4th in Colorado

Last week we went to Colorado for the 4th of July and a Phillips family reunion.

Before we left on Tuesday we couldn't miss out on Provo's Balloon Festival. We woke the kids up early and headed over.

Corby had just learned the word, piggy, so he loved this balloon.

Rog worked a half day and then we hit the road. We went through the mountain and things were going just fine until Corby got carsick and threw up all over himself and his car seat. That wasn't fun, but we got it all cleaned up and eventually made it to Kenzie and Irving's.

We had signed up to run the Highlands Ranch Independence Day 5K with Irving, so we were up bright and early for that.

Taylor and Martha weren't planning on coming for the week because Taylor is selling pest control in Washington DC for the summer. But because of the crazy storms and power outages they had there, they decided to fly out. It was a nice surprise! So Martha also joined us for the run.

It was probably the hardest 5K course we have ever run with multiple steep hills. After having a baby and only training for about 2 weeks, I wasn't prepared for that. I felt pretty good during the run, but paid for it the rest of the day!

Later in the day, we went to a nearby splash pad. Corby had a great time playing with his dad.

Peyton didn't want to miss out on the fun.

Kenzie had a fun colored bubble machine and white shirts for all the boys. They all had fun running around in the bubbles and getting their shirts colored. 

And Peyton just looked cute in her 4th of July outfit.

For dessert we roasted marshmallows and made s'mores. (Every time Corby sees this picture he says, mess. So cute.)

Fireworks were banned because of all the wildfires, so we did glow sticks instead.

On Thursday we went swimming and had a chill day while those of our family who live in Colorado had to work.

That night we had dinner at Rex and Edda's and watched Toy Story 3 in the theatre. Corby was in heaven!

On Friday we went to the Denver Zoo in the morning. Unlike our trip to the Hogle Zoo a few weeks ago, it was hot, hot, hot! But we were glad Rog got to join us this time. 

When we first walked in we saw this lion up on a rock (in the top left of the picture). It was probably the coolest thing we saw.

Corby's favorite part of the morning was when we took a break to feed Peyton and got him some ice cream. 

We couldn't leave until we got a picture of our little hippo in her hippo outfit with the hippo. Pretty sure she'll hate us for this picture someday!

After nap time, we were planning on going swimming to cool off from the morning, but just as we got there, they closed the pool because of some thunder and lightning. So we got Dixie's water table out and let the kiddos play with that instead.

We went to Village Inn for dinner which was a great choice for our large group with 4 crazy boys. We got right in and the boys enjoyed their pancakes and breakfast food.

On Saturday Dixie had planned a family reunion with Roger's cousins at the Aurora Reservoir. Only a few were able to come, but it was still fun.

The water was a little cold for Corby's liking, but he played in it for a little while.

And everyone adored our cute little Peyton doll in her swimsuit.

After the reunion and nap time, there was a crazy huge storm that came through. Luckily it waited until after our morning at the reservoir!

That night we just hung out one last night before we had to say goodbye. The cousins enjoyed an ice cream cone together.

Corby and Sam had a great time playing together the whole trip. Sam is a year older than Corby, but they are almost the same size and they look a lot alike with their white blonde hair. They even have matching swim shorts. (I'm sad we didn't get a picture of that!)

Right before we were going to go back to Kenzie and Irving's to get packed and ready to leave the next morning, Rog and Corby were playing and Corby hurt his wrist. It was a little scary because he was holding it and not using it. That's the first time he hasn't just bounced back after an injury, so we thought he might really have done something to it. We were looking into Urgent Care and ER options, but then Rog decided to give him a blessing (with his dad and Irving). He continued to hold it during the blessing, but as soon as they were done, he was completely fine! It was a huge blessing and a testimony to the power of the Priesthood.

On Sunday we got an early start and drove home. We decided to take the Wyoming way home to avoid another throw up incident even though that way is an extra hour for us. Bill and Mariah had dinner waiting for us when we got home - I'm pretty sure that was the only thing that got us through that long drive with 2 kids!

It was a fun trip spending time with all of the Phillips clan!