Colorado Adventures

The BYU Botany Duck Pond is a new and popular venue

We had a wonderful time in Colorado at the end of May and the beginning of June. Kassie's youngest sister, Rochelle, graduated from high school and we are glad we were able to be present for that assembly. Greg stayed for a few days and left on Memorial Day to return back to Utah so he could work. Kassie and Hinckley stayed and played for a couple weeks.

Payson LDS Temple open house

At the CO Springs Zoo

We enjoyed some fun activities while we were in Colorado. We went to the zoo and Hinckley was able to pet giraffes and a lizard. We went to the arcade in Manitou Springs and Hinckley rode many little rides--his favorite being an ice cream truck he thought was a bus. We went to many parks and watched construction vehicles moving dirt and building things. We also went swimming a few times.

One of Hinckley's favorite activities was roasting marshmallows. What isn't to love about a fire and a warm sticky, sugary treat?! It's a little boy's dream come true. He wasn't really sure what to do with the marshmallow after he got it off the stick and most of it just ended up stuck to his hand. One time he took his sticky marshmallow hand and wiped it all over Schnitzel's nice golden fur. Watching his excitement at roasting marshmallows was joyful for everyone.

Roasted Marshmallows with Grandad 

Hinckley really took a shine to his "grandad." Every morning he would wake up early and go outside his grandparents' door, shouting for "Grandad, wake up!." The two of them spent countless hours in the sandbox, building tunnels and bridges and other cool things. Granddad also took Hinckley to the park and taught him to throw things into puddles.

Hanging out with Grandad

No less important than granddad is "gran-ma." Just like many children have realized through the ages, you go to grandma to be spoiled. He enjoyed the candy and sweets that grandma gave him. Also, the cars and trucks at her house; he still talks about the "green truck" at grandma's house even though it has been over two weeks that we have been home. It should also be noted that grandma spent many hours with Hinckley in the sandbox and she showed him the plants growing in the greenhouse. He also enjoyed playing in the school bus tent with her and banging on her musical instruments.

It took a little while for Hinckley to warm up to Rochelle. At first he just screamed when he was in the room alone with her. By the end of our stay, however, he was commanding, "Aunt Shell, read," when he wanted someone to read a book. Apparently Rochelle has a great reading voice. Hinckley is also dealing with Milk obsessions and has quite the pathetically quite determination to get the things he wants.

There is one other family member that Hinckley was able to really get to know on this trip and that was Schnitzel, the pomeranian. When asked who his favorite aunt was, Hinckley replied, "Aunt Snizel." They had a special relationship. Schnitzel is on a strict diet, but Hinckley always fed him some of whatever he was eating--voluntarily and sometimes involuntarily. Schnitzel thought it was fun to take Hinckley's toys and chew on them, and Hinckley thought it was fun to chase Schnitzel around the house and hit him.


Sometimes when Hinckley talks about Colorado he talks about "Granddad's House," and other times he says, "Grandma's house," and then there are times he calls it "Snizel's house." We had a grand time in Colorado. And then we came back and someone in our household has literally been sick since that time. Hopefully the illness ends soon and we can began to get back into our regular routine.