we probably wouldn't have made it all the way to the lighthouse...or maybe not without lots of complaining and a few piggy back rides.

The next day, we did some more exploring and a few smaller hikes.  One hike took us to a really cool, small cave.

 Climbing up all those boulders was the perfect adventure for these boys.

 And when we got to the top, we were rewarded with cool (almost chilly temperatures) in that cave.  Tyler and I wondered how many Indians over the centuries had sought refuge from the brutal Texas heat in the summer here.

 We climbed around the back side and then down into the top shelf of the cave too.  It is so weird to feel all this cool air coming from inside the cave.

We spent a little time checking out the visitor's center and some of the popular viewpoints.  Pretty cool!  We enjoyed being able to leave our campsite by bike to see some of the various attractions.  It made getting around super easy...and fun! 

 The temperatures were quite honestly perfect.  We have had an unseasonably cool spring here and just two weeks before spring break, this place got over a foot of snow, so we were actually worried it would be a bit cold.  The day time temps were perfect.  Mid to upper 70's and at night it got into the upper 30's brrrrrr! But that was perfect for cuddling.  On the first morning there, John and Tyler woke up early and headed out to start breakfast.  When John returned later to see if Robby and I were awake, this is how he found us...both snuggled together in one mummy bag.  Neither of us was brave enough to get out.  It was a bit cold.

Another exciting part of our camping experience happened on our last night.  At about 3 in the morning, John and I were awoken by a pack of coyotes  VERY near by.  We could hear them barking and howling like crazy.  We looked at each other and hoped that we weren't what they were getting so excited about!

 Our last day there, we wanted to do one last longer biking excursion.  We knew the trail we had picked out might prove to be a bit too technical for our group, but we wanted to give it a go anyway. 

 It was AMAZING.  The trail was so dynamic and interesting, but it did prove to be a bit too difficult.  We biked some parts and walked our bikes through others.  There was one point where the trail got very narrow with a steep drop off one side and very poky cacti on the other.  It made my mamma bear heart very nervous to watch all my boys bike through some very difficult terrain.  I would see Robby holding on for dear life as the bike would tip and tilt when John maneuvered it around tight corners or over large boulders.

 We finally decided it would be best to enjoy this trail by foot, so we locked up the bikes and headed out.  It was definitely worth seeing, and I'm glad we continued; although, John and I secretly wished we could ditch our kiddos and attempt this cool trail on the bikes :0

It was very neat, and I was again very proud of everyone for attempting something that was difficult and challenging.  I could tell that Tyler really felt a sense of accomplishment, and Robby just felt cool cruising along on the back of Dad's bike.

I wish I would have taken more videos of them pedaling and grinning from ear to ear, but this and one other sketchy video is about all I got.  Bummer.

It was absolutely one of our favorite memories as a family.  I love getting my kids away from the hustle and bustle of life and escaping to be together.  I loved watching them scamper and run, climb and play, explore and experience.  I loved quiet moments in the tent discussing our epic adventures of the day.  I loved being together in nature and experiencing the grandness of God's creations.  

This is what memories are made of.

Florida trip- part 4

 More beach fun.  But if you're Callie, before you head out to the beach you have to play a little Angry Birds with your Uncle John and change out of your footie jammies.  Seriously, that Callie is the cutest little thing.  She sure knows how to keep us all entertained.

 Aaaaand...back out to the beach to make some BOOTS!  Of course.

More chillaxin.  As parents, this trip was a piece of cake.  They boys were self entertained, and other than puting up the umbrella and digging a hole every morning, we didn't have to do a darn thing!

I'm just adding this random video so you can see how calm and clear the water was one of the days we were there.  I think that made playing in the water really easy for the little ones since they didn't have to worry about getting knocked over by any big waves.  

 It was so nice being with the Ford's.  We were all on the same speed and our schedules lined up pretty well.  Every day we'd come into the condo for lunch and naps.  Yep, even Tyler and Robby.  We've found that when we're on vacations, our boys especially need naps.  They play so hard and it's so nice to have a little down time in the middle of the day.  Here are the kiddos getting into the zone right before naps.  The adults enjoyed the extra kid free time to sit on the balcony and chat, read a book, or take naps too.  My favorite nap time was spent with Chrissy one afternoon.  We tucked everyone in bed and then headed back out to the beach by ourselves.  We sat under an umbrella and talked and then took our rafts out into the ocean.  The waves were calm, but we each held on to the other's raft so that we wouldn't drift apart.  We laughed and talked and then almost fell asleep as we were lulled into a deep relaxation by the waves.  It was heavenly.  And I sure wish our husbands would have taken our pictures from the balcony.  It would have been funny to see two ladies on their rafts out in the middle of the ocean (we drifted pretty far out).

 One afternoon, John decided to rent a sea kayak.  First he and Mike tested it out and then he and Ty went for a quick ride.    

Again, I wish you could see the huge grin on Tyler's face.  

 At night, after it gets dark, we took a flashlight out to the beach to catch crabs.  These little white crabs are everywhere (I know, makes you think twice about taking that romantic walk on the beach after sunset).  Boy did we have fun catching those things.  I think one of the funniest moments of the whole trip was when my two boys were too scared to pick up the crabs at first.  After showing them several times and them making a few attempts, Callie bent right down, scooped one up, and dropped it in the bucket.  I don't think the boys were scared anymore after they saw their little girl cousin do it.   

Here we are letting them go.  Pretty cool.

It was a fabulous trip.  We will definitely be going back to Destin again someday.  I can not say enough about how great that trip was.  

Florida Trip- part 3

Another non-beach activity that we enjoyed was a trip to see and feed the alligators at the Fudpuckers restaurant.  Another hit with my boys.  I mean, you get a stick and rope with meat on it and then you dangle that a few inches above dozens and dozens of gators...what is not appealing about that to a three year old and seven year old boy? (and Callie liked it too, but Callie likes anything fun)  

Florida trip- part2

We did leave the beach on occasion, but only for more adventures.  Destin is a very family friendly place and when we heard about this pirate ship cruise that caters to young kids, we knew it would be a hit, and it definitely was!

Here we are on the top deck enjoying the view.

 After a few blasts from the cannon, we left the harbor and the pirate crew led the kids in several pirate activities, like...

SWORD FIGHTING, and...

 GUN FIGHTING (did I mention my kids LOVED this cruise?), and...

 DECK CLEANING!  Ha!  that's right, after the water gun fight, they told the kids that the pirate crew now had to clean the deck and they brought out a bucket and mops.  Robby was absolutely hilarious.  They cranked up the music and most of the kids danced around and played with their mops, but Robby took his deck cleaning duties very seriously.  You could see the look on his face and he meant business.  I could just see him thinking to himself, "I gotta clean this deck.  Oh, look over there.  It's another wet spot.  Better mop it up...and over there..."  I could not stop laughing as I watched him attack that deck.

 Then, they did some face painting to make the kids look like real pirates.  Oh man, again, could not stop laughing.  A ship full of little kids who looked like little pirates.

 And the best part was, the kids helped pull up a treasure chest from the ocean and each got a couple treasures.

 Pretty much, they nailed it.  This activity was so perfect for my boys and we had a pretty good time watching them (and darn it, why do I not have a picture of little Callie with her beard and mustache?...funniest thing ever).