Late Summer Trips

We had three trips all in a row in August and September.  I have very few pictures because I forgot my camera at home when we to Utah and Colorado.  And when we went to New Mexico I took most of our photos with my camera.  However, I haven't figured out yet how to download them onto my computer. 

We spent a week in August at Snowbird in Utah with all the Leonard relatives.  Without photos my memory fails me a bit.  But some of the highlights were:

playing bingo in a cold, rainstorm with 40-50 Leonard relatives

Adam and Matt completing their first hike to the top of Hidden Peak

Gavin and Greta showing off their dance moves

Adam and four of his second cousins sitting in the hall all playing Minecraft on their Ipods

 

We got back from Utah on a Sunday.  Monday was the first day of school.  Friday we took the boys out of school and went to Denver for our ward's temple trip.  We left early on Friday so we could visit Garden of the Gods in Colorado Springs.  We then met up with friends from the ward at the hotel.  It's a lot of work to go to the temple.  It's always an overnight stay and is a family effort.  However, because the whole family goes on the trip the boys go to the temple grounds a few times a year.  If we lived within an hour of a temple, we would probably get a babysitter for them but then they wouldn't go to the temple that much.  So, that's one blessing for living so far from a temple--the boys go more often than if we lived close to one. 

 

Then the next weekend, Labor Day, we drove down to Albuquerque, New Mexico.  It was the boys first time in the southwest.  It's only a 7 hour drive.  We left before 6am and got there by lunchtime.  We toured the Old Town, the Aquarium and Botanical Gardens, visited the temple, and spent an afternoon at an amusement park.  I took a lot of pictures on my phone of the boys on the rides.  They had so much fun.  I thought we would spend 2-3 hours there but the boys were having such a good time that we ended up closing the park down.  Gavin was game for every ride.  If he would have been tall enough for the big rollercoasters he would have ridden them.  Adam went on his first big coaster and loved it.  He kept riding it over and over.  The boys also loved the water rides.  One in particular, a tunnel-tube ride, soaked us. 

 

After three weeks of traveling, we were ready to stay home.  At least for another month.