Once again, having some computer issues, so it has taken me a while to upload pictures.

The rest of the trip south was good.  We spent a whole day in Denver~mostly explored downtown.  We headed to the capitol first.

This was a building across from the capitol and we noticed the workers on top.  The building was probably 40 stories!

The kids enjoyed looking around the capitol but probably enjoyed what was on the grounds better.  Joseph loved these birds and took this picture.

Jacob loved climbing some of the trees.

The squirrels were definitely the biggest source of entertainment.  We went to the car to get our lunch and then they gave some of the leftovers to the squirrels.

We also enjoyed Lik-m-aid on the capitol grounds.  (Yes, that is peanut butter on his face, left over from lunch)

We then walked downtown.  The boys really enjoyed the Barnes and Nobles.  Being that it was downtown, we were the only kids in the kid section.

We went into 2 different skyscrapers, trying to get a view from the upper floors.  Of course we were told in both cases, by security, that it was not allowed for security reasons.  We figured so but I have been talking with the boys about how it never hurts to ask.  We even tried to get to one of the upper floors of a hotel.  You obviously need key cards to access floors these days.  I don't think the boys have ever seen a view from anything above 7 stories or so.  I think they were overwhelmed with all the busyness of the city.  After downtown we headed to IKEA.  Quite the experience with the boys, but we all came out alive and with money in our pockets.

When we made it back to the KOA camp, the boys really wanted to ride the banana bikes.  Not the best pictures (I am really experimenting with manual modes on my camera, so quality is affected a bit) of the bikes, but the boys had a blast.  It was raining and Benjamin and Jacob picked it up quickly.

 Joseph was just a tad too short to properly ride the bike, so most of what we saw of him was this....

pure frustration!!

Another dinner on the road.

We managed to spend very little money on the road. The last morning before we hit Texas the boys each got 2 donuts. Other than that, we bought a few drinks!

Hopefully the wi-fi will cooperate and I can load more pictures soon.

We recently hung out at the park and got a decent picture of all three of the boys...seems it is few and far between right now!

The road trip has begun! After several multi week road trips, I think I have a pretty good idea of how to pack things. Here is what the back of the van looked liked just before we pulled out. About a 1/3 of what is in the back is blankets, etc, because a few nights at a KOA cabin was on the list. I have a bucket for the boys clothes, a bucket for my clothes, a small toiletry bag, a cooler and two buckets for food. Then of course the backpack with electronics.  The biggest help on the road is the large size ziplocks I use for each days' clothes.  This saves me from pulling out a huge suitcase or having to dig through bags.  I grab a ziplock and toiletry bag and I am set.

Our second stop was at a cool park in Wyoming.  It was a school playground during school hours and then a city/public park the rest of the time.  The boys loved the bridge over the busy highway.

I love this picture with his thumb tucked in and the concentration.

The playground was overwhelming. There was over 10 different elements/areas to play in.  Had I had on my tennis shoes, we would have gotten in a great game of tag!

Was fascinated with this picture and how pronounced the rain was in that one little area.

This road trip I finally bought a power inverter and decided to try 'cooking' on the road.  Has worked like a charm so far.  Had some frozen meatballs in the cooler and just put them in and within about 90 minutes they were ready for dinner.  Other than safety on the road, one of my goals is not to spend any money on the road, especially at fast food/restaurants.

So thankful for the safety thus far on the road. I think the biggest mishap I have ever had on the road (with probably 4 trips to Ohio and 4 to Texas ~ which would be about 3,000 round trip times 8 trips....) was a dead battery and as I recall, it happened twice in Ohio, when the car was in my sister's driveway!

Here are the rest of the Florida pictures. There are a few videos and it looks like the videos are not loading properly (I never know until I hit post ~ hopefully they will but appears it is treating it like a moving picture instead of video, so no sound). You can tell from these, that Jacob is not afraid of anything living. The boys also enjoyed an air boat ride at an alligator farm.

Pictures from the trip to Florida, that JR took the boys on.....

The two younger boys got to visit the cockpit (unfortunately Benjamin had exited the plane, not knowing the other two would get invited for a peek.  Turns out this is 'the' plane that their Uncle Mike gets to fly all over the world.

One of their many sleeping arrangements...just loving Jacob's socks.

Huge mangoes in the backyard.

Jbird loved all the critters.

JR loved the dogs.

Tired boys.

Outing with JR's dad.

A little fun at the beach.

Their cousin's have a pool in the backyard, so did lots of swimming.

I will post the rest in a few days!!!

We are still alive and well in Montana, despite my silence.

The boy and JR have been gone for the last week to Florida, to visit his family. They are due in around midnight tonight! From all accounts, they had a lot of fun, are exhausted and ate way to much junk food! I have been having problems with my email not working on my computer, but hopefully I can somehow get the Florida pictures saved to my computer and uploaded.

I have had an amazing week. I initially thought I would plan lots of hiking, biking, friend time, etc. However, as their departure date grew closer, I decided I did not want a schedule. I wanted to do what I wanted to do, when I wanted to do it. So, for a week, I did just that. I only had 2 commitments the whole week. I stayed up late or slept in if I wanted to. I would wander into town and stay as late as I desired. I cooked the first day they were gone and the last day they were gone. I bought a saw and some lumber and did a few projects around the house (hopefully pictures to come). I watched movies when I wanted to, got on line when I wanted to, read books, sat out in the sun, worked in the yard when I wanted to. Just a very nice relaxing week for me. I managed to get some things done and what I did not get done, it can wait for another day.

I have missed the chaos, noise, activity and probably even the arguing ~ although I think I have some different insights in how to deal with things better going forward.

Jbird finishes second grade on Friday. For all practical purposes, Benjamin is done with school. We will do some stuff the next couple of days, but more along the lines of stuff he really enjoys, like watching science and history videos.

We will re group over the next week or so and then head down to Texas!

Hope to post some pictures later this week!