Colorado Springs Zoo (Eagle, Wallaby, Elephants)

Though far off, I was able to get a snapshot of the Bald Eagle



Brianna got to pet an Albino Wallaby too!

We had to get a souvenir Giraffe button while we were there, too

And lastly we got to see the Elephants get a bath. Overall, it was a good day at the zoo!

Unforutnately I didn't get a good picture of the elephants. We also took the sky-ride up the mountain just before we left, but again, missed taking some shots with the camera during that time.

Colorado Springs Zoo (Otters and Bears)

After the merry-go-round incident, it didn't take long for Bri to cheer right up again.



By far, the best part of the zoo was watching the otters. They were very active and Brianna enjoyed watching them tumble and play in the water for nearly 15 minutes.

We also go to see the bears. They were kind of far off at first, but then one came down from the rocks and came right up to the observation window.

I guess he was getting hot, because he even decided to take a swim, to the enjoyment of all the people watching.

Colorado Springs Zoo (Merry-Go-Round)

They had this really neat old merry-go-round at the zoo. We decided that since Brianna was so enthralled by the music it was playing, we ought to take her on it once to see if she would like it.



At first, she was ok...

Then it got progressively worse...

We found out that, although she liked watching and listening to the merry-go-round, she didn't much like being ON the merry-go-round.

Not a happy kid at all.

Colorado Springs Zoo (Giraffes, Zebras, and "Lazy" Monkeys)

The next day we all went to the Colorado Springs Zoo!



Brianna got to feed the Giraffes ...

... see the Zebras ...

... and look at some very lazy monkeys :-)

Playing at the Campground

The campground in Colorado Springs has a wonderful playground that was perfect for Brianna to play on.



This was the first time she was able to do everything herself, without any help from mommy or daddy.

She had the whole circuit down from climbing up the steps, walking across the bridge, sitting down at the top of the slide...

...sliding down, and getting off the slide at the bottom. ALL ON HER OWN!!

As you can guess, she did this SEVERAL times :-)

Seven Falls

After the Cliff Dwellings, it was on to visit Seven Falls



Unfortunately, I (Justin) had to work on Friday, so I drove down separately and arrived later that evening.

From having been at Seven Falls years ago, I do remember how spectacular the waterfalls are as they cascade down the mountain. It looks like Brianna had a lot of fun watching the water splash into the lake at the bottom.

She stayed with Grandma while the rest of the family hiked the steps all the way to the top.

Cliff Dwellings

In July we took a vacation to Colorado Springs with Roy, Martha, Sharon, Rich and Hannah.



The first stop was at the Native American Cliff Dwellings

There were some amazing Native American dancers performing for the crowd.

Their costumes were awesome, too! Check out this eagle dress!

Spending time over at Grandma and Grandpa's

Brianna loves playing over at Grandma and Grandpa Felix's. When Rachael or I have to be at church early on Sunday, we like to spend the night at their house since they live just 5 minutes away from church. It is always a joy to visit Grandma and Grandpa's and socialize too!



Brianna fit herself into a shoebox this particular Saturday evening and wanted daddy to push her around the room :-)

We also enjoy going to Beech park, which is right across the street from their house. Brianna always has fun swinging and playing on the boat-themed kids park.

She also loves putting on shoes and everyone had a good laugh when she came walking into the livingroom with Grandpa's shoes on her feet.

Three-Sisters Park in Evergreen

Near the end of June we took a quick drive up to Evergreen to hike around Three-Sisters open space park.



It was a beautiful mid-morning hike through the trees and boulders. We even came across this HUGE "Mario Brothers" mushroom that we just had to take a picture of. If I were Mario, I'm sure eating this thing would have made me twice as tall!

Brianna fell asleep on this hike too :-) I think her backpack must be pretty comfy.

She did wake up once we got to the top. We found a few high-mountain puddles to splash in too!

Hiking with Grandma and Grandpa

While on that same trip in early June, we also took a hike with Grandma and Grandpa to a secluded roaring waterfall



Brianna loves hiking, but she got tired quickly and slept through most of the hike :-)

The waterfall was gorgeous, but Brianna still managed to stay asleep even though the waterfall was rather loud.

She woke up very rested and very thirsty. We got her out of the backpack along the trail for a stretch and a few quick family snapshots.